In Wonderful Madinah...Can it be?

Bism Illah wa as salaamu alaykum.

Many get the impression that Madinah is a small heaven on earth. They imagine that it is a beautiful city filled with Muslims brimming with emaan, taqwa, and exemplary ibadah. They believe that, with so much opportunity for learning and Islamic growth, that those living here are well grounded in their Islam and all are pursuing learning. They think that there is little or no crime.

None of these things are true, Qadr Allah. Madinah is polluted, with public places strewn with rubbish. Not Masjid an Nabawi with it's extensive staff to clean and maintain, but the streets and parks are always heavily littered. A large proportion of the Muslims here have very poor manners -  a bleary reflection of weak taqwa - and many have even less Islamic knowledge than those of us from the West. Many are simply living and working here, without attending any Quran or Islamic classes. There is crime: theft, attempts to bring in drugs, and vandalism.

Our family vehicle, a Chrysler Town and Country, had a mechanical problem that rendered it immovable and sitting parked in front of our apartment building. Literally, on the day  my husband intended to go down and see about getting it fixed, he went to find the windshield and two of the rear passenger windows smashed in by big rocks. We were shocked.

We learned that it was some local teenage boys, but nobody will identify them. The police came to take a report of the incident, but offered no words of hope regarding them looking for the vandals. There is no insurance coverage for such things. Insurance here is to pay for you damaging someone else's car, not for repairs to your own car. Basically, when something like this happens, you say Qadr Allah, mashaa fa'al, and you have to find the money to fix the damage yourself. In our case, as it will cost thousands to fix the vandalism and have the van up and running again, we have had to rent a car for the past three months.

These truths are not told to devalue Madinah in any way. They are told to remind you and ourselves that there is no heaven on earth and that even the most blessed of places will have great fitan and injustices. Why? Because we are not meant to love this dunya and we need reminders and tests to make us yearn for Jennah. Such things are blessings from Allah, reminders that nowhere on this earth can compare an iota with our ultimate goal.

May we all strive for Jennah al Firdaus and keep it as our primary goal when we face the trials of this dunya - ameen.

Moving House

Bism Illah wa as salaamu alaykum.

Please forgive me for not posting in so long. Subhaan Allah, life is busy here.I started writing this when we were in the second half of the second semester of school and exams were looming. Now we have just finished the summer Qur'an programme and are on vacation until after Eid al Fitr....two months later!

Anyway, we decided to move to a villa (a detached house with a wall around it). One of the things about living in Madinah is that if you live in an apartment the children won't have anywhere safe to play. It is madness to let the children play in the street with the irresponsible and maniacal driving. In fact, there isn't anywhere for them to ride their bicycles either. As we approach the end of our second year here, mashaa'Allah, we decided to move to a house with a good outside area for the children to be able to play in. We first thought of Iskan, where the majority of expatriate families in houses live. The price of the houses there ranges from SAR 30,000 (if you're blessed) to 50,000 per year. Of course you can find more expensive than that if you like! However, after living for 2 years in an apartment, we realized that it would make a huge difference to our lives, and especially the lives of the children, to live in a house. For this reason, we searched in Aziziya, which is just outside of the Haram area. It is far less expensive, mashaa'Allah, with far better and nicer housing for the price than town center.

To give an idea, hubby saw two 5 bedroom apartments that looked like the Meridien hotel and they were only SAR 24,500 per year. Yes, I did say 5 bedrooms. There would also be a kitchen, at least 3-4 bathrooms, and two sitting areas for guests at minimum. In any case, they didn't have any area for playing and we wanted something simple, so we rented an older, large, 4 bedroom villa that has a huge courtyard area including a small planted area with date palms, a gravel patch for a tent and/or pool, and plenty of tiled area to play and enjoy the outdoors, along with a complete walled roof for riding bikes and running wild. The cost? SAR 23,000 per year, mashaa'Allah.

