Salat (prayer)

We, as Muslims, pray five times everyday. We pray so that we are constantly reminded of God to seek guidance and forgiveness if we need to.The first Prayer we do is at pre-dawn(fajr) Performed before sunrise sometimes i don't do this as it is very early morning. then we pray at noon (Dhuhr) but again sometimes i do not do this as i will probably be at school. after that we pray in the afternoon ('Asr) this is when we remember God and the greater meaning of our lives. after that we pray at sunset(Maghrib) and then the evening('Isha). This shows our faith in Allah because constantly through the day we are remembering him and seeking guidance or forgiveness.

Ramadan

I have started fasting! This means I am not allowed to eat or drink till sunset! fasting teaches us as Muslims to be patient, modest and spiritual. we ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in staying away from everyday evils, and try to purify ourselves. we fast for the sake of god. after sunset we eat all sorts of food to resemble the end of fasting. At the end of Ramadan, we celebrate Eid ul-Fitr. Eid falls after 29 or 30 days of fasting. Eid ul-Fitr means the Festival of Breaking the Fast a special celebration is made. Food is given to the poor, everyone puts on their best clothes and communal prayers are held in the early morning, followed by feasting and visiting relatives and friends. I found it very hard at school today to concentrate so my parents say I have to stay home tomorrow in case I get ill from dehydration.

My Role Models!

I have quite a few role models. One of them is Michael Jackson. I admire him because he got though loads of troubles and he was the greatest singer of all time and achieved his dream. I admire Lady Gaga, not only because of her catchy songs, but also her sense of style and her costumes! I also admire my mum for being such a lovely mother and helping keeping the family organised!

A Day In The Life Of Me!

Sometimes I get up at 5:30-6:00 am to do fajr (pre dawn prayer) but not all the time because school starts early and depending on what time of the year it is, the dawn is at a different time. I put on my school uniform and have breakfast. When I have checked all my stuff is in my bag I say bye to my family. I have two lessons before my first break. In this break it is near noon and I usually snack on something, at this time I might do Dhuhr (noon prayer) but sometimes I forget. In the afternoon when I get home from school whoever is at home will do asr (afternoon prayer). After dinner we pray twice more before bed at 9:30. On weekends I always do fajr. I might go to mosque with my family, laze around at home, or meet up with friends!!

The Charity My Family Supports!!

My donation page is Muslim Aid. They work across 70 countries. Muslim aid helps the poor get through the suffering due to natural disasters and lack of life's basic necessities. It helps all of those in need of it and it doesn't matter what race, religion, gender, nationality or political opinion. Islam encourages people to be generous towards others. We must give some of our wealth to those in need. In some Muslim countries they collect charity money like Tax, but others, we decide on a charity of our choice. In our family its Muslim Aid!! The word Zakah in the Qur'an means Purification- Giving some money to those who need it purifies whatever money you have left! We all give our money to Muslim Aid as a family. Click here for a link to the Muslim Aid!!

My Diet...

I am only allowed to eat Halal meat and I cannot eat pork. Also, I cannot drink alcohol when I am older. I cannot eat pork because Pigs are dirty animals and Allah doesn't want us to eat anything harmful and because of its uncleanliness. It is against Islamic teachings to eat or drink anything that could make you lose your mind, sensibility or judgement. Also, it is against teachings to put your body or mind in harms way. Halal is to do with the way they slaughter the animals. they do it by breaking the nerves to the brain first so the animal does not feel pain.

More...

As I am Muslim I wear a Hijab (also known as a Headscarf) some girls don't, but I believe it is faithful To Allah. It is what Allah wants. Allah's words are that women should be modest Like covering their hair, which is what I do, but I am allowed to take it off at home. I wear it to follow the laws of Allah. I do not think that it is necessary to where a full Burqa because it is not fair to the woman, as long as they are not vain I think a headscarf is enough to please Allah, although, in some Muslim countries they wear it because if they don't they could be punished.

My background

My religion is Islam which is the second biggest religion in the whole world so I am part of a very large community which is my religion. Many assume that we are all born in a different country but I wasn't. I was born here. My parents used to live in Qatar and decided to move to London when my mum found out that she was pregnant with me. My brother and sister didn't get along well in that neighbourhood and the moved around a lot but still didn't get on well at schools so they moved to England to see if it helped and it did. My brother is now 23 so he is nearly through university. my sister is 20 so she has a while to go! I am in year eight and am very interested in doing Textiles because I love making things and I want to be a designer when I am older. Well, me and Maya have decided that when we are older we will own a designing business called S&M! Anyway, more from me later!

Me

Hi, my name is Seema Manjiid and I am 13 years old. I live with my Mum, Parmida, my Father, Syed, my older sister, Amirah and my older brother Faheem. My home is in Shepherds Bush, but my school is in Hammersmith. My best friend at school is Maya. She is my best friend because she ALWAYS makes me laugh!