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D AWA N E T & M Y V O I C E C A N A D A P R E S E N T
AWARDS CEREMONY Interested in attending, but not a volunteer? No worries!
SEPTEMBER
MY Voice
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JUST ASK
Guilt, Procrastination & News If you make a really bad mistake and it keeps you up at night out of guilt because you feel Allah is mad at you, how can you learn to forgive yourself? Carrying around this kind of guilt can be a source of grief, anxiety, and feelings of unworthiness. So, how does one overcome these feelings to forgive themselves and move on with life? By first and foremost realizing that human beings have been created imperfect and fallible, and making mistakes is natural - as Allah states in the Qur'an 4:28, "Humans have been created in a state of weakness." So, why were created to make mistakes? So that we would turn back to Allah seeking forgiveness, counsel, and the resolve to improve our character. The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) taught us, “I swear by Him in whose hand is my soul, if you were a people who did not commit sin, Allah would take you away and replace you with a people who would sin and then seek Allah’s forgiveness so He could forgive them.” [Sahih Muslim] When a person resides in feelings of guilt, then that person starts to feel unworthy of being Muslim, and may even think to him or herself that Allah is incapable of forgiving their sin! This thought only exacerbates feelings of guilt and anxiety. So, the second part of moving past guilt is remembering that Allah is infinitely merciful and infinitely forgiving. Indeed, Allah told us, through the Prophet (PBUH), “Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, says, ‘O son of Adam, as long as you call on Me, I shall forgive you of what you have done, and think nothing of it. O son of Adam, even if your sins were to reach up to the clouds in the sky, and
then you were to ask for My forgiveness, I would forgive you and think nothing of it. O son of Adam, even if you were to come to Me with sins as great as the earth, and then you were to meet Me after death, not worshipping anything besides Me, I would bring you forgiveness as great as the earth.’” [Tirmidhi, Hadith Qudsi] This means that no matter what we have done, Allah would forgive us, so long as we seek it. Tips to avoid procrastination? The first step to tackling this issue is being aware of your time. When we go to school, we have a set schedule that tells us what time we have to be in certain classes, what time lunch occurs, and we become "programmed" according to this structured time. We structure our evenings according to the times that our favourite shows are on TV. The key is structured time. What we need to do is use an agenda and block off hour by hour each day what we are going to do. For example, Monday to Friday at 4:00 we work on our Period 1 school work and at 5:00 we work on Period 2 school work and 6:00 is dinner and so on and so forth. The second method is often referred to as the Seinfeld strategy: take a large month-to-month calendar and hang it on the wall. Pick ONE goal only, and every day you do some work on fulfilling that goal, you put a giant red "X" on the calendar. You do this each day until you see a visible 'chain' of red X’s on your calendar, and your task now is: Don't Break The Chain. A third method is to have built-in accountability. If no one keeps us on our toes then we tend to tell ourselves, "I'll do it tomorrow" and, of
course, tomorrow never happens. So, pick a family member or close friend who you have to check in with each day to report on the work that had to be done. If you don't check in, then your 'accountability partner' checks in on you and helps to motivate you to get the work done. Is it okay for me to shut off the news channels and outlets from my life and not be aware of what bad things are happening in the world? Knowing makes me feel horrible and guilty. In a world where we are constantly bombarded with "fragments of news" we can easily become overwhelmed by negativity, frustration and confusion. Television, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, Facebook - when does it end? It never does! When we are exposed to so much negativity we can develop worries, anxieties and even depression. So, we must remember a fundamental principle of Islam: Self-Preservation. We need to take care of ourselves first, so we can be in a position to help others. It is absolutely okay to turn off the stream of news and take a break to preserve our own mental health and wellness. Second, we must learn how to regulate the stream so we can focus on positive messages and consciously choose what news we want to listen to and what sources of news we want to hear from.
