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2 P a g e 2 And do not strain your eyes toward that with which we have provided different classes of people of the luxury of this world s life, so We may try them with it. And the provision of your Lord is better and more long-lasting. Chapter 20, verse 131 of the Holy Quran. Have you found yourself envying others a lot? Do most of your friends have parents who seem to allow their kids to do anything? Or maybe they buy them everything? On the surface it may seem that other people have much better things than us and we often feel a bit sour about it. Allah knows all our thoughts and feelings, even the ones we think we keep hidden from everyone and don t admit even to ourselves. As always Allah gives us a solution and guidance to make us feel better. Number one, Allah advises us to try not to pay special attention to what other people have. Straining our eyes can mean trying hard to see something or focusing hard on something. People place their energy and focus on things that they think are important. Allah tells us that luxuries, games and doodads are a small, unimportant part of the life of this world. Actually they are a trial from Allah, a way to test us. Just as if your parents give you your own cell phone, they would probably monitor who you are calling and messaging. They want to know if you can handle the responsibility of a phone and make the right choices. In the same way Allah gives people things and is Watching. He knows who spent four hours on the computer up to no good. The computer can be used to send a kind or useful to stay in touch with someone, or to learn something useful from the millions of websites that make learning fun, or played freerice.com to donate food to the

3 P a g e 3 hungry. So before you get green with envy (and look like a human cabbage) over your friend s new ipod, or their grand party, remember that partying is not really why we are here. Allah does not want anyone to sit and mope while others are having fun. Allah tells us to focus our minds, our energy and attention doing things and following people who have the right values and the right direction in life. Is it really worthwhile if we can break the records on a computer game that has us addicted? Does it really matter if we have designer clothes or not? These things do not bring us happiness by themselves. We can be happier by joining the Boy or Girl Scouts and having fun while learning new things and doing service projects. That way we can have a good time and earn the reward and pleasure of Allah who sent us into this world to develop our talents and abilities and to do the most good. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh), said: "I have not been commanded to decorate the mosques." What, no art projects in the masjid? What did our blessed Prophet mean by that? What is a masjid for? What is the best place to remember Allah and pray to him? It would be some place clean, quiet and peaceful, where everyone feels safe and welcome. A Mosque is a house of Allah. Does it have to be beautiful? Beauty does help us focus our minds in a positive way on Allah. But if we think of this hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not encourage us to spend our time decorating our mosques and making them rich and fancy looking for a good reason. The purpose of a mosque is to have a place to remember Allah, where Muslims can get together and pray and meet as a community. For this purpose Beautiful Islamic calligraphy (artistic writing of Quranic verses) help us to remember the

4 P a g e 4 message of the Quran. Beauty reminds us of the Creator, Allah, who made all things beautiful. But fancy, lavish decorations and too many artistic things in a place of worship can be distracting. Have you ever started to pray in your room when it is a mess and found that many things distract you while you are praying? The bunched up sock, unfinished Monopoly game lying in front of you, or the cat poster on the wall can all drive you to distraction while you are trying to pray. I think you must have guessed why we do not need to decorate mosques. They should be kept simple so that we can pray to Allah and worship Him with full concentration and not be distracted with all the beautiful colors and patterns. Most of us do not live close enough to a mosque to head there for every prayer. It is a good idea to have a quiet and simple prayer corner in your own home, kind of like your own mini-mosque. Can you find a corner of your room or house that works well for that? You don t need to head to the mall to decorate. All you need is a clean carpet or prayer rug and maybe some Islamic artwork. You could place your Quran on a stool or shelf nearby, plus maybe a picture of the Kaabah, a small plant or anything else that reminds you to focus and calm your mind. You might find that a quiet corner helps you to relax and turn to Allah when you need help of any kind and you will find it easier to pray. Write and tell us how you felt when you had a small, simple mosque of your own!

5 P a g e 5 THE NIGHT BEFORE EID Bang, bump, aaaaagh!! Who in the world is that? I reach for the light switch gasping with fear. It s Grampie! (my grandma) She looks every bit as scared as me and like me she is holding a gift wrapped parcel. We look at each other silently for a minute, and as she notices the parcel in my hand we both burst into laughter. Let me tell you a bit more of what is happening here. My parents had to go to visit my aunty Layla who had her baby too soon and so Grampie and I are alone on Eid. I thought I would give her a great surprise by putting an Eid present on her bed. It would be the first thing she saw when she woke up. But it didn t work out quite as I had planned. I did not think Grampie would have the exact same idea and we would scare each other silly. But we did have fun opening our presents just then and giggling over them. EID MORNING Smash, plop, glop The eggs fell down before I even made it to the counter. Sigh! How do I clean up this mess and make breakfast before she gets here.why do I always do things wrong? My surprise breakfast is ruined. Grampie will be here any minute now and take over. Maybe I should have just tried to serve her plain buttered toast instead. Ramu, my sweet boy, where are you? She calls from her room across the hallway from the kitchen. I gasp as I see what she is

