Friday, November 27, 2009

My Favorite Online Islamic clothing store

One of my favorite stores that I personally had best customer service with and would like to recommend to others is www.artizara.com
They have super fast shipping and beautiful , good quality clothes .
I ordered Hijabs from them before and the fabric of Hijabs was really beautiful and good quality.It was shipped after an hour or two, after  I placed an order.
They have very interesting blog ,where they talk about different styles of clothes and Hijabs and also how to coordinate your clothes .
http://blog.artizara.com/blog/
This  site would probably be very helpful for the sisters who just reverted to Islam and still going through a transition finding new style and just being yourself .
You can find some coupons on their blog and a very interesting contest they have on facebook,where you can win a $500
If you become their fan on Facebook, where more details on how to submit the work for the contest provided ,you will receive your 10% coupon by entering your email on the website: artizara.com

If you are looking for gourgeous outfit for special occasion in your life ,then you can find the most beautiful Kaftans and other outfits in Artizara..
There are few white dresses that can even be worn as a wedding dress or Nikah dress.


 



Special Occasion dresses

You won't find anything more beautiful for a special occasion in online stores ,then these dresses.
I will post my favorite ones




 





 
 


If you worried about the price ,there are few options you may have .You can find a coupn on their blog $20 off a hundred dollar order ,or you can get %15 off as a new customer .

Monday, November 23, 2009

Great Ebay finds !!!

assalamu aleikum
There is a store on ebay that has a lot of abayas in different color .
http://stores.ebay.com/Muhasabah-Trading
It is very hard to find abaya other then black .
I never ordered from this store before ,but I might be .I love the colors of their abays ,but I'm not sure about the fabric .
Anyway check this out and decide ...The prices are very reasonable


$31.99
Great for Eid !!!


 
Here are some pretty black Georgette abayas .
I don't like too much design on my abaya though..



This one says Thai silk abaya .I have no idea how thin or thick it is ,but I love the colors .I guess these are more suitable for special occasions or when having guests at home
$24.75



Sunday, November 22, 2009

www.modestycatalog.com

For anyone who is looking for long salwar kameez with long sleeve I  recommend this web site www.modestycatalog.com



They have many  tunics  with long sleeve .

 

For the sisters who like skirts, there are many skirt  sets on that web site .
Its good because they have matching skirt and a top and you can find matching Hijab on their web site or match with your own

 

 
This one is my favorite




 

And if you are looking for a gift for your father ,or brother ,or husband
they have some men's clothing also ...




Another thing to mention, they have plus sizes almost for all the items

Monday, November 16, 2009

2 Hijab online store for fashion hijab, abaya, hijab pins

Looking for something special ?

Visit 2Hijab.com Excellent quality Jilbab and abaya in different colors and designs
?



Beautiful Jilbabs


AlJilbab.com

I never bought from this site before ,but I really like their products and reasonable prices .
I would use these Jilbabs for special occasions or when having guests at home ...
Look really beautiful and modest .
Most of the Jilbabs start at $18
These are my favorite ones .









 

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Share your Hijab story

It took me 2 years after my convertion to Islam to take a decision to wear Hijab .
When I became a Muslim I had no idea that Hijab was obligatory .I thought it only needed when we pray or go to Mosque .Even for the prayer I used to wear a see- through Hijab ,which was barely covering my hair .It was actually a cover wrap for a swimsuit that I was using to serve the purpose of Hijab .Its funny I know .
I'm sure all of us converts to Islam have many funny and embarassing moments .
Before wearing Hijab I started with long sleeve shirts ,which were tight,then started wearing skirts ,which was really a challenge for me ,because I was totally not used to that.
After a while step by step I started getting used to my new clothes and started wearing bandanna like style Hijab from time to time ,when I was going to Wal Mart or library,or Masjid .
It looked something like this .
Please note, this is not correct Hijab ...

