بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
If there is a will, there is a way. We have heard this before.
Many of us will for many things and we find ways to get those things and we don't give up until we get those things. But the one thing that we lack the will, is to be with Allah. If we pray, we don't rush to pray--we give ourselves many excuses for not rushing to pray. If we fast, we fast when everybody fast--how about Mondays and Thursdays? Answer--it is only sunnah or I have to work. If we give charity, we only give when people ask. How about seeking sacred knowledge or going to the masjid for prayer? Answer--we have "things" to do or its too far! How about praying tahajjud? How about reading some Qur'an everyday? Same story--busy, have to work tomorrow, etc! How about hijab? Answer--I don't wear hijab but I consider myself as good--I pray, I fast. How many people who have hijabs on but they are no good? Are these excuses or ignorance or both?
But ever since you laid your eyes on that one watch, you cannot forget about it. You work, save up your money and after you have enough money, you get in your car, you stop by the gas station and put some gas because you didn't want to run out of gas to get to the other side of the city where the store is. Then you proceed to the store, park your car, walk up to the store, wait in line and buy it. You are so happy, now you are with this beautiful thing on your wrist! (There are more steps than what I mentioned but you get the point--you put all your efforts to be with that new watch.)
Why are we not desiring Allah the way we desire His creations? Because we know those things but we don't know Allah. Even though we know Allah exist, Alhamdulillah, if we don't have the desire to be with Him, we won't take the action to know Him. Without knowledge of a thing, a man does not intend to have that thing. If we don't know Allah, we don't intend to be with Him. If we don't intend to be with Him, we will be stuck with this world. Our prayers, our fast, our dhikr will be simply body movements and nothing more. We will never taste the sweetness of faith and will not see the happiness beyond this world. We will thank His creations except Him for the favors that He blessed us with and we will be angry with the world for our problems.
So knowledge of Allah is the key to success in this world and the next world. But first you must have the desire to be with Him and once you have the desire to be with Him, it will drive you to take the action to be with Him. And you can only be with Him through knowledge of Him. May Allah give you tawfiq.
"Why should Allah punish you if you are thankful and believe (have Iman)? Allah is All-Thankful, All-Knowing." Qur'an Annisa 4:147
May Allah guide us and give us tawfiq. Ameen. Please don't forget all of us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Taking for granted
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well
Marriage is one of the heaviest sunnas to bear and most difficult rights to fulfill while being the most complete of matters in benefit and the greatest of virtues in reward. In it is the protection of the religion, perfection of character and the pride of the Master of creation.
It is reported that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "When a slave married, he has completed half of the religion, so let him fear Allah in the remaining half."
May Allah help you all who are married. And for those who are not married and thinking about getting married, first thing is to learn about marriage. It becomes obligatory upon you to seek this knowledge once you intend to get married. You don't start swimming when you haven't learned how to swim. You will drown. Marriage is the same. If you are married and haven't learn it, you need to learn it now, especially if you are drowning--this knowledge will help you inshaAllah. Tawfiq.
Marriage is not about seeking or demanding your rights. It is about working together to help each other come closer to Allah. If this is not happening in your marriage, you ought to take a look at it seriously and fix it because this is not a good marriage.
Don't take each other for granted. If a man has a righteous and modest wife, he should be grateful. Realize that it is a blessing he is not able to thank Allah for. It is a huge relief of a mountain of headache by having a righteous and modest wife. Imagine having to keep thinking about his wife running off with a man while he is at work! So, bear her argumentation and overbearingness patiently as it is not seemly for a man to argue with his wife. A wife should not forget the favors of her husband, no matter how slight. She should see her shortcomings in serving him.
Allah bring you together for a purpose--to know Him and to worship Him--so seek to please Allah and no one else. When you do something for your spouse, you do it for Allah, not because your spouse deserves it, not because you expect something from the other person. Leave the reward to Allah--His treasure is greater. If you don't fulfill your duties, remember who you are displeasing more--Allah.
Something to reflect on...
One afternoon a man came home from work to find total mayhem in his house. His three children were outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.
He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she may be ill, or that something serious had happened. He found her lounging in the bedroom, still curled in bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.
He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?"
She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and ask me what in the world did I do today?"
"Yes" was his incredulous reply.
She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it!!!"
May Allah bless your day. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well
Marriage is one of the heaviest sunnas to bear and most difficult rights to fulfill while being the most complete of matters in benefit and the greatest of virtues in reward. In it is the protection of the religion, perfection of character and the pride of the Master of creation.
It is reported that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "When a slave married, he has completed half of the religion, so let him fear Allah in the remaining half."
May Allah help you all who are married. And for those who are not married and thinking about getting married, first thing is to learn about marriage. It becomes obligatory upon you to seek this knowledge once you intend to get married. You don't start swimming when you haven't learned how to swim. You will drown. Marriage is the same. If you are married and haven't learn it, you need to learn it now, especially if you are drowning--this knowledge will help you inshaAllah. Tawfiq.
Marriage is not about seeking or demanding your rights. It is about working together to help each other come closer to Allah. If this is not happening in your marriage, you ought to take a look at it seriously and fix it because this is not a good marriage.
Don't take each other for granted. If a man has a righteous and modest wife, he should be grateful. Realize that it is a blessing he is not able to thank Allah for. It is a huge relief of a mountain of headache by having a righteous and modest wife. Imagine having to keep thinking about his wife running off with a man while he is at work! So, bear her argumentation and overbearingness patiently as it is not seemly for a man to argue with his wife. A wife should not forget the favors of her husband, no matter how slight. She should see her shortcomings in serving him.
