The Real Deal
5th & 6th January
Manchester
Sh. Tawfique Chowdhury
8.30-7pm
Geoffrey Manton, Manchester Met
Oxford Road
Taste the AlKauthar Experience....ENROL NOW!
Limited spaces
Gems from students who have already done the course previously... see what you're missing!
Charity is a contract. I have learnt that in marriage contracts you can make conditions such as Emaan’s (in the case study) which I hope to follow.
The honest business man will be raised with Prophets in Paradise. Subhanallah!One who owns the land, owns the sky above itYou grow in your knowledge and wisdom every time you learn something new about Islam. Brothers & Sisters do not take this lightly.
Marriage is a compromise.
To boycott or not to boycott. It is one thing to know the strongest opinion, it is another to actually know how to apply it!
If Allah (SWT) has prohibited a product, he has also prohibited the sale of the product.
A believer will never be happy in their heart, with something doubtful.
Lending results in half the reward of giving in charity
What is for you will not pass you, and what passes you is not for you
It weakens your soul, and you realize; there are so many things that you could do better, when you know better
Imam Abu Hanifa rahimahullah would not even sit under the shade of the trees of a person he has given a loan to, because he feared this benefit could fall under riba
Allah wishes to remove any matter that may cause us to have dispute
The end does not justify the means…
Overview of the Course
The Real Deal
Sh. Tawfique Chowdhury
"And Allah has permitted trade, but forbidden riba" [AlBaqarah: 275]
One of the most difficult and confusing issues to Muslims now a days are the matters pertaining to the rulings of buying and selling. With trade and commerce having expanded with such rapid force, many are searching for what Islam has to say about it all. Of recent, a surge in global Islamic finance and the renewed interest in Shariah business law - requires us to understand the basic principles upon which Islam bases its ruling.
In this course, you will be introduced to:
The fiqh of Commerce in Shariah
Transactions and their classifications
Forbidden contracts and their understanding
The correct understanding and application of Riba
Understand heylah and how to detect it
Understand how the element of uncertainity may affect the validity of a transaction
Principles of halal investment
Manners of a Muslim businessman
Comparisons between Western commercial law and Shariah business law
Discussion of tens of the most popular modern business transactions - everything from credit cards, road side assistance, pyramind schemes, ebay, unlimited downloads, no deposit lay-bys, cash back policies, modern Islamic mortgages and investments in bonds, stocks and metals, laws on business and intellectual property, franchising..
Discussion of sample contracts from Islamic financial institutions
A preliminary study of how to Islamize large scale economic policies and ensure smooth transition to a riba free economy.
"I have never attended a more beneficial lecture. It just blew away my mind!" [Quote from a student]
These series of lectures are best sellers world wide. This particular course goes into much more detail than the lessons that may be available in the market under the title: "Halal and Haram of Business Transactions", so even if you have seen that DVD, you still need to attend this course to gain full and maximum benefit.
Who is this course for?
Every Muslim who wants to fear Allah and steer clear from falling into haram and riba.
Businessmen who want to learn about Islamic business policy and ettiquets.
Muslims who want to have a deep insight into understanding the goals and purposes of Shariah in business and trade.
Students of Law faculties trying to understand the basis of Islamic Commercial Law.
Finance professionals who would like more insight and clarification as to the Islamic logic behind many of its rulings.
New Muslims who want to understand their Deen.
What will you come out with at the end of the course?
A binder complete with notes on the details of the principles of Islamic commercial law.
Hundreds of examples on how the rules and regulations are applied practically.
Understand how the the Islamic commercial system is far superior and just than the current systems.
Practical understanding of the rulings of a large number of modern transactions.
Motivation to applying the rules towards deducing solutions to our current problems.Course materials
When you sign up for a course, at the first session, you will be given a binder full of notes and important reading regarding the fiqh of Commerce 101. You will be able to take down notes directly in the folder - this will stay with you for your future reference. In addition, the online facility will have extra points for reading and analysis including sample tests to check your understanding.
Course particulars
Faculty: Fiqh Type: Core topicCredits: 3Duration of Course: 18 hours which includes 4 instructor led sessions of 4 hours each + 2 hours of online tasks
Timing and Venue
Please check the enrolment page for course timings and venue in your city.
Don't be afraid of the hours. AlKauthar Institute seminars are not long lectures upon lectures hours on end. There will be many different and new ways we are imparting knowledge to ensure we make it interactive, interesting, exciting and thought provoking.
Times include a 2 hour break in the early afternoon
There will be plenty of refresher breaks in between hours to ensure student attention is maximised
We only have limited seats at each seminar. So to ensure you don't miss out we encourage you to enrol as soon as possible to confirm your seat.
Why Enrol?
Knowledge is power. It increases when you give it. It is needed by Kings and beggars alike. It eases the path to paradise. We are constantly reminded in the Qur’an and Sunnah of the importance of gaining Islamic knowledge so as to apply it in our lives. At AlKauthar Institute we have attempted to make this path as easy as possible for a Muslim, but in the end it will require your own individual commitment, dedication and hardwork to gain the pleasure of Allah.
Remember:
The benefits you receive for the fee you pay for these courses will far out weigh the benefits you will receive from the payment of any other course such as university fees, professional membership fees, conference fees amongst many others.
Practicality is always emphasised. You will learn so much in such little time and in such a manner that will ensure that you will be able to impart that knowledge straight away. Come and experience the AlKauthar Method and the world's first Case based islamic learning.
Give your islamic education solid direction. One course at a time you will edge closer to a diploma, degree and honours.
Instructors who will provide engaging and enjoyable university level lessons in a professional manner at ideal venues complimenting our technology focused teaching style. Our instructors also have plenty of experience dealing with Muslim affairs in the West.
Our student advisors and online student centre, most notably the e-learn facility will be pioneering the way in the delivery of Islamic education. This is combined with the support of an online community consisting of your instructors and your fellow students from around Australia and the world.
AlKauthar Institute is aiming to develop a pioneering world class Islamic learning institute, providing a professional and refreshing approach to Islamic courses which will touch the hearts and revive the souls. Come and see for yourself how we attempt to seek the reward of Allah by enriching the lives of individuals and communities.
Rarely do opportunities like this come our way whilst we are healthy and able. Take advantage of the chance! What will you be missing out on if you don't?
-----------------
* Qualified and Capable Instructors* Intensive Short Course Format* Extensive Student Resources* Hands on Approach* International Scope* Student Focused
'Enriching lives through knowledge...'
www.alkauthar.org
Monday, December 17, 2007
In a mood
I'm in a mood. So i thought i would write.
What shall i write. I can't write what i want, lest i be done for it by our Lord above. Speak good or remain quiet.
................................................
Still quiet as i have yet nothing good to say.......................
Erm i went to fourth gear on my driving lesson.
Thats not good, thats just mubah.
I can see why more women will end up in the Fire, i can see it clearly in myself.
Thats not good, thats just the truth.
Ok someone give me some tips on how to shake off a mood.
Someone give me something good to say.
.......................
Whos to blame. Maybe its just who you are and who you've always been. (im having a conversation in my head whilst the silence online, you're only seeing one voice of the conversation).
Apologies, as this is not what i wanted my comeback entry to the blogging world to be.
But like i said im in a mood.........and i should have just stayed silent.
What shall i write. I can't write what i want, lest i be done for it by our Lord above. Speak good or remain quiet.
................................................
Still quiet as i have yet nothing good to say.......................
Erm i went to fourth gear on my driving lesson.
Thats not good, thats just mubah.
I can see why more women will end up in the Fire, i can see it clearly in myself.
Thats not good, thats just the truth.
Ok someone give me some tips on how to shake off a mood.
Someone give me something good to say.
.......................
Whos to blame. Maybe its just who you are and who you've always been. (im having a conversation in my head whilst the silence online, you're only seeing one voice of the conversation).
Apologies, as this is not what i wanted my comeback entry to the blogging world to be.
But like i said im in a mood.........and i should have just stayed silent.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
My 5th Year at Jimas
The word Jimas. I love it masha'Allah. It has served as many turning points for me every year i have attended. You never forget your first year there and you never really tire of it years later. Although admittedly i didn't initially have the build up excitement that i usually have every year. But come Saturday morning the Jimas spirit had once again been ignited within me.
Every year is different, every year you come back with a new resolve and personal improvement programme. This year my favourite bit was the Farewell advice from the scholars. Masha'Allah it was very constructive and targetted diferent areas which we could work on. The gist of it was (the lessons i understand and drew from it)
* Have mercy on one another, excuse each other and work towards unity, don't get overly concerned with minor differences, broaden mind but do not trangress the goals of shariah. -
* Fulfill our roles and responsibilities. Women have an important part to play in Islam, educating our children. Correcting the misconceptions of women in Islam. Rise to the status Allah, subhana wa ta'ala has given us.
* Being a representative of Islam, we must show what Islam is through our actions. What we say and do reflects the whole muslim population, lets not be the reason for a person to reject Islam.
* Educate oneself in the Deen. Invest your time and money to learn this religion as (the story of Sohaila and Farook was given) this is an investment for our Hereafter.
* Identify and utilise talents you may have. Don't waste you time in something which does not benefit you. Have high aspirations, work towards them and excel whatever it is you are good at.
* Corruption has entered the land due to our own actions. We must care for this earth and not commit atrocities which harm it. We are vicegerents on earth and we must carry out our duty in protecting it.
* Islam is Universal. Not limited to only East. It must not be a case of Islam and the West. Rather we need to see it as Islam in the West. We must realise the Greatness of Allah. No matter where you are He is All-Knowing, All-Hearing, All-Seeing. Allah is our protecter, our Friend and He loves us.
* Must implement the knowledge we acquire, otherwise fruitless. Perfect our manners and character because we know it pleases Allah above all. Work on our inner dimensions but at the same time our external practise of Islam must be visible and effective. Build yourself and build relations with others. Must follow the best example - the prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam).
I wasn't able to attend many of the lectures as i was doing the creche, but Alhamdulillah i don't mind i got to play Football and jump in the bouncy castle!! The kids are adorable masha'Allah. They would come up to me in the break times and point with their parents 'theres the creche lady!'
There's this one kid i see every year and he's grown so tall now masha'Allah. I look out for him and its lovely to see him and whats more this kid remembers me every year! Very sweet. He's one of the people you just won't forget in your life time. Allah bless him and make him amongst the leaders of the ummah. Ameen.
There's one other particular thing that touched me greatly this year. I was walking an aunty down to the food hall as it is quite far and she uses a walking stick, when this boy about the age of 9yrs did salaam to aunty and then responded warmly to her hug. She told me; the day before he had seen her walking on her own with difficulty and he came to her aid. Nobody pushed him to do this, he acted on his own accord. He carried her chair and kept aunty company the whole way to the food area. And then this boy was with his friends and made the effort to speak to aunty, instead of feeling embarassed or avoiding this old woman he was pleased to see her. When she was telling me this it bought tears to my eyes. I, myself, saw the genuine care in his eyes. I felt so proud of this boy, i felt proud for his parents who have raised such a boy, masha'Allah. He will get so many du'aas and this boy will be honoured bi'idhnillah. When the Day of Judgement comes and insha'Allah if we pass over the sirat, i'm going to look for this boy, because i love this boy for the sake of Allah.
Jimas is usually an emotional experience for me. What really gets me going is Shaykh Suhaib Hassan's recitation in the fajr salah. Masha'Allah, it gives the most serene feeling. I thrive on it every year.
Ok i'm trying to fit my 5 years of Jimas into this one slot, only because i have blog to write about it now!! but i'll stop now and leave the rest to your own imagination or to reminisce the times for yourselves..............
Every year is different, every year you come back with a new resolve and personal improvement programme. This year my favourite bit was the Farewell advice from the scholars. Masha'Allah it was very constructive and targetted diferent areas which we could work on. The gist of it was (the lessons i understand and drew from it)
* Have mercy on one another, excuse each other and work towards unity, don't get overly concerned with minor differences, broaden mind but do not trangress the goals of shariah. -
* Fulfill our roles and responsibilities. Women have an important part to play in Islam, educating our children. Correcting the misconceptions of women in Islam. Rise to the status Allah, subhana wa ta'ala has given us.
* Being a representative of Islam, we must show what Islam is through our actions. What we say and do reflects the whole muslim population, lets not be the reason for a person to reject Islam.
* Educate oneself in the Deen. Invest your time and money to learn this religion as (the story of Sohaila and Farook was given) this is an investment for our Hereafter.
* Identify and utilise talents you may have. Don't waste you time in something which does not benefit you. Have high aspirations, work towards them and excel whatever it is you are good at.
* Corruption has entered the land due to our own actions. We must care for this earth and not commit atrocities which harm it. We are vicegerents on earth and we must carry out our duty in protecting it.
* Islam is Universal. Not limited to only East. It must not be a case of Islam and the West. Rather we need to see it as Islam in the West. We must realise the Greatness of Allah. No matter where you are He is All-Knowing, All-Hearing, All-Seeing. Allah is our protecter, our Friend and He loves us.
* Must implement the knowledge we acquire, otherwise fruitless. Perfect our manners and character because we know it pleases Allah above all. Work on our inner dimensions but at the same time our external practise of Islam must be visible and effective. Build yourself and build relations with others. Must follow the best example - the prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam).
I wasn't able to attend many of the lectures as i was doing the creche, but Alhamdulillah i don't mind i got to play Football and jump in the bouncy castle!! The kids are adorable masha'Allah. They would come up to me in the break times and point with their parents 'theres the creche lady!'
There's this one kid i see every year and he's grown so tall now masha'Allah. I look out for him and its lovely to see him and whats more this kid remembers me every year! Very sweet. He's one of the people you just won't forget in your life time. Allah bless him and make him amongst the leaders of the ummah. Ameen.
There's one other particular thing that touched me greatly this year. I was walking an aunty down to the food hall as it is quite far and she uses a walking stick, when this boy about the age of 9yrs did salaam to aunty and then responded warmly to her hug. She told me; the day before he had seen her walking on her own with difficulty and he came to her aid. Nobody pushed him to do this, he acted on his own accord. He carried her chair and kept aunty company the whole way to the food area. And then this boy was with his friends and made the effort to speak to aunty, instead of feeling embarassed or avoiding this old woman he was pleased to see her. When she was telling me this it bought tears to my eyes. I, myself, saw the genuine care in his eyes. I felt so proud of this boy, i felt proud for his parents who have raised such a boy, masha'Allah. He will get so many du'aas and this boy will be honoured bi'idhnillah. When the Day of Judgement comes and insha'Allah if we pass over the sirat, i'm going to look for this boy, because i love this boy for the sake of Allah.
Jimas is usually an emotional experience for me. What really gets me going is Shaykh Suhaib Hassan's recitation in the fajr salah. Masha'Allah, it gives the most serene feeling. I thrive on it every year.
Ok i'm trying to fit my 5 years of Jimas into this one slot, only because i have blog to write about it now!! but i'll stop now and leave the rest to your own imagination or to reminisce the times for yourselves..............
