Eid Gift Guide 2018 - Promo codes & special offers

Salaam Salaam!

SubhanAllah a third of the way through Ramadan already, time really flies when you're having a good time. Before we know it all the festivities for Eid will begin.

To avoid a rush in the last 10 days leading up to Eid, the stress and racking your brain trying to find gifts for everyone in this post I'll be giving you ideas for some super cool gifts.

Some of the companies I mention in this post have been really kind and given me discount codes and special Eid offers to pass on to you all so that you can save some bucks (every little helps right?), some I have found by scouring the internet and others are companies I have used in the past and have loved their products/services too.

All promo codes are correct and valid at time of publishing. Some promo's are expiring soon, please check the website/social media of the company to check the expiry.

Categories:

For the Whole Family

The gifts that come in this category are universal, you can buy them for the whole family

For Him

Before I got married I used to find it really difficult to gift shop for men, like what can you get them apart from socks, a mug and a tie? Since getting married I've been really into finding different and thoughtful gifts for my husband... I hope the men in your life will enjoy the gifts that come in this category

For Her

This is the category I had lots of fun putting together because it's literally all of the things I would love in a gift...if my husband is reading this, take note...

For The Children

Growing up Eid was special because we got new clothes and met up with our extended family to eat some yummy food. We only have 2 celebrations in Islam and that is the 2 Eids, to make it extra special and exciting for your kids get them something that will not only make them happy in this life but will benefit them in the next too.

Muslim Hands- Olive Tree in Palestine

Website: Muslim Hands
Instagram: Muslim Hands

Hubby and I received this as a gift from my cousin for our anniversary and it honestly is the most thoughtful gift ever!

Planting an olive tree in Palestine in the name of your loved ones not only benefits them in the hereafter but helps sustain the livelihood of millions of Palestinians in generations to come.

The beautiful certificate is personalised with your loved ones name on it and comes with a really nice card. You could go that one step further like my cousin and put it in a frame to make a lovely Eid gift.

Category: For the Whole Family

Nuhr Home

Website: Nuhrhome.com
Instagram: Nuhr Home

Nuhr home are specialists in oud scented candles and reed diffusers, not only do they make your home smell amazing they look stunning and would be the perfect addition to any home.

Use promo code: 'Nuhr10' to receive 10% off your purchase.

Category: For Him, For Her

Bedouin Cafe by Shahwaani

Instagram: Bedouins Cafe

Specialising in luxury chocolate covered medjoul dates and strawberries this gift will look almost too good to eat!

The Luxury Eid spring/summer 18 boxes are only available to order before 1st June so you better hurry to get your hands on them.

Use promo code: 'eid ul fitr 18' to receive 10% off on all orders over £30.

Category: For Him, For Her, For the Whole Family

Muslim Sticker Company

Website: muslimstickers.com
Instagram: The Muslim Sticker Company

This is a a company I have used in the past, I highly recommend them for all your Eid decorations, wrapping as well as Eid cards and childrens gifts too.

Use promo code: 'EIDGIFT' to receive 20% off your order.

Category: For The Children

Mohuma Modesty House

Website: https://mohuma.com/
Instagram:  Mohuma Modesty House

Selling stunning hijabs, accessories and abaya's, you can't really go wrong with this. If you don't know what colour hijab she needs or what her favourite colour is, go for neutral colours like dusty pink, cream or nude. I'm especially loving the Arabic dial watch on their site too.

Use promo code: iHijabi20 for 20% off when you spend a minimum of £10.

Category: For Her

My Salah Mat

Website: mysalahmat.com
Instagram: My Salah Mat

If you haven't heard of My Salah Mat then you need to check out my previous posts which is a review of this amazing childrens interactive prayer mat. Teaching a child to pray in a fun and interactive way is priceless, this is the gift that keeps on giving.

 
Use promo code: 'ihijabi12' to receive 12% off your purchase.

Category: For The Children

Mr Sunnah- Beard Care

Website: mrsunnah.com
Instagram: Mr Sunnah Beard Care

When I first got married I bought my husband a beard care box that read 'To my beardy beloved' I thought the concept was so cool. And so started his obsession with beard care products. Since then he has bought tonnes of beard care oils, shampoo's, combs etc.

When I was looking for something similar I came across Sunnah Beard, they had really good reviews and people were raving about how good the oil smells so I thought I would include them in here.

