I got married pretty early, I had just turned 18. When I was four months pregnant with my son, I had a dream.
The ground was cracking all around me like a crazy earthquake. In reality, I've always been a fast runner. In the dream, I was trying to run but realized I was slowed down because of my pregnancy. However, I had to keep trying to get to safe ground away from the earthquake. All of a sudden, a man appeared to me. I questioned who he was. He told me he followed Muhammad saws and showed me a vision of Muhammad saws, high up in the sky. .)
He told me to follow him. I told him that I could not follow him because I was slowed down due to my pregnancy. He said to me again, "Follow me." I kept saying, " I can't, I can't." He told me again, "Follow me."
I gave in and tried to follow him. When I ran behind him, I was able to run fast as the wind.
We kept running until we came to a mountain cliff. You know how steep those mountain cliffs are in the movies, well this is how scary and steep it was. The thing is, the earth was still quaking behind us and we had to keep moving or get swallowed up by the Earth. The next mountain cliff was at least a mile off in the distance from where we were so there was no way to get to the safe land.
He turned to me and said, "Follow me."
This time, I'm throwing my hands up in the air, and I'm rally like, full of despair. I'm panicking and telling him, " We have no where to go! The next cliff is so far away and there's no way to make it! We're going to die!"
He kept saying, "Follow me."
I kept protesting until finally, I gave in. I can't explain in words how amazed I was. He ran over the air to the next cliff. I followed him. In the dream, I was looking down at the ground which looked a hundred miles beneath me and was just running over the air. It felt like flying! I said to myself, "I'm running on the air!" It was an incredible feeling.
Then we made it to the next cliff and kept on running. Finally, we came to an ocean. I knew it over now. I stopped and threw my arms in the air again. I gave up. He said, "Follow me." I protested in the same manner. Again, he convinced me to follow him. This time, we ran over the entire ocean together.
We got to this calm, grassy plain. I saw all my people gathered together peacefully waiting for me. They were in the distance so I couldn't tell who they were. I just knew they were my people. Not of any specific race or blood connection. Only a spiritual connection.
So, he turns to me and says, "Name your child Jozeray."
I say to him, "Is that a boy or girl name? I don't know if I'm having a boy or girl."
He says to me again, "Name your child Jozeray."
I agreed, and that was the end of the beautiful dream.
Please share your comments with me and your dreams. Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Dreams
Assalaamo alaikum (Peace be with you) I had this dream when I was around 18 years old. It stuck with me my whole life.
Scene of my dream: All the good people in the world were gathered along the shore of the beach. The sun had set. If you've ever been to the quiet, serene beaches of Naples, Florida, you may be able to get a glimpse of the beauty I was seeing. I felt so good inside and out. I looked to my left and saw people of different ages and nationalities all around me. We all shared a peaceful, knowing smile with each other.
No one had to speak a word, it's as if we all shared something in common. It was so peaceful and sweet. My hair was flowing in the breeze, I felt beautiful and at peace. Since the sun had just set, it was neither dark nor bright. It was just right. The air had a perfect breeze that played sweetly with my hair and skin.
The sand felt cool and inviting like a soft blanket at our feet. The target of everyone's gaze was at the horizon. A white ball of soft, glowing light, at least ten times the size of the sun that we usually see on the horizon rose. A voice spoke out to me in Arabic from the horizon traveling from thousands of miles away with ease and beauty. The voice was as soothing as rose petals on your skin.
The voice told me to walk down the pier toward the light. I happily rose up and walked down the pier, eager to be closer. His voice told me to climb on top of the wooden railing of the pier, so I did with no fear of the ocean below me. His voice then told me to dive in.
I willingly dove into the depths of the ocean. As my body plunged off the pier into the water, the water welcomed me and soothed me. It held me and twirled me gently in cirles. It was a beautiful blue water that made me feel so good. It washed over me and through me like the feeling of true love.
I could feel this water in my soul. I never wanted to leave this feeling. I tried my best to put this dream into words, but it's really impossible to describe the feelings, the sounds and the beauty in words. This is the feeling and scene that comes to mind usually when I am sitting and making sajda during prayer. I feel that I am sitting before my Creator, although I cannot see Him. I am acknowldeging His beauty by admiring His creations.
I feel so close to Him in this dream and I try my best to bring that feeling back each time I pray, five times a day. If anyone ever had a dream of anything similar to this, please comment or write me. I love to hear people's dreams so please do share.
Scene of my dream: All the good people in the world were gathered along the shore of the beach. The sun had set. If you've ever been to the quiet, serene beaches of Naples, Florida, you may be able to get a glimpse of the beauty I was seeing. I felt so good inside and out. I looked to my left and saw people of different ages and nationalities all around me. We all shared a peaceful, knowing smile with each other.
No one had to speak a word, it's as if we all shared something in common. It was so peaceful and sweet. My hair was flowing in the breeze, I felt beautiful and at peace. Since the sun had just set, it was neither dark nor bright. It was just right. The air had a perfect breeze that played sweetly with my hair and skin.
The sand felt cool and inviting like a soft blanket at our feet. The target of everyone's gaze was at the horizon. A white ball of soft, glowing light, at least ten times the size of the sun that we usually see on the horizon rose. A voice spoke out to me in Arabic from the horizon traveling from thousands of miles away with ease and beauty. The voice was as soothing as rose petals on your skin.
The voice told me to walk down the pier toward the light. I happily rose up and walked down the pier, eager to be closer. His voice told me to climb on top of the wooden railing of the pier, so I did with no fear of the ocean below me. His voice then told me to dive in.
I willingly dove into the depths of the ocean. As my body plunged off the pier into the water, the water welcomed me and soothed me. It held me and twirled me gently in cirles. It was a beautiful blue water that made me feel so good. It washed over me and through me like the feeling of true love.
I could feel this water in my soul. I never wanted to leave this feeling. I tried my best to put this dream into words, but it's really impossible to describe the feelings, the sounds and the beauty in words. This is the feeling and scene that comes to mind usually when I am sitting and making sajda during prayer. I feel that I am sitting before my Creator, although I cannot see Him. I am acknowldeging His beauty by admiring His creations.
I feel so close to Him in this dream and I try my best to bring that feeling back each time I pray, five times a day. If anyone ever had a dream of anything similar to this, please comment or write me. I love to hear people's dreams so please do share.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Health Problems/Solutions/Candida-Yeast...please read
Assalaamo alaikum,
I took a few hours to put this very important information for the sake of helping you have better health insh'Allah.
Please, take the time to read this in full and don't disregard it 'till you read it thoroughly! Give me a chance
we might be able to help each other. If anything, you can just support me in what I'm about to take on insh'Allah.
I am going on a special healthy--no pills-- "diet" that is totally safe and will help alot of symptoms I hear a great
deal of sisters have. Please don't run just because you heard the word diet! Read on because this may work for you.
Read all the information to see if it applies to you in anyway. There are tons of info on the net about this and I will
give you an ample amount of links to see for yourself. If anything, I am going to go on this diet this summer and inshAllah,
Allah will help me to get my body back in balance. I have these same symptoms. About five years ago, my mother noted my symptoms and found this
natural way of curing it. Subhanallah, it helped so much.