6 P a g e 6 holding: a tray loaded with syrupy pancakes and a blueberry smoothie with ice cream on top. My favorite breakfast! Grampie frowns at the mess and puts my surprise breakfast down on the table. Then her special wide smile spreads across her face till I can see her golden teeth in the back. Were you planning a surprise breakfast for me young man? she pinches my chin and then hugs me hard. Eid Mubarak I help her clean up the mess and then we both sit down to the pancakes. They are scrumptious. TIME FOR EID PRAYER Honk, rrring, bang, bang Zafar Uncle was supposed to drive us to the mosque for Eid prayers. It must be him at the door. I skid across the floor in a hurry carrying my big bag just as Grampie appears in a beautiful green outfit carrying her own big bag. Not again! Grampie, did you bring treats for the kids in the masjid too? I ask her almost sure of her reply. No dear, I brought treats for the adults in the masjid said Grampie, her eyes twinkling even more than usual. Fasting for a month is really tough and I thought today I would give the adults their own goodie bags. Now they don t have to sneak candies from their kid s bags! chuckled Grampie as we headed out to the car. I took the bag from her hand as I marveled at her great idea! EID EVENING Eid so far has been exciting and busy. I miss mom and dad but not too badly. Grampie got so tired she went to her room saying she needed a nap. After the Eid salat we had joined the other Muslims for a brunch in the Masjid and then we visited Grampie s

7 P a g e 7 friend who broke her hip and could not come to the Masjid. Her grandson is much older than me and he showed me some great basketball moves. And their double brownie chocolate cake was THE BEST I have ever tasted. It just melted in my mouth and I had three slices. I am not sure what Grampie has planned for the evening. I am sure she is up to something. I had some of my own ideas but then in the car I was thinking, poor Grampie is doing special things to make sure I have a happy Eid and I keep spoiling her plans by coming up with my own plans. It would make her happy to think she was the only one with a plan and that she cheered up her lonely grandson. So I am going to leave the evening to her and not try to invite any surprise guests over. Meanwhile I ll just put some water on to boil. She is sure to want a cup of tea soon. Ramu dear, what are you doing in the kitchen. Any more surprises for your old granny? Grampie kidded me as she made her tea. Would you like some hot chocolate? Not really Grampie, I had such a lot of chocolate cake. But I think I would like a cup of tea to wash it down. I knew how much Grampie liked to have company as she sipped her tea. I pulled a bag of crackers from the pantry and settled down next to her. Soon we were done with tea and I was playing Mario Kart while Grampie knitted quietly. I was waiting for the doorbell to ring and for my friends to pop over, or whatever surprise she had planned for the evening. Of course she must have had something planned. How could she look so peaceful just sitting there as if she was not waiting for anything to happen? Um Grampie, what about dinner? That chocolate cake is now history. I ask her. Grampie looked at me with surprise. I thought you had planned something dear. You have been thinking of such great things to keep your old granny happy on Eid. I thought I would leave the evening plans to you. But Grampie, I had the exact same idea. It has been a wonderful Eid for me because you were with me and because you always think of what I like. But.but.I didn t make any plans for the evening. I could make you some mac and cheese.

8 P a g e 8 Yikes, another plan gone sour! Grampie had just told me about the good old days when in her childhood the whole extended family got together for Eid dinner and there were dozens of dishes to choose from and they all ate together and laughed together. And now it was just the two of us with no home cooked meal and Grampie does NOT like eating out. Ramu come here, said Grampie I sat beside her wondering if I could borrow some food from Naseema aunty down the street. Maybe I could make a spicy omelet in time for dinner? Ramu said Grampie, interrupting my thoughts, This was the best Eid ever for me. Even though it was just the two of us, I had the time of my life and do you know why? She went on when I didn t answer. Because Eid is all about giving and receiving and enjoying the blessings of Allah. If we tried hard to be our best self in Ramadan, Eid is a time to rejoice for the good we were able to do. I am the happiest person of all because I have a grandson who tiptoes around at night to surprise me with presents, who makes a special Eid breakfast for me, who thinks about the other kids at Eid and gives them presents, who knows I like someone to chat with when I drink my cup of tea. You surprised me with many things and enjoyed the things I did for you. You make me so happy Ramu. Grampie had tears in her eyes as she hugged me tight. Maybe she wasn t missing the eighty relatives and the loud party of her childhood. Maybe Eid is special even when only two people try hard to make each other happy. For the rest of the evening we ordered pizza and watched Mr. Bean videos and we ate and we laughed, and laughed and ate till the end of the happy Eid day. Grampie doesn t really like pizza but she ate three slices and all my crusts dipped in garlic sauce, and I didn t think I liked Mr. Bean but today he seemed hilarious as I watched with Grampie who laughed till her whole body shook. It must have been the magic of Eid and the special blessings of Allah that made my Eid with Grampie one I would never forget.