Allah bring you together for a purpose--to know Him and to worship Him--so seek to please Allah and no one else. When you do something for your spouse, you do it for Allah, not because your spouse deserves it, not because you expect something from the other person. Leave the reward to Allah--His treasure is greater. If you don't fulfill your duties, remember who you are displeasing more--Allah.
Something to reflect on...
One afternoon a man came home from work to find total mayhem in his house. His three children were outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.
He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she may be ill, or that something serious had happened. He found her lounging in the bedroom, still curled in bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.
He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?"
She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and ask me what in the world did I do today?"
"Yes" was his incredulous reply.
She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it!!!"
May Allah bless your day. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Weep now
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
There is no future if there is no Islam. We believe that now, Alhamdulillah, but if we don't instill this in our children they will not believe this when we are gone. We will be history.
If you want great things to happen for our children, we need to think far ahead. If we do it right now for our children, 50 years from now we will see the change. We may not be around anymore 50 years from now but our kids, our grandkids will and they will be the ones who will carry the banner to the finishing line if we pave the way for them now inshaAllah.
How do we do this? Not easy. But if we are always after short term gain, not farsighted, not willing to take a couple of setbacks, hits in short term, change is not going to happen and our future is bleak. There was an incident recently in our neighboring community when someone had died for a day and no jenazah because the family members didn't know what to do! Whose fault is this? So that is the answer in the negative.
Andalus (Muslim Spain) was once the ornament of the world, the cradle of civilization, the "Super Power" of the time. It was that way because of righteous, godfearing and brave people like Tariq bin Ziyad, Musa bin Nusayr, Abd al-Rahman al-Dakhil, Yusuf ibn Tashfeen, whose desire was to make Allah's words paramount. People at one time flocked to Andalus for knowledge. They learned from the Muslims. The non-Muslims of Andalus (Christians, Jews) wanted to look like Muslims--they became Arabized--some of them knew Arabic language and literature better than Muslims themselves. What happen to this great civilization? This is the consequence of somebody didn't raise their children properly and loving the dunya. People started running after power and glory. People started doubting each other and killed each other and colluded with the enemies of Islam. Constant infighting--brothers fought with each other for power and glory and more wealth. Muslims colluded with the enemies against their fellow Muslims for power and wealth. Rulers divided the states to keep their sons/wives happy and gave each son a share of the state--they thought this was fair (this was a fatal mistake!). When people do things for self-interest and not for the sake of Allah, then things will fall apart.
When we raise our children, it is not about raising them to be nice, compliant, pliable and docile, but raising them to be strong Muslims, with himma. I don't know what to tell you exactly how to get there--but read our history. You will find great lessons and they will motivate you to get up and do more inshaAllah.
When Grenada fell to Ferdinand V and Isabella of Castille, which marked the fall of Andalus, it was a consequence of 100s of years of infighting. Why the infighting--for none other than for the world. Muhammad ibn Al-Hurra, the ruler of Grenada, who gave the keys of Grenada to Ferdinand and Isabella, went to live on the hills overlooking his palace, and he would cry. His mother, Aisha al-Hurra, would recite some lines of poetry to his son, "Weep like a woman over the kingdom you just wasted; you did not protect it like a man did."
We have the power to create a great history for our children through the lessons from our history but the work should start now. We should never forget that what we have is from Allah, the Giver of Allah (al-Wahhab). So don't hold back spending what you have--time, money, health, knowledge, intelligence...for the sake of One and only One, Al-Malik-al-Mulk, the King of Kings, the Owner of All. If you don't do this, then you will lose everything slowly but surely!
"The life of this world is merely a game and a diversion. If you have iman and taqwa, He will pay you your wages and not ask you for all your wealth. If He did ask you for it and put you under pressure, you would be tight-fisted and it would bring out your malevolence. Here you are then: people who are called upon to spend in the Way of Allah and then some of you are tight-fisted! But whoever is tight-fisted is only tight-fisted to himself. Allah is Rich and you are poor. If you turn away, He will replace you with a people other than yourselves and they will not be like you." Qur'an Muhammad 47:36-38
"Say: 'If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your clan, your possessions that you have gained, commerce you fear may slacken, dwellings you love -- if these are dearer to you than God and His Messenger, and to struggle in His way, then wait till God brings His command; God guides not the people of the ungodly.' " Qur'an at-Tawba 9:24
May Allah grant us and our children success in this world and the Hereafter. Ameen. Please don't forget all of us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
There is no future if there is no Islam. We believe that now, Alhamdulillah, but if we don't instill this in our children they will not believe this when we are gone. We will be history.
If you want great things to happen for our children, we need to think far ahead. If we do it right now for our children, 50 years from now we will see the change. We may not be around anymore 50 years from now but our kids, our grandkids will and they will be the ones who will carry the banner to the finishing line if we pave the way for them now inshaAllah.
How do we do this? Not easy. But if we are always after short term gain, not farsighted, not willing to take a couple of setbacks, hits in short term, change is not going to happen and our future is bleak. There was an incident recently in our neighboring community when someone had died for a day and no jenazah because the family members didn't know what to do! Whose fault is this? So that is the answer in the negative.
Andalus (Muslim Spain) was once the ornament of the world, the cradle of civilization, the "Super Power" of the time. It was that way because of righteous, godfearing and brave people like Tariq bin Ziyad, Musa bin Nusayr, Abd al-Rahman al-Dakhil, Yusuf ibn Tashfeen, whose desire was to make Allah's words paramount. People at one time flocked to Andalus for knowledge. They learned from the Muslims. The non-Muslims of Andalus (Christians, Jews) wanted to look like Muslims--they became Arabized--some of them knew Arabic language and literature better than Muslims themselves. What happen to this great civilization? This is the consequence of somebody didn't raise their children properly and loving the dunya. People started running after power and glory. People started doubting each other and killed each other and colluded with the enemies of Islam. Constant infighting--brothers fought with each other for power and glory and more wealth. Muslims colluded with the enemies against their fellow Muslims for power and wealth. Rulers divided the states to keep their sons/wives happy and gave each son a share of the state--they thought this was fair (this was a fatal mistake!). When people do things for self-interest and not for the sake of Allah, then things will fall apart.
