Ramadan Revolutions September 9, 2009

Hellooo everyone!!!

I know I have been MIA (missing in action) for the past several weeks.  It hasn’t been without good reason though. In the latter part of July a random toothache turned out to need oral surgery.  Then it’s healing was followed by the end of summer and beginning of Ramadan preparations, culminating in the finalization of my summer growth project: the unveiling of a new website for SisterShine LifeCoaching Services (SSLCS) and the jump-start of  R² Ramadan Revolutions program!  R² is designed to support sisters in making revolutions (not resolutions) that will last from Ramadan and beyond.

Visit the new site by clicking the link at the bottom of this post and check out our new testimonials page to see what sisters have to say about the program and SSLCS overall.   Be sure sign up for FREE MEMBERSHIP to be among the first to know of upcoming events, interviews, offers and to access the ALL NEW SISTER’S SUN DAY BLOG on the website!!

Our Ramadan Revolutions program was a special unadvertised offer to sisters that were on SSLCS  mailing list. So if you missed out on that offer don’t worry just get on the list and you won’t miss anymore!

There will be an added incentive emailed to those of you who sign up within the next 48 hrs (by 12:01 am EST on Friday, September 11th)!

Don’t forget to spread the word to your friends and family!  All my facebookers and twitterers please add to your pages as well!

Looking forward to seeing you all on the other side!

Supporting Sisters Successes!

Committed to learning new ways to let my light SHINE!

Teacher Tamara

www.SisterShineLifeCoaching.com

 

 

p.s. just for fun there is a secret password question to gain membership to the site:

Q: What is the S3 Philosophy?

A: Supporting Sisters Successes!

Welcome Ramadan! August 21, 2009

Welcome Ramadan – by Zain Bhikha
Welcome o ramadaan
Your are honoured
O month of the qur’aan
It is ramadaan

O one who sleeps
Stand up and declare
The oneness of Allah
The oneness of Allah

O one who fasts
Stand up in prayer at night
And Allah will forgive
And Allah will forgive

Welcome o ramadaan
Your are honoured
O month of the qur’aan
It is ramadaan

O you believe
Give charity
For the pleasure of Allah
For the pleasure of Allah

O you who believe
Read the qur’aan
Every night of ramadaan
Every night of ramadaan

Welcome o ramadaan
Your are honoured
O month of the qur’aan
It is ramadaan

O you who believe
Look out for the night
Most blessed of all nights
Most blessed of all nights

O you who believe
Take hold of this night
And lament to Allah
And lament to Allah

Welcome o ramadaan
Your are honoured
O month of the qur’aan
It is ramadaan

O you who believe
At the end of Ramadaan
Don’t weaken your iman
Don’t weaken your iman

O you who believe
Give thanks to Allah
For the month of Ramadaan
For the month of Ramadaan

Welcome o ramadaan
Your are honoured
O month of the qur’aan
It is ramadaan

May You and your family have a blessed and peaceful Ramadan!

Teacher Tamara

Fly! July 8, 2009

Fly!

With broken wings she tried to fly

Her aim was straight, the goal so high.

She’d seen the others glide and soar,

far, out and over the ocean’s shore.

She too wanted to spread her wings

and do all sorts of magnificent things.

But in her mind she was stuck in the past

and could not move beyond the looking glass.

Although her wings were healed and well,

           she still relives that day she fell.

She only rememebers the pain of flying

when her wings and her spirit were broken from trying.

If only she would break out and try

she’d see that her only limit was the sky.

~Tamara L. Redfern 7/8/09

Commit to a lifetime of learning!

Teacher~Tamara

© 2009 Teacher~Tamara ™.  All rights reserved.

 

 

Lesson learned March 27, 2009

 

“This won’t take long, I just wanted to …” she stated softly. 

It was half an hour before magrib and the phone rang. I had just starting browning the ground beef for the tacos and was running back and forth between the kitchen and the phone.  We had just spoken to each other  earlier that day and in passing she mentioned something about a mutual friend. That was basically the jest of the conversation.