Monday, August 13, 2007
Vicegerent On Earth
The only way forward is to look back in history. Our whole religion is based on what was revealed 1400 years ago. But this was not the begining, this was the edited, final and complete way. The begining was with the first creation of man - Adam (Alayhi salam). Man came to know his Lord and from there the message spread all the way to present times......
Allah chose particular people to carry this message. He, subhana wa ta'ala looks into the hearts and knows which one would be succesful in carrying that message. Allah knows which one of His servants would be willing to bear the burden of spreading the concept of One God. He knows which of His servants would leave an impact on generations to come. These are special chosen people, these are the Messengers and prophets of Allah.
I have been looking to choose a prophet to discuss. I could very easily go with the best of all to walk earth - the final Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam), but his seerah is so vast and i am still in process of studying his life indepth. So insha'Allah i wish to cover the seerah in the future. For now i want to zoom into the lives of some of the prophets. We cannot truly comprehend what these giants of men did for us. The struggles they went through, the sacrifices they made. I really won't be able to do justice, neither can i truly depict their lives, but God willing i will try to relate some stories in hope of deriving some lessons for us all.
Our history begins with Allah informing the angels
"Verily, I am going to place a vicegerent on earth......"
Allah chose particular people to carry this message. He, subhana wa ta'ala looks into the hearts and knows which one would be succesful in carrying that message. Allah knows which one of His servants would be willing to bear the burden of spreading the concept of One God. He knows which of His servants would leave an impact on generations to come. These are special chosen people, these are the Messengers and prophets of Allah.
I have been looking to choose a prophet to discuss. I could very easily go with the best of all to walk earth - the final Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam), but his seerah is so vast and i am still in process of studying his life indepth. So insha'Allah i wish to cover the seerah in the future. For now i want to zoom into the lives of some of the prophets. We cannot truly comprehend what these giants of men did for us. The struggles they went through, the sacrifices they made. I really won't be able to do justice, neither can i truly depict their lives, but God willing i will try to relate some stories in hope of deriving some lessons for us all.
Our history begins with Allah informing the angels
"Verily, I am going to place a vicegerent on earth......"
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
SubhanAllah i didn't know this!!
I was listening to a talk by Bilal Assad, called 'Forgive me when i whine.' Masha'Allah very beneficial and of course he recites which is always pleasant to hear masha'Allah.
Anyway he revealed two matters that i never knew but found it to be astounding information.
The first was about Right hand possessed Ya'ni slaves. He was sayin in which religion do you find this concept. However, it is one thing many muslims get confused about and some may even begin to question the nature of Islam due to such an 'apparent' degrading subject. But subhanAllah Allah works as we know only with Hikmah. Slavery existed well before the time of the prophet(salallahu alayhi wa sallam) and Islam came to abolish oppression. Before Islam was established slaves were treated in an inhumane manner, they had no rights. But Islam gave the slave rights. And slavery was monitored through Islam so that they didn't have to face injustice at the hands of their masters. Allah, subhana wa ta'ala could have very well got rid of slavery all together, but then the problems would have arised such as where are they supposed to go? Who was going to take care of those who had no family? who was to look after those with disabilities or learning difficulties? Who was supposed to take in the young female women who had been sold as prostitutes? So it was allowed to keep them as slaves but they had to be treated in a just and kind manner. Hence the term right hand possessed, because the right is a symbol of all that is goood and it is the right hand that is the carrier of blessed acts.
Anyway i was well impressed with this as i use to think why is it called right hand possessed. Also i remember a sister once asked why were men allowed to have relations with slave women during time of prophet(salallahu alayhi wa sallam). I had no answer, i did not know. But i remained on the principle that theres some matters we don't know the hukm behind it but we accept it as part of our faith. Alhamdulillah.
The second thing was the creation of the fly. Now we think annoying buzzing creature which only hangs around in dirty rotten places. But there is a hadith (sorry i don't have the ref) where we are told that if a fly has polluted our drink then we are to dip the fly 3 times into the food bowl/cup and discard of it then continue drinking/eating that food. Put your hands on your heart do we do that? Or maybe some of us do as we act straight from the hadith but if we didn't know or couldn't quite comprehend how that could be even hygiencally possible, check this out!!
The fly for all the bacteria it carries, it also carries the anti-bodies to it aswell. So one wing is full of bacteria and the other wing has the cure for it!! Which is why we dip it back into our food to purify the substance again. SubhanAllahi wa bi hamdihi!
Isn't our Deen great! Allahu Akbar!
Anyway he revealed two matters that i never knew but found it to be astounding information.
The first was about Right hand possessed Ya'ni slaves. He was sayin in which religion do you find this concept. However, it is one thing many muslims get confused about and some may even begin to question the nature of Islam due to such an 'apparent' degrading subject. But subhanAllah Allah works as we know only with Hikmah. Slavery existed well before the time of the prophet(salallahu alayhi wa sallam) and Islam came to abolish oppression. Before Islam was established slaves were treated in an inhumane manner, they had no rights. But Islam gave the slave rights. And slavery was monitored through Islam so that they didn't have to face injustice at the hands of their masters. Allah, subhana wa ta'ala could have very well got rid of slavery all together, but then the problems would have arised such as where are they supposed to go? Who was going to take care of those who had no family? who was to look after those with disabilities or learning difficulties? Who was supposed to take in the young female women who had been sold as prostitutes? So it was allowed to keep them as slaves but they had to be treated in a just and kind manner. Hence the term right hand possessed, because the right is a symbol of all that is goood and it is the right hand that is the carrier of blessed acts.
Anyway i was well impressed with this as i use to think why is it called right hand possessed. Also i remember a sister once asked why were men allowed to have relations with slave women during time of prophet(salallahu alayhi wa sallam). I had no answer, i did not know. But i remained on the principle that theres some matters we don't know the hukm behind it but we accept it as part of our faith. Alhamdulillah.
The second thing was the creation of the fly. Now we think annoying buzzing creature which only hangs around in dirty rotten places. But there is a hadith (sorry i don't have the ref) where we are told that if a fly has polluted our drink then we are to dip the fly 3 times into the food bowl/cup and discard of it then continue drinking/eating that food. Put your hands on your heart do we do that? Or maybe some of us do as we act straight from the hadith but if we didn't know or couldn't quite comprehend how that could be even hygiencally possible, check this out!!
The fly for all the bacteria it carries, it also carries the anti-bodies to it aswell. So one wing is full of bacteria and the other wing has the cure for it!! Which is why we dip it back into our food to purify the substance again. SubhanAllahi wa bi hamdihi!
Isn't our Deen great! Allahu Akbar!
Monday, August 6, 2007
Just The Two Of Us
There are times when i just can't sleep because of the many thoughts that are going through my head. I'm tired and my eyes are closing, but my mind is racing. Sometimes its so annoying!! But sometimes it sparks an intellectual debate in my head.
Anyway there i was trying to think of ways forward for myself. Trying to derive lessons from life. Inevitably the topic of marriage came up. Why oh why does marriage have to be only about love. Like if there was no love then there was nothing much to lose. Like if there's no love then what's the point of being married. Like if you don't love someone disregard them and treat them however it suits you. Whats happened to values such as honour and respect? Why do we find it so difficult to adopt virtues such as sabr and mercy. Why are we so quick to break ties and finalise relations. The superficial love has taken precedence in our hearts and the sincere lasting type is not given the chance to emerge.
I don't say this for all, as Alhamdulillah the ummah of Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) is never a lost cause. I know there are believing men and women who are enjoing the good and forbidding the evil, working for the bigger picture and not just sitting within the cosy boundaries of their homes.
Truth is living in this dunya we get very attached to all the good things around us. Our family, our spouses, our material gains, basically all that glitter and glamour.
We are in so much danger of losing ourselves in the mundane acts of life. But what i am scared of most is that we become too attached to our loved ones that if we were to lose them then we would be completely destroyed. However, unknown to us, we have already destroyed ourselves, if we put our love for others before Allah and His Messenger (salallahu alayhi wa sallam).
Allah says
'Say if your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwelling in which you delight are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His Cause, then wait until Allah brings about His Decision. And Allah guides not the people who are Al Fasiqun.'
{At-Taubah: 24}
It is a very easy pit to fall into. I am very scared for myself. And for that reason alone i would not want to get married. But this is not the solution is it. It is about monitoring and checking ourself continuously. The task is greater and the sacrifice is greater if we lose that which we love or give it up for the sake of Allah, rather than not having anything to give up for Allah's sake. What would be the test in that? Can we take wealth from a man who has none?
We all have desires. There's not denying that and they are very hard to give up. We also have the dilemmas of giving into desires when we're not supposed to. But due to us not giving up when we're supposed to and giving in when we're not supposed to, we have become very selfish individuals and this why the world is in the state it is. We are a very selfish generation on a whole. We're prepared to moan alot but give a little. SubhanAllah.
In all of this, please do not think that i am against love or having the halal pleasures Allah has bestowed us with. No, but i do think we need to wisen up. This is real life here and really love does not make the world go round and neither does money. It is each of our faith in Allah that will make our world. And it's not what we do for others, its what we do for Allah, Lord of all the worlds.
Like i say i'm very scared for myself. When we speak, we can only say it truely because it comes from within us and we have been a victim or the perpetrator of it ourselves.
Anyway there i was trying to think of ways forward for myself. Trying to derive lessons from life. Inevitably the topic of marriage came up. Why oh why does marriage have to be only about love. Like if there was no love then there was nothing much to lose. Like if there's no love then what's the point of being married. Like if you don't love someone disregard them and treat them however it suits you. Whats happened to values such as honour and respect? Why do we find it so difficult to adopt virtues such as sabr and mercy. Why are we so quick to break ties and finalise relations. The superficial love has taken precedence in our hearts and the sincere lasting type is not given the chance to emerge.
I don't say this for all, as Alhamdulillah the ummah of Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) is never a lost cause. I know there are believing men and women who are enjoing the good and forbidding the evil, working for the bigger picture and not just sitting within the cosy boundaries of their homes.
Truth is living in this dunya we get very attached to all the good things around us. Our family, our spouses, our material gains, basically all that glitter and glamour.
We are in so much danger of losing ourselves in the mundane acts of life. But what i am scared of most is that we become too attached to our loved ones that if we were to lose them then we would be completely destroyed. However, unknown to us, we have already destroyed ourselves, if we put our love for others before Allah and His Messenger (salallahu alayhi wa sallam).
Allah says
'Say if your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwelling in which you delight are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His Cause, then wait until Allah brings about His Decision. And Allah guides not the people who are Al Fasiqun.'
{At-Taubah: 24}
It is a very easy pit to fall into. I am very scared for myself. And for that reason alone i would not want to get married. But this is not the solution is it. It is about monitoring and checking ourself continuously. The task is greater and the sacrifice is greater if we lose that which we love or give it up for the sake of Allah, rather than not having anything to give up for Allah's sake. What would be the test in that? Can we take wealth from a man who has none?
We all have desires. There's not denying that and they are very hard to give up. We also have the dilemmas of giving into desires when we're not supposed to. But due to us not giving up when we're supposed to and giving in when we're not supposed to, we have become very selfish individuals and this why the world is in the state it is. We are a very selfish generation on a whole. We're prepared to moan alot but give a little. SubhanAllah.
In all of this, please do not think that i am against love or having the halal pleasures Allah has bestowed us with. No, but i do think we need to wisen up. This is real life here and really love does not make the world go round and neither does money. It is each of our faith in Allah that will make our world. And it's not what we do for others, its what we do for Allah, Lord of all the worlds.
Like i say i'm very scared for myself. When we speak, we can only say it truely because it comes from within us and we have been a victim or the perpetrator of it ourselves.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Gifts and memories........
Alhamdulillah, yesterday me and a friend went on an Al Kauthar promo. Alhamdulillah i felt it was a productive day. Month of Mercy is approaching us and we really hope we can get at least 200 people. Although i think, being realistic, the numbers are good so far, considering it is the North and that even free events don't often pull people in by the hundreds.
Anyway, so we went to the new Islamic shop in Oldham (Kings Street, Near Oldham Town Centre). Now i have to say i was feeling apprehensive about going there, because the bros who have set it up were people i went to school with. Masha'Allah im so happy for them that they had set this up and that they were positively contributing to the field of Dawah and catering for the needs of the muslims in Oldham. Alhamdulillah. Really you must check it out, it is a nice little shop, with tasteful jilbabs and jubbas. A range of books and hey they definitely in my good books because they have lectures by Shaykh Tawfique Chowdhury there and my other source of knowledge - Imam Anwar al awlaki, masha'Allah.
Well as i predicted, one of the bros recognised me, despite not being able to see me. Alhamdulillah this bro is happily married. He had a really confused look as he asked 'is it Roshanara?' i answered in the affirmative and he started grinning! He was like 'raass it's been ages what you up to.' I returned the politeness and asked about his wife. And then he was like 'yeh we were just talking about you the other day!!' As you can imagine my jaw dropped, obviously he didn't see it!! I asked what do you mean, why? But it was all innocent unmysterious talk. Alhamdulillah. Anyway, i congratulated him for the shop and went browsing. I saw a bag I liked, but did not need. Naturally i voiced my admiration. This sweet brother said 'take it, have it, gift from me.' I was 'no, no its ok, i dont want it.' he insisted, i insisted no, until my friend said you're not supposed to refuse gifts. I felt so touched.
All of this was in complete innocence,there is no hidden agenda. He is married and we never had any inclination towards one another at any point in our life. But it did remind me that masha'Allah he was always a decent sweet brother and he was still that same person which was nice to know. Alhamdulillah, although it was difficult i still did manage to keep my barrier and told him so, reiterating that we're not the same as we were before hanging out. But he just saw it as i did - a brother and sister sharing a memory of who they were in the past and seeing what they have become now.
It was a pleasant day and hey i wasn't going to complain im the owner of a very chic black sequenced bag!!
Visit Al Aqsa! http://www.alaqsadirect.com/
Anyway, so we went to the new Islamic shop in Oldham (Kings Street, Near Oldham Town Centre). Now i have to say i was feeling apprehensive about going there, because the bros who have set it up were people i went to school with. Masha'Allah im so happy for them that they had set this up and that they were positively contributing to the field of Dawah and catering for the needs of the muslims in Oldham. Alhamdulillah. Really you must check it out, it is a nice little shop, with tasteful jilbabs and jubbas. A range of books and hey they definitely in my good books because they have lectures by Shaykh Tawfique Chowdhury there and my other source of knowledge - Imam Anwar al awlaki, masha'Allah.
