COVID Reflection. My Editorial at Little Farah Magazine! Issue 2. December 2020

 

 

COVID Reflection.

Check out the newest releases here

I remember a story my grandma once told me. Once upon a time, a guy was sailing his boat. The waves were so high and caused the sailing boat to sink. The guy swam for hours until his limbs were numb. After hours and hours of swimming, finally, he reached the beach of an island. He was sorry for the boat he had lost, even he didn't know anyone on the island where he landed. Days passed, then he figured out that there was no way he could get back to his home village. He gave up searching for ways to return, then eventually, he started to explore the island. He found out that the island was even better than his home village. "Allah always has better plans," he told himself.

The guy lived on the island for years and years. He built his hut, established his business, and everything was going fine. Until that day, he forgot his food cooking and left his hut. He went away for hours and then returned to find that his house was set on fire, a massive fire. The smoke was everywhere, and the hut was burned to the ground!

He tried to put off the fire, but, unfortunately, it was too late. While the guy was putting off the fire, he lost a finger as well. He was so devastated that he started to blame his luck. He sobbed, wailed, and cried out loud. A few minutes later, a gigantic ship was crossing by the beach. The people on board were curious to see where the smoke was coming from. They found the guy and his burnt hut. They got off their ship and told the guy that their king just died, and they were looking for a new king to role them. They suggested that he might be a good fit, but he should have a scar on his body. They believed that Scars are signs of strength and well-being. In their tradition, they think that if someone had a scar, that means that this person has survived great misfortunes. Then they saw the burnt finger of his, then, they decided to appoint him as their new leader!

Allah always has better plans!

 

Let's just say that this year has been the best year of our lives. The year that we saw how many blessings Allah had granted us. This year is when we realized how important our families are, and our true friends have revealed.

 The year we discovered that even our ability to breath is a blessing, our ability to run errands and go out is a blessing, our health and well-being is the greatest blessing of all. 

Still, this year has been so hard for many of us. However, as long as we still breathing, there is always a chance for better days and new beginnings. 

Of course, we might feel sad for those we lost during the pandemic and for those who caught the virus, but let's just say that pain, loss, and tragic events are natural reminders of the hereafter. They are reminders that nothing and no one would last forever, so we remain focused on living our lives like we are travelers. We should not behold or hoard anything. We should love with all of our hearts and stay kind as much as we can. We should give and forgive. We should practice gratitude and see the good in others. We should love more and judge less. We should be more sharing and extra caring. We should count the blessings instead of thinking about what we lack. I need you to take all of these brain tips into consideration and try your best to practice them…

·         Brain tip: Do you know that you can rewire your brain if you count three things you are grateful for 21 consecutive days? Stay grateful!

·         Brain tip: You will be who you always think you are. Stay positive!

·         Brain tip: Art will enhance your mode even if you're not good at it. Art can be drawing, cooking, baking, writing stories, beading, or photography. Stay artistic!

 

 

Biography:  My name is Shama Farag, born and raised in Egypt. I graduated from the school of science, and got a premaster degree in Botany. I worked as a researcher at the Egyptian Environmental Affairs in Egypt. Then, switched to translation and language localization. Earned a diploma in Islamic theology. Studied writing for young readers at Commonwealth Trust, creative writing at Wesleyan University, storytelling technics at the University of Houston System. Took courses in History and modern literature from Stanford University and Harvard University as well.

I'm grateful for people who made online learning free back then.

My dad was an Engineer and a scholar. He was granted a magnificent sense of righteousness, caring, and wisdom. He taught me the importance of community work and how it instills purity in our hearts and favoring others over ourselves. This is hard for many people to do. Still, it's considered a pure Iman "belief." When you help others, help make them as good as you, when you love to see goodness happening to others as much as you love goodness for yourself, that means you have a strong faith. It's a pure test for your heart and intentions. As simple as that.

I started volunteering at an orphanage 16 years ago. I volunteered to tell prophetic stories to kids. Then I began to record audiobooks for non-profit organizations for the visually impaired. Hence I started my media platforms on SoundCloud and YouTube. Also, I began to write short stories on Facebook twelve years ago. I have participated in many interfaith work and programs since I moved to the US. I'm grateful to be a part of the MAPS-Many Culture One Community and MAPS-Interfaith Outreach community.

