Are Wolves Returning to Colorado?

I hope so! Check the article if you're interested.

Froggy

I had thought he was lost in Gambia, but after nearly two years he turned up, and moved on to Finland! What a great traveler he is, it would be great to see the places he has been.

But Blue Bear actually has the most miles of my geocaching travelbugs because someone took him to Tahiti and New South Wales and then he came back to the Americas.

Eid Ghadeer (insha'allah this Saturday)

Eid Ghadeer

As a revert to Islam, Eid Ghadeer is the one Eid that always has made the most sense to me and been the most significant in my worldview. Part of me has found Eid ul Fitr tempered by the loss of the holy days of the month of Ramadhan, and Eid ul Adha significant if you or a loved one is performing the hajj, but otherwise less so. But the Eid al-Ghadeer has always been special to me because it is a celebration of the culmination of Islam - a celebration of the very events that first enabled me to know the status of Imam ‘Ali (as) and the crucial role of Ahlulbayt (as) in the preservation of the True Religion so that I, in 1994, had the blessed chance to discover true Islam for myself. It is only because of Ahlulbayt (as) that I had that chance – without them, the True Religion would have long ago been lost in corruption and time.

I remember feeling exhausted after becoming Muslim. I had spent a year in intensive research, questioning the entire framework of my existence, engaging in deep self-evaluation so that in the end I had turned my life upside down and accepted all the conflict and challenges that would bring my way. But I had yet to scratch the surface of Islamic knowledge and had so far yet to go. I had become aware of the sects and divisions between Muslims, much to my sadness. As a Christian, I had been dismayed by all the man-made churches, none of them holding God’s Truth more than any other. I regretted that I might again find nothing in Islam that provided complete access to Reality.

But then, I read about Ghadeer Khum. The more I read, the lighter my burden became. Here was what I had known must exist – the evidence that God had protected His message from corruption. Every time a revelation from God has come down, man has corrupted it. But the Qur’an has survived because God has protected it, and in Ghadeer Khum I found the means. I felt tears of deep joy and gratitude to find the protectors of the Qur’an, the ones who have lived the real Islam; for without them, I would have no chance of ever finding the truth, I would have remained a deprived wayfarer, unsatisfied with the religions of man’s making.

If I had not been blessed to know about Ghadeer and appreciate the status and role of Ahlulbayt (as), I would have been left very disappointed after my struggle to find the Truth. While I would have gained the clarity of Tawhid that is in Islam, I would yet know I was stuck in a quagmire of man-made distortions that rip apart the Truth and replace it with ignorance and oppression.

In the Qur’an it is written, "And hold fast, all together, by the Rope which God (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude God's favor on you; for you were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, you became brethren; and you were on the brink of the Pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does God make His Signs clear to you, that you may be guided." (3:103)
Numerous hadith inform us that the Rope is none other than the blessed Ahlulbayt (as).

I feel this ayah resonating deep in the very fiber of my existence. Without the rope, I would have nothing to hold to, no hope for access to God’s Truth. It is a great favor from God for which I owe immeasurable gratitude that I was able to find this rope and try with my best effort to cling to it. I cling to this rope with the love of Ahlulbayt (as) who made my journey to Islam possible, and who have provided me the means to hope for progress on the journey of Truth and salvation from the Fire of Hell. For without Ahlulbayt (as), I could only be on the brink of the Pit of Fire, but by clinging to their Rope I might be pulled away from it.

The Ahlulbayt (as) have given me, and have given all of us, the chance to realize our potentials, the ability to hope, and the opportunity for the complete peace that can only be found in one who has glimpsed the Truth. Therefore, the Eid of Ghadeer is the most joyous and meaningful Eid to me, It is the Eid of hope and opportunity for all of us. May Allah swt bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad with His greatest blessings and grant them the most fulfilling peace, and may more and more of humanity come to realize the great gift given to all of us when Allah swt perfected religion by securing the role of Ahlulbayt (as).

Merry Christmas

Those of you who celebrate it, wishing you a Merry Christmas.

Last night my brother and his family and I got together at my mom's house. We had potato soup for dinner, and then my brother's kids opened their presents from their parents and from me and mom and dad. I do enjoy watching people open presents more than getting them, especially when they really like them. The kids got lots of clothes and toys and seemed very content with what they got, and they did a good job of being appreciative.