When we raise our children, it is not about raising them to be nice, compliant, pliable and docile, but raising them to be strong Muslims, with himma. I don't know what to tell you exactly how to get there--but read our history. You will find great lessons and they will motivate you to get up and do more inshaAllah.
When Grenada fell to Ferdinand V and Isabella of Castille, which marked the fall of Andalus, it was a consequence of 100s of years of infighting. Why the infighting--for none other than for the world. Muhammad ibn Al-Hurra, the ruler of Grenada, who gave the keys of Grenada to Ferdinand and Isabella, went to live on the hills overlooking his palace, and he would cry. His mother, Aisha al-Hurra, would recite some lines of poetry to his son, "Weep like a woman over the kingdom you just wasted; you did not protect it like a man did."
We have the power to create a great history for our children through the lessons from our history but the work should start now. We should never forget that what we have is from Allah, the Giver of Allah (al-Wahhab). So don't hold back spending what you have--time, money, health, knowledge, intelligence...for the sake of One and only One, Al-Malik-al-Mulk, the King of Kings, the Owner of All. If you don't do this, then you will lose everything slowly but surely!
"The life of this world is merely a game and a diversion. If you have iman and taqwa, He will pay you your wages and not ask you for all your wealth. If He did ask you for it and put you under pressure, you would be tight-fisted and it would bring out your malevolence. Here you are then: people who are called upon to spend in the Way of Allah and then some of you are tight-fisted! But whoever is tight-fisted is only tight-fisted to himself. Allah is Rich and you are poor. If you turn away, He will replace you with a people other than yourselves and they will not be like you." Qur'an Muhammad 47:36-38
"Say: 'If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your clan, your possessions that you have gained, commerce you fear may slacken, dwellings you love -- if these are dearer to you than God and His Messenger, and to struggle in His way, then wait till God brings His command; God guides not the people of the ungodly.' " Qur'an at-Tawba 9:24
May Allah grant us and our children success in this world and the Hereafter. Ameen. Please don't forget all of us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Reach for eternity!
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
When we have a lot of wealth and pleasures of this world and remember death it makes the wealth and pleasures insignificant. When death is remembered everything in this life is slight. If one is slight in works and remember death it has the effect of increasing one's good deeds. It makes us realize that the next life is better than this life. What is the value of this finite world with respect to eternity?
Make plenty of remembrance in the Destroyer of pleasures. Don't immerse ourselves in the world and forget the Taker of Life, Al-Mumit. Remember, you have to unload everything you have of this world when that moment comes--you can't take them with you.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Be in the world as though you were a stranger or a wayfarer." (Bukhari)
Son of 'Umar, Allah be pleased with them both, used to say: "At the evening, do not expect to live till morning and at morning do expect to live till evening. Take from your health for your illness and from your life for your death." (Bukhari)
"How many cities We have destroyed which lived in insolent ingratitude! There are their houses, never again inhabited after them, except a little. It was We who were their Heir." Qur'an al-Qasas 28:58
May Allah bless your day. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
When we have a lot of wealth and pleasures of this world and remember death it makes the wealth and pleasures insignificant. When death is remembered everything in this life is slight. If one is slight in works and remember death it has the effect of increasing one's good deeds. It makes us realize that the next life is better than this life. What is the value of this finite world with respect to eternity?
Make plenty of remembrance in the Destroyer of pleasures. Don't immerse ourselves in the world and forget the Taker of Life, Al-Mumit. Remember, you have to unload everything you have of this world when that moment comes--you can't take them with you.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Be in the world as though you were a stranger or a wayfarer." (Bukhari)
Son of 'Umar, Allah be pleased with them both, used to say: "At the evening, do not expect to live till morning and at morning do expect to live till evening. Take from your health for your illness and from your life for your death." (Bukhari)
"How many cities We have destroyed which lived in insolent ingratitude! There are their houses, never again inhabited after them, except a little. It was We who were their Heir." Qur'an al-Qasas 28:58
May Allah bless your day. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Monday, April 26, 2010
Set goals, take the means--and accomplish big things
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
article by: Daniel Herzner
Something I find fascinating is that everybody - every last one of us - wants the best that life has to offer. Yet only a very small percentage of us will ever achieve anything better than mediocrity. Everybody wants a greater sense of financial security. Everybody wants to provide their loved ones with a good life. Everybody wants the peace of mind which comes from knowing that money will never be an issue or concern. Sadly, however, the reality is the overwhelming majority of us will never get there.
What makes this dichotomy more interesting is that the divide between the haves and have-nots has nothing to do with a person's race. It has nothing to do with a person's sex. It has nothing to do with where someone was born, who their parents are, whether or not they finished their schooling, what field of endeavor they choose to pursue or how high their IQ is. Going all the way back to the time of cavemen, there has always been and always will be that much smaller percentage of people who are successful at whatever they choose to pursue.
But why? Why are there so many smart, sincere, hard working, well meaning people in the world who will experience little more than financial struggle all of their lives? What are the small number of people amongst us doing to live in financial abundance that the rest of us are not doing? As you contemplate this question you may come up with dozens of good answers. And, I'm not going to tell you that any one answer is better than any other. However, there is one good answer to this question that I'd like to focus on throughout the remainder of this article. And here it is: the most successful amongst us take full, unconditional, personal responsibility for their own lives. It's crucial that you completely understand the importance of this concept to get the most from this article.
