Inn a Lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Rajoon

My family did not have a Merry Christmas this year. On Christmas eve morning my maternal grandfather passed away. He was given a grim prognosis less than two weeks ago. He was expected to live no more than two months to two years. He was in stage 2 of Alzheimers disease and he had fluid on the brain that was unrelated to the Alzheimers. The doctors decided he was too old to withstand the implantation of a shunt. He is survived by twelve of his fourteen children and his second wife plus around 100 grandchildren. Among his children were a set of boy twins, (one of whom passed away two years ago on Thanksgiving Day at the age of 46), and a set of girl twins who are my age and are stubborn and independent. I'm proud that I apparently inherited the twin gene from my mother's family, mash Allah. My grandfather also spoke his mind, with little concern for other people's opinions of him. I always admired that trait in his character. My grandfather had a bit of a reputation in the Old Order Mennonite community for being a wife beater and trouble maker. But I loved him he was always kind and sweet to me, perhaps because I am his oldest grandchild or maybe because he loved my Mother more than some of her more beligerent siblings. No sooner did it sink into my mind that my last remaining grandfather is gone now than I got another, more shocking phone call on Christmas morning. My sister was in tears, as she delivered the sad news that our mother's older sister had also passed away during the night and was found dead in her bed on Christmas morning. The cause of her death is unknown, but thought to have been a heart attack. She was 57 years old and she was my beloved beautiful, feisty spinster Aunt. I loved her because she was always kind to me and a bit mischievious. She always spoke her mind, unconcerned with other people's opinions of her. Again, the trait I admired most in her character.

Early Experiences in Greater Memphis

Leisurely strolls along the banks of the Mighty Mississippi; a ride into West Memphis, Arkansas; a stop, in Arkansas, at a remote little market advertising fresh fish, coon and rabbit (tee-hee); cheese pies and spinach pies and rose-flavored soda from a local Arabic market; endless drives around town in search of a home of our own...we found couple of possibilities...

His Supplication in Seeking Needs from God

---

1	O God, O ultimate object of needs!
2	O He through whom requests are attained!
3	O He whose favours are not bought by prices!
4	O He who does not muddy His gifts by the imposition of obligations!
5	O He along with whom nothing is needed and without whom nothing can be done!
6	O He toward whom desire is ever directed and never turned away!
7	O He whose treasuries cannot be exhausted by demands!
8	O He whose wisdom cannot be altered by any means!
9	O He from whom the needs of the needy are never cut off!
10	O He who is not distressed by the supplications of the supplicators!
11	Thou hast lauded Thyself for having no need for Thy creatures, and it suits Thee to have no need for them,
12	and Thou hast attributed to them poverty, and it suits them to be poor toward Thee.88
13	So he who strives to remedy his lack through what is with Thee and wishes to turn poverty away from himself through Thee has sought his need in the most likely place and come to his request from the right quarter.
14	But he who turns in his need toward one of Thy creatures or assigns the cause of its being granted to other than Thee, has exposed himself to deprivation and deserves to miss Thy beneficence.
15	O God, I have a need of Thee: My exertion has fallen short of it and my stratagems have been cut back before reaching it. My soul induced me to present it to him who presents his needs to Thee and can do nothing without Thee in his requests, but this is one of the slips of the offenders, one of the stumbles of the sinners!
16	Then through Thy reminding me, I was aroused from my heedlessness, through Thy giving success, I stood up from my slip, and through Thy pointing the way, I returned and withdrew from my stumble.
17	I said: Glory to my Lord! How can the needy ask from the needy? How can the destitute beseech the destitute?
18	So I went straight to Thee, my God, in beseeching, and I sent Thee my hope with trust in Thee.
19	I came to know that the many I request from Thee are few before Thy wealth, the weighty I ask from Thee is vile before Thy plenty; Thy generosity is not constrained by anyone's asking, Thy hand is higher in bestowing gifts than every hand!
20	O God, so bless Muhammad and his Household, take me through Thy generosity to Thy gratuitous bounty and take me not through Thy justice to what I deserve! I am not the first beseecher to beseech Thee and Thou bestowed upon him while he deserved withholding, nor am I the first to ask from Thee and Thou wast bounteous toward him while he merited deprivation.
21	O God, bless Muhammad and his Household, respond to my supplication, come near my call, have mercy on my pleading, listen to my voice,
22	cut not short my hope for Thee, sever not my thread to Thee, turn not my face in this my need, and other needs, away from Thee,
23	attend for my sake to the fulfilment of my request, the granting of my need, and the attainment of what I have asked before I leave this place through Thy making easy for me the difficult and Thy excellent ordainment for me in all affairs!
24	Bless Muhammad and his Household with a permanent, ever-growing blessing, whose perpetuity has no cutting off and whose term knows no limit, and make that a help to me and a cause for the granting of my request! Thou art Boundless, Generous!
25	And of my needs, My Lord, are such and such.
	HERE YOU SHOULD STATE YOUR NEEDS, THEN PROSTRATE YOURSELF, AND SAY IN YOUR PROSTRATION
26	Thy bounty has comforted me and Thy beneficence has shown the way, So I ask Thee by Thee and by Muhammad and his Household (Thy blessings be upon them) that Thou sendest me not back in disappointment!