9 P a g e 9 Rokes and JIDDLEs What did the cow say on Eid? Eid Mooo barak! What did the skunk eat for iftar? A peanut butter and smelly sandwich! Ahmad helps his father in their family store, doing much of the heavy lifting because his father has a bad back. His father pays him fifty dollars a month. Ahmad spent only 200 dollars last year. He saved the rest of his money. How much money does he have? How much zakat would he owe since he kept the money for an entire year? Zarina and her mom always try to fast in Ramadan. This year Zarina s mom caught the flu on the 12 th of Ramadan and could not fast for ten days. What should she do? Hamza felt brave enough to try fasting this year. His first two fasts were great. His mom and dad made all his favorite things at iftar time! On his third fast he forgot that he was fasting and went to the lunch room with his friends. He ate a slice of cheese pizza, applesauce and drank half of his milk carton before he realized he was fasting? What should he do? Shazia and Sophia were attending an Iftar dinner at the mosque with their dad. They thought they were on time to pray after opening their fast with dates and juice, but then they found a little boy wailing and took him back to the dining hall to find his mother. They rushed back to pray and found that it had already started. They quickly recited Allahu Akbar and joined in while the Imam was starting to recite Surah Al-Falaq. They almost missed the entire first rakah but not all of it. What should they do about the part of salah that they missed?

10 P a g e 10 All Eids are special but Eid al Fitr is even more so because it comes after a month of fasting. Our taste buds appreciate food even more now and want to have some yummy treats on Eid. It is ok to feast on junk food once in a while so go ahead and eat three chocolate donuts at the Eid brunch. There are also plenty of healthy and delicious things YOU can make this Eid for your friends and family. Our beloved Prophet used to eat something sweet before he left his house for Eid prayers in the morning. You could help surprise your parents by making the Eid breakfast as they get ready. Here is a quick and yummy idea: Blueberry ice smoothie. Grab a cup of fresh or frozen blueberries. Add a cup of yogurt and a cup of vanilla ice cream. Blend together. Add your favorite cereal or some crushed cookies to this delicious smoothie and swirl in with a straw. Alhamdolillah! Make a moon mosaic. Draw a picture of a large crescent moon on construction paper. (Don t make it too thin.) Cut out your moon and get the gears in your mind running. Divide the moon into about 20 smaller sections. Now color, paint or paste different things in each of the twenty parts. Even if you choose to simply use crayons or color pencils, you can make a million different and unique designs in each one. Hang your moon mosaic by a thread so it reminds everyone of the beautiful moon that reminds us to begin honoring the month of Ramadan. The same new moon signals Eid al Fitr. Hang it outside your door so everyone knows Eid is here and we are happy to celebrate.

11 P a g e 11 A happy Eid to you all from the Lighthouse team. Please write and tell us about your Eid at zamustang@msn.com. Dear Ayesha, I have a speeding problem. I can t seem to slow myself down during salat. I try to do the first rakah slow but after that I get faster and faster till the words are a blur. I feel bad afterwards. Please help me out. Dear Speedy in Salat, You and I have the same problem!!! For some reason, I find myself praying faster and faster as the rakahs go on. It s been something I ve struggled with since I ve started praying. However, I have done a few things that have helped me slow down and maybe they might work for you too. For one thing, learn all the meanings of your prayers. That s right all the verses! Seem impossible? It s not! I did it when I was 8 years old and I m sure you can too. Do you know that in the Prophet s time and even now, many people memorize the WHOLE Quran?!! Wow! I can t even imagine how long that would take. Compared to that, the few verses that you pray are no big deal. So I try to recite the meaning of the verse in English (the language I understand) right after I say the Arabic. That helps me slow down and concentrate on what I m saying. I think one reason we speed up so much is that when we pray in Arabic, we are sometimes not aware of what we are saying. Remember, the point of prayer is communicating with Allah so if we just spout off all the Arabic words and don t even know what we are saying or asking Allah for, we are not truly fulfilling the purpose of prayer. So take some time to learn the meanings. Ask your parents to help you. My dad