So I started wearing Hijab this way everywhere ,except for my work place .
I used to work in retail and was always on public in a very crowded work place ,so it was a big challenge for me to change my looks completely .
All I could do is to make Dua to Allah to make this task easy on me .I didn't know how and when I will put Hijab on ,but after a while I started to have a feeling of guilt and shame for not obeying the commands of Allah Subhana wa Taala .I started feeling ashamed to go out without covering my hair .I started hide my hair in a pony tail .I felt so weird to leave my hair down in front of everyone .
One day ,on Friday, I went to a Mosque for Jummah prayer and wrapped my bandanna Hijab around my hair ,but covering my neck also and it was almost proper Hijab and that day I went to visit my brother ,who is not Muslim .
He said nothing at all ,no reaction at all ,no comment .It gave me  confidence .After that, the whole day wherever I went I wouldn't take my Hijab off .Since that day I decided I'm ready !!!
I went to work next day with my Hijab on .Well,I had some earrings sticking out of my Hijab ,which was wrong ,but it looked really nice .
When I was opening a store ,one Indian lady came up to me and said  I love your Scarf ,it looks very nice ,I really love it .She asked if I wear it becuase I'm a Muslim ,I said yes .She said it looks really beautiful and she left .The same day I got  a lot of complements from people about my scarf and it made me feel so much better .Few days later I started wearing proper Hijab .I was using too many pins though ,making sure it wont slip off .
So this is how I started.I still was wearing pants and long shirts then started wearing skirts  .
It was hard for a while I'm not gonna say it was easy ,but I got used to it and at the end I knew why am I doing this .I do it for my Creator ,to please Him only ,and not to please people .

A year ago I decided to wear Jilbab .
One day I was looking for something online and I came across this verse ,which I read many times before ,but that day I reread it many many times ,before I understood.
Ya ayyuha an-Nabiyy qul li azwajika wa banatika wa nisa al-mu'minin yudnina alayhinna min jalabib hinna; dhalika adna an yu'rafna fa laa yu'dhayn. Wa kana Allahu Ghafur Rahim
O Prophet! Say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the faithful to draw their JALABIB close around them; that is better that they will be recognized and not annoyed. And God is ever Forgiving, Gentle.
The word "jalabib" is the plural of "jilbab". Clearly, this ayah states a command for Muslim women to wear a garment which Allah SWT has called "jilbab".

Beyond this, the hadiths record how the sahabiyat (rAa) went about obeying Surah al-Ahzab ayah 59 when it was revealed:
Sunan Abu Dawud Book 32 #4090. Narrated Umm Salama, Umm al-Mu'minin: When the verse, "That they should draw their jalabib close around them" was revealed, the women of Ansar came out as if they had crows over their heads by wearing jalabib.
This hadith shows that the correct way to obey it is to wear the garment called "jilbab", since that is what the sahabiyat (rAa) did. Note that they did not hesitate or delay or make excuses: when they were told by Allah SWT to wear the garment called "jilbab", they did, right away.
And there is more even than this. Some of the women remained in seclusion and never went out so that they did not own the garment called "jilbab". The hadiths record that the Prophet (sAas) commanded the women to come out for the Eid gathering, and what he said about the issue of the garment called "jilbab":
Sahih Bukhari Book 8 #347. Narrated Umm Atiyya: We were ordered to bring out our menstruating women and screened women to the religious gatherings and invocation of the Muslims on the two Eid festivals. These menstruating women were to keep away from the musalla. A woman asked, "O Messenger of Allah! What about one who does not have a jilbab?". He said, "Let her borrow the jilbab of her companion".

I know there is difference of opinion about what Jilbab is and about covering the face ,which is my next step inshaAllah, but  when I read that women did not even go out or their houses if they didn't have Jilbab, I told myself that I will not go out of my house tomorrow without my abaya .It was the only one I owned at that time .Black Saudi abaya ,which was a gift from overseas ,alhamdulillah ..
So this was my choice and it was my decision ..
I don't want to judge anyone who doesnt wear Hijab or Jilbab ,because I know it doesnt come easy and it takes time and transition  ,especially for the revert sisters .
May Allah give us taqwa and understanding of our Deeen and may all of us sisters follow the example of great women ,Sahabiyat (RA)and may Allah perfect our character and make us like them ..

Please share your Hijab story ,may be it will inspire others to wear Hijab...

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Why should I wear the Hijaab?