DISCLAIMER Just Ask is not endorsed by a specific scholar, but is rather a compilation of several scholarly sources. For issues or concerns of a serious matter, consult a scholar or counselling professional.
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QURAN GEMS
NOVAIRA JAVAID, 16
Y
ou are likely familiar with the Battle of Uhud. When reading about this hard-fought battle, I instantly wondered how the Muslims could possibly lose while they had Allah (SWT) and the Messenger on their side? After learning about this battle in detail, the lessons that I have derived from it are amazing.
700 Muslims vs. 3000 Enemies
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BATTLE Imagine 700 soldiers versus 3000 soldiers? Do the 700 even have a chance? In the Battle of Uhud, Muslims were at a small number of 700 people and were going up against an army of 3000. In the beginning of the battle, the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) positioned every individual and carefully positioned the archers on a small Prophet (PBUH) to not move from their spot unless he ordered them to. At first, the battle was going well, and the retreating and noticed that if they stayed on the hill, then the hill started to argue and decided to leave their positions in order to collect the bounty, which included armour and Khalid Bin Waleed leading his army around the hill and trapping the Muslims. Khalid bin Waleed was a disbeliever at the time and was known to be courageous and a good fighter. Later, he became a strong believer and would fight for Islam. Here, the archers disobeyed the Prophet (PBUH) by leaving the hill and their greed cost them their success.
The archers were told by the Prophet (PBUH) to not move...unless he ordered them to... ...[they] decided to leave their positions in order to collect the bounty...armour and weapons.
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LESSONS TO BE LEARNED desires were the reason why the battle was lost. When it comes to the world, we should never lose sight of the bigger picture and try our best to not get lost in such small and insignificant benefits. In the end, Jannah (Heaven) is the final destination that we should strive for, the only important end goal. I believe that if we compare this event to our life, no matter what comes in front of us, we should not leave our positions as Muslims. Even if we do run off the hill and get distracted, it is important to return to your position on the hill so that we do not lose the battle. Also, do not lose courage when you are standing for the cause of Allah (SWT). Even when many difficulties come into your life, trust Him and do not lose confidence. Personally, knowing that Allah (SWT)’s help is with the believers helps me face my challenges head on.
THE BIGGER PICTURE battle in the world but in the hereafter, they have won something much greater. Learning from this, we should strive for the bigger picture - Paradise.
Enemy vs. Muslim Archers
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LIFESTYLE
EIMAN MALIK, 21
HOW GOING MAY BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU THINK L
ately, all the hype in the beauty community has been about the ethical responsibility that we have, as consumers, when it comes to buying makeup and hygiene products, specifically regarding animal testing. If you go to the Body Shop or Lush, you may have noticed a bunny symbol on their products. This indicates that the products were manufactured and developed through methods that do not involve any experimentation on animals, meaning that they are free from any kind of animal cruelty. Islam holds a strong stance against animal cruelty and condemns this form of injustice in many places. Keeping animal cruelty to an utmost minimum is a part of the guidelines that one must follow when slaughtering an animal—saying Bismillah (in the name of Allah) beforehand is not the only prerequisite. The word Zabiha refers to the slaughter of animals, but specifically in a humane way. Islamic guidelines emphasize the importance of using the least painful and quickest method possible to minimize the pain felt by an animal during slaughter. This process also includes reducing emotional distress; slaughtering instruments should not be sharpened in front of the animal and animals should not be slaughtered in front of other animals. With these rules and regulations given to us regarding animals, we can learn to appreciate and respect the rights given to all creatures by Allah, The Just. While we take great care to ensure that our meat is halal (permissible) and that we buy from reputable sources, we are negligent of the kinds of beauty or hygiene products we purchase. When we think of the word halal, we primarily think of food, but one thing we probably don’t think about in a similar way are products such as shampoos, soaps, and makeup. A number of brands we use may incorporate animal testing in the manufacturing process of their products, and this fact may remain hidden from us as they are technically not even required to say so on the packaging. These days, with modern scientific advances, the use of animal testing is not even required. There are many humane and effective methods to ensure that the products we use are safe, so much so that the European Union and India have completely banned the use of animal
