Full article http://www.theidealmuslimah.com/medical-student-memorized-quran-in-2-an…

Her tips:

• Seek Allah’s help. Make duaa. When you reach Juzu 7.. or 14.. or anything.. and you start to lose motivation- turn to him. They are His words and He alone can teach you them.
• Get a portion done in the morning, especially if you are busy. The days where I could manage at least 1-2 pages before noon, made the 10 pages much easier. If I started after noon, it would take longer. #EarlyBirdBarakeh
• Cancel Stuff. Say No more often. You have to cut back on some things you are used to. Its just the way it works. Even if you do have time to do other things, you don’t have the energy. Too much non-quran things really takes you away from the mood. If your friends start to get annoyed by how much you are saying no recently- then you are doing it right.
• Find Recitation Coach(es). I couldn’t stay with the camp the whole time- so I would recite to my mom, sister, and friends. Try to stick to a couple people but have more than one person. If you need to recite and the person is busy you will get discouraged- so try to have a back-up. I used to even recite on the phone sometimes!
• Memorize and recite DAILY. No days off. None. Even if you memorize only page and your goal is to memorize 10. It has to become a habit. Plus, you start one page… then the next page looks easy.. then the next one goes fast..
• Big chunks are easier! I used to think memorizing one page a time is faster- but actually.. memorizing 4-6 pages at a time makes it go faster. Its like your brain gets into “memorization” mode-and whats you recite to someone else its hard to get back into “memorization” mode to start again. So if you are doing 10 pages, try to memorize 6.. recite them to your “coach”, then the 4 pages will be easy inshallah. Even memorizing all 10 is not that hard!
• Don’t tell too many people at first. Because it gets kind of stressful when they keep asking where you reached, how many pages you’ve done, etc. Tell your “coaches” and tell your close friends for motivation and to not lose sight of the goal.
• Free your Mind-more than your time! It’s not about how many hours you have a day as much as how much you need to reduce mental clutter. I can get much more done in 2 hours relaxed than in 6 when I am worrying about something. The Quran does not enter with chaos. So before you start, make your to-do lists and put them aside, get essential things done, free yourself from worries and commitments. If anything worries you while you are memorizing, remember Shaytan doesn’t want you to focus and that the Quran will take care of your worries.
•  When you are sleepy-do one more. I don’t even know why. I guess its just about pushing yourself. But I always felt barakeh when I did 1-2 more pages at night when I was getting sleepy rather than giving up.
• Motivate yourself with baby steps. Its daunting to be in Surat AlBaqara and be dreaming of Surat AlNaas. Just keep imagining how happy you will be to be in the next surah or next few juzu2s. When I was in the 13th I would be like: ya rab.. I want to reach 15…the middle. Then in 15- Ya rab, I want to reach 20th juzu2.. the majority. Then in the 20th.. Ya rab- till the 25th so almost nothing is left.. Then, ya rab- I have to finish!!
• Use one Mushaaf . Don’t switch around. I used mine every single day. And I used a pencil to mark around words and underline ayahs. And post-it notes for the next juzu2 so I would get excited to reach it. Try to get a standard size quran- too small is hard to memorize from. Too big is hard to hold. Avoid electronic Mushafs- they personally give me headaches and I find take more time. Plus you cant write on them.
• Phone- silent. Far away. I muted almost all notifications.
• Find your memorization-style. My best memorization technique is sign- language! I look hilarious when I recite something I know well. I memorize it all with hand gestures. It really helped me. I also sometimes would write them out, or write out the beginning of each ayah. Walking also helped because it gave me energy-but only for a few pages at a time. Listening to ayahs is nice-especially if you have trouble reading- but is time-consuming. But please do this if you can’t read it well because the worst thing you can do is memorize something wrong the first time.
• Divide page into halves or thirds-then glue together. Do one ayah, repeat a couple times. Do the next ayah, then repeat it with the one before it. Divide the page in halves or thirds depending on how many ayahs a page, then try them together at the end.
• When reviewing a large amount, review the BEGINNING of each ayah. When you keep repeating an ayah, chances are if you can start it you can finish it. So don’t waste your attention re-reading the whole page. Just test if you know the beginning of each ayah.
• Stay away from sins… but when you mess up- repent and keep going.
• Shaytan will tell you: there’s no point to memorize- you are a sinner. Or will remind you of a sin so that you feel that you can’t memorize. Seek refuge from Allah and keep going. If we were perfect, we wouldn’t need a Holy Book from Allah teaching us how to live our life. You won’t be perfect by the end.
• This is us trying to come closer to Allah as humans. Seek refuge from the shaytan, say Bismillah- and #justkeepmemorizing.
• Take breaks after reciting to someone- not after memorizing. I don’t know if this just worked for me- but I always found it more efficient. And don’t make them long. 10 minutes are a good refresher. More than that and you will lose the “memorization- mode”
• Find a partner. Or a group! Make it a challenge for those around you. Even away from the camp I was motivated thinking of the girls sitting memorizing at the camp working towards my same goal.
• Try to stay focused. When you take too long on one page because of distractions or daydreaming- it takes extra extra long. Stay focused, finish the page, then take your break.
• Not all ayahs are the same. Some ayahs are harder, you will have to find new ways to memorize them or repeat them more. That’s fine.
• Set time goals. I used to always have a max goal of half an hour per page. More than that- and I knew I was doing something wrong or not focusing. Sometimes it takes less- which is great! Just don’t lose track of time.
• Make connections. Sometimes I would relate one word with one word in the next ayah. It really helps. For example.. an ayah that has my friends name, and the next ayah would remind me of another friend. So I would connect those two words to tie the two ayahs together..
• Look up tough words. Sometimes understanding that ONE hard word in the ayah- makes you understand the ENTIRE ayah which helps you understand the page and really helps you memorize. Too much tafseer while memorizing makes it harder- you start to understand it but forget the actual words.
• Tarteel later.. (Tarteel: slow, beautified recitation) I suggest that you don’t keep repeating each ayah with full tarteel when memorizing- it takes too long if you are aiming for a short time-frame and sometimes you memorize the “sound” and not the actual words. When I would memorize I would repeat them relatively quickly- to not lose energy or focus. (When you are done memorizing- enjoy your tarteel.)
• Once you finish, start planning your revision strategy. It is not a once and for all thing, and revising is essential! Especially if you finish it in a short time period.
• Ayahs about stories are the easiest! Enjoy them!

