Sister Reminder blogs

Just got this email written by Asma bint Shameem, and I thought I should share! 

What if I tell you that I know a way that will ensure that all your prayers are answered, that none of your Du’aas will be rejected and anything that you ask for will be granted? Wouldn’t you like to know what that way is? Wouldn’t you jump at the chance to avail that? But…..what is that way? How can we achieve all this and more?

The answer to that, brothers and sisters, isn’t anything secret or hidden. The answer has been there for ages. Actually, it’s been there for the last 1400 years… We just didn’t look hard enough. We just didn’t pay much attention to it. It is what Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’ala has promised His slaves every single day….every time he sits down to break his fast.

 The answer lies in the hadeeth of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) when he said:

“Indeed the fasting person has at the time of breaking the fast a supplication, which is not rejected.” (lbn Majah, Saheeh)

And he (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) also said:

“Three prayers are not rejected: the prayer of a father (parent), the prayer of a fasting person, and the prayer of a traveler.” (al-Baihaqi, Saheeh)

In another hadeeth, he (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said:

“There are in the month of Ramadhaan in every day and night those to whom Allah grants freedom from the Fire, and there is for every Muslim a supplication which he can make and will be granted.” [Ahmad, Saheeh]

So Allah answers the Du`aa of the fasting person at iftaar time.

But, alas, most of us are either unaware of this great blessing of Allaah or are too busy thinking about food at this time. Some of us are frying ‘samosas’ till the last minute, setting the table and preparing ‘hot’ food. Some are too busy talking, arguing about the exact time to break the fast, or watching television (may Allah protect us), reading the newspaper and some are even sleeping until after the Maghrib adhaan has been called! And some are busy filling up their plates even before the time to break the fast has entered!

Subhaan Allaah! Allaah is promising us that He will answer our prayers and we are too busy to respond?!!

What a waste of a golden opportunity….a chance of a lifetime to have your supplications accepted!

What is the matter with us? Is food really the most important thing….the ultimate goal of our lives?!! Is it food that Ramadhaan is all about?!!

Why do we not take full advantage of this great gift of Allah? Don’t you see?! Here is your chance to earn Jannah!

Now is the time to ask for forgiveness…for EVERYTHING you have EVER done….And He will forgive you.

Ask Him for guidance for you and your family and He will guide you. 
Ask Him to solve all your problems, and He will find a solution for you.
Ask Him for this Dunyaa and He will grant it to you. And the Aakhirah….He will suffice you.

Shaykh ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:

“Du’aa’ should be made before iftaar (breaking the fast), at Maghrib, because this combines weakness and humility, and because he is still fasting. All of these are means of having one’s du’aa’ answered.”

It is said that the intelligent is the one who takes advantage of the situation. So don’t let this great opportunity pass you by. Know that Allah listens to the fasting person’s supplication and answers it. So finish all your work and preparations 5 minutes before Iftaar time. Teach this to your kids and your families and encourage them to do the same. Don’t let the Dunyaa distract you. Sit down peacefully, clear your mind of all thoughts, bow your head and raise those hands. Go ahead and make use of this precious…. precious time when you are breaking your fast to ask Allah for all those things that would make your life easy in this world and in the Hereafter. 
And do it with full faith and confidence that Allaah will surely respond.

Why wouldn’t He?? He said so and so He will.

May Allaah accept all of our Ibaadah and all our supplications and grant us Jannah.

Ameen.

Sister Reminder blogs

“Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): “I am with you: give firmness to the Believers….” (8:12)

The Battle of Badr is a fascinating historic event that Muslim youth should be exposed to in a creative and legendary way. Just as we are entertained by the media on  the brilliant military chivalries of Robin Hood and King Arthur, we can celebrate  Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his companions who led  one of the  greatest military campaigns and battles ever fought.

Steps for Kids to learn more about The Battle of Badr, that took place in Ramadan.

1. You can read the basic information with your children here. 

2. You can watch the movie battle of Badr video on you tube. 

3. Islamic Trivia for older kids. First they have to read the information and study it through out the day. You can make questions on a index cards and set up the quiz after Iftar. The one who answers most of them correctly gets a prize.