For starters, those who fail to take full responsibility for their own lives are living in victim mode. If you blame your lousy job or your dumb boss as your reason for being mired in mediocrity, you're playing the role of a victim. If you're blaming the lousy economy for your circumstances then you're playing the role of a victim. If you ever find yourself complaining about anything at all, you guessed it, you're in victim mode. And, there simply is no such thing as a successful victim. If a victim ever did happen to somehow stumble upon success, that success would certainly be short lived.
Taking responsibility also means doing something - taking some kind of action - to help move yourself forward toward your goal. For example, let's say you have a vision board. On your board you have a picture of a sexy speed boat that you dream of owning. You stare at the picture of that boat every day. You meditate about owning the boat. In your meditation you see yourself in the captain's seat cruising the ocean blue on a gorgeous, sunny day. Based on what you know on the law of attraction - through your vision board and meditation - you are magnetically drawing that dream boat into your reality. All you need to do to make the boast your possession is to visualize having it and it will be so. Right? Wrong!
The reality is that nothing on your vision board will materialize unless you take some sort of action towards actually acquiring it. You see, anyone who thinks the law of attraction alone will bring them everything they want in life is sorely mistaken. The law of attraction alone, when not combined with meaningful action, is worthless. Taking action also means taking responsibility.
Taking responsibility for your life means using your leisure time to read a good book instead of watching another useless television program. Taking responsibility means consistently engaging in some type of salubrious activity. It means learning something new that will add to your value in the eyes of your employer or your clients. Taking full, unconditional, personal responsibility for your own life is very empowering. When you come to the realization that your fate lies in your own hands, you'll be giving yourself permission to accomplish any goal you set your sites on.
Taking responsibility for yourself also demonstrates that you understand that nobody else will make "it" happen for you. You have to make "it" happen for yourself. Now here's the real kicker - people, subconsciously, want to be in victimhood. As crazy as this may sound, most people are comfortable playing the role of a victim. They may not realize it or will disagree vehemently with this idea. However, if they were to take a hard, honest look at themselves they would see that they somehow would feel threatened by success because success would take them outside of their comfort zone. And that is where the real problem lies - people, by their very nature, want to stay with what they are most comfortable with.
Finally, taking responsibility for your own life means that even though you may not be able to control everything you experience in life, you do have complete, unconditional control over how you react to that which you experience. Wow, how empowering that is.
In order to take responsibility for your life, take a good look at the areas you feel could use improvement. Start with just one area and begin to work at changing it for the better. Find a book, a web site or an article that can help you with the area you wish to improve upon. I don't care what area you wish to change for yourself, there is a resource out there which can help you do it. I can recall a time when I was in the bookstore and I happened to notice a book on how to properly get a sun tan. At that very moment I realized that if there existed a book on how to sun tan then there has to be a book on any, and I mean ANY, topic known to mankind.
Folks, your life is in your own hands - make the most of it. Once it's gone, it's gone for good. Make sure that when you look back on your life one day you'll see successes and disappointments but not regrets. Disappointments will mean that you tried; you gave it your all but came up short. Regrets will mean that you didn't even try at all. Please, don't let that be you.
May Allah give you tawfiq. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan,
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
article by: Daniel Herzner
Something I find fascinating is that everybody - every last one of us - wants the best that life has to offer. Yet only a very small percentage of us will ever achieve anything better than mediocrity. Everybody wants a greater sense of financial security. Everybody wants to provide their loved ones with a good life. Everybody wants the peace of mind which comes from knowing that money will never be an issue or concern. Sadly, however, the reality is the overwhelming majority of us will never get there.
What makes this dichotomy more interesting is that the divide between the haves and have-nots has nothing to do with a person's race. It has nothing to do with a person's sex. It has nothing to do with where someone was born, who their parents are, whether or not they finished their schooling, what field of endeavor they choose to pursue or how high their IQ is. Going all the way back to the time of cavemen, there has always been and always will be that much smaller percentage of people who are successful at whatever they choose to pursue.
But why? Why are there so many smart, sincere, hard working, well meaning people in the world who will experience little more than financial struggle all of their lives? What are the small number of people amongst us doing to live in financial abundance that the rest of us are not doing? As you contemplate this question you may come up with dozens of good answers. And, I'm not going to tell you that any one answer is better than any other. However, there is one good answer to this question that I'd like to focus on throughout the remainder of this article. And here it is: the most successful amongst us take full, unconditional, personal responsibility for their own lives. It's crucial that you completely understand the importance of this concept to get the most from this article.
For starters, those who fail to take full responsibility for their own lives are living in victim mode. If you blame your lousy job or your dumb boss as your reason for being mired in mediocrity, you're playing the role of a victim. If you're blaming the lousy economy for your circumstances then you're playing the role of a victim. If you ever find yourself complaining about anything at all, you guessed it, you're in victim mode. And, there simply is no such thing as a successful victim. If a victim ever did happen to somehow stumble upon success, that success would certainly be short lived.
Taking responsibility also means doing something - taking some kind of action - to help move yourself forward toward your goal. For example, let's say you have a vision board. On your board you have a picture of a sexy speed boat that you dream of owning. You stare at the picture of that boat every day. You meditate about owning the boat. In your meditation you see yourself in the captain's seat cruising the ocean blue on a gorgeous, sunny day. Based on what you know on the law of attraction - through your vision board and meditation - you are magnetically drawing that dream boat into your reality. All you need to do to make the boast your possession is to visualize having it and it will be so. Right? Wrong!
The reality is that nothing on your vision board will materialize unless you take some sort of action towards actually acquiring it. You see, anyone who thinks the law of attraction alone will bring them everything they want in life is sorely mistaken. The law of attraction alone, when not combined with meaningful action, is worthless. Taking action also means taking responsibility.