 
At the moment they have 30% off only during Ramadan as well as a limited edition Eid gift set that costs only £11.50 with free shipping.

Category: For Him

Barakah Base

Instagram: Barakah Base

I don't know about you guys but hubby and I are pretty obsessed with the Turkish drama 'Ertugul' on Netflix. I was super excited when I found that they sell Ertugrul merchandise on their instagram page. From Kayi hats and flags to key rings and a really cool quiver set.

 
Use promo code: 'KayiEid' to receive free shipping on your order.

Category: For Him, (or even For Her, because the Kayi women were pretty awesome archers too)

Beauty Lodge- Ladies Only Spa Day

Website:thebeautylodgelondon.co.uk/
Instagram: The Beauty Lodge

Sometimes better than material gifts are experience days. A spa day with the girls makes the perfect gift for any occasion, even more special as an Eid gift to say thank you to the women in your lives for doing so much during Ramadan.

During my wedding period I was looking for a ladies only spa and I came across this one in Woodgreen, north London. From the facials, and hot stone massages to the jacuzzi with my cousins and sisters I have loved every single experience.

The Spa party package is for 2 or more people at £44 per person (can book for up to 8 people at a time). It includes 1 hour use of the spa and a 20-30 minute treatment. This is perfect for a ladies day at the spa to help you unwind and relax.

Category: For Her

The Body Shop

Website: The Body Shop Eid Box

The Body Shop always does really cute Ramadan and Eid advent calendars with mini and full size products. This year they have a countdown to Eid advent calendar with the following products inside

• FULL SIZE Black Musk 30ml
• White Musk Smoky Rose Shower Gel 60ml
• Strawberry Body Lotion 60ml
• Almond Hand Cream 30ml
• Matte Lip Liquid Windsor Rose 8ml
• Indian Night Jasmine Shower Gel 60ml
• Brow Sculpt Medium Brown 2G
• Vitamin E Day Cream 15ml
• Strawberry Lip Juicer 4g
• Black Eye Definer 1.1g

I just had to include them in this post because The Body Shop has partnered with International Alert to raise money for the Peace Play Project in Lebanon. Peace Play project helps children affected by conflict to heal through play. So that's 2 gifts in one.

Use promo code '14674' to receive 35% off anything on the Body Shop website, they also have free shipping on orders over £30

Category: For Her

Eid Party 

Website: eidparty.co.uk

I bought these cookie cutters because I think they'd make great gifts and its something you can do with the kids too.

Decorate and personalise them with icing, wrap in cellophane and tie a nice ribbon to make a super cute handmade gift.

Loads of bloggers and influencers have been given discount codes but I used the code 'HW10' to receive 10% off on my order.

Category: For the Whole Family 

Kube Publishing

Website: kubepublishing.com
Instagram: Kube Publishing

Kube publishing publish, distribute and sell lots of Islamic books, I have personally bought books for myself and my daughter (although not directly through kube publishing). They make the perfect gift for people who love reading and enjoy books, for children as well as adults.

Use promo code: 'ramadan25' to get 25% off this Ramadan (offer ends 17th June)

Category: For the Whole Family

Happy Shopping everyone, hope you found this post useful! 

Review | My Salah Mat- Interactive Prayer Mat

Since having my daughter I'm amazed at how much children pick up from watching and following you. My daughter is only 12 months but my heart melted the day she sat on my prayer mat and went into sujood after watching my husband and I praying.

My daughter doing sujood when I sat her on my prayer mat

Prayer is such an integral part of our religion and is the first thing that we will be questioned about. It's what our day revolves around and is one of the things that brings us closer to Allah. This is the reason why a lot of parents encourage their children to pray from a young age. It's natural for children to imitate their parents in prayer so why not encourage that curiosity and eagerness by teaching them and guiding them to pray with this patent pending, interactive prayer mat.

I've been following My Salah Mat on instagram and was intrigued by the prayer mat so I jumped at the opportunity to review it for you guys.

My Salah Mat

The prayer mat is made from a waterproof and fire resistant material that easily folds away. It's bright and colourful, which makes it look fun and appealing to children.

It plays in 7 different languages English, French, Arabic, Turkish, Malasian, Indonesian and Urdu. Simply touch the globe picture to change the language. I found this to be an incredible feature for a new product, as most interactive children's toys only come in one language.

There are 36 touch sensitive keys that teach children about all aspects of prayer, from Wudhu and intention to the shorter surah's and what to say in each step of  salah.

