Through Knowledge I Found My Peace After September 11, 2001: Memoirs of an Army Wife

By Sakinah-Alaflah Cardona

This book is base on The author's life in which she recalles some experiences that triggered her inner desire to search for peace. Some stories of her youth, her marriage, military life, and her conversion to Islam as an Army wife in the midst of a nation at war. At the end this simple book encloses a deep message after every story perhaps you might find that message.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 31, 2013
• ISBN: 9781304090874

Book preview

Through Knowledge I Found My Peace After September 11, 2001: Memoirs of an Army Wife

Through Knowledge I Found My Peace

After September 11, 2001:

Memoirs Of An Army Wife

Sakinah-Alaflah  Cardona

COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2012 Sakinah-Alaflah Cardona. All rights reserved.

2012

ISBN: 978-1-304-13409-7

Published by Lulu.com.

Through Knowledge I Found My Peace after September 11, 2001:

Memoirs of an Army Wife

Written by Sakinah-Alaflah Cardona. Arthur S., (2012) Rivera, I., (2014) Correa, J., (2015)

Allah is the Arabic word,

While the Lord is the English…

(3:84) Say (O  Muhammad(peace be with him): We believe in Allah and in what has been sent down to us, and what was sent down to Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael) Ishaq (Isaac), Ya’qub (Jacob) and what was given to Musa, (Moses), ‘Isa (Jesus) and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between one another among them and to Him (Allah ) We have submitted in Islam).

SOLDIER’S WIFE

This is the story of a soldier’s wife who after September 11, 2001 decided to study the religion of the people that changed the world...Islam. Astonished when the news revealed who were behind the terrorist attacks of my favorite city, New York, I could not understand how people from the religion of my friends, the peaceful Muslims, were involved in such acts of terrorism. Mixed feelings invaded my thoughts, tipping the balance of peacefulness to disenchantment. What I never thought was that in trying to find truth I found a better answer of what I yearned for throughout my entire life. Peace that changed me inside out.

I have decided to share this story with you of my conversion to Islam and how all the questions that ran through my mind about religion were answered after September 11, 2001.

CONTENTS

Through Knowledge I Found My Peace

COPYRIGHT

Allah is the Arabic word,

SOLDIER’S WIFE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INTRODUCTION

EPIGRAPH

PREFACE

I - WHAT TRIGGERED ME

CHAPTER 1

LIKE ANY OTHER PERSON

2003-IDENTIFYING THE UNKNOWN

SHARING WITH OTHER RELIGIONS

CHAPTER 2

OUR DESIGNATED RELIGIONS

THE DAY THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

THE YOUNG SOLDIER

CHAPTER 3

THE OTHER WITNESS OF WAR

LEARNING + FAITH = SUBMISSION TO GOD

II - BETWEEN TWO WORLDS MEMORIES

CHAPTER 4

MY UPBRINGING

MY MOTHER

DIFFERENT CULTURES

CHAPTER 5

HIS CHARACTER SEEMED LIKE A ROCK

IS WHAT WE SEE ALWAYS THE TRUTH?

BE A CARPENTER, BUT BE SOMEBODY!

CHAPTER 6

A LESSON TO CLEANSE MY SOUL

I ASKED AND BELIEVED

FAMILY VALUES

CHAPTER 7

SEVEN YEARS OF MARRIAGE AS NON-MUSLIM

ARE SPELLS REAL?

III - VALUABLE RECOLLECTIONS

CHAPTER 8

LOVE CONQUERS ALL

TRYING TO ADJUST TO THE MILITARY LIFE

IS SANTA CLAUS RICH OR POOR?

CHAPTER 9

LESSONS FROM GOD

MY TRAUMA ABOUT ADAM AND EVE

CHAPTER 10

DIFFERENT WAY OF LIFE

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

CHAPTER 11

THE LAST DROP THAT GAVE ME FREEDOM

IV - EDUCATION MADE ME DO IT

CHAPTER 12

THE LAST PIECE OF THE PUZZLE

WE ALL ARE THE SAME, ONE COMMUNITY

CHAPTER 13

THE LORD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS

RACISM OR IGNORANCE?

