Entry One

I’m the new kid. And it’s pretty hard when you’re a new kid. Especially if you’re a mature Muslim girl like me, who’s wearing a hijab and has her body covered head to toe on a hot fall day.

It all started when I heard my dad say, “We’re going to move away soon.” I was so shocked. My dad had gotten a new job, and we were going to move closer to that.

But it wasn’t any ordinary old move, when you moved only about 100 miles away, still enough to visit your friends from time to time. The move was from Michigan, my home state, into Minnesota.

In Michigan, I went to an all-Muslim public school. Everyone there was Muslim, and no one would question about Islam.

But now, since I’m in Minnesota, I’ll have to go to a different school. My parents couldn’t find a Muslim school close enough to our house. So I had to go to a regular middle school.

And that’s where I am now. When I walked in, everyone stared at me. My head drooped, and my eyes were looking at my walking feet.

I found an empty spot at a table. No one else was at the table. Everyone was staring at me. If they weren’t staring at me, they were whispering to someone else.

The teacher saw me and smiled. She gave a hand motion that told me to go to her. I stood up and walked to her, every step felt as long as a mile.

The teacher pulled me to the front of the class. I looked into the faces of the other students. Some were staring at me with wonder, others with hatred, and maybe one or two with kindness.

“Everybody, this is Maryam. She is new to our school, and I’d like her to be as comfortable as she can. Please say hello to her when you find the time” the teacher said.

Inside me, I chuckled. The teacher said my name like “May-ree-am”. Every non-Muslim pronounced it that way when they first said it.

I went and sat down at my table. I guessed my cheeks were bright red. That’s what always happened when I stood up in front of a lot of people.

The teacher came over to me. “I’m glad you found the right classroom at Skywood Middle School. It’s pretty big” she whispered. “I’m Mrs. Gold, and you’re Maryam, right?” she asked. She pronounced my name the wrong way again.

“It’s Mar-yam” I said, quietly. I could feel my cheeks getting warm again.

“Okay” Mrs. Gold whispered. “We are in the middle of math. I’ll give you the math book. We are doing page 97, problems 1-14. I think you know about 4-digit adding and subtracting, right?”

“Of course” I said. Mrs. Gold gave me the math book. It was thick and heavy. I turned to page 97 and started doing my work.

The bell rang. Mrs. Gold told me it was free time for an hour, where kids could go outside, play sports, or play games inside.

I didn’t know where to go next. I stood there thinking for a moment, when a boy came to me.

“What’s that cloth on your head? Why do you wear it? And why are you wearing long sleeves today? It’s 87° outside!” he exclaimed. I ignored him. How can I start blurting out everything about modesty when it was only my first day here?

He said, “Puh!” and walked away. Good. At least he wasn’t bothering me anymore.

I gathered up my school stuff and put them into my locker. When I closed my locker, a girl from the class came up to me. She had long, whitish-blond hair. She was wearing a bright magenta T-shirt and jeans.

“Assalamu Alaikum” she said. **I was SO shocked! **

“I’m Jannah, but everyone here calls me Jenna” she said. My mouth hung wide open.

“Jannah is a Muslim name, meaning heaven!” I exclaimed. “Are you Muslim?”

“Of course I am!” she said happily. “I’m so glad that I finally have a Muslim in my classes. It seems so lonely when there is no one of your religion in your class.

I stared at her the same way the kids in the class stared at me.

“Oh, you must be thinking that I don’t look like a Muslim” she laughed. “Well, I used to be Christian last year, but this summer I converted to Islam. But no one knows. My name used to be Jenna, so people still call me that since they don’t know I’m Muslim. I don’t really wear the hijab yet, because I don’t feel ready to show everyone that I’m a Muslim. And I know some Muslim girls my age wear T-shirts, so I’m comfortable with that.”

I found out it was harder for Jannah to cope with school than it was for me. She was still nervous about telling others she was Muslim!

“I am so glad that I have a Muslim in school with me!” I exclaimed. “Jannah, I was wondering if you’d show me around the school today.”

“Sure” Jannah said. Her voice lowered to a whisper. “Don’t call me Jannah. Call me Jenna!”

