You are peace and from You comes peace

I’m embarking on a reading journey. I realized I don’t read anymore. I miss reading. I miss the smell of an old book and the beauty of words and being changed by them. So here I am. I pledge to read these 43 books before February 20, 2014. 

Religious:
The Prophetic Medicine by Ibn Qay’em El-Jozeyah
The Most Excellent Manner of Seeking Forgivenes by Sh. Abdur-Razzaaq Ibn Abdul-Muhsin Al-Abbaad
The Manners of the Scholars and Students of Knowledge by Sh. Saleem ibn ‘Eed-al-Hilaalee As-Salafee Al-Atharee
Aspects of the Days of Ignorance by Sh. Muhammad ibn Abd-il-Wahhaab
On The Awrah of a Muslim Woman to Other Muslim Women by Abu Aqeelah
Qualities the Caller To Allah Must Have in Abudance by Al-Allaamah Ahmad ibn Yahyaa an-najmee
Knowledge by Sh. Abdul-Azeez bin Abdullaah bin Baaz
The Prophet’s Prayer Described by Sh. Muhammad Nassir-ud-Deen Al-Albaani
Kindness and Gentleness by Dr. Fadl Al-Ilaahi
From the Characteristics of the Salaf by Sh. Ahmed Fareed
Dealing With Lust and Greed According to Islam by Sh. Abd al-Hamid Kishk
Ingredients for a Happy Marriage by Unknown
Kindness to Parents by Abdul-Malik bin Muhammad ibn Abdur-Rahman Al-Qasim
Islam and Love by Abdullah Nasih Ulwan
Weakness of Iman by Sh. Muhmmad Salih Al-Munajjid
Mysteries of the Soul Expounded by Abu Bilal Mustafa al-Kanadi
Diseases of the Hearts and Their Cures by Sh. Ibn Taymiyyah
Purification of the Soul by Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo
Jihad in the Qur’an and Sunnah by Sh. Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Humaid
The Rights and Duties of Women in Islam by Abdul Ghaffar Hasan
The Ideal Muslimah by Dr. Muhammad Ali al-Hashimi
Great Women of Islam by Mahmood Ahmad Ghadanfar
Healing with the Medicine of the Prophet by Imam Ibn Qayyim Al-Jauziyah

Non-religious:
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
The Faut in Our Stars by John Green
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Emma by Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov
Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman
The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman
In the Land of the Long White Cloud by Sara Lark

simplyiswise asked: Were you raised Muslim? I feel a little clueless about the religion as a general and would love to hear what it means to you and how it guides your life. I also want to get to know you better! Let's chat xx

Hello, sugarplum. :) xx

I wasn’t. I was raised Christian. Presbyterian, to be exact. Although I was baptized in the Methodist church. 

As for what Islam is, it’s a religion that is created for human nature. It guides each of us individually, so your religion is a very personal relationship between you and God, but it also manages society as a whole with it’s rules and regulations to create the most sustainable, healthy community possible. 

Islam means everything to me. It is truly the most beautiful religion I have ever encountered. It encourages it’s followers to behave selflessly, kindly, and with peace and love. It is obligatory upon every Muslim to care for their brothers and sisters, no matter who they are or where they come from. It forbids even an atom’s worth of injustice. 

It also guides my life in everything I do, from which side I sleep on to how much water I drink. It’s where I turn to when I am angry and upset and when I am joyous or content. It causes me to dress strangely and say bismillah before I even step outside the door and only go to one certain grocery store because it sells halal meat. It is truly my entire life. Alhamdullilah. 

I would love to chat with you and learn about your life too, habibti. 

Love, Auntie Leah. 

Anonymous asked: Hi. I've followed you for a while and I want to know what sex acts are allowed in Islam. Can you have anal and oral and are different positions allowed? Thanks.

Hello there, sailor. I love to hear from my followers. 

Sex is a bit of a grey area in Islam with a few parameters so we need to look to people of knowledge for better understanding for many things, such as oral sex and sex toys and bdsm, etc.

Anal sex is strictly forbidden, as the Prophet saws, narrated by Abu Hurairah, said “He who has intercourse with his wife through her anus is accursed.” 

Oral sex, on the other hand, is a matter of opinion. Shafi’i and Hanbali schools of thought consider it a permissible form of foreplay as long as they rinse their mouth afterwards and don’t swallow anything and one group of Salafis consider it permissible because foreplay is so important in Islam. 

I think what is most important to remember is that sex is a consenting, loving act between two adults and should always retain the respect and care that is obligatory in a Muslim marriage, and as always, everything you do should be for the sake of Allah swt. If you can’t say “bismillah” before the act or are uncertain, you probably shouldn’t do it. 

I hope this helped. 

Love, Auntie Leah

come to me with your questions, my children. Auntie Leah will answer them all. 

themindislimitless asked: All the 10's =D

I’m not sure if you mean 10-19 or 20, 30, 40, etc. so I will do both!

10) What was the last lie you told?

I can’t remember. I lied by omission about what I’m studying earlier. 

11) Do you believe in karma?

No, I believe Allah is the Most Just and the best of planners. 

12) What does your URL mean?

Mother of cats

13) What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

Probably my apathy and my faith in myself.

14) Who is your celebrity crush?

David Bowie

15) How do you vent your anger?

Usually I bottle it up and internalize it. Which isn’t healthy. 

16) Do you have a collection of anything?

Handbags. May Allah swt forgive me. 

17) Are you happy with the person you’ve become?

I still have a lot of rough edges but I could’ve turned out much worse. I’m satisfied with myself, though. 

18) What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?

I hate the sound of my mum crying. I love the adhan, a soprano, second soprano, and alto singing in harmony, and the sound of the ocean

19) What’s your biggest “what if”?

“what if I end up 40, unhappy in my marriage, working a job I don’t love”

20) Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

Nope. Possibly. 

30) Ever had a rumor spread about you?

Yes, but I won’t repeat it because it is inappropriate. 

40) Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?

No. Yes. I don’t know.

50) Basic question; what’s your favorite color/colors?

Pink and purple

60) Give me your top 5 hottest celebrities.

1. David Bowie

2. Vin Diesel

3. Tom Hardy

4. Channing Tatum

5. Anderson Cooper

Anonymous asked: are you a convert? how did your parents respond to it?

Alhamdullilah I am. They were confused at first and thought it was a joke, and then they were upset, and then embarrassed, and now they’ve accepted it, although my mum still makes some harmful jokes sometimes. Alhamdullilah, though. 

pastagfirullah asked: 7!

7- A Blessing you’ve received within the last 3 months?

Wellness. Alhamdullilah.