Here are the symptoms I had: Keep in mind, I was only 25 at the time although I sounded like an old lady.
#1 Complaint: Excessive Chronic Fatigue
#2 Poor Memory
#3 Cloudy headed
$4 Struggle to concentrate
lactose intolerance (this is something that developed later in life due to this problem. As a child and teenager, I never had
lactose intolerance. This is sort of proof that I had a candida overgrowth. It makes it hard for you to
digest milk.)
Irritable Mood
Irritable bowel syndrome
Constant Sore throat
craving for sweets
headaches
dizziness
Skin rashes
swollen lips
hives
anxiety---I've always been a pretty calm person. However, this candida overgrowth affects in such a way that you can develop anxiety.
sinus problems
my symptoms would get worse after I wake up. I felt like sleeping a lot but was unable to with my schedule
I have most of these symptoms again due to my lack of care for my diet in response to stress. The thing is, and we all know
this, it becomes a viscious cycle. We get stressed, so we eat whatever and whenever. Then we gain weight which
makes us more tired and more stressed.
(Note) I will post the full list of symptoms that doctors have noted people experience with this problem. Those are just the symptoms I had.
These were the top complaints I had but there were more. I was in college at the time. The thing is, in the past I was
able to focus so well in class that I rarely had to study alhamdullilah. I had a photographic memory. I could look at something
and take a test and get 100. I would listen to a lecture and retain everything alhamdullilah. However, once these symptoms set in,
I noticed I would spend hours reading the same thing, and could barely retain anything from my professors' lectures.
My mother did some research and found out I had many of the typical symptoms of an imbalance or overgrowth of
candida in my body. She found a candida-free diet and we tried it. Within a month of being steady on this diet,
I realized the diagnosis was correct because all the symptoms disappeared. I also lost 16 pounds that first month which felt
great alhamdulilah...but that is not the biggest success. I felt like I was 16 again. I mean, I had my sharp memory back.
I could concentrate in class, I was not moody/irritable anymore. I had the energy of a teenager. I wanted to
exercise and be more active because I had a natural source of energy like kids do. I no longer craved sweets. Instead,
I craved healthy foods, like fruit, salads and veggies. Anyway, I could go on and on about how much changed for the
better.
ONE NOTE: After about a week on this diet, the candida in your body will go crazy (layman's terms for what's going
on in your body) and you will start to feel sick for a couple of days as the candida in your body actually start to
die off! The candida in your body will be screaming for yeasty foods and sugars and all the things that help them
to grow. Don't be weak! You can push through it! You will feel like you have the flu. I went through this and it lasted
about three days. Once I got through those three days, I started feeling better and better. Feeling better can be addictive,
addictive enough to help you stick to the diet.
After a while though, the stresses of life got the best of me, and a couple of years later, I ended
up succombing to an unhealthy diet which has totally thrown me off balance again. As of today, I am 35 pounds over
that healthy weight I worked so hard to get back to. Something has to give, so I am going to take control and
insh'Allah correct the damage I've done to myself. If anyone wants to join me in this over the summer, email me.
We can share tips and work it out together. I am also going to be walking with my baby so if anyone wants to join
me, let me know insh'Allah.
Full List of symptoms
Please read this symptoms and see if this applies to you. If anything, this diet will help you. It totally eliminates
bad things from your diet. No matter what your case is, it can only give you a positive result. Also note,
that this diet teaches you to slowly start adding back certain foods into your diet, once you have achieved the
desired results. Only, be very moderate and cautious to not overdo it.
Symptoms:
Frequent stomach pains and digestion problems
Skin problems (skin infections, eczema, psoriasis, acne)
Foggy brain / Trouble concentrating
Constant tiredness and exhaustion
Anxiety
Mood swings
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Anger outbursts
Irritability
Headaches
Intense cravings for sugars, sweets, and breads
Itchy skin
Symptoms of Candidiasis
There are many symptoms of candida overgrowth in the intestinal tract. These include:
Allergies and allergy symptoms, chemical sensitivities.
Anxiety, Hyperactivity, Attention Deficit Disorder.
Avoiding food helps to alleviate symptoms.
Chronic inflammation and irritation of the eye and conjunctivae.
Diarrhea, chronic gas, and abdominal cramps alleviated by bowel movements, Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Extreme lethargy.
Eye fatigue.
Facial rash.
Frequent urination.
Frequent yeast infections in women.
High sugar or mold foods drastically increase symptoms.
Hives.
Inflammation of the hair follicles (candidiasis folliculitis) of various parts of the body (feet, legs, arms).
Lactose intolerance.
Muscle weakness and bone pain.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Panic attacks.
Psoriasis/seborrheic dermatitis/dandruff, dry, itchy skin.
Rectal itching.
Sinus problems.
Swollen lips/face.
Symptoms worse after waking.
White tongue and a white coating.
***The following information is taken from----- http://www.holistichelp.net/candida.html
The brain is the organ that is most frequently affected by Candida Symptoms, but it also has profound negative effects on these systems:
digestive
nervous
cardiovascular
respiratory
reproductive
urinary
endocrine
lymphatic
musculoskeletal
Candida symptoms can vary from one person to another and often move back and forth between systems within the same individual.
One day you may experience symptoms in the musculoskeletal system and the next day it could be the digestive system ,etc.
One of the most well known forms of yeast is the vaginal yeast infection.However, it may play a role in just about
any mental health condition or chronic illness you can think of. Yeast overgrowth is considered to be a leading
contributor in alcoholism, anxiety disorders, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, addisons disease,
mcs - multiple chemical sensitivites, crohns, autism, cfs - chronic fatigue syndrome, leaky gut syndrome, pms,
endometriosis,fms - fibromyalgia syndrome, prostatitis, attention deficit disorder, multiple sclerosis, asthma,
food allergies, muscle and joint pain, clinical depression, repeated urinary tract infections,
hormonal imbalances, migraines, digestive disturbances, difficult menopause.
Foods to avoid in order to correct the situation:
Foods You Should Avoid
Many foods increase the growth of candida. By removing these foods from your diet you deny candida the food it needs to grow.
Obviously, one should avoid foods that contain yeast when following this diet.
Other foods that should be strictly eliminated are dairy products and fermented foods.
Avoiding foods which contain starch and alcohol is also important, as these become sugars when metabolized.
Other foods to remove from your diet:
Sugar
Processed sugar
Chocolate
Soft drinks
Honey and syrup
Fruit juice and dried fruit
Starch
Potatoes
Corn
Mold
Cheese
Dried, smoked, or cured meats
Mushrooms
Peanuts and pistachios
Baked goods
Bread and rolls
Cookies and cakes
Pretzels
Vinegar
Mayonnaise
Salad dressing
Mustard
Pickles
Alcohol ---Muslims have no problem with this one!
Beer -Muslims have no problem with this one!
Wine -Muslims have no problem with this one!