SubhannaAllah, a conversation simple and commonplace, yet holding such understated importance. 

She said she wanted to apologize for involving me in her shortcoming of complaining about another believer.  As believers we have to be reminders for each other.  Masha’Allah as soon as she apologized it made me think wow maybe I should apologize too, was I wrong for listening?

Maybe if we actually picture ourselves actually biting that person or think what if we were sitting by and watching passively as someone had their flesh eaten maybe it could help us be stronger and say let’s stop right now before things go any further.

 Some of the lessons I learned here:  

1. No one is perfect, yet the best of us are those who uphold righteous behavior. This is an excellent  example of how to implement this in our daily living. One of the bests way for us to improve ourselves is to self critique (within reason) and increase in the things that will bring us closer to Allah and to decrease in those that will not. 
2. Admitting a mistake not only helps you learn but it helps others as well.When this sister (whom I already admired for her adab/character) MashaAllah, called and apologized to me, it reminded me that I too as a listener had a responsibility as well.
3. Passive backbiting and gossiping is still a sin. How many times have we made the excuse of just listening to someone vent? Is this a valid excuse? Honestly it varies on the situation however if there is no solution to be sought by speaking to another person about the problem or situation then most times it doesn’t lead to much more than backbiting and gossip.

So yes, I was wrong for listening and even more wrong for adding any comments to the conversation. A simple good deed can lead us down the path to paradise and a simple bad deed can lead us towards the hellfire.  May we all be led to the paradise. Amin.

Oh and alhumdullilah I did learn one more thing, later in the week when I was in a similar situation I was able to say let’s stop before we go any further! So alhumdulillah, I learned from that mistake. 

May Allah bless that sister for being courageous enough to stand up and declare truth even against herself. She is an example for many.

As Muslims when we say the shahadah we are accepting an amanah with Allah (swt) that we will not intentionally harm our brother or sister Muslim and that we will uphold upright behavior. GOSSIP and BACKBITING hurts in this life and the next. It does not build or strengthen our sisterhood or our ummah. May Allah forgive us all and help us all to change ourselves. Let’s strive to implement this oft-repeated ayat of Quran:

Q:13:11

Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves.

May we all be helpers to one another in the path and way of Allah!

 

Commit to a lifetime of learning!

Teacher~Tamara

© 2009 Teacher~Tamara ™.  All rights reserved.

 

Shining In the Spotlight Presents: Internationally Acclaimed Author Umm Zakiyyah!! pt2 March 8, 2009

 

 

by Umm Zakiyyah

 

 

Part 2 of a 4 part series with internationally acclaimed author Umm Zakiyyah!!!

Who or what helped you to realize your passion for writing?

If I were to pinpoint what helped me realize my passion for writing, aside from my childhood love for the pen, it would have to be my parents and my younger sister Najla.  My parents helped me realize this passion by constantly reminding me and my siblings to use our talents and gifts for the sake of Allah.  They never told us, “I want you to be a doctor” or “This family needs an engineer.”   They, rather, taught us that Allah will put in our hearts whatever we’re supposed to be professionally, but they had only one requirement of us: “Whatever you do, do it as a Muslim.”

 In particular, I remember my father reading from the Qur’an, where Allah describes the believers as those “…who spend out of what We have provided for them,” and I knew that because Allah provided me with the gift of writing, I should write for His cause.  This really instilled in me a determination to write.

My sister Najla was particularly inspirational to me because she was the one who listened intently to all my stories, even when I had no idea where they were going.  I’d tell her stories before we went to bed, and she’d constantly ask me, “And then what happened?”  When I’d tell her I didn’t know (because I hadn’t figured it out myself), she would grow upset with me, and the next morning, she’d ask me again, until I finished the story.  That really stuck with me because her intense interest made me realize that my stories could, with the help of Allah, intrigue others.

How is writing different from teaching?