Well as i predicted, one of the bros recognised me, despite not being able to see me. Alhamdulillah this bro is happily married. He had a really confused look as he asked 'is it Roshanara?' i answered in the affirmative and he started grinning! He was like 'raass it's been ages what you up to.' I returned the politeness and asked about his wife. And then he was like 'yeh we were just talking about you the other day!!' As you can imagine my jaw dropped, obviously he didn't see it!! I asked what do you mean, why? But it was all innocent unmysterious talk. Alhamdulillah. Anyway, i congratulated him for the shop and went browsing. I saw a bag I liked, but did not need. Naturally i voiced my admiration. This sweet brother said 'take it, have it, gift from me.' I was 'no, no its ok, i dont want it.' he insisted, i insisted no, until my friend said you're not supposed to refuse gifts. I felt so touched.
All of this was in complete innocence,there is no hidden agenda. He is married and we never had any inclination towards one another at any point in our life. But it did remind me that masha'Allah he was always a decent sweet brother and he was still that same person which was nice to know. Alhamdulillah, although it was difficult i still did manage to keep my barrier and told him so, reiterating that we're not the same as we were before hanging out. But he just saw it as i did - a brother and sister sharing a memory of who they were in the past and seeing what they have become now.
It was a pleasant day and hey i wasn't going to complain im the owner of a very chic black sequenced bag!!
Visit Al Aqsa! http://www.alaqsadirect.com/
'If You are pleased with me, then i do not care...'
You know Allah is great. Of course you know. Alhamdulillah.
These past few days and the coming days i feel Allah is helping me. Don't ask, it's just a feeling. And i need it, i need that assurance from my Lord. If i feel Allah is happy with me, it keeps me going, it encourages me to do more good. If i feel Allah is not happy i feel it too and it makes me feel rotten to the core. Something will happen to indicate that, like having a fall out with mum (NOTE* this is how i interpret, may not be the case in either)
And unfortunately instead of that instilling fear in me i become more neglectful to a point where i feel helpless then i call to Him to save me and give me a way out. and He does, Alhamdulillah.
LESSONS:
* Call upon Allah sincerely no matter how bad you or it gets.
* If Allah is pleased with you nothing else matters, no matter how bad things are.
These past few days and the coming days i feel Allah is helping me. Don't ask, it's just a feeling. And i need it, i need that assurance from my Lord. If i feel Allah is happy with me, it keeps me going, it encourages me to do more good. If i feel Allah is not happy i feel it too and it makes me feel rotten to the core. Something will happen to indicate that, like having a fall out with mum (NOTE* this is how i interpret, may not be the case in either)
And unfortunately instead of that instilling fear in me i become more neglectful to a point where i feel helpless then i call to Him to save me and give me a way out. and He does, Alhamdulillah.
LESSONS:
* Call upon Allah sincerely no matter how bad you or it gets.
* If Allah is pleased with you nothing else matters, no matter how bad things are.
Being Giants.......
Haha, yes thats strange coming from me..........But no we're not talking physical giants here. We're talking think big, aim high and be the best.
And who else but could inspire me like that.......Yes you faithful Al maghribers, no one but our dear think tank of a teacher Muhammad al shareef, masha'Allah. SubhanAllah i've had this lecture of his 'On The Shoulders of Giants' for ages on my comp but never actually heard it. But Alhamdulillah, with a bit of spare time i had at 2am last night i downloaded it on to my MP3 (Ipod what?!). And subhanAllah, listening to it on the bus this morning, made me want to somersaults on the bus, or rather my eeman was doing somersaults, Alhamdulillah, made me realise i still have my companion - eeman. Now to nurture it...........
Anyway, the audio basically was saying that we should not be afraid or hinder our potential. You want your son to be the next imam of Makkah, you go for it. You want to be a scholaress, girl we're waiting for you!! In fact we could be anything we want as long as it is something pleasing to Allah and we are sincere in our intention and action. And this point he said towards the end really hit home. He said in Cananda there was a stall selling T-shirts and it had splattered over it AIM LOW.....THEN YOU'LL NEVER BE DISAPPOINTED.
And subhanAllah i myself have thought that and i've definitely have been advised to be like that numerous times by different individuals. Or the 'don't get your hopes up that way you won't get disappointed.' Granted we should be realistic and not live in some fantasy world. But indeed the person who has no hope or ambition must live a sad and miserable life. Its like vowing not to love in case you get hurt. And what miss out on all the opportunities of Mercy Allah has blessed us with. Same priniciple. Such people are miserly with their time, energy and abilities. If you don't achieve it; try again. Big deal, we fail right. Oh did that really hurt your ego? So we stop ourself from doing something we can do but refuse to do because we don't want to fail...again.
I speak to myself, because in my head im counting the things that i've refrained from doing because i don't want to fail or feel miserable over. We have to handle our failures and mistakes, its all part of being human. Hence the du'aa in Surah Al Baqarah 'O our Lord forgive us if we forget or fall into error.' Our Lord knows us better than we do. And He, subhana wa Ta'ala knows our capabilities. So if we have an idea bring it into existence, because Allah put it their in the first place (Still being realistic with oneself though). And don't burden yourself more then you can bear because Allah, the Most Merciful does not task us more than we can take on.
At the end of it, and this is how our dear brother Muhammad al Shareef concludes, we will only fly high if our worship of Allah is the dominating force in our life. We must have that connection with our Lord, the stronger the connection the higher we go. He gave an example of a kite. The longer the string, the higher it will fly. The string is our eeman. The kite is our ability.
You know when you're on eeman high you feel like you're walking on air. But as for many of us we have our sins dragging us down to earth. SubhanAllah we have so much of ourselves to deal with. Starting with repentance because as Adam (Alayhi salam) knew it was the only way forward and our Merciful Lord accepted his words of repentance. So he still saved himself a place in Jannah. We can aswell, bi tawfique Allah.
Aim high, aim for the highest place in Paradise. Insha'Allah.
And who else but could inspire me like that.......Yes you faithful Al maghribers, no one but our dear think tank of a teacher Muhammad al shareef, masha'Allah. SubhanAllah i've had this lecture of his 'On The Shoulders of Giants' for ages on my comp but never actually heard it. But Alhamdulillah, with a bit of spare time i had at 2am last night i downloaded it on to my MP3 (Ipod what?!). And subhanAllah, listening to it on the bus this morning, made me want to somersaults on the bus, or rather my eeman was doing somersaults, Alhamdulillah, made me realise i still have my companion - eeman. Now to nurture it...........
Anyway, the audio basically was saying that we should not be afraid or hinder our potential. You want your son to be the next imam of Makkah, you go for it. You want to be a scholaress, girl we're waiting for you!! In fact we could be anything we want as long as it is something pleasing to Allah and we are sincere in our intention and action. And this point he said towards the end really hit home. He said in Cananda there was a stall selling T-shirts and it had splattered over it AIM LOW.....THEN YOU'LL NEVER BE DISAPPOINTED.
And subhanAllah i myself have thought that and i've definitely have been advised to be like that numerous times by different individuals. Or the 'don't get your hopes up that way you won't get disappointed.' Granted we should be realistic and not live in some fantasy world. But indeed the person who has no hope or ambition must live a sad and miserable life. Its like vowing not to love in case you get hurt. And what miss out on all the opportunities of Mercy Allah has blessed us with. Same priniciple. Such people are miserly with their time, energy and abilities. If you don't achieve it; try again. Big deal, we fail right. Oh did that really hurt your ego? So we stop ourself from doing something we can do but refuse to do because we don't want to fail...again.
I speak to myself, because in my head im counting the things that i've refrained from doing because i don't want to fail or feel miserable over. We have to handle our failures and mistakes, its all part of being human. Hence the du'aa in Surah Al Baqarah 'O our Lord forgive us if we forget or fall into error.' Our Lord knows us better than we do. And He, subhana wa Ta'ala knows our capabilities. So if we have an idea bring it into existence, because Allah put it their in the first place (Still being realistic with oneself though). And don't burden yourself more then you can bear because Allah, the Most Merciful does not task us more than we can take on.
At the end of it, and this is how our dear brother Muhammad al Shareef concludes, we will only fly high if our worship of Allah is the dominating force in our life. We must have that connection with our Lord, the stronger the connection the higher we go. He gave an example of a kite. The longer the string, the higher it will fly. The string is our eeman. The kite is our ability.
You know when you're on eeman high you feel like you're walking on air. But as for many of us we have our sins dragging us down to earth. SubhanAllah we have so much of ourselves to deal with. Starting with repentance because as Adam (Alayhi salam) knew it was the only way forward and our Merciful Lord accepted his words of repentance. So he still saved himself a place in Jannah. We can aswell, bi tawfique Allah.
Aim high, aim for the highest place in Paradise. Insha'Allah.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Counselling Course
Insha'Allah i will be embarking on a new adventure begining Sat 15th September.
No really i'm excited as this is something new.
The course is a level 2 counselling course.
Its with Lifelong learning, Oldham Centre (meaning Oldham Library).
Costs 80pounds 80p
12 weeks course.
Recognised awarding body
Saturdays 9.30-12.00pm
There are no exams and not even much written work. But assessed on attendance in classes, a presentation, a workbook and personal journal, and some other pieces of work.
It does not make you a qualified counsellor. you have to study few more levels for that. but it acts as a stepping stone and gives you some insight and much needed skills.
So if anyone is interested check it up on the net. Its much cheaper than doing it at colleges.
As you know our ummah is in much turmoil on many different grounds. If we can't help our brothers and sisters being physically persecuted around the world, at least we have the ability not to mention the obligation to help prevent the psychological and idealogical persecution going on in our own communities. so insha'Allah we can reach out to those who call us and give them the opportunity to live a life of goodness and a way out from the torture they are subjected to, physically, mentally and emotionally. There are horror stories that no horror movie could even portray. No, i know it won't solve all the problems, but at least to do our bit to contribute right.
May Allah help us and rectify all our affairs. Ameen
No really i'm excited as this is something new.
The course is a level 2 counselling course.
Its with Lifelong learning, Oldham Centre (meaning Oldham Library).
Costs 80pounds 80p
12 weeks course.
Recognised awarding body
Saturdays 9.30-12.00pm
There are no exams and not even much written work. But assessed on attendance in classes, a presentation, a workbook and personal journal, and some other pieces of work.
It does not make you a qualified counsellor. you have to study few more levels for that. but it acts as a stepping stone and gives you some insight and much needed skills.
So if anyone is interested check it up on the net. Its much cheaper than doing it at colleges.
As you know our ummah is in much turmoil on many different grounds. If we can't help our brothers and sisters being physically persecuted around the world, at least we have the ability not to mention the obligation to help prevent the psychological and idealogical persecution going on in our own communities. so insha'Allah we can reach out to those who call us and give them the opportunity to live a life of goodness and a way out from the torture they are subjected to, physically, mentally and emotionally. There are horror stories that no horror movie could even portray. No, i know it won't solve all the problems, but at least to do our bit to contribute right.
May Allah help us and rectify all our affairs. Ameen
Chasing dreams of past, present and future
For a year and a half now i've been wanting to undertake a course in counselling. Circumstances didn't allow me to last year, but this year Alhamdulillah, i've actually gone ahead and enrolled!! (will give the course details)
I've paid so there's no going back now, unless i want 80pounds down the drain, which i don't!
I'm really looking forward to it! Especially when i saw that my fellow bus friend also turned up at the open day yesterday. See we used to have converstaions on the bus encouraging one another to go for it. She's also doing Social work aswell, masha'Allah and i think, correct me if i'm wrong she's getting a bursary for it? See i'm quite wistful because once upon a time it was an ambition of mine which brings me on to the past..........
The Past
Im a bit of an Linguistic person, although i don't have good grammar or speech articulation or extensive vocabulary! But since primary i've loved the English classes, then to secondary school and even i took English Language and English Literature as two seperate A'Levels! crazy i know. But it was actually very clever of me, because it meant i had very little revision to do and since i know myself that i hate revising and rubbish at revising it was a very good move. Alhamdulillah it got me the good grades. My parents were happy! ( Really it does fill me with pride when i remember how happy my mum was with me that day).
Anyway, throughout these years i've wished to do something along the social lines, you know bring out the humanitarian in me. But wasn't able to in college because i wanted less revision, so i didn't do Sociology, my sisters persuaded me to do Psychology instead, which i didn't mind (although it was my lowest grade). So it was my degree that had to suffer the humanitarian me.....I did social policy degree, and in my 3rd year i realised "My God! i don't even like this degree, neither am i any good at it. It was tad bit too late considering my exams were in the next couple of months. I was at a graduate fair and there were all these options in front of me. And there was Dipsw ( a diploma in social work), the dream i wanted to follow, but that dream was 2grand and over in costs and meant i had to get at least a 2.1, which i knew i was not going to get and it meant two years more of study but after my hatred for my degree i wasn't about to study more!! So that put a stop to that dream. But something else caught my eye..........hmm Child Psychologist/Educational Psychologist. Interesting........But my friend dragged me away, saying 'you're doing a Social Policy Degree you can't change it in your final term!' Valid point. she always knock sense in me, sometimes literally. Aww i miss her.
The Present
Now 5 years later (subhanAllah has it been that long). Well actually a bit more of the past. My life took on an unexpected turn, i became a nursery nurse! that was never part of my dreams. Oh but how i loved it. And hey now i got an NVQ under me! Working at Hanifah Pre-school was one of the best things that happend to me by the Grace of God. But in my 5th year there i went down hill. I just did not have it in me to work with children anymore. I had to get out. I needed a different direction in life...........and indeed Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) gave me that, but only for a brief time. And life is funny because we think we know, but really we do not. And thats why i now truly know the meaning of we plan and Allah plans..............On the outside this has been a ver chillout period for me. Meaning i've looked for jobs, but not really bothered. Worked at another nursery but really didn't want to continue. Now im just doing some Islamic lessons for kids here n there. Being at home, with family, my neices and nephews take up so much of my life masha'Allah, tabarakAllah! Not been committed to anything in particular and neither do i want to be. It's been different. Not so relaxing as it seems. *Sigh*. Now is time for change again.............
The Future
So here i am again back looking to the near future insha'Allah.........I searched to my humanitarian self and i discovered counselling. And i thought yes this is me! I can be a service to people, just listen to them, try and make their lives better. Try to help them acknowledge of the root of their issues. But mostly it is for me. For me to drown out my own insignificant set of issues. So that i don't have to focus on myself. That i will be so overcome with the severity of others, i will not have time or energy to concentrate on myself. And i hope by working with magnitude of others it will put things into perspective for me and will expose the true nature of my minute worries. That Allah may look upon me with Mercy and help me through my days if i help others. That working with others will make me more of a grateful servant, insha'Allah, seeing that others are in far worse situations.
Essentially though i want to send off positive vibes to people. So people think oh i'll have what she's having and that is Islam! So i would like it to be subtle Islamic guidance. I pray Allah helps me on this path and keeps me sincere.
And what was the point of my post i don't even know. Yeh well its my blog so it doesn't matter!!But honestly i guess it was for me to put things into some kind of structure to see where my years have gone and what i've actually done.
Quite sad really, because in writing this i've painted a picture of myself that i can clearly see. I say and say but just do not do the do.
Insha'Allah this enrollment will be the begining of something new and fantastic...........