Liquor -Muslims have no problem with this one!
I know, I know, believe me. At a glance, this sounds so restrictive. However, there are many foods you can eat!
Let me show you.
After looking at this list, you may believe that candida is not the only one that will be starving while on this diet. Don't worry; there are many delicious foods which can be eaten on this diet. After following the restrictive guidelines for six weeks, you may introduce some of the foods on this list in moderation.
Foods You May Have
The good news about this diet is that there are no portion restrictions for the foods that you are allowed to eat.So you
do not have to starve, only your candida have to starve! Of course, as Muslims, we know we should not overeat.
Eat lots of salad
Eggs
Sugar free milk (try rice milk or soy milk, any milk with no sugar)
Vegetables preferably of the dark green leafy variety
Eat lots of spinach cooked or spinach leaves as salad
Fresh meats Chicken, Beef, Fish etc
Tuna
Whole grain products
Oatmeal
Unrefined oils
Raw nuts and seeds
There are a multitude of foods that normally contain sugar which are now sugar free. I suggest sticking to natural foods though.
Vegetables, salads, and fresh meats.
There are many places on the internet that list foods we can eat. There are even yeast free cook books.
Eating these whole foods will improve your health and energy. After following this diet for several weeks, you may add one new food at a time from the restricted foods list. You will need to continue to eat foods from the recommended foods list as the majority of your diet to help your body maintain its healthy internal balance.
***Personal Note: When I was on this diet, I prepared gorgeous salads with chicken breats and boiled eggs. It was really something I looked forward to.
Side Effects
As the yeast in your body dies off and leaves your system, you may suffer a few physical symptoms for a few days. Symptoms sometimes include irritability, fatigue and muscle weakness. This normally passes quickly as your body becomes healthier.
The long term, positive side effects of this diet are increased energy, better overall condition, and a reduction in chronic symptoms such as allergic reactions and digestive upsets. The positive far outnumber the negative and last longer as you adapt to this way of eating.
Well, to close, I am going to say that someone will want to embark on this together. I know it works from experience and I'm excited to start feeling better
insh'Allah Ameen. I also know that this takes mental will power and I don't have my mother here for that moral support so I'm relying on all of you.
When you tell people what you are trying to do, it helps you to stay on track because you know they will ask you how it's going and we don't want to be
embarrassed by failing right! So feel free to email me during the summer and check up on me. I'll be starting in June inshAllah. Below are some links for more information.
Juzzakh'Allahu khairun for everyone who took the time to read. And I pray that Allah bless us all with good health of soul, body, mind and heart insh'Allah
Ameen ameen ameen.
links for more information:
http://www.theyeastdiet.com/yeast-free-diet.html (really good website)
http://womenshealth.suite101.com/article.cfm/approved_food_for_yeastfree_diets
http://ibdcrohns.about.com/cs/candida/a/candida.htm
http://www.pacificbakery.com/ (yeast free breads!!!)
http://diet.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Yeast_Free_Diet
Sister Amatul-Basir Robinson
I took a few hours to put this very important information for the sake of helping you have better health insh'Allah.
Please, take the time to read this in full and don't disregard it 'till you read it thoroughly! Give me a chance
we might be able to help each other. If anything, you can just support me in what I'm about to take on insh'Allah.
I am going on a special healthy--no pills-- "diet" that is totally safe and will help alot of symptoms I hear a great
deal of sisters have. Please don't run just because you heard the word diet! Read on because this may work for you.
Read all the information to see if it applies to you in anyway. There are tons of info on the net about this and I will
give you an ample amount of links to see for yourself. If anything, I am going to go on this diet this summer and inshAllah,
Allah will help me to get my body back in balance. I have these same symptoms. About five years ago, my mother noted my symptoms and found this
natural way of curing it. Subhanallah, it helped so much.
Here are the symptoms I had: Keep in mind, I was only 25 at the time although I sounded like an old lady.
#1 Complaint: Excessive Chronic Fatigue
#2 Poor Memory
#3 Cloudy headed
$4 Struggle to concentrate
lactose intolerance (this is something that developed later in life due to this problem. As a child and teenager, I never had
lactose intolerance. This is sort of proof that I had a candida overgrowth. It makes it hard for you to
digest milk.)
Irritable Mood
Irritable bowel syndrome
Constant Sore throat
craving for sweets
headaches
dizziness
Skin rashes
swollen lips
hives
anxiety---I've always been a pretty calm person. However, this candida overgrowth affects in such a way that you can develop anxiety.
sinus problems
my symptoms would get worse after I wake up. I felt like sleeping a lot but was unable to with my schedule
I have most of these symptoms again due to my lack of care for my diet in response to stress. The thing is, and we all know
this, it becomes a viscious cycle. We get stressed, so we eat whatever and whenever. Then we gain weight which
makes us more tired and more stressed.
(Note) I will post the full list of symptoms that doctors have noted people experience with this problem. Those are just the symptoms I had.
These were the top complaints I had but there were more. I was in college at the time. The thing is, in the past I was
able to focus so well in class that I rarely had to study alhamdullilah. I had a photographic memory. I could look at something
and take a test and get 100. I would listen to a lecture and retain everything alhamdullilah. However, once these symptoms set in,
I noticed I would spend hours reading the same thing, and could barely retain anything from my professors' lectures.
My mother did some research and found out I had many of the typical symptoms of an imbalance or overgrowth of
candida in my body. She found a candida-free diet and we tried it. Within a month of being steady on this diet,
I realized the diagnosis was correct because all the symptoms disappeared. I also lost 16 pounds that first month which felt
great alhamdulilah...but that is not the biggest success. I felt like I was 16 again. I mean, I had my sharp memory back.
I could concentrate in class, I was not moody/irritable anymore. I had the energy of a teenager. I wanted to
exercise and be more active because I had a natural source of energy like kids do. I no longer craved sweets. Instead,
I craved healthy foods, like fruit, salads and veggies. Anyway, I could go on and on about how much changed for the
better.
ONE NOTE: After about a week on this diet, the candida in your body will go crazy (layman's terms for what's going
on in your body) and you will start to feel sick for a couple of days as the candida in your body actually start to
die off! The candida in your body will be screaming for yeasty foods and sugars and all the things that help them
to grow. Don't be weak! You can push through it! You will feel like you have the flu. I went through this and it lasted
about three days. Once I got through those three days, I started feeling better and better. Feeling better can be addictive,
addictive enough to help you stick to the diet.
After a while though, the stresses of life got the best of me, and a couple of years later, I ended
up succombing to an unhealthy diet which has totally thrown me off balance again. As of today, I am 35 pounds over
that healthy weight I worked so hard to get back to. Something has to give, so I am going to take control and
insh'Allah correct the damage I've done to myself. If anyone wants to join me in this over the summer, email me.
We can share tips and work it out together. I am also going to be walking with my baby so if anyone wants to join
me, let me know insh'Allah.
