Things to do!

A'salaamu alaikum ya'll!!! OK so here is just a smidgen of what I need to accomplish before Sunday:

*Get flu shot for myself- As I am a transplant patient and will be in a flying germ box :-) this is particularly important.
*Get Aami's next series of childhood immunizations. Obviously these are available in UAE but here are free.
*PACK! More daunting than it sounds because I need to make sure I have all the things I need for Aaminah to make her transition easier insha'allah.
*Finish up things at work! I don't want to leave any project unfinished as I worked at the masjid and want to make things easier for my replacement!
*Clean the apartment. You know, just to make sure all things are totally spic-n-span.
*Make arrangements for Lisa to come and open the apartment once a week, dust, check the mail, etc. Need spare key made.
*Make sure I have all identification forms, etc. needed for immigration paperwork. This one is REALLY important!
*Give family my contact info overseas.

...and so much more but I need to write it down as I think about it!

Anonymous

A'salaamu alaikum. What do you think of the photo? This is me, fully "niqaabed", "ghashwaed" or "boushiyahed" however you wanna say it. My husband told me that our apartment building has many non-Muslim bachelors living in it who are none-too-shy about staring at women, especially lighter-skinned, lighter-eyed ones. :-(

He feels it would be better for me to remain fully covered when out and about, especially when I am alone. From what other sisters have said (both those I personally know and some blogs I follow) the men can be really creepy there. And stalker-ish in their behavior.

It makes me feel loved and protected that Abdullah has such strong feelings for me, to take care of me, keep me safe, insha'allah. This all comes from "gheerah" the strong protective emotion Allah swt gave Muslim men to keep their women safe insha'allah. I think this concept is intrinsically Islamic, it is part of the internal make-up of almost all Muslim men.

They want to keep their wives from being harassed, help them preserve their modesty especially in situations where they might be alone, and has that strong overwhelming urge to protect them. Jealousy I think is not a good translation of that word bec in the US jealousy normally has very negative overtones whereas the emotion of gheerah is a gift from Allah swt and therefore is only positive.

Now..that said... I was a little put off first time I saw myself. Not my reflection, mind you, because through the fabric I could not see so well. So I snapped a photo and it really amazed me how I seemed to disappear. I mean obviously on the streets of the US I would stick out like a sore thumb lol but to myself I just seemed to vanish.

It took a little time to acclimate myself to that feeling, of being so not-me. Anonymous. However I am very happy that a) my husband loves me so much he is careful of my modesty and my personal safety and b) that I will feel more comfortable being out in public alone.

I wore niqaab (but not an eye screen) when I visited India in 2006. When I didn't wear it, the men all stared. No matter where we were, no matter if they were non-Muslim or Muslim astaghfirallah. I was an oddity, a strange occurence and as such open game for stares. I felt happier with niqaab except for the stifling heat! I have since learned fabric makes ALL the diff! So no more cheapies for me!

Anyway, I digress. :-) I think I will appreciate the extra protection the face screen will give me. Also as I was raised to be very kind and friendly, it's hard for me to avoid smiling in general. Or especially when talking to Aaminah and if we happen to be outside... well I am afraid I am just not restrained enough in public and I do not want to create problems for myself.

I also feel very blessed Abdullah cares so much for me that he would request I cover more completely to avoid this situations for fitnah.

I'll update and let you all know how it feels walking out and about in one, especially after I get a chance to shop a little there and purchase the type I find I really prefer.

Please make dua for my family that we are united soon and united safely!

Ma salaam,

Umm Aaminah

UAE, here I come!

*I know the photo has no relevance; she was just too precious picking up little leaves and nuts and handing them to me. Masha'allah what a sweetie!

A'salaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. OK ok enough of the niceties... I am going to UAE!!!! I am so happy, I feel like I could just float on air!

Ticket bought. Travel date: September 27th. Yep, that is right, the 27th. As in 10 days from now. Oh the plans to make, the clothes to pack, the toilets to scrub! Not as random as it sounds; toilets get really grungy when they are left unflushed for a while so I wanna be sure they are sparklin' when I leave.

So 10 days left to prepare. Well really 9 because the day I leave doesn't count. Oh and Sunday is the Eid so now we are at 8. Count that I still need to work... lol OK, ok, never mind. :-) You get the picture. Basically a week and a half.

Some of you may be thinking, why did you wait until the last minute? Guys, I just work better under pressure masha'allah. Always have, always will. I tried to take care of some things earlier but really most of it is last minute by virtue of needing to use my stuff before I leave.

I can't pack our personal belongings until it is almost time. However I have started packing my clothing, some abayas, Western style clothes, a mish-mosh really. I am also making a list of what I am bringing so I can peruse the list to make sure I don't bring 7 shirts and 1 skirt. LOL That would be odd.

Also I just enjoy making lists! Planning and listing... ah. On paper everything is easy to make perfect. ;-)

OK so back to what is making my little heart pitter-patter: Abdullah, zawjy!!! Words cannot describe how happy I am to be finally going to him. It is just amazing to me and I am thankful to Allah swt for granting me this desire.

I prayed sooo intently and sincerely during Ramadan, only to be united with my husband and for us to have a halal, happy life. Growing together in our Islam, raising our children to be pious muslimeen insha'Allah... We can plan but Allah is the best of planners. We can pray but Allah knows the right time to grant what we seek. Subhanallah.

I am also packing little odds and ends I think will come in handy. Like scissors, over the door hangers to extend storage space, some random fabric I want made into dresses for Aaminah. I'll also be adding some kitchen things that I just can't cook without. My wire whisk and silicone scraper are two of them. Insha'Allah I'll have room for everything I need to take.

My husband bought a separate ticket for Aami, alhamdulillah. I would never have asked for it but he offered and I agreed it would be better. I am just happy I don't have to hold her for 14 CONTINUOUS HOURS. lol That would be rough!

I am very exhausted masha'Allah and need to go to bed. My eyes are blurring and my head feels heavy.

Please make dua for us, insha'allah.

Wasalaam,

Umm Aaminah

*PS: I re-read this post a few days later and was APPALLED by the number of typos. Letters transposed or omitted... subhanallah! I am a very careful proofreader because I don't like errors like that. IF anyone read this post and noticed the mistakes, I hope it didn't annoy you as it did me!!! LOL