¶ 3:13 PM //

Her long, thick, shiny black hair
Fell against her back.
Her rich, copper skin
Gleamed in the sunlight.
Her slender figure outlined,
With her soft voluptuous curves.

But when she stepped outside,
She became a ghostly figure of the night.
Nothing more to the people
Than a dark, shadowy figure of oppression.
But she showed them.
As she walked down the street,
People made way,
Men lowered their gazes in utmost respect.
And others whispered,
As she held her head up high,
With pride in her belief
And showed them how oppressed she really was!
While they whistled at their women,
Looking them up and down as they were pieces of meat to be inspected?

She pitied their savage ways.
As she walked into the arms of her partner,
Her only love, Her husband.
Where she was transformed,
Into her beautiful self, For only his eyes to see.

......Hena Farooq......

¶ 8:01 PM //

A time comes in your life when you finally get it... When in the midst of all your fears and insanity you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere, the voice inside your head cries out - ENOUGH!

Enough fighting and crying, or struggling to hold on. And, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum, your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once or twice, you blink back your tears and through a mantle of wet lashes, you begin to look at the world through new eyes.

This is your awakening...

You realize that it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or for happiness, safety and security to come galloping over the next horizon. You come to terms with the fact that in the real world, there aren't always fairy tale endings (or beginnings for that matter) and that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you and in the process, a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are ... and that's OK. (They are entitled to their own views and opinions.) And you learn the importance of loving and championing yourself and in the process, a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval. You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you (or didn't do for you) and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected.

You learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and that it's not always about you. So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself and in the process, a sense of safety & security is born of self-reliance. You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties and in the process, a sense of peace & contentment is born of forgiveness.

You realize that much of the way you view yourself and the world around you, is a result of all the messages and opinions that have been ingrained into your psyche. You begin to sift through all the junk you've been fed about how you should behave, how you should look and how much you should weigh, what you should wear and where you should shop and what you should drive, how and where you should live and what you should do for a living, who you should marry and what you should expect of a marriage.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for. You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a by gone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life. You learn that you don't know everything and you never will,but you need to strive to learn as much as you can.You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO..

You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen, is different from working toward making it happen. More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn that no one can do it all alone and that it's OK to risk asking for help.

You learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom. You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people. On these occasions, you learn not to personalize things. You learn that ALLAH isn't punishing you or failing to answer your prayers; it's just life happening.

You learn to deal with evil in its most primal state; the ego. You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls. You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted; things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about; a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a hot shower. Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself, by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself .You make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

Finally, with courage in your heart and with ALLAH by your side you take a stand, you take a deep breath and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can.

OH ALLAH GUIDE US ON THE STRAIGHT PATH ALWAYS.AMEEN!

¶ 3:00 PM //

"A true warrior is he who fought his desires in the obedience of Allah" (Hadeeth)

Literally a mujahid is one who fights in the battlefield for the sake of Allah Ta'alah. In this hadeeth Nabi (S.A.W.) has said that a mujahid is he who fought his desires in the obedience of Allah i.e when a person controls his nafs only for Allah's pleasure.Nabi (S.A.W.) was consoling those who were unable to participate in Jihad. He was telling them that the actual Jihad is to shun sin and obey Allah Ta'alah

¶ 8:30 PM //

Right at this moment we r all constantly engaged in a battle - against shaytaan and our nafs...we can't afford 2 4get that!what would happen if , while fighting on the battlefield , one army just loses interest and 'forgets' to fight the enemy?'4gets' that there is even a battle taking place(sounds dumb yeah but isn't that what WE do all the time!?)?the enemy would definately rejoice at the negligence and use this to gain an upperhand!

shaytaan believes that it was Adam (A.S) that caused him to be damned and so he wants us to go to hell with him.

[***Nabi (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam) has said (somethimg to the effect) that each one of us has an angel that encourages us to virtue and a shaytaan that goads us to indulge in evil.

The chief of all these shayaateen is iblees, who was rejected by Allah Ta'ala , but accompanyimg each person is one shaytaan....

