The Departure and The Arrival

Assalam Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu! :)

May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah swt be upon you!

Let me start by giving you all a situation to imagine. You’ve been away from home since a very long time (let’s say 7-8 months). You were being held up with work, assignments and deadlines. On the other hand, your friends or colleagues or people around you are in a complete bliss. It’s been really frustrating but somehow manage to stay on track, avoid distractions and finally you’ve pulled it through. After a long wait, the day arrives when you head back home. Neither can you stop looking at the tickets nor can you stop thinking about your family. And you can’t wait to be treated like royalty! :P And obviously, your mum has prepared your favourite food (my mom would usually prepare macaroni. A LOT of macaroni :P), your siblings clean their bed for you and you know that as soon as you get home, you’ll be at peace, you’ll be pampered, all your wishes would be your family’s command. You’d be absolutely thrilled throughout the journey! Your departure is filled with excitement that’s only doubled upon your arrival.

Okay so now you’re done spending gala time at home and it’s time for you to return back to the dreaded place of workloads and expectations. You know you’re not going to be receiving any pampering there and you just have to eat the usual dal chawal (that’s like the Indian version of toast and butter). And you’re just back to killing your wishes again. How would you be throughout the journey? Would you have the heart of leaving a place of bliss for a place of horror? Uh huh. Your departure is agonizing and it only gets even more painful on your arrival.

So this is your departure and arrival in this world. But what about your departure FROM this world? What’s your journey going to be like? Sure your body remains in this world, but your soul? Well it got to face The One who created it and the consequences of the actions and feelings that were feeding on it. And when it does? All of the deeds you’ve committed throughout your life, the things you strove for, the way they’ve affected your soul and if they got you closer to your Lord or took you away from Him will flash before your very own eyes. 

Because Allah swt says in Surah Naziyat, verse 35:

يَوْمَ يَتَذَكَّرُ الْإِنْسَانُ مَا سَعَىٰ

“That Day (Day of Judgement) man shall remember what he strove for.”

When we depart from this world, there’s just one arrival destination. To our Lord, our Creator. Waiting for our deeds to be weighed on the scale so that we can be dealt with justly. Each and every soul in this world has to go through this evaluation. And we will be admitted into the abode we truly deserve and That is the place we’re going to be in for eternity.

In this modern, contemporary world, enhancing the outer appearance has taken precedence over nurturing the soul. We spend days and months or even several years dedicating ourselves to the gym, beauty treatments, dieting, but what are we really feeding the soul what it NEEDS to be fed? Are we taking care of the soul the way it NEEDS to be taken care of?

In a day of 24 hours, how many hours or even minutes do we spend on pondering about our soul? It goes through all sorts of crap and trash. When there’s a physical wound, we visit a physician, sometimes we visit a number of them only to compare their diagnosis. We care so much about our physical frame, forgetting that the healing actually resides in a deeper part of our body. The part where the spirit exists. Have we ever made an effort to heal the wounds of our spirit? Our soul? Our heart? There was a quote I came across recently, it read: “Stab the body and it heals but injure the heart and the wound lasts a lifetime”. 

After an exhausting day, all we sit down with is a cup of coffee and wish for a massage (for once, you may even get that) but how many us focus on revitalising our soul? The amalgam of emotions we experience throughout the day takes a toll on our gentle soul more than the body and this goes unnoticed very easily…

Allah azza wa jal has given us the therapy to heal and nourish the heart and the soul in His Book. Allah says in Surah Ra’d, verse 28:

أَلاَ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ

“Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest”

Now, what does it mean by remembering Allah?

Most of us think that to remember Allah is to recite duas and azkars in Arabic or to keep repeating the terms – “Subhan Allah” “Alhamdullilah” “La Ilaha Illa Allah” “Allahu Akbar” “Astaghfirullah”. Well what’s the point of reciting these terms when it’s only the lips that move and not the heart?

Remembering Allah is to:

Remember the blessings that He has bestowed you with. Even the drop of water that quenches your thirst or the first morsel of food that satisfies your hunger, considering the fact that there are countless number of people who cry out for basic necessities. This remembrance leads to gratitude. The element that increases your blessings. (Surah Ibrahim, verse 7)

Remember The Power He possess. And when this sinks in your heart, it leads to the unshakable trust in Allah, no matter what you go through. Even if you’ve had a bad day, you turn to His remembrance to find solace and comfort. 

