…walking along Quba Street from Haram to Masjid Quba made me question where I was…Sponge Bob Square Pants had invaded!!!
…not long ago I had no idea what this menace was…so I sought ‘enlightenment’ from children here…gleeful eyes and excited tales were shared…the craze has well and truly infiltrated this Holy City…(and if you too do know who this invader and his cohorts are then a google will reveal millions of hits, but the advice is ‘forget it’)
…nothing has been spared…all manner of clothing…I leave the underwear designs for your imagination…
…slippers, shoes…
…towels, linen, bed sets…furniture…
…key rings, Sponge Bobs to dangle from mobile phones…
…frames…
…battery operated Sponge Bobs…
…bags, purses, cases, wallets…
…every imaginable item for school…
…more of the same…
…child size Sponge Bobs staring from windows, enticing young minds…
…ghastly ogre-like things line the pathway that our Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam and his Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhum took when going to Masjid Quba…Astaghfirullah…
…jewellery…hair pieces…accessories…
…but the epitome of odiousness, the ultimate in repulsiveness..a Sponge Bob abaya…already superman, spider man, cinderella, barbie, Winnie the Pooh and a variety of other characters unknown to this humble speck have been sighted in Rowdha…will this hideous Sponge Bob be next??
…then we wonder why we as the Ummah of Al-Mustafa SallAllahu alaihi wasallam are caught in the maelstrom of turbulence that is swirling across this global village…we cry for calm and peace…but what are we prepared to sacrifice for this attainable inner state?
…we bemoan unsavoury conditions that seem to be suffocating us…we question why we are not blessed with certain situations…why aren’t we married, why is my marriage failing, why are children rebelling, why are they constantly whinging, why is satisfactory employment an elusive dream, why isn’t there more expendable money in life, why are we bored, why is the air filled with discontent, why the unrest, why why why why to a multitude of questions…the answer seems simple, and the medicine to such ills is also simple…its called SUNNAH…not merely the knowing that this powerful Sunnah elixir exists…but the taking of it in HUGE doses…APPLYING it daily, ACTUALIZING a regular dosage…this is our protective shield SubhanAllah…and it is the responsibility of every one of us to be part of the collective strengthening of the fabric of this Ummah…
…how much are we victims of a multi-fanged consumerist Dajjal system, slaves to a marketing machine, ones who ‘bribe’ children to stop their nagging, a sycophant to nafs, desires…bankrupting our Deen…
…but more directly relating to the reality here in Madinatun Nabi…the City of the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam…reflecting on how the retail sector here breaks the heart…truly…the heart cries, the soul squirms…think about it…the second most sacred site for Muslims…how degrading that import regulations are so geared to all but the Deen…who is answerable for this influx of crass cultish products…how are parents, already struggling with instilling the Deen in their children, able to combat the infiltration of these garish trends, geared to entice innocent minds, to strip bare all that pertains to our love of our Rabb Subhanah wa Ta’ala and His Habib SallAllahu alaihi wasallam…what do the immense sacrifices, made all those thousands of years ago mean to us…in this Dunya and in the Akhirah?
…why not at least provide Islamic alternatives…that are still creative, imaginative and fun for the flag bearers of our Deen…
…here are some whacky characters needing story lines that convey meaningful messages related to the Sunnah…Insha’Allah sit for a time with your young ones, or set your inner child free for a few moments to conjure alternatives to all that is part of the corruption and break down of the noble foundation left by our Beloved Messenger SallAllahu alaihi wasallam …
Taffeta Taz skinny tights
Lycra Laila baggy bloomers
Velcro Ibby long pants
Lurex Deeja lacy britches
Polyester Ashy faded jeans
Tweedy Tariq flare pants
Silken Sarah saggy shalwar
Velvet Maryam
Denim Dawud frayed pants
Chintzy Shawana loose leggings
Sequined Saffy slinky skirt
Tartan Timor pleated kilt
…no apologies offered to Sponge Bob fans…but is it too much to ask for such madness to at least be banned from our Holy Cities, Insha’Allah…and if you agree then draw your major weapon, DU’A and begin striking now!!!!!!!!!!
All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.
Assalamu alaikum wr wb,
Ok, now I know what I’m going to fill my empty suitcase up with – Sponge Bob abayas for all my weekend school kids
Do they have sponge bob thobes?