"The Trip"

The trip was lo-o-ong but my husband and I agreed it was the most relaxing trip either of us had ever taken. Between his aching back and my big belly neither of us could endure sitting longer than an hour to an hour and a half before we were compelled to stop and get out of the car to stretch our legs and backs a bit. Additionally the car was loaded down till we had not one little nook or cranny left to pack anything, so we took the hills and mountains at 30 - 40 miles an hour. The trip itself took us about 31 hours. Our old Buick never had a radio since the day I got it, so we entertained each other with jokes and silliness.
About half-way through West Virginia my husband began to feel unbearably sorry for our cockatiels and let them out to frolick on the dashboard. ;>) Needless to say we got plenty of stares and laughter from other drivers that shared the highways with us that day. Thankfully, bird poop and seeds are easier to clean than cat or dog poop! A couple of times my husband coaxed Sultan to sit on the steering wheel while he was driving and the little nincompoop spread his wings and acted like a little captain or pilot. LOL! We could NOT stop laughing. Now that we are in Memphis they are happily sharing an outdoor aviary with a flock of domestic pigeons. They're so happy in their new environment that they've become too arrogant to acknowledge us when we talk to them!
We both feel deeply grateful that our old 1991 Buick made it the 1,200 miles from Allentown, PA to Memphis, TN without breaking down. We prayed and supplicated all the way and even more when we finally made it safe and sound. We were well aware that all of our remaining earthly possessions were in that old car with us and our faith was the only thing that was going to get us safely to our destination. Mash Allah. God is so generous that we are not finished thanking Him for one blessing before we owe Him thanks for more blessings!

"News"

We're preparing for our big move. We are so thankful that we found a local junk and antique shop that was only too happy to buy our movie collection, tv's, vcr/dvd players and all of our furniture. They didn't pay that much, but ensha Allah it'll pay for the gas and food we'll need during the thousand-mile hop back "home." My poor husband is breaking his back carrying everything else to the dumpster that we can't take with us.

Ensha Allah, I'm kinda glad no one will be able to call my kids Yankees. LOL.

Me-err-rry Chri-istma-as!

Surah 5, Ayat 110
YUSUFALI: Then will Allah say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favour to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the holy spirit, so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught thee the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel and behold! thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and thou breathest into it and it becometh a bird by My leave, and thou healest those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! thou bringest forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee when thou didst show them the clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: 'This is nothing but evident magic.'
PICKTHAL: When Allah saith: O Jesus, son of Mary! Remember My favour unto thee and unto thy mother; how I strengthened thee with the holy Spirit, so that thou spakest unto mankind in the cradle as in maturity; and how I taught thee the Scripture and Wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel; and how thou didst shape of clay as it were the likeness of a bird by My permission, and didst blow upon it and it was a bird by My permission, and thou didst heal him who was born blind and the leper by My permission; and how thou didst raise the dead by My permission; and how I restrained the Children of Israel from (harming) thee when thou camest unto them with clear proofs, and those of them who disbelieved exclaimed: This is naught else than mere magic;
SHAKIR: When Allah will say: O Isa son of Marium! Remember My favor on you and on your mother, when I strengthened you I with the holy Spirit, you spoke to the people in the cradle and I when of old age, and when I taught you the Book and the wisdom and the Taurat and the Injeel; and when you determined out of clay a thing like the form of a bird by My permission, then you breathed into it and it became a bird by My permission, and you healed the blind and the leprous by My permission; and when you brought forth the dead by My permission; and when I withheld the children of Israel from you when you came to them with clear arguments, but those who disbelieved among them said: This is nothing but clear enchantment.

Surah 5, Ayat 111
YUSUFALI: "And behold! I inspired the disciples to have faith in Me and Mine Messenger: they said, 'We have faith, and do thou bear witness that we bow to Allah as Muslims'".
PICKTHAL: And when I inspired the disciples, (saying): Believe in Me and in My messenger, they said: We believe. Bear witness that we have surrendered (unto Thee) "we are muslims".
SHAKIR: And when I revealed to the disciples, saying, Believe in Me and My messenger, they said: We believe and bear witness that we submit (ourselves).

Surah 5, Ayat 116
YUSUFALI: And behold! Allah will say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah'?" He will say: "Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, Thou I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden.
PICKTHAL: And when Allah saith: O Jesus, son of Mary! Didst thou say unto mankind: Take me and my mother for two gods beside Allah? he saith: Be glorified! It was not mine to utter that to which I had no right. If I used to say it, then Thou knewest it. Thou knowest what is in my mind, and I know not what is in Thy Mind. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Knower of Things Hidden?
SHAKIR: And when Allah will say: O Isa son of Marium! did you say to men, Take me and my mother for two gods besides Allah he will say: Glory be to Thee, it did not befit me that I should say what I had no right to (say); if I had said it, Thou wouldst indeed have known it; Thou knowest what is in my mind, and I do not know what is in Thy mind, surely Thou art the great Knower of the unseen things.

Surah 5, Ayat 117
YUSUFALI: "Never said I to them aught except what Thou didst command me to say, to wit, 'worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord'; and I was a witness over them whilst I dwelt amongst them; when Thou didst take me up Thou wast the Watcher over them, and Thou art a witness to all things.
PICKTHAL: I spake unto them only that which Thou commandedst me, (saying): Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. I was a witness of them while I dwelt among them, and when Thou tookest me Thou wast the Watcher over them. Thou art Witness over all things.
SHAKIR: I did not say to them aught save what Thou didst enjoin me with: That serve Allah, my Lord and your Lord, and I was a witness of them so long as I was among them, but when Thou didst cause me to die, Thou wert the watcher over them, and Thou art witness of all things.