I have been writing since I was 12 years old, and now, I'm a published author. I have more than eight books published through Amazon kindle. I'm the chief editor for little Farah Magazine for Muslim kids all around the world. Also, I'm a columnist at Arabicpost and Aljazeera Arabic. My writings are mainly focused on diversity and inclusion.

My latest release on Amazon is Mrs. Z, the substitute, a novella for kids nine years and up. I have partnered up with some young fellows from my Blog fans, and I was blessed to have two incredible little eight and ten years old illustrators and 11 years old author helping me out. Feel free to write back to me at

Shama_farag@outlook.com

 Also, feel free to check out my Amazon author page here,

https://www.amazon.com/Shama-Farag/e/B073XWK3JZ%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

My website,

https://shama-farag.square.site/

 

 

 

How Stories Can Help You Make Friends. My editorial at Little Farah Magazine. Issue 1. November 2019

How Stories Can Help You Make New Friends?

I was twelve years old when I wrote my first article. It was a writing assignment where everybody in my class should write a prompt about the new school year. I found it a bit cliche to write a sequence of sentences and link them together. So, I went the other way. I wrote a small story between two friends who met at school right after the summer vacation, and each one of them was sharing how she spent her summer vacation. Ironically, I made the characters in my story say what I really wanted to say in my article on my behalf. It was unique, and I can recall that the whole class, including the teacher, loved the story and found it endearing. Hence, I learned that people tend to believe in stories-even if they weren’t true stories more than they do with facts. Stories always bring people together, humanize the other, and simplify complicated ideas.

I made the best friends I could ever have through stories, and I knew how bad people might turn out to be via stories.

Want to know how? Simple...

If you tell a story that you may seem vulnerable, weak, and desperate in it, wait and see how your audience or group of people may perceive it. If they used your story against you, then you should be thankful that your story unraveled their ugly truth.

If they sympathized with you, and that’s it, then those folks are good, but better keep them as acquaintances as they will keep your image imprinted in their minds as the weak, the desperate, and they won’t waste more time knowing the bright you.

And finally, If you tell your story to some people who tend to share a similar story to make you feel better, then these people are the best folks you could ever hang out with.

People who like to show their human side to others are the ones who seek true friends and real profound relationships.

Last year, I was willing to give a talk about one of my published books, “I’m different...I’m special!”. I had a feeling that none of the kids in the class liked me, but I went on anyway. I shared my story, how I was inspired to write the book and how it impacted people with different identities, backgrounds, mental abilities, social ranks, the shade of skin color, and faith. My message was clear. I emphasized the fact that we are all different in someone’s eye. After my talk and the big round of applause, the kids wrote back to me why each one of them thought he/she might be special. It was a heartfelt moment when I read their writings. They wrote things like “I think I’m special because I’m the only redhead in class.” Another one said, “I think I’m special because I’m the only Muslim in class!”. Another said,” I think I’m special because I’m funny.” And another kid wrote, “I think I’m special because I came from India.” It meant the world to me! And here is the funny one, someone wrote, "I think I'm special because I ate a lot of french fries."

Apparently, I learned that stories highlight the human side of us. Stories are us!

Now my friends, feel free to reach out to me through my email Shama_farag@outlook.com

Share with me what makes you feel special. What makes you feel unique? Looking forward to hearing your stories!

Also, visit my website

shamafarag.net

Feel free to check out my published writings here

Lovely day. Poems by Jomana Toema

My name is Jomana Toema, and I’m a 13-year-old proud young Muslim woman living in the Lone Star State! I am a student, a driven Martial Artist, a young activist, and a goofball. I love surrounding myself with the people I love the most: my beautiful family. I love reading, writing, or simply anything that lets my creative juices flow!

