Seeds Of Realisation

When the world pushes you to your knees, you are in the perfect position to pray.

Archive for the ‘cooking’ Category

Feb
14

Fishy Buisness

Posted under carbon footprint, cooking, fish, kids

What have I been up to for the past few days … hmm

Some interesting questions from the kids:
a) Why do we have to get married?
b) But men arn’t nice so why do we have to marry them?
c) Why do non muslims live together and not get married?
d) Why is it haram for men to marry men and women to marry women?
e) Who created Allah (SWT)?
f)If Allah (SWT) made us all and He knows what will happen, why did He make people who don’t believe in Him?

Those are but to name a few that I can remember.
My answers:

a) Its sunnah and because it keeps people from doing bad things. Also because since the beginning of time Allah (SWT) has made it that men and women marry.
Students answers: 1- So you can have children. 2- You just have to! 3- So you can do what you want!

b) I’m sure you’ll find one that you like.
Students: 1- I doubt it! 2- no ways! 3- apa have you?

c) Because they don’t believe in the same as we do. Islam believes in keeping peace and being sensible, and if you stay with people not marrying them it can become very messy.
students: 1- Thats true you know (and a long story) 2-They so silly!

d) Because Allah (SWT) made men and women for each other not men for men and women for women. Also Islam says it is haram so we believe in it. Explain the story of Lut (alayhis salam)
Students: 1- Ewww why did you ask apa that?!

e) No body created Allah (SWT), Allah (SWT) is wajibal wujood and he has always been and always will be.
We don’t understand this because in our lives everything has a beginning and an end, but Allah (SWT) is very very different from us, so we find it very hard to understand. We should try not to think too much about these things because we can’t understand them.
Students: 1- even a chair? 2- Thats true!

f) Because even though He knows what will happen to us we still have some free will, which means that we can choose what we do. Everybody is born a Muslim but they change depending on their life. We should be very thankful to Allah (SWT) that we have good muslim families and that we’ve stayed on Islam.
Students: 1- wow

Today we played hangman in class, we’re off now until monday for a well needed break! Alhumdulillah its been a fun term so far.
We recently started “wise time spending” where I give them 10-15 mo=ins to use their time fully conscience of what they are doing and if they are spending their time wisely. Then they have to give me an account of exactly what they did in those minutes. This is to teach them to spend time wisely and that even though I ask only what they did in those few mins angels write what they did every minute of everyday.

In other news, I was made painfully aware of the carbon footprint of my love for ice cream (thank you dear!), though it shall take me a lot to actually be fully conscience i’m trying slowly but surely.
Alhumdulillah for some time we’ve been using bio-diesel in the car, so thats good news (and no its not just cos its cheaper - well maybe!)

Also i’ve been honing my culinary skills and have extended to mastering the art of fish. This as I have been told is a delicate process, so today I went and bought 3 full salmons, though I couldn’t quite take having the head kept on!
I marinated in simple things: Olive oil, lemon, pepper, salt, garlic a few random herbs.
Here are the two I marinated (mum fried the third one):

Thats the first one.

Here’s the second.

The last to prove it is fish not lamb!

How it turns out is anybody’s guess (InshaAllah well!), will let the results be known after satisfactory marination and cooking!

Also if you see the black sheets I’ve used underneath, they are known as teflon sheets, they’re reusable non-stick baking/cooking sheet that stop the food from sticking to the pan or tray and are an absolute wonder for the world of cooking!
You can wash them by hand or put in a dishwasher, they also are great to put at the bottom of the oven when cooking things which might spill over, or to put on the oven racks!
Invest in them and you won’t ever regret it.

Thats all for now … off to sample some fried fish …

Duas Requested

Ma’assalam

Aug
31

Bookshelf Personality

Posted under cooking, islamic books, quran

Assalamualaykum

I picked up this tag from Br Faraz of: irrelevantopinions

Sharing bookshelfs and see how they reflect our personality … hmm … here goes

This Is my hidayah collection … one of my fav’s due to constantly needing to look up fiqh questions with dalaail and the opinions of all 4 schools.

Next to that is my Seerat Mustafa in urdu (seerah of the Prophet SAW) and Al-Ikhtiyaar another fiqh book, and qudoori sharah.

My much loved Tafseer Ibn Kathir … Theres a funny story of how I got those … next to it are my hayaatus sahabah (Lives of the companions of the Prophet sallahu alayhi wassalam)
And lying on top are the Dars Tirmidhi by mufti Taqi uthmani, Tirmidhi in fiqh detail (are we seeing a pattern?)

Oh where would I be without these! My beloved Al Mawrid dictionaries that have served me oh so well in translating and saving face :D

Sealed nectar needs no intro and same with Ibn Kathirs Life of Muhammad (saw)

You cant really see any of these cos they’re conserving space … I need a library not a bookshelf! Left to right:

Aqeedah tahawiyyah by Hamza Yusuf on top
Riyadhus Saliheen
Some misc fiqh books
Gift for a muslim bride

moving on to the right: Mutarjam (translation) of Abu Dawood
My beloved Jalalayn Sharhs (Quran tafseer)

Looking right at the top on the shelf I have no full pic of is My Ma’ariful Quran by Imam Khandalwi (rh), next to it are my mutarjm of Bukhari.

bottom shelf has my urdu Ma’riful Quran by Mufti Shafi saheb (RH) and one english volume, then the Duroosul Lugaat series.
Then My mishkat Sharahs (theres usually 5 but 2 were in use in various parts of the house!) <3

My English Ma’riful Quraans, I love these Alhumdulillah!

And finally … My lost love Cooking and Baking … Make dua my mummy’s ban on my baking is lifted soon, how dearly I miss it!!

Well those are my day to day books I use :D

WaAlaykumAssalam