Writing is different from teaching in that writing is intensely personal.   As I write, I feel that the pen and paper belong completely to me, but I know I will share it with others once I’m done.   Teaching, on the other hand, is entirely communal.  As I teach, I feel that the classroom belongs completely to the students, but I know I must find that personal voice as a teacher to make the lessons accessible to my students and true to myself.  However, in the end, these two professions come from the same desire within me, to, with the help of Allah, make the world a better and more spiritual place, one person at a time.

MashaAllah we’ve witnessed the worldwide success of your trilogy If I Should Speak, A Voice and Footsteps. Now there’s your latest release Realities of  Submisssion… (may Allah make it successful as well). Is there a typical amount of time that you take to develop a concept or story line?

In general, my time of development is simply Istikhaarah and du’aa.   Once it’s clear to me that this is a project I should take on, I make du’aa, and the general concept and storyline come to me in floods.  At this stage, timing is not an issue except to find a pen and paper or computer fast enough to keep track of the ideas.    Once I’ve jotted down the concepts and storyline, I have to set time aside to actual write the story chapter by chapter until its end.

Once a storyline is created how does it develop into the many twists and turns that keep us reading?

What’s amazing about writing is that even as you write you don’t always know all the twists and turns that will occur until you actually write them.  Naturally, some of the twists are developed in the preliminary stage (when I’m flooded with ideas); however, my experience is that many of the twists are actually surprises for me.  Often, I’m inspired to write them only as I sit typing a particular scene while I’m at the computer, even as I myself never expected the story to move in that direction.   For some of my books, I actually had no idea what was going to happen in each chapter, and Footsteps is one of those.  Thus, I experienced my own level of intrigue as I wrote the story, going through some of the same emotions that I imagined the readers would.  This level of story development I attribute to the mercy of Allah, as it is simply proof of His answering my du’aa for guidance while I write.

Instead of having your work published elsewhere you created your own publishing company, what inspired you to do this?

I founded Al-Walaa Publications because I felt that it is most beneficial long-term for Muslims to have a publication company focused on Islamic fiction alone.  At that time, there were no publishers specializing in Muslim novels, and I saw the establishment of a publishing company as the filling of a much needed void in the creative, Islamic voice.

Come back soon for more of Teacher~Tamara’s exclusive interview with internationally acclaimed author Umm Zakiyyah!

© 2009 Teacher~Tamara ™.  All rights reserved.

Shining In the Spotlight Presents: Internationally Acclaimed Author Umm Zakiyyah!! March 2, 2009

 

Asalamualaykum everyone! It’s a new month and that means a new feature SIS!

 

If you haven’t seen these books in your bookstore then RUN!!  Don’t walk to your computer and go to www.amazon.com and order them now!  Believe me you will not regret it.  MashaAllah Teacher~Tamara is revealing something else about herself here …I LOVE BOOKS!  Especially well written books and EXTRA-ESPECIALLY (I know it’s not a real word!) well written books by Muslimah authors.  So it is no surprise that the second SIS interview is with Internationally Acclaimed Author Umm Zakiyyah of Al-Walaa Publications! Alhumdulillah it brings me great pleasure to present her to you!

  

Part 1 of a 4 part series with internationally acclaimed author Umm Zakiyyah!!!

     

       Please share some background information about yourself, your occupation and past times. 

My parents accepted Islam the year that I was born, so I was born into a Muslim family although most of my extended family are Christian, as well as some of my older brothers and sisters.  Most of my childhood was spent in Indianapolis, where I graduated from high school and where I developed a firm concept of my identity as an American Muslim.  From my experiences with teachers and schoolmates, I understood that Allah’s purpose for me was to be significantly different from that of other Americans, whose beliefs, lifestyles, and dress were welcome additions to the “melting pot” of American society.  I don’t think that I have what I would term a “pastime,” but I read books, study Islam and Qur’an, and write novels on a regular basis.

 

            Exactly what it is that you do that manifests your talents and passion?

I write Islamic-themed novels and teach high school English, both of which I enjoy thoroughly.

 

     What is your life’s mission? What helped you to define that mission?