4. Have them answer the questions online. The child who scores the highest, wins!  

5. For younger ones, you can dress them up in costumes (I had done this with my boys). They can wear white jilabia and cut a white muslin strip of cloth(2 1/2 ‘ x 1/2′) as a turban. You can make sword balloons. This was my son’s favorite part! We even made turban balloons for the Quraish! None of my boys wanted to be the bad guys so we put them on our teddy bears and relatives who were “stuck’ in the house.

6. Make a LapBook like this one from Muslim Learning Garden. I found this link just as I was about to post this!  

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It is reported that “The Prophet (pbuh) was naturally the most generous of people and he used to be more generous than ever in the month of Ramadan” (Sahih Bukhari)

Ramadan can not be a month of fasting without the month of giving. Just as salah and zakah go hand in hand, so does this holy month with charity. Here are some interesting Ramadan charity ideas that can easily be done as a family or as a masjid community. And….don’t just stop after Ramadan! After this month it can continue on as a long term project, and a life long endeavor.

Make a Family Sadaqa Jar 

A friend of mine gave me a wonderful idea about making a family Sadaqa jar which can be made from an empty plastic jar. It’s good to be able to see the jar, so your child can see the money piling up. Every time they want to run to get an ice cream truck, or get a pizza, or want to buy something from the store-tell them to decide if they want to buy the item or place that money to the sadaqa box. Majority of the time they may opt to give instead. Every time they receive money from relatives, a portion of it can go to the  box. Before the end of Ramadan, you can have them open it up and count to see how much money can be raised by just collecting nickels and dimes! They can donate it to their favorite charity organization.

Fundraise for a Cause

A wonderful homeschool mom from Brooklyn sent us her idea to raise $ for the African Horn Famine. Jezak-Allah for the your idea! “My son did a great activity and raised over $160 dollars (through his relatives at iftarr) for the people of Somolia and Ethiopia (29,000 kids have already died this month from the famine!) We are going to send the money through Islamic Relief.

Just take a Ragu bottle (any bottle will do) and take tissue paper of all sizes- mix some elmers glue with water to paint all those tissues papers on. Then write a letter of appeal together. I wrote it and he held the crayon with me. Last, cut out strips of paper and write thank you. this is the person donating ticket they get as like  a receipt for their donation.
Masha’Allah its amazing how much those cute little faces can raise when they ask for money heh!”

Adopt an Orphan

This website Orphans in Need provide you with one to one connection with the orphan around the world. Only about $50.00 a month, you can provide an orphan clean water, shelter, nutritious food, medical attention, and education. They guarentee your contribution will be used on the child 100%, and not go to the overhead expense.

This organization provides information about your child you sponsored, and you receive a monthly report about the child’s progression. You will also have opportunity to communicate directly by sending letters and gifts, as well as visitation rights.

They are also building an ‘eco-freindly’ orphan village outside Delhi, India which will accommodate hundreds of children who would normally live in slums that exist in and around the major urban areas of  India.

Clean the Masjid

You don’t always have to give money… instead, give your time. I saw one high school MSA group that came together and cleaned the masjid before Jumma. This was a great help for the older gentleman working there who usually cleans the entire masjid himself before the Friday prayer!

Create an Eid Toy Drive in Your Local Community Masjid. Set a date for an Eid Toy Drive Give Away. I would do it a few days or even weeks before Eid to lessen the burden. Hand out flyers to masjids, Muslim businesses, and even in local non-Muslim supermarkets.  Then send out emails, facebook, and twitter your event to get your friends interested in donating new toys. You can remind them that it can be considered part of  their Sadaqatul -Fitr. And the needy kids will actually get gifts before Eid!

You can also support the National Eid Toy Drive and buy from http://muslimtoysanddolls.com/. For every $20.oo you buy from the store site, they give one toy and two gifts for parents of impoverished children in the US. It is wrapped and it comes with an Eid Card. The company’s goal is to give 2000  toys this year. For more information you can call 866-390-1559.

There was a boy who came into my Islamic class very grumpy  one morning during the early days of Ramadan. I asked him if everything was Ok. He said, “No!” ” What happened? ” I asked. He said with detest, “My dad won’t let me fast because he said I’m too young.” Another student piped up and said,”Well you’re already 7 years old. You’re old enough!” He retorted,”That’s what I told him!” I had to chuckle to see the zeal in these children that Allah(SWT) gave them the love of fasting at such an early age.  It also is the spirit of good Islamic parenting that encourages children to fast when their families and friends are fasting too.