Full List of symptoms
Please read this symptoms and see if this applies to you. If anything, this diet will help you. It totally eliminates
bad things from your diet. No matter what your case is, it can only give you a positive result. Also note,
that this diet teaches you to slowly start adding back certain foods into your diet, once you have achieved the
desired results. Only, be very moderate and cautious to not overdo it.
Symptoms:
Frequent stomach pains and digestion problems
Skin problems (skin infections, eczema, psoriasis, acne)
Foggy brain / Trouble concentrating
Constant tiredness and exhaustion
Anxiety
Mood swings
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Anger outbursts
Irritability
Headaches
Intense cravings for sugars, sweets, and breads
Itchy skin
Symptoms of Candidiasis
There are many symptoms of candida overgrowth in the intestinal tract. These include:
Allergies and allergy symptoms, chemical sensitivities.
Anxiety, Hyperactivity, Attention Deficit Disorder.
Avoiding food helps to alleviate symptoms.
Chronic inflammation and irritation of the eye and conjunctivae.
Diarrhea, chronic gas, and abdominal cramps alleviated by bowel movements, Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Extreme lethargy.
Eye fatigue.
Facial rash.
Frequent urination.
Frequent yeast infections in women.
High sugar or mold foods drastically increase symptoms.
Hives.
Inflammation of the hair follicles (candidiasis folliculitis) of various parts of the body (feet, legs, arms).
Lactose intolerance.
Muscle weakness and bone pain.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Panic attacks.
Psoriasis/seborrheic dermatitis/dandruff, dry, itchy skin.
Rectal itching.
Sinus problems.
Swollen lips/face.
Symptoms worse after waking.
White tongue and a white coating.
***The following information is taken from----- http://www.holistichelp.net/candida.html
The brain is the organ that is most frequently affected by Candida Symptoms, but it also has profound negative effects on these systems:
digestive
nervous
cardiovascular
respiratory
reproductive
urinary
endocrine
lymphatic
musculoskeletal
Candida symptoms can vary from one person to another and often move back and forth between systems within the same individual.
One day you may experience symptoms in the musculoskeletal system and the next day it could be the digestive system ,etc.
One of the most well known forms of yeast is the vaginal yeast infection.However, it may play a role in just about
any mental health condition or chronic illness you can think of. Yeast overgrowth is considered to be a leading
contributor in alcoholism, anxiety disorders, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, addisons disease,
mcs - multiple chemical sensitivites, crohns, autism, cfs - chronic fatigue syndrome, leaky gut syndrome, pms,
endometriosis,fms - fibromyalgia syndrome, prostatitis, attention deficit disorder, multiple sclerosis, asthma,
food allergies, muscle and joint pain, clinical depression, repeated urinary tract infections,
hormonal imbalances, migraines, digestive disturbances, difficult menopause.
Foods to avoid in order to correct the situation:
Foods You Should Avoid
Many foods increase the growth of candida. By removing these foods from your diet you deny candida the food it needs to grow.
Obviously, one should avoid foods that contain yeast when following this diet.
Other foods that should be strictly eliminated are dairy products and fermented foods.
Avoiding foods which contain starch and alcohol is also important, as these become sugars when metabolized.
Other foods to remove from your diet:
Sugar
Processed sugar
Chocolate
Soft drinks
Honey and syrup
Fruit juice and dried fruit
Starch
Potatoes
Corn
Mold
Cheese
Dried, smoked, or cured meats
Mushrooms
Peanuts and pistachios
Baked goods
Bread and rolls
Cookies and cakes
Pretzels
Vinegar
Mayonnaise
Salad dressing
Mustard
Pickles
Alcohol ---Muslims have no problem with this one!
Beer -Muslims have no problem with this one!
Wine -Muslims have no problem with this one!
Liquor -Muslims have no problem with this one!
I know, I know, believe me. At a glance, this sounds so restrictive. However, there are many foods you can eat!
Let me show you.
After looking at this list, you may believe that candida is not the only one that will be starving while on this diet. Don't worry; there are many delicious foods which can be eaten on this diet. After following the restrictive guidelines for six weeks, you may introduce some of the foods on this list in moderation.
Foods You May Have
The good news about this diet is that there are no portion restrictions for the foods that you are allowed to eat.So you
do not have to starve, only your candida have to starve! Of course, as Muslims, we know we should not overeat.
Eat lots of salad
Eggs
Sugar free milk (try rice milk or soy milk, any milk with no sugar)
Vegetables preferably of the dark green leafy variety
Eat lots of spinach cooked or spinach leaves as salad
Fresh meats Chicken, Beef, Fish etc
Tuna
Whole grain products
Oatmeal
Unrefined oils
Raw nuts and seeds
There are a multitude of foods that normally contain sugar which are now sugar free. I suggest sticking to natural foods though.
Vegetables, salads, and fresh meats.
There are many places on the internet that list foods we can eat. There are even yeast free cook books.
Eating these whole foods will improve your health and energy. After following this diet for several weeks, you may add one new food at a time from the restricted foods list. You will need to continue to eat foods from the recommended foods list as the majority of your diet to help your body maintain its healthy internal balance.
***Personal Note: When I was on this diet, I prepared gorgeous salads with chicken breats and boiled eggs. It was really something I looked forward to.
Side Effects
As the yeast in your body dies off and leaves your system, you may suffer a few physical symptoms for a few days. Symptoms sometimes include irritability, fatigue and muscle weakness. This normally passes quickly as your body becomes healthier.
The long term, positive side effects of this diet are increased energy, better overall condition, and a reduction in chronic symptoms such as allergic reactions and digestive upsets. The positive far outnumber the negative and last longer as you adapt to this way of eating.
Well, to close, I am going to say that someone will want to embark on this together. I know it works from experience and I'm excited to start feeling better
insh'Allah Ameen. I also know that this takes mental will power and I don't have my mother here for that moral support so I'm relying on all of you.
When you tell people what you are trying to do, it helps you to stay on track because you know they will ask you how it's going and we don't want to be
embarrassed by failing right! So feel free to email me during the summer and check up on me. I'll be starting in June inshAllah. Below are some links for more information.
Juzzakh'Allahu khairun for everyone who took the time to read. And I pray that Allah bless us all with good health of soul, body, mind and heart insh'Allah
Ameen ameen ameen.
links for more information:
http://www.theyeastdiet.com/yeast-free-diet.html (really good website)
http://womenshealth.suite101.com/article.cfm/approved_food_for_yeastfree_diets
http://ibdcrohns.about.com/cs/candida/a/candida.htm
http://www.pacificbakery.com/ (yeast free breads!!!)
http://diet.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Yeast_Free_Diet
Sister Amatul-Basir Robinson
A New Meal I Created
Crispy Italian/Mexican Tuna Recipe
One 13 oz box of Angel hair pasta (I used whole wheat blend pasta all natural whole grain "Healthy Harvest" by Ronzoni) but you can use
what ever kind you want
Mexican diced tomatoes and green chilies
One 16 oz block of monteray jack cheese
1/2 cup of very tiny diced onions
1/2 cup of diced cilantro
Italian seasoning to taste
One and a half to two oz cans of Albacore tuna in water or vegetable oil
3/4 cup of bread crumbs
2 tablespoons of butter/margarine
Directions, you will have two things going at once.