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
The Weeping Willow
(This is for you Umm Maymoonah. For your love of willow trees and surah Al Baqarah)
The darkness had arrived. But it didn't make a difference to The Tree. Day and night were the same. The Tree would stand alone. The morning light provided no comfort, except for, of course, the fact that it was essential for the sun to shine sometimes in order to survive. Survival of the fittest, The Tree smiled bitterly to himself. But only The Tree wasn't the fittest. In fact it was barely surviving. Loneliness is a killer......'Your too far out' they would say. 'It's not a proper place for our kind.' Meaning what? Am i not a tree, like you?
He knew the truth. It had nothing to do with the location as their branches reached out far and wide. He knew full well what they meant by 'our kind.' He was of an odd nature compared to them. His branches drooped whilst theirs expanded out. His trunk was hidden by waves of shadow, even if it was to be seen it was crumbled and wrinkled unattractive to the eye. Theirs a deep brown, strong and hard, perfect for climbing. Their leaves green, a forest green. But depending on seasonal change they shone golden and orange and at peak times they jewelled red. Not to forget being decorated with the pink and white blossoms under the crisp spring sky.
And me......Pale yellow fragile leaves, which naturally drooped as the downturn of a mouth would. In the rain they would become brown and give away to nothingness. Nothing but the remains of unwanted mess under shoes squelching in the mud. At my best, my leaves would turn a light shade of green (i rather like the colour) but my fellow trees would still scorn. Ooooh fancy that, faded green, whos known a tree to be of that colour. Indeed you are strange species. Rejected and hurt, i turn away. I have still some dignity left, i do not let them see me weep. I try to lift myself, but to no avail. I am weighed down by my branches. And there i remain. I stand alone again.
But then one early morning, before the morning sun rose, my life changed. Dramatically. Oh i will never forget that day of sweet sounding melody. I awoke like i do; just in time to see the pink horizon. This is my daily dose of hope of a better day. And the Lord above chose today to be that day, Alhamdulillah! (how can i not praise my Lord, the bestower of unexpected bounties). I felt a movement against me. Ok wake up, dream time finish, i told myself, you know in reality there is never any sign of life around me. But there it was again. The shuffling, the exclamations of delight, the warmth of a presence. Allahu Akbar! This was no dream. This was a different kind of motion. Whilst i was trying to figure out what this was, earnestly frowning at this strange visitor. The most beautiful sound came out. If i had a heart it would literally stop. Pleasure was not something i was familiar with, but this i knew to be pure pleasure. I crouched further to be in closer range so i could make out the words. And did they flow out. They carried out to reach the heavens i'm sure. They said
"Alif Lam Mim.
This is the Book, whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al Muttaqoon.
Who believe in the Ghaib and perform As salat and spend out of what we have provided for them, (spend on themselves, their parents, their children, their wives and also give in charity to the poor and also in Allah's Cause.)"
{Al Baqarah: 1-3}
I knew then what it was. It was The Book that our Lord had blessed the humans with. The divine scipture promised to be protected by God Himself. And i the weeping willow was shelter to the recitor of these beautiful words. Never had any object of nature reached such a status to give refuge to one reading the Qur'an. This person had voluntarily come to me. Out of all the trees, i was the most appropriate location. Why? Because it was the humilty of my branches that stood out against all the upright boastful trees. This person did not want their identity to be known out of shyness. She wanted to be hidden from everything else but Allah as it was Allah's Pleasure alone she was seeking. She knew the angels would surround the recitation at dawn time and she wanted them to go and report to Allah. We knew while the world was sleeping we were awake in harmony. How blessed i felt at that moment. Allah chose the ground under me to bear witness to her faith. In that instance i recalled the story of the tree that cried when the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) moved away from it. I could now empathise the loss it must have felt. This moment, this memory will only die with me and not before.
I no longer wallowed in my loneliness, instead i looked forward to the morning dawn as my beautiful earthling would use my branches to carry out the Words of Allah to the world. Alhamdulillah im am The Weeping Willow, with a new meaning to life.
You can imagine how much the recitation of the following verses delighted me as they rose to the top of my trunk . I felt beautiful like i had never felt before. A true honour for the creation of His Majesty's trees..............
"See you not how Allah sets forth a parable? A goodly word as a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the sky.
Giving its fruit at all times, by the Leave of its Lord, and Allah sets parables for mankind in order that they may remember.
And the parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree uprooted from the surface of earth, having no stability.
Allah will keep firm those who believe, with the word that stands firm in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allah will cause to go astray those who are zalimun and Allah does what He wills."
{Ibrahim: 24-27}
The darkness had arrived. But it didn't make a difference to The Tree. Day and night were the same. The Tree would stand alone. The morning light provided no comfort, except for, of course, the fact that it was essential for the sun to shine sometimes in order to survive. Survival of the fittest, The Tree smiled bitterly to himself. But only The Tree wasn't the fittest. In fact it was barely surviving. Loneliness is a killer......'Your too far out' they would say. 'It's not a proper place for our kind.' Meaning what? Am i not a tree, like you?
He knew the truth. It had nothing to do with the location as their branches reached out far and wide. He knew full well what they meant by 'our kind.' He was of an odd nature compared to them. His branches drooped whilst theirs expanded out. His trunk was hidden by waves of shadow, even if it was to be seen it was crumbled and wrinkled unattractive to the eye. Theirs a deep brown, strong and hard, perfect for climbing. Their leaves green, a forest green. But depending on seasonal change they shone golden and orange and at peak times they jewelled red. Not to forget being decorated with the pink and white blossoms under the crisp spring sky.
And me......Pale yellow fragile leaves, which naturally drooped as the downturn of a mouth would. In the rain they would become brown and give away to nothingness. Nothing but the remains of unwanted mess under shoes squelching in the mud. At my best, my leaves would turn a light shade of green (i rather like the colour) but my fellow trees would still scorn. Ooooh fancy that, faded green, whos known a tree to be of that colour. Indeed you are strange species. Rejected and hurt, i turn away. I have still some dignity left, i do not let them see me weep. I try to lift myself, but to no avail. I am weighed down by my branches. And there i remain. I stand alone again.
But then one early morning, before the morning sun rose, my life changed. Dramatically. Oh i will never forget that day of sweet sounding melody. I awoke like i do; just in time to see the pink horizon. This is my daily dose of hope of a better day. And the Lord above chose today to be that day, Alhamdulillah! (how can i not praise my Lord, the bestower of unexpected bounties). I felt a movement against me. Ok wake up, dream time finish, i told myself, you know in reality there is never any sign of life around me. But there it was again. The shuffling, the exclamations of delight, the warmth of a presence. Allahu Akbar! This was no dream. This was a different kind of motion. Whilst i was trying to figure out what this was, earnestly frowning at this strange visitor. The most beautiful sound came out. If i had a heart it would literally stop. Pleasure was not something i was familiar with, but this i knew to be pure pleasure. I crouched further to be in closer range so i could make out the words. And did they flow out. They carried out to reach the heavens i'm sure. They said
"Alif Lam Mim.
This is the Book, whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al Muttaqoon.
Who believe in the Ghaib and perform As salat and spend out of what we have provided for them, (spend on themselves, their parents, their children, their wives and also give in charity to the poor and also in Allah's Cause.)"
{Al Baqarah: 1-3}
I knew then what it was. It was The Book that our Lord had blessed the humans with. The divine scipture promised to be protected by God Himself. And i the weeping willow was shelter to the recitor of these beautiful words. Never had any object of nature reached such a status to give refuge to one reading the Qur'an. This person had voluntarily come to me. Out of all the trees, i was the most appropriate location. Why? Because it was the humilty of my branches that stood out against all the upright boastful trees. This person did not want their identity to be known out of shyness. She wanted to be hidden from everything else but Allah as it was Allah's Pleasure alone she was seeking. She knew the angels would surround the recitation at dawn time and she wanted them to go and report to Allah. We knew while the world was sleeping we were awake in harmony. How blessed i felt at that moment. Allah chose the ground under me to bear witness to her faith. In that instance i recalled the story of the tree that cried when the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) moved away from it. I could now empathise the loss it must have felt. This moment, this memory will only die with me and not before.
I no longer wallowed in my loneliness, instead i looked forward to the morning dawn as my beautiful earthling would use my branches to carry out the Words of Allah to the world. Alhamdulillah im am The Weeping Willow, with a new meaning to life.
You can imagine how much the recitation of the following verses delighted me as they rose to the top of my trunk . I felt beautiful like i had never felt before. A true honour for the creation of His Majesty's trees..............
"See you not how Allah sets forth a parable? A goodly word as a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the sky.
Giving its fruit at all times, by the Leave of its Lord, and Allah sets parables for mankind in order that they may remember.
And the parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree uprooted from the surface of earth, having no stability.
Allah will keep firm those who believe, with the word that stands firm in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allah will cause to go astray those who are zalimun and Allah does what He wills."
{Ibrahim: 24-27}
Women Role Models
We all desire to be something or someone better. It is human nature to be dissatisfied with oneself. Our efforts to enhance our lifestyles are limitless. We are always looking for new ways to improve our selves. However, we have to channel our desires to excel in a certain direction. I want us to ask ourselves, if there was someone I wanted to imitate, who would it be? Who could we take as an example, a standard to measure ourselves against? Would it be the stick thin models of today, who don’t even have the common sense to realise they are being exposed and disposed of whenever it suits the fashion industry. Or would it be the Bollywood stars, who are not even recognised for their acting skills these days, but rather because their parents were legends in this industry of idol worship.
If they are the role models we wish to live up to, then sisters, the glitz and the glamour of that superficial world will keep us far from the fragrance of Jannah. There is no room for such women in Jannah, for Jannah is for the pure believing women. And that’s who we want to be recognised as - believing women, the muslimaat, the mu’minaat, the muhsinaat. These were the titles of pious women before us. Real women. Empowered women. Women with firm belief and unwavering strength. Women who can teach us a thing or two about living and dying. They knew the way to success in the dunya and the akhirah.. We must look into the lives of those who preceded us, not just in history but preceded us in Jannah. Why were such women promised Jannah by Allah, the Lord of all the Worlds? What did they possess, that so many of us lack today?
There are many sahabiyas who have their own story to tell. If we want to talk about the first martyr in Islam, then she is Sumayah (RA). If we want to position ourselves in the battle of Uhud, then we will find it was Nusaybah (RA) who protected the prophet(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), when many men fled from the battlefield. If you want to know who jumped in the ditch as found in suratul Burooj, then it was the mother along with her new infant. Extraordinary women. Four other women, whom we should be very familiar with and to whom we should be in awe of. Whom we should imitate, aspire and desire to be like. The four women who were promised Paradise by Allah(subhana wa ta’ala). Knowing this, how can we not want to follow their footsteps all the way to Jannah, insha’Allah.
These were rare women, with rare qualities. First a story of courage, conviction and constancy of Aasiya,(Alayhi salam) the wife of Firawn. She was married to the tyrant who’s kufr knew no boundaries. She, through her noble speech managed to convince firawn to keep Musa (Alayhi salam) and to bring him up in their kingdom, despite firawn’s cruel rampage of killing baby boys. Whilst her husband was declaring to be god, she was affirming her faith in the One True God. She did not cease to believe in Allah, although she knew the consequences would be severe if firawn found out. She did not fear her husband. She did not have room in her heart to fear him, because her heart was full of taqwa of Allah(subhana wa ta’ala) She did not even cower, when it reached head on confrontation with firawn, when he threatened her life because of her belief in Allah, Almighty. Such was the status of this woman that Allah mentions her strength in the Qur’an
"And Allah gives an example for those who believe: the wife of pharaoh. (Remember) when she said, 'My Lord! Build for me a house with Thee in the Paradise, and deliver me from Pharaoh and his deeds; and deliver me from the unjust people.”
{At-Tahrim:11}
This brave lady, in the face of death, started laughing, when her husband tortured her, because she was shown her place in Jannah. She knew her Lord was pleased with her, what more could she want? None of this worldly life mattered to her; she was leaving a kingdom of power and glory behind to be in a better place, a place closer to her Lord. Her imaan had raised her ranks with Allah and that’s why she is one of the four women promised Jannah. We need to build our imaan to such a level, so that we can join our courageous teacher Aasiya in Jannah, insha’Allah.
Now lets learn a lesson of piety and purity. Where in history will you find a woman as chaste as the mother of prophet Isa (Alayhi salam). She came from the noble family of Imran, who hold the honour of having a surah in the Qur’an in their name. Maryam (Alayhi Salam) was a devout worshipper and was rewarded by Allah for her sincerity. Allah (subhana wa ta’ala ) provided her with sustenance from sources we will not even begin to imagine, He, made sure this devout servant of His was properly taken care of, these incidents we find in the Qur’an
“So her Lord, accepted her with goodly acceptance. He made her grow in a good manner and put her under the care of Zakariyya. Every time he entered Al-Mihrab to (visit) her, he found her supplied with sustenance. He said ‘O Maryam! From where have you got this?’ She said, ‘This is from Allah.’ Verily, Allah provides sustenance to whom He wills, without limit.”
{Al-Imran: 37}
SubhanAllah, a true blessing from Allah. She was able to keep herself away from the fitnah of worldly desires. Thereafter, came about the miraculous birth of the prophet Isa (Alayhi salam). Allah did not just choose anyone; He chose the best of women for this great responsibility. When the angel Jibreel (Alayhi salam) came to her with glad tidings of a son, her first reaction was to screen herself. Haya, my sisters. She was able to say
“How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste?”
{Maryam: 19}
No other woman has this honour and that’s why Allah, Lord of the heavens and the earth chose Jannah as Maryam (Alayhi salam) place of residence. Such high positions we can only aspire to, insha’Allah.
The third woman of Jannah is our dear mother, Khadija (Radi Allahu anha). The first wife of the prophet(Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). What can we say about the first woman to submit to the deen of Islam. A woman with her wisdom and insight, was able to comfort and advise her husband when he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallan) came to her shaking from his first experience of revelation. Her constant support and words of encouragement helped him in his mission to spread the word of Allah. She struggled alongside the prophet(sallallahu alahi wa sallam), she felt the pains of hunger as he did. Such was the love for his god fearing wife, that the prophet(sallallahu wa sallam), visited her friends, even after she had died and returned to her Lord. How can we not want to imitate the character of Khadija (radi Allahu anha), when the prophet(Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said this about her
‘I have not yet found a better wife than her. She had faith in me when everyone, even members of my own family and tribe did not believe in me, and accepted that I was truly a prophet and a messenger of Allah. She converted to Islam, spent all her wealth and worldly goods to help me spread this faith, and this too at a time when the entire world seemed to have turned against me and persecuted me. And it is through her that Allah has blessed me with children.’