Here are some baby steps of fasting to encourage the children who are not yet of age, but can start practicing the Ramdan rituals:

1.  Create a Fasting Chart. Children can help color in the graph through out the Holy month.  They can use- Red for not fasting, Orange for fasting 2 hours, Blue for fasting half a day, and Green for fasting all day. Download the simple template here: Ramadan fasting chart. If you prefer a cut and paste chart already in color, then here’s the download. And here’s another one. 

2. Let them choose their Sahoor and Iftar Menu Daily: They can help write a simple dish on the Daily Sahoor and Iftar Planner.For example Sahoor: Oatmeal, Iftar: Macaroni and Cheese. Download here: ramadan menu of the day

3. Set a goal every day. Discuss with your child how long they will fast. It can be for one hour if you see that your child is restless. Or half a day if your child is very interested. Set the goal according to what is easy for them. The point is for them to feel a sense of hunger just for them to understand what “fasting” means. Do not exceed a point that the child is so uncomfortable that he begins disliking to do the act. You can always start with shorter hours, and everyday increase it. 

4. Let the child eat Sahoor later. If the child is not able to get up for Sahoor at Fajr, leave him to eat later. Let the child know that he can do this only because he is still practicing, and eventually he can practice waking up before Fajr.

5. Keep them occupied. Let them be busy with some play, toys, or games. Their fast will seem easier when they are busy and have something to do. Buy them special toys for Ramadan that you can surprise them with.

6. Be with other kids who are fasting. Have playdates with other kids and moms that are fasting. Just getting together and watching Islamic videos, playing board games, and just enjoying each others company can make the time pass more quickly and easily.

7. Remember those who have not. Most American children have never experienced poverty. The pangs of pain is a good reminder about the suffering of children in war stricken countries or countries with natural disasters. Especially during this time, discuss the African Horn Famine going on now in Ethiopia and Somalia and how over 24000 children died of hunger in this month alone. Reading children books and videos that remind our youth to care for orphans and the poor may also spring out charity ideas and projects. Visit http://islamicrelief.com/ to see pictures and donate.

8. Have some quiet time with the Quran. Let children spend time reading Quran or Hadith. If they are young, this can be a good time to rest and listen to some beautiful Qirat! 

9.  Make their favorite Iftar Sweets that they can break their fast with. Even if the child broke his fast earlier. Let the breaking of the fast at Maghrib be a special time to eat their home made treat. They can participate in making this as well. My children love making jello with strawberries!

10. Rewards! Rewards! Rewards! Have a treasurebox full of Ramadan sweets and prizes. Small prizes for a couple of hours fast while the big prizes for half to a full day. Go to Party City and Dollar Tree to fill your treasure box. You can make the treasure box  out of shoe box covered with contact paper and letter foams or just keep a huge gift bag to hold the prizes for them to dig in! 

Sister Reminder blogs

Sometimes we tend to become over zeoulous parents/teachers, and become impatient with our children to learn Quran. You can imagine these little children who may see watching T.V. cartoons more entertaining being subjected to daily you-better-sit-down-and-read-Quran-or-else routine. Of course there must  be a sense of discipline in teaching this sacred text, at the same time, we must be flexible to the mood of the child, and know when to stop. Here are some steps and guidelines to teaching young children how to memorize the Quran in a fun and engaging way, whether it is in a school or home

1. Measure their goals and progress visually. Make a poster or reward board for memorizing so many surahs. Decide how many surahs you would want them to memorize and display the names on a bulletin board. Here, the teacher color coded each flower for each surah that the child memorized. As he/she finished one surah, they added a flower until the stem is complete. She made one stem for each student, and wrote their names on the stem. If this is too difficult, you can download surah charts that can be used to track student progress.

2. Repetition is the key to memorizing, but can be quite a bore in the eyes of a 4 year old after saying it for the 20th time. To get them to recite more, use toy microphones (about $3.00 from Toys R Us) to  make them feel like a star! One teacher had them fold crafted flowers with seven petals, and  recited the ayahs of Surah Al Fatiha as they touched each petal of the flower.