This is a good question and there is a beautiful answer! Allaah has commanded us with every action that is good for us and prohibited us from performing every action that is bad for us. Allaah orders the Muslim woman to wear the hijaab when she steps out of the security of her home or when in the presence of strange men. So to wear the hijaab is a source of great good for you – the Muslim woman - for many reasons. Among them:


You please Allaah. You are obeying the commands of your Lord when you wear the hijaab and you can expect great rewards in return.






 

It is Allaah’s protection of your natural beauty. You are too precious to be "on display" for each man to see.






It is Allaah’s preservation of your chastity.



Allaah purifies your heart and mind through the hijaab.

Allaah beautifies your inner and outer countenance with hijaab. Outwardly your hijaab reflects innocence, purity, modesty, shyness, serenity, contentment and obedience to your Lord. Inwardly you cultivate the same.

Allaah defines your femininity through the hijaab. You are a woman who respects her womanhood. Allaah wants you to be respected by others, and for you to respect yourself.

Allaah raises your dignity through the hijaab. When a strange man looks at you, he respects you because he sees that you respect yourself.





Allaah protects your honour 100% through your hijaab. Men do not gaze at you in a sensual way, they do not approach you in a sensual way, and neither do they speak to you in a sensual way. Rather, a man holds you in high esteem and that is just by one glance at you!

Allaah gives you nobility through the hijaab. You are noble not degraded because you covered not naked.




Allaah demonstrates your equality as a Muslim woman through the hijaab. Your Lord bestows upon you equal worth as your male counterpart, and gives you a host of beautiful rights and liberties. You express your acceptance of these unique rights by putting on the hijaab.




Allaah defines your role as a Muslim woman through the hijaab. You are a someone with important duties.


Dear Muslim sister! Come towards the gates of Paradise with us! Fulfill your duties towards Allaah, put on your adornment - put on your hijaab, and race towards Jannah (Paradise) by doing all good actions. You should agree by now that wearing hijaab is extremely beneficial – it must be - because Allaah only commands what is good…


…and believe me dear sister, it is good to obey the commands of your Lord…







"Their reward is with their Lord: Gardens of Eden underneath which rivers flow wherein they will dwell for ever; Allaah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him; this is (in store) for whoever fears his Lord." [Sooratul-Bayyinah 98:8]


source: troid.org

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Exercise Tailored to a Hijab




THE first time Julia Shearson rode her bike after converting to Islam seven years ago, her headscarf became stuck in the wheel.
She lost her balance, and by the time she got going again she was met with stares as she whizzed along, arms and legs draped in loose clothing, her scarf billowing in the breeze.
“You have to overcome the looks,” said Ms. Shearson, 43, the executive director of the Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islam Relations. “It’s already hard enough to exercise, and if you look different ... it’s even harder.”
As a Muslim woman in the United States, Ms. Shearson has found it difficult to stay fit while adhering to her religious principles about modesty. Islam does not restrict women from exercising — in fact all Muslims are urged to take care of their bodies through healthy eating and exercise — but women face a special set of challenges in a culture of co-ed gyms and skimpy workout wear.
Many pious Muslim women in the United States, like Ms. Shearson, wear hijab in public, loose garments that cover their hair and body, which can hinder movement and add to discomfort during exercise. Women may show their hair, arms and legs up to the knees in front of other women.
Muslim women are often limited in their choice of activity, as well. Some believe that certain yoga chants, for example, are forbidden, as well as certain poses like sun salutations (Muslims are supposed to worship only Allah). For the sake of modesty, working out around men is discouraged.
That modesty can be a benefit and a liability. On the one hand, Muslim women are spared some of the body-image issues that other women face; on the other, that freedom can be a detriment to their physical well-being.

