Babies and small children! ♥

I love babies so much, I can describe them in one word. Adorable. Well, if someone asked me to describe babies in one word, I would. However, there's so many more words that I can describe them as. Adorable, fluffy, sweet, cuddly, cute, beautiful, a blessing, and all that mushy jazz. :) My teacher from my masjid just had a baby, and I had watched her baby grow while she was pregnant. It was so weird seeing her baby out of her stomach for the first time. The baby is beautiful (the picture to the left is not her)! I was amazed when I touched one of her perfect little toes. Masha Allah! I love babies so much!
At our masjid, there is a large community of small kids. On Family day events it gets kind of hard to control them all, but my friends & I do a pretty good job of keeping them in check. We play games, talk to them, and cuddle them (even though they aren't our children so we can't keep them! Lol). I cannot wait to get married, finish my schooling, and have myself a baby. Although, I am a little afraid of them growing up. Because when they are 18 you can't cuddle them like that anymore. Then what with all of the terror birth stories, I get really nervous. Other than my little fears, babies are such a reward. Ladies, if you have babies you should be sooo thankful! I am so jealous when I hear that someone is having a baby, but I am also excited for them too. Alhamdulilah.

All I can do for now is play those virtual "baby" games, and play with my baby doll. Lol. Insha allah one of these days I will be blessed with a little one myself. :) May Allah bless and guide us all! -Nisa

Parent V/S Teen; Who has the upper hand?

In todays society, some teenagers think they have the upperhand. Yelling at their mothers, arguing with Dad, getting loud when told not to do something, and ignoring parents when they are asked to do something. Subhanallah, I really hope this isn't the case with Muslim teens. Allah (swt) and the Prophet (saw) tells us to respect, obey, and take care of our parents. Mothers of course deserve the most respect, but parents are supposed to be treated kindly regardless.

“And your Lord has commanded that you shall not serve (any) but Him, and that you shall show goodness to your parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, say not to them (so much as) “Ugh” nor chide them, and speak to them a generous word.”
Noble Qur’an, Surat Bani Isra’il (17) Verse 23

In this surah, Allah tells us to show goodness to our parents, and when they are old we are supposed to repay them by taking care of them. Being undutiful and rude to your parents (MUSLIM OR NON-MUSLIM) is one of the greatest sins that you can commit.

Narrated Anas:
The Prophet was asked about the great sins He said, “They are:–
(1 ) To join others in worship with Allah,
(2) To be undutiful to one’s parents.
(3) To kill a person (which Allah has forbidden to kill) (i.e. to commit the crime of murdering).
(4) And to give a false witness.”
{Volume 3, Book 48, Number 821 : Sahih Bukhari}

You don't have to wait for Mothers Day or Fathers day to come around to treat your parents kindly. You should thank your parents every day that you live. What if you die and you are waiting for that useless holiday to come around? You waited for that day just to thank your parents? How will you answer to Allah for it? How will you answer to the fact that you treated your parents with disrespect, but decided that you'd "treat them nice" for that day? Small acts of kindness such as doing what they ask you to do without giving them lip, doing your chores, studying hard, and helping them out are all small things to do.

You should never, ever hesitate to help your parents when they have a problem. Even when you are an adult, you still have to obey your parents. None of that "I'm twenty-one and grown now..." crap. That isn't Islam. Islam says to obey your parents, so you do it! If you disobey your parents, you are disobeying the Prophet (saw), and if you disobey the Prophet (saw), you disobey Allah (swt)! See how all of these things connect?

Your parents loved you, cared for you when you were helpless, and protected you from harm. "Blah, blah, blah," you may say. Yeah, it's the same old story. It's the same old TRUTHFUL story. Thank your Mother for enduring that pain when she gave birth to you. Thank your Dad for providing food for you. Thank them both for protecting and loving you. May Allah bless and reward us all for being dutiful to our parents ~ Nisa