Today I went back to my parents' house and we exchanged gifts just between us and had a halal roast lunch. One thing that was so fun this morning was watching my mom's dogs. My mom had bought them a bunch of new chew toys and rubber Kong toys for Christmas. She put them in a grocery bag by the other presents. The first night she did so, the dogs found the bag and helped themselves to some treats inside. Since then, every now and then they would peak in the bag and check out the toys, but they didn't open them. This morning, they got to open their toys and they were hilarious. They got very excited, took a toy out of the bag, and started tearing off the packaging and playing with the packaging, then then one would take another toy, run off somewhere to tear it open, then come back and take another toy to tear open. They appeared to have a lot of fun opening their presents and to be very excited by it.

We talked to my grandparents and one of my uncles. My grandparents I think are both in their 80's now and every day suffering one health problem or another. My uncle has been fighting for a few years now with tongue cancer. He can't swallow still, they have to do some operation to create a new flap for him after they cut a lot of his mouth out. He can talk but it isn't a normal voice at all and sounds raspy and tired.

Anyway, I think for most Americans Christmas is more a day of family than anything, so I pray for all our families.

Ziyarat Warith

Ziyarat Warith

Salaams upon you, O inheritor of Adam, the chosen one of Allah


اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا وارِثَ آدَمَ صِفْوَةِ اللهِ


Salaams upon you, O inheritor of Nuh, the Prophet of Allah


اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا وارِثَ نُوح نَبِىِّ اللهِ

Salaams upon you, O inheritor of Ibrahim, the friend of Allah


اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا وارِثَ اِبْراهيمَ خَليلِ اللهِ

Salaams upon you. O inheritor of Musa, the one who talked to Allah



اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا وارِثَ مُوسى كَليمِ اللهِ

Salaams upon you, O inheritor of 'Isa, the spirit of Allah



اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا وارِثَ عيسى رُوحِ اللهِ

Salaams upon you, O inheritor of Muhammad, the beloved friend of Allah



اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا وارِثَ مُحَمَّد حَبيبِ اللهِ

Salaams upon you, O inheritor of Ali, the commander of the faithful and the friend of Allah



اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا وارِثَ عَلِىٍّ اَميرِ الْمُؤْمِنينَ وَلِىِّ اللهِ

Salaams upon you, O inheritor of Hasan, the shaheed, grandson of the messenger of Allah


اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا وارِثَ الْحَسَنِ الشَّهيدِ سِبْطِ رَسُولِ اللهِ

Salaams upon you, O son of the Prophet



اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا بْنَ رَسُولِ اللهِ

Salaams upon you, O son of the one who brought good tidings and warning, and the son of the leader of successors





اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا بْنَ الْبَشيرِ النَّذيرِ وَابْنَ سَيِّدِ الْوَصِيِّينَ

Salaams upon you, O son of Fatema, leader of the women of the worlds




اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَابْنَ فاطِمَةَ سَيِّدَةِ نِسآءِ الْعالَمينَ


Salaams upon you, O Aba Abdillah



اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا اَبا عَبْدِ اللهِ



Salaams upon you, O the best with Allah and the son of the best



اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا خِيَرَةَ اللهِ وَابْنَ خِيَرَتِهِ

Salaams upon you, O he who fought in the way of Allah and the son of one who fought in the way of Allah





اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا ثارَ اللهِ وَابْنَ ثارِهِ

Salaams upon you, O he who was

isolated and attacked with vengeance






اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ اَيُّهَا الْوِتْرَ الْمَوْتُورَ

Salaams upon you, O the Imam, the just guide




اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ اَيُّهَا الاِْمامُ الْهادِى الزَّكِىُّ

And (salaams upon) those on your side
And those who stayed with you
And those who joined


وَعَلى الاَرْواح حَلَّتْ بِفِنآئِكَ وَاَقامَتْ فى جِوارِكَ وَوَفَدَتْ مَعَ زُوّارِكَ