THIS MAKES SENSE TO ME!

CHAPTER 14

IT’S ALL ABOUT POWER AND CONTROL

GOD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS!

CHAPTER 15

I AM A MUSLIM NOW!

DIFFERENT WAY TO LIVE

CHAPTER 16

I AM WEARING A HIJAB!

BLESSINGS FROM MY CONVERSION TO ISLAM

CHAPTER 17

THOUGHTS IN 2013

CHAPTER 18

THE LAST SERMON

From the author

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

All praise and thanks be to Allah, we praise and thank him. We seek his aid, and we seek his forgiveness.

We seek Allah’s refuge from the evils of ourselves and from the evils of our actions.

Whosoever Allah guides, no one can misguide; and whosoever Allah misguides, no one can guide.

I testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah alone; having no partner, and I attest that Muhammad is his slave and his messenger.

INTRODUCTION

Originally I began to write this book in 2003 during a time at which not a lot of people knew much about Islam.  The intention was to write a speech in which I inform the people about how I found my peace changing the way I was directed to think all my life.  As a girl I had many questions and the answers of having faith was not convincing my intellect who instead was fed with more doubts and confusion.  I wanted deeper answers the ones in which I can say; yes, this makes sense to me!

As we all know September 11 tragedy left a deep wound in the heart of everyone in the world.  The thought, that Muslims were terrorists was a theme difficult to approach. While I was invited to deliver my speech in a few places I began to see how many people was in the same situation that I was before I changed my life:  they needed an answer that can help them to understand the mysteries of this world.  A religion or way of life that makes sense to them.

The second intention was to allow friends and family know what was the reason of my big change while reading about the experiences and questions that I had all my life in which many of them where witness.  I began to write a simple book, with simple stories, which would be referenced as my love story or my family memories Eventually I became excited and involved with the stories that I ended writing more pages than intended.

The year is now 2013 and many things have occurred since that frightful autumn day in New York. Many countries are living in a recession, leaving some without jobs and governments scrambling to find solutions to problems. Revolts like those of the Arab Spring and the numerous shooting massacres happening around the United States are prime examples of the changes that are occurring worldwide.

As if nature was trying to get in tune with the chaos, in the environment; tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, all presented themselves with hideous aftermaths and destruction. In some places the crime rate has risen to the point of forcing its residents into prisoners of their own home for fear of home invasions or simply being a victim to circumstance. The world lives in chaos and soon fear and paranoia will be the evening headliners.

All of the above has happened after September 11, 2001, as if a big lesson was trying to be taught.  Contrary of what anyone expected many people keep converting to Islam   Perhaps the encoded curiosity and desire of humanity will lead to a search of spirituality or consideration for the amazing result of creation? Perhaps The humanity will reflects to consider such creations like the infinite ocean or the sky must be created by someone more powerful and vast than a mere human being? Perhaps, that someone, wants individuals to change their way of life?

Before I tried to put these pages together I had many doubts about concepts.  Like a new Muslim that I was I misunderstood many things, it was not until someone introduced me to the right person who has the Knowledge and ability to teach. She teaches the truth about Islam with evidence of Quran and The Sunnah, which are the examples of the life of the Prophet. 

Perhaps I made a big mistake; I did not ask anyone for advice, the intention was to write exactly what I had on my mind while I was searching for peace.  That is what you are going to read. I am giving to you some experiences during the time that I was looking for a religion and a different way of life, one that make sense to me.  Some of the pages that I wrote were before I took my classes therefore after reevaluation new pages with different experiences replaced the old ones.  

What makes me excited every time I went to my class was to discover that whatever concept I learned in my search to find Peace, was right. Such information about why God sent the prophets, scientific discovering’s from today that were already written in The Quran, The Woman in Islam and Laws about our different way of life, which is what attracted me more.   However as a new Muslim, I had the arrogance to think that I knew everything!  I was wrong, with my teacher I learned deeper of what anyone can learn; with her I learned things that make me love more this religion, the most important things, which is how to Love Allah, Who is Allah? Where He is? Things about the life of the devil and his army, how to protect from the devil, what is the goal of every Muslim, how the heaven and the hell looks like, the signs of the last hour, how to keep our faith strong, how to have a good heart, the real nature of a human being and many other things that this great teacher is teaching every day and the things that I still learning. 

