Hajar

Salaam alaikum, Thought some history of high heels would be nice. Apparantly it was *men* not *women* who wore them first. :o The History of Heels The history of heels is clouded, although they date back to pre-Christian times. Egyptian butchers wore high heels to raise them above the carnage, and Mongolian horseman had heeled boots for gripping their stirrups firmly. The first recorded year heels were worn for vanity was 1533, when Catherine de Medicis brought heels from Florence to Paris for her marriage to the Duke d'Orleans. The style was immediately set forth by ladies from the French court. Within the next century, European woman walked on heels 5 inches and higher, balancing with canes so as not to fall. As the working class couldn't afford to wear such shoes high heel shoe heights fell. And therefore after they rose or fell according to the fashion. In the 19th century the high heeled shoe became the top style to own. Although Europe brought the new trend for high heels, America wasn't far behind in becoming of style. In 1888 the first heel factory in the United States opened. Making it unnecessary for women to import their shoes from Paris. Newly liberated, women in the early part of the 20th century favored sensible shoes. But in the 1920s, as hemlines rose, legs and feet were suddenly on display and shoes needed to be as beautiful as they were practical. Always in and out of style, high heels reached new level with the advent of the stiletto in the 1950s. And to the dislike of many women, high heels popped up again in fashion magazines in the 1990s. Still, whether a woman thinks heels are the height of fashion or the height of pain, she usually has a least five pair in her closet for the occasion when flat shoes just won't do. High Heels - A Historical Chronology. 1533 Short-statured Italian bride Catherine d'Medici, married at 14 to the Duke of Orleans, wears shoes with two-inch heels to exaggerate her height. The high heel may have been invented by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). 1553-1558 Mary Tudor ("Bloody Mary"), another vertically challenged monarch, wears heels as high as possible. From this period until the early 19th century, high heels are frequently in vogue for both sexes. Mid-1500s An extreme shoe style called chopines, popular among women in Italy, Spain and France, had pedestals of cork or wood as tall as 24 inches. A Venetian lady wearing chopines needed two servants to help her in and out of a gondola. 1660 French shoemaker Nicholas Lestage, so clever at his trade that some accuse him of sorcery, becomes shoemaker to Louis XIV. The heels of Louis's shoes, some decorated with miniature battle scenes, are as tall as five inches. High "Louis" heels are also fashionable for ladies. 1745 Madame de Pompadour, tiny-footed favorite of Louis XV, popularizes high, narrow "Pompadour" heels. Ladies tape their feet to reduce their apparent size and faint at court. 1793 Marie Antoinette ascends the scaffold to be executed wearing two-inch heels. However, in the wake of the French Revolution heels become lower than at any time in the 18th century. Early 1800s Flat shoes and Grecian-style sandals become popular. Approx. 1865 The "sneaker" or plimsoll, a canvas-topped, rubber-soled shoe, is invented for badminton and tennis. Ladies' heel heights vary but stay below two inches during the rest of the century. 1888 The first heel factory in the United States opened. Making it unnecessary for women to import their shoes from Paris. 1904 The ladies' "pump" or court shoe, a British invention, reaches America. Shoe stores begin to stock shoes with a range of widths around now. Approx. 1955 Tall "stiletto" heels for women's shoes, invented in Italy by Roger Vivier for Dior, become a fashion rage. Very pointed toes come into vogue for both sexes. 1970s Return of the platform shoe. 1980s Return of high heel shoes. Athletic shoes also feature heavily in fashion. 1990s Return of the platform shoe in various styles and designs including sandals and tennis shoes.

(salam) The iddah for mutah is two menstrual cycles or 45 days. The three month iddah (or three menstrual cycles) is for divorce after permanent marriage, not mutah. WaSalaam, Hajar

Salaam alaikum, If that was the case, why didn't the storm hit Washington DC? Or some other wealthy area? Why the poor South? WaSalaam, Hajar

Salaam alaikum, The only sea creatures we can eat are fish with scales and shrimp. Sayyid Seestani: A Code of Practice for Muslims in the West 163. In order for fish to become permissible for a Muslim, it must have the following conditions: (a) The fish must have scales on it. [That is, it should not be a skin fish.] (B) The Muslim should be certain or satisfied that the fish has come out of the water alive or that it died while it was already in the fishing net. It is not necessary for the fisherman to be a Muslim or to utter the name of Allãh for the fish to become halãl. So, if a non-Muslim catches a fish and brings it alive from the water or it dies after getting caught in his fishing net or fishing line, and it has scales on it, it is permissible to eat. A Muslim can ascertain the first condition by examining the fish if it is being displayed or by observing its name [which can tell you whether it is a skin fish or a scale fish] as long as you can trust the authenticity of the label. A list of scale fish has been appended at the end of this book. The second condition is fulfilled in almost all the countries, as they say, because the universal method in fishing ensures that the fish comes out of the water alive or they die after they are caught in the fishing net. Based on this, it is permissible to eat the fish that one gets from a non-Muslim just as one gets from a Muslim, irrespective of whether it is canned or uncanned. (See the question-answer section below.) 164. It is permissible to eat shrimps, if they are brought out of the water alive. It is forbidden to eat frogs, lobsters, turtles, every amphibious animal, snails, and crayfish. (See the question-answer section below.) WaSalaam, Hajar