3. Reward them after each lesson. Young children need constant praise that they are on the right track. At this age, it’s more important that we give them the confidence and love to memorize. Make sure your lessons are easily accomplished by the students, so they all can get rewarded. Have a  treasure box made from an old shoe box and wrapped with gift wrapper and filled with tiny toys and treats. After every lesson, and each get to recite the ayahs they are memorizing, they get to dip in the box for their stickers, balloons, and party favors.

4. Record their voice and make CDs of all their surahs. What a fun way to celebrate their Quran Memorization! You can also send these CDs home as a gift to their parents for Eid, or gift it to the kids themselves as an end of the year graduation souvenir!

5. Celebrate! Children at any age love getting awards and prizes. You can have a ‘ceremony’ after all the students complete their surahs. Each one can take turns reciting their surah they learned on a toy microphone (or use karaoke to make them really excited!) After all students complete reciting you can give surah certificates with a small goody bag. We’ll be blogging  about this in the future. Insh-Allah.

The key to successful Quran memorization are based on 2 things: First the lesson should be easy enough so that the child accomplishes it with ease (For example the child will memorize 1-3 ayahs and practice for 15-20 minutes a day),  and second, there should be a consistent reward plan such as some listed above. Insh-Allah, after implementing some of these tips, you will have children not only memorize, but love the quran.

Sister Reminder blogs

Schools in the United States get to the nitty gritty State Test countdown this time of year. The teachers diligently use every bit of their time to teach, practice, and assess their students. In the heat of all the pressure, Muslim students have a special tool to pass their exams: The Du’a (Prayer). Yes, we planned (or some of us have), and yes, we knocked down every chapter in the textbook, and of course we ripped through every state practice test out there, but have we prepared our students to make du’a?

I loved the idea of creating posters and bulletin boards and placing them in the hallways at this time to constantly remind us why we are in Islamic schools. Sr Jameelah Malik had made this ELA and MAT bulletin board to remind the kids to get prepared but also make du’a.

Let’s teach our children to make lots of du’a and make it for their study buddies and friends too! The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said, ‘The Dua of a person for his Muslim brother in his absence will be answered. At his head there is an angel, and every time he prays for him for something good, the angel who has been appointed to be with him, says, ‘Ameen, may you have likewise.’ “

Hence, there are two kinds of people who achieve the merit of the Angel’s saying, ‘Ameen’. First are those absent Muslims for whom the supplication is performed because the Angel says, ‘Ameen’ for such a supplication, which means, ‘O Allah, accept this Dua for the absent Muslim.‘ The second category of people contains those people who supplicate for the absent Muslims because the Angel says, ‘and for you too‘ after, ‘Ameen,’ meaning may Allah grant you the same.

A good reminder before the test is to tell them, “Now double your chances, and make lots of Dua. Don’t forget to  wish for others what you wish for yourself! We need more geniuses in the Ummah!”

Sister Reminder blogs

Ask anyone who their favorite person in the world is, and 9 times out of 10 you’ll hear… “My Mom.” Moms are synonomous with feelings of love, comfort, protection and just downright fuzzy wuzzies. And especially at this time of year, with Mother’s Day just around the corner, mom is on the brain.

In a hadith, Abu Huraira (RA) reported that a person came to the Prophet (SAW) and said, “O Allah’s Messenger, who amongst the people is most worthy of my love and respect? The Prophet (SAW) replied, “Your mother.” The man asked, “And then who?” The Prophet (SAW) again answered, “Your mother.” The man asked one more time and received the same answer. When the man asked the question a fourth time, the Prophet (SAW) answered, “Your father.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

Islam has elevated mothers to the highest status, and our mothers are to be revered, adored, and respected. After all, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) has said “Paradise lies under the feet of your mother.”

Many of us are all too familiar with these hadiths, and yet in our practical lives, we sometimes fall short of being the ideal son or daughter. We get too caught up in the Western notion of Mother’s Day and celebrating our moms on this day. But let’s just think about it. Did our moms spend just one day out of the year celebrating us? Did she say, ‘oh let me buy such and such things and love and appreciate my son/daughter on only one particular day of the year?’ Or did she sacrifice her each and every day, her each and every waking and sleeping moment, tending to our needs and our happiness, if only for that one beaming smile we gave her in return? Yes indeed, Mother’s Day is not only on the second Sunday of May each year, it is everyday!