The touch pads around the outside are the steps for 2 rakat of salah, each touch sensitive key will explain what each step is, recites the sayings in Arabic and translates it into English (or whichever language you're using it on). This is great because most adults don't know the meaning of what they say in prayer, translating it into English means you understand what you're saying which helps you mean what you say, giving you a stronger connection with Allah in your prayer.

How to use the mat

When you use the mat for the first time I would recommend you sit with your child(ren) and press each key around the edge of the mat so that you go through the steps of salah and get a chance to talk to them and help them understand each step before you start the prayer.

The mat has brightly coloured pictures to show your child where to place their feet at the start and their knees, hands, nose and forehead through the prayer.

You can select how many rakat's and which prayer time you require at the top of the mat (so 2 for Fajr, 4 for Dhuhr etc).

When you stand with your feet on the feet key, the prayer will start. There are visual reminders about each step around the edge of the mat, with illustrations on which position comes next. At the beginning (and depending on your child's age) it would be helpful to follow an adult as well.

When your body part touches the corresponding sensory pad for the step the mat will automatically move on to the next step.

At the end you can press the du'a key pad and the mat will recite a short du'a at the end of your salah along with the English translation.

The du'a key also includes common everyday du'as like the du'a for sleeping, waking, entering a masjid etc.

You can easily turn the volume up or down to suit your needs by pressing the speaker key pad.

Your child literally needs to stand for prayer and the mat will guide them along the prayer just like an adult guiding them and reciting out loud.

Age range

The interactive prayer mat is aimed at children aged 3+

As we know that children start imitating you in prayer as soon as they can move, aged 3 a child is able to understand simple words, phrases and start learning du'as and surah's. I feel like some of the features are too complex for a child aged 3 as they may not understand all the words, phrases and explanations. For children aged 3-5 in my opinion the mat is useful to show them where to place their body parts but they will require more adult supervision and guidance.

Aged 6-7 and above is a suitable age to start talking to and explaining each step, this is the best age to use the features around the edge of the mat.

Packaging

The 'My Salah Mat' comes in a bright, colourful box with cartoon characters and clear writing, it looks like a children's toy and I can imagine children will get excited receiving the mat as a gift because it's very visually appealing.

Free Activity Book

On top of all the features the box includes a free activity book. The book is high quality and includes salah related problem solving games and a colouring page. It includes common du'as, illustrations and guide on how to perform wudhu and salah. It translates all the Arabic into English and is great as a reference for everything Salah related.

Even the 1 year old wanted to see what all the fun was about

The last page in the book also shows how to use the salah mat with pictures and a flow chart.

Price

Retailing at £44.99 some people may feel the price is a little high, however, in my opinion it's a very reasonable price because the mat is an investment. It's durable and long lasting so can be passed on from one child to the next once your child has mastered praying on their own. Remember this is an investment in your child's Akhirah. When you think of it like that it's not a high price to pay all and would make an amazing gift that keeps on giving.



Trial run

As my daughter is too small to use this mat I went to try it out on my friends 3 year old 'Safa'. As soon as she saw the colourful box she was so excited and was literally jumping up and down with joy, she couldn't wait to see what's inside and start using it.

When we opened up the mat and expliained what it was to her she wanted to start using it straight away, like I had thought initially a lot of the features were a little bit too complicated for her to understand but she loved placing her hands and feet in the positions required, as she gets older, the other features can be introduced to her.

As soon as she stood on the mat, with our guidance she started to follow the steps, I found that it's best used on a solid surface and the body parts need to be accurately on the touch sensitive key for it to recognise you've moved on to the next step, sometimes it didn't pick up the next move but after a little adjusting it picked up the movement. This may have been because we had opened and folded the mat quite a few times, it is recommended you don't fold the mat too much as it can break the circuit, best to leave it flat as much as possible or fold in the same way as it was folded in the box.

The feedback from Safa's mum was that it would be amazing if the mat spoke in a children's voice as that would help her relate to it more and she would be even more interested in it. I would love to see the recitation of the surah's improved so that children can learn to recite the short surah's directly from the mat with correct tajweed.

And Safa's feedback? 'I want one in pink!'

Would I recommend this product?

I would definitely recommend this product to all parents who want to teach their children to pray in a fun and exciting way rather than as a chore or out of fear.