Salaams upon you from me for the rest of my nights and days


اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ مِنِّى ما بَقيتُ وَبَقِىَ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهارُ

Indeed great was your test And it greatly moved the mu'mineen, the Muslims and the dwellers of the heavens and the earth


فَلَقَدْ عَظُمَتِ بِكَ الرَّزِيَّةُ وَجَلَّ الْمُصابُ فِى الْمُؤْمِنينَ وَالْمُسْلِمينَ وَفى اَهْلِ السَّمواتِ اَجْمَعينَ وَفى سُكّـانِ الاَْرَضينَ

Indeed we are from Allah and to Him we return


فَاِنّا للهِ وَاِنّا اِلَيْهِ راجِعُونَ

And blessings, and greetings of Allah be upon you and on your forefathers
The pure, the pious and the outstanding and their rightly guided descendants



وَصَلَواتُ اللهِ وَبَرَكاتُهُ وَتَحِيّاتُهُ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلى آبآئِكَ الطّاهِرينَ الطَّيِّبينَ الْمُنْتَجَبَينَ وَعَلى ذَراريهِمُ الْهُداةِ الْمَهْدِيّينَ

Salaams upon you, O my mawla and on them, tranquillity be upon your soul and their souls


اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا مَوْلاىَ وَعَلَيْهِمْ وَعَلى رُوحِكَ وَعَلى اَرْواحِهِمْ

And on your resting places


وَعَلى تُرْبَتِكَ وَعَلى تُرْبَتِهِمْ

O Allah! Let Your mercy, pleasure and tranquillity be on them


اَللّـهُمَّ لَقِّهِمْ رَحْمَةً وَرِضْواناً وَرَوْحاً وَرَيْحاناً

Salaams upon you, O my mawla, O Aba Abdillah, Son of the last of the messengers and son of the first of the successors and son of the leader of the women of the worlds


اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا مَوْلاىَ يا اَبا عَبْدِاللهِ يَا بْنَ خاتَمِ النَّبِيّينَ وَيَا بْنَ سَيِّدِ الْوَصِيّينَ وَيَا بْنَ سَيِّدَةَ نِسآءِ الْعالَمينَ

Salaams upon you, O the shaheed son of the shaheed O brother of the shaheed, and O father of the shuhada


اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا شَهيدُ يَا بْنَ الشَّهيدِ يا اَخَ الشَّهيدِ يا اَبَا الشُّهَدآءِ

O Allah! I send to him in this hour, and this day and this moment and in every moment, lots of greetings And salaams of Allah be upon you and His mercy and blessings O son of the leader of the worlds and on the shuhada with you Forever, for as long as the nights and days follow each other


اَللّـهُمَّ بَلِّغْهُ عَنّى فى هذِهِ السّاعَةِ وَفى هذَا الْيَوْمِ وَفى هذَا الْوَقْتِ وَفى كُلِّ وَقْت تَحِيَّةً كَثيرَةً وَسَلاماً سَلامُ اللهِ عَلَيْكِ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكاتُهُ يَا بْنَ سَيِّدِ الْعالَمينَ وَعَلَى الْمُسْتَشْهَدينَ مَعَكَ سَلاماً مُتَّصِلاً مَا اتَّصَلَ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهارُ

Salaams upon you, Husein, son of Ali - the shaheed


السَّلامُ عَلَى الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ عَلِىّ الشَّهيدِ

Salaams upon you, Ali son of Husayn - the shaheed


السَّلامُ عَلى عَلِىِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ الشَّهيدِ

Salaams upon you, Abbas son of Amirul Mu'mineen - the shaheed


اَلسَّلامُ عَلَى الْعَبّاسِ بْنِ اَميرِ الْمُؤْمِنينَ الشَّهيدِ

Salaams upon all the shuhada from the sons of Amirul Mu'mineen


السَّلامُ عَلَى الشُّهَدآءِ مِنْ وُلْدِ اَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنينَ

Salaams upon all the shuhada from the sons of Hasan


اَلسَّلامُ عَلَى الشُّهَدآءِ مِنْ وُلْدِ الْحَسَنِ

Salaams upon all the shuhada from the sons of Husein
Salaams upon all the shuhada from the sons of Jafer and Aqeel


