Hijabed running

Finding proper running attire for a hijabi is a never ending quest. Running isn't a sport known for modest apperal. Runners tend to peel off layers as it gets hotter, ending up in short shorts and a sports bra. For hijabis, that's not really an option, unless you're running inside on a treadmill. And, I'm not a big fan of teadmill running. I prefer the great outdoors, and running in road races. Running slowly, I should hasten to add, but still running never the less.

I'm constantly adding and subtracting pieces from my wardrobe. This past weekend, I went running shoe shopping (yaay, new shoes!), and found what may be the perfect hijabi running shirt, at least for a person my size. It's a men's Mizuno Renegade VI XL long sleeve shirt, very very lightweight, in grey with green stripes. They had the same shirt in white with blue stripes, but alas, white tends to be a little see through. The best part is that it was clearenced. $19.99, huzzah! *side note* While searching for a picture to add to this post, I found a bunch more of this style. *must...stop...self...from...buying...more*

I like to shop in the men's section for shirts instead of in the women's section for one reason - fit. Women's sports tops tend to be very fitted, tight across the chest, and stop above the hips. Men's shirts tend to be looser all around, AND if you buy them large enough, they hang down to mid-thigh. If you're like me, you'll have to shorten the sleeves, but it's better than running in a long sleeve cotton shirt. I'd been doing that recently at the gym. Yuck! The sweat clings to the shirt, you get stinky, and you're never cool.


Here's my current running outfit:



Lycra Al Amirah in black or grey from HijabWorld - while the lycra is much better than cotton (wet soggy mess), it's still a little hot. I may expirment soon with wearing a buff as the underscarf part




Mizuno Renegade VI shirt



Black and Grey Capris from Target. Because I have such short, stubby legs, at my current pants size, capris are as long as regular pants for me. inshaAllah when (if) I lose weight, I'll fit length wise in regular sports pants.

Aaaaand, my new babies, my new shoes - Mizuno Women's Inspire 3. I *heart* them. My feet *heart* them. My toes *heart* them. I picked out my last pair of shoes myself. Baaaad idea. I didn't know anything about overprotinating, supinating, support, control, and whatnot. I picked out what was comfy on the clearence rack of DSWs. If you're considering running, do yourself a favor and head over to a specialty running shop. Have a knowledgable salesperson fit your feet and get a shoe that supports your foot type. Your feet will thank you.


If anyone out there is a hijab-ed runner, drop me a line. I'd like to find other muslimahs out there who run.

To do:

Must write a post to enter in Umm Zaid's the sisters' space blog carnival.

Need topic ideas. I am currently obsessed with running/exercise. And I love dhikr. Hmmm...

Ow!

A word of advice:

Never make up a dozen prayers in a row and then go out for a run. My thighs still hurt 2 days later.

Random Musing

I'm on a roll today blog posting wise.

There are a few muslims out in blogistan who reside in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Nzingha and almiskeenah are both on my daily blog list. My hat, er scarf, off to them. The husband lived in Saudia when he was younger, and dreams of moving there someday. I'm a big fan of independently moving around and driving myself. I don't think I would do so well there.

But...I was thinking today. If there was a women's only gym in Mecca or Medina, I could definately live there. Being able to pray 5 times a day at the Prophet's masjid or in the Haram, and then going off to exercise...now that would be the way to live!

Missed Salat

Making up missed prayers according to the Shafi'i madhab

Calculating how many missed prayers I have to make up

How to Offer Makeup Prayers

One can offer make-up prayers at any time, even at times when prayers are normally forbidden.

Nawawi on making up missed prayers: scholarly consensus

Make up prayers of a new convert

Burn baby burn

My mind works in weird ways.

I wish I had read this piece from Umm Zaid that has the most important piece of advice a convert can ever get. Astaghfirullah, being regular with salat is not something that has come easily to me. But, alhamdulilah, I finally buckled down last night and calculated all the prayers I need to make up. If you're not regular about prayers, sit down and figure out how many you missed. You'll probably be shocked at how quickly they add up.

So, after maghrib, I made intentions to make up one missed maghrib prayer. After that one, I was starting to get in a groove. So I did another...and another...and another...

And this is where my mind starts working in weird ways. After quite a few rakat, I was starting to feel a burn in my legs. After the prayer, I headed off to the Y to run for awhile. While I was chugging along, I thought "I wonder what kind of exercise benefits we have in salat? It's a little bit of strength training and stretching, with all the prostrating. I wonder how many calories one burns?"

I tend to obsess about things. My current obsession is fitness for the love of fitness. So naturally, I'm now obsessing over how many calories one burns while making salat, lol.

My legs are really tender today. I know it's not just from running, since it hasn't hurt like this since waaaay back when I first started running in 05. The combination of salat and running was an excellent workout. What a wonderful extra benefit we get from worshiping our Lord!

Is SunniPath Sufi-influenced?

I mini ranted about the censoring of Sunnipath on certain internet forums awhile back. Seems like I'm not the only one who has run into this. Too bad I couldn't post this on said forums without it getting deleted.

From Sunnipath via Travellers on the Path of Knowledge:


Is SunniPath sufi-influenced and lax
Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

1 - I was talking the other day with someone about online Islamic sites and I brought up SunniPath. The other party acknowledged how the word on SunniPath is that it is Sufi-influenced and too lax about innovations and sinful sufi methods that exist. What is your answer to this? I know people shouldn’t worry about the opinions of others but you have to defend so people can feel comfortable having SunniPath as a teacher.

