Gems from Sisters Conference 2012 at Khalid Bin Walid Mosque

I was really fortunate to be back at the 2nd Annual sisters conference this year. Although I am not a long time member of this community, I am in love with the Muslim Community here in Toronto. And one of my favourite events of last year was the sisters conference at Khalid bin Walid mosque. I was eager to return to it this year.

I love hanging out at Khalid bin Walid mosque so much, you would think I go there just for the community and the food. After all, the crowd is 99.9% Somali. At this conference you will not find modern Hijabis, people whose Hijab comes off after prayer is over, and at least the times I have been there, I have not seen bad Akhlaaq (Islamic Manners) from anyone, All Praise to Allah.

The young ladies at this conference are serious about their faith, learning it and following it according to the correct teachings. You will find young girls sitting in the mosque after prayer is over, reciting Quran to their friends, practising their Tajweed or memorization. You don't see that in other mosques I have been to.

And of course you get that super sweet, gingery, free Somali tea.

This was my lunch. MashaAllah! (Gluten Free if I might add.)

And they were selling this frozen mango smoothie thingie, with strawberry at the bottom and cream on top! I think you have to be Somali to have this two days in a row, because I had one on the first day of the conference, and I skipped dinner.

You can go to the mosque website here to check out future events and regular talks and lectures. Please donate your time or money to support this awesome mosque.

I learnt many lessons and would love to share some of them. However through some of the stories and sentiments shared at the conference by the speakers, I came to another personal realisation which I would like to share only for the purpose of maybe helping someone rethink their challenges and difficulties in life through another perspective.

Sometimes we can have the completely wrong picture of our own righteousness and we need some reminders that encourage us to critically analyse our relationship with God. I often get caught in a web of negativity about my journey through youth, and present life. However when I view my life through another perspective, I realize that I have never, ever been tested with difficulty. How can this be?

Consider this. No one is perfect. I have many sins over the course of my life. Many of my sins Allah chose to cover for me, due to His mercy. Yet there are people who committed the same wrong and they were exposed and humiliated for the same sins. People forgave me, thought well of me, want good for me, sought to encourage and protect me. Not because I am an excellent person, but because that is the ease that Allah has provided me with in my affairs. So the hardship of being hated, shunned and demonised, never really happened despite actions that could have easily led to that end.

I have never been tested with poverty, debt (didn't even have to take a loan out for uni), hunger, war or ill health. That really automatically implies, that all my life has been a test of ease. 

However I am not too sure how I have been faring in this test, because feeling like you are going through hardship and feeling depressed and hopeless, despite having all this ease, has to be an expression of ingratitude at least. Which would mean I have not been doing well in my trials of ease at all.

During ease we need to maintain if not increase gratitude, charity, seeking forgiveness and remembrance of Allah.

Those are some things to reflect upon inshaAllah, for me, and for anyone who reads this.

Even in our difficulty with our son, we have experienced nothing but ease so far. My journey with my son is a testament of that fact.

It has been a very solemn reminder for me to stop thinking of my ease as hardship and continue to seek forgiveness.

I know I have promised many a "series" on this blog (Homeschooling Autism, Indoor playground review, and I am sure something else that has been forgotten!). I do intend to fulfil those as and when I get time.

I am going to try and do a series of short posts about gems from the "Glass Vessels" sisters conference at Khalid bin Walid Mosque 2012, Allah willing.