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!

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

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.

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. 

"How can I ever face You?"

Readers! Peace be onto you!

My first article was about having trust and faith in Allah, The Controller of all our affairs which will come about through prayer.

Since I'm a youth myself, I can say some of you might still hesitate to take the first step. Question is, what's that 'something' that's stopping us from experiencing that magical moment.. (No not magic, fellas! The indescribable feeling I talked about in my previous article......)

"How can I ever face You? I have committed heaps and heaps of sins. I don't think anyone could ever forgive me!"

"How can I ever face You? My sins are unforgivable! Even if I start praying now, there's no hope!"

Two different approaches, but it has the same explanation.

The answer lies in Surah Az Zumar, Verse 53

"O My servants who have transgressed against their own souls, despair not of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful."

There is hope for those who seek hope. No matter how much you've sinned or how 'corrupt' (very harsh word.. I know.. Calm down!) you are, Allah promises that He will forgive IF you seek His forgiveness. You can always take a U - turn and head back to your Creator. He is called The Most Merciful, The Beneficient, The Forgiver, The Most Kind, The Compassionate, The Loving, for a reason!

Allah calls out to His servants, a call of forgiveness, mercy and compassion. 

As we live in a world of Fitnah (temptations) and are given a free will, Allah says as long as we call on Him and seek forgiveness with sincerity and put our hope in Him, He will forgive us even if our sins were to reach the clouds of the sky or close to fill this earth.

Further a hadith declares : When a person has repented from a sin, it is as if he had never committed that sin and.. (Read this one carefully) his sins become his good deeds!!

Now THAT'S what you call Mercy!! 

This statement alone can convince one to have hope and never to despair. A sincere call to Allah can change what you may have thought was impossible to change!

Now when you make dua, seek Allah's forgiveness and ask Allah from His bounties, you need be convinced and trust Allah. There's no room for doubts! Ask Allah with will and conviction for there is nothing so great to Allah that He cannot grant it! 

So the dynamic youth! No matter how far you've gone, you still have a chance to start anew. Trust me when I say this. When you raise your hands in dua and for no reason tears start to flow and you just want to let them flow till your heart is content, that's my definition for Priceless. 

Remember this. Prayer isn't a 'spare wheel' that you pull out when you're in trouble. It is a 'steering wheel' that directs the right path throughout your life.

As Salam Alykum

 

I Trust You

I couldn't think of a better start to write this article right after offering Salah.. A proof that you trust Him.. Your Lord. 

As a youth I can attest to the fact that many young people especially Muslims, lack this basic 'necessity' - Trust and Faith in Allah. Little do they know that this is the little secret ingredient to their success.. In this world and the hereafter.

Not jumping into the practices of Islam, the point I want to put forward is.. PRAY. PRAY when in DISTRESS. PRAY when in HAPPINESS. PRAY when in FRUSTRATION. PRAY when in ANGER. Just PRAY. 

It is a matter of great sadness that people often forget that their source of peace and contentment isn't money or life insurance plans or rather beauty kits for the delicate darling beauties..

I can assure you readers, that the REAL source of peace and contentment is when you put your forehead on the ground in Sujood and feel blessed because not everyone are 'chosen' to perform this act which is the most beloved to Your Creator!

Wait.. What am I saying?! We are in such a period where we don't even know what it feels like to be at peace.. CRISES!!!

Trust me on this ya'll future of this Ummah! Just once, Make wudhu.. As the water runs down your hands, your sins get washed off.. Such a beauty Subhanallah! When you walk out and recite 'I bear witness there is no God but Allah, none has the right to be worshipped but Him. And Muhammad is his slave and Prophet' you would have already gained this spiritual feeling (NO not like the orthodox babaji's!!)

A spiritual feeling that would urge you to get even more closer to the One who created YOU!

As you place the musallah (carpet) for prayer and recite takbeer, you would have chills in your body only with the thought that you are standing in front of The Master of the Worlds! (Not to be mistaken with the chills during winter!!!)

In prostration, cry out your frustration, fear and faults. Ask your Lord. 

He is The One who has control on the tiniest of objects.. From the grasses in the sea, the varied species of fishes, the waves, the storms, the land.. To the skies that stands without any support except with the will of Allah, the stars, the moon, the unpredicted rain for that matter! And EVERYTHING in between..

I swear that experiance can ONLY be felt and NEVER be described. It is a feeling that is only between you and the One who created you. 

Take this first step towards The Creator. Allah promises that if you take a step towards Him, He will take 10 STEPS towards you!! (Authenticity : Sahih Bukhari)

You would only gained treasures, UNIMAGINABLE.

I would like to underpin my article with a verse from my favourite book.. I will leave

for you to figure that book..

"Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah, certainly Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him)"

- Surah Al Imran. Verse 109.

As Salam Alykum.