Interior decoration

As I begin putting up the Ramadan decorations, I wanted to pass along this link to this new website for Ramadan and Eid decorations, invitations, and placards called ModernEid. It’s pretty nifty, eh? I thought about getting this metallic garland from them, but I’ve decided to just stick with what I made last year. For some more tips on how to decorate your house on Ramadan, you can check out my posts from last July, follow my Eid decoration board on Pinterest, and/or visit the following sites:

• Ramadan Joy– formerly Barakah Life, this has great DIY ideas for decorating your home elegantly for the holidays.
• Silver Envelope-an Islamic stationary company, and my personal go-to for the little somethings that make DIY projects pop!
• Handmade Beginnings-has a lot of nice Ramadan and Eid craft ideas for the kiddos.
• Islamic Bookstore and NoorArt sell the same kind of mass printed decorations.
• Eid Way-a site dedicated solely to Eid decorations..including cake and cookie stencils! Yes!
• Muslim Toys and Dolls-a site with a lot of the items from the previous mentioned online storefronts but with a little higher pricing, but free shipping!
• Ranoon-a beautiful site for lights, candles, lanterns, and other Ramadan and Eid-inspired home decor.
• ModernEid-previously mentioned, a new site that with Islamic stationary, postage, and decor all in one! Did you check it out yet? Did you, did you?!
• World Market-a store that has lanterns and other Islamic-looking home-decor items if you look close enough…

But with all this talk about interior decoration, let’s remind ourselves that Ramadan is not so much about the decoration of our houses and masjids with people and food, as much as it is about the decoration of our hearts and souls with a good spiritual state in order to evolve and elevate to higher levels…to the potential that we must realize before we die. And with that, I’ll share some words that Shaykh Muhammad Mendes shared with my husband this past week during a class (and I’m paraphrasing):

Remember that the fall of Adam started when he ate something. Gluttony and meat harden the heart. Just look at how children change once they are given food other than their mother’s milk. They begin to develop an ego…Umar ibn Al-Khattab made in unlawful during his caliphate to eat meat for more than two days in a row for a reason. Put your two hands together in front of you and make them into fists, side by side–that is the size of your stomach. The sunnah is 1/3 food, 1/3 water, and 1/3 air. If you really want to experience the Ramadan of our noble predecessors, that of the Prophet (saws) and his companions, make your suhoor and iftar of the two black things: dates and water, nothing else. Then you will know the fast. And remember that abstaining from the carnal is the base level of the fast. To fast with ihsan is to abstain from all that distracts you from your Lord…with all of your senses (hearing, sight, and the limbs) and with all of your being (your heart, mind, and soul).

So here’s to a blessed interior decoration for your home, stomach, and soul! Eat less meat, eat more vegetables, and eat less in general! Instead fill your eyes, mouth, and heart with air and prayer! Enjoy your Ramadan and be merry!

Ramadan mubarak! May your fasts be accepted! Amin!