I have been exploring the area with my daughters and found nice quality cotton clothes for a fraction of the price of those in the malls and stores closer to the Haram. The general atmosphere is far more relaxed and pleasant, as this area isn't swarming with Umrah visitors and tourists, mashaa'Allah. Al hamdul'Illah, a new chapter of living in Madinah....with a new level of sakinah (peace/tranquility) and some freedom to enjoy the outdoors within our own private walls. All praise be to Allah, the Perfect Provider of all needs.

Studying Quran

Bism Illah wa as salaamu alaykum.

All the tahfeedth programmes here start the students with Qaidat an Nooraniyah. It a very simple and effective way to learn to read Arabic - especially Quranic Arabic - correctly and accurately. The shaykh we are told to listen to for our memorization is Sheikh Ibrahim Al Akhdar. He is the former Imam of Masjid an Nabawi and mashaa'Allah, tabarak Allah his recitation is incredibly clear and precise. You can hear every technique of tajweed, count exactly the harakat for each madd, mashaa'Allah. If you would like to listen to him, check out http://www.tanzil.net, inshaa'Allah.

The other shaykh we are told to listen to, second to Ibrahim al Akhdar, is Shaikh Al Hudhaify, the current Imam at Masjid an Nabawi. Perhaps we are told these because they are from Madinah? I don't know. However, I must stay that listening to Ibrahim Al Akhdar has improved my recitation dramatically, mashaa'Allah. May Allah reward him with lofty places in Jennah al Firdaus - ameen.

We are told that every day we should memorize something, even if it is only one ayah. Otherwise we are giving in to shaytaan's whispers. We learn the tajweed rules in the first three levels of the Arabic programme, but in levels 3 and 4, they learn the makhaarij (correct pronunciation) of the letters, mashaa'Allah. At each level, we learn more and our Quran recitation is checked for more of the tajweed rules and correct makhraj.  We work backwards in the Quran, in order. That meant that whatever suwar I knew in my hodgepodge  way had to be ordered and I had to learn any that I was missing in between as I went in order backwards for Juz Ammah.

Exams for Quran are by Juz, and the bigger exams are for 5, 10,15... Ajuz. In these, the teacher will select one or two surahs from each Juz and have the student recite a part of it from any ayah they instruct them. For this reason, it is very important to do revision of the suwar that have been memorized on a daily basis as well. These must be rotated and always kept up so that they aren't forgotten as the repertoire of suwar grows, inshaa'Allah.

There are so many excellent programs online to learn tajweed rules and the makhaarij of letters that really one can do excellent home study of the Quran. Of course, it is important for your recitation to be checked regularly by someone who is qualified to do so, but most surely you can do a lot by yourself if you are motivated. I find that even when we have a vacation now, I take time to memorize a new surah and keep my revision up, mashaa'Allah.

May we all learn the Quran so that we feel it in our hearts, implement it in our lives, and seek it for our souls - ameen.

Halal and Tayyibaat Food

Bism Illah wa as salaamu alaykum wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuh.

Prior to moving to Saudi Arabia, we had been living a very "green" life, mashaa'Allah. We took seriously the amanah of our bodies, our earth, and our environment from Allah. We ate organic, unprocessed, whole foods. We were concerned about being able to eat healthily here in Madinah, especially knowing how limited good quality food is and not knowing what kind of regulations Saudi Arabia had on the types of pesticides and insecticides permitted for agricultural use.


There is an amazing amount of very poor quality, cheap, chemical-laden food here. Junk food such as chips loaded with MSG, artificially colored and flavored everything with all manner of additives, no apparent regulations on the ingredients of cheap candy for children, with the exception of it being technically halal, and shelves full of empty, harmful calorie snack and processed foods. Sadly, the diet of the majority here is very poor. It is the subcontinent workers, who cannot afford all those little convenience packs, who seem to eat more healthily as they have to actually cook. They are the ones who we see carrying bags of vegetables back home on Jumu'ah, mashaa'Allah.