When the bell rang for free time to be over, Jannah (or should I say Jenna?) and I walked to class together, happily.

You’re rushing to put all your things in your backpack when school ends. You stuff everything into the bag, not caring about what goes where. You go as fast as you can, but when you reach the bus, there is no free seat available. You end up sitting by a girl 2 years older than you. You get home and realize that you left your math homework at school, and that you’re not sure about what writing homework you had. It was a very tiring day!

If your school life is something like this, it’s time to get organized. Even if your school life isn’t this way, these tips can help you be a better student.

1. Use a planner

Buy a planner. Planners in different shapes and sizes are available at office supply stores, and you’ll surely find one that will work for you. Sometimes you get a planner from your school. A few minutes before a class ends, write down anything that your teacher has assigned you, plus the due date. If there is no assignment, just write N/A for No Assignment. Highlight your assignments in your planner. Make a homework plan, tackling the hardest assignments first, and the easiest ones last.

2. Color code your stuff

It’s easy to find your school supplies if you color code everything. For example, use green notebooks and folders for science, blue ones for math, red ones for language arts, and so on. You can also color code pencils if you’d like! Believe me; color coding your things can make your school life MUCH easier!

3. Make a homework folder

Label one side work to do and the other side finished work. When you get a homework sheet from your teacher, slip it into your work to do pocket, not the subject folder. This will remind you that this work needs to be done. When you finish the assignment, make sure to put the paper in the finished work folder. Always try to empty your work to do pocket every night!

4. Never, ever have any loose papers around!

Every paper has its place, whether it’s supposed to be in a subject folder, your homework folder, your binder, or wherever teachers recommend you to put your papers. Every week, remember to go through your desk, locker, or backpack for loose papers, then put them back where they belong.

5. Know your schedule

If you go to a middle school where you switch between classes, you must know how it feels when the bell rings and you are not ready to go. Glance at the clock from time to time. If you know when your class ends, you can pack up a minute beforehand, and you’ll not be late for your next class!

Pray to Allah and follow these tips, and you'll become much more organized!

To find out what's going on, go to the August 2007 issue to read the Great Forest- Part One.

“What do you mean, ‘because of those terrible humans’?” Oldtail asked. “How did they kill many of the fish?”

“The humans have been putting all their trash and dirty water into the river. All the yucky stuff has been killing fish, and our food, too! The clear, blue river is now turning brown” the fish said.

The crowd gasped. “Th-th-th-then what will happen?” asked Fawny, a baby deer.

“I do not know” the fish said. “And if we, the remaining 8 fish in this part of the river, die, there will be no more fish.”

“No more fish?” the crowd cried out. “No!”

The fish said sadly, “We will only survive if we can be moved to a cleaner area. But I don’t think there’s anything like that around.”

The crowd sighed. There was no way they could save the fish.

Grayfur thought for a moment. There had to be a way to save the fish. Grayfur closed his eyes and thought about his travels through the forest. Then he got an idea spark.

“I know!” Grayfur shouted excitedly. The crowd turned their heads to stare at him.

“You know what?” Oldtail asked.

“Doesn’t anyone know about Cattail Pond? If we can move the fish there, they’ll be safe and sound!” Grayfur exclaimed.

“Good idea!” Oldtail and the fish said together. The fish could be saved, and all because of Grayfur’s thinking.

“How will you move us there?” asked a female fish, who’s silvery scales had become dull.

The crowd whispered to the nearest animals about their ideas.

“We can carry them on our backs” said the deer.

“We can find long grasses, make them into a rope, and pull the fish downstream into Cattail Pond. The pond is only 4 feet away from the riverbank” said the birds.

“We can carry them four feet from the river into the pond” said the rabbits.

“We can pull them with our tails!” said the squirrels.

“ENOUGH!” Oldtail screamed in the middle of all the chattering. “You have enough energy to swim, right?” he asked the fish. The fish answered, “Yup.”

“Why don’t you swim up the river until you get to the place where Cattail Pond is. Then one by one, the squirrels and rabbits will push you over the grass and dirt into the pond. Okay?” Oldtail asked.

“Sure” answered the fish. They took off upstream.