Of course, I kid, I kid. I’m sure there are more appropriate gifts I will be able to find in the blessed cities inshaAllah.
salaam ..Khala Nur..
when will it stop? next week another character.. will be propogated
everywer……
just makes me wonder…do u think if all the shops advertise for sunnah libaas…u think the effect will be the same?……
May Alah guide us and our generations……Aameen
wasalaamualaikum…..
la hawla wa la quwwata illa Billah. I hate sponge bob with a passion. my only consolation is that I live in Canada where we get to hear that his name in French is “Bob l’Eponge” (I think there should be an accent on the E but my anglo keyboard doesn’t let me add it)… for some reason I find this name quite hilarious.
I bought crocs to wear for easily-removed Hajj footwear, but refused to bring the handy-dandy drawstring bag they gave me, because it had a large, well, croc on it. I figured that would not be an appropriate image to carry in the holy places so I left it at home… only to encounter my childhood friend Snoopy outlined in gold on some woman’s purse whilst waiting to visit the blessed Rawdah!
I wish our children could recall stories of the Prophet (sall-Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and the Sahabah (radiya Allahu ‘anhum ajma’een) as well as they recall stories of cartoon characters and so-called celebrities. May Allah guide them all, and the adults who let this stuff happen…
As-salaamu’alaykum my DEAREST sister!!
How are you? I pray well.
Wow@the sponge bob explosion
… so sad to see the abaya – I don’t even know what to say.
May Allah save us and our children. Ameen.
Thanks for sharing.
Lots of Love
Farhana
assalamu alaikum sister,
jazakallah khairan for sharing
right message at the right time
Dear Aunty Noor… assalaamu alaiykum. I have been kept from your beautiful words and images for the past couple weeks! InshaAllah, I will go back and catch up on Medinah soon.
Is the road to Quba built upon the very route that RasoolAllah, endless peace and blessings upon him, and Abu Bakr, radhiAllah anh took to Yathrib?
May the blesssing of creativity lead us to good by His Grace… and may our inspirations always be the noble men and women from our history.
Assalamu alaikum,
Really very sad.Can’t get over just how UGLY this sponge Bob character is and all the junk they are selling….in the most beautiful of places.It seems such a disrespect to the Prophet saw and his honourable city for these things to be sold and promoted there.
And what are we wasting our precious little ones minds on?Trying to think of some stories to go with the whacky character names you have made up…but a little short on time..some of the names did make us chuckle !
wassalam
Assalamu alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu,
…along with so many other nic naks.
The abaya made me stop in my steps too…in fact there was an audible gasp!
I am sure you could all come up with a great tale!!
Dear UmmSqueakster, LOL!!!! Haven’t seen any SB thobes as YET! But they do have very fancy embroidered and beaded ones!! Ya Rabb!
I can see you trying to fill your suit cases with the sad alley kitties! They will break your heart.
I am sure with the array of stunning abayas here you will find great gifts for your class
Dear Sister Fatima, if the shops were empty of all the inappropriate items then people would purchase as they did not long ago…choices would be limited. But now we are faced with so many choices even with the simplest of items like toothpaste! Any wonder the mind goes into a confused meltdown and our young ones seem fazed. Insha’Allah Hidayah will soon flood hearts, Ameen.
LOL to the French translation!! It does sound funny Dear Umm Mahmoud. Images sadly now appear on so many things in Haram. Insha’Allah with the love and practice of the Sunnah in homes children soon learn of the illustrious and exciting stories of the Sahabah RAdhiAllahu anhum…but it needs dedication by the parents to instill this learning from a very young age, and to be courageous enough to control…or better still chuck the TV out! There…I’ve now revealed my bias!
Dearest Farhana!!!!!!!!!!! What a truly beautiful surprise to see you…I have been so busy for too long and have not even visited your blog…Insha’Allah will do so VERY soon…love and hugs to you and sister F
We need so many messages in these days of being bombarded with too many things that distract us from all that brings us closer to Allah Ta’ala Dear Anisa.
Dearest Sister Iffat, Quba Street is more likely to follow the track our Beloved Rasulullah took when he went to Masjid Quba every Saturday…the pathway they took when entering Yathrib is sort of parallel to this but more to the east. Ameen Thumma Ameen to your Du’a.
Ya umm myaikandlittley!!!!!!!!!! Mabruk to the added littleY!!!!!!!!! Alf Mabruk! Disrespect…this is how I feel about these things here in our Radiant City…*sigh*
Insha’Allah inspiration for a story with some of these whacky alternatives will manifest one of these days…or middle of a sleepless night
Wassalamu alaikum
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