The deep rooted faith of this believing woman granted her Jannah, an exchange she earned for the hardship she faced as a result of her support of Islam and her husband the prophet of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
The legend of Khadija (radi Allahu anha) lived through and was bought to life by her daughter Fatima (radi Allahu anha). How can we expect anything short of excellence, when her father is the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and her mother is Khadija (radi Allahu anha). She didn’t live the riches of this world. She didn’t make demands on her parents as many of us do now. Yet she was given the best of life, as her father taught her how to make dhikr of Allah in times of difficulty. Also the prophet(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) married her to the best of men - Ali(radi Allahu anhu). This kind, sweet and gentle woman, was immensely loved by the prophet (sallallahu alayhi was sallam). She was the first to defend her father if he was hurt or ridiculed. It was this little girl who came running to her father whilst he was in prostration, with her delicate hands and tears falling, she removed the filth and dirt which had been placed on the prophet(Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) out of mockery and pure malice on the request of Abu Jahl,. For this, her reward was not only paradise but she is to be the leader of all women of Jannah, her father bought this good news to her in his last days. The prophet(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) told Fatima(radi Allahu anha)
‘Would you like to be the leader of the women of Jannah?’
Not only that, but she is the mother of the two youths who will be the leaders of all the youth in Jannah Al Hasan and Hussain(radi Allahu anhum). She followed her father in death six months later, with the promise of Jannah. May Allah unite us with her in Jannah. Ameen.
Moving on to the woman, who the prophet(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was not shy to say that she was the most beloved to him. Ai’sha(radi Allahu anha). The great scholar of Islam. The great woman, in whose lap, the prophet(sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) lay his head in extreme illness. This woman, who was held in high esteem by all and who taught us a great deal of this deen. She was known for her intellect and sharpness. Her sincerity, generosity and no doubt her much loved feisty demeanour. Allah came to Ai’sha (radi Allahu anha) defence when He sent down revelation to clear Ai’sha(radi Allahu anha) of blame and slander propagated by the hypocrites. The prophet(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was told by Jibreel (alayhi salam).
‘She is your wife in this world and the hereafter.’ (Tirmithi)
And insha’Allah, if we commit ourselves to Allah the way she did and utilise our skills, then insha’Allah, we may be blessed with her delightful company in Jannah.
All these women who lived either before or during the time of the prophet(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) were never to be matched, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take from them or do our best in following them, because we too can share their courage, chastity, wisdom, sincerity and devotion. In fact it has been proven that such women have existed in our times. Zainab Al-Ghazali being a prime example. Her strong belief in Allah and commitment to the da’wah was met by nothing but pain and struggle, but that did not stop her from spreading the message that the prophet(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) bought to us. Her words penetrate through the hearts of those who want to tread the straight path, those who won’t rest till the Word of Allah is made uppermost. In her own words to her husband, she said
‘…but da’wah will always remain rooted in me…I know that it is your right to command me and that it is my duty to obey you, but God in our souls is greater than our souls, and His Da’wah is dearer to us than ourselves.’
If we comprehend her message then we will realise how much work we have to do with ourselves and those around us, for we are servants of Allah with a message to convey.
Such work is being carried out even now, by our dear sisters in Islam. Masha’Allah, Allah has blessed us with personalities such our sister in Islam Yvonne Ridley, who is no stranger to the muslims or non-muslims. Chase up her story, awe inspiring indeed and masha’Allah she is someone who appreciates the deen. She has even challenged the tyrants of today to break our wall of muslims, standing together in ranks as a Jamah for salah. Look around you, there are people still striving in the way of their Lord. Our mothers, sisters and daughters around the world are suffering to enable us to worship Allah properly. They are our role models. But do we appreciate their efforts? What do we give them in return? At least let us remember them in our du’aas.
So sisters, we know exactly where to look for role models. In our history pages and in our own hearts, because somewhere in yourself there is your faithful companion, your imaan. It just needs to be nurtured with the prophetic guidance and righteous deeds and insha’Allah we shall be amongst those women of Jannah.
“O the one in complete rest and satisfaction! Come back to your Lord – well pleased (yourself) and well pleasing (unto Him)! Enter you then among My (honoured) servants, and enter you My Paradise.”
{Fajr: 27-30}
If they are the role models we wish to live up to, then sisters, the glitz and the glamour of that superficial world will keep us far from the fragrance of Jannah. There is no room for such women in Jannah, for Jannah is for the pure believing women. And that’s who we want to be recognised as - believing women, the muslimaat, the mu’minaat, the muhsinaat. These were the titles of pious women before us. Real women. Empowered women. Women with firm belief and unwavering strength. Women who can teach us a thing or two about living and dying. They knew the way to success in the dunya and the akhirah.. We must look into the lives of those who preceded us, not just in history but preceded us in Jannah. Why were such women promised Jannah by Allah, the Lord of all the Worlds? What did they possess, that so many of us lack today?
There are many sahabiyas who have their own story to tell. If we want to talk about the first martyr in Islam, then she is Sumayah (RA). If we want to position ourselves in the battle of Uhud, then we will find it was Nusaybah (RA) who protected the prophet(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), when many men fled from the battlefield. If you want to know who jumped in the ditch as found in suratul Burooj, then it was the mother along with her new infant. Extraordinary women. Four other women, whom we should be very familiar with and to whom we should be in awe of. Whom we should imitate, aspire and desire to be like. The four women who were promised Paradise by Allah(subhana wa ta’ala). Knowing this, how can we not want to follow their footsteps all the way to Jannah, insha’Allah.
These were rare women, with rare qualities. First a story of courage, conviction and constancy of Aasiya,(Alayhi salam) the wife of Firawn. She was married to the tyrant who’s kufr knew no boundaries. She, through her noble speech managed to convince firawn to keep Musa (Alayhi salam) and to bring him up in their kingdom, despite firawn’s cruel rampage of killing baby boys. Whilst her husband was declaring to be god, she was affirming her faith in the One True God. She did not cease to believe in Allah, although she knew the consequences would be severe if firawn found out. She did not fear her husband. She did not have room in her heart to fear him, because her heart was full of taqwa of Allah(subhana wa ta’ala) She did not even cower, when it reached head on confrontation with firawn, when he threatened her life because of her belief in Allah, Almighty. Such was the status of this woman that Allah mentions her strength in the Qur’an
"And Allah gives an example for those who believe: the wife of pharaoh. (Remember) when she said, 'My Lord! Build for me a house with Thee in the Paradise, and deliver me from Pharaoh and his deeds; and deliver me from the unjust people.”
{At-Tahrim:11}
This brave lady, in the face of death, started laughing, when her husband tortured her, because she was shown her place in Jannah. She knew her Lord was pleased with her, what more could she want? None of this worldly life mattered to her; she was leaving a kingdom of power and glory behind to be in a better place, a place closer to her Lord. Her imaan had raised her ranks with Allah and that’s why she is one of the four women promised Jannah. We need to build our imaan to such a level, so that we can join our courageous teacher Aasiya in Jannah, insha’Allah.
Now lets learn a lesson of piety and purity. Where in history will you find a woman as chaste as the mother of prophet Isa (Alayhi salam). She came from the noble family of Imran, who hold the honour of having a surah in the Qur’an in their name. Maryam (Alayhi Salam) was a devout worshipper and was rewarded by Allah for her sincerity. Allah (subhana wa ta’ala ) provided her with sustenance from sources we will not even begin to imagine, He, made sure this devout servant of His was properly taken care of, these incidents we find in the Qur’an
“So her Lord, accepted her with goodly acceptance. He made her grow in a good manner and put her under the care of Zakariyya. Every time he entered Al-Mihrab to (visit) her, he found her supplied with sustenance. He said ‘O Maryam! From where have you got this?’ She said, ‘This is from Allah.’ Verily, Allah provides sustenance to whom He wills, without limit.”
{Al-Imran: 37}
SubhanAllah, a true blessing from Allah. She was able to keep herself away from the fitnah of worldly desires. Thereafter, came about the miraculous birth of the prophet Isa (Alayhi salam). Allah did not just choose anyone; He chose the best of women for this great responsibility. When the angel Jibreel (Alayhi salam) came to her with glad tidings of a son, her first reaction was to screen herself. Haya, my sisters. She was able to say
“How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste?”
{Maryam: 19}
No other woman has this honour and that’s why Allah, Lord of the heavens and the earth chose Jannah as Maryam (Alayhi salam) place of residence. Such high positions we can only aspire to, insha’Allah.
The third woman of Jannah is our dear mother, Khadija (Radi Allahu anha). The first wife of the prophet(Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). What can we say about the first woman to submit to the deen of Islam. A woman with her wisdom and insight, was able to comfort and advise her husband when he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallan) came to her shaking from his first experience of revelation. Her constant support and words of encouragement helped him in his mission to spread the word of Allah. She struggled alongside the prophet(sallallahu alahi wa sallam), she felt the pains of hunger as he did. Such was the love for his god fearing wife, that the prophet(sallallahu wa sallam), visited her friends, even after she had died and returned to her Lord. How can we not want to imitate the character of Khadija (radi Allahu anha), when the prophet(Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said this about her
‘I have not yet found a better wife than her. She had faith in me when everyone, even members of my own family and tribe did not believe in me, and accepted that I was truly a prophet and a messenger of Allah. She converted to Islam, spent all her wealth and worldly goods to help me spread this faith, and this too at a time when the entire world seemed to have turned against me and persecuted me. And it is through her that Allah has blessed me with children.’
The deep rooted faith of this believing woman granted her Jannah, an exchange she earned for the hardship she faced as a result of her support of Islam and her husband the prophet of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
The legend of Khadija (radi Allahu anha) lived through and was bought to life by her daughter Fatima (radi Allahu anha). How can we expect anything short of excellence, when her father is the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and her mother is Khadija (radi Allahu anha). She didn’t live the riches of this world. She didn’t make demands on her parents as many of us do now. Yet she was given the best of life, as her father taught her how to make dhikr of Allah in times of difficulty. Also the prophet(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) married her to the best of men - Ali(radi Allahu anhu). This kind, sweet and gentle woman, was immensely loved by the prophet (sallallahu alayhi was sallam). She was the first to defend her father if he was hurt or ridiculed. It was this little girl who came running to her father whilst he was in prostration, with her delicate hands and tears falling, she removed the filth and dirt which had been placed on the prophet(Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) out of mockery and pure malice on the request of Abu Jahl,. For this, her reward was not only paradise but she is to be the leader of all women of Jannah, her father bought this good news to her in his last days. The prophet(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) told Fatima(radi Allahu anha)
‘Would you like to be the leader of the women of Jannah?’
Not only that, but she is the mother of the two youths who will be the leaders of all the youth in Jannah Al Hasan and Hussain(radi Allahu anhum). She followed her father in death six months later, with the promise of Jannah. May Allah unite us with her in Jannah. Ameen.
Moving on to the woman, who the prophet(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was not shy to say that she was the most beloved to him. Ai’sha(radi Allahu anha). The great scholar of Islam. The great woman, in whose lap, the prophet(sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) lay his head in extreme illness. This woman, who was held in high esteem by all and who taught us a great deal of this deen. She was known for her intellect and sharpness. Her sincerity, generosity and no doubt her much loved feisty demeanour. Allah came to Ai’sha (radi Allahu anha) defence when He sent down revelation to clear Ai’sha(radi Allahu anha) of blame and slander propagated by the hypocrites. The prophet(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was told by Jibreel (alayhi salam).
‘She is your wife in this world and the hereafter.’ (Tirmithi)
And insha’Allah, if we commit ourselves to Allah the way she did and utilise our skills, then insha’Allah, we may be blessed with her delightful company in Jannah.
All these women who lived either before or during the time of the prophet(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) were never to be matched, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take from them or do our best in following them, because we too can share their courage, chastity, wisdom, sincerity and devotion. In fact it has been proven that such women have existed in our times. Zainab Al-Ghazali being a prime example. Her strong belief in Allah and commitment to the da’wah was met by nothing but pain and struggle, but that did not stop her from spreading the message that the prophet(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) bought to us. Her words penetrate through the hearts of those who want to tread the straight path, those who won’t rest till the Word of Allah is made uppermost. In her own words to her husband, she said
‘…but da’wah will always remain rooted in me…I know that it is your right to command me and that it is my duty to obey you, but God in our souls is greater than our souls, and His Da’wah is dearer to us than ourselves.’
If we comprehend her message then we will realise how much work we have to do with ourselves and those around us, for we are servants of Allah with a message to convey.
Such work is being carried out even now, by our dear sisters in Islam. Masha’Allah, Allah has blessed us with personalities such our sister in Islam Yvonne Ridley, who is no stranger to the muslims or non-muslims. Chase up her story, awe inspiring indeed and masha’Allah she is someone who appreciates the deen. She has even challenged the tyrants of today to break our wall of muslims, standing together in ranks as a Jamah for salah. Look around you, there are people still striving in the way of their Lord. Our mothers, sisters and daughters around the world are suffering to enable us to worship Allah properly. They are our role models. But do we appreciate their efforts? What do we give them in return? At least let us remember them in our du’aas.
So sisters, we know exactly where to look for role models. In our history pages and in our own hearts, because somewhere in yourself there is your faithful companion, your imaan. It just needs to be nurtured with the prophetic guidance and righteous deeds and insha’Allah we shall be amongst those women of Jannah.
“O the one in complete rest and satisfaction! Come back to your Lord – well pleased (yourself) and well pleasing (unto Him)! Enter you then among My (honoured) servants, and enter you My Paradise.”
{Fajr: 27-30}
'Be my witness, O Allah!'
Remember when i said i would post something worthwhile. Well here it is!! It is the parting advice of the prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam). This is something that touches me every time i read it. It is something i hold very dear to me as the priniples laid out is our guidance for good living. I have it framed near my bedside, in a sky blue and ocean blue background of mountains way over yonder. Also i love it so much that Alhamdulillah i implemented the love for your brother what you love for yourself. So i gave it to a few of my friends as a personal wedding present. And i every time i go to their house, i see the wise words sitting there. Everytime i see it, i get a warm feeling inside. SubhanAllah, you guys its the little things that matter sometimes and often we don't realise it. JazakumAllah Khayr.
Anyway, i hand it over to the our beloved prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam).
Please do contemplate..........
The Prophet Muhammad’s (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) Last Sermon
This sermon was delivered on the Ninth day of Dhul Hijjah 10 A.H
In the Uranah valley of Mount Arafat
After praising, and thanking Allah Rasoolullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“O people lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether, after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and TAKE THESE WORDS TO THOSE WHO COULD NOT BE PRESENT HERE TODAY.
O people, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet you LORD, and that HE will indeed reckon your deed. Allah has forbidden you to take usury (interest), therefore all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer inequity. Allah has judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to Abbas ibn’ Abb’al Muttalib shall henceforth be waived….
Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.
O people, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah’s trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.
O people listen to me in earnest, worship ALLAH, say your five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in Zakat. Perform Hajj if you can afford to.
All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not therefore, do injustice to yourselves.
Remember, one day you will appear before ALLAH and answer for your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.
O people, NO PROPHET OR APOSTLE WILL COME AFTER ME AND NO NEW FAITH WILL BE BORN. Reason well, therefore, O people, and understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the QURAN and my example, the SUNNAH and if you follow these you will never go astray.