Yes, exactly as the title days.

You can rant about what you do and don't like about The Revival and if you're on the Editorial team, what you do or don't like about the way it is and any other suggestions you have for it to improve.

Or you can use this thread to spill something on your mind that is bugging or annoying the hell out of you and you can use it to share how your day has been.

Use it however you wish in whichever way you wish.

while browsing the net in relation to the BBC 3 sketch show about Israel, I came across this website and this article. 

 

 

Cute, really, calling it, Surveillance Valley,  that abomination of elitist, mostly Zionist, and certainly white male-dominated reverse Darwinism IT bootcamp, where the most hostile sub-species exists to shred all human agency. These are Ivy League/Stanford/Georgia Tech types, very strange, indeed, humans who are possessed of the most puerile of spirit, the most usury, psychologically defective, narcissistic, Oedipal hearts on earth, and they just keep that lie going. Silicon Valley my ass!

As if this drone-loving, Fidel-exploding cigar-loving, misfit, racist, bio-hazard, NSA, CIA, DARPA, DoD is somehow more dangerous than Google, Yahoo, Amazon, the entire Brave New World of Media. Really, we fear those drones run by SWAT Team USA, when, we have GOOGLE?

http://dissidentvoice.org/2014/01/cyberization-mcdonaldsization-walmart…

a length article with very long sentences that I have not yet completed but quite an interesting read.