Remember His favours upon you. The greatest of which is making you a Muslim and granting you knowledge. The job that gets you tired and frustrated is the job that several others strive for. Parents whose concern gets you irritated at times, is being craved by thousands who’ve lost their parents. The kids who get on your nerves, are being yearned for by many couples. The remembrance of Allah’s favours increases love for Him.

Remember His Omniscience in the open and the hidden for it serves as an impetus for our chastity.

Remember His magnitude and greatness for it causes one’s humility and submission towards Him.

Remember His forgiveness and generosity that serves as our sources of hope and repentance.

It’s okay if you want to refresh yourself with lemonade or coffee (or teaaaa :P) but that’s not what’s going to give you peace and comfort. Unless you resort to the remembrance of Allah, understand that your soul needs to be rejuvenated as much as your body, you’re going to go through the same old tiring, tedious and monotonous routine every day, adding up to your frustration and anxiety. 

Now, why is it that you need to care for your soul as much as you care for your body or even more and constantly remember Allah, His blessings, favour, mercy and His might?

Because just like I mentioned in the beginning, the thoughts, emotions and actions that has been feeding on your soul in this dunya is going to be evaluated the day you meet your Lord. You will be judged on the state of your soul and not the state of your body. 

How do you know what kind of actions are going to lead you to which destination in the Hereafter?

Allah says, in Surah Naziyat, verse 37-41:

فَأَمَّا مَنْ طَغَىٰ

وَآثَرَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا

فَإِنَّ الْجَحِيمَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ

“Then as for him who transgressed,

And preferred the life of this world,

Shall have his abode in Hell.”

The Arabic word طَغَىٰ is translated as transgression. Its root – ط غ ي gives the meaning – “to exceed a limit”, “exceed the bound” or “deviate”. When we cross the bounds/limits that Allah swt has laid for us, repeatedly disobey Allah, commit sins, the fitnah or temptations of this world begins to lure us and we start preferring (آثَرَ) the life of this world over the Hereafter. In such a state, we follow our desires, give in to temptations, forget about The Lord Almighty and pave our way for a painful and humiliating afterlife and destine ourselves to the Hell fire.

وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ

فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ

“But he who feared standing before his Rabb and curbed his evil desires,

Shall have his home in Paradise”

The word مقام is translated as “position” or “rank” or “standing”. And this can mean 2 things. One, those people who fear the position of their Lord and believe that Allah’s position is the Highest. He is Al Azeez (The Almighty). He is The One who has power and authority over all things. Two, those people who fear standing in front of Allah (On the Judgement Day). Because it is on this day when Allah will ‘personally’ deal with all of mankind and hold them accountable for each and every deed they committed in this dunya. 

Secondly, the Arabic word الْهَوَىٰ is used for evil desires or lust. There’s no doubt that Allah has placed الْهَوَىٰ in every human being. And that is where He swt tests us. Our goal should be to fight or curb these desires that go against the bounds laid by Allah, in other words the desires that lead to طغيان (transgression). 

The Prophet (saws) has been reported saying, “The Paradise is surrounded by hardships and the Hell fire is surrounded by temptations” (Sahih Muslim). And for those who abide by this teaching of Allah, will have Jannah in their possession for eternity. Subhan Allah. 

The Quran is indeed the ultimate source of guidance and the best manual there is for attaining a successful life in this world and the Hereafter. 

And going down the recent world events, the day of judgement is just round the corner. Allah azza wa jal gives us this warning in Surah Anbiya, verse 1:

اقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِي غَفْلَةٍ مُّعْرِضُونَ

“Closer and closer to mankind comes their Reckoning; yet they heed not and they turn away”.

So my dear brothers and sisters, If not until now, then now it is. :)

Let’s turn towards our Lord, our Rabb not only in times of need and distress but also during ease and happiness. May Allah azza wa jal help us all in seeking solace and comfort through His Book and His remembrance, and bless us with Jannah, Ameen. :)

Assalam Alaykum.

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 

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. :)