All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last one understand my words better than those who listen to me directly.
Be my witness, O ALLAH, that I have conveyed your message to your people.”
Anyway, i hand it over to the our beloved prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam).
Please do contemplate..........
The Prophet Muhammad’s (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) Last Sermon
This sermon was delivered on the Ninth day of Dhul Hijjah 10 A.H
In the Uranah valley of Mount Arafat
After praising, and thanking Allah Rasoolullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“O people lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether, after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and TAKE THESE WORDS TO THOSE WHO COULD NOT BE PRESENT HERE TODAY.
O people, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet you LORD, and that HE will indeed reckon your deed. Allah has forbidden you to take usury (interest), therefore all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer inequity. Allah has judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to Abbas ibn’ Abb’al Muttalib shall henceforth be waived….
Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.
O people, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah’s trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.
O people listen to me in earnest, worship ALLAH, say your five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in Zakat. Perform Hajj if you can afford to.
All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not therefore, do injustice to yourselves.
Remember, one day you will appear before ALLAH and answer for your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.
O people, NO PROPHET OR APOSTLE WILL COME AFTER ME AND NO NEW FAITH WILL BE BORN. Reason well, therefore, O people, and understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the QURAN and my example, the SUNNAH and if you follow these you will never go astray.
All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last one understand my words better than those who listen to me directly.
Be my witness, O ALLAH, that I have conveyed your message to your people.”
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Oh!
Well this is a surprise, all these days i thought i couldn't post becasue in the recent past it just wouldn't allow me to on the laptop but Alhamdulillah its letting me.
Anyway. not a good time for discovery, do actually need to get some sleep.
insha'Allah i'll get something of a beneficial nature on here soon insha'Allah.
Seriously i wonder where do all these bloggers get time to blog........
Anyway. not a good time for discovery, do actually need to get some sleep.
insha'Allah i'll get something of a beneficial nature on here soon insha'Allah.
Seriously i wonder where do all these bloggers get time to blog........
Friday, June 29, 2007
The Burning Flame
I am a flame like no other flame.
I am the first to be lit and the last to die out. I rise above them all, red and hot. You can see the tips of me in the darkness of the night. My igniter is in awe of me. My opponents fear me. They all are. Even my fellow flames cower in my presence. Their heat is cool in comparison to my ravaging burn. I leave scars on whoever touches me. My curves and waves mesmerises all that lay their eyes on me. I disappear when i want. When there is no longer anyone around to admire me. Enchanting and charming, thats me. Rather that was me.....
Until that fatal day. I didn't even see it coming. Who would dare to burn me out in the prime of my time. But indeed somebody did dare. All i saw was a black mass above me. Despite the slight uncomfortable feeling, i did not feel threatened. So what i've burned through the night, so what if it became dark earlier than usual...
But it was now looming. My fellow admirers seemed to be welcoming this unexpected visitor. They jumped around me, almost mocking me. I soared higher just to assert my authority, but it did not have its usual effect. Instead they changed their colour and intensified their heat. Now this angered me. I was so overcome with wrath that i didn't notice the first fat wet drop. Even the second. But i was forced to feel the third. It hissed at me. It teased me above my head. It then dropped on me like a ton of bricks. And it kept on coming for me. Drops upon drops. Torrents and torrents. I heard cries, i dont know if they were mine, but they were too gleeful to be my own roar. I saw them before i burned my last. I saw the thunder before all lights went out. In that last moment i wished i wasn't the fastest, hottest and highest burning flame, for then my fate may have been different.......
My legend burned out long before the candle ever did.
I am the first to be lit and the last to die out. I rise above them all, red and hot. You can see the tips of me in the darkness of the night. My igniter is in awe of me. My opponents fear me. They all are. Even my fellow flames cower in my presence. Their heat is cool in comparison to my ravaging burn. I leave scars on whoever touches me. My curves and waves mesmerises all that lay their eyes on me. I disappear when i want. When there is no longer anyone around to admire me. Enchanting and charming, thats me. Rather that was me.....
Until that fatal day. I didn't even see it coming. Who would dare to burn me out in the prime of my time. But indeed somebody did dare. All i saw was a black mass above me. Despite the slight uncomfortable feeling, i did not feel threatened. So what i've burned through the night, so what if it became dark earlier than usual...
But it was now looming. My fellow admirers seemed to be welcoming this unexpected visitor. They jumped around me, almost mocking me. I soared higher just to assert my authority, but it did not have its usual effect. Instead they changed their colour and intensified their heat. Now this angered me. I was so overcome with wrath that i didn't notice the first fat wet drop. Even the second. But i was forced to feel the third. It hissed at me. It teased me above my head. It then dropped on me like a ton of bricks. And it kept on coming for me. Drops upon drops. Torrents and torrents. I heard cries, i dont know if they were mine, but they were too gleeful to be my own roar. I saw them before i burned my last. I saw the thunder before all lights went out. In that last moment i wished i wasn't the fastest, hottest and highest burning flame, for then my fate may have been different.......
My legend burned out long before the candle ever did.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Hocus Pocus
Strange thing (well not so strange), happened today in one of my classes. A proof of what Shaykh Yasir Qadhi mentioned in the Lord of the Worlds, Al Kauthar course (for thsoe who didnt go, sorry we'll probably go on about it for a while). Basically after my class, one of the kids, was leaning on their floor brush. I didn't really take notice. Then she says ' wish i can have more potions, ive already got some but i need more so i can make harder spells. Ive got a broom which i can fly away with. If i get more potions i can do more things.My dad said i can have some sticks from outside.....'
Well you can imagine i was gobsmacked! The shaykh had spoken about an incident he had experienced with some young girl, who had downloaded spells and was perfoming acts of 'magic' without realising the severity or consequences! SubhanAllah. It just reminded me of this story and kinda freaked me out. I said to her its not good to make potions, you dont need it you can play with other things. I honestly did not know what to say. I just had an image of her with balls of light flying around her and a pointed hat. Astaghfirullah. I hate Harry Potter even more now! I never could stand it, only because everyone else loves it and i could never see the attraction in it. I dont like fantasy stuff anyway. But the effects its having on our kids is detrimental. They actually believe he possess power. Hmm must do another lesson on Tawheed with them............
Well you can imagine i was gobsmacked! The shaykh had spoken about an incident he had experienced with some young girl, who had downloaded spells and was perfoming acts of 'magic' without realising the severity or consequences! SubhanAllah. It just reminded me of this story and kinda freaked me out. I said to her its not good to make potions, you dont need it you can play with other things. I honestly did not know what to say. I just had an image of her with balls of light flying around her and a pointed hat. Astaghfirullah. I hate Harry Potter even more now! I never could stand it, only because everyone else loves it and i could never see the attraction in it. I dont like fantasy stuff anyway. But the effects its having on our kids is detrimental. They actually believe he possess power. Hmm must do another lesson on Tawheed with them............
Mums the word!
My mum said the word 'JazakAllah' today! masha'Allah its the first time ive ever heard her say it. Was really sweet. I do love my mum. May Allah give me the ability to lower to my parents the wings of humilty and grant them mercy as they did bring me up when i was young. Ameen. But i feel too ashamed sometimes. Which makes me distance myself more. they make it so easy to blame them for things. Parents have this amazing ability to take on anything and to give their children everything and although sometimes they say what have you ever done for us....(at which point we switch off or start counting acts of goodness we think we've done). but they never mean it, they really dont expect us to give them anything, they just expect us to understand when we get kids of our own..........and apparently we do...........
No matter what, i am blessed. because Alhamdulillah, i have such great parents and sisters and a brother. and nieces and nephews and friends and............i could go on can't i?
Indeed which of Allahs favours can we deny...............
And Allah says
'...and if you try to count the blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them...'
Surah Ibrahim.
No matter what, i am blessed. because Alhamdulillah, i have such great parents and sisters and a brother. and nieces and nephews and friends and............i could go on can't i?
Indeed which of Allahs favours can we deny...............
And Allah says
'...and if you try to count the blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them...'
Surah Ibrahim.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
A Few Words..........
I didn't want the blog to remain unposted even for a day! I feel i got to make up for lost time..... But before i write a half decent post i just thought i'd post a few sentences i put together once. Im not this deep or some may say airy fairy type (for those who cant understand what the lines are getting at). But rather some realisations i have come to and hopefully can live to, bi tawfiq'Allah.
Anyway here goes.........
Bismillah
Don’t depend on someone who loves you.
Depend on the One who granted you that love.
Treat people as trusts from Allah.
But only put your complete trust in Allah.
Don’t love someone because they love you.
Love that someone because they love Allah.
How I wish I could fly. I would fly away from everyone.
So they can’t hurt me and I can’t hurt them.
But Alhamdulillah Allah did not want me to be a bird flying
in the sky. He, Subhana wa ta’ala wanted me to be a believer
amongst the people, so that I can experience His Rahma and ni’mah
through them. Insha’Allah, one day I return to Allah as Green Birds flying
around the Arsh.
Give to people, but don’t expect anything back.
Happiness is not satisfaction of the heart.
It is the peace of the mind and contentment of the soul.
Pain is very good for the soul.
If the heart is strong it can bear the pain.
But if the heart is weak, then it can be destroyed.
We don’t know the strength of our heart until the
Very end. And Allah, Exalted, the Controller of our
Hearts knows best our end.
You know what love is when you and your loved one
Want to meet again in Jannah.
Anyone who hates shaytan, hates to let him win.
The heart is to…..
To love and to receive love
Have courage, for protection and integrity
To have mercy, to forgive and forgoe
Pump blood in order to survive.
Come and share this great feeling with me.
You’ll find it when your forehead touches the
Ground in prostration to your Lord.
You’ll find it mesmerising in the recitation
of the beautiful Qur’an.
You’ll find it in your baby’s eyes, staring at you
so wide.
You’ll find it in your lover’s laugh after a hard and
Troubled day.
You’ll find it in the history books of the pious,
Those who died before you and I.
You’ll find it in your heart the place in which
it resides.
Monday, June 18, 2007
I was locked out!!
Meaning, i didn't have access to my blog for sometime. Technical problems, personal problems, domestic problems, heck might as well just throw in mental problems!!
Even now, my comp might just shut down on me.........quick few words before it does!!
Oh ok how convenient i have access just after i have returned from an Al Kauthar course, so i can rave on about it......but i wont! ok i will a bit. Masha'Allah what a good course it was. Well the topic was Tawheed and shirk, so it was exactly that, explaining the fundamentals of our Deen. Masha'Allah Shaykh Yasir Qadhi is very articulate and concise in what he says. Really drills the message home, hopefully we wont have as many people labelling, accusing, takfeering, thats if the message of the course is spread far and wide.......insha'Allah. Also on a personale level, it will help us worship Allah properly and recognise His greatness through His Oneness as whoelse is there who created us and who else will ressurect us? So we turn to Him in gratitude and humilty. May Allah give us the tawfiwue to worship him correctly and to keep us sincere to Him. Ameen.
Oh my goodness, i have a new found love.......its Birmingham!! i really really like it there. Ok so Aston Uni wasn't all that, but i was impressed with the whole atmosphere. Maybe we caught them on a good weekend. And oh i did love listening to them speak, masha'Allah! not mocking them or anything, but genuinely did.
Ok inevitably, in a class discussing shirk the topic of Jinns/Blackmagic is going to come up......so anyone for any jinn stories since its the most talked about topic (after marriage i believe).....seriously though not a topic to joke about as it does affect many and we dont realise the extent of damage done. With all these hocus pocus films flying around we have our younger brothers and sister who actually experiment with magic without realising the severity of it. and this is true! Anyway, if you have any jinn stories, please don't hestiate to relate it here.......those who have natural fear of jinns dont read on. Those who dont get easily spooked share it with us.....
Even now, my comp might just shut down on me.........quick few words before it does!!
Oh ok how convenient i have access just after i have returned from an Al Kauthar course, so i can rave on about it......but i wont! ok i will a bit. Masha'Allah what a good course it was. Well the topic was Tawheed and shirk, so it was exactly that, explaining the fundamentals of our Deen. Masha'Allah Shaykh Yasir Qadhi is very articulate and concise in what he says. Really drills the message home, hopefully we wont have as many people labelling, accusing, takfeering, thats if the message of the course is spread far and wide.......insha'Allah. Also on a personale level, it will help us worship Allah properly and recognise His greatness through His Oneness as whoelse is there who created us and who else will ressurect us? So we turn to Him in gratitude and humilty. May Allah give us the tawfiwue to worship him correctly and to keep us sincere to Him. Ameen.
Oh my goodness, i have a new found love.......its Birmingham!! i really really like it there. Ok so Aston Uni wasn't all that, but i was impressed with the whole atmosphere. Maybe we caught them on a good weekend. And oh i did love listening to them speak, masha'Allah! not mocking them or anything, but genuinely did.
Ok inevitably, in a class discussing shirk the topic of Jinns/Blackmagic is going to come up......so anyone for any jinn stories since its the most talked about topic (after marriage i believe).....seriously though not a topic to joke about as it does affect many and we dont realise the extent of damage done. With all these hocus pocus films flying around we have our younger brothers and sister who actually experiment with magic without realising the severity of it. and this is true! Anyway, if you have any jinn stories, please don't hestiate to relate it here.......those who have natural fear of jinns dont read on. Those who dont get easily spooked share it with us.....
Sunday, May 13, 2007
The End....
You know how people say all good things come to an end, well its not true. The person who made that phrase up mustn't have been a muslim. In fact for a muslim, Alhamdulillah, i say all bad things come to an end. I mean the ultimate is that even the worse muslim does not abide in Hellfire forever. Through the Mercy of Allah the well deserved torture does come to an end. Likewise in dunya, the misery will come to an end. It may be further away than what you would like or it maybe sooner than you think, but that's not for us to decide. See Allah decides our end and our begining and our middle (read it in the right order if you wish).
Yesterday i put a mark in my diary (date style, not 'Dear Diary'). Saturday the 12th of May 2007. Allahu Akbar! Yesterday was an end to alot of things. It is very possible that many others will have marked this day also but for different reasons. For them it could have been THE day which saw to the begining of something great, or the middle of something not so great but the best of it is that for some of us it was the end of something bad. Thats why i say bad things do come to an end, but whether the effects of it come to an end in this lifetime, that's something i can't testify to yet, but i'm hoping one day i can, insha'Allah. The beauty of the ending of the bad thing is that you can see the good that comes out of it. Which is why Allah tells us you may dislike a thing and it is good for you and you may like something and it is bad for you......
A reality we are all aware of, muslims and non muslims, is that all this will come to an end. This we know. What we don't know (side point - There is more we dont know than what we do know) is where our final end will be. And this unknown end of ours, this my dears, is only with Allah, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. So lets not treat this world as though its all we got, neither making it a Jannah on earth or making it a living hell. We'll get whats coming to us.....