-

on a different line though, I'm glad to be back amongst the real world issues, there is a fine line to be wary of, between being aware and these issues and them taking over your world, your head and unabling you to get on with your life because you're too busy worrying. It's good to be aware, and, if you feel so inclined, to work towards changing the situation. But sitting there worrying is bad. So is sitting there totally unaware of the situation. and by now you may be banging your head on the table or taking part in similar frustration-induced activities; all I have for you is: This is life, and you might as well smile and keep ploughing on.

edit for spelling mistakes because spelling mistakes ruin the flow of writing.

I know it's bad but i've recently being thinking about it and i can't figure out what's so wrong about quitting, leaving anything that makes you unhappy, just walking away from a situation that isn't making you happy?

maybe its because...being happy/unhappy is a subjective thing. one day something can make you happy, the next make you unhappy. that happy feeling is changeable so one shouldnt base their decisions on that?

but there's also not being a quitter. it's seen as a good thing. when you keep at something and see it through. isnt it? (and what is the opposite of quitter?)

is the feeling of seeing something through, working out all the twists and turns and "unknotting the problem" really worth it? is it really worth all the trouble?

I'm about to find out actually. I'm going to see this thing through and see what it feels like at the end of it. May Allah help me coz its one tricky thing. see you back in june/july.

oh, and yes, hello Revvy, it has been a while. revvy actually sulked at me when i tried to come back on.

The British armed forces' first Muslim chaplain says there is no conflict in being a Muslim and fighting for Britain.

Imam Asim Hafiz, an Islamic adviser to the Ministry of Defence, says Islam encourages the defence of life and country.

Muslims in the British military have been criticised by hardliners within the community, who have viewed their involvement in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq as a betrayal of their faith.

Last month two men were convicted of murdering Lee Rigby, a British soldier, outside Woolwich barracks in south-east London.

They are due to be sentenced later this month.

Mr Hafiz, who was appointed by the MoD in 2005 and is one of two Muslim chaplains, says of the Afghanistan conflict: "There is no doubt a misunderstanding among the Muslim community that this is somehow a war against Islam.

"The military is out there trying to support Afghanistan and the Afghan people. They are not fighting a religion or a culture."

There are more than 650 Muslims in the British armed forces, up from 305 in 2005.

Mr Hafiz says: "Just because they join the armed forces doesn't mean they lose their soul or lose their faith. I've met many Muslims (in the forces) who are very devout."

But he said they did seek advice on how best to practise their faith within the armed forces.

"They come to me to ask, 'Do I have to fast when I'm on basic training and have to run eight miles?' Or, 'How do I pray when I'm on exercise?'" he says.

FULL STORY

16 year-old Amina Filali, raped, beaten and forced to wed her rapist, killed herself — the only way she saw to escape the trap set for her by her rapist and Moroccan law. We’ve joined Moroccan activists, campaigning for years to repeal this provision, and now victory is within reach. This week, one last vote could make it happen. 

Article 475 in Morocco’s penal code allows a rapist to avoid prosecution and a long prison sentence by marrying his victim if she is a minor. It’s any rape survivor’s worst nightmare, and for Amina, it came true. But now, after hundreds of thousands of us helped to push Parliament, a vote to repeal the provision is within our grasp. If it’s called, insiders say the repeal is certain to pass. We just need one final push to get it to the table. 

Right now, there is almost no news coverage and no pressure on legislators to do the right thing. When our call is 1 million strong, we’ll place ads in the newspapers that MPs read and stand with Moroccan activists outside of Parliament with a sea of pink balloons representing the massive global response. Let’s honour Amina's memory by ensuring her tragedy is never repeated. 

Sign the petition: http://www.avaaz.org/en/forced_to_marry_her_rapist_f/?beHiYbb&v=33977

Last Thursday morning, members of the Stockholm Muslim congregation arrived at the mosque on Södermalm to find the doors were covered in Nazi graffiti. By Monday morning, however, a much more positive display had taken their place: bouquets of pink and white flowers were taped over the black swastikas, and a note of solidarity was tied to the door.