Taking responsibility for your life means using your leisure time to read a good book instead of watching another useless television program. Taking responsibility means consistently engaging in some type of salubrious activity. It means learning something new that will add to your value in the eyes of your employer or your clients. Taking full, unconditional, personal responsibility for your own life is very empowering. When you come to the realization that your fate lies in your own hands, you'll be giving yourself permission to accomplish any goal you set your sites on.
Taking responsibility for yourself also demonstrates that you understand that nobody else will make "it" happen for you. You have to make "it" happen for yourself. Now here's the real kicker - people, subconsciously, want to be in victimhood. As crazy as this may sound, most people are comfortable playing the role of a victim. They may not realize it or will disagree vehemently with this idea. However, if they were to take a hard, honest look at themselves they would see that they somehow would feel threatened by success because success would take them outside of their comfort zone. And that is where the real problem lies - people, by their very nature, want to stay with what they are most comfortable with.
Finally, taking responsibility for your own life means that even though you may not be able to control everything you experience in life, you do have complete, unconditional control over how you react to that which you experience. Wow, how empowering that is.
In order to take responsibility for your life, take a good look at the areas you feel could use improvement. Start with just one area and begin to work at changing it for the better. Find a book, a web site or an article that can help you with the area you wish to improve upon. I don't care what area you wish to change for yourself, there is a resource out there which can help you do it. I can recall a time when I was in the bookstore and I happened to notice a book on how to properly get a sun tan. At that very moment I realized that if there existed a book on how to sun tan then there has to be a book on any, and I mean ANY, topic known to mankind.
Folks, your life is in your own hands - make the most of it. Once it's gone, it's gone for good. Make sure that when you look back on your life one day you'll see successes and disappointments but not regrets. Disappointments will mean that you tried; you gave it your all but came up short. Regrets will mean that you didn't even try at all. Please, don't let that be you.
May Allah give you tawfiq. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan,
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Garbage truck
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well
from my reading:
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.
My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. I mean, he was really friendly.
So I asked, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’ This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck.’
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so...Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don’t.
Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!
Have a blessed, garbage-free day!
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well
from my reading:
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.
My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. I mean, he was really friendly.
So I asked, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’ This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck.’
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so...Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don’t.
Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!
Have a blessed, garbage-free day!
Wassalaam
Saturday, April 24, 2010
His choice is better
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
The One who gives only gives those things that is good for you.
When you are on the Truth and you find afflictions and difficulties on your path, e.g. having a bad spouse, financial crisis, unreasonable mother-in-law, difficult children, people backbiting/slandering you, going in and out the hospital, you know that this is good for you.
You may be longing for something or someone but it didn't come. Remember that something or someone is a creation of Allah. It belongs to Him. He didn't want to give it you and that is definitely best for you. His choice for you is better than your own choice for yourself. He already know the results of that what you want for yourself and that you don't know the result of that you want for yourself.
You may desire lots of money so your problems would go away, so you think. You may desire lots of money so you can do all the righteous works---feed the poor, build an orphanage, build schools, build masjid. But what do you know? You might turn into an arrogant person and forget Allah entirely. May Allah protect us from this calamity. Ameen.
"Had God expanded His provision to His servants, they would have been insolent in the earth; but He sends down in measure whatsoever He will; surely He is aware of and sees His servants." Qur'an al-Shura 42:27
"God outspreads and straitens His provision unto whomsoever He will. They rejoice in this present life; and this present life, beside the world to come, is naught but passing enjoyment." Qur'an al-Ra'd 13:26
So you should not despair in the face of problems. Submit and say Alhamdulillah, inna lillahi wainna ilayhi raji'un and ask Allah to give you the reward that is in these difficulties and for Him to grant you support in your misfortune and compensate you with something better.
May Allah make us steadfast. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
The One who gives only gives those things that is good for you.
When you are on the Truth and you find afflictions and difficulties on your path, e.g. having a bad spouse, financial crisis, unreasonable mother-in-law, difficult children, people backbiting/slandering you, going in and out the hospital, you know that this is good for you.
You may be longing for something or someone but it didn't come. Remember that something or someone is a creation of Allah. It belongs to Him. He didn't want to give it you and that is definitely best for you. His choice for you is better than your own choice for yourself. He already know the results of that what you want for yourself and that you don't know the result of that you want for yourself.
You may desire lots of money so your problems would go away, so you think. You may desire lots of money so you can do all the righteous works---feed the poor, build an orphanage, build schools, build masjid. But what do you know? You might turn into an arrogant person and forget Allah entirely. May Allah protect us from this calamity. Ameen.
"Had God expanded His provision to His servants, they would have been insolent in the earth; but He sends down in measure whatsoever He will; surely He is aware of and sees His servants." Qur'an al-Shura 42:27
"God outspreads and straitens His provision unto whomsoever He will. They rejoice in this present life; and this present life, beside the world to come, is naught but passing enjoyment." Qur'an al-Ra'd 13:26
So you should not despair in the face of problems. Submit and say Alhamdulillah, inna lillahi wainna ilayhi raji'un and ask Allah to give you the reward that is in these difficulties and for Him to grant you support in your misfortune and compensate you with something better.
May Allah make us steadfast. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Friday, April 23, 2010
What is your sorrow?
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Everyday our hearts and our thoughts are filled with everything but not (much) Allah. We think about our work, our children, our spouses, our next shopping, our next vacation, our bills, our plans for our next big event of our lives, why people do this to me, what if this and this, what if people say this or that, ...., and we keep forgetting Allah.
