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 :)

The Most Beautiful Conversation

Peace be onto you! :)

The title probably gives an idea where one might have had an emotional, 'heart to heart' conversation with a best friend or maybe fantasize a conversation with your favourite superstar! 

But I'm talking here about a conversation that cannot be compared with the likes of any conversation in this world! This is a conversation with The King of the kings! Allah Himself! A personal talk with the One who created us! How blessed are we! Subhanallah! 

Wondering how..? Read on further.. ;)

The Prophet (SAWS) said: "Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, has said: 'I have divided the prayer between Myself and My slave, into two halves, and My slave shall have what he has asked for.'

When the slave says "Ar-Rahman nir Rahim" Allah says, "My slave has extolled me."

When the slave says, "Malikee Yawmid Din" Allah says, "My slave has glorified me" or "My servant has related all matters to Me."

When the slave says, "Iyaaka na' budu wa iyaka nasta'een" Allah says, "This is between Me and My slave, and My slave shall acquire what he sought."

When the slave says, "Ihdi naseeratal mustaqeem. Siratal lazeena an'amta 'alayhim ghayril maghdoobi 'alayhim wa la daleen" Allah says, "This is for My slave, and My slave shall have what he asked for."

(Authenticity : Saheeh Muslim)

This is the Most Beautiful Conversation.. Where Allah responds to you immediately when you mention His Name! 

If we just kept this in our minds while praying that we are indeed conversing with The King of the kings..He is responding to our call, we would definately attain that crucial element in our life... Peace..

So the next time you recite Surah Al- Fatiha in Salah, remember to take slight pauses between the ayats and also keep conscious that Allah is always watching and replying to your prayers. When you begin your Salah, pray with the best of intentions and with modesty and do not let your minds wander because Allah is closer than you think.  

By developing a focused, centered, and meaningful habit of maintaining the five daily prayers, a person will experience incredible benefits in this life and undoubtedly the next. In sha Allah.

Problem is we - the youth and many others fail to realize our closeness with Allah The Almighty. This is something that needs immediate remedy. 

Salah is an amazing exchange where you handover your worries to Allah and Allah hands over His Blessings to you! And He even takes control of our worries. Subhanallah! 

There is a beautiful quote of Shaykh Navaid Aziz. It says, "If you treat Salah as a chore, you will not enjoy it. Treat it like a conversation with Allah". 

But how do we keep a track of our prayers..? How can we make it more consistent..?

Stay tuned for my next article. ;)

As Salam Alykum.