Despite shaytaan's apparent influence, Allah Ta'ala says in Surah Nisaa: "Surely the plot of shaytaan is ever feeble."This verse relates to those who believe in Allah Ta'ala.shaytaan has got no power , no control , no force , no authority and no domination over those who submit themselves and trust fully in Allah Ta'ala..*** -Combating the Whisperings of shaytaan - moulana Yunus Patel]

¶ 6:23 PM //

A reply to a Post on 'Time management from Sunniforum.com

some time management tips by Sidi Faraz:

Question: "Sidi, do you have any time management tips? Any books you'd rec'? I feel SUCH a squeeze on my time."

A

-Always ask Allah to bless you in your time.

-Always start things in the name of Allah.

-When starting, have the active realization of 'la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah' (there is no ability nor power except through Allah).

-"From the excellence of one's Islam is to leave that which does not concern one," said the Prophet (peace and blesssings be upon him). Thus, leave anything that is not of obvious worldly or next-worldly benefit. When choosing between beneficial matters, choose the most beneficial.

-Consult a good time management book. (I like Stephen Covey - 7 Habits of Highly Successful People and "First Things First")

¶ 10:45 PM //

It is human nature to be forgetful, as the Arab poet said:
“He is only called man (insân) because of his forgetfulness (nasiyân), and it is only called the heart (al-qalb) because it changes so rapidly (yataqallib).”

In the past they said that the first one to forget (awwal nâsin) was the first man (awwal al-nâs), meaning Adam, peace be upon him. Forgetfulness is something that varies from person to person according to each individual’s nature; some may be more forgetful than others. Some of the things that may help to combat forgetfulness are the following:
1. Keeping away from sin, because the bad effects of sin result in a bad memory and the inability to retain knowledge. The darkness of sin cannot co-exist with the light of knowledge. The following words were attributed to al-Shâfi‘î, may Allâh have mercy on him:

“I complained to [my shaykh] Wakî’ about my bad memory, and he taught me that I should keep away from sin. He said that knowledge of Allâh is light, and the light of Allâh is not given to the sinner.”

Al-Khatîb reported in al-Jâmi‘ (2/387) that Yahya ibn Yahya said:

“A man asked Mâlik ibn Anas, ‘O Abu ‘Abd-Allâh! Is there anything that will improve my memory?’ He said, ‘If anything will improve it, it is giving up sin.’”


When a person commits a sin, it overwhelms him and this leads to anxiety and sorrow which keeps him busy thinking about what he has done. This dulls his senses and distracts him from many beneficial things, including seeking knowledge.

2. Frequently remembering Allâh, may He be glorified, by reciting dhikr, tasbîh (saying‘Subhan Allâh’), tahmîd (‘Al-hamdu Lillâh’ ), tahlîl (‘Lâ ilâha ill-Allâh’) and takbîr (‘Allâhu akbar’), etc. Allâh says (interpretation of the meaning):

“…And remember your Lord when you forget…” [al-Kahf 18:24]


3. Not eating too much, because eating too much makes one sleep too much and become lazy, and it dulls the senses, besides exposing one to the risk of physical diseases. Most of the diseases which we see result from food and drink.

4. Some of the scholars have mentioned certain foods which increase the memory, such as drinking honey and eating raisins and chewing certain kinds of gum resin.

Imâm al-Zuhrî said:

“You should eat honey because it is good for the memory.”

He also said:

“Whoever wants to memorize hadîth should eat raisins.” (From al-Jâmi‘ by al-Khatîb, 2/394)

Ibrâhîm ibn [sth. omitted] said,

“You should chew resin gum, because it is Ways To Strengthen One’s Memory

As they mentioned, too much acidic food is one of the causes of laziness and weak memory.

5. Another thing that can help the memory and reduce forgetfulness is cupping (hijâmah) of the head, as is well known from experience. (For more information see Al-Tibb al-Nabawi by Ibn al-Qayyim). And Allâh knows best.

http://www.islaam.net

by Brother Yahya Adel Ibrahîm "

¶ 10:40 PM //

¶ 7:29 PM //

¶ 11:12 PM //

If you see anyone drinking tea, and you ask him what he is drinking, he will tell you "tea." There is sugar in the tea, but he will not mention the sugar, no one ever says he is drinking tea-and-sugar. No doubt the sweetness of the sugar fills the tea, but the person drinks and says nothing about it.

The long standing tradition of Qur'anic memorization is analogous to the sugar, doing its work in secret. In a child who embarks on the journey of memorizing Qur'an we see that the hands, nose, ears, eyes, and tongue are dynamic, but no one can see what the soul is accomplishing.

