Muslim Names 4U

General tips on managing a Muslim household:

When prayer time comes drop what you are doing and pray. Many of us will think "as soon as I finish the dishes........" or "...as soon as I finish this load of laundry...". There is no blessing in doing anything if it keeps you away from your obligation to Allah. DROP EVERYTHING and do your salat!

Take care of your own needs. How many of us spend our days taking care of everyone in our families and forgetting to take care of ourselves? Did you ever skip out on eating to finish the vacuuming or get up to do the dishes when you should have taken a much-needed nap? When you are hungry.... eat. When you are tired...sleep. You will be able to cope with everything in the house much better if you are fed and rested. If you are hungry and exhausted you are going to be grouchy and ill tempered and probably not able to accomplish much anyway.

Beautify yourself. Keep yourself fit. Drink lots of water. Take care of your hair and skin. Don't stop doing cartwheels and climbing trees. Having a good self-esteem can go a long way in having a healthy state of mind.

Clear your mind. Avoid the TV. Avoid gossipy phone chitchat. Keep yourself preoccupied with matters of the religion and the matters of the ummah. Don't ever feel satisfied with yourself that making dua' is enough. There is jihad going on. Women, babies, and the innocent are being slaughtered. If you are a Muslim then THIS IS YOUR PROBLEM (not what is going to happen tomorrow on Days of Our Lives).

Control your temper. Don't scream at your children. Take deep, DEEP breaths. Seek refuge from shaytan. DO NOT SCREAM. Now that you are fed, rested, beautiful, calm and making salat on time, enlist the help of your family members.

Let your husband help you. Its well known that a lot of "Muslim" husbands don't do housework or help with babies as this is "women's work". I assume that this is not the norm, since the Prophet (saws) himself was known to cook and sew. Every husband brings his contribution to his family. Whatever it is, no matter how small let him know that you appreciate it and pray for him.

Raise responsible children. Even toddlers and pre-schoolers and give you a hand in the housework. Some mothers think that it is too much of a hassle to teach them and it is just easier and faster if they do it themselves. It is a hassle in the beginning, but once they learn the system it's a HUGE help. Even little things, like knowing how to pour their own juice, is a tremendous help.

Simplify your home!

When your house is a mess, your mind is a mess." Isn't that so true! Clear out the clutter. Get rid of all that stuff that is getting on your nerves. It is so much easier to clean up when you don't have that much stuff to clean up anyway. Don't save anything in case SOMEDAY you might need it. There is probably a Muslim somewhere who could use it TODAY.

Create a homeschool-functional house. Create a home that will serve your family not impress your guests!

When all else fails and your having a rotten day........

Improve the atmosphere. Open a window, burn some incense, play some Qur'an recitation or nasheed.

Get assistance from multimedia. Keep a library of educational CD's and Videos. I regularly check out National Geographic and others from my local library. Play them a video or put on a CD and feel good that they are learning something, not just wasting time.