اَلسَّلامُ عَلَى الشُّهَدآءِ مِنْ وُلْدِ الْحُسَيْنِ

السَّلامُ عَلَى الشُّهَدآءِ مِنْ وُلْدِ جَعْفَر وَعَقِيل

Salaams upon all the shuhada with you from the mu'mineen


اَلسَّلامُ عَلى كُلِّ مُسْتَشْهَد مَعَهُمْ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنين

O Allah! send Your blessings on Muhammad and his Ahlulbayt and I send to them lots of greetings and salaams


اَللّـهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَآلِ مُحَمَّد وَبَلِّغْهُمْ عَنّى تَحِيَّةً كَثيرَةً وَسَلاماً

Salaams upon you, O Messenger of Allah May Allah give the best of condolences to you to bear that which happened to your son Husein


اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا رَسُولَ اللهِ اَحْسَنَ اللهُ لَكَ الْعَزآءَ فى وَلَدِكَ الْحُسَيْنِ

Salaams upon you, O Fatema May Allah give the best of condolences to you to bear that which happened to your son Husein


اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكِ يا فاطِمَةُ اَحْسَنَ اللهُ لَكَ الْعَزآءَ فى وَلَدِكَ الْحُسَيْنِ

Salaams upon you, O Amirul Mu'mineen May Allah give the best of condolences to you to bear with that which happened to your son Husein


اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا اَميرَ الْمُؤْمِنينَ اَحْسَنَ اللهُ لَكَ الْعَزآءَ فِى وَلَدِكَ الْحُسَيْنِ

Salaams upon you O Abu Muhammad - Hasan May Allah give the best of condolences to you to bear that which happened to your brother Husein


اَلسَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يا اَبا مُحَمَّد الْحَسَنَ اَحْسَنَ اللهُ لَكَ الْعَزآءِ فى اَخيكَ الْحُسَيْنِ

O my mawla, O Aba Abdillah


يا مَوْلاىَ يا اَبا عَبْدِاللهِ

I have taken refuge with Allah and with you


اَنَا َضْيُف اِلله َوضَيْفُكَ

I am near Allah and near you


وَجارُ اللهِ وَجارُكَ

As every guest and friend receives hospitality,


وَلِكُلِّ ضَيْف وَجار قِرىً

I too request it at this moment That you ask Allah, the Glorified and high, that He grant me freedom from the fire Indeed He hears Dua and answers immediately.


وَقِراىَ فى هذَا الْوَقْتِ اَنْ تَسْئَلَ اللهَ سُبْحانَهُ وَتَعالى اَنْ يَرْزُقَنى فَكاكَ رَقَبَتى مِنَ النّارِ اِنَّهُ سَميعُ الدُّعآءِ قَريبُ مُجيبُ .

Movies for the year

I posted a brief reflection of the movies seen this year at the Muslim Movie Review blog.

I think my favorite few of the year were Bourne Ultimatum, The Astronaut Farmer, and Transformers. But there were some other good ones, too, as well as bad. Do you have any favorites for the year?

The Whispered Prayer of the Hopeful

In the Name of God, the All-merciful, the All-compassionate

1. O He who gives to a servant who asks from Him, takes him to his wish when he expectantly hopes for what is with Him, brings him near and close when he approaches Him, covers over his sin and cloaks it when he shows it openly, and satisfies and suffices him when he has confidence in Him!

2. My God, who is the one who has come before Thee seeking hospitality, and whom Thou hast not received hospitably? Who is the one who has dismounted at Thy door hoping for magnanimity, and to whom Thou hast not shown it? Is it good that I come back from Thy door, turned away in disappointment, while I know of no patron qualified by beneficence but Thee? How should I have hope in other than Thee, when the good - all of it - is in Thy hand? How should I expect from others, when Thine are the creation and the command? Should I cut off my hope for Thee, when Thou hast shown me of Thy bounty that for which I have not asked? Wouldst Thou make me have need for my like? But I hold fast to Thy cord! O He through whose mercy the strivers reach felicity and through whose vengeance the seekers of forgiveness are not made wretched! How should I forget Thee, while Thou never ceasest remembering me? How should I be diverted from Thee while Thou art my constant watcher?