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testing for cosmetics as a whole. Consequently, thousands of companies have stopped animal testing and chosen to go cruelty-free. There are so many alternative methods to choose from that are not only animal cruelty free, but they are also cheaper and more reliable. For example, EpiDerm is a skin model that incorporates the use of artificial human skin grown in a lab. Testing on artificial human skin has shown to better predict skin irritation and allergies from new products compared to testing on innocent animals. If animal testing is just unnecessary cruelty to animals, then cruelty-free products is a great alternative. Thankfully, so many products have chosen to go cruelty-free recently, so it is not a burden to shop for cruelty-free products. Some popular brands that are cruelty free include: Lush, The Body Shop, Aveda, elf cosmetics, Urban Decay, Wet n Wild, Too Faced cosmetics, and so many more. Next time you go shopping for makeup or hygiene products, make sure to look for a little bunny symbol, indicating that it is cruelty free – just like you would look for the halal symbol at your grocery store! The companions asked,
‘O Prophet of God, do we get rewarded on humane treatment of animals?’ He said, ‘There is a reward in (doing good
to) every living being.’ [Bukhari]
Freshly c Cosmeticut s AGAINS ANIMA T TESTIN L G
eastmeetswest
OFF THE RUNWAY
How to Spice Up Your Wardrobe for Fall
W
VANIA AMER, 20
ith autumn just around the corner, it is time to get ready for the new school year by refreshing your wardrobe. If you’re anything like me, you probably have a plethora of cultural clothing and accessories that only come out at parties and weddings a handful of times each year. But why not make use of these items by incorporating them into our everyday outfits for casual wear? Break out your shawls this fall and replace your earrings with jhumkas. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and spice up your style with a fusion of East and West. Here are a few different ways you can throw in subtle hints of South Asian culture into your look this season.
Swap your cardigan for a flowy shrug with colorful embroidery and finishing features. Pair it as a statement piece with a plain top and shoes for a casual outfit. A bag has the power to transform an outfit from basic to offbeat. Add a cute and quirky touch to your look with a bright Sindhi Ralli patterned bag.
Trade in your flats for some khussas. These embellished shoes are the perfect way to bring a pop of colour to a simple outfit.
Jhumka: South Asian traditional tiered earrings Ralli: Sindhi quilted fabric Khussa: South Asian handcrafted footwear
Spanakopita
RECIPE
Are you sick of samosas? Here’s a traditional Greek appetizer to brighten your day! 4 Then add in 1 egg and feta cheese to your taste. ZAINAB ZAHRA, 16
Ingredients:
Phyllo Pastry Olive Oil Onion Green Onion
Garlic Spinach Egg Feta Cheese
1 Preheat oven to 360 degrees. Keep a damp towel or cloth over 8 sheets of phyllo pastry. 2
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté ½ large chopped onion, ¼ cups of green onions and 1 clove of minced garlic, until soft and lightly browned.
3 Stir in 300 grams of spinach (rinsed and chopped), and parsley to your taste, and continue to sauté until spinach is soft. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
You can add any other spices (ex. red chili flakes) if you desire. It’s your Spanakopita!
5
Lay 1 sheet of phyllo, and using a bowl of ¼ cup of olive oil, brush the pastry lightly with some of the olive oil. Fold it in half and brush with more olive oil.
6 Fold it in half again and brush with
oil again. Add about 1 ½ tbsp of the spinach mixture on the bottom corner and like a samosa, fold it until it resembles a triangle. Repeat with the rest of the phyllo sheets.
7 Finally, brush the top with olive oil and season if desired. 8 Bake in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
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FEATURE
Because love is cherished by human beings for a reason; it is something that we
need to
survive
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