'Every soul shall taste death'
Yesterday i put a mark in my diary (date style, not 'Dear Diary'). Saturday the 12th of May 2007. Allahu Akbar! Yesterday was an end to alot of things. It is very possible that many others will have marked this day also but for different reasons. For them it could have been THE day which saw to the begining of something great, or the middle of something not so great but the best of it is that for some of us it was the end of something bad. Thats why i say bad things do come to an end, but whether the effects of it come to an end in this lifetime, that's something i can't testify to yet, but i'm hoping one day i can, insha'Allah. The beauty of the ending of the bad thing is that you can see the good that comes out of it. Which is why Allah tells us you may dislike a thing and it is good for you and you may like something and it is bad for you......
A reality we are all aware of, muslims and non muslims, is that all this will come to an end. This we know. What we don't know (side point - There is more we dont know than what we do know) is where our final end will be. And this unknown end of ours, this my dears, is only with Allah, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. So lets not treat this world as though its all we got, neither making it a Jannah on earth or making it a living hell. We'll get whats coming to us.....
'Every soul shall taste death'
Saturday, May 5, 2007
The Al Kauthar Experience
Well Alhamdulillah, i finally got to go to a course conducted by Al Kauthar. After hearing so much about it and even dreaming before going to a course, Allah decreed for me to go Alhamdulillah. I had hyped myself up for it and you know how you normally hype yourself for something, it just doesnt meet your expectation i.e marriage (ha, had to get that one in!), well this wasnt the case here. I loved it! masha'Allah! the course was Price of Salvation - all about zakat! And i was keen to go on this, ok so it maybe very technical and im so not good at numbers, but even so loved it. Because it made me realise how much i do not know! head down in shame and humble oneself. for me it was quite intellectually challenging, i say because of the maths, but other than that Alhamdulillah not too complicated. Even if i did confess to the shaykh and my fellow Al Kauthar students 'Im lost' and i think i kinda made a hand movement. NOTE - I DID NOT GIGGLE!!! as one of my over imaginative friend claims. There was nothing to giggle about, so why would i giggle???!! I may have had a jokey tone to my statement as i found it quite typicsal of myself to be confused and so i was bemused, but i repeat I DID NOT GIGGLE..........Will continue with this insha'Allah. i share a room, so have to respect my youngers while they kick me off the comp!! ay the youth these days.................
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Patience......
Realities of the Heart - part 1
Patience........
Just one more day. Come on its not that bad. Think of it, you might not have to endure it tomorrow, i mean you could be dead. Imagine you die with the virtue of patience, the angels will be calling you 'salaamun alaikum' What can you do anyway. Nothing. See you have to wait anyway. So while you are waiting, reflect upon yourself. and remember for next time. and repent. See theres alot to do while you're waiting. Its the perfect opportunity to bring yourself closer to Allah, subhana wa ta'ala. astaghfirullah, subhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, Wallahu Akbar. Hasbinullah wa ni'mal wakil. inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un............
Cry if you want, nobody is going to stop you, in fact get it out, but make the tears only for Allah. Don't even bother complaining to others, nobody can truly understand. Only Allah knows and you know how hard it is. Bless everyone they're trying to help and Alhamdulillah be grateful for it, smile and tell them you're ok and that you're glad they're here for you, and they are here for you because they care. Brave it. But you know when the door is closed, get your prayer mat out and sob your heart out to the controller of Hearts. It keeps you sane. Don't block the pain, it will only build up, Allah, Ar Rahman has given us grieviance time, He knows His creation. Use it. But channel it, nurture it, reflect upon it. Its a time to humble oneself and honour yourself. Rejoice, Allah loves you! and He is with you as the patient one.
Wakey, wakey, yep its Tahajud time already......you made it through the day, Alhamdulillah! see, you did it. Now you ready to face the night, when nobody else but your Lord can see you....pray you make it throught the next day.......with patience. '..........
'So leave worrying as much as possible. As carrying the burdens of anxiety is madness. There is your Lord who provided you with solutions to yesterday. And He will similarly provide for what is to come tomorrow.'
Arab Poet
And wait to see what Allah and His Messenger (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) say about it. Oh we're going to wish we were patient...........
Patience........
Just one more day. Come on its not that bad. Think of it, you might not have to endure it tomorrow, i mean you could be dead. Imagine you die with the virtue of patience, the angels will be calling you 'salaamun alaikum' What can you do anyway. Nothing. See you have to wait anyway. So while you are waiting, reflect upon yourself. and remember for next time. and repent. See theres alot to do while you're waiting. Its the perfect opportunity to bring yourself closer to Allah, subhana wa ta'ala. astaghfirullah, subhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, Wallahu Akbar. Hasbinullah wa ni'mal wakil. inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un............
Cry if you want, nobody is going to stop you, in fact get it out, but make the tears only for Allah. Don't even bother complaining to others, nobody can truly understand. Only Allah knows and you know how hard it is. Bless everyone they're trying to help and Alhamdulillah be grateful for it, smile and tell them you're ok and that you're glad they're here for you, and they are here for you because they care. Brave it. But you know when the door is closed, get your prayer mat out and sob your heart out to the controller of Hearts. It keeps you sane. Don't block the pain, it will only build up, Allah, Ar Rahman has given us grieviance time, He knows His creation. Use it. But channel it, nurture it, reflect upon it. Its a time to humble oneself and honour yourself. Rejoice, Allah loves you! and He is with you as the patient one.
Wakey, wakey, yep its Tahajud time already......you made it through the day, Alhamdulillah! see, you did it. Now you ready to face the night, when nobody else but your Lord can see you....pray you make it throught the next day.......with patience. '..........
'So leave worrying as much as possible. As carrying the burdens of anxiety is madness. There is your Lord who provided you with solutions to yesterday. And He will similarly provide for what is to come tomorrow.'
Arab Poet
And wait to see what Allah and His Messenger (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) say about it. Oh we're going to wish we were patient...........
Realities of the Heart
Realities of the Heart, is going to be kinda like a series of writings with......yes matters to do with that organ that pumps blood round our body. So yes its going to be be very factual and biological. So do sit with a medical book in your hand cos it may get very technical at times. Alternativley if it gets too difficult, have a Qur'an nearby, insha'Allah the references should be in there aswell...............
Well im no heart surgeon. All though you know i could easily be, i mean i did Science G.C.S.Es and 3 of my sisters did Biology A'Level so i could definetly got in there with the knowledge. but i decided to be nursery nurse instead, i found it more intellectually more stimulating. Come on a 3 year old can't make you look dumb right? Right.............
Anyway, im going to make an attempt to dissect the heart. Please if you're sqeamish, this is especially for you.............
Subtitled 'verily in the rememerance of Allah do hearts find rest...........'
Well im no heart surgeon. All though you know i could easily be, i mean i did Science G.C.S.Es and 3 of my sisters did Biology A'Level so i could definetly got in there with the knowledge. but i decided to be nursery nurse instead, i found it more intellectually more stimulating. Come on a 3 year old can't make you look dumb right? Right.............
Anyway, im going to make an attempt to dissect the heart. Please if you're sqeamish, this is especially for you.............
Subtitled 'verily in the rememerance of Allah do hearts find rest...........'
Saturday, April 21, 2007
My Missing Part.......
Once upon a time this was me......i wrote this. probably around this time last year.
I miss me, or rather this part of me. I don't have her any more. Take what you want from it. maybe someone can benefit from it more than i have. but it has to be sincere from the depths.........how far did i go, i'll let you know when i reach the end.
I guess my conviction was just not strong enough. Insha'Allah, there is still time and all is not loss..........
Ya muqalib al quloob thaabit quloobana a'la deenik.
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Raheem
For the sake of Allah(subhana wa ta'ala)
My Lament
This is a path which has been tread by many of us before, many have succeeded, some probably have failed and some are still struggling on that path. I have attempted to take this path before, but I have not wholly committed to it. This is for you Allah, to seek the pleasure of your Grand Face. The place where I can be sure of your pleasure, in where, I hope will be my final Home of Jannah. But only with Your Help O Allah. You are my Maula, My Protector and my only means to salvation. With your Help O Allah I wish to tread this path. I wish to tread it following the steps of our beloved prophet(salallahu alayhi wa sallam). I wish to be in the ranks of Abu Bakr As-Sideeq(Radi Allahu anhu). I wish to be as strong as Umar (Radi Allahu anhu). I wish for the humble life of Uthman (Radi Allahu anhu). I wish for the hikmah and insight of Ali (Radi Allahu anhu). And many more qualities which are loved by You and I wish to eradicate the many qualities that are unloved by You. Which then, insha’Allah, will lead me to the status and company of the Anbiya, sidiqeen, shuhadaah and the saliheen.(See Qur’an, surah An-Nisa:69). Allah please grant me the company of these righteous people as I commit myself to you. O Allah never abandon me, never leave me to my evil devices. For I know and You know better that I am a very very weak muslim. But I have to reach a resolution to end my misery. And I will not find contentment in superficial pastimes. I will not find true comfort with other human beings, as much as I love them, they will not help on the Day of Judgment. Only You Allah, Only you do we worship and Only You do we ask for help. So this is my du’aa Allah, please answer it. Allahumma innee ala dhikrika, wa shukrika, wa husni ibaaditika. O Allah, help me, aide me in remembering You, being grateful to You and the good of worshipping You. Allahumma Ameen.
Mission:
To be a muslim, mu’min and muhsin, in every sense of those statuses, insha’Allah. To be a part of the Firqatun Najiah and to go one step further to be a part of the Taiful Mansurah. Alhamdulillah and may Allah reward our scholars who made me aware of such fundamental beliefs and roles. Truly Allah will show us the path if we seek it. I have contemplated many times what can I do? I am a single person and not even a very good person of that. So that mentality has lead me to give up and not bother and get on with life as I am doing. Someone, Alhamdulillah is a muslim and prays and other basic necessities. Has a chance at Jannah, but equal if not more of entering the Fire. May Allah protect us from it! Ameen. What I have in mind and Allah knows, will take time, definitely from my part, as I have much to overcome. But we must be patient with ourselves and keep trust in Allah and never lose hope, even though shaytan will convince us that we are a lost case. First thing, we can never succeed if we have a defeatist attitude. Why should we fail if our intentions and actions are sincerely done for the sake of Allah. However if they are not, then we must reform our intentions and deeds (see Qur’an, Surah Ash-Shams:7-10).
Our aim is to please Allah. Our purpose is to worship Allah, the One who created us. Our vision is Jannah. Keep this vision in mind. Come on imagine it now. Insha’Allah. Me and my loved ones. We’re beautiful. We got Allah above us, Smiling. We the prophet(Salallahu alayhi wa sallam) to our right. We got the anbiya, the sahabas, the shuhadaa (oh yeh the long haired bros!) and Aish’a(Radi Allahu anha). I so want to meet her. She is no doubt the most interesting person I have heard of. I mean the prophet(Salallahu alayhi wa sallam)) loved her the most and died in her lap. Anyway, this is our vision. Keep it in mind when things don’t seem to go right.
Another thing we have to remember is Paradise is surrounded by hardship whilst hell is surrounded with pleasures. So if we are experiencing too much pleasure, then we need to take a step back and think hang on this is not right. Although Alhamdulillah we should not deny the blessings of Allah and we should pray for Allah to increase us in them, we should not indulge in too much pleasure, hardens the heart and make us forget Allah. So whatever difficulties we face, we must think, ok this is not too bad because I may be on my way to Jannah, as it has been described as being surrounded by hardship. Maybe this could be my opportunity to raise my status with Allah. So we need to stop looking at immediate pleasures and make our vision the akhirah, investing in it. With this attitude we can begin the journey.
Ok I am rattling on and on and whats the point? Well I have an image of an Islamic empire. A mass of people worshipping Allah correctly. I can’t completely describe it or vocalize it, but Allah knows what I see. So I will start with step one in this direction. That is to be sincere and committed to this relationship with Allah. To be truthful to ourself, only then can we set on our way to improve our life, the lives around us, and the lives of humanity. You can think we can achieve this? My dear sisters we can, with the help of Allah we can. Nothing is impossible. And even if we don’t succeed in changing others, then at least we will have tried and we will have something to say to Allah on the Day of Judgement. Guidance is only with Allah. Some prophets (Alayhim salam) will only have one follower, does that make them any less than a prophet? We are not looking at numbers, that maybe a measurement of success in the dunya, but remember its not our goal. From now on we think – Akhirah! Insha’Allah.
I need help ok. I need you to help me with this. I need your ideas, your advice, your encouragement. My fitrah has not rested a long time. My fitrah doesn’t rest till something is done. I remember my personal dispute of wearing niqaab or not. My fitrah wouldn’t rest until I had done it, Alhamdulillah. Few other things. This I believe is guidance from Allah. So sometimes we should go with the instinct of the heart as long as it is not overcome with evil.
This piece of writing is more for myself than anything else. But I just wanted you to have a bit of an idea where I was coming from. I would like it if we could do this together, to be a constant reminder for one another. I want us to be under the Shade of Allah when there is no other shade. Share a mutual love for Allah, His Messenger(Salallahu alayhi wa sallam) and Islam. You ready?!!!! Insha’Allah.
**********************************************************************************
Now this is me, with that part missing. But bi'idhnillah, i am on the quest to return her home, safe and sound with all parts in tact. Its proving more difficult than i thought, but Alhamdulillah i still have some of the resolve in me and insha'Allah it suffices me to get back on this track through the Mercy and Blessings of Allah. I hope the you will find signs of the outcome on me, then you can inform me whether i truly found her or if i ever really had her in me.......................
JazakumAllah Khayr
I miss me, or rather this part of me. I don't have her any more. Take what you want from it. maybe someone can benefit from it more than i have. but it has to be sincere from the depths.........how far did i go, i'll let you know when i reach the end.
I guess my conviction was just not strong enough. Insha'Allah, there is still time and all is not loss..........
Ya muqalib al quloob thaabit quloobana a'la deenik.
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Raheem
For the sake of Allah(subhana wa ta'ala)
My Lament
This is a path which has been tread by many of us before, many have succeeded, some probably have failed and some are still struggling on that path. I have attempted to take this path before, but I have not wholly committed to it. This is for you Allah, to seek the pleasure of your Grand Face. The place where I can be sure of your pleasure, in where, I hope will be my final Home of Jannah. But only with Your Help O Allah. You are my Maula, My Protector and my only means to salvation. With your Help O Allah I wish to tread this path. I wish to tread it following the steps of our beloved prophet(salallahu alayhi wa sallam). I wish to be in the ranks of Abu Bakr As-Sideeq(Radi Allahu anhu). I wish to be as strong as Umar (Radi Allahu anhu). I wish for the humble life of Uthman (Radi Allahu anhu). I wish for the hikmah and insight of Ali (Radi Allahu anhu). And many more qualities which are loved by You and I wish to eradicate the many qualities that are unloved by You. Which then, insha’Allah, will lead me to the status and company of the Anbiya, sidiqeen, shuhadaah and the saliheen.(See Qur’an, surah An-Nisa:69). Allah please grant me the company of these righteous people as I commit myself to you. O Allah never abandon me, never leave me to my evil devices. For I know and You know better that I am a very very weak muslim. But I have to reach a resolution to end my misery. And I will not find contentment in superficial pastimes. I will not find true comfort with other human beings, as much as I love them, they will not help on the Day of Judgment. Only You Allah, Only you do we worship and Only You do we ask for help. So this is my du’aa Allah, please answer it. Allahumma innee ala dhikrika, wa shukrika, wa husni ibaaditika. O Allah, help me, aide me in remembering You, being grateful to You and the good of worshipping You. Allahumma Ameen.