3. My God, I have fastened my hand to the skirt of Thy generosity, I have stretched forth my expectation toward reaching Thy gifts, so render me pure through the purest profession of Thy Unity, and appoint me one of Thy choice servants! O He who is the asylum of every fleer, the hope of every seeker! O Best Object of hope! O Most Generous Object of supplication! O He who does not reject His asker or disappoint the expectant! O He whose door is open to His supplicators and whose veil is lifted for those who hope in Him! I ask Thee by Thy generosity to show kindness toward me through Thy gifts, with that which will gladden my eye, through hope in Thee, with that which will give serenity to my soul, and through certainty with that which will make easy for me the afflictions of this world and lift from my insight the veils of blindness! By Thy mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful!

Can you see it?

Can you see it?

The walls of my classroom at school are covered with 3D pictures like the one at the link above, or hidden picture images, or optical illusions - with a few math posters and Lord of the Rings posters, too. Some of them are very nostalgic like Where's Waldo, others are true art, like Bev Doolittle. I think learning is more than just content - there needs to be an interesting, enriching, safe and fun environment, too.

I couldn't see this one until I made it bigger and put it as my desktop picture. It is a little teapot, but then I see this big edge sticking out in the middle - maybe it is supposed to be a table edge - give it a try and let me know what you see. This picture also reminded me of something my mom used to do with me when I was a little girl. We'd use a box of 64 crayola crayons and use its sharpener to get different color crayon shavings, then we'd put the shavings between two sheets of wax paper and she'd iron them and they'd melt and make a pretty suncatcher we'd tape up in my bedroom window.

I hope if I'm a mom someday I'll think of those kind of things to do with my children.

These 3D images remind me of something else, too. They tell me there is always more to something than what you see at first. People and things are worth getting to know and looking at carefully. Sometimes when you take the time you will see something really ugly - a warning, protecting you from danger. But often when you take the time you will see something very special and beautiful like I see in my friends, in nature, in my faith, and so on.

There's one 7th grade boy I tutor who pushes everyone's buttons. He is quite small for his age, a minority student - facing extra challenges to succeed in our society. He looks for ways to annoy, to not work, etc. Really he is afraid of not being smart at something, of having someone see it, of failure - so he covers with his behavior. I do see him making big improvements, although every step is hard. I worry about his future - I don't want to see him be a drop out. That could happen if his family and teachers aren't patient enough and able to see beyond his behavior.

I had a student not too long ago who was the light of any classroom. He was not the A+ student, but he was just fine in school, and he was very sweet and funny. All the girls liked him innocently because he was such a cute, sweet kid. He always seemed happy. But really he was suffering from the aftereffects of an abusive home and needed help. He had fled the abuse to live with a brother, who then got sent to Iraq. He ended up having to leave us and go back where he came from. I don't know the ending of this story either, but I hope he will have a bright and happy future, too.

Animal Sightings

I've had two exciting animal sightings in the past 24 hours.



This morning on my drive to work, a bobcat ran across the road in front of me on Mesa Road. It is totally thrilling to see a bobcat, I am not sure I've ever seen one before. It looked just like the one in the picture above, except maybe a bit more of a mane and bigger ear tufts.



Seeing foxes, coyotes, antelope and more around here is pretty common, but my fox sighting last night was exciting because I got to watch the fox walk right past my house, down the middle of my street. I think the foxes are becoming increasingly urban and suburban, and so are the coyotes. I've seen foxes near fields and waterways downtown, but last night's view is my closest-to-home sighting.

I love these mammals and hope they continue to thrive.... Maybe our snow and cold has brought them out....

Beautiful Winter Day

So mom and I put on our ski bibs and snow boots and walked the dogs. Little Toby got snowballs all over his fur, so we didn't go as far as we usually do. Everyone had a great time.




While I was shoveling the walks, I got to listen to the beautiful song of this winter chickadee. The juncos are back, too - I love those birds - they are hardiest little winter birds I've ever seen.

More Julian Beever 3D Chalk Art Illusions

I love this guy's work! I certainly wouldn't want to spend so much effort to create something so fleeting, even though it is totally cool!

Happy Holiday Season