Thursday 6 June 2013

Book Review: Journey of a Muslimah Homemaker by Ameera Rahim and Ameer Idris Rahim

I came across this book by chance through a friend and it piqued my interest.  There are lots of these types of books on home making and spirituality by Christian writers but I had not seen one written by a Muslimah, so I was keen to see what it was about.

The book is written by a blogger: Sister Ameera of http://traditionalmuslimah.blogspot.co.uk/http://traditionalmuslimah.blogspot.co.uk/.  Despite blogging for the last few years I had not heard of her which surprised me and made me realised how big cyberspace can be and how difficult for sisters to get their message across.

Sister Ameera has distilled much of the wisdom from her blog and presented it in a slim and attractive book.  The book acts as a reminder of why housework and taking care of your family doesn’t have to be drudgery but can be an act of worship that brings us into alignment with the purpose with which Allah (SWT) created us: to worship him, serve his creation and fulfil the duties as a wife and mother that he ordained for us.

The book contains hadith, ayaat from the Quran and quotes to inspire us and also examples from the sister’s life.  I certainly felt that I could relate to her words about going from being an independent, modern woman who was not a particular fan of homemaking, to finding the pleasure in taking care of your home and appreciating your family.  In truth, this is a journey of gratitude for all that Allah (SWT) blesses us with.

The book is interspersed with recipes for baking bread, muffins and cakes and even poetry.  The writer also offers online resources and tips for the day to day management of your home and for finding pleasure in what you do.

I found this book to be a nice little meditation on the spirituality there is to be found in our everyday lives, a pleasant reminder of how our every waking minute can be spent worshipping  insh’Allah.