This book is a simple book. A book filled with simple stories of my life in which I recall how some experiences triggered my inner desire to search for peace amongst the surrounding chaos. Such are the stories of my youth, my marriage, military life, and my conversion to Islam as an Army wife in the midst of a nation at war. The same way many people are today searching for that need or that sense of tranquility. Our intellects can perceive that something is happening they know is for a reason and that something might be a key indicator that as human beings we may have to reevaluate the way we live and or think.

We aim to be a salad bowl full of different flavors and colors, each with its unique purpose, yet we act as a melting pot aiming to out-do the other with materialism, work, sports, or fame, the list could go long. For the individuals with a different mentality not conforming to their set stereotype see far from of what we have been taught. They are the kind that do not give up and try to find the original piece of the puzzle to obtain the best and ultimate reward...peace.    

Surah 5. Al- Maidah 32

Because of that , we ordained for the children of Israel that if anyone Killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and)  to spread mischief in the land- it would  be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone save a life , it will be as if he save the life of all mankind. And indeed, there came to them Our messengers with clear proofs, evidences even then after that many of them continue to exceed the limits (by doing oppression unjustly and exceeding beyond the limits set by Allah committing the mayor sins in the Land!

EPIGRAPH

I have always wondered why a man follows a leader obsessed by doing wrong to humanity, ignoring the fact that everything in this world has a price. After the leader attains high position, money, and power, families are then forgotten and rendered to starvation. People like Osama Bin Laden have a way with words to convince followers or workers to commit acts of terrorism offering a reward from heaven. In the end he uses poor Muslims or financially unstable people who were not even Muslims; offering money for them to distribute to their families after they commit a suicide attack.  (2001)

I respect mothers who sacrificed their lives raising their children, watching them grow, just to bury them at a later date because of war.  They die as heroes but no medal would suffice to replace the life of a soldier, a son, or a daughter.  We often see children lose their lives from acts of terrorism. The attacks in the markets of the Middle East, or the incident in Oklahoma City, serve as good examples. We also forget that many children die from unjustifiable attacks in which missiles or stray bullets rain down upon the homes of civilians by accident or mistake. (2002)

We consider our children as our future, but most have been killed because of war. Yet if they survive, their spirits have been torn apart, broken. (2003)

Searching for the truth of what Islam was on the regular western libraries was almost impossible to me, they always tried to direct the information into killings, rights of men, and polygamy, like if it was a subject read only in the Quran when in fact polygamy is a subject that was originated during times of the Bible, which is what distracts people from wanting to know about Islam as a Great Religion and they always forgot to mention the rights of woman in Islam making anyone to have free will,  which  was what liberated  the woman from the Christian  idea of been Eve’s  fault that Adam was tempted. (2003)

I learned that all the answers that any human being might have are enclosed in one book, The Quran. Life was made with a purpose but we need to find and understand that purpose.   I really believe that the only way to save our existence is to do what the Lord, The Creator, has commanded us to do through his messengers and books, which was to love and please him before anyone while loving one another. However, human beings are self-centered.  Like barbarians, we only want to fulfill our own vain pleasures by whatever means in order to attain power.  I get sad every time I think that some people have the misconception that Islam is a bloody path, an excuse to wage war against humanity, or hurt any human beings. I also feel sorry for the people who hurt women and children quoting the words of God because suicide is a sin. (2003)

Allahu Akbar translates to God is the greatest. How then can anyone believe that an act like suicide, which he condemns to the fires of hell, be associated with his name while performing a sin? Disappointment overwhelms me every time I hear an interview that makes it appear as if Allahu Akbar means confrontation. Although, such phrase is not meant in an ill mannered, when they mention those words while committing such horrible acts they actually poison the minds of people into believing that the phrase is actually associated with an attack. (2003)