“We don’t have the external motivation that non-Muslim women have,” said Mubarakha Ibrahim, 33, a certified personal trainer and owner of Balance fitness in New Haven, a personal training studio catering to women. “There is no little black dress to fit into, no bathing suit. When you pass through a mirror or glass you’re not looking to see ‘Is my tummy tucked in? Do I look good in these jeans?’ You’re looking to see if you’re covered.”
After gaining 50 pounds while pregnant with her first child, Ms. Ibrahim studied exercise and nutrition, and became certified through the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. In 2006 she opened her studio, which offers a safe environment for women to exercise (she says she has more orthodox Jewish clients, who also adhere to rules of modesty).
Ms. Ibrahim said she would like to see exercise become as natural a part of a Muslim woman’s life as praying.
In July, about 120 women from around the country attended Ms. Ibrahim’s third annual Fit Muslimah Health and Fitness Summit in New Haven. She offered yoga, kickboxing, water aerobics and core conditioning classes alongside workshops on weight loss, nutrition, cancer prevention and diabetes at the two-day, women-only event. She plans to hold another one in Atlanta in February.
“An important part of your spirituality is your health,” said Tayyibah Taylor, publisher of Azizah, a magazine for Muslim women, and co-sponsor of the summit meeting. “You can’t really consider yourself in good health if all parts of your being are not healthy — your body, your mind and your soul. It’s a complete package.”
This is especially true now, during Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting from dawn until sunset. “The Muslim prayer is the most physical prayer — the sitting, bowing, bending,” said Daisy Khan, executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement. “The physicality of our prayer forces us to create flexibility in our body.”
But how to mix one’s physical and spiritual needs with practicality? Some Muslim-Americans go to women-only gyms like Curves, which has thousands of branches across the country. And some gyms and Y.M.C.A.’s offer gender-segregated areas, hours or days.
Other women, like Umm Sahir Ameer, a 27-year-old student in Shaker Heights, Ohio, take matters into their own hands. Last year, Ms. Ameer started the Muslimah Strive Running-Walking Group so she and 12 of her friends could exercise together.
“I wanted to establish this group as a way to further unite Muslim women in my community while gaining physical endurance,” she said.
Those who do work out in co-ed gyms have learned to make accommodations in their clothing. Loretta Riggs, 40, an educational coach in Pittsburgh, started exercising two years ago after divorcing her husband. She wears a scarf made of spandex, long-sleeved Under Armour shirts and Adidas or Puma pants.
“Some women don’t think you should be working out in a co-ed gym,” she said, “but I’m around men all the time in my workplace, when I take my kids to the park, when I walk outside.”
She added: “Why would I deprive myself of being healthy because I am a Muslim and I choose to cover? It’s very important to take care of myself.”
Mariam Abdelgawad, 21, a math teacher in San Jose, Calif., said that in high school she played hockey, soccer and ran track and field, all while wearing hijab.
But today she works out at home, since there are no female-only gyms in her neighborhood. Her parents, with whom she lives, have a treadmill, elliptical machine and Pilates equipment, as well as weights. She exercises about three times a week, but said she missed the camaraderie of the gym.
Though working out at home is convenient, she said, it is also very easy to procrastinate and not do it. “I don’t have all the options that a gym would have,” she said.
Swimming also poses problems. Although some Muslim women have been known to hop in the water in their street clothes, this can be cumbersome for a workout. The burqini — a one-piece outfit that resembles a scuba wet suit — has received a lot of attention in recent months (most notably in France, where a young woman was banned from wearing one at a pool), but it tends to be too form-fitting for some women.
“I tried it once, and it sticks to your body,” said Marwa Abdelhaleem, a 26-year-old teacher in Toronto who started a female-only swimming group to avoid the burqini question. “It’s really fitted. I wouldn’t wear it in public.”
Ms. Ibrahim, however, is more focused on the private.
“One of the ideas I promote is that when you are married and you take off your clothing, your husband should not be like, ‘You should put this back on,’ ” Ms. Ibrahim said. “Even if you wear a burqa, you should be bikini-ready. You should feel comfortable and sexy in your own skin.”

source:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/health/nutrition/10fitness.html?_r=2

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Beautiful 100% Silk Hijabs on ebay ,only $14.99 Free Shipping

Don't miss this deal!!!!!



100 % pure Silk Hijabs ,scarves
Scarves are very light and soft . 

colors  :Red ,blue ,pink/maroon 


The size of the scarves is very generous.
 Scarf measures 68" x 20"

Silk is always expensive .

You will not find better deal then this .



 Click on the link to see this listing 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300361489751&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT