Just Do It

Assalam Alaykum!

May the peace, mercy and blessings of the Almighty be upon you! :)

Ever found it difficult to forgive someone? Ever found it difficult to control your anger? Or to control yourself when you’re frustrated and disappointed? Ever found it difficult not to back answer your mom…?

In your childhood, your parents must have promised to get you a cycle or a doll if you aced your exams. Later during your teenage, your parents might have promised to get you the latest tab or phone if you stood first in class. And Subhan Allah just for the sake of getting the toys or the electronics, we did achieve the impossible (:P)

What if I said this to you now… There’s a two day holiday spot for you. The place has sparkling lights, aromatic plants, a lofty palace, flowing rivers, abundant clothing and beautiful soundly-constructed high mansions. There’s also a sea and which has pebbles that look like pearls and sapphire. And the soil gives out a pleasant fragrance. The only problem is out of every 5 people, only 1 gets to go. In addition to that there’s a condition. You will have to spend an entire day without electronics. And yes, that includes your AC’s as well. :P

For the sake of the extravagant and lavish lifestyle, would you let go of comfort for a day…?

If yes, would you let go of your temper and start being cordial towards your family and friends for the sake of The One who prepared the eternal bliss that awaits you…? (By the way that was the description of the lowest level of Jannah and there’s more to it)

Do you want to know how merciful is The One who has prepared a Garden of eternal beauty for you? How much He loves you?

Whenever a person sins, the sea, the earth seek permission from Allah, to drown or suck that person. They ask Allah, “Ya Allah! How long are you going to tolerate this person? How long are you going to tolerate this Zulm?” Even the angels of Allah cannot bear it. They say, “Ya Allah! Give us permission to destroy this person.” But does Allah give away the sinner…? What do you think Allah, the Most Merciful, The Most Loving, The Most Generous, The Most Kind would have said? Allah (swt) tells them, “If they are your slaves, you do whatever you want to do with them. But if they are my slaves, then it is between them and Me. If they come back to Me in the day time, I will accept them. If they come back to Me in the night time, I will accept them.”

Subhan Allah, do you see the love of Allah?

Is it so hard for you to gulp down your anger for the sake of the Lord who loves you to the extent that He shushes the angels when they speak against you, the Lord who loves you so much that even though you disobey Him, He still wants to give you another chance?

Allah azza wa jal says in Surah Al Imran, verse 15 “…For those who fear Allah, will be gardens in the presence of their Lord beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally…”

See what Allah (swt) has for you when you fear Him and do things for His sake?

But let me share something with you. This is something whose benefits Wallahi you’ll experience in this life as well. Be it controlling your anger, being patient with your siblings, taking in your parents scoldings and treating with them with kindness and respect, wearing your hijab, offering salah, being kind to your school mates or colleagues or letting go of someone who might have hurted you intentionally or unintentionally, just do it for the sake of Allah. Allah (swt) will bring that difference into your life. Cause when you do something for the sake of Allah, that becomes an ibadah; you are worshipping Allah (swt) and thereby earning the blessings of Allah (swt). Subhan Allah you’re being rewarded for just diverting your intention!

And Subhan Allah when you start following this one magic rule, every struggle in your life will seem like a piece of cake. You are not only being rewarded for every struggle but Allah (swt) will replace something better for you before you even know it. I’ve experienced every bit of it and I’m sure you will too In sha Allah! :)

Since it’s the month of Ramadan, it becomes even more easier for us to do good and leave the bad for the sake of Allah! Let’s avail this opportunity and utilize it to the best in gaining the Mercy and Blessings of the Almighty Allah. 

Assalam Alaykum 

Limited Sale; Unlimited Rewards

Assalam Alaykum!

May the peace, blessings and mercy of the Almighty be upon all! 

I did mention I would share a lil secret that would make all your struggles seem like a piece of cake. But since Ramadan has arrived, I thought to put up an article on that as soon as possible. In sha Allah my next article will be on how to ease all your problems and struggles. :)

Let me start with some facts about the fasting hours in 2014:

Australia – 9.5 hours

India – 12 hours

UAE – 14 hours

Saudi Arabia – 15 hours

Egypt – 16 hours

Iran – 17 hours

Canada – 19 hours

Britain – 20.5 hours

Iceland – 21 hours

Easy, isn’t it? Uh huh. How many of you thought that isn’t an easy task…? Well I thought the same until I came across a verse from the Quran, “Allah intends for you ease, and does not want to make things difficult for you” (Surah Baqarah, verse 185) and Allah (swt) also says, “Allah does not want to place you in difficulty” (Surah Mai’dah, verse 6)

Then why did He give us a task that’s not quite easy to do? Then I thought to myself, how can I deny a fact stated by Allah (swt) Himself? There must be some wisdom behind it. And when I did realize the reason, my heart filled with gratitude for Allah azza wa jal.

Yes! Allah wants ease for you. We might only be thinking about the fasting hours. But Allah (swt) has a bigger and better plan for us. Allah (swt) wants to make your life easier. Your life won’t be easy until you have Guidance and you won’t have Guidance until you have Taqwa. And the purpose of Ramadan is to attain Taqwa! Since this is Ramadan season you must memorized this verse where Allah (swt) says in Surah Baqarah, “The month of Ramadhan (is that) in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights (the new moon of) the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and (wants) for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that (to) which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.”

Allah wants to make your life easy! That is why He chose you to witness another Ramadan in your life. Subhan Allah, Allah (swt) has given us another chance to better our lives!

But question arises, if fasting increases taqwa then why fasting only in Ramadan is obligatory and not on any other day?

The best part about Ramadan is that the shaytan is chained. Wallahi if shaytan was around during Ramadan, we wouldn’t observe siyam for a week. We’d start giving up on fasting, forget about working on our good deeds and gaining taqwa.

Another point that can be brought out is a lil detail about taqwa. How many times did Allah azza wa jal mention taqwa in the Quran…?

Over 200 times.

And how many times did Allah azza wa jal mention Ramadan in the Quran…?

Just one ayah in the Quran.

The reason is obvious isn’t it…? When your mom asks you to switch off TV, do you do it in the first instant or do you avoid her talks? When your mom asks you to leave your phone aside, do you it instantly or continue using the phone?

The fact that Allah mentioned taqwa over 200 times in the Quran is because we don’t develop taqwa easily. It takes work. Added to that with shaytan being around and increasing our desires into the Haram direction, it isn’t easy to develop taqwa.

The whole purpose of Ramadan is to develop what you don’t do even after being said over 200 times. With the shaytan gone, we avoid the things Allah has forbidden and follow the things that Allah (swt) has commanded thereby increasing God consciousness; taqwa.

Ramadan is our training program. The things that tempt us and the things that we’re attracted to; we’re ready to let go off those things in Ramadan. In the process, our heart is getting stronger; we start doing things for the sake of Allah. In this yearly program we let our heart win over the desires of our body. Allah is helping us prepare ourselves. And the taqwa that we develop is going to act like our shield for the rest 11 months.

What better way to attain taqwa? ;)

When Allah (swt) has made it so much easier for us to get closer to them, gave us an opportunity to keep away from haram, let’s do our best to gain unlimited rewards, In sha Allah :)

Assalam Alaykum

You May Want to Change That...

Assalam Alaykum!

May the peace, mercy and blessings of the Almighty be upon all of you! J

I’ll begin by elaborating more on why did I choose this particular title for my article…

I have seen some people covering their cars with a sheet when they aren’t using it. Sometimes it looks as if they’re putting a perfect Hijab for those cars! The reason is pretty obvious isn’t it? Of course they want to protect it.

I have also seen (I’m sure you must have too) the shopkeepers closing their shops by lowering their metal shutters and also locking it. Do they leave even an inch open? Nope. Perfectionists. They will secure their shops before they leave. Not just the shopkeepers but also the security guards at the malls switch on the burglar alarms even though they’re on duty. Do they secure one part of the mall and leave the other part open for their visitors? Nope. They don’t. Why? Obviously the stuffs inside are so “precious” and “valuable” that they cannot risk leaving it without security.

Question arises for you. Are you, O Muslimahs, any less than those stuffs? Those material, invaluable, non-living stuffs? If such materialistic things are given tight security, covered so that it doesn’t tempt anyone to loot them, how much should you be careful about yourselves? What would you call precious and valuable? You or those cars that probably follows Hijab more than us?

Of course it is undeniable that many Muslim ladies follow Hijab. And Subhan Allah it is so over whelming to see the increasing number of Muslimahs. But, there are certain things I’ve seen for myself that makes me want to share the real criteria and purpose of Hijab. And as the title states, some of you may want to change your definition of Hijab…

Hijab is not the 10 cm cloth one wraps around their head. Hijab is not the lil hair popping out of one’s scarf. Hijab is definitely not the extremely tight abaya one wears. Hijab is not the stilettoes one wears that attracts even the ladies.

So, what is Hijab? I’ll let the Quran speak for itself, after all it’s called ‘Guidance’ for a reason…

Allah azza wa jal lays down the criteria for Hijab in Surah Noor, verse 31:

§  قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَ يَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوْجَهُنَّ

“Say to the believing women that: they should cast down their glances and guard their private parts (by being chaste)…”

§  وَ لاَ يُبْدِيْنَ زِيْنَتَهُنَّ إِلاَّ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَ لْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلىَ جُيُوْبِهِنَّ

“...and not display their beauty except what is apparent, and they should place their khumur over their bosoms...”

Here we come across the term:

               I.      ‘Khumur’ – This is the plural of ‘khimar’ which means something with which a women conceals her head.

Question arises, why did Allah azza wa jal ask us to place the ‘khimar’ over our bosom then?

According to the commentators of the Quran, the women of Medina in the pre-Islamic era used to put their ‘khumur’ over the head with the two ends tucked behind and tied at the back of the neck, in the process exposing their ears and neck. By saying that, “place the khumur over the bosoms,” Almighty Allah ordered the women to let the two ends of their headgear extend onto their bosoms so that they conceal their ears, the neck, and the upper part of the bosom.

§  يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ, قُلْ لأَزْوَاجِكَ وَ بَنَاتِكَ وَ نِسآءِ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ: يُدْنِيْنَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلاَبِيْبِهِنَّ...

“O Prophet! Say to your wives, your daughters, and the women of the believers that: they should let down upon themselves their jalabib.”

Here we have another term:

              II.      ‘Jalabib’ – This is the plural of ‘jilbab’ which means a loose outer garment.

This means that the Islamic dress code for women does not only consist of a scarf that covers the head, the neck and the bosom; it also includes the overall dress that should be long and loose.

So, for instance, the combination of a tight, short sweater with tight-fitting jeans with a scarf over the head does not fulfill the requirements of the Islamic dress code.

Another question arises in my mind and a funny one at that. :P

What happens to the shopping malls and the supermarkets when there’s a special occasion? Is there tight security or is everybody welcomed without having to go through the metal detector…?

Then how on earth can you walk around without your protection, without your hijab during a wedding or a birthday party or ‘dawats’ (so typical in Indian families)

Wallahi this makes me question a person’s intellect. -_-

Sisters! Just like the security for shopping malls increases during special occasions, you need to observe hijab during the special occasions as well! By the way hijab is the jilbab+khimar! Not just the scarf over a super shiny outfit.

I know this isn’t easy. When the rest of the world decks up and each and every person around you look like they’re gonna win the Miss World crown, it doesn’t matter. You are a creation of Allah. You are beautiful no matter what race you come from. And the fact that you are protecting and guarding the beauty Allah azza wa jal gifted you with, you already surpass the not-so-ever-lasting beauty of the Miss Worlds and Universes. Yes, you won’t realize it now. But imagine on the Day of Judgement, your face will light up with noor because you obeyed Allah azza wa jal, followed His commands and stayed away from those things He has forbidden… Do you wish for the temporary beauty in this world or the everlasting beauty in the Hereafter…?

In sha Allah in my next article I will share with you a lil secret that will make all your struggles seem like a piece of cake… ;)

Until then,

Assalam Alaykum. :)

Reward Reward All The Way! - Exclusive for Muslimahs

Assalam Alaykum!

May the peace and the blessings of Allah the Almighty be upon you!

The soft gentle breeze caressing your face… The sky is immensely blue with white silvery clouds gliding almost imperceptibly against it… The air crisp and cool… Isn’t it a beautiful day? No it isn’t. As in most countries, the temperature is soaring high. Inspite of the heat, we keep up with our day to day activities. And inspite of the heat, we do our best to keep up with our Salah. And as for the Muslimahs, we do our best to keep up with our Hijab… Well most of us do, isn’t it?

Here’s the thing. The heat on Earth or let’s say the heat in this world might be a lil above 50 degrees… But imagine the heat in the Hell fire! Allah (SWT) mentions in Surah Baqarah, verse 24 that the fuel of the Hell fire are men and stones! Imagine that! One of the names of the Hell fire is سَقَرْ (Saqar). Saqar simply means ‘burn’ and it has been mentioned 4 times in the Quran. But let’s look into its root meaning to see it’s intricacy.

The root meaning of Saqar means to ‘injure’ and ‘to change the form of something by heat’ and ‘to scorch something’. The use of Saqar gives 2 meanings:

1.   Extreme heat that will cause alteration in the complexion and skin. (Have you ever had a skin burn?)

2.  Extreme heat that will cause pain. (Have you ever received a headache after a long day in the heat?)

Allah azza wa jal asks us in Surah Muddathir,

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا سَقَرُ

“And what will make you know (exactly) what Saqar is?” (74:27)

Then He gives us the definition of Saqar:

لَا تُبْقِي وَلَا تَذَرُ

“It spares not, nor does it leave!” (74:28)

لَوَّاحَةٌ لِّلْبَشَرِ

“Burning and blackening the skins!” (74:29)

So Saqar does not let anything remain. Everything that goes into this fire will be burned.

So that’s how hot Jahannum is and it’s just one description of it… Ofcourse it isn’t that hot here. So why not deal with the heat in this life and get to experience the bliss in the Hereafter…?

Imagine a day in Jannah… A caller will refer to you as a Jannati (people of Jannah) and tell you that Allah wants to meet you… Imagine that day! Allah, the Lord of the worlds! The One whom you had worshipped and obeyed all your life! The One you used to talk to in dua! The one you cried to when you were feeling lost and confused! The One in whom you seeked refuge! The One whom you trusted more than yourself! The One who’s mercy and forgiveness made you a Jannati! And He wants to meet you! Subhan Allah!

And then when you reach your destination, where the rest of the people of Paradise are gathered, pulpits of lights will emerge… pulpits of pearls, gemstones, gold and silver. And then Allah, The Blessed and The Exalted will order His Chair to be brought. And when you are comfortable and secure in your places, the caller will call out, “O People of Paradise! You have an appointment with Allah in which He wishes to reward you!” And you will say, “What is that reward? Has He not already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire?”

And suddenly a light will shine that will encompass all of Jannah. And when you raise your head, behold! The Majestic, The Compeller, The Exalted, The Almighty has come to meet you and He will say, “O People of Paradise! Peace be upon you!”. All our life we greeted our fellow Muslims and now, Allah Himself is exchanging words of peace with you! And this greeting will not be responded to with anything better than: “O Allah! You are Peace, and from You is Peace! Blessed are You, O Possessor of Majesty and Honour!”.

And then the moment you were waiting for all your life… The People of Jannah will ask Allah to show His Face. Then Allah – The Mighty and Majestic will remove His covering and will majestify them and will cover them with His Light, which, if Allah had not willed not to burn them, would have burned them.

And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except that Allah will speak to them and say: “Do you remember the day that you did this and that?” and He will remind him of some of his bad deeds in the worldy life, so he will say: “O Lord! Will you not forgive me?”. So, Allah will say: “Of course! You have not reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by my forgiveness.”

Is wearing Hijab too much to ask for to experience this amazing meeting with Allah…?

Sisters! Let not shaytan distract you from your obligations! Hijab is infact protecting you not only from the evil eyes but also from extreme weather. Health officials have perfectly described the ‘Islamic dress code’ by recommending that the best form of clothing to wear should be good quality, loose fitting clothing that cover the maximum amount of skin. The headscarf provides protection from both extremes of temperatures and guards the vital organs from sustaining damage from each of the extremes. The Islamic dress maintains a state of balance within the human body that helps keep it healthy through out its lifetime.

This proves that there are always valid reasons behind any divine rulings and regulations given to mankind and it is clear that the wisdom of Allah in prescribing such rulings related to hijab and the Islamic dress code provides protection not only from sociological and psychological issues but from a health perspective too.

So dear sisters! Let us all make the best use of this summer to please Allah so that we gain the rewards not only in this life but in the Hereafter as well! In sha Allah!

What if your Salah is Nullified...?

Assalam Alaykum Dear Readers!

May the Peace and Blessings of Allah Almighty be upon you all.

Let me begin by asking you all to imagine a situation…

Imagine you are given a project in school. If you complete it on time and with perfection, you will be rewarded. So you start working on that project everyday…You put in all your time and effort and mind to it. You gather information, make a report, print the papers, arrange it and complete it on time. And when you submit to the incharge, they point out certain things which you may have left unnoticed.

For eg: The incharge had asked you to file your details in the front page and you happen to attach it at the last.

You lost your reward just because you missed out on your incharge’s instructions. If you had paid a little more attention perhaps you would have achieved your reward.

In the same way what if our prayers are being nullified because we don’t pay much attention to it…? We’ll be missing out on a huge reward here which is the Jannah!

Many of us are oblivious or unconscious of the fact that our Salah maybe nullified. Since Salah is the most vital fundamental things in a Muslim’s life, it is very important for us to analyse every aspect of it.

Let’s look into the 3 main reasons which can nullify our Salah;

1.   First and foremost is while making Wudu, we are in a rush. Sometimes we forget to wash the elbows or the ankles or we forget to wash the face completely. If you have a single hair span width left dry while making Wudu, then your Wudu is invalid and so your Salah is invalid.

2.  Another thing we don’t pay attention to is exposing the awrah. Again if a single hair span of our awrah is exposed, our Salah becomes invalid. The awrah of a man is the area between the navel and the knee. The awrah of a woman is everything except the face and the hands from the wrist.

3.  The third and the most prevalent one is excessive movement. Some of the jurists say that anything above three consecutive movements that are not part of the Salah for an individual during the Salah would nullify their Salah.  

The first thing Allah Azza wa jal will be asking us on the Day of Judgement is our Salah. It is the distinguisher between a Muslim and a Kaafir, keeps us away from sins and is one of the obligations of Islam which when performed on time and with perfection will lead us to Jannah.

So let’s give Salah the lil more attention it deserves and pray to Allah that He accepts and rewards us for all the good deeds we perform and forgive our sins and shortcomings. 

Ameen.

As Salam Alaykum.

 

A Call From Allah!

As Salam Alykum! 

May the peace of The Almighty be upon all of you!

Let's begin with a question. 

Whom do we usually turn to in sadness or in happiness? 

Our friends might get the majority of the votes! And maybe 10-15 % might say their parents. But whom should we turn to in times of grief or ecstasy..?

My answer would be pretty obvious but let's look into some facts that we may have ignored.. 

Let's deal with sadness first since that's kinda like the elixir for teenagers or rather the youth. When we are told that there won't be sadness in Jannah, we go like "Really? How come there's a life without sadness???"

But why do we face sadness or depression? Why is there a feeling of frustration and disappointment? If our Creator loves us so much then why does He burden us? Isn't there enough already?

Allah says in the Quran in Surah Baqarah, verse 286; "Allah does not burden a soul beyond that which it can bear."

A verse we've heard like a thousand times, but have we reflected on it atleast once..? Wallahi if we did, we wouldn't hold Allah responsible for our sadness. Because He knows what each and every soul's capacity is. He would NEVER ever burden us, or give us tests beyond that which we can bear. If He has tested us with something, it means we're strong enough to overcome it. Tell me. Would you or your Creator know best of what you're capable of? If we're saying we cannot bear it, are we trying to say that Allah's claim is wrong...? Remember what Rasulullah (SAWS) said? No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were a prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that.

Sadness is a part of life just like happiness, anger and love. It cannot be neglected or avoided in this world. This world, as we know it is temporary. So the sadness in it is also temporary. But that doesn't mean it has no solution. There is an amazing way to get out of it....

At times of trials and tribulations, we have a decision to make. Either we can get closer to Allah or we can decide to live with our pain, restrict it to ourselves, prolong it for no reason and let the pain get worse.

When we are sad and we feel pain, our first reaction is, we wana isolate ourselves. And this is NOT what you want to do. It is the Shaytan telling you that you will feel better in isolation just because you're the only one that understands what you're going through. It is a deception from Shaytan! 

What happens during isolation is, our Deen starts to disappear. The content of our Salah, the Khushoo of our Salah starts to disappear. Our ability to recite the Quran is no longer there. What did we do differently? Well we gave ourselves to Shaytan. And Shaytan's promise is he will lead us astray, away from the path of Allah. 

Pain and suffering becomes negative if it creates a barrier between us and Allah. But it becomes positive, pain becomes positive - a motivation for us when it brings us back to Allah! And this is what each and everyone of us going through pain and suffering need to realize. The point of pain and suffering is not that Allah wants to punish you but rather it is a calling from Allah! This is one of the wisdoms of trials and tribulations.  

There is actually a blessing inside trials that we don't perceive. Trials and tribulations are a means of purification. They are a means of purifying us so that we can go to the purest of places. They are not out of Allah's anger or wrath. They are a means of cleansing us of our sins. It is a preparation so that we can go into the purest and noblest of places, Jannah. 

All of this is about perspective and how we deal with the situation. So it's very important for those of us who are going through trials, to change our perspective of trials. It is not a punishment from Allah, it is a means to get closer to Allah. It is a calling from Allah that He wants us to come back to Him. 

Let not the sadness in this world affect us. We were not made for this temporary life but for an eternal life of beauty and bliss. Let's keep aside this temporary sadness and work towards our ultimate destination, Jannah. 

As Salam Alykum. :)

A Ray of Hope

Peace be on you all!

Since the time I've decided to take Islam as one of my subjects, I couldn't neglect the negative comments passed on this religion. You can see it on every social networking website. And it drives you crazy and you're like "Really?! How come I never came across that one!" And some of them are baseless. 

Like in one interview from some political figure, they were talking about how Shias are different from Sunni. I wouldn't want to get into details but I felt so sorry for them. There's NO SECTS IN ISLAM. If you're a Muslim, welcome to the Deen group buddy! Doesn't matter what group you belong to or what your social status is. That doesn't matter at all! You're a Muslim. No added class to that. 

Anyway coming back to the topic, when one speaks about Islam, chances are almost rare that the person won't raise any question against the religion. It may not be completely against the topic, but it's not even in favour of the topic. On my India trip this year, one girl had asked me why aren't Muslim women allowed inside mosques and especially on Ramadan. I had to give her a glimpse of the Ramadan in Saudi Arabia. Masha Allah the mosques are packed with ladies so much so that they have to raise tents for the ladies.

I have often faced this issue where people have different concepts of this religion in their minds. Concepts that are irrelevant and logic less and proof less. 

Sometimes it's about the comments passed on Islamic articles or videos. And when you're reading it you go like "Nooooooooooooooo!!". It's like they vent out all their frustration of their lives on this religion. "Why is the global economy falling? It's cause of Islam." Umm does that even make sense? No. But again it's a person's choice and May Allah direct every person's choice to what is right. 

So under such conditions, where is the ray of hope? It's around every Muslim. :)

On my recent trip to India, I found out that people are more than curious to know about Islam and our practices. But they won't look into the right sources to learn about our Deen or to get their doubts cleared. If you have a really good non muslim friend, they will ask you their doubts directly. But otherwise they will indirectly try to seek an answer from you. In such cases, it becomes really important on how we portray our Deen.. This is very crucial because they judge our Deen by watching our actions. We need to give something worthy to look forward to. 

To all the Muslimahs out there! We are walking examples of our Deen! We represent Islam wherever we are! Our Hijab speaks for us! One of the most beautiful definition for Hijab is that it makes the world recognize us as Muslims. It regains a sense of morality in people when we walk by. We are respected by men, not because we ask them to but because our hijab makes them respect us. It is a sign of purity and modesty. It is pride for us Muslim women to be gifted by hijab by our Creator, our Lord. So when we're readily recognized as people of Islam, it's really really necessary to watch our actions.. 

Kids are great imitators and adults are great commentators. Give them both something great to imitate and comment. 

May Allah make it easy for us to spread Islam. :)

As Salam Alykum.

Let's Redeem Our Identity!

Peace be on to you all! :)

So far I've been trying to cover up as many topics as I can under Salah... And there's more coming up In sha Allah. ;) :P

But Alhamdullilah recently I got an amazing opportunity to render a speech (more like a talk). As I started speaking, I saw the girls there could easily relate themselves to my speech.. And I thought to myself that I should be sharing that talk to a more wider audience..

As my heading states, I spoke of the importance of a person's identity. And it started this way..

How many of us have ever felt lonely? And how many of us felt the need to be accepted by a group? Especially in the groups during our schooling... As expected, all the girls present there raised their hands.

Imagine this;

You are feeling very lonely. Frustrated because there's nobody you think who can understand what you're going through. You shoo your family away, hide your worries because you feel you're either bothering them or they just might not get your point and instead start yelling at you. Now, you happen to see a phone near you. And you really wana call someone up and share your problems with them. Who is the first person that comes to your mind?

Since my audience was the youth, most of them replied it was their friends.

That's where we start losing our identity. I also made myself very clear that I'm not against friendship. It is human nature to be having the need of someone who can hear you out. But "who" is gonna hear you out, that's very crucial.

As teenagers, we anticipate to becoming a part of the school's most popular group. And in no way they're away from the not-so-islamic lifestyle. In order to join this group and become popular, we start following them.. and in this process we lose our ourselves.. lose our identity.. 

Everyone of us is unique. We all have a different personalities, ideas, ambitions, strengths, weaknesses and instead of representing the person we are, we adapt someone else's thoughts. Do you want to be a part of a popular group or do you want the world to know the person you are..?

Each one of us has the power to influence. That's how strong our personality is. Allah (SWT) has blessed us all with intellect, not to follow others blindly but to be able to make our own choices and decisions and create an identity of ourselves in this world. Do we want to live as a nobody when Allah has given us the power of creating a difference in this world?

Reminds me of the beautiful example my teacher had given. She spoke of one of the rightly guided Caliphs, Umar Ibn Al Khattab (RA). Prior to Islam, he was among the mushrikeen, a nobody. Following the practices of his people and ancestors. But after his acceptance of Islam, he is somebody about whom we talk about to this date. Even after a thousand years, the Islamic world takes his example for piety, strength, intellect, generosity and wisdom and so much more! Rasullulah (SAWS) spoke of him saying, if there was a Prophet after Muhammad (SAWS), it would be Umar (RA). 

Islam has already raised your status above all! All you need to do is to prove you're worthy of it. You were not created to blend in a group with messed up thoughts. But you were created to stand out. 

I know it's easy to speak than to follow. But all of which I've talked about so far are the things I've practiced and experienced myself. Let's not become so weak and vulnerable for anybody to make us feel that we're not worthy as individuals. 

Let us build our personality and beliefs so strong that we're able to influence others and become living examples of this amazing religion, Islam. :)

May Allah make this path easy for all of us. Ameen. :)

As Salam Alykum. 

Why me?!!

May the peace, blessings and mercy of The Almighty be on you all! :)

Imagine this scenario.

"Why me? Why do I always get yelled at by mom? Why does everyone blame me? There are 36 girls in the class but why does the teacher always pick on me! Can't I have a normal day? Unlike the other girls, I offer Salah and that too 5 times a day!! Why is life so unfair...?"

This is normal to any teenager. We expect immediate results in our favour. Something similar to the magic wishes in fairy tales.. Like you wish for a flying horse and it's right infront your sight! Patience is just not in our blood! :P

I've had the same attitude for few years of my life and it's completely understood but... cannot be justified. That's not the purpose of Salah. Salah is supposed to make you patient and trust Allah all the more because you are directly seeking His help. He is right there infront of you, listening to all your duas.. even the silent ones..

Everybody in the world can ignore you but not Allah! Allah Himself states in His Glorious Book that He will respond to the call of 'every' caller!! (Surah Baqarah, Verse 186)

Doesn't matter who you are and where you come from or what your life history is! It's a promise from your Creator that He will answer you whenever you call out to Him.. 

An amazing example that comes to my mind is our relationship with our parents. Since our birth and to this day when we're islamic-but-not-islamic-brats, our parents have always tried their best to fulfill all our needs and wants.. Even if it meant to sacrifice their comforts, they've done everything in their power to beautify our lives.. Take a minute to reflect on all those times when the only reason they smiled was seeing us happy..

Even though we do lil things like give them a glass of water and getting back to our techy games or share a joke and get back to texting our friends, we're still indebted to our parents.. Yet if we make silly demands to our parents, no matter how we treat them, they're gonna get it done for us anyway; Ofcourse that depends on whether that demand has any negative effects on us. 

Now that's what happens when we ask them for something. But what about all those times when they've surprised you..? What about all those times when you couldn't figure out how to get that teddy bear in the store but magically found it in your bedroom the next day..? What about all those times when you wanted money for your field trip but always got more than what you asked for..?

Reminds me of the day when my dad handed me an iPad when I couldn't imagine having one of my own!! It was the best day of my life!! (*feeling nostalgic*)

Yes they do yell at us. But have we ever thought 'why'..? It's either our fault or they've just had a bad day.. How many of us haven't had a bad day and yelled at somebody..? Then why is it strange if our parents go through the same issue.. they aren't supernatural beings ofcourse!! They're humans too! And anger is as natural to them as it is to us! Have we ever thought of all those times when we've been rude to them and yet they responded with kindness..? Does that stop them from fulfilling our wishes..? Ofcourse not!! 

There's a beautiful Hadith by Rasulullah (SAWS),

The Prophet (SAWS) said, "Allah is more merciful to His slaves than a lady is to her child". (Sahih Bukhari)

Now how can we ever doubt the response of Allah, who loves more than our parents..! It's all a matter of trust. Trust Allah and be hopeful of a response for nothing is impossible for Allah.. :)

 

That raises a question in my mind.. When we are fond of somebody and we love them, what do we expect from them..? (Apart from gifts that is.. :P)

How would we feel if that person shares their thoughts and desires with us and talks to us endlessly..? Will we ever ask them to 'shush'?? Now can we relate as to why it takes sometime for our duas to be fulfilled...? Rings a bell? Yes it does! :D

So it's okay if you're teacher picks on you or you are yelled at by somebody.. That doesn't make your day bad.. What makes your day bad is if it pulls you away from seeking Allah The Almighty.. We need to always remember that no matter what, Allah loves us. And when somebody loves you, you are the only thing in their mind, all they want is the best for you.. Allah wants only the best for you.. He has His own way of granting our wishes.. ;)

So trust Him. :)

As Salam Alykum.

How can I Take "him" Down?!!

Peace be onto you all!

I hope you all are in the best state of health and Iman. :)

In my previous two articles, "You Are Chosen" and "Time to take him Down" I tried my best to emphasize on the abundant treasures at the time of Fajr.. Apart from the rewards I had mentioned, there's still a lot more that's known only to Allah! What I had mentioned was only a glimpse of the actual treasure-trove!

Keeping the streak going, this article includes some tips that is easy to follow cause I've tried it myself and it has helped me in a great way and hopefully In sha Allah we have the lights on during the last part of the night... ;)

But before I reveal those tips, there's a question from my side.. 

If there is someone or something you dislike, and it totally annoys you, distracts you all time.. What exactly would you do to them..? If it's a thing, like your alarm clock with an annoying tone, you might break it into zillion pieces or if it's a person, you might just want to pull their hair off! (Under no circumstances I encourage it!!!)

What if we replace that something or someone with the Shaytaan? Like I said in my previous article, the reason behind our every not-so-good deed is Shaytaan.. He is definately someone I hate the most! He annoys me terribly especially when I make the intention to do wudhu and distracts me completely when I'm about to begin Salah.. If only we knew the troubles caused by Shaytaan, we would wana kick the day lights out of him!! And guess what??? We can!!!

Every time we give the Adhaan or read the Quran, he is destroyed!! It literally burns him! It's waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than wacking him with a cricket bat! :P

So starting with the first tip :

1 - Remember Allah as soon as you wake up

Recite the morning dua. Or start reciting the Adhaan in your mind. This would definately drive the negative thoughts (whisperings of Shaytaan) away and it will be easier to literally part with your bed! :P

2 - Keep Reminding yourself of it's Benefits

You can also remind yourself of how fortunate you are that Allah chose you among 6 billion people to worship Him and to let your stress and tensions out because Allah wants to relieve you of it!! Allah Himself is has called out to you.. how on earth can we ignore his call? You know what happens when you miss your mom's call! It's not even deliberate!! And yet there's a 3 hour long discussion on what made you "ignore" the call. -_- 

Anyway, you can remind yourself of it before going to bed and after waking up. :)

3 - Have a glass of water

Have a glass of water before bed. It will keep your body hydrated. An unhydrated body makes you feel sluggish and eventually makes it harder for you to wake up.

4 - Keep the alarm away

 The hardest part in waking up is parting with your bed and the super comfy blanky. Here's a tip. Keep the alarm away from your reach (I suggest the bathroom! :P) This will force you to leave the bed as soon as possible. And then the rest is easy. :)

5 - Be your own alarm clock

Subhan Allah it so happens with me.. Sometimes when I hit the bed late (I don't recommend it at all!) and there's just 3-4 hours left for Fajr, I find myself awake even before the alarm rings.. Tell yourself you’re going to get up by a certain time, often your body will wake you up naturally. Say you need to get up at 5:00 a.m, set your alarm clock for 5:15 a.m. (Just in case!) You may be surprised to find that you wake up right on time, give or take a few minutes. 

6 - Spiritual tips

This is to prepare yourself just like your preparation before a football match (You just can't start playing without warming yourself!!). Same way, prep for Fajr starts the night before.. 

#Pray Witr and supplicate to Allah Azzwa jal to help you wake up for Fajr. 

#End your day with some verses from the Quran. Know that Rasullulah (SAWS) recommended us to recite Surah Mulk and Surah Sajdah before bed. 

#Make Wudhu before you sleep. For if we are in the state of wudhu while we're asleep, every turn we make, an Angel asks to Allah to forgive us because we went to bed in a state of purity.. Subhan Allah!! 

7 - Remember Allah before you sleep

We do have control over ourselves but Allah has authority over us.. So ask Allah to help you wake up for Fajr rather than blaming the snooze-er. When you have His help, you don't need any alarm clock!!

May Allah make it easy for all of us to wake up for Fajr and utilize this amazing opportunity to relieve ourselves from the wordly stress and make us one among the successful people in this life and the Hereafter. Ameen. :)

Before I end, there's a lil request to all my readers.. 

Please take a minute to pray for all our Muslim brothers and sisters who're going through the worst situations possible.. There are children crying, dying of hunger while we sleep on full stomachs.. The ice-cold weather freezing their limbs and hitting their bones while we rest under our blankets with a roof over our head and four walls to protect us.. Mothers wailing and shedding tears over their children suffering every minute of their lives.. Fathers burying their children by turning their hearts into stone.. 

Our brothers and sisters in Islam are in need of our prayers.. 

We may not need the latest iPhone as much as they need warm clothes, proper food and hygienic water to drink..

May Allah grant our Muslim brothers and sisters with patience and strength through this extremely tough phase and reward their struggle with Jannah! May Allah reunite the parents with their children in a much better and enduring world! May Allah protect them all and lastly.. May Allah accept all our duas. Ameen..

As Salam Alykum

Time to Take "him" Down!!

Peace be on to you all! :)

It's about time we take "him" down.. It's about time we establish control on our lives.. It's about time we set our priorities right.. No I'm not talking about taking a government down! (Chill!! :P)

I'm talking about our common enemy. The one we all need to stand up against and defeat. (Yes! You know him!) The evil Shaytaan. It's time we take the Shaytaan down! I thought of mentioning him quite later but like I said It's about time we start realizing his role in our lives. In simple words, every time we procrastinate, every good deed we do, every good intention of ours that seems to fade away for some silly reason, every time we keep postponing our duties towards our Creator (the obligatory prayers being first in that list...) and in every step we take to get closer to Allah, IF we hear thoughts and voices speaking of negativity then it's from the Shaytaan. We need to rise above that and establish our control on our lives rather than following the voices of the evil. 

And for those of us who think Shaytaan is imaginary, he is out there.. He is closer to us than we can imagine and he is affecting us big time! Sadly, many of us don't realize this happening because we're just too engrossed setting things right in this temporary world. 

But why do I start talking about Shaytaan all of a sudden? That's because his role in our life cannot be disregarded. He does not leave a chance for us to communicate with Allah especially when Allah is the Caller here.. 

The reason we find it difficult to wake up for Fajr is not our laziness or the bitter cold or the extremely early timing. It's Shaytaan. That doesn't mean we aren't at fault at all. Our biggest mistake is going along the lines of the evil. To rectify this mistake, we need to know what Shaytaan actually does that it becomes nearly impossible for us to wake up and converse with Allah..

It's said in a Hadith by Rasullulah (SAWS) :

"Satan puts three knots at the back of the head of any of you if he is asleep. On every knot, he reads and exhales the following words, 'The night is long, so stay asleep.' When one wakes up and remembers Allah, one knot is undone; and when one performs ablution, the second knot is undone, and when one prays, the third knot is undone and one gets up energetic with a good heart in the morning; otherwise one gets up lazy and with a mischievous heart."

(Authenticity : Saheeh Bukhari)

I think after reading the above Hadith, there is no room for questions or doubts. Clearly, waking up for Fajr and starting our day with the remembrance of Allah is the BEST start to ANY day! This doesn't ensure you have a day filled with only happiness or a day where your boss won't yell at you or a day when your teacher embarrasses you or a day your mom loads you with extra chores or a day your siblings literally kill you (no I'm just being funny :P). This ensures you have the power to deal with anything the day has in store for you! This ensures no matter what happens, you have the blessings of the Almighty and when one has the blessings and love of his Creator, what more can they ask for...?

So remember. As soon as you wake up:

1 - Remember Allah. 

2 - Perform wudhu.

3 - Start your prayer.

With this I come to the end in dealing with the reason behind our negligence to the call of Allah. 

Coming up next are some easy-to-follow tips to wake up for Fajr that I myself follow and it has benefitted me in a great way, Alhamdullilah.

As Salam Alykum

You Are Chosen!!!

Peace! :)

Congratulations!! You've been chosen by The President for a special meal!!! Only problem is you will have to dine with him at 3 am! Once more, 3:00 AM!! Oh and he will grant you one wish as well!!! Are we, 'hungry for special consideration' youth gonna miss such an awesome opportunity??!!! Who in the world would wana miss this meeting??? It's with The President!!!

What if I phrase it this way...

Congratulations!! You've been chosen by The President of all the presidents in the world!!! You have the meeting scheduled at 3 am! Oh and He will grant you WHATEVER you wish for!! Best part about this meeting is, you get the opportunity everyday!!! Are we gonna miss this beyond awesome opportunity???

Who in the world would wana...........Oh yes we do. Sadly, we do miss this opportunity. :(

What we fail to realize is the beauty of this time of the day.. 

Imagine having a heart to heart talk with someone very close to you. You pour out heart infront of them.. express your fears, emotions and dreams.. How content would we feel..?

It's like someone just took load off our chests..

But Allah says He is closer to you than your Jugular vein! (Surah Qaf. Verse 16)

And here, Allah Himself is inviting us to share our worries with him.. A meeting where there's only you and your Lord.. He has chosen YOU to spend time with Him.. And yet we choose to ignore His call?? The call of The Master of the world..?You have a chance to ask him whatever you are in need of.. You have a chance to cry out in front of your Lord, share your fears, rectify your faults, express yourself..

Then what's stopping us from utilizing this priceless opportunity..? So what if it's early? The rewards are humongous! By praying Fajr, you will receive blessings and treasures that'll surpass your imagination! Nope..that's not me saying it.. Let's see who...

The Messenger of Allah (SAWS) has said: "Whoever prays the two cooler prayer times (Fajr and Asr) will enter Paradise."

(Authenticity : Saheeh Bukhari and Muslim)

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said, "And if they only knew what was in the prayers of Isha and Fajr, they would come to them even if they had to CRAWL." 

(Agreed upon)

<I could imagine myself crawling if there was a box of 100,000 $ left outside my door..> When the rewards of praying Fajr is beyond 100,000 $, is unimaginable, surpasses the definition of 'priceless' in this world, you are guaranteed treasures that cannot be compared with the meager treasures of this world, why can't we respond to the call of our Lord..? Think, my readers! 

If we do wake up (chances are almost nil) then how exactly do we present ourselves before Allah? 

Scarf wrapped around like a towel on our heads, water dripping from our night suits, yawning continuously  (like its as essential as breathing), eyes struggling to keep itself wide open, scratching here and there... Can you imagine the sight???

Would we visit.. or rather dare to visit the president in such a state??? You might be thinking I'm out of my mind or maybe that's what the president might think.. (LOL)

Then why are dressed in rags when we stand infront of The Lord of the worlds, The President of presidents...? 

I think I've made myself pretty clear in stating the importance of Fajr Salah. And trust me when I say this (cause I've experienced it myself) one CANNOT have a better start to their day than offering 2 rakahs and seeking Allah's guidance.. It's Allah's promise - You call to Him and He WILL respond. :)

Now. Question arises, if something is still stopping us from experiencing this amazingly beautiful meeting.. And if we have made up our minds to wake up for Fajr, how can we put it into practice..?

I'll be back with the answers in my next article.. ;)

Until then,  الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنْ النَّوْمِ

(Prayer is Better Than Sleep)

As Salam Alykum :)

Yes! I can do it! (Part 2)

Peace be onto you! :)

This is the second part of my article 'Yes! I can do it!' where we're to analyze the INTERNAL STROKE. 

But before I talk about them, let me make it clear that the whole purpose of Salah is to be ever conscious of Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of all things. Salah is indeed, one of the most comprehensive forms of Dhikr (Remembrance). 

There is a Hadith where Allah says, "Out of all the ways through which My servant gets closer to Me, Salah is the dearest to Me." 

(Authenticity : Saheeh Bukhari) 

It is unfortunate that we do not always take full advantage of this gift.

Moving on. In the first part we came across tips that we can put into action before starting our prayer and dealt with spiritual and physical techniques. Let's look into the methods that we can apply in our Salah and start experiencing the the effects of the greatest medicine.. ;)

1. Pray with HUMILITY both in your mental state and in your physical manner. Pray with hope and awe.

2. Remind yourself that you are talking to the most important 'One' in your life - your Creator, Sustainer, Protector, Provider and your Guardian! :D You are facing Him and are also involved in a DIALOGUE with Him! (Surah Fatiha)

3. Commence your Prayer by seeking Allah's help and PROTECTION from the influences of... (You know who..) Shaytan.

4. Lower your GAZE (sight at the place where you rest your forehead for Sujood) while praying and do not allow the physical environment to distract you. 

5. Adopt a WHISPERING TECHNIQUE in your recitation in order to remain focused on what you are saying, but at the same time make sure it isn't disturbing others praying near you.

6. As you recite from the Quran, translate it into your own LANGUAGE (in your mind) so that your attention is held. As you ponder upon the meaning and implications of the words, In sha Allah all worldly thoughts will disappear. :)

7. On each occasion that you recite the Sifat or ATTRIBUTES OF ALLAH in Ruku and Sujood, consider how indebted you are and how grateful you should be to Allah. The fact that we have a proper functioning body, with no ailment is itself a priceless gift from Allah! :)

8. Utilize the position of SUJOOD to make additional dua to Allah. The Prophet (SAWS) said: "A servant is nearest to his Lord when he is in Sujood, so increase your supplication when in Sujood." 

(Aunthenticity : Saheeh Muslim)

9. Give due regard to the proper performance of all the PHYSICAL POSTURES. Do not 'peck like a crow' when doing Ruku and Sujood as every posture in Salah is important.

10. Last but not the least (as the saying goes..) Pray as if it is your LAST PRAYER. The Prophet (SAWS) said: When you stand up to pray, perform your prayer as if it were your last...'

We need to start 'experiencing' Salah rather than just 'offering' Salah. Only then will we be able to unveil the unimaginable treasures.. It's obvious I don't mean diamonds and rubies! :P

But I can assure it'll be waaaaaaaayyy better than all the riches of this world. ;)

Last thing we need to remember is the saying of the Prophet (SAWS): "If a man performs two rakas of Salah without the distraction of any worldly thought, all his previous sins will be forgiven." 

(Aunthenticity : Saheeh Bukhari)

Subhanallah!! Are we to miss such great benefits..? Nah! I hope In sha Allah we all experiance that contentment in every Salah we pray. :D

See you all in my next article! ;)

As Salam Alykum.