Lovely day

By: Jomana Toema

Hot and humid day Bright, intense sun Showering down at us We laugh and play Rolling around here and there Laughter filling the air Joyous faces, they don't care Life's troubles They are unaware My Parents Mom and dad I want to let you know My love for you will always grow You taught me what was right and wrong You helped me stand tall and strong I always knew I can count on you When each day brought something weird and new Mom you never gave up on me Because you knew I had so much more Dad, you always were my inspiration You were my strongest foundation If you could look into my heart quickly you would see The special place you hold in there

and how much you mean to me

Mohamed Ali

By Jomana Toema

 Mohamed Ali Muhammad Ali was an African American heavyweight champion boxer and was one of the greatest sporting figures of the 20th century. Not only is he an outstanding heavyweight boxer, but Ali’s outspokenness on issues of race, religion, and politics also made him a controversial figure during his career. Being born as Cassius Clay Jr., Ali changed his name in 1964 after joining the religion of Islam. He publicly presented his religious beliefs, which was not always supported, and he broke the stereotypes of his religion and his race. Muhammad Ali has done a great deal towards the cause of racial inequality and injustice. Muhammad Ali used his time and fame to speak out against injustice and racism. Ali transformed himself from being a boxing champion to a champion of his people, speaking out against injustice and racial inequality. Many sportswriters and even some of Ali’s boxing rivals refused to address him by his new name, Muhammad Ali, during his career, and they continued to call him Cassius Clay. He replied to the haters, “I’m free to be what I want.” He always stood up, if not for himself, then for the people around him. Ali was a proud Black Muslim figure, who is proud of his African heritage, and a positive example to all. He represented his religion well, and he set an example of racial pride for African Americans. He believed that “ethnic and religious diversity is proof of God's manifold beauty.” Some people honestly don’t know who the Muslims are. The only information they get is from breaking news stories, and let's be honest, the news can sometimes, if not always, be biased about Islam or just bring out the worst. Muhammad Ali informed them. He shows them that Islam is most definitely a peaceful religion through not only words but his actions. People are not afraid to ask questions, and that's one of the significant changes that Muhammad Ali helped accomplish. When people don't know the truth, they will continue to believe in stereotypes and become afraid of the unknown. Mohammed Ali was one of the great people who made a change in racial and religious discrimination. He broke the stereotypes of his religion and had pride in his race. He changed the way people think about his religion, my religion, and the religion of all the 1.8 billion proud Muslims that stand on this Earth today. “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” - Muhammad Ali

My perfect healthy imperfections! By Farnaz Mariam.

 Farnaz Mariam's Biography:
Salam, This is Farnaz Mariam, living in Seattle. Married and a mother of four beautiful children. Regardless of where I am, my focus is to be connected with Allah SWT. Content with everything I have, always keep decluttering my mind, my heart and my soul of any and all unwanted thoughts, feelings, and emotions. In the hustle of this worldly life, I try to find peace and calm by pondering about the Creator which forces me to pen down the Magnanimity of Our Magnificent Rabb. If you feel lost in the noise of day to day life, and would like to stop breathe and refresh then you are at the right place !!! Connecting back to the Creator is indeed the best stress buster ❤






My perfect healthy imperfections! 


Social media has changed our mindset so much that it makes us feel that we have to be perfect to be accepted by the people around us. It gives a feeling that if we are not a better, faster, improved version of our own self, then we have failed. Which is so wrong!!

___

By Farnaz Mariam


Not being perfect is perfectly human. We Muslims, should know and understand the fact that only Allah SWT is and will be perfect. Humans can definitely aim to get better; however, this should not be at stake of humanity. We need to not make it become a norm of society, to expect people to be perfect. Instead, we should aim for simplicity. This will make it easier to follow the deen easier for us and for the people around us.

The sad reality of today’s world is that we live for-the-people to “see” us, to “think” that we are the-most-happiest people on earth, which is totally wrong! Because we are not the people of this duniya, but we belong to our eternal akhirah as well as our souls. The basic rule of our beautiful deen is that our duniya should be simple, and we are constantly working to impress our beloved Rabb and not the people around us. If you say you are “happy," “content," “the luckiest on earth,” kind of words, where on the contrary, you are saying this only to impress people, then I totally know it's not true!!!

For me, these are Few if not all, simple rules to set in life if I really want to be “happy”, “content”,” luckiest on earth”.


Realize the fact that no one is perfect, except Allah SWT:  YES!! Don’t prove to anyone 

that you are perfect, neither should you buy that someone else is perfect. We should always know that perfection is only the Zaat of Allah SWT.