Their ears come across as listening, and their tongues seems to be reciting. But no matter what it may seem to be, it is not only the tongue that recites. And in spite of form, it is not only the ears that hear. That which speaks and hears is the invisible soul within. The effect of the long standing tradition of Qur'anic memorization on a child is similarly invisible.

And this is what happens to a child when he memorizes the words of Allah, the Exalted. We might think they are just memorizing words. But in actuality, every letter they say, every sound they make, makes an imprint in their hearts and minds which enables them to take the imitated step of converting his oral recognition of Qur'anic language into a physical act.

The best education we can give our children is the memorization of the Holy Qur'an. As Rasulullah(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) said:

"No group of people gathers in one of the houses of Allah to recite the Book of Allah and study it together, but tranquility descends upon them, the angels surround them, mercy comes down upon them, and Allah mentions them to those who are with Him." (Muslim).

The vessels for preservation of Islam are in our children's hearts. Allah says:

"Nay, but they, the clear ayat, are preserved in the breasts of those who have been given knowledge…" [Qur'an 29:49]

It is our duty to plant these seeds in our children for we must equip them for what lay ahead of them. There is no better time to preserve our heritage than today, in these critical times.
As there are numerous full-time madressahs, it is time that we as parents invest our children's time memorizing the Qur'an and join the ranks of thousands who seek to earn the pleasure of Allah (azza wajal) and preserve the very foundation of our Islamic identity.

Buraydah(radhiyallahu anhu) said:

"I was sitting with the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) and I heard him say:

..The Qur'an will meet its companion on the Day of Resurrection when his grave is opened for him, looking like a pale man, and it will say to him, 'Do you know who I am?' He will say, I do not know you.' It will say to him, 'Do you know who I am?' He will say, I do not know you.' It will say, 'I am your companion the Qur'an, who made you thirsty on hot days and kept you awake at night. Every merchant will benefit from his trade, and today you will benefit too.' He will be given power in his right hand and immortality in his left, and on his head will be placed a crown of dignity. His parents will be given two garments the like of which could never be made by the people of this world and they will say, 'How did we earn these?' It will be said, 'Because your child learned the Qur'an.' Then it will be said to him, 'Read and go up through the levels and rooms of Paradise. He will keep on ascending as long as he reads or recites.'" (Ahmad).

Source: Better than a Doctorate from Harvard
*******************
Sayyidina Abu Hurairah (Radhiallahu anhu) stated that Rasulullaah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said :

Whosoever read the Qur'aan, learnt it and acted upon it, his parents will be made to wear a crown which will glitter like the light of the sun and they will be made to wear such clothing which is more rich than the garments of the entire world. They will then inquire as to why they are being so adorned. They will be informed that their son memorised the Qur'aan Kareem. (Narrated by Hakeem : Reliable on the conditions of Muslim.)

Sayyidina Anas (Radhiallahu anhu) says that Rasulullaah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said:

"Oh people, there are some special servants of Allaah Ta'aala. We inquired :"Who are these Oh! Rasulullaah? He said:"Those who memorise the Qur'aan Kareem are the special servants and friends of Allaah. (Narrated by Nisai, Ibne Maja, Hakeem.)

Sayyidina Uthmaan bin Afaan (Radhiallahu anhu) narrates that the Merciful Nabi (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said:

"The best person from you is that person who learns the Noble Qur'aan and teaches it to others." (Narrated by Ahmed and companions in six reliable books.).

Courtesy: www.everymuslim.com

¶ 7:43 PM //

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill.
In the room of 200, he asked. "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one
of you - but first, let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple the 20 dollar note up. He then asked. "Who
still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "what if I do this?" He dropped it on the
ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked
it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?"

Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No
matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not
decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the
dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.
We feel as though we are worthless; but no matter what happened or
what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still
priceless to those who love you. The worth of our lives comes, not in
what we do or who we know, but by ... WHO WE ARE.

¶ 11:00 AM //

Welcome to our blog! Insha Allah we hope to share with others what we know and what we learn.May Allah accept our efforts , grant us Ikhlaas and use this site as a means of Hidayah and Service To the Deen.Ameen

Was salaam

Amatullah
drop_in_the_ocean
modesty
Purpleturtle

¶ 1:10 AM //