We researched before coming and found that there was a Saudi company committed to organic foods, Al Watania, mashaa'Allah. On arrival, once settled into our apartment, we found that the supermarket right over the road from our apartment building had a diet section with a small but good range of organic foods, such as wholewheat pastas, brown and red rice, raw sugar, fruit spreads, etc. After checking out the other supermarkets, we found wider ranges of beans, grains, apple cider vinegar, etc. Al Watania chickens were easily available, as were the eggs.

Then, just a few months after we arrived, an Al Watania shop opened in Madinah, where we can buy organic flour, wholegrains such as barley and wheat, organic meat, dates, honey, pasta, beans, herbs, produce, and even soap. We later learned of another shop called Kul Thimar, which sells locally grown produce and some natural foods. Another source of natural foods is a shop we finally located about a month ago called, Beit al Gheethaa. It has many things for natural health, including bancha tea and twigs, different whole grains and flours, real soy sauce and tamari sauce, seaweed, natural body products, books, acupressure sandals, and fresh herbs. 

There is a big fruit and vegetable market in Madinah where a wide variety of vendors sell produce. Beside it is a meat market and also a fish market. There is a strip of shops that sell freshly deep fried fish, which is delicious. There is also a chicken and bird market, where live birds can be bought and chickens or turkeys can be selected to be slaughered and defeathered. There are women selling the natural, organic eggs from those birds as well. The women also sell the handwoven palm leaf mats that we bought to eat on, baskets, and palm leaf brushes.

After more investigation and looking at the size of the animals here, we learned that Saudi Arabia doesn't allow genetically modified products into the country, mashaa'Allah. They also do not appear to use any form of steroids on the animals. We have never seen a big fat animal since coming here, LOL. Even the chickens are tiny compared to what we were used to. A standard weight for a chicken here is 1 kilogram, perhaps 1.3 kg at the most.

It takes some effort to find the various things we need as usually you have to go to 4 or 5  different shops to complete our whole list, but truly Allah has made it easy for us to maintain a good standard of healthy living.
In addition, we found that there were many like minded Muslims here. They are well-educated, religiously committed, and consider healthy living part and parcel of their Islam, mashaa'Allah.  The wife of a student at the Islamic University holds classes once a month on health and nutrition, reminding and teaching the sisters about living according to halal and tayyibaat. Many families are increasingly health conscious and environmentally aware, mashaa'Allah.

Subhaan Allah, we came here thinking we might be the odd ones out, but we find that people are seeking us out for advice on where to find healthy, safe food and on natural living. We have traveled to this blessed city and found people from all over the world with like minds and hearts, wa al hamdu l'Illah!

Is Hijrah Forever?

Bism Illah wa as salaamu alaykum wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuh.

This is a post that may have a sequel, however hubby and I have sat and composed this to address the outlook and reality for others who desire to make hijrah to Muslim countries, and to Saudi Arabia - Makkah/Madinah specifically.

It is important to think about the meaning of hijrah and whether the place you move to is somewhere you will be able to stay or not. When we got on the plane to move to Madinah, we came with the understanding that this isn't our country and that with the immigration laws so difficult here, it isn't likely we will be able to live here forever.  Anyone who comes here, unless they are a national of the country, can end up leaving at any time. Even if you are a national, your citizenship can be revoked.

It isn't wise to put all your eggs in one basket. Ideally if we could live here and do all the things we want to do in the States here, and have the assurance that things could go without trouble then we would stay. However, we are expats - here to work. Once we don't work or aren't of any service to the government or private sector, there is no compelling reason to keep us here. Unlike the countries we are from, we are very familiar with the job market, retirement, and things needed to live but we don't have the fear of being kicked out of our own country.

If we look at the life of the sahaba (radhi Allahu anhum), we see that very few of them are buried in Madinah. They scattered throughout the world giving da'wah. How can we justify living in a land that is not ours after we have acquired knowledge? Shouldn't we go back and benefit the people that are like us and didn't have the opportunity we had?