Is there something else more precious than Allah, more beautiful than Allah, more knowledgeable than Allah, more powerful than Allah? Is there anyone who can take away things from you without Allah letting it be; hurt you or pain you without Allah allowing it; give you good without Allah wanting it for you? If He takes your sight away, is there somebody who can give it back to you? SubhanAllah.
Now that you know that Allah is the One who does all these, why are you always thinking about people and not the Lord of people. We should be afraid that Allah will ask us in Day of Judgment about this--was there anything greater than Him that we remembered the creation and we forgot the Creator?
We should really try to get to a point where we say, "O Allah, your contentment is my only goal, my only sorrow." It was said that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that the one who makes from his sorrows (illness, financial, marital...) only one sorrow and this is the encounter of Allah, then Allah will take his sorrows for his account and then he will prosper.
"Surely those who say, 'Our Lord is God' and then go straight, no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow. Those are the inhabitants of Paradise, therein dwelling forever, as a recompense for that they have been doing" Qur'an al-Ahqaf 46:14
"This is an exposition for mankind, and a guidance, and an admonition for such as are godfearing. Faint not, neither sorrow; you shall be the upper ones if you are believers." Qur'an AleImran 3:138-139
Narrated Abu Sa`id Al−Khudri and Abu Huraira, Allah be well pleased with them: The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that." Bukhari
May Allah bring us closer to Him. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Everyday our hearts and our thoughts are filled with everything but not (much) Allah. We think about our work, our children, our spouses, our next shopping, our next vacation, our bills, our plans for our next big event of our lives, why people do this to me, what if this and this, what if people say this or that, ...., and we keep forgetting Allah.
Is there something else more precious than Allah, more beautiful than Allah, more knowledgeable than Allah, more powerful than Allah? Is there anyone who can take away things from you without Allah letting it be; hurt you or pain you without Allah allowing it; give you good without Allah wanting it for you? If He takes your sight away, is there somebody who can give it back to you? SubhanAllah.
Now that you know that Allah is the One who does all these, why are you always thinking about people and not the Lord of people. We should be afraid that Allah will ask us in Day of Judgment about this--was there anything greater than Him that we remembered the creation and we forgot the Creator?
We should really try to get to a point where we say, "O Allah, your contentment is my only goal, my only sorrow." It was said that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that the one who makes from his sorrows (illness, financial, marital...) only one sorrow and this is the encounter of Allah, then Allah will take his sorrows for his account and then he will prosper.
"Surely those who say, 'Our Lord is God' and then go straight, no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow. Those are the inhabitants of Paradise, therein dwelling forever, as a recompense for that they have been doing" Qur'an al-Ahqaf 46:14
"This is an exposition for mankind, and a guidance, and an admonition for such as are godfearing. Faint not, neither sorrow; you shall be the upper ones if you are believers." Qur'an AleImran 3:138-139
Narrated Abu Sa`id Al−Khudri and Abu Huraira, Allah be well pleased with them: The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that." Bukhari
May Allah bring us closer to Him. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Your choice
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Asiya bint Muzahim could have all she wanted of this worldly life, being the wife of one of the most powerful tyrants of Egypt, but she sacrificed all that to be with Allah. In the midst of power and riches, she was able to see and accept the truth in the message of the Prophet Musa, Allah grant him peace. Fir'aun tried to turn her away from the God of Musa but Asiya refused to reject the God of Musa and so Fir'aun ordered her to be tortured to death. He placed her on a device that stretched her arms and legs away from her body but she smiled because she saw her home in Paradise.
"Allah has made an example for those who have iman: the wife of Pharaoh when she said, ‘My Lord, build a house in the Garden for me in Your presence and rescue me from Pharaoh and his deeds and rescue me from this wrongdoing people.’ Qur'an At-Tahrim 66:11
Asiya was included by the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the list of four best women of all times who attained the level of perfection. She was indeed an example of supreme sacrifice. Look at where this got her--home with Allah in Paradise, the eternal abode. How much are we willing to sacrifice to be with Allah?
How much of this world--wealth, beauty, status, glamor, friends--are we taking with us to the grave? If we remember death often, it will help remind us of how small we are before Allah and how much our lives depend on Him. So why are we not busying ourselves pleasing Him instead of busying ourselves trying to please His creations?
May Allah increase our iman and grant us righteous deeds. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Asiya bint Muzahim could have all she wanted of this worldly life, being the wife of one of the most powerful tyrants of Egypt, but she sacrificed all that to be with Allah. In the midst of power and riches, she was able to see and accept the truth in the message of the Prophet Musa, Allah grant him peace. Fir'aun tried to turn her away from the God of Musa but Asiya refused to reject the God of Musa and so Fir'aun ordered her to be tortured to death. He placed her on a device that stretched her arms and legs away from her body but she smiled because she saw her home in Paradise.
"Allah has made an example for those who have iman: the wife of Pharaoh when she said, ‘My Lord, build a house in the Garden for me in Your presence and rescue me from Pharaoh and his deeds and rescue me from this wrongdoing people.’ Qur'an At-Tahrim 66:11
Asiya was included by the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the list of four best women of all times who attained the level of perfection. She was indeed an example of supreme sacrifice. Look at where this got her--home with Allah in Paradise, the eternal abode. How much are we willing to sacrifice to be with Allah?
How much of this world--wealth, beauty, status, glamor, friends--are we taking with us to the grave? If we remember death often, it will help remind us of how small we are before Allah and how much our lives depend on Him. So why are we not busying ourselves pleasing Him instead of busying ourselves trying to please His creations?
May Allah increase our iman and grant us righteous deeds. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Have you done enough?
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
During the Battle of Uhud, when the Muslims were on the verge of defeat and were scattering, some flee the battlefield, Umm 'Umarah, Allah be well pleased with her, defended and protected the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that in whichever direction he turned in the battlefield he could see her defending and protecting him.