It’s totally ok to be imperfect, accept it gracefully: Actually speaking, it is, in fact, healthy to be imperfect. I don’t mean to propagate laziness or procrastination. Those are actually not even encouraged in our deen. However, you should just love the way you are. Allah SWT Himself told, He SWT made mankind the best of all creations. Find your best, don't try to be someone else. if only you have to perfect something, perfect your relation with Allah SWT.

Keep it simple: Yes, s-i-m-p-l-e !! keep your life and heart simple. Do not clutter it with the hollow colors of the duniya. Don’t run for brand names, it's good to have good quality things if you can afford it, but don’t make it a big deal. Rather, work on your soul. True honor is not in people’s eyes, rather its in Allah’s SWT Eyes.

Accept those who are simple: don’t look down on people who are trying to declutter their lives by living simply. They may be far more acceptable in the Eyes of Allah SWT than you. 

Come out of the “if-then” loop: We often are deluded by the hyped-social-media pictures that “if” we do something like others, “then” we will be happy. We are constantly locked in this wrong pursuit of happiness. Happiness is not conditional, it comes from a satisfied heart. Satisfied with what Allah SWT has given us, and if you find yourself in this loop of if-thens… it's time to come out of it! A satisfied heart is a result of constant remembrance of Allah SWT.. give it a try!

Don’t live to impress others: Sad but true yet again, the majority of humans have enslaved their nafs to impress others. Most of us do certain things, act a certain way, go to certain places, travel, eat at a certain restaurant, give a party, to take pictures and videos that “has to” go on social media, further enslaving ourselves to the “likes” and “hearts” and “comments” we receive. Subhan Allah. Shaitan is aware of our human fitrah of “wanting to be loved”, don’t let him fool you!! Be the master of your nafs, and not its slave.

Give priority to relationships in life: Why is it ok these days that your spouse or your mom or dad, gets an update of where you are, not by a personal message on the phone, but over a tag, or by a status update on the social media?? Why is it normal these days to be dug inside your phone while your most prized relations are around you?? If the answer is just “because the world is doing it, or because it is accepted by society,” then surely you are not the “happiest”;  rather, you are the saddest. Allah SWT has beautified our life with so many beautiful relations, you cannot overlook their rights and be ok with it, because 99.9% of people are doing the same! I mean, come on… isn’t that supposed to be common sense??!!

Set a time to check social media: Yes, keep that phone aside especially when you have loved ones around. Give them the time and attention they deserve. Stick some post-its for reminders, make a docking station, and the most important is to set a time for checking the messages on social media. Limit the time. I am working on it too! Alhamdullilah halfway there..!!

Work for perfection in deen: Irony of our lives- on the one hand, we want to be perfect in the eyes of people and work tirelessly hoping to not fail at all, and on the other hand, not even giving the bare minimum for our deen. barely praying the five salahs, just to finish it as a chore, barely able to keep up the modesty. Not realizing how far we have lowered ourselves in the Eyes of Our beloved Rabb. Once we start working on becoming high in the Eyes of Allah SWT rather than in people’s eyes, Allah SWT out of HIS attribute of Ash-Shakur, will not let it go vain. HE SWT will value our efforts, our intentions, our work and make people love us, will make duniya fall for us.

Make Allah SWT your ultimate goal:We just need to take the first step with ikhlaas. Allah SWT will make the rest of the journey easy and smooth. Accept your imperfections, be humble in the court of Allah SWT, know that you are dependent on HIM, show HIM your dependency in duas, strive more….. and leave the rest to our Beloved Most Merciful RABB. 

Stay Happy! Stay connected to Allah SWT!

My Facebook messenger is like Joha’s nail!

Illustrated by: Eyad

My Facebook Messenger is Like Joha's nail

My Facebook messenger is like Joha’s nail!

 Of course, some of you won't have any idea what I’m talking about. Who is Joha? What's wrong with his nail? And what does that have to do with my Facebook messenger?

 So, let's start with my Facebook messenger. I was checking my Facebook messages, and I usually look at the inbox, but lately, I found that there was another section named as ”others,” and this is where you get messages from folks you are not a friend with.