Preparation:
Before you start, chop up your onions and cilantro. Put them to the side.
Get your 16 oz of cheese and chop it up in about 10 pieces and put to the side.
Open your can of Mexican diced tomatioes and green chilies
Boil your water for your pasta
Turn on your frying pan for your tuna and put about 2 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil on medium heat.
Once your pot of water is boiling, put your pasta in and add a tablespoon of vegetable oil or olive oil or even butter
to make sure your pasta does not burn or stick to the pot
By now, the oil in your frying pan should be nice and hot
Put your tuna in carefully,spread it all around the pan and please don't burn yourself
Allow your tuna to cook on one side and turn it all over once one side is brown
It will not stick together, mostly it will fall apart, so just keep turning it 'till it's all turned over
so that all the tuna gets a chance to get browned. Pay attention, it should be brown, not black and burnt.
Add bread crumbs and turn up the heat if necessary to make sure it is all frying nicely.
By now, your pasta is probably ready to be drained. So do that. Then put it back in the pot and make sure there is
no water left.
Now you may add your onions and cilantro to the tuna. Let all that fry in the oil. Add a little oil during your tuna
frying when necessary. We don't want the onions to get brown so if you see that start to happen, take the pan off
the fire.
Put your cheese in the pot of pasta and put it on low heat because we don't want the pasta to burn. Add two tablespoons of butter/margarine to help the
cheese melt on the pasta. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of Italian seasoning to the pasta. Stir it all around helping the
cheese to melt.
Take your tuna and pour it over the pasta. Start stirring so the heat from the tuna can help melt the cheese really well.
That's it! Ask the kids to try it and I pray they love it like my boys do!
One 13 oz box of Angel hair pasta (I used whole wheat blend pasta all natural whole grain "Healthy Harvest" by Ronzoni) but you can use
what ever kind you want
Mexican diced tomatoes and green chilies
One 16 oz block of monteray jack cheese
1/2 cup of very tiny diced onions
1/2 cup of diced cilantro
Italian seasoning to taste
One and a half to two oz cans of Albacore tuna in water or vegetable oil
3/4 cup of bread crumbs
2 tablespoons of butter/margarine
Directions, you will have two things going at once.
Preparation:
Before you start, chop up your onions and cilantro. Put them to the side.
Get your 16 oz of cheese and chop it up in about 10 pieces and put to the side.
Open your can of Mexican diced tomatioes and green chilies
Boil your water for your pasta
Turn on your frying pan for your tuna and put about 2 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil on medium heat.
Once your pot of water is boiling, put your pasta in and add a tablespoon of vegetable oil or olive oil or even butter
to make sure your pasta does not burn or stick to the pot
By now, the oil in your frying pan should be nice and hot
Put your tuna in carefully,spread it all around the pan and please don't burn yourself
Allow your tuna to cook on one side and turn it all over once one side is brown
It will not stick together, mostly it will fall apart, so just keep turning it 'till it's all turned over
so that all the tuna gets a chance to get browned. Pay attention, it should be brown, not black and burnt.
Add bread crumbs and turn up the heat if necessary to make sure it is all frying nicely.
By now, your pasta is probably ready to be drained. So do that. Then put it back in the pot and make sure there is
no water left.
Now you may add your onions and cilantro to the tuna. Let all that fry in the oil. Add a little oil during your tuna
frying when necessary. We don't want the onions to get brown so if you see that start to happen, take the pan off
the fire.
Put your cheese in the pot of pasta and put it on low heat because we don't want the pasta to burn. Add two tablespoons of butter/margarine to help the
cheese melt on the pasta. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of Italian seasoning to the pasta. Stir it all around helping the
cheese to melt.
Take your tuna and pour it over the pasta. Start stirring so the heat from the tuna can help melt the cheese really well.
That's it! Ask the kids to try it and I pray they love it like my boys do!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Who Are We? Genetic DNA Testing Can Help You Find Out!
There have been great breakthroughs in the area of genetics that can help us displaced folk from America find our roots. I'm one of those folk that 'just don't know who I am'.
No, really, the story goes like this. I feel very strongly to get this out in the open and share it with whoever wants to share this experience with me. Ultimately, when I gain all the courage, I want to get the new DNA Genetic testing done to find out who my ancestors are, and where they come from. The testing can tell you specifacally what percentage of which race you are. For instance, a person's results may come back, 4% Native American, 10% European and 86% Subsaharan African. I'm so excited and nervous to find out what I am insh'Allah.
Anyway, on with the story. I am nearly 30 years old, although when I wake up in the morning, I still feel 17. I have three sons of my own, a step son, and two step daughters. I'm married to a Muslim who converted at the age of 13 from San Antonio, Texas. He is half Black American and half White American. For my own heritage, I have to break it down a little more for you!
My mother: Amatus-Shakoor Tahir Ahmad born 1956 in Sierra Leone, Nigeria (Africa)
My mother's mother: Amatul-Hamid Ahmad born in India to Indian parents. As far as we know, all her ancestry is Indian. I was told that her family history goes back to some royalty/very high class regal family. I know that she escaped India during a huge conflict between Hindu and Muslims. She told me Muslim Indians were being killed all around.
My mother's father: Sheikh Nasir-uddin Ahmad born in Afghanistan to Afghani parents. As far as we know, all his ancestry is from Afghanistan.
My father: Carlton Raymond Robinson (his Muslim name is Muhammad Isa Tahir) born in 1954 in Neptune, New Jersey, USA.
My father's mother: Alice Jones Robinson born in Evergreen Alabama, raised in Mobile, Alabama 1919 still alive in Rahway, New Jersey. Her mother's name was Betty Bosman. Her mother was a Black Seminole Indian. Her father was Afro-American. James Jones. She also always told me there is an ancestor of ours whom was a Native of a tribe from South America. By the look of her, she looks African American and Native American. Her only memory of her mother is that she made tea-cakes for her when she would come home from school. They didn't have much clothes so they had to come home and wash everyday. They had to go Sunday School. Alice had 9 siblings. Her mom's sister's name was Mary Wright. Clarence Jones, Robert Jones, and Alice. Delouis Hawthorne, Betty Marvin Hawthorne, William Hawthorne, Joseph Hawthorne Her mother died when she was only 5 years old.
My father's father: George Banks Robinson a.k.a "Banks" born in North Carolina in 1911. His was so fair skinned, and had such fine hair, he looked white. However, his parents were mixed. He is Cherokee (a tribe of Native Americans), Irish, and Black American. I don't know exactly which of George's parents was black, or Cherokee, or Irish.
Now we come to how my parents met.
My father converted to Islam in the 1970's at a time when multitudes of African Americans were trying to find their roots, and abandon the names, and religion that European slave owners forced upon them. After having been Muslim for a few years, he and his brother Charles Robinson who became Omar Kadafi, flew to India in search of a traditional Muslim wives. They met my mother's father (Sheikh Nasir-Uddin Ahmad) who fell in love with my father's zeal for Islam. He offered his daughter to him in marriage. That was how the marriage was arranged. My mother and father were both pleased with each other and were married.