During this critical stage, she, along with her two sons, and husband tried to surround the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, in order to ward off any attack on him. She had a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. If the enemy had been on foot and not on horseback, they would have slain all of them. Umm 'Umarah was bleeding from the shoulder; the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, he asked 'Abdullah to bandage his mother's wound and said that they were a truly great family. He invoked Allah's blessings on them, and prayed "O Allah! Make this family my friends in Paradise." She suffered at least twelve major wounds--the deepest one was the one on her shoulder. It was so deep that she fainted. It took a year for the wound to heal. When she regained consciousness her first question was about the well being of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, not about her own sons or husband. When she learned that he was fine, she thanked Allah.
She fought in many other battles with the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, including the Khaybar, Hunayn and the opening of Makkah. After the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed away, she continued to fight in battles. During the caliphate of Abu Bakr Siddiq, Allah be well pleased with him, Umm 'Umarah was in the army against Musaylama al-Kadhab. She was about 60 years old at the time, and her son 'Abdullah bin Zaid was also with her; he was one of those who finally killed this man. During this battle her arm was cut off and she sustained eleven injuries. Khalid bin Walid, the General of the army, boiled some oil and immersed her arm in it to cure her wounded arm. Tell me if this is not painful! Imagine most of us can't even let the dentist work on your dental cavities without anesthesia! But for Umm 'Umarah, she bore this pain, and her happiness at the death of Musaylamah was much greater than her grief at the loss of her arm.
We cannot even begin to compare what we do for Islam with even one companion. But we can take steps to improve our love for Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace. When we look at the sacrifices of this great woman companion, praying 5 times a day, waking up at night for tahajjud and Fajr, putting on the hijab for women, going to the masjid for prayers, fasting Mondays and Thursdays, reading the Qur'an everyday should not be too difficult. We only have to be a little bit stronger with our Iman. But by sitting doing nothing about it or busying ourselves with the world, it will not get us anywhere. We need to take the initiative to improve ourselves in the religion. We need to learn it, and learn it from qualified teachers, not simply from a hand-me-down knowledge or listening to a few lectures here and there. Interest yourself to read the seerah of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and read about the Companions. We should not let ourselves busy with worldly event and not know about the life of the Prophet and his Companions. Knowing their lives will be an Iman boost for you and will interest you to learn more inshaAllah. Always ask Allah to help us with this.
"But those who believe, and do righteous deeds, those are the best of creatures; their recompense is with their Lord-Gardens of Eden, underneath which rivers flow, therein dwelling for ever and ever. God is well-pleased with them, and they are well-pleased with Him; that is for him who fears his Lord." Quran Al-Bayyinah 98:8
May Allah increase our Imam and make us among the righteous. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
During the Battle of Uhud, when the Muslims were on the verge of defeat and were scattering, some flee the battlefield, Umm 'Umarah, Allah be well pleased with her, defended and protected the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that in whichever direction he turned in the battlefield he could see her defending and protecting him.
During this critical stage, she, along with her two sons, and husband tried to surround the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, in order to ward off any attack on him. She had a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. If the enemy had been on foot and not on horseback, they would have slain all of them. Umm 'Umarah was bleeding from the shoulder; the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, he asked 'Abdullah to bandage his mother's wound and said that they were a truly great family. He invoked Allah's blessings on them, and prayed "O Allah! Make this family my friends in Paradise." She suffered at least twelve major wounds--the deepest one was the one on her shoulder. It was so deep that she fainted. It took a year for the wound to heal. When she regained consciousness her first question was about the well being of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, not about her own sons or husband. When she learned that he was fine, she thanked Allah.
She fought in many other battles with the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, including the Khaybar, Hunayn and the opening of Makkah. After the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed away, she continued to fight in battles. During the caliphate of Abu Bakr Siddiq, Allah be well pleased with him, Umm 'Umarah was in the army against Musaylama al-Kadhab. She was about 60 years old at the time, and her son 'Abdullah bin Zaid was also with her; he was one of those who finally killed this man. During this battle her arm was cut off and she sustained eleven injuries. Khalid bin Walid, the General of the army, boiled some oil and immersed her arm in it to cure her wounded arm. Tell me if this is not painful! Imagine most of us can't even let the dentist work on your dental cavities without anesthesia! But for Umm 'Umarah, she bore this pain, and her happiness at the death of Musaylamah was much greater than her grief at the loss of her arm.
We cannot even begin to compare what we do for Islam with even one companion. But we can take steps to improve our love for Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace. When we look at the sacrifices of this great woman companion, praying 5 times a day, waking up at night for tahajjud and Fajr, putting on the hijab for women, going to the masjid for prayers, fasting Mondays and Thursdays, reading the Qur'an everyday should not be too difficult. We only have to be a little bit stronger with our Iman. But by sitting doing nothing about it or busying ourselves with the world, it will not get us anywhere. We need to take the initiative to improve ourselves in the religion. We need to learn it, and learn it from qualified teachers, not simply from a hand-me-down knowledge or listening to a few lectures here and there. Interest yourself to read the seerah of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and read about the Companions. We should not let ourselves busy with worldly event and not know about the life of the Prophet and his Companions. Knowing their lives will be an Iman boost for you and will interest you to learn more inshaAllah. Always ask Allah to help us with this.
"But those who believe, and do righteous deeds, those are the best of creatures; their recompense is with their Lord-Gardens of Eden, underneath which rivers flow, therein dwelling for ever and ever. God is well-pleased with them, and they are well-pleased with Him; that is for him who fears his Lord." Quran Al-Bayyinah 98:8
May Allah increase our Imam and make us among the righteous. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
That Day is no joke!