 When I opened the ”other” message box, I found tens of messages including ads, profanities, and ” Hi, what’s up? What's your name and what you do?” kind of messages and one last message I just got from a coworker who I used to work with for not less than two years.

 I may confuse people’s names, jobs, or whatever, but I never forget how they made me once feel.

 All I remembered when I saw her message, I had had a feeling of discomfort. An unexplainable pain in the chest after seeing her message. The way she turned my boss against me, the way she babbled mouth me behind my back and how she envied me even after I quit the whole thing. I’m not saying she was terrible, not at all, but what I mean to say that not every follower is a liker. She was a follower of mine, and it turned out that she wasn't a liker. Some folks would follow you to check if they still doing better than you, and they would continue to support you as long as you are not up to the hype, or maybe you are out of their league, but once you are out, then you are done with them. And, it’s not you, it’s them who weren’t friends. Next time, try not to be too trusty 😊

 I opened her message, I read it, and three years later I have blocked her to say ” I’m letting you see and watch whatever I want you to, and I think that's enough for now!”

 And regarding Joha, Joha is considered one of the most featured comedians in the Arab humorous literature. He was well known for his funny tales and stories that were supposed to teach the reader a vital lesson in the end.

 Joha’s nail is a famous story that turned out to be a proverb we -Arabs used to mention whenever someone is trying to reach out to you after a long period of time where you no longer friends with him or her and he/she is finding excuses or new ways to reconnect and make an ongoing relationship with you after cutting it for years already.

 Joha in his story used to hammer a nail in the wall right before selling his property; then after selling his property, he came over to visit the new owners every single day to ask them never to pull the nail away from the wall. Every day he came over to check the hammered nail, so the owners felt obliged to have him over for dinner as his visit usually coincided with their dinner time.

We as-Arabs usually feel ashamed if we have a guest coming over, and we did never share a meal or offer a treat for the guest. So, Joha knew it, and he found his hammered nail a brilliant excuse for coming over for a FREE meal likewise my ex-coworker has used my Facebook messenger as a way to reconnect with me, though we no longer have something in common nor a good memory.

 So, sometimes my Facebook messenger -to some folks is like Joha’s nail!

 For more stories, check on my books on Amazon here.

I'm all ears, do you need a perfect stranger? Shoot me an email! Do you have a story to tell? Come on! Looking for an opportunity? Need your writings to get published here? Feel free to contact me. I can be reached at  Shama 

I'm all ears, do you need a perfect stranger? Shoot me an email! Do you have a story to tell? Come on! Looking for an opportunity? Need your writings to get published here? Feel free to contact me. I can be reached at  Shama 

 for more stories check on my books on Amazon here

Ramadan, Christmas, Hannukah, tacos...Eid cookies recipe!

Egyptian Food Made Easy Cookbook
New release

The first year I moved from Egypt to Canada, it was during summer and we were fasting during Ramadan. It was the longest Ramadan ever!

I was willing to drop off my kids at the daycare. I was so exhausted, and I was heavily breathing.

The teacher asked:"Are you ok?".

"Yes," I said.

Then she responded:"Do you need a cup of water?"

I said:"Thank you, but I'm fasting”.

She looked perplexed when she asked one more question: "Fasting? In this weather? And not even a sip of water? Why?"

I told her:"It's Ramadan. Muslims are supposed to fast.”

With more curiosity and empathy she asked:

"What's Ramadan? Is that's why you're wearing that headcover? And what's the moral behind the fasting?"

And I wasn’t sure how to respond. My ideas were racing and my mind went foggy.

I don't know was it my blood sugar that seemed too low to respond faster to her flood of questions or was it me lacking the answer. I never asked myself those questions before. Honestly, I was born a Muslim. Usually, a born Muslim will go with the flow.

We were taught that fasting in Ramadan was obligatory on every Muslim.

Honestly, the same thing will happen to you if you are only with your own people, your own cult for a long time, where no one asks those kinds of questions or else they will be thought of as doubters or non believing beings.

Then, I started to ask myself the exact same questions. Not doubting my faith, but exploring my new self and renewing my beliefs. After searching, exploring and navigating many resources in English and Arabic, I realized the essence of belief. 