So what am I?
I've been asked this question too many times to care. I recall growing up being so sick and tired of the very next question after finding out my name to be, "What are you? Where you from?"
What could I say? "I'm mixed," I would reply.
"With what?" is the immediate response.
Well, to sum it up, my father is Afro-American and mom is Asian. That's the short answer :)
Sometimes, people ask, what race I feel more inclined to. What culture did I grow up in. What do you feel like you are?
Now that's hard. I'll tell you why. I don't look African - American, but I feel most comfortable with people from Africa. I don't know why. But it could be because of my upbrining. When I was 5, my mother's family moved to America and into our house. Up until that point, I had never questioned why my parents and father's parents all looked so different. So race was never a thought. Upon my mother's family's arrival to America and to our doorstep, I learned real quick about race. They immediately let me know that they disliked everything about myself and my brother that was American. They hated the way we talked and walked. They let us know they did not approve of their sister marrying a Black. My mother's father never approved of his daughter's or wife's racism. He orchestrated the marriage. But there was nothing he could do about their harsh comments that were said to me when my parents were not around. They talked about my frizzy hair. They told me to squeeze my nose because it was so flat when I was little. They were prompt to make fun of any black person in the street when we drove around. For this reason, I never got close to my mother's side of the family. Today, they are all doctors and very well off, but I don't have any contact with them. They don't know me, or my children. To this day, I don't understand how people can be so educated, and yet so incredibly ignorant. Especially when they have Islam to teach them that Asibiyah, and all racism is against Allah's way. My mother's family is responsible for physical and emotional abuse that has left me scarred for life and stronger than I would have been without it. It has left me with a feeling of being unnaccepted among people which in turn has given me compassion to outcasted people. In middle and high school, although I hung with the popular crowd, I always was the one to lend a hand to the person no one wanted to talk to. My friends never understood why I was that way, but I've always had a soft spot in my heart for people who are marginalized. It's perplexing to recall the horrid racist exclamations my mother's family would hurl at me because I look more like them than any African American! They plainly let me know, that I will never be loved by them because I have black blood. Amazing right!
Now, my father's side of the family, whom are all considered African-American although they have mixed blood, they were always welcoming and loving to me. That in itself may explain why I feel so at home with African-Americans. My father's mother, is my closest and dearest family member. She and I still talk. She is a deep rooted southern black woman from Alabama with a strong connection to God whom she has come to know as Allah due to her sons' conversions to Islam. Once,when I was 13, and my heart was broken and I felt beaten down from being cursed by my mother's family, I called my grandma crying to her. I'll never forget it,she told me in a voice that was so comforting, and strong, "Don't cry, and don't let them see you cry. Be strong Basir. Hold your head up high, and don't let them get you down."
That was all I needed. I never let any one of them affect me again. I looked them right in their eyes with all due respect and never fluttered. I never said anything to engage them. This only brought more hateful comments from them. The fact that I would no longer cry, but instead, I had matured and realized, there was nothing wrong with me. It was all them. They would taunt me and say, 'What's wrong with her' in frustration, they would go on with, 'she doesn't even cry!'
As an adult, I remember those memories, and I am thankful for them, because they taught me a great deal. They also made me more human and softer hearted.
A little about my life experience. I was born in Denver, Colorado on Army Fitzgerals's Army Hostpital. My father was enlisted in the Air Force at the time so I was born on the base. We left when I was 2 months old. I lived on MeGuire AirForce Base in New Jersey and moved to a suburb near it through Kindergarten. We travelled in and out of New York quite often to visit my father's siblings. My mother joined the Air Force when I was 7 which brought her to Wichitah Falls, TX for basic training and far away from me in New Jersey. I was at the mercy of her meanspirited family. We moved to Manhatten, Spanish Harlem to be exact. We lived on 139th Street on the Upper West Side of the island. It was where I learned to fight. I was always very sweet with a calm demeanor, which attracted a lot of friends. Attracting alot of friends always attracted a few haters. Those haters always caught a nice beat down for underestimating my kindness. I have to laugh. If I could just go back into time to see the surprised looks on so many puerto rican girls who really thought I was going to be easy to take down. Man, that's hilarious. Anyway, we moved every four months. I lived in various parts of Queens. We lived in Hollis, Queens and Flushing, Queens. I always loved Hollis best because it was an all black neighborhood and I lived with my father's side of the family. In Flushing (Elmhurst) Queens, we lived with my mother's family. The neighborhood was an enriching experience though. I went to school with people from China, North and South Korea, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, South Africa, Morroco, Equador, and on and on. It was amazing. Apart from my mother's family, I loved it there. My perspective on the world was changed from that culturally rich environment.
Then, in middle school, we left Hollis, Queens, and moved to Naples, Florida. Culture shock! How can two parts of this country be so starkly different! Naples is 75% caucasion, and rich, 19% Hispanic, and only 5% African-American. Remember, I just moved from an all Black neighborhood. It was a rough few years. I found myself harboring bad feelings for the whites around me. I saw the segregation, the unfair treatment of blacks and the racist teachers. I saw my father being harassed by police officers for doing nothing except living on the white side town, speaking too intelligently for a black man, and living too close to the beach. They do not like to see us have anything down there. As we got older, I witnessed my brother continuously harassed by the police there. Finally, it was my turn. They knew my family well. I won't go into detail about the indignity I had to suffer. May Allah punish them. I went through two murders of black classmates at the hands of the Naples' police that were totally covered up.
Of course there were demonstrations, and court cases. But after all, justice NOT for all as proven from the inception of this country. I won't get into that though.
Where does that leave me? I still don't have a group of people whom I can go to and say, these are my people. Can I walk up onto a Cherokee or Seminole Indian reservation and say, "Hey! Where my people at!" Hardly; I've been to the Seminole Reservation in Florida. It was a great experience, but I didn't see any cousins down there. Seriously speaking, if I was a geneticist, I may have been able to find some Seminole that I share some DNA with but who has all that at their fingertips?
The fact is, I have always felt like person blessed with a many different lines of ancestry. As a Muslim, I feel connected to anyone who says La illaha illa lah instantaneously. So the question of my race doesn't really matter when it comes down to it. However, I feel inspired to find out what I can find out. I think the results may be surprise me.
If anyone reads this, I've opened up about some heartache in my past (don't shed any tears because I'm totally cool about it) in order to let you know who I am as a I embark on this journey.