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Not only we must not forget the Day when we will be gathered barefooted, naked and uncircumcised, we must have a plan to win in the Day of Judgment. Always be prepared and ready and always ask Allah to give us steadfastness.
Narrated Aisha, Allah be well pleased with her, The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The people will be gathered barefooted,naked, and uncircumcised." I said, "O Allah's Messenger! Will the men and the women look at each other?" He said, "The situation will be too hard for them to pay attention to that."
Narrated Ibn Abbas, Allah be well pleased with him: The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "You will be gathered (on the Day of Judgment), bare−footed, naked and not circumcised." He then recited:−−"On the day when We shall roll up heaven as a scroll is rolled for the writings; as We originated the first creation, so We shall bring it back again -- a promise binding on Us; so We shall do.' (Al-Anbiya 21:104) He added, "The first to be dressed on the Day of Resurrection, will be Ibrahim, and some of my companions will be taken towards the left side (i.e. to the (Hell) Fire), and I will say: 'My companions! My companions!' It will be said: 'They renegade from Islam after you left them.' Then I will say as the Pious slave of Allah (i.e. Jesus) said. 'And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them. When You took me up You were the Watcher over them, And You are a witness to all things. If You punish them, they are Your slaves and if You forgive them, verily you, only You are the All−Mighty, the All−Wise." (5.120−121)
Narrated Umm Salama, Allah be well pleased with her: One night the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, got up and said, "Subhan Allah! How many afflictions have been descended tonight and how many treasures have been disclosed! Go and wake the sleeping lady occupants of these dwellings (his wives) up (for prayers). A well−dressed (soul) in this world may be naked in the Hereafter."
When you look at your child today, ask yourself, "What have I done to bring my child closer to his/her Lord?" It is not easy to raise our kids to be righteous Muslims but we have to do it. Like what my sons always reminded me when I complained about them and they were reminding me of patience, "Mom, it is easy to feed us but it is not easy to raise us!" I said, "It is good that you realize that--so don't give your Mom a hard time, help her, make it easy for her! That Day is no joke!"
It is our responsibility to raise our children so they know and worship their Lord and and it is their rights that we raise them so they know and worship their Lord. If we don't do this, we have disobeyed Allah big time.
Remember all of our struggles combined pale in comparison to what the early Muslims had gone through to bring Islam to our lives. The key to success is patience. When you have patience, Allah will be with you and when Allah is with you, you will win.
May Allah grant us tawfiq and steadfastness. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Not only we must not forget the Day when we will be gathered barefooted, naked and uncircumcised, we must have a plan to win in the Day of Judgment. Always be prepared and ready and always ask Allah to give us steadfastness.
Narrated Aisha, Allah be well pleased with her, The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The people will be gathered barefooted,naked, and uncircumcised." I said, "O Allah's Messenger! Will the men and the women look at each other?" He said, "The situation will be too hard for them to pay attention to that."
Narrated Ibn Abbas, Allah be well pleased with him: The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "You will be gathered (on the Day of Judgment), bare−footed, naked and not circumcised." He then recited:−−"On the day when We shall roll up heaven as a scroll is rolled for the writings; as We originated the first creation, so We shall bring it back again -- a promise binding on Us; so We shall do.' (Al-Anbiya 21:104) He added, "The first to be dressed on the Day of Resurrection, will be Ibrahim, and some of my companions will be taken towards the left side (i.e. to the (Hell) Fire), and I will say: 'My companions! My companions!' It will be said: 'They renegade from Islam after you left them.' Then I will say as the Pious slave of Allah (i.e. Jesus) said. 'And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them. When You took me up You were the Watcher over them, And You are a witness to all things. If You punish them, they are Your slaves and if You forgive them, verily you, only You are the All−Mighty, the All−Wise." (5.120−121)
Narrated Umm Salama, Allah be well pleased with her: One night the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, got up and said, "Subhan Allah! How many afflictions have been descended tonight and how many treasures have been disclosed! Go and wake the sleeping lady occupants of these dwellings (his wives) up (for prayers). A well−dressed (soul) in this world may be naked in the Hereafter."
When you look at your child today, ask yourself, "What have I done to bring my child closer to his/her Lord?" It is not easy to raise our kids to be righteous Muslims but we have to do it. Like what my sons always reminded me when I complained about them and they were reminding me of patience, "Mom, it is easy to feed us but it is not easy to raise us!" I said, "It is good that you realize that--so don't give your Mom a hard time, help her, make it easy for her! That Day is no joke!"
It is our responsibility to raise our children so they know and worship their Lord and and it is their rights that we raise them so they know and worship their Lord. If we don't do this, we have disobeyed Allah big time.
Remember all of our struggles combined pale in comparison to what the early Muslims had gone through to bring Islam to our lives. The key to success is patience. When you have patience, Allah will be with you and when Allah is with you, you will win.
May Allah grant us tawfiq and steadfastness. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Monday, April 19, 2010
Read!
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
One third of the Qur'an is stories--the key to knowing everything what is happening in your life now.
"We tell you the best of stories in revealing this Qur’an to you, even though you were unaware of it before it came." Qur'an Yusuf 12:3
In the stories, you will see exactly what's happening to you. You learn from these stories. Allah tells the best of stories--why are we busy reading novels and the like ignoring these stories?
Allah give you the victory when you are humble. When the Muslims thought that they could win against the non-believers in the battle of Hunayn, because of their greater army, and just when they were about to lose the battle, the tide changed because they realized they were slaves of Allah and Allah gave them victory. When we realize we are slaves of Allah, our lives will be different. People have miserable lives because something else is filling their lives, not Allah. If people have respect for the laws of Allah, they will be happy no matter what because when you obey Allah, Allah will put barakah (blessings) in your life.
The first ayah (verse) revealed was Iqra' (Read