True friendship

 

I've always ardently believed and said this but I never knew it was an actual quote! It is definitely true; I hate the pressure of feeling the need to say anything to keeping a conversation (however uninteresting it may be) going  just to avoid the dreaded awkward silence. I really think that one of life's little gems is finding someone whose silence you are comfortable in. Nice to see others feel the same :)

Arranged Marriage

Ahh, what a guy, so romantic.. xD

It's funny because it's pretty much every arranged marriage summed up in two minutes.

Anywaay, Eid Mubarak guys! Hope you had a good one. I went shopping today and then stuffed my face with chicken and cake - the only way to celebrate in my opinion.

Advice for Hijabi beginners (non-sugar-coated)

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After the African millionaires desperately throwing their life savings at me, the most common emails I get are from girls thinking about wearing hijab and wanting some advice. I'm not going to beat about the bush, I am the worst person to ask for advice when it comes to anything, let alone a religious subject. My opinions regarding hijab have definitely changed over the past few years and of course, I am not a scholar so my views are often riddled with bias and influenced by my state of mind at any given time. Having said that, as so many people have asked, I decided I should make a post giving anyone thinking of wearing hijab a few pieces of advice, things I kind of wish someone had told me.

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1. Wouldn't advise you to overhaul your wardrobe the minute you start covering your hair. I did that and it didn't go well - take your clothing transition slowly.

2. It is a piece of cloth, not magic: don't expect to suddenly become divinely religious. Please don't act it either, it's so off-putting.

3. One of the biggest shocks I got when I began to mix with Muslims was realising just how bitchy a lot of hijabis can be. Some are nice, but don't expect to suddenly discover a "sisterhood" that you weren't part of before you wore hijab. You weren't part of it because nobody is. It doesn't exist.

4. Keep reminding yourself that you are wearing it for the pleasure of Allah (SWT) and not for people.

5. Hijab is not about 'modesty', it's about doing what Allah (SWT) commands you to do. You can be modest without covering your hair and you can be immodest in a niqaab.

6. Be prepared for some interesting questions/comments. Some recent ones I've had (from non-Muslim men) include 'are you wearing a wig under that?', 'I bet you don't wear that to the beach.. you don't do you?', 'how long is your hair and have you dyed it?' and 'what would happen if I pulled the end of your.. headpiece?' HEADPIECE.

7. Be confident! It doesn't matter how you dress as long as you are confident and nice, people will like and respect you. And if they don't, it's not your problem.

8. Be cautious of judging the way other Muslim girls dress and act. It has nothing to do with you. Anyway, they might actually be much better than you.

9. Once it's on  you become a walking representation of Islam (like it or not), which is a huge responsibility, especially if you turn into one of those hijabis that find it impossible to smile.

10. I beg you don't start dissing advising hijabis on the Internet about how 'haram' they are and telling them how they should and should not be dressing. People did this with me a lot at the start of my blog when I did not wear the hijab and it almost put me off the idea altogether.

11. Allah (SWT) judges our scales of good deeds in relation to our bad deeds. Hijab will increase your good deeds but it is not the be all and end all of your deen. Just another good thing to do.

12. You will probably, at some point after wearing the hijab, want to take it off. I would strongly advise you to stick with it simply because if you do there will come a moment when you think 'I'm really glad I didn't take it off'. 'Jihad al nafs' was never supposed to be easy, so don't instantly succumb to your inner desires - they are almost always fleeting.

13. I wouldn't even think about hijab if I didn't pray and fast.

The tips are just my opinions and based on my experiences so they may not apply to you but I hope at least some of them helped :)

Current trends I dislike

I have recently been asking myself why I continue to habitually waste my money on the likes of Grazia and LOOK magazines when 90% of them are taken up by either adverts or clothing trends I wouldn't be seen dead in.

Here are a few trends that have cropped up recently that I detest.

1. US army style military camouflage jackets are suddenly all the rage. What's next, orange jumpsuits..?

2. Heel-less wedges. WHY?! Someone please explain this fugly trend to me. Is it some sort of cost-saving plan to cut back on materials?

3. Wellington boots as.. boots. Call me old fashioned the but last time I checked, wellies exclusively belonged on the farm and in the rain. Now, all of a sudden Hunters have become a fashion statement and people wear them as a "fashionable" alternative to normal boots.

 4. Men jumping on the fashion bandwagon. I know that it is really double standards of me to hold this opinion but I hate when men follow fashion and wear next level man-bags and LV belts. Ew. 

No.

Yuck.

What the flip is he wearing..?

 

Bingo! The shoes are naff but this is a nice outfit all round.

   

5. Panelled trousers. Those trousers with stripes down the sides that are supposed to make you look less fat. No offence or anything but an optical illusion is one thing and delusion is something.. a lot closer to reality.