My life’s mission is two-faceted: spiritual and worldly.  Spiritually, my life’s mission is to die as a believer in state pleasing to my Creator, as a righteous wife, mother, teacher, and writer.   From a worldly standpoint, my life’s mission is to be amongst the best novelists in history, and to have these novels be an inspiration for readers to accept Islam and to better themselves as Muslims, thus making my novels of the residual knowledge that I leave behind as I am in the grave.

 

     How has this mission manifested into daily living for you as a wife, mother, author, teacher?

Daily, this mission makes me constantly step back and check myself and my intentions to make certain that my worldly mission never takes precedence over my spiritual mission, but that they both go hand-in-hand working for me in a practical and spiritual sense.   In order to achieve this, I’ve set certain “ground rules” for myself.  For example, my first and most important motto is, Prayer is success, and  I view all my spiritual and worldly success as resting in the realization of this motto.  Thus, I constantly ask Allah to make my prayer “the coolness of my eye.”  Also, I make my daily schedule around the prayer times, and I specifically allocate certain times to certain voluntary prayers that I pray daily “rain or shine.”

Practically, this mission translates into my gaining ideas to become a better wife, mother, author, and teacher by simply increasing my du’aa while I’m in sajdah and by making more voluntary prayers, of forgiveness and Istikhaarah.  It also means that I write only when my husband is not home or when he is preoccupied in his own activities, and that, as a general rule, schoolwork is done at school, and “home work” is done at home, with exceptions taken only for necessity.  It also means that I make certain that I spend quality time with my daughter and that she is engaged in her own activities whenever I am writing while she is awake.   At school, this means every lesson, no matter how grammatically mundane, is an opportunity to use the English language for the purpose of reminding myself and my students of Allah and our purpose on this earth. 

 

 Life coaching is about applying success strategies to help individuals define and support their ultimate vision. Have you had professional coaching or used any strategies to motivate yourself to keep writing? 

 I haven’t had professional coaching, but I have two strategies that I stick to, [in order] to keep writing.  My first strategy is the motto I mentioned above, “Prayer is success,” so when I wish to write, I simply raise my hands in du’aa or pray in my sajdah asking Allah to guide my words, but only after I’ve made Istikhaarah about embarking on a particular project in the first place.  It’s the one strategy that works without fail.  The next strategy is one I read about once:  “It’s about quantity, not quality.”  In other words, in the first phase of writing, it’s most important to just get your ideas on paper and actually finish the book.  Naturally, you’ll have to re-read, revise, and even rewrite some parts.  But as long as you have something to work with, achieving the quality you want is much more attainable.

 

 Come back soon for part 2/4 of the series with internationally acclaimed author Umm Zakiyyah!

Commit to a lifetime of learning!

 

Shining Out!

 

Teacher~Tamara

© 2009 Teacher~Tamara.  All rights reserved

   

Solve for y: Answers January 27, 2009

 

Solve for y: Answers

 

Y= (a+b+c+d)

a.      our eman/faith:

Our level of faith is determined by how much tawwakkal (trust and reliance) in Allah (swt) we have.  As our faith and belief in Him increases we draw nearer to Him and as believers this is our ultimate success.  Many times our initial goal may not be obtained, but when we realize what we have by putting full trust in Allah, what we have gained is priceless.

b.      purified intentions:

 As our stellar front row students have mentioned if we purify our intentions, sincerely striving to do all things for the sake of Allah, whatever the outcome we will be benefitted in this life and the next InshaAllah.

c.       our effort/action:

In any given situation there is one thing that is within your control and it’s your personal effort.  In the above equation for success, the action that you commit to doing is the only variable (the only thing that changes in any given situation).  YOU are in control over the success.  Allah (swt) has already promised this to us as believers. 

d.      dua:

We have a miraculous tool that whenever used correctly will never fail- DUA!  All we have to do is sincerely and truly ask of our Lord the Most High and He will give to us.  There are special times when our prayers are answered directly, when they are delayed and something better is given to you in the next life and times when your prayer may not be answered but Allah (swt) protects you from something harmful.  How awesome is that!?  He who knows better than any of us will decide the best course of answer.  SubhannaAllah, how wonderful He is!

