Please ENTER NOW for a chance to win greeting cards, bookmarks, and discount coupons. The contest entry period ends on July 26, 2010, with the drawing on July 29, 2010.  All who enter will receive a 15% discount coupon. Visit the Giveaway contest site for the official rules and entry form.

Everyone at Sakina Design would like to thank the organizers and attendees at the 2010 RIS (Reviving the Islamic Spirit) Convention in Long Beach, California. We had a great time meeting everyone. It was an incredible experience meeting new friends, old friends, and even long-lost friends. Insha Allah RIS becomes a fixture of the Southern California community.

We were blessed to have a booth, surrounded by great organizations. Across from us, were our friends at CAIR, working hard to protect the civil rights of Muslims, and build strong bridges with the broader American community. Please keep up the great work! Also across from us were the brothers and sisters from Al-Maghrib. A special thanks to them for entertaining our daughter and her friend! And next to us was Sandala Productions, formerly known as Alhambra Productions. It was great meeting both Shaikh Hamza Yusuf and Imam Zaid Shakir!

We even met some of the RIS organizers from Canada. Thanks for the kind words, insha Allah we have the opportunity to join you all in Toronto one day.

If you didn’t have the opportunity to be a part of RIS this year, please make sure you plan to attend next year. If they return to California, we will see you there insha Allah!

We were curious if our business decisions have done anything to help our planet. So we looked at our choice to use 100% post-consumer waste (PCW) recycled paper versus “regular” paper. Could we really have an impact in such a short time?

Thankfully, our paper company provided us with a convenient calculator to help us determine our impact. Just by choosing to use 100% PCW paper, we have saved:

Because the paper was also made with 100% renewable energy, we saved:

Source: Neenah Green Eco-Calculator, Savatree.com, H2Ouse.org, EPA.gov.

I also have to give a special thanks to my brother who helped me so much, and his wife who made me the best curry after a long long weekend.

I also want to share with all of you what I saw at the bazaar:

1. Honeybeez Pastries
They make tasty baked goods. Although they don’t have a retail or online store, they do catering for events. I bought 3 boxes of their tea cakes and shared them with the other vendors. We all agreed they were YUMMY! All products are made with simple ingredients and are 100% halal. Highly recommended! [Honeybeez Pastries | 323.481.3246]

2. Samina Khan’s Exquisite Collection
Sister Samina’s booth was right next to ours. She sells beautiful shawls, blouses and jewelry. A sweet sweet lady, masha Allah. [Samina Khan | 310.488.0362]

3. The American Rememdies
This company makes all natural, mostly organic and 100% halal skincare products. I bought some products and am loving them. Check them out! [www.theamericanremedies.com]

4. Al-Madinah
They were also our next-store neighbor. They are a wholesaler of Islamic goods, carrying a wide variety of products. I still remember the yummy home-cooked food Brother Mohammad offered me, masha Allah. [Al-Madinah | yahya_m91@hotmail.com]

5. Azraq Jewelry
One of the labels of Sally & Ally, our partner at this year’s convention. They are two creative souls providing a wide range of products and services: from jewelry and t-shirts to style news and photography. Azraq Jewelry products are all handmade by Sally and Ally and they also take custom orders. [Sally & Ally | www.sallyandally.com]

6. MAS Convention Newsletter
Our greeting cards were featured in their official newsletter, “5 Things Under $10”. We just love to be mentioned … is that narcissistic or just successful marketing?  ha ha ha!

Our principal complaint is the lack of Islamic decorations designed specifically for the Muslim-American consumer. What we see are products designed for overseas markets being imported to the U.S. They are either overly ornate or otherwise unappealing to our sense of taste and style. We also find most of these products to be low-quality, so even if we do like them, they appear cheap or break easily.

We believe the Muslim community deserves better. And we feel that the term Islam and Muslim should be attached to high quality products. Products that are designed and manufactured in accordance with the Islamic principle of ihsan (excellence). Products that appeal to our unique sense of aesthetics, that are durable and long-lasting, that are produced with their environmental impact in mind, and that take into consideration the health, safety and dignity of our fellow human beings.

And so the idea of Sakina Design was born. Here we produce contemporary, high quality, eco-friendly home decor, which pulls on the rich tradition of Islamic art. We uphold the highest standard of honesty in our business dealings. We also do not take or give interest and believe that charity should be an integral part of any good business.

At Sakina Design, we not only hold ourselves to these standards, but hope that we will set a new standard for Muslim businesses, and all businesses. This is possible only with the help and participation of the Muslim-American consumers. We will do our part in establishing and upholding these high standards, and we ask our customers to support us and all companies that uphold these ideals. Together we can change what is expected of Muslim businesses, and be proud of the label ‘Muslim Business’.

We’ve frequently been asked by customers if they can speak to Sakina. At times we’re tempted to say “I don’t know, can you?” … but we’re not sure if all our customers would find this an amusing response.

So we’ve decided to take this opportunity and explain why we’ve chosen Sakina Design for the name of our business. And in case you haven’t figured it out yet, there is nobody at Sakina Design named Sakina … we apologize if anyone is disappointed.

As we were developing our business idea, we tried to think of a name that would capture the essence of our business. A company that represents American Muslims, who have come from around the world, with a history of more than 1400 years. A company that aspires to present artwork in a contemporary manner, while pulling upon the rich and diverse tradition of Islamic art. A company that wants its art to create a sense of tranquility in both its physical appearance and its ability to inspire remembrance of the divine.