Mission:
To be a muslim, mu’min and muhsin, in every sense of those statuses, insha’Allah. To be a part of the Firqatun Najiah and to go one step further to be a part of the Taiful Mansurah. Alhamdulillah and may Allah reward our scholars who made me aware of such fundamental beliefs and roles. Truly Allah will show us the path if we seek it. I have contemplated many times what can I do? I am a single person and not even a very good person of that. So that mentality has lead me to give up and not bother and get on with life as I am doing. Someone, Alhamdulillah is a muslim and prays and other basic necessities. Has a chance at Jannah, but equal if not more of entering the Fire. May Allah protect us from it! Ameen. What I have in mind and Allah knows, will take time, definitely from my part, as I have much to overcome. But we must be patient with ourselves and keep trust in Allah and never lose hope, even though shaytan will convince us that we are a lost case. First thing, we can never succeed if we have a defeatist attitude. Why should we fail if our intentions and actions are sincerely done for the sake of Allah. However if they are not, then we must reform our intentions and deeds (see Qur’an, Surah Ash-Shams:7-10).
Our aim is to please Allah. Our purpose is to worship Allah, the One who created us. Our vision is Jannah. Keep this vision in mind. Come on imagine it now. Insha’Allah. Me and my loved ones. We’re beautiful. We got Allah above us, Smiling. We the prophet(Salallahu alayhi wa sallam) to our right. We got the anbiya, the sahabas, the shuhadaa (oh yeh the long haired bros!) and Aish’a(Radi Allahu anha). I so want to meet her. She is no doubt the most interesting person I have heard of. I mean the prophet(Salallahu alayhi wa sallam)) loved her the most and died in her lap. Anyway, this is our vision. Keep it in mind when things don’t seem to go right.
Another thing we have to remember is Paradise is surrounded by hardship whilst hell is surrounded with pleasures. So if we are experiencing too much pleasure, then we need to take a step back and think hang on this is not right. Although Alhamdulillah we should not deny the blessings of Allah and we should pray for Allah to increase us in them, we should not indulge in too much pleasure, hardens the heart and make us forget Allah. So whatever difficulties we face, we must think, ok this is not too bad because I may be on my way to Jannah, as it has been described as being surrounded by hardship. Maybe this could be my opportunity to raise my status with Allah. So we need to stop looking at immediate pleasures and make our vision the akhirah, investing in it. With this attitude we can begin the journey.
Ok I am rattling on and on and whats the point? Well I have an image of an Islamic empire. A mass of people worshipping Allah correctly. I can’t completely describe it or vocalize it, but Allah knows what I see. So I will start with step one in this direction. That is to be sincere and committed to this relationship with Allah. To be truthful to ourself, only then can we set on our way to improve our life, the lives around us, and the lives of humanity. You can think we can achieve this? My dear sisters we can, with the help of Allah we can. Nothing is impossible. And even if we don’t succeed in changing others, then at least we will have tried and we will have something to say to Allah on the Day of Judgement. Guidance is only with Allah. Some prophets (Alayhim salam) will only have one follower, does that make them any less than a prophet? We are not looking at numbers, that maybe a measurement of success in the dunya, but remember its not our goal. From now on we think – Akhirah! Insha’Allah.
I need help ok. I need you to help me with this. I need your ideas, your advice, your encouragement. My fitrah has not rested a long time. My fitrah doesn’t rest till something is done. I remember my personal dispute of wearing niqaab or not. My fitrah wouldn’t rest until I had done it, Alhamdulillah. Few other things. This I believe is guidance from Allah. So sometimes we should go with the instinct of the heart as long as it is not overcome with evil.
This piece of writing is more for myself than anything else. But I just wanted you to have a bit of an idea where I was coming from. I would like it if we could do this together, to be a constant reminder for one another. I want us to be under the Shade of Allah when there is no other shade. Share a mutual love for Allah, His Messenger(Salallahu alayhi wa sallam) and Islam. You ready?!!!! Insha’Allah.
**********************************************************************************
Now this is me, with that part missing. But bi'idhnillah, i am on the quest to return her home, safe and sound with all parts in tact. Its proving more difficult than i thought, but Alhamdulillah i still have some of the resolve in me and insha'Allah it suffices me to get back on this track through the Mercy and Blessings of Allah. I hope the you will find signs of the outcome on me, then you can inform me whether i truly found her or if i ever really had her in me.......................
JazakumAllah Khayr
Friday, April 13, 2007
The Think Tank
Recently i've been thinking. Well actually i spend alot of my time thinking. Come to think of it, i think a rather lot. I often think, what are people thinking, not of me, but just in general i wonder whats going through their minds. Especially when it come to little babies and children. Sometimes they stare off into space and i think what are thinking about. But i guess we'll never know. I mean you can very well ask your family members or friends, but they can very well tell you something else instead of what they were really thinking. Or you'll get this blatant lie of an answer when you ask 'what you thinking about?' and you get the response 'nothing.' Duh thats not possible. I should know, as i often give that response. Its just easier to say. Or the other one is when you ask whats wrong and they say nothing! when clearly there is. Again i do it. Is it lie to say nothing? Well i would say it is an incomplete sentence. Nothing.......that i want to discuss right now.
See thoughts are of a very special status. Its where your intentions lie. It is the start of your will and determination. It is the secret connection between man and God. Alhamdulillah deeds are good, its out in the open, its a doing thing. But with thoughts you're entering a different realm altogether. Your thoughts are you. Nobody could ever truly completely know you. Even your nearest and dearest. EXCEPT. And yes there is an exception. Allah. The Creator of your thoughts. Back to that bond between you and your Lord (Ha, i do have a point to this). And i pray to God we all have a bond, because, by God, without it our thoughts are in utter ruins. There is absolutley no point to our existence. Imagine we go through the day with the many thoughts in our head, but not even one was related to talking to Allah or acknowledging Him. How selfish and ungrateful is that. Even if we don't voice our gratitude or thank Allah through our actions, the least we could do is give a silent thanks in our head. Truth is not a minute should go by, where we dont think about Allah, Exalted be He, deserves far more Praise. For HE knows who is thinking of Him and who is not. He knows when something was done for His sake and when something was not. I am afraid as i am writing, because HE knows this post started off with me just trying to be psycological but as i got into it, my thought process changed. He knows what you're thinking when you read this post. He knows what im thinking whilst your reading this post. Yes this is the magnificence of our Lord. SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi, subhana rabbil azheem.
See thats why i like thinking. Its the silent exchange between me and my Lord, a territory where nobody else can go. But of course theres the dark side, that Allah also knows of but He may have Mercy on me for it, which is why i will never tell you.............
See thoughts are of a very special status. Its where your intentions lie. It is the start of your will and determination. It is the secret connection between man and God. Alhamdulillah deeds are good, its out in the open, its a doing thing. But with thoughts you're entering a different realm altogether. Your thoughts are you. Nobody could ever truly completely know you. Even your nearest and dearest. EXCEPT. And yes there is an exception. Allah. The Creator of your thoughts. Back to that bond between you and your Lord (Ha, i do have a point to this). And i pray to God we all have a bond, because, by God, without it our thoughts are in utter ruins. There is absolutley no point to our existence. Imagine we go through the day with the many thoughts in our head, but not even one was related to talking to Allah or acknowledging Him. How selfish and ungrateful is that. Even if we don't voice our gratitude or thank Allah through our actions, the least we could do is give a silent thanks in our head. Truth is not a minute should go by, where we dont think about Allah, Exalted be He, deserves far more Praise. For HE knows who is thinking of Him and who is not. He knows when something was done for His sake and when something was not. I am afraid as i am writing, because HE knows this post started off with me just trying to be psycological but as i got into it, my thought process changed. He knows what you're thinking when you read this post. He knows what im thinking whilst your reading this post. Yes this is the magnificence of our Lord. SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi, subhana rabbil azheem.
See thats why i like thinking. Its the silent exchange between me and my Lord, a territory where nobody else can go. But of course theres the dark side, that Allah also knows of but He may have Mercy on me for it, which is why i will never tell you.............
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Message To Mankind
Oh yeh and the womenfolk aswell. ......
Lets get it politically correct, a message to humanity!
Anyway, just in case anyone other then my friends read my posts (my dearest friends im relying on you to spread this), muslims and non muslims alike. I want to speak to you all as a fellow human beings. Since i live in this world with you, goodness i may even have travelled on the bus with some of you! Well then i have some degree of responsibility about the welfare of you.
I know theres alot of rubbish going on at the moment like a muslim and non muslim divide. Granted there is a difference. But contrary to what you see and hear, we don't hate you. We are not trying to kill you. We are not trying to brainwash you or convert you. We just want to be able to practise our religion. We would like to build relations, find common ground, find ways which we can improve the quality of our lives. Granted there are different ways we will go about this. We adopt the method of our beloved prophet (peace be upon him) and you follow.........See the difference is the true islamic way does work and it holds the answer for everything. Its a proven method which has impacted the lives of so many and revolutionised generations of people. Whereas the unislamic way of life leaves one still searching and yearning........This is also a proven reality.
The formula is quite a simple one really and if you believe there is a God, that theres something out there, you're halfway there. The rest is just abit of research and maybe some reading. Pick up a copy of the English Qur'an from any Islamic store near you or ask me and i'll point you in the right direction where to find a copy of the English Qur'an (or whatever language you're comfortable with). Read and you'll find out who really created you. What real muslims are really about. Moreover, find yourself in there, you will be mentioned indirectly. Hey you never know, if you truly read with an open heart, you might find yourself drawn to a few more lines, then more and before you know it you've gone through the whole book! Well what an accomplishment that would be, i mean for someone who never even reads books! Please do take the time out, as its your life we're talking about here, not something small now is it. The very important you.
So the next time you see a muslim, i mean a true walking defintion of the word, you can say i know your secret. I know why you're content and grateful. Why you're kind and modest. Why you hold yourself with grace and not afraid. Its because of your firm belief in One God isn't it and because you're trying to emulate that beautiful man Muhammad (peace be upon him). Thats it pure and simple. No additives or funny extracts. And why am i telling you this, because you deserve it. You deserve to get the best out of life. And the One who created you can only grant you that.
Lets get it politically correct, a message to humanity!
Anyway, just in case anyone other then my friends read my posts (my dearest friends im relying on you to spread this), muslims and non muslims alike. I want to speak to you all as a fellow human beings. Since i live in this world with you, goodness i may even have travelled on the bus with some of you! Well then i have some degree of responsibility about the welfare of you.
I know theres alot of rubbish going on at the moment like a muslim and non muslim divide. Granted there is a difference. But contrary to what you see and hear, we don't hate you. We are not trying to kill you. We are not trying to brainwash you or convert you. We just want to be able to practise our religion. We would like to build relations, find common ground, find ways which we can improve the quality of our lives. Granted there are different ways we will go about this. We adopt the method of our beloved prophet (peace be upon him) and you follow.........See the difference is the true islamic way does work and it holds the answer for everything. Its a proven method which has impacted the lives of so many and revolutionised generations of people. Whereas the unislamic way of life leaves one still searching and yearning........This is also a proven reality.
The formula is quite a simple one really and if you believe there is a God, that theres something out there, you're halfway there. The rest is just abit of research and maybe some reading. Pick up a copy of the English Qur'an from any Islamic store near you or ask me and i'll point you in the right direction where to find a copy of the English Qur'an (or whatever language you're comfortable with). Read and you'll find out who really created you. What real muslims are really about. Moreover, find yourself in there, you will be mentioned indirectly. Hey you never know, if you truly read with an open heart, you might find yourself drawn to a few more lines, then more and before you know it you've gone through the whole book! Well what an accomplishment that would be, i mean for someone who never even reads books! Please do take the time out, as its your life we're talking about here, not something small now is it. The very important you.
So the next time you see a muslim, i mean a true walking defintion of the word, you can say i know your secret. I know why you're content and grateful. Why you're kind and modest. Why you hold yourself with grace and not afraid. Its because of your firm belief in One God isn't it and because you're trying to emulate that beautiful man Muhammad (peace be upon him). Thats it pure and simple. No additives or funny extracts. And why am i telling you this, because you deserve it. You deserve to get the best out of life. And the One who created you can only grant you that.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Help me out here
Well my 2nd post for the night, i am making progress!! No i need some technical help. please. My blog page looks so empty how do i fill it, with different links n stuff? step by step instructions please. And while im waiting i'll just browse round and key in what i can figure out......
Well there's always a first.....
Assalaamu'alaikum
Well im here, Alhamdulillah, i made it. whoohoo! my first post. No, you dont understand, im well proud of myself. Well those of you who know me may understand. Anyway, you people who made me actually write something, making it feel like i was in demand, well you better read me, thats if and when i write. For my greatest fear was nobody would read, but hey i guess its not about the people. Its about me. Yes Self-Explanatory me......
Seriously though, insha'Allah i would like this to be of soem benefit and not in complete jest. Pray Allah guides me to what is correct and forgives me my shortcomings, for we often forget everything we do is written down. That doesn't mean stop writing, it just means think before you act.
I decided a theme along time ago, the kind of slant i want my works to take. Its going to be about going back to the basics, purifying the self, strenghtening ones relationship with their Lord. With the help of Allah and my blogster friends, i want to embark on this journey, to be freed......
Ok gotta go check my niyah
Jazakum Allah Khayr
Love ya like!
P.S whoohoo 1st post completed, mission accomplished!
Well im here, Alhamdulillah, i made it. whoohoo! my first post. No, you dont understand, im well proud of myself. Well those of you who know me may understand. Anyway, you people who made me actually write something, making it feel like i was in demand, well you better read me, thats if and when i write. For my greatest fear was nobody would read, but hey i guess its not about the people. Its about me. Yes Self-Explanatory me......
Seriously though, insha'Allah i would like this to be of soem benefit and not in complete jest. Pray Allah guides me to what is correct and forgives me my shortcomings, for we often forget everything we do is written down. That doesn't mean stop writing, it just means think before you act.
I decided a theme along time ago, the kind of slant i want my works to take. Its going to be about going back to the basics, purifying the self, strenghtening ones relationship with their Lord. With the help of Allah and my blogster friends, i want to embark on this journey, to be freed......
Ok gotta go check my niyah
Jazakum Allah Khayr
Love ya like!
P.S whoohoo 1st post completed, mission accomplished!
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