As believers we begin all of our deeds on the premise of La ilaha il Allah part of our testament of faith. Clear intentions and goals allow us to choose our pathways to success. These goals are only realized with concerted effort and action and dua to Allah (swt) for tawfiq.

May Allah (swt) give us all success in drawing nearer to Him! Amin

Commit yourself to a lifetime of learning!

Teacher~Tamara

© 2009 Teacher~Tamara.  All rights reserved.

 

Leaps of Faith (part 2) Change: Embracing A New Day November 13, 2008

As long as you keep your head to the sky! Be optimistic!

 

Change.  It’s the dawn of a new era and everyone is talking change.  The citizens of the United States of America have taken a major leap of faith and elected Barack Hussein Obama as their new President. 

As a result of this campaign of change, Mahatma Ghandi’s famous quote ”Be the change you want to see in the world” has been reborn and spread across continents from nation to nation like wild fire.  It reaches down into the heart of mankind. Deep inside we all want to believe that we can make a difference.

Change by definition is to make different in some particular way or to make radically different; to give a different position course or direction; to replace with another.  We say we want change but are we willing to make sacrifices, perhaps even to disassociate ourselves from situations, places and people that are no longer what we want? Have we given thought to the adjustments that will take place in our lives once real change is effected?

We know what change is but how do we begin to take steps in our own lives to actualize these changes? Where is the root of change within us?  What are some obstacles that may keep us from getting the results that we are after?

One of the first steps to effecting personal change is accepting our part in this drama called life. Taking responsibility for our own actions allows us to realize that we always have options. Even if we are faced with the most severe trials and hardships or when we are in situations that are seemingly out of our control we have options. We begin to control the situation when we are in control of our responses.  In essence, changing on any level begins upon deciding to embrace a new way of thinking. This leads to letting go of old thought patterns and habits.

Each day we are faced with a new challenge. Today ask yourself- Am I ready to be the change that I want to see in the world?  If so what are your dreams about changing the world in which we live? Give your dreams a breath of life and make them real, voice them aloud. Take a step today and see where your dreams will take you tomorrow. Share your dreams here or at teachertamara4life@yahoo.com.  Embrace a new day and make a change!

Shining out!

 

Teacher Tamara

Leaps of Faith part 1 What Dreams May Come November 6, 2008

Standing atop the precipice I witnessed hundreds of white horses gallantly leaping over the cliff.  The resounding cascading falls thundered in the pit of my soul and touched my deepest core.  I stood overlooking the water gaping, humbled, and in awe of these creations, magnificent and courageous.   As they leapt over the edge into a sea of unknown, streams of tears poured from my eyes.  I identified wholly with these creatures yet I was frightened and paralyzed by their sheer determination and will. When the time came would I be able to step forward and take that leap of faith?  What would be my destination when I did?

The photograph in the header of this blog was taken this summer while celebrating the completion of my life coaching certification process. The picture is of the Canadian or Horseshoe falls section of Niagara Falls.  The  blurb above was taken from a dream that I had almost 10 yrs ago!  Until August 17^th I didn’t know that such a place even existed.  More than a dream it was like a fantasy come true. 

 When God wants to give you something grand, you must first show that you are ready, willing and able to accept His gift. Tears of joy were streaming down my face as I realized that God had invited me to accept His gift.  I had reached that precipice in my life where I was ready to live life not based on fear, but on faith.  Surrounded by living and life giving powerful waters I realized that my time had finally come. Through life’s preparation (referred to by many as failures or mistakes) I was finally ready to proceed to the next step.

My mission is to reach out to sisters in all places and spaces in life to educate, support, inspire and coach.  My deepest wish is to see world wide communities being built stronger from the inside out through a development of its women and families.  Share, give feedback and please visit often!  

Shining out!  

Teacher Tamara