Just curious - how many muslims are on mumsnet?

[Galvanise]

Hello/Salaam,

I know mumsnet has a wide and diverse population and I tend to recognise some MN usernames as regulars. Just intrigued to know how big/small a community it may be.

Of course, I respect that there may be those who do not wish to even identify themselves for various reasons - which is fine too.

I am not asking for 'religiousness' levels or any vital stats! Nor is this a muslim-only thread or an 'no non-muslims' thread.
If you really wish to tell me that you are not a muslim, that is fine too :)

:)

Salaam Alaikum,

Sorry, I haven't read all the thread, but I did smile at the converts who used to be atheists up thread - me too.

Hope you're all well. It's nice to see a positive Muslim thread here.

About the birthday thing, I don't sweat it. If my child's invited to party and they want to go I let them go. My girls are very aware of dietary rules and I do tell the parent of the birthday child as well.

I've also got very close friendships with mothers of the children who my girls had play dates with.

I reciprocate parties around the two eids & it's great fun.

I love Rumi, his concept of worship/love is very beautiful. I'm not an expert by any means, but I'm god conscious from love & gratefulness (another facet of love I suppose) & not fear of hell & damnation.

Salaam everyone, how are you all? I've not been around for a whole, on top of everything else I've had a sickness bug. Lovely.

Galvanise, with regards to birthday parties for my DD's, I let them go if they want unless it's a disco party. Things like bowling, soft play etc I have no problem with. My eldest, who's 8 is also very good with what she can and can't eat, and all the parents know he dietary restrictions. The only small problem we're having at the moment is since the age of 3 her best friend has been male, which earlier on was fine, but I'm starting to explain to her that whilst she can remain friends they can't get married like he's been wanting to for the last 5 years . And he's autistic so it's hard for him as he doesn't fully understand.

Crescent, did your guests enjoy you're food? Can you please enlighten me on the fiqh of childbirth? Although I think I know most of it, I don't want to miss anything for when DC3 arrives, thanks.

Lostandfound my heart is aching for your daughters admirer, perhaps he can be persuaded of the joy and truth of islam...

Thanks crescent, that's lovely to hear.

I absolutely agree about there being different paths to God.

I think something we have to be careful of, is that it's good to be a better person, not a different person. Allah made us all different for a reason and if you look at the Sahaba, they were all really different personalities.

Some people end up so detached from who they are that it causes them problems down the road - converts are especially prone to this.

Hardly, that would be nice. Although when anything religious is mentioned he states very matter of fact 'there is NO God, and that's because my dad says so and he's always right'. So it may be a lost cause unfortunately!

Thanks crescent, nothing I didn't already know which is good . Although it was interesting reading about the different schools of thoughts. And yes, I too feel sorry for men in that they don't get the holidays we do!

That's interesting crescent, I've never really looked into the way the different schools practise, and it's something I'm really interested in and want to learn more about.

We follow the hanafi school, but my husband and his family are really strict about wudu, and no they don't leave their prayer mat until they've prayed all fard, sunnah and nafl prayers! When he gets back from Pakistan I'm going to ask him more about this. Being strict about wudu is the only way I know, so I'm not going to change it now, but I never knew hanafis were more relaxed about it!

That programme sounds good, I'll be watching it inshallah.

Just wanted to mention that in book on menstruation and related issues by hedaya hartford, which is hanafi i think, she says the prayer is still obligatory until most of the babies head is out.
Can't quite imagine the practicalities of this but thought I should mention it!

The programme looks interesting, there was one of the same title a few years ago, which was on the whole cringeworthy but did have some redeeming points.

RE madhabs, I have been hanafi from the time I converted up until very recently, I found it an easy madhab to learn and apply, and I was grateful for the emphasis on the sunnah prayers, otherwise my natural laziness would have taken over! Though I must admit I only manage the confirmed sunnah, praying 17 rakahs at Isha feels like a mountain i may never climb
I'm now studying maliki as thought it would be easier to be the same as my husband and son, it's very interesting but not easy to change!

How lovely crescent, I'm always so touched by the stories of Prophets, companions and others that emphasise their humanity, as it makes the gap between us and them seem somehow less.

I also thought that the time for you to not need to pray in childbirth comes from the time the blood starts.

As for wudhu the fardh is washing the hands and arms washing the head and face and wiping the feet.

but if you wash your face then go away and then come back and wash your feet and arms then it is valid afaik

Salamalaykum sisters.

Just wanted to let anyone who is interested know that there is a program on BBC 3 today at 9 called make me a muslim. Apparently its about women who have converted to Islam and their experiences. Will be interesting to watch and then come back here and confer about what we thought about it. Especially since there are so many lovely converts/reverts on this thread. Anyway hope everyone is doing okay.

Salaam,

Anyone watching bbc3. I am shocked at the nasty messages about shanna! Some people really should concentrate more on themselves rather than others.

Wa alaykum salaam Blue. I watched it too and was pleasantly surprised. Will elaborate tomorrow when I'm more awake. I was shocked by the harshness of the comments she got but not surprised. There are some people in our community who love to judge others and will even be competitive about how religious you are I.e. how long is your beard, how many prayers do you do in the mosque, how big is your headscarf. I think a lot of the abuse she got though was from what I would classify as cultural Muslims. A practicing Muslim would know better (I hope) then to flippantly condemn someone to hell as only Allah SWT can decide that and also to use such crude insults. I bet that a lot of the people (men I suspect) who sent abuse to her are probably so far fom being exemplary Muslims to make their indignation about her insulting Islam a joke. They just don't want their own women getting ideas from this uppitty Pakistani girl if you know what I mean. If they explained Islam properly to their own wives and daughters they could stop wasting so much time monitoring what women they don't even know are doing. Rant over . Must go to sleep now.

i think those comments were just trolls.

I think she asked some silly questions and said some silly things tbh.

Was pleasantly surprised by the programme, really liked everyone on it.

I think your right nailak about some of the things she said but it was obvious they chose her to do the show to highlight the contrast. On the one hand you had the white British converts who had embraced Islam and on the other there was an Asian Muslim who had embraced western culture.

I think she went through a bit of a journey herself. It seemed like spending time with people who had willingly entered into Islam and were practicing it seriously made her want to take it more seriously herself. I was amazed at her turn around by the end. She could have easily just accepted the interpretation about modelling of that sister Aisha but it didn't sit right with her and instead she accepted the one of the most practicing converts she met.

I had a lot of empathy for her. I have friends and know people who are like that. Often its because of upbringing where for whatever reason they haven't really been taught about Islam or encouraged to practice it. However like I wad telling Dh yesterday a lot of sisters start off like that but then Allah guides them and they change and become more devout Muslims then those who started off being practicing. Many people come from a bit of a jahil past.

I wasn't that impressed either. Presenter was upset she was judged then was so judgemental of the concerts she met.