6. Fully grown women wearing frilly girls socks thinking it's cute.  

Excuse me while I go and vomit.

How to be alone

I came across this video on someone elses blog (can't remember whose) quite a while ago and I really liked it. Stumbled across it again today and thought I'd share. The woman has written a poem about being alone and I think it's awesome. To be honest, I sometimes find that the more time I spend with other people the more I want to just be on my own. I find spending a long time with other people who aren't my family can be really tiring. Does anyone else get this or am I just abnormal..?

Anyway, here's the video:

Wish I could always remember this

Hijab interview look

Sorry I have been off for so long, I have been super busy this month. I went on holiday at the beginning of the month and when I got back I had three hospital interviews to prepare for and go to for the pre-registration pharmacist training year that I have to do after university. The whole application process was highly competitive and was probably the most stressful time of my life.

Anyway, I wanted to share with you what I wore for one of the interviews. I was very keen to get this particular hospital and so wanted a bit of my personality to come out in my outfit instead of wearing a plain shirt and trousers and looking like everyone else.

Interview Outfit by stylishmuslimah

I tucked the blouse into the trousers as I felt they were loose enough and it gave a neater, more put-together look. I think that a black shayla is the way forward when it comes to smart dressing so I stuck to that during all of my interviews. 

Also, you may have noticed the bag! As I worked full-time during the summer I decided to splash out and get it at duty-free earlier this month. I will probably do a review once I have worn it a bit more, insha'Allah.

I hope that you are all well and thanks to all of my subscribers for your continued support over the years, you're awesome.

Arguing

13 personal questions tag

I have a bit of a weakness for watching these sorts of tag on YouTube and reading them on people's blogs.  I don't know, perhaps I need to get a life. Anyway, I decided to tag myself like a saddo and do this 13 personal questions tag that's been going around YT and Blogger lately.

1. What do you order at Starbucks? Last time I went I got this lime refresher drink but I do try to avoid Starbucks.

2. What's one thing in your closet that you cannot live without? Jeans.

3. What's one thing that most people probably wouldn't know about you? I once got stuck in a toy car in Sainsbury's.

4. Name one thing that you want to do before you die. Take my parents to Makkah. They've taken me so many times, it's time to attempt to repay them.

5. What's one food that you cannot live without? Rice.

6. What quote/phrase do you live your life by? YOLO.


JOKE!! I hate that bloody phrase.

7. What do you like and dislike about the YT/blogger community? I like that people are free to express their opinions, and it's not just the ones that shout the loudest that get heard like in "real" life. I hate when people post  close-ups of their food. Does anyone actually care?

8. What's your number one most listened to song on iTunes? I'm sort of ashamed to admit this because I kind of made fun of one of his songs a little while ago but it's "La Yestahel" by Amr Diab. You can check it out below if you like.



9. What kind of style would you define yourself as having? Depends very much on my mood.

10. Favorite number. Seventeen.

11. Two hobbies. Blogging; walking around aimlessly.

12. Two pet peeves. The sound of people eating bananas; people with poor personal hygiene.  

13. Guilty pleasures. Unnecessary amounts of shopping. Not that I'm encouraging anyone..!

I tag everyone! Post a link in the comments if you do it, I want to read yours :)

10 things university taught me

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I figured that as it's September and I have quite a bit of time on my hands I would make a post about things that university has taught me. I have been at university for three years now and have one left to go - cannot believe how fast it's gone!

Anyway, here goes nothing...

1. Lectures - in terms of actual learning, going to lectures is overrated. Having said that, lectures do put you into "learning mode" and going will mean you get all the lecture notes you need, you are also likely to pick up useful tips from your lecturers. Attending will also make you wake up early and give you the opportunity to see and talk to people. In short, don't miss lectures.

2. Friends - university is likely to teach you some hard lessons when it comes to "friends". My best piece of advice is to pick carefully and value quality over quantity. I would advise you all not to have Facebook as well but I know nobody would listen.. 

3. Exam technique - people will say that by the time you start uni you have to have an exam/revision technique established from college. I couldn't disagree more, I think techniques change and develop throughout university. It is a lot more important to understand your capabilities in terms of how long you need to revise and it would also be helpful to understand what sort of revision doesn't work for you. 

4. Human nature - you will learn a lot about the good and bad natures of humans at university. Unfortunately (or, perhaps not?) you are likely to remember the bad a lot more. Don't worry and get hung up about it though, just learn from your experiences and move on.

5. Societies - you may hear people telling you to get involved in as many activities and societies as possible. If you find a society is for you then by all means get involved! But don't fret if that's not your thing and don't force yourself to get involved just to try and fit in if it's something you're really not in to.

