~We Are More Than Friends...We Are Sisters~

aSalaam uAlaikum my Stylish Sisters...

Insh'Allah you won't mind if I take a little detour with this post.  In light of some recent events in the life of one of my closest friends and our sister in Islam I feel a bit superficial gabbing on about clothes or shoes or handbags.

Instead I want to talk about something that is much more important in life: real, true friendship.  As Muslimahs we have the upper hand in this field, as a strong bond between us is actually something that is expected from us as Muslims.  We have been commanded by Allah subhanahuwata'la to choose our friends wisely, and to hold on to those friendships tightly.  Just as a man is instructed to choose his wife for her piety, so are we instructed to choose our friends:

'And hold fast, all of you together to the rope of Allah, and do not separate' (Noble Qu'ran 3:103)

We are told in the Qur'an that it is our responsibility to help protect eachother in times of need and that we are truly brothers (and sisters of course) so to treat eachother in this way.

'And the believers, men and women, are protecting friends of one another, they enjoin the right and forbid the wrong' (Noble Qu'ran 9:71)


'The believers are naught else than brothers. Therefore make peace between your brethren and observe your duty to Allah that ye may obtain mercy' (Noble Qu'ran 49:10)

I can clearly remember the excitement I felt when I first reverted to Islam and started meeting sisters in my area.  I remember I had absolutely no doubt in my mind that these ladies would be wonderful, caring, loving, and loyal friends because they were Muslims, and this was expected of us.

And I can clearly remember the disappointment when I realized that this was far from the truth.  I have had so many bad experiences with ladies who considered themselves good Muslims (and from the outside appeared to be such) who I later found out were backbiting me, lying to me, and in no unsure terms conning me.

So, alhamdulillah since my reversion those years ago,  I am so grateful to have found in my life a few true friends, and we are more than friends, we are Sisters.  We laugh together, cry together, have inside jokes and silly stories.  We have celebrated eachother's triumphs, and suffered eachother's pain.  We have given eachother advice, taken eachother's advice, and ignored eachother's advice.  We have learned together and grown together and taught eachother so much about life.

So it is so hard for me to see one of these friends, one of our sisters going through a real crisis right now.  For her privacy I will not name her name, nor will I tell her story but I will say this:

I love her for her strengths, but even more for her faults.  I love her for her beauty, and even more for her blemishes.  She has been there for me when I wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out, and insh'Allah I can be there for her as well.  It is times like these that I wonder, why must we always judge eachother? Why must we pick at eachother's imperfections instead of pointing out to eachother's value?  Instead of criticizing one another's weaknesses, why can't we extend a hand to help?  I am far from perfect, I am sure I've hurt people's feelings in the past, and will probably do so in the future.  But it is something I want to work on, and something I think we should all work on.  We are an Ummah; a community, a hodge-podge of races and cultures, backgrounds and demographics, and we all have one thing in common and that is our love for Allah swt and RasoolAllah.  So isn't that enough to bind us?  Isn't that enough to connect us in a way that petty problems and silly arguments cannot undo?

I think it is.  And insh'Allah you think it is.  Because I love my name twinnie, and my du'a is with her that Allah swt will give her the strength to face these trials and she will know that He tests whom He loves the most.

And insh'Allah we can all remember this in the future, because after all...we are more than just friends...
We Are Sisters.


Ma'Salaama and Allah Ma'aku.

Fashionably Yours,
The Mujahada in Prada

~What Did You Learn Today?~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Evening my Stylish Sisters!

Well here we are- back at the dining table, cup of coffee or tea in hand.  For those of us with kids or careers, husbands and hobbies, often times this part of the evening is when we can finally put our feet up and take a deep breath.  When we can reflect on our busy day and appreciate all of the amazing blessings that Allah subhanahuwata'la has bestowed on us.

So tell me....What did you learn today?

Today I learned that if you handle pineapple for a long amount of time your cuticles will start to hurt.  I learned that if you don't dry strawberries off properly before dipping them in chocolate, then the chocolate just won't stick.  And most importantly I learned that true friendships will outlast any length of time, and will outreach any span of distance.  A true friend is one who can gently remind you of your mistakes in a way that won't hurt your feelings, and who will always appreciate when you remind them of theirs.  A true friend will never judge you, will never desert you, and will never backbite or gossip.  I learned you may only have one of these friends in your lifetime, or you may have many, but either way you have to appreciate them while you can, because only Allah swt knows how long either of you will be around.

Ma'Salaama and Sweet Dreams...

Fashionably Yours,
The Mujahada in Prada