Dream that has inspired me to search my ancestry:
When I was around 20, I had a dream where my mother's father (Sheikh Nasir-uddin Ahmad from Afghanistan) came to my house to visit me. He took me on a journey to a beautiful large gleaming white (inside and out) house which was empty except for a half of a pillar in the middle of the room on which a very ancient extraordinarily large book was resting on. It was brown and kind of peculiar set against the pearl white empty house. My grandfather didn't speak a word to me. He simply kept this look on his face and sly smile that said, " I know something that I can't wait to tell you!" He had come upon some information so fascinating, he just had to show me. Finally, he opens up this ancient book. As he begins to turn to pages, I come to realize, this is a photo albumn of my family. Family I have never seen before. They have all long passed away. Page after page of ancestors going so far back in time, I knew even in the dream, that there weren't any cameras at that time. I looked on as if looking right at the past. It was awe-inspiring. As if this wasn't amazing enough, he stopped at a page right in the middle of this enormous book, and his expression could barely contain his feelings. His face silently screamed of joy. It said, "Look! Can you belive it? I couldn't wait to share this with you granddaughter!"
What was it that he stopped on? It was a picture of girl sitting among her very large family. She had two very long, very black braids and she was looking right back at me. What was the significance of this one girl in this photo? She looked exactly like me. I am a carbon copy of her. My grandfather wanted to let me know he found an ancestor of mine who looked exactly like me. I don't know where she was from, but the impression I got was she was from Africa. By her features, it would have to be North Africa. If anything, perhaps it was India. It was a dream, but some of my dreams, have been very insightful.
Do I think I'll find this in reality? No, but the dream was enough to inspire me to find who I am.
Well, I'm excited to see what insights and what new spin on my journey through duniya the DNA testing will give insh'Allah. Stay posted!
Amatul-Basir Robinson
No, really, the story goes like this. I feel very strongly to get this out in the open and share it with whoever wants to share this experience with me. Ultimately, when I gain all the courage, I want to get the new DNA Genetic testing done to find out who my ancestors are, and where they come from. The testing can tell you specifacally what percentage of which race you are. For instance, a person's results may come back, 4% Native American, 10% European and 86% Subsaharan African. I'm so excited and nervous to find out what I am insh'Allah.
Anyway, on with the story. I am nearly 30 years old, although when I wake up in the morning, I still feel 17. I have three sons of my own, a step son, and two step daughters. I'm married to a Muslim who converted at the age of 13 from San Antonio, Texas. He is half Black American and half White American. For my own heritage, I have to break it down a little more for you!
My mother: Amatus-Shakoor Tahir Ahmad born 1956 in Sierra Leone, Nigeria (Africa)
My mother's mother: Amatul-Hamid Ahmad born in India to Indian parents. As far as we know, all her ancestry is Indian. I was told that her family history goes back to some royalty/very high class regal family. I know that she escaped India during a huge conflict between Hindu and Muslims. She told me Muslim Indians were being killed all around.
My mother's father: Sheikh Nasir-uddin Ahmad born in Afghanistan to Afghani parents. As far as we know, all his ancestry is from Afghanistan.
My father: Carlton Raymond Robinson (his Muslim name is Muhammad Isa Tahir) born in 1954 in Neptune, New Jersey, USA.
My father's mother: Alice Jones Robinson born in Evergreen Alabama, raised in Mobile, Alabama 1919 still alive in Rahway, New Jersey. Her mother's name was Betty Bosman. Her mother was a Black Seminole Indian. Her father was Afro-American. James Jones. She also always told me there is an ancestor of ours whom was a Native of a tribe from South America. By the look of her, she looks African American and Native American. Her only memory of her mother is that she made tea-cakes for her when she would come home from school. They didn't have much clothes so they had to come home and wash everyday. They had to go Sunday School. Alice had 9 siblings. Her mom's sister's name was Mary Wright. Clarence Jones, Robert Jones, and Alice. Delouis Hawthorne, Betty Marvin Hawthorne, William Hawthorne, Joseph Hawthorne Her mother died when she was only 5 years old.
My father's father: George Banks Robinson a.k.a "Banks" born in North Carolina in 1911. His was so fair skinned, and had such fine hair, he looked white. However, his parents were mixed. He is Cherokee (a tribe of Native Americans), Irish, and Black American. I don't know exactly which of George's parents was black, or Cherokee, or Irish.
Now we come to how my parents met.
My father converted to Islam in the 1970's at a time when multitudes of African Americans were trying to find their roots, and abandon the names, and religion that European slave owners forced upon them. After having been Muslim for a few years, he and his brother Charles Robinson who became Omar Kadafi, flew to India in search of a traditional Muslim wives. They met my mother's father (Sheikh Nasir-Uddin Ahmad) who fell in love with my father's zeal for Islam. He offered his daughter to him in marriage. That was how the marriage was arranged. My mother and father were both pleased with each other and were married.
So what am I?
I've been asked this question too many times to care. I recall growing up being so sick and tired of the very next question after finding out my name to be, "What are you? Where you from?"
What could I say? "I'm mixed," I would reply.
"With what?" is the immediate response.
Well, to sum it up, my father is Afro-American and mom is Asian. That's the short answer :)
Sometimes, people ask, what race I feel more inclined to. What culture did I grow up in. What do you feel like you are?
Now that's hard. I'll tell you why. I don't look African - American, but I feel most comfortable with people from Africa. I don't know why. But it could be because of my upbrining. When I was 5, my mother's family moved to America and into our house. Up until that point, I had never questioned why my parents and father's parents all looked so different. So race was never a thought. Upon my mother's family's arrival to America and to our doorstep, I learned real quick about race. They immediately let me know that they disliked everything about myself and my brother that was American. They hated the way we talked and walked. They let us know they did not approve of their sister marrying a Black. My mother's father never approved of his daughter's or wife's racism. He orchestrated the marriage. But there was nothing he could do about their harsh comments that were said to me when my parents were not around. They talked about my frizzy hair. They told me to squeeze my nose because it was so flat when I was little. They were prompt to make fun of any black person in the street when we drove around. For this reason, I never got close to my mother's side of the family. Today, they are all doctors and very well off, but I don't have any contact with them. They don't know me, or my children. To this day, I don't understand how people can be so educated, and yet so incredibly ignorant. Especially when they have Islam to teach them that Asibiyah, and all racism is against Allah's way. My mother's family is responsible for physical and emotional abuse that has left me scarred for life and stronger than I would have been without it. It has left me with a feeling of being unnaccepted among people which in turn has given me compassion to outcasted people. In middle and high school, although I hung with the popular crowd, I always was the one to lend a hand to the person no one wanted to talk to. My friends never understood why I was that way, but I've always had a soft spot in my heart for people who are marginalized. It's perplexing to recall the horrid racist exclamations my mother's family would hurl at me because I look more like them than any African American! They plainly let me know, that I will never be loved by them because I have black blood. Amazing right!
Now, my father's side of the family, whom are all considered African-American although they have mixed blood, they were always welcoming and loving to me. That in itself may explain why I feel so at home with African-Americans. My father's mother, is my closest and dearest family member. She and I still talk. She is a deep rooted southern black woman from Alabama with a strong connection to God whom she has come to know as Allah due to her sons' conversions to Islam. Once,when I was 13, and my heart was broken and I felt beaten down from being cursed by my mother's family, I called my grandma crying to her. I'll never forget it,she told me in a voice that was so comforting, and strong, "Don't cry, and don't let them see you cry. Be strong Basir. Hold your head up high, and don't let them get you down."