I realized that to appease someone you really love, you show your love and commitment in many ways, maybe those ways are tough, hard on you, to some folks they seem not making any sense or weird, but that's how you show your loyalty to someone you cherish. Now, tell me how it should be with your God?

The older we get, the more we realize our need for something bigger than us, a divine wholesomeness with extraordinary powers, which we can rely on if things go out of our control, complain to when things go wrong and unfair, someone omnipotent enough to admit His Almighty capabilities to solve anything and you entrust Him Almighty enough to manage things for your betterment.

 It's a spiritual need and it must be fulfilled. People who believe in the supreme divinity will call it God, and folks who believe in visible mundane things will call it anything else, it maybe science, mother earth, the universe, tacos, whatever…

And no matter how you wanted to express your divine love and fulfill your spiritual needs, no matter the way you've chosen to worship the God, whether you pray in a synagogue, church or a mosque, whether you keep your hands gathered close to your chest, you hum some mantras, or litany,  or you bend and subjugate mumbling some verses from your holy book in secrecy, or you meditate on your yoga mat, you get that feel and connection!

The spirit of Ramadan to Muslims is like the spirit of Hanukah to Jews or the spirit of Christmas to Christians, it's the month of giving and forgiving. The month of sharing and gatherings.

 As a Muslim, you are supposed to practice five pillars to consider yourself as one. 

1-You must witness that no God but God and Mohamed is his prophet, and regarding prophecy, Muslims should love and believe in all prophets, including Moses, Jesus, Jonah, Elijah, etc. Equally and revere them as much as Mohamed. Peace be upon them all.

2-Secondly, Muslims pray five times a day at different times of the day. The prayer itself includes yogic movements and reciting some verses from the Holy Book, the Quraan.

3-Then Muslims should fast in Ramadan for the whole month. It's obligatory unless you're a kid, physically unable, pregnant, elder, or traveling. Fasting starts from sun dawn until sunset, no food, and no water. Muslims follow the lunar calendar, so Ramadan never falls the same day according to the Gregorian calendar, and it comes 11 days earlier each year. Every month starts when the moon begins as a lunar eclipse, and when it is observed as a full moon, that means the month is halfway through, and when the moon completely vanishes, it means that the month has ended.

Ramadan is so special to Muslims because it's the month when the Quran was revealed. Also, Muslims believe that all the good deeds are multiple folds rewarded in this month.

The spirit of Ramadan to Muslims resembles the spirit of Christmas to Christians or Hanukah to Jews, Diwali to Hindu. It's the month of giving and forgiving, the month of sharing and gatherings and after it ends Muslims celebrate with a feast.

4- Alms and charity: To achieve social justice and equity, every Muslim is obliged to give a share from his total earned money to help those who are needy. 

5-Pilgrimage. Muslims are supposed to perform the rituals of pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, where they circumambulate around the cubic figure Kaaba.

Well, Islam is well known for its diversity and inclusivity; whether you're a revert or born as a Muslim, you get there with your own culture.

Eid Celebration

One of the most delicious yummy traditions we -as Egyptian Muslims do- in Ramadan and Eid is making special treats. 

I'm going to share with you one of the treats we-Egyptians- call it  Eid cookies, and we are making them to celebrate this occasion.

It's easy and simple.

Ingredients: 

For every cup of all-purpose white flour add one-third of ghee or melted butter, two-thirds of a tablespoon baking soda, a speck of salt, two tablespoons of sesame seed, a speck of Mahlab" cookies spice and it's optional", one or two tablespoons of  ground sugar- if you don't have any, mix a cup of granulated normal sugar in your blender for one minute until it becomes a powder-.

Recipe:

 1-Mix all the ingredients and make small balls, then squish it with a cup, then decorate it- sometimes I use kitchen utensils.

Maybe you can stuff it with your favorite nuts or keep it plain. Both are scrumptious!

2- Put your rounded cookies on a tray sprayed with oil or butter, then put them in the oven for 17 minutes at 350 F.

3- Let the cookies cool off, then add the rest of your powder sugar on top of the cookies.

 If you like the blog, please share it with your friends. Also, consider purchasing my books from my Facebook page or Amazon.

Here is my Amazon author page,

My Facebook page, and believe it or not? You can get the books for much less if you purchase from me directly.