We liked the word ‘tranquility’, and when we translated it to Arabic, we just loved it. ‘Sakina’, the Arabic translation of ‘tranquility’, appears in the Qur’an. Since the Qur’an is the foundation for Muslim societies throughout the world, it reflects both the diversity and history of Muslims. The meaning of the word is also consistent with our goal of providing products that remind people of the divine, since ‘Sakina’ comes from God.

We hope this helps to explain why we have chosen the name Sakina for our company. So be warned, we now have a license to make fun of anyone who calls or e-mails us asking for Sakina … ha ha ha … just kidding.

With Peace and Tranquility!

I recently came across the following information at

Indoor chemicals contribute to allergies, asthma, birth defects and learning disabilities in children. While plants can’t cure major indoor pollution problems on their own, they are an ideal antidote to the minor contamination introduced into our indoor environments through everyday household products and building materials. As few as 15 houseplants in an average-size home can offer a significant reduction in the number of indoor contaminants.

Here are some common indoor air contaminants and the plants that can help remove them:

Formaldehyde: The Boston fern (Nephrolepi exalta “Bostoniensis”), Florist’s mums (Chrysanthemum morifolium), the Gerbera daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) and the Dwarf date palm (Phoenix roebelenii) reduce indoor levels of formaldehyde, a contaminant present in particleboard, carpet backings, some grocery bags, facial tissues, paper towels and permanent- press clothing, and released by gas stoves.

Toluene/Xylene: The Areca palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens), the Moth orchid (Phalenopsis) and the Dwarf date palm remove xylene and toluene, harmful volatile organic chemicals which can be emitted from gasoline, adhesives, ceiling tiles, computer screens, paints, inks used in photocopiers, stains and varnishes, and upholstery.

Other hardworking and beautiful indoor plants include bamboo palm (Chamaedorea), Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema), English Ivy (Hedera helix), the indoor dracaenas (Dracaena “Janet Craig,” D. marginata, D. massangeana and D. warnekii), and the snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata laurentii).

When choosing houseplants, remember that many can be toxic if ingested, so be extra careful if you have young children or pets in your home. Staff at the local garden center should be able to advise you on nontoxic choices.

Photo Caption: Spathiphyllum `Mauna Loa’, Peace Lily—one of the most hardworking plants recommended by NASA.

Sakina Design is proud to offer our customers the convenient ‘Share This Item’ option on our product details pages. This option allows you to easily bookmark the page or share it with your friends and family.

For example, let’s say you really love our ‘Allah Wall Art’ and want to bookmark the page for future reference. You go to that page, click on ‘Share This Item’ and then click on ‘Favorites’, where you will be able to fill in the details and save. Or maybe you have a friend that would really love our ‘Iznik Greeting Cards’. Again, go to that page, click on ‘Share This Item’ and then click on ‘Email’. Type in your friend’s e-mail address and a personal message and then ‘Send’.

‘Share This Item’ allows you to take advantage of more than 150 different ways to share. Maybe you prefer ‘Google Bookmarks’ or ‘Y! Bookmarks’, then go ahead and take advantage of these convenient options. Or maybe you prefer to share our products with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace. Go ahead, we also have those options for your convenience.

We hope you enjoy this tool and take advantage of it. If there is any way we can improve your shopping experience, please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with us at customerservice@sakinadesign.com.

Being eco-friendly usually costs more and requires more effort, while it may not be appreciated in the end. So why do it?

O children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: but waste not by excess for Allah loveth not the wasters. (Qur’an 7:31)

It is reported that the Prophet (SAWS) once saw Sa’d performing wudu and he (SAWS) said to him: “Why are you wasting all this water?” Sa’d said “Is there wastefulness even in performing ablution?” The Prophet (SAWS) said “Yes, even if you were performing it from a river of running water”. Ahmed (7025) [2/291]

With this in mind we utilize our resources to the best of our ability. For example, not only is Sakina Design wall art framed in recycled wood but it is manufactured entirely in the USA, to reduce wasted fuel and pollution. The plant that produces these frames shares our philosophy and uses the leftover sawdust to power the furnace that heats the plant and produces the wood frames.

Additionally, our greeting cards are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, processed chlorine-free. The inks are soy-based rather than petroleum-based to reduce pollution and make the recycling process easier. We also avoid any inks that have toxic heavy-metal dyes. Finally, the packaging has been minimized to reduce waste.

We ask our customers to help us in this endeavor. Please help us and earn some good deeds by recycling the packaging at your local recycling center.

Packaging	Recycling Instructions
Polyethylene Plastic Bags	Recycle with Type 4 plastics
Cardboard Boxes	Recycle with corrugated cardboard products
Chipboard Envelope Liners	Recycle with cereal boxes, shoe boxes and similar products
Paper Envelopes	Recycle with similar paper products

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu (Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you all).   We want to welcome you to our online store.  A lot of time, hard work and love went into the development and launching of Sakina Design.  It all started about three years ago when we were inspired to start a company providing high quality, contemporary Islamic home décor and gifts.  Much of this motivation came from our own frustration with not being able to find these items available in the market.

Alhamdulillah, three years later we are launching our website and fulfilling our vision.  This venture was possible because of everyone’s help and support.  A special thanks to our graphic designer, our manufacturers, and our web developer at Prestance, Inc.

Saving the best for last, we want to thank our families for all their support.  Without them this would not be possible.  May Allah bless them and give them the best of this world and the next.