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 will be unveiling two new lines of wall art and a set of bookmarks. These items will be exclusively for the RIS attendees to purchase.

Everyone will enjoy a tax free orders this weekend, whether you come to RIS or not. Enjoy!

Hope to see you there, insha Allah!

Mokhtar Maghraoui – Peace with the Environment

The following verse from the Qur’an also helps us to understand the importance of avoiding waste and over-consumption.

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)

Change is never easy, but we hope this information has inspired some. The Prophet (SAWS) advised us to always make changes that are easy and easy to maintain, so we suggest the following small changes that can have a large effect if we all participate.

• Recycle your paper and switch to recycled paper products – Paper waste accounts for approximately 1/3 of all household waste. This paper would otherwise go to the landfill.

• Change to electronic billing – This will also help us to minimize the amount of paper thrown into landfills.

• Use only the amount of water necessary to make wudu, shorten showers, and water lawns at night – Fresh, clean water is becoming more and more scarce, and we can help by not wasting this valuable resource.

• Turn off lights and electronics when not utilizing them, and change to energy efficient light bulbs – Remember that power plants create waste and pollution to provide that unused/wasted energy.

• Walk or ride a bike when performing local errands – Not only does this save gas and wear-and-tear on your car, but it’s also healthier.

We hope you find this helpful!  Please share your ideas and suggestions with everyone!

With Peace and Tranquility.

In light of this we suggest using ayat from the Qur’an and du’a that the Prophet (SAWS) taught us in your greeting cards. So if you know anyone having a baby or who just had a baby, maybe you can use this suggested greeting:

“May Allah bless you with His gift to you, and may the receiver give thanks and reach the maturity of years and be granted piety.”

[The reply is to say]

“May Allah bless you, and shower His blessings upon you, and may Allah reward you well and bestow upon you its like and reward you with open hands.” (An-Nawawi)

We hope you find this helpful!

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.

In light of this we suggest using ayat from the Qur’an and du’a that the Prophet (SAWS) taught us, in our greeting cards. So if you know anyone going through a difficult time, maybe you can send them a card and use this greeting:

“The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah, than the weak believer and there is goodness in both. Strive for that which will benefit you, seek help from Allah and do not despair. If a mishap should happen to befall you then do not say ‘If only I had acted….such and such would have happened’. Rather say:

‘Allah has decreed and what He wills, He does’ … for verily ‘If’ lets in the work of the devil.” (Muslim)

We hope you find this helpful!

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’.

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.