12 P a g e 12 would teach me the meaning right after our Quran lesson daily. He d make me recite all the meanings I d learned so far and then teach me a new sentence every couple of days. That helped me learn the meanings and they stuck with me. Second, remember the portions of the prayer when you can pray in your own language to Allah for what you want. The most effective dua is one said during salat. There are places in the salat you can do this one is in sajda and the other is after the whole salat before you say Asalamoalaikum Wa Rahmutullah. If you take the time to talk to Allah in these periods of time, you ll find you feel more like you are really communicating with Him and this will help you slow down and focus. Lastly, remember that you have to want to get better. None of this will work if you feel like salat is just something you have to do. Instead of thinking that you have to pray because your parents or Allah is making you do it, look into why prayer is important. Really think about it. If we don t pray, will Allah lose out? No way! He doesn t need our prayer, we need Him. Why do we need Him? Try to think of the reasons in your life that you need Allah to be on your side. I m sure these reasons will change as you change and grow older. But one thing won t change; you ll always need Allah. If you keep that in mind and try to get better at whatever aspect of being a good Muslim you need help with, Allah will reward your intention the wish in your heart to get better and He will help you reach your goal. Dear Ayesha, does Islam tell us anything about fitting in? I feel I am very different from the other people in my school and in my class. How do I fit in and make good friends? Dear Frantic about Fitting in, Your question is deep and one I don t completely have an answer to. Does Islam say anything about fitting in? Well, Allah tells us we should follow the rules of our

13 P a g e 13 community unless they go against our Muslim teachings. So in a sense, Allah wants us to fit into the mold as long as we are not doing anything against Islam. But that can be pretty hard because here, you may have friends that have boyfriends or girlfriends, or do other things that aren t allowed in Islam. So what do you do? Do you try to do what they are doing? Do you sit by yourself at lunch and ignore them? That is a much harder question and one that every boy and girl has to decide for themselves. I can tell you my experience though and what I ve learned along the way. One thing I learned is you have to be comfortable with yourself and confident in what you are doing. The only way someone can make you feel like a loser is if you let them. If it s OK with you that you aren t going to the school dance or a mixed boys and girls party, it ll be OK with everyone else. But if you feel ashamed about it, people will think that they were right about you being a loser. Don t be afraid to do your thing. People like people who are sure about themselves. The second thing I learned is don t compromise who you are. Maybe it seems like it might be OK to hide from your parents and secretly do something you re not supposed to, but really, it s not worth it. In the end, you won t be happy hanging out with your friends at the mall because you ll feel guilty the whole time that you told your mom you were just going to your friend s house to study. Besides which, maybe you can pull one over on your parents but you sure can t hide what you do from Allah! Thirdly, don t try to be a preacher. You may see your friends doing things you think are wrong, but if you always try to tell they are wrong, they won t want to hang out with you. Remember, Allah teaches us tolerance of other religions and different people. So if your friend is eating a double bacon pork sandwich, you don t need to get on her case about it. It may not be OK in our religion but it is in theirs. Likewise, if your friend is

14 P a g e 14 going to the school dance, fine let her. Ask her how it was afterwards. You can still chat and get along with people and not agree with what they do. Lastly, try to get involved in things you are allowed to do. For example, learn a sport. It s a great confidence builder. It s good for your health. It s a good way to make friends. And it s lots of fun. You can join a league or the school team if you re good enough! Another thing is boy or girl scouts. Automatic friends, a weekly hang out, and fun activities! Also, when you re not allowed to do something, make sure you talk to your parents about why. Try to find out if it is a religious reason or if it is about their comfort level. If it has to do with them being scared of letting you try something new and not something that is not allowed by our religion, try to talk to them about it. Explain to them how hard it is for you to fit in already being a Muslim and that you do need some social outlet. I am sure you can make your parents understand. I was always too fearful to talk to my parents about these things but my sister wasn t and boy was she able to convince my parents of letting her do anything!!! So give it a try, your parents are more human than you might think The holy month is called Ramadan, When prayer is essential for every woman and man. We wake up at dawn, Trying hard not to yawn. We eat big plates of food, In Ramadan eating loads isn t rude.

15 P a g e 15 We have to fast for 30 days, To feel how it is in the poverty maze. We learn to be thankful for what we own, Some people starve right to their bone. When the sun sets on the land, We eat our iftari filling our hand. During the blessed month of Ramadan, People try and finish the Holy Qur an. Ramadan brings with it many special prayers, Ask forgiveness of Allah with humble tears In the end of Ramadan s special nights, Seek Laila-tul Qadr with all your might. The month finishes with loads of blessings If we have improved and served human beings. Soon people will be embracing with glee, While children will collect their well-earned Eidi, Let us all be truly joyous indeed, For today is the blessed day of Eid. Wish you all a very Happy Eid Mubarak! From Inshaal Ahmad, England.