In fact my husband and I were so impressed with the mat that we will be buying one for Safa for Eid inshaAllah and to say thank you for being part of this review. We can think of a dozen other people to buy this for as a gift as well.


Final words

In a world where technology is taking over homes, children are more interested in toys that are interactive, in iPad's and phones that react to the child's touch or movement this interactive educational prayer mat would feel right at home. Children will have fun playing with the mat and without realising it they will be learning to pray salah as it's fun, like a game.

Creaters of My Salah Mat have given my lovely readers a discount code, enter 'ihijabi12' to receive 12% off your purchase.

To purchase this interactive prayer mat please click here

Please note these are my honest opinions based on my experiences with the product. Although I received the mat complimentary gift for my daughter I wanted to review it in full so that you can buy this with piece of mind knowing I had tried it and loved it.

Spiritual | A Test of Patience

Through our lives our imaan rises and drops, that's absolutely normal, its human. When our imaan is at a low it's natural to feel hopeless and helpless, to sometimes feel like everyone else's lives are great, they seem to have it all figured out, they don't have the struggles you have and look like they're living the life you prayed for.

During these times you may feel like you are constantly making du'a and being patient but your du'as are not being answered, you're not seeing the results you hoped you would. You question your faith and wonder why Allah has deserted you.

I want you to remember you are not alone, there are plenty of people who feel this way at some point in their lives. But there are things you can do to help you understand the situation you are in and help to bring you out of this feeling of despair.

So why does it seem like your du'as are not getting answered and what are some practical steps you can take to increase your imaan and become more patient with Allah's will?


He is saving you from harm

Your du'a might not be answered because the thing you are making du'a for may be actually bad for you. Allah knows what we do not know. For example you might be making du'a to marry a person you like but Allah may know that this person will not be good for you in the future. He is saving you from something that may cause you harm in the long run.

You might be looking to get into something that is prohibited in Islam, like dealing with interest, or gaining haraam income. If He isn't saving you from something practical in this life then He is saving you from sin and the consequences in the afterlife.

Timing 

If Allah is not answering your du'a straight away, keep making the du'a and don't give up, if it is good for you He will grant you it at the right time in life.

Last year I nearly bought a house with my husband, it was an hour away from both of our work places and we would have poured our life savings into it. Things came up and the sale didn't go through. I was actually pleased because I had found out I was pregnant during this time. We would have no money left for a baby and we would have been so far away from family.

The timing just was not right and Allah saved me from something that may have caused me harm in the future.

He is replacing what you've lost with something better

When you're in the situation you might feel really hopeless. You may question why Allah is putting you through this situation. For example you may have just lost your job, or not got the job you prayed so hard for after the interview.

Keep your head high and say Alhamdulillah, Allah may be planning to give you something better than what you just lost.

How to increase your patience

Always remember that everything happens for a reason and Allah will never burden a soul with more than it can bear. You are strong enough to get through the situation you're in which is why you have been given this struggle in your life.

Remember that we plan and Allah plans, Allah is the best of planners. There have been many times in my life where I've been disappointed in something, many months or years down the line I look at it in hindsight and can see exactly why something happened the way it did.

Try to increase your imaan by reciting more Quran and trying to have more concentration in your prayers, make your du'as sincere and heartfelt, don't ever think that your du'a is too big or too small. If you truly believe Allah is the most powerful and everything is in His hands He can answer anything you make du'a for.

Give more in charity. Charity is something that is selfless and never negatively impacts you. Try to increase in the amount you give to charity and carry out more charitable deeds. I've always found that I get more when I give more. This is a good way of also reminding you of everything you have been blessed with. When we look at those less fortunate than us, it puts life into perspective.

Make a list of all the things that have gone well in your life, all the positive things, all the things you're grateful for and make a du'a of gratitude to thank Allah for all the good in your life.

How to ensure your du'as are accepted

Try to stop all the haram and disliked things in Islam. Repent and sincerely make the intention to not commit that sin.

Make your du'as heartfelt and sincere. Ask Allah with all your heart fully believing that He will answer your du'a.

Increase in good deeds.

Ask Allah with all His glorious names and attributes.

Make good du'as for other people and the angels will make du'a for the same thing for you.

Make du'a in times of ease and plenty. Make du'a when things are going well, think of Allah when everything is easy and He will remember you in times of hardship.

In this holy month of Ramadan I pray that all our du'as are accepted and Allah gives us the strength to get through any trials that come our way.