I don’t know if my concussion yesterday was slight, mild, or severe but I just like the way “slightly concussed” sounds and where else except on my blog would I get to use the term.

I went to Jiffy Lube to have one the bulbs in my car’s headlight replaced and then I left to go home. I had to make a U-turn on the main street to go in the direction I wanted, I remember getting into the left-turn lane and then darkness.

I woke up and although my eyes were closed I could hear voices and the scissors as they cut off my jilbab. Then more darkness. Later, a police officer came to hand me my paperwork from the accident. He said that the other driver said he hit me while I was making the U-turn and that pushed my car up an embankment and into a light pole.

The police brought me my bag but said they did not see my glasses or my cell phone. My mother came to pick me up and then as we drove to the place where they towed my car we passed by the scene of the accident and we saw my blue bumper on the ground next to the light pole. The towing place was closed so we’ll try again this morning in sha Allah. I mainly want my cell phone, glasses, Quran and Fiqh of Love CD set.

The doctor at the hospital wrote me three prescriptions, two for pain and one muscle relaxer. Alhamdulillah, I’m alive and nothing is broken except for my car. And I have more than 180 hours sick leave that I almost never use so I intend in sha Allah to use at least 80 of them over the next two weeks.

Any and all duas are appreciated.

أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْ تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ

Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe to be affected by Allah’s Reminder?

[al-Hadeed : 16]

Shaykh Waleed Basyouni was in town these last two weekends teaching AlMaghrib Institute’s Rays of Faith seminar. I do not know of any other Islamic learning experience as innovative or engaging and jam packed with beneficial knowledge and access to students of knowledge than the double weekend seminar system pioneered by Muhammad Alshareef through AlMaghrib Institute.

Shaykh Waleed Basyouni shared with us many memorable anecdotes including the following one paraphrased below:

He once asked a Muslim woman why she didn’t observe hijab and she replied that Allah had not yet guided her to wear it and when Allah guided her that she would wear it. The shaykh then recited the ayat of hijab from the Quran to her and said this is the guidance of Allah about the issue. The woman than said that’s all well and good but I still don’t have a hijab on my head so Allah has not yet guided me.

So the shaykh offered to walk with her to buy a hijab and she refused saying that she had not yet been guided. Shaykh Waleed then said, if we step outside the masjid and you get struck by lightning or hit by a car before we reach the hijab store then I will know that Allah did not want or give you the hidayah al-tawfeeq (guidance to implement or ability) to wear hijab. But right now the only thing holding you back is yourself so don’t say that Allah hasn’t guided you just admit that you have heard the guidance and you have refused out of your own free will. Continue reading →