2 - As far as the actual general rulings of SunniPath go, there are also misconceptions about them as well. Some feel that your answers are too “modern” and don’t have a tendency to be on the safe side like islam-qa, askimam, and other Islamic sites do. That they aren’t god-fearing. What is your response to this?

Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

I pray this finds you in the best of health and spirits.

Is SunniPath Sufi-Influenced?

SunniPath believes that Shariah-grounded spirituality is the very essence and core of the guidance that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came with. Ths is the understanding of mainstream Islam, and the way of the scholars of all four Sunni schools.

Are We “Modern” and “Lax”?
We follow the principles of giving legal verdicts and religious guidance, and our answers are according to relied-upon positions within mainstream Islamic scholarship, as explained by classical and contemporary jurists (fuqaha).

We strive to promote deen in the lives of people through our answers, and to encourage them to pursue the ways of seeking to perfect their submission to Allah. This often requires encouraging or guiding people towards caution and taking the stricter opinion; at other times, however, this calls for making people aware of a dispensation. At all times, however, we try to do our best to frame our answers in a positive rather than negative way.

As for being godfearing, we believe that this entails not just blanket-caution, but striving our utmost to give the answer that is best and most beneficial–in that it best promotes the good for the person and for society given the case and circumstances.

If there are specific answers that are erroneous, we urge people to tell us. We will, insha’Allah, hasten to correct the mistakes. After all, the truth is most deserving of being followed.

And Allah alone gives success.
Faraz Rabbani

Live Sunnipath Event with Sheikh Nuh!

On my calendar!

God is beautiful and loves beauty

99 names of God

As-Sabur

The Patient One

And be patient in adversity:for, verily, God is with those who are patient in adversity.Al-Anfal 8:46, tr. Asad

If you are wholly perplexed and in straits,have patience, for patience is the key to joy.Rumi, Mathnawi I:2908, tr. Helminski

Declare your faith; live by it

From the Daily Star via Mind, Body, Soul.

In the name of Allah , the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful:

A person who counts himself among obedient servants of the Lord must testify to faith in the One God and to acceptance of his prophet (Muhammad, Jesus or Moses, peace be upon them all, depending on the religion one follows sincerely). That person must live according to that faith, and go out from the world with faith in hisheart. He protects faith by renewing it daily.

The Creator plants the seed of faith in everyone. If a person mistreats this gift, then he loses everything - the world and the hereafter. He runs to anywhere that he finds material benefit. One’s words may say one thing, but the intention can be something else, and his actions in life becomes worldly. He may forget his faith easily and drop the lifestyle that Allah and his prophets are ordering.

It’s not enough just to say, “I am a believer.” There are people who claim they are believers. But it is only words if they do not look at how they are living and adjust their actions according to intentions, asking why they are living and what is the purpose of life.

Why go to work? Why sleep? Why eat? Why pray? If we don’t know the answer, our actions cannot reflect and support our faith. Holy Prophet Muhammad said, “There is no difference in the Presence of Allah between Arab and non-Arab, except for those who have more taqwa (awareness of God’s presence throughout one’s life).” Those who have taqwa are in higher stations and are closer to their Lord. That’s what we have to run after.

When the sun sets, the angels wrap up another page for that day. They close it, seal it and it’s gone. Whatever our intentions and actions were, we cannot change anything from yesterday. The angels closed that page until Judgement Day. “How did I live today? What did I do? Where did I run? What did I earn? Did I earn only this world? Or did I earn for life hereafter? Or I didn’t earn either one of them?” If we earned the world, and if Allah gives a chance later, maybe one day we will spend that gain in the way of Allah on something for Paradise. We were created as “Ahsani taqweem,” the most perfect creature on earth. If we earned neither the world nor eternity, then shame to us.

We have no guarantee that we will reach tomorrow. If Allah gave both strong spirit and strong physical form and we waste them in questionable places, we will regret later. Every breath is a chance given for another life. Once it’s ordered for us not to inhale the air, we go out with whatever we collected in life. If someone collected material only, he cannot take it with him. Everyone goes empty handed to the grave. If a person runs after empty goals, then he will find emptiness in the grave. If one
runs after something valuable for hereafter, he will find that value in the grave.

And what is of value? To have declared one’s faith, and to have lived by that faith. If you testify and you live according to faith, there is no worry. But if you are claiming and not living according to that faith, then you may not remember to hold onto that faith when the angel of death comes. In the end, many think that the doctor (or the president) is going to help. But that doctor and president are themselves in need of help.

Sheytan gives value to worldly attractions. Be careful. We must not see beauty in what Sheytan is directing. Beauty and value is in what Allah and his prophets ordered. That is Hakk (the Truth). What Allah and his prophets forbid, that is ugly and haram (forbidden). If admiring something forbidden, the heart is with Sheytan, not shining with faith. With faith, wrong things become apparent and you will live
what you believe.

Even if Sheytan makes you dizzy and you aren’t faithful throughout your lifetime, when the death-rope is around your neck, you may say, “Well, I didn’t live according to my faith, but at least let me go out with the faith.” When the angel of death comes, unexpectedly or not, the angels record the last words that come into your heart and out from your mouth.

The chance is given to us in this life to testify to faith and we must live by it. Billions
of people sitting in their graves are wishing that this breath of life would be given back to them once more, just to come to this life momentarily and to be taken away again _ just one breath of life to be given to them to declare their faith.

Sheykh Abdul Kerim al-Hakkani al-Kibrisi is the imam and spiritual leader of the Osmanli Naks-I’bendi Muslim Dergah in Sidney Center.