For a scholar who was born and raised in Saudi Arabia to come to the United States or the UK for example and give da'wah to educate the people, it would very difficult. He is not familiar with the common problems in Western society, such as drug abuse, blended families, deviant racist branches of so-called Islam and a whole style of life that is not conducive to Islam. However, we are from these lands, we know the problems such as when the Muslim drug addict comes to the masjid and steals the money from the zakat box...or the woman who is a stripper during the evening but attends the masjid for jumu'ah. The simple answer that the scholars give of "fear Allah" is not what the hearts of these people need. However, those who have lived amongst those people have a better understanding of the trials and tribulations they go through. In that respect we are better suited to help the negative nature of these Muslims and help them strive towards the straight and narrow path.

If I sit in Saudi, who am I giving da'wah to? Who am I teaching? For us, it is a life of service and you cannot serve until you learn, so this is our school.

The Rowdah

Bism Illah wa as salaamu alaykum.

Yesterday, Thursday morning, I went to the Rowdah Shareefah with my daughters. It is the first time I've been there since I arrived in Madinah, Qadr Allah. It was also one of my last chances to get there before the Umrah crowds return. Subhaan Allah, it was so easy. The light green section of the carpet is the area of the Rowdah to pray on....and we prayed easily, mashaa'Allah. I remembered every one of you in my dua', al hamdul'Illah.

The graves were sectioned off so we couldn't go over to give salaams directly in front of them, but I gave salaams for all of you - my followers. I also gave salaams by name for certain of you who asked, and certain of you who I knew would want me to. If you are wondering why the graves are sometimes open for ziyaarah and other times not, I believe it has to do with which Umrah groups are visiting, the volume of people. You see, some people don't understand that we do not worship the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, or pray facing the graves, etc. Many things are done here to protect the Muslims from themselves, their misunderstandings, and innovation. When the Umrah groups are not here, apparently both sides are often open, and Allah Knows best.

Life for Women

Bism Illah wa as salaamu alaykum.

I have had a couple of people ask me about social life and what women can do with their time here. There are various options.

If a woman wants to work, she can easily get employment as a teacher of English if she is a native speaker. If she doesn't have a degree, she may get a job in a private school or nursery school. If she has a degree, then she may have a wider choice of places to work. If she has a degree and a TEFL, CELTA, or similar certification, then she can apply to work at Taibah University. There are several companies that hire English teachers and then subcontract them out to different universities and institutions. If you sign a contract with one of those companies, it is possible when they are desperately trying to fill positions, that they will take you even if you don't have the ideal qualifications. There is a great difference in the salaries from perhaps SAR 2000 for a private school with no degree, to SAR 9,000 with benefits for a job at Taibah.

That said, if a woman wants to work without the headache and structure of a formal job, tutoring is very big business here. I cannot count how many times I have been asked to teach English privately. It is lucrative, you can work as much or as little as you like,  and you can set your own hours. If a visa and iqama (residence permit) aren't an issue, this is the route I would recommend. However, if you need a job to get your visa and iqama, then usually the low paying jobs won't provide them. It would be something you would have to ask about straight away, before anything else.

Of course, I already said that there are plenty of opportunities to learn Quran, Arabic, and about Islam mashaa'Allah. However, don't expect much else when it comes to learning or programs for women. There aren't many libraries, there aren't classes to develop interests or learn new sports, and you really have to get together with people of like mind if you want to do any kind of crafting circle or organised activities.

Socially, we cannot drive so our drivers, aka our husbands,  are the ones we have to "book" for any outings or events. As this is the way of life, the men are usually accommodating. One sister established a monthly talk on Fridays on health and nutrition. We had the idea of having a monthly activity for the children - similar to a scouts concept. Sisters get together at parks and each others' houses. We like to meet up at Masjid an Nabawi on Jumuah. School or tahfiz programs often give us another outlet for socialization as we make and meet friends there. Of course there are always the malls, where sisters could go and browse and then stop for coffee. We have Starbucks, Costa Coffee, etc. here and they have separate sections for sisters.

Just like anywhere, we are usually busy with our families and lives so we are always trying to find time for socialization. That is the plight of the woman...wherever she lives, LOL!