Grayfur hopped along with all the other rabbits to Cattail Pond. They were much slower than the fish, even though the fish were sick.

Grayfur jumped ahead, but he turned his head to look back at the other rabbits and squirrels.

“SPLASH!” The next thing Grayfur knew, he was sinking underwater. Grayfur didn’t know how to swim! He tried to move his paws upward, but it was no use. Rabbit’s bodies were not made for swimming.

He felt a tail wrap around his body. It was a squirrel tail. The tail lifted him up and out of the water.

Grayfur landed on the grass. He was soaked! He looked at the squirrel who saved him.

It was Treedancer, the strongest female squirrel in the forest.

“Grayfur, you better watch where you’re going!” Treedancer yelled. “I got my whole tail wet because of you. Did you know I spent the whole month trying to make my fur sleek and smooth?”

“Sorry, Treedancer” Grayfur apologized sadly, his head hanging low.

“That’s okay, Grayfur” said Treedancer. “You almost drowned in Cattail Pond! Now, help us push the fish!”

Grayfur helped push one fish. The fish screamed because she couldn’t breathe. But Grayfur and some other rabbits pushed her safely into Cattail Pond.

When all the fish were in Cattail Pond, everybody cheered. They had saved the fish! And Grayfur started the idea!

Grayfur smiled to himself, and he bounced back home.

THE END

Ar-Raheeq Al-Makthum  (The Sealed Nectar)
By Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mabarakpuri
Published and Distributed by Makataba Dar-us-Salam

The book is a history/biography of what happened from the beginning of the message to the death of the Prophet (SAW).  At the beginning the book mostly talks about different Arab tribes. The beginning of the book wasn’t very interesting, but when I got to the middle, I couldn’t put the book down. I am not in a hurry to get to the end because in the end, the Prophet (SAW) dies, and I don’t think I can read it without crying. We lost a very special person, and it makes you realize that the companions must have felt even sadder than us. It also makes you realize how much better the companions were than us. I would really recommend this book to any Muslim, because once you read this book, Insha-Allah, history will be your favorite subject. 

Learn a Dua Today!

Subject:
For guidance in the Right Path

Arabic transliteration:
Rabbana atina min-ladunka rahmatan wa hayyi lana min amrina rashada

English meaning:
Our Rabb! Give us mercy from Yourself and provide for us in our affair a right course.

In the Surah:
Al-Kahf 18:10

What is your favorite subject? Find out by taking this quiz.

1. If you chose one of these books to read, what would it be?
a. Poems of Every Kind
b. Fieldbook of Wild Flowers
c. History of the Middle East

2. You describe yourself as...
a. imaginative and creative
b. serious and down-to-earth
c. cultural and friendly

3. Your favorite colors are...
a. pink, purple, or red
b. blue, green, or black
c. yellow, orange, or white

4. Which class do you find the most interesting?
a. Language Arts
b. Math
c. Social Studies

Add them up!

Mostly A's: You love reading, writing, spelling, and grammar. You are known for your creativity. Try writing articles for MAG, and read all sorts of books, too!

Mostly B's: You love math and science. Read a lot of science topics, and learn about all sorts of math things, such as geometry, algebra, and patterns.

Mostly C's: You love history and social studies. Read the atlas and learn about new places. Ask people from different countries about their country of origin. Read things about history, and pretend you are in a time machine!

Are you looking for a way to pass time while you're fasting? Well, here's the answer:

Quizzes!

Quizzes are fun to do, and you can learn more about yourself, too! Try out these quizzes.

What's your artistic talent? June 2006
Find out if you like art, writing or music!

Are you a good friend? June 2006
Yes or no? Find out.

Are you a safe surfer? July 2006
Find out if you are safe on the internet.

What kind of leader are you? August 2006
Find out what kind of president you would be.

What is your favorite part of Ramadan? September 2006
Why is Ramadan special to you? Find out.

Are you a Bookworm? December 2006
Do you read more or watch TV more? Find out.

Happy New Year? January 2007
Are you happy about the new year or not? Find out.

Which MAG issue is for you? February 2007
Find out which MAG issue you would most enjoy reading.

Another way to pass time during fasting is to read this article, from September 2006. It is 5 Tips For Fasting.