6. Wearing hijab - if you want to wear it then doing it before uni is quite a good time to start.

7. Lab work - this one is important: if you are doing a course which requires lab work I highly advise that you prepare well before the lesson. I know that nobody will do this - I never did - but understanding what you are actually doing in an experiment turns 3 hours of confusing hell into a wonderful learning experience.  

8. Failing - luckily I've not failed a uni exam (yet), alhamduli'Allah but I have got some rubbish marks before and the worst thing you can do in that situation is blame anyone/thing but yourself. People say "don't beat yourself up about it", I say do beat yourself up about it. If you fail or get a crap mark, you have let yourself down and you are to blame. You need to change something in your attitude when it comes to revision and learning and university in general. If you do not make changes in yourself after flopping an exam, you will continue to do badly throughout the course. 

9. Cheating - it's for losers. Do not cheat in exams and do not copy coursework. Take pride in your work and your results, I'd sooner fail with my integrity intact than pass knowing I didn't deserve to. You are unlikely to pass if you cheat anyway, I've seen it so many times where people cheat in the exam and end up failing and retaking the year. Don't be that loser.

10. Living out - mainly due to the fact that my parents are out-and-out Arabs, I do not live out. It doesn't bother me too much but I would have liked to experience living away from home. If you get the opportunity to do so, I would say take it. Living at home does have it's perks, of course e.g. free everything :)

Hope this helped any newbies :D

Mecca for the rich: Islam's holiest site 'turning into Vegas'

I have touched upon this subject before and expressed my great annoyance at the way Saudi Arabia is developing shops and hotels and demolishing holy sites at a shocking rate. This article by The Independent highlights the problem, I definitely recommend you reading it and reblogging if you can. 

I really hope that something can be done before it's too late, though I'm not optimistic at all. I read once that a sign of the end of time is that hajj will turn into a holiday and that is certainly what has happened, whether or not you care to admit it.

Awesomely dressed hijabis

Call me a shallow but one thing I love to see is a beautifully dressed human being, or better still, beautifully dressed hijabi. I often scrutinise what people wear as opposed to how they look because we all control what we put on our backs. I mean we can't control our genes but we can control our jeans.. OK that was a lot funnier in my head.. 

Anyway, here are a few photos I found of some awesome hijab outfits:

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Swag

LOL xD

I've watched this too many times. I need to get off YouTube and find a hobby.

Always remember

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:')

My utterly superficial wish list...

I feel like making a pointless list of all the enticingly superficial things I want :) Enjoy.

The Micheal Kors link watch - what a beauty <3>

White BMW Z4, need I say more?

Cartier 18 carat gold, colored diamond, emerald and onyx tiger ring. Purfect.

Speaking of which... I want one!

I've wanted a Burberry scarf forever! They look so cool as hijabs.

For me, the ultimate bag is the Chanel flap bag. I think that's mainly due to it's increasingly unattainable price tag (a few years ago it cost a grand, now it's 3..). If I could I would get in caviar leather and gold hardware, in the jumbo size.

I've always wanted to get henna art done on my hands but just never have. Really like this design:

How cool are these spiked flats? I love that they don't cover the whole shoe like most studded flats:

I'm so ready to switch from iPhone.

I love this style of perfume bottle T shirt, I want!

And last but not least on my list..

Joke. JOKE!!

Eid Mubarek

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Hope you all had a great Eid. I cannot believe how fast Ramadan went by! Sorry for the lack of posts by the way, I have been really busy lately but I'll try to get back into it insha'Allah.

Review: Modefa

I was recently sent two lovely scarves to review from mymodefa.com, a US based store specialising in hijabs and accessories. Both of the scarves were from the Turkish "Aker" range.

The first thing that I noticed was the beautiful packaging of the scarves. I think that attention to these details really sets a store apart from others, especially with so much competition these days. I really wanted to show you guys the wrapping of the scarves but my mum accidentally recycled the card before I could take some snaps, sorry!

Anyway, here are the scarves.

I really like the square silk one even though I don't tend to wear square hijabs. It also looks great on bags. Both scarves arrived without a crease by the way, that was totally my fault :/

I got my mum to model them for me :)

You can find the pink one here. It currently retails at $27.50 - not bad for an Aker scarf, although it is very thin and therefore would need to be worn with an underscarf if you want more coverage. I really like the dusty pink colour and the boarder of the scarf, it's very summery.

The silk scarf is not big but it is big enough to wear in a shayla style if you don't like the common Turkish style. You can find it here. It retails are $49.99 (down from $54.99), I think this is a little pricey, although it is 100% silk.

I adore the combination of the ditsy flowers with the stripes, too cute!

There is currently a sale doing on at Modefa so definitely go check them out. Also, SM readers can get an extra 10% of the Spring 2012 silk scarves by using the code "ramadan12".

Hope Ramadan is going well :)