There may be some evidence of hope as some people are learning that Allah actually means The Lord, the same Lord who created heaven and earth. What many don’t know is that The Lord gave us an opportunity with Islam to create better laws not to mention the ones that protect women from abuse at the hands of a man. Although such laws are created we still see how some men apply the old law to excuse their acts of using their women as punching bags to dispel their frustrations. However, they will pay the price on the Day of Judgment.  (2003)

Many people have asked me if I needed to cover my hair even when I am asleep. I used to have that same misconception until I decided to read Islamic scriptures. I got some wrong information from a book I bought from a bookstore before I converted to Islam. I eventually learned that the hijab is only to be used when you go outside the house. My advice is READ, the right books, study, and search for the truth; that is what gave me the peace I have now.  (2004)

PREFACE

When on October 2, 2006 a gunman entered an Amish girl’s school in Pennsylvania and killed many, the focus was more on the Amish families than the man who committed the horrible act. The man’s background was not publicized for long and soon after a film was made about the event. The movie highlighted how the Amish families visited the widow of the gunman and forgave his actions. They forgave because they accepted that it was the will of God.  Of Course this person was not a Muslim Terrorist just a person not associated with any religion. 

After deciding to publish this book on the ten-year anniversary of September 11, I decided to retract the book from publishing. I was under the impression that the general population already knew what Islam was and the underlying theme of the book had lost its meaning.  I kept thinking that nobody would be interested in reading my memoirs or my journey to find peace on a controversial religion. 

Simultaneously the Boston bombings occurred and like a whirlwind of flashbacks I was brought back to that frightful autumn day in New York. The manner in which the news and reporters spoke about Islam and Muslims only clarified the perception I thought that we as a nation had surpassed.

Once more I felt the necessity, like many other Muslims, to give and idea of what I found in this religion while I was searching for my peace.   During my journey I learned that Islam is a way of life and a Religion with The Quran as a guide.  I also realized that the terms extremist Muslims or terrorist are thrown into the public for digestion, but the problem is that if society refuses to see the reality of the issues by making excuses or ignoring that which happens around them, then a solution will never be created.  Perhaps many will never be able to know because we must face the times and whatever happens is the will of God.

I learned that the person who reads the Quran is a person who is looking for knowledge in his religion. By seeking such knowledge in a desire to be closer to God and make him happy, such a person is living the duty of every Muslim.  What makes me realize is that by seeking to terrorize or kill innocent people such a person is not doing what Allah has set forth in the Quran.  Therefore, by claiming to be a martyr the individual is acting against the definition of a martyr; they would not be trying to commit suicide or hurt other people. If a man is trying to follow the Sunnah or life of the Prophet Mohammed, as stated in the Quran, then he will know that it is unlawful to kill innocent people. 

Questions came to my mind: who are those people who call themselves Muslims but seems like they enjoy killing people? How they look like? The appearance of a Muslim, as ordered by Allah, is that the female covers her hair and intimate parts while the male grows his beard, if he can physically, however if we see Muslims with bears we immediately think they are extremist.  Some may argue that everyone is free to judge according to their personal beliefs or knowledge of certain circumstances. For example, the Amish wear beards, bonnets, and traditional conservative clothing but when we see them we don’t think that they are extremists. We address them as what they are, religious people. Of course Amish are not going around terrorizing people because they respect their beliefs also they don’t have anything that any government might want like oil per example.    

The prophet had stated that all Muslim males were to not cut their beard and let it be. Therefore, a Muslim must not only be merciful also should be an example for others.   I sometimes wonder if the terrorists were so interested in following what is in their view the demand of Allah, as stated in the Quran, why then some of the people who commit terrorist acts in the USA like those in Boston Bombings did not wear beards?  Why is it that some of the Muslims whom I see in the TV complaining of their countries don’t have a beard?  Why are many of the terrorist’s young people?  However there are today many divisions in Islam, which might confuse a new Muslim. Prophet Muhammed (saw) predicted that Islam would be divided into seventy-three sects today; we can see how Islam is divided and misconstrued.

Very interesting things that I learned from my search, especially