And this Paradise we’re looking to earn is easier to attain than we think. Just by doing simple things, we can show our moms how much we care and gain the pleasure of Allah SWT. Here are some simple ideas of how to find your Paradise under your mommy’s feet:

• Call your mom either everyday or several times a week. Even if you have nothing much to talk about, just the fact that you are checking in with her everyday shows that you care, and that is enough for her.
• When you go out shopping, if you remember something that your mom needs in her home, pick it up for her. You’ll save her a trip to the store and she will appreciate that you remembered.
• All of us love our mom’s home cooking, but sometimes when you go over to visit, instead of her cooking for you, you bring the meal instead.
• If it is feasible, take her to her doctor’s appointments and be involved in her health care. As our parents age, they need our physical help, even though sometimes they don’t want to admit it.
• Randomly surprise your mom with her favorite sweets, or chocolates or other goodies.
• Most importantly give of your time. Spend time with your mom and make that extra effort to fit her into your busy life. It doesn’t have to be any elaborately planned day; just a simple lazy Sunday afternoon chatting with mom over a cup of tea is priceless.
• And lastly, whenever you speak to her, speak with kindness and respect. Even if she may get angry with you, never be disrespectful. And as with any disagreement, always remember that there is no such thing as ‘pride’ when it comes to family.

And for those of you mommies with little ones, teach your children similar values. Spend time with them doing fun craft projects, creating artwork, playing games, baking, and reading to them. This quality time that you spend with them will be worth more than any toy or object you can buy. These will be the moments they will remember and look back and say, “my mom is the best.”

I would like to leave you with a small narration by Shaykh Bayazid Bastami, who said: “What I was searching to find in my purification, mortification, striving and servitude, I found in serving my mother. One night my mother woke up and asked me for a glass of water. I hurried to bring her some water. I searched around the house and there was no water in the container nor in the bucket. It was a cold night. I went outside to the spring to get some water. When I came back my mother was asleep. So I stayed beside her bed with the glass of water. Near dawn she woke up and upon hearing my story she took the water, drank it, and prayed for me. In that moment, I found what my heart was looking for.”

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” Then will God say: ‘O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favor to you and to your mother. Behold! I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit (the angel Gabriel) so that you did speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught you the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel. And behold: you make out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and you breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by My leave, and you heal those born blind, and the lepers by My leave. And behold! you bring forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the children of Israel from (violence to you) when you did show them the Clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: ‘This is nothing but evident magic’ (5:110).

As the Easter Holiday approaches closer, it is a wonderful time to  discuss with our children and students that Jesus (May Peace Be Upon Him) is a common prophetic figure to both Muslims and Christians. Our children probably watch the  Easter eggs, chocolate rabbits, and the colorful baskets with delight, and may even ask if it’s ok to decorate eggs and go egg hunting. As Muslim parents and teachers it is a “teachable moment” to understand that there are some fundamental differences, but there are more commonalities than we realize.

Common grounds between Christians and Muslims to stress with your child/ren:

1. Jesus is a great Messenger of God.

2. He was born miraculously without a father, and Mary was his mother.

3. He spoke when he was a baby.

4. He was able  to cure the sick, and bring life from the dead and other miracles

5. He was given a Holy book-Injil.

The differences are few but important:

1. Jesus was not put on a cross. It made it appear as he was, but another person was put in his place.

2. Jesus was a great prophet, but not the son of God. He worshipped Allah like all the prophets.

Here is a poem Isa that can be used to teach about the Prophet Jesus (Isa) Peace Be Upon Him. For young children, it is better to read the poem, and explain briefly about each verse.

If you haven’t read my first post about activity ideas for 100 Days of School, then read here. These are 25 more ideas on how you can celebrate 100 Days of School with an Islamic twist.

26. List and Write 100 things in Arabic Language

Use your Arabic lesson to make this list of 100 Arabic words and illustrate them into a pretty picture book that can be shared with younger students or siblings, and teach them a word or two!

27. 100 prayers I would make…

Make a chart of 100 Rakahs, and collectively decide how kids can make extra voluntarily (Nafl Prayers) and pray these 100 Rakahs!

28. 100 ways we can take care of the earth

Going green is key to our future and Islam endorses it. Plan on finding ways to take care of the earth and its resources the class can implement.

29. Remember Allah 100 times

Gain Allah’s blessings by making Dhikr. Learn the meanings of  Subhan-Allah, Alhumdulillah, Allahu Akbar, La illaha illAllah, etc. and recite them 100 times!