"For every hate crime there is a flower," the sign read. "An attack on you is an attack on Sweden! We stand together!"

Flowers were also placed outside the mosque in Fittja, which had its windows smashed and pig feet tossed in back in November, as well as a Hagsätra church which had also been vandalized with swastikas last Friday.

"I thought society was moving the wrong direction. But now my view changed 180 degrees," Omar Mustafa, chairman of the Swedish Islamic Association, told The Local. "Members of the congregation arrived for the morning prayer at 7am and called me saying there were flowers on the mosque. They sent me a picture and I felt strength and encouragement in a whole new way."

The mosque in central Stockholm, which opened its doors in 2000, is no stranger to vandalism, receiving threats and falling prey to hate crimes each month. But Wednesday's attack was unusual in its magnitude and directness.

"We’re used to receiving hateful emails and letters, so they’re not abnormal. But they also don’t feel so real," Mustafa mused. "But I’ve never seen something like this before, right on the front door. It was a very strong message of hate." 

Read more on: http://www.thelocal.se/20140107/swastikas-on-mosque-replaced-by-flowers

A 14-year-old boy is being hailed as a hero in Pakistan for tackling a suicide bomber -- dying at the main gate of his school and saving schoolmates gathered for their morning assembly.

Ninth-grader Aitzaz Hassan Bangash was on his way to the Ibrahimzai School on Monday in the Hangu district of northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when the bomber, dressed in a school uniform, asked him where the school was, the teen's cousin told CNN.

Aitazaz and his cousin, Musadiq Ali Bangash, became suspicious, Musadiq said.

"The other students backed off, but Aitazaz challenged the bomber and tried to catch him. During the scuffle, the bomber panicked and detonated his bomb," he said.

Rajab Ali, who also witnessed the bombing, told CNN that he saw Aitazaz throw a large stone at a boy trying to enter the school. The blast happened when Aitazaz grabbed him, he said.

Aitazaz and the bomber died at the scene. Witnesses say the blast injured two other people.

Iftikhar Ahmed, a Hangu district police officer, confirmed the details of the attack to CNN.

Hangu is a troubled district bordering Pakistan's tribal areas. It is rife with sectarian violence, with attacks against Shia and Sunni Muslims.

"It was a great sacrifice to save the lives of hundreds of both Shia and Sunni students, who were in morning assembly," Musadiq said.

Aitazaz is survived by his father, Mujaad Ali Bangash, a laborer; his elder brother, Mustajab Hassan Bangash, a student in Pakistan; and three sisters.

Local residents such as Nawaz Khan are calling for Aitazaz to receive a posthumous award for his bravery. "He saved the lives of hundreds of students. He deserves more recognition than Malala Yousafzai," he said.

Pakistanis are comparing him to Malala, the schoolgirl shot by the Taliban in October 2012 for promoting education for all boys and girls.

Pakistanis on social media are praising Aitazaz's bravery, with people on Twitter asking everyone to use hastags #onemillionaitzazs or simply #aitzaz and calling for his heroism to be recognized with an award.

Taken from: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/09/world/asia/pakistan-boy-stops-suicide…

On the 14th of October, a court in Malaysia ruled that non-Muslims cannot use the word Allah to refer to God because it should be exclusive to Muslims otherwise it will cause public disorder. However, Christians have argued that this word entered Malay from Arabic and it has been used for centuries and that this new ruling violates their rights.  

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FsQxuzHn4k]

Then two days ago, more than 300 Bibles from the Bible Society were seized because they contained the word Allah to refer to God. In Malaysia, people of all faiths use this word to refer to their gods. People have claimed that this is a political issue to win the nation's hearts and support prime minister, Najib Razak and to deflect attention from his cuts to food and fuel subsidies.

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKa9NLCGL9c]