That was all I needed. I never let any one of them affect me again. I looked them right in their eyes with all due respect and never fluttered. I never said anything to engage them. This only brought more hateful comments from them. The fact that I would no longer cry, but instead, I had matured and realized, there was nothing wrong with me. It was all them. They would taunt me and say, 'What's wrong with her' in frustration, they would go on with, 'she doesn't even cry!'
As an adult, I remember those memories, and I am thankful for them, because they taught me a great deal. They also made me more human and softer hearted.
A little about my life experience. I was born in Denver, Colorado on Army Fitzgerals's Army Hostpital. My father was enlisted in the Air Force at the time so I was born on the base. We left when I was 2 months old. I lived on MeGuire AirForce Base in New Jersey and moved to a suburb near it through Kindergarten. We travelled in and out of New York quite often to visit my father's siblings. My mother joined the Air Force when I was 7 which brought her to Wichitah Falls, TX for basic training and far away from me in New Jersey. I was at the mercy of her meanspirited family. We moved to Manhatten, Spanish Harlem to be exact. We lived on 139th Street on the Upper West Side of the island. It was where I learned to fight. I was always very sweet with a calm demeanor, which attracted a lot of friends. Attracting alot of friends always attracted a few haters. Those haters always caught a nice beat down for underestimating my kindness. I have to laugh. If I could just go back into time to see the surprised looks on so many puerto rican girls who really thought I was going to be easy to take down. Man, that's hilarious. Anyway, we moved every four months. I lived in various parts of Queens. We lived in Hollis, Queens and Flushing, Queens. I always loved Hollis best because it was an all black neighborhood and I lived with my father's side of the family. In Flushing (Elmhurst) Queens, we lived with my mother's family. The neighborhood was an enriching experience though. I went to school with people from China, North and South Korea, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, South Africa, Morroco, Equador, and on and on. It was amazing. Apart from my mother's family, I loved it there. My perspective on the world was changed from that culturally rich environment.
Then, in middle school, we left Hollis, Queens, and moved to Naples, Florida. Culture shock! How can two parts of this country be so starkly different! Naples is 75% caucasion, and rich, 19% Hispanic, and only 5% African-American. Remember, I just moved from an all Black neighborhood. It was a rough few years. I found myself harboring bad feelings for the whites around me. I saw the segregation, the unfair treatment of blacks and the racist teachers. I saw my father being harassed by police officers for doing nothing except living on the white side town, speaking too intelligently for a black man, and living too close to the beach. They do not like to see us have anything down there. As we got older, I witnessed my brother continuously harassed by the police there. Finally, it was my turn. They knew my family well. I won't go into detail about the indignity I had to suffer. May Allah punish them. I went through two murders of black classmates at the hands of the Naples' police that were totally covered up.
Of course there were demonstrations, and court cases. But after all, justice NOT for all as proven from the inception of this country. I won't get into that though.
Where does that leave me? I still don't have a group of people whom I can go to and say, these are my people. Can I walk up onto a Cherokee or Seminole Indian reservation and say, "Hey! Where my people at!" Hardly; I've been to the Seminole Reservation in Florida. It was a great experience, but I didn't see any cousins down there. Seriously speaking, if I was a geneticist, I may have been able to find some Seminole that I share some DNA with but who has all that at their fingertips?
The fact is, I have always felt like person blessed with a many different lines of ancestry. As a Muslim, I feel connected to anyone who says La illaha illa lah instantaneously. So the question of my race doesn't really matter when it comes down to it. However, I feel inspired to find out what I can find out. I think the results may be surprise me.
If anyone reads this, I've opened up about some heartache in my past (don't shed any tears because I'm totally cool about it) in order to let you know who I am as a I embark on this journey.
Dream that has inspired me to search my ancestry:
When I was around 20, I had a dream where my mother's father (Sheikh Nasir-uddin Ahmad from Afghanistan) came to my house to visit me. He took me on a journey to a beautiful large gleaming white (inside and out) house which was empty except for a half of a pillar in the middle of the room on which a very ancient extraordinarily large book was resting on. It was brown and kind of peculiar set against the pearl white empty house. My grandfather didn't speak a word to me. He simply kept this look on his face and sly smile that said, " I know something that I can't wait to tell you!" He had come upon some information so fascinating, he just had to show me. Finally, he opens up this ancient book. As he begins to turn to pages, I come to realize, this is a photo albumn of my family. Family I have never seen before. They have all long passed away. Page after page of ancestors going so far back in time, I knew even in the dream, that there weren't any cameras at that time. I looked on as if looking right at the past. It was awe-inspiring. As if this wasn't amazing enough, he stopped at a page right in the middle of this enormous book, and his expression could barely contain his feelings. His face silently screamed of joy. It said, "Look! Can you belive it? I couldn't wait to share this with you granddaughter!"
What was it that he stopped on? It was a picture of girl sitting among her very large family. She had two very long, very black braids and she was looking right back at me. What was the significance of this one girl in this photo? She looked exactly like me. I am a carbon copy of her. My grandfather wanted to let me know he found an ancestor of mine who looked exactly like me. I don't know where she was from, but the impression I got was she was from Africa. By her features, it would have to be North Africa. If anything, perhaps it was India. It was a dream, but some of my dreams, have been very insightful.
Do I think I'll find this in reality? No, but the dream was enough to inspire me to find who I am.
Well, I'm excited to see what insights and what new spin on my journey through duniya the DNA testing will give insh'Allah. Stay posted!
Amatul-Basir Robinson
Friday, November 28, 2008
America has deep Islamic Roots
Muslims are most wrongly labeled immigrants. We have been in America for over 1,000 years. I will prove this to you through logical reasoning and and abundance of facts. Because the 'Muslim' comes from many lands, when we talk about the influx of 'Muslims' in America, we are not talking about immigrants from a specific country.
When a person thinks of a Muslim, they think of someone from the deserts of Arabia. However, the country who boasts the highest number of Muslims is actually Indonesia. Since ties are spiritual, the Muslim Ummah consists of all muslims in any land and from every time. I will prove to you that Muslims travelled from North Africa to the North America and spread Islam from the east coast of the USA such as T'Allah-Hassee, Florida to Kaliph-Haronia (California).
Ever wonder what Tallahassee means? To the Native Americans, whom gave it its name, it means: He Allah will deliver you sometime in the future.
What about California? That means; The dominion of the Kaliph.
When a person thinks of a Muslim, they think of someone from the deserts of Arabia. However, the country who boasts the highest number of Muslims is actually Indonesia. Since ties are spiritual, the Muslim Ummah consists of all muslims in any land and from every time. I will prove to you that Muslims travelled from North Africa to the North America and spread Islam from the east coast of the USA such as T'Allah-Hassee, Florida to Kaliph-Haronia (California).
Ever wonder what Tallahassee means? To the Native Americans, whom gave it its name, it means: He Allah will deliver you sometime in the future.
What about California? That means; The dominion of the Kaliph.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