30. Make a craft using 100 recycled things

Fun class project idea to make using 100 items of recyclable products like cans, plastic bags, newspapers, magazines, bottles, etc. Allah does not like the wasteful.

31.  Name 100 countries & highlight the Muslim Countries from this list

Name the 100 counties’ capital cities. Have a fun question trivia round for each of these countries (their currency, where they are located on the map, interesting structures, fun facts, etc.)

32. Have a reading Marathon and read 100 Books that teach us about kindness and having good character

Make a list of these books. Borrow them from local libraries if they are not available at the school. Read and discuss the class’ favorite books out of them.

33. Write “100″ in different languages (including Sign Language) & Highlight the languages spoken by the students in  the school

Make a wall chart and display it on a bulletin board.

34.  List 100 things that you want to see or wish in Jannah!

Great activity for the little ones to learn about Jannah and its unimaginable possibilities!

35. How would you help 100 orphans?

List ways in which the community and the children can help orphans around the world. Look up projects like “Sponsor an orphan” and see if the students can collectively sponsor an orphan in another country and keep in touch with him/her.

36. Collect and print 100 different faces that Allah created. Not one of us is alike! SubhanAllah!

Post this on a bulletin Board and write the words “SubhanAllah! Not one of us is alike! 100 faces of mankind that Allah has created”

37.  100 goals I would like to accomplish as an American Muslim

Great idea for language lesson writing prompt. The children can even display each of their goals (illustrated) in the school corridor.

38. Collecting 100 toys for charity

Collect 100 toys and donate it to a popular charity for sick kids or homeless children.

39. Collecting 100 coats for Coat Drive

Join hands with your local Charity to take part in their Coat Drive

40. 100 minutes spending time reading Quran

Use this time to reflect on some Quran reading and then have a discussion on the Ayah or Surah they found inspiring.

41. Write an essay (100 words per paragraph) on “100 ways to make the world a better place”

Write an essay using only 100 words per paragraph and read it out to your classmates!

42. Write a letter to United Nations and to the White House (make sure they get it on 100 days): 100 ways to achieve world peace

Write and send a letter to Mr President or the UN as a class project on the 100th Day of School.

43. 100 ways to save energy & resources and not be wasteful

Research ways to conserve energy and the earth’s resources that Allah has blessed us with. Learn how doing so is being “Islamic”.

44. Press 100 flowers and leaves

Reflect on the beauty of nature and observe the many details of Allah’s creation in this project.

45. Collect 100 rocks and make a rock collection

Use the rocks to spell Allah’s name with it, and other such activities.

46. Find 100 different languages to say peace

Begin with Salaam, and find out how to say peace in Mandarin, Japanese, Malay, Portuguese, Bulgarian, German, French and even Asturian.

47. Imagine what it would be like 100 years from now for Muslims.

Discuss this topic as a class and write down your own views of what the world would be like. Also discuss signs of Qiyama and include some of these concepts and hadith in your writing.

48. Research 100 ways to cure simple diseases using the Prophet’s (pbuh) Medicine

Studying about the Prophet’s methods of simple cures is quite interesting. Go on a journey and discover these ways. Include them in your project or presentation to the class.

49. 100 Art Pieces

Auction kids art pieces and use the money for a charitable cause.

50. Make a t-shirt that says: 100 Days of Blessing-List on the back 100 Blessings

Wear these T shirts on the 100th Day of School

Sister Reminder blogs

I would beg to differ with Sr Alif… I just read an eye opening newsletter (attached below) written by Sister Asma Abdu-Salam Lyons, the principal of Hamza Academy which goes into the detail of the historical origin of Thanksgiving.  After reading your blog and reading the newsletter I could not help but add my two cents.

Thanksgiving- The Real Story

It interested me that people can celebrate holidays of  historical contradiction due to habit instead of knowledge. Allah says in the Quran,

“And do not follow (blindly) any information of which you have no direct knowledge. (Using your faculties of perception and conception, you must verify it for yourself). In the Court of your Lord, you will be held accountable for your hearing, sight, and the faculty of reasoning.” [17:36]

I did my own research on the origin of Thanksgiving and found more interesting  articles in this link. I also found this youtube video interesting to watch.

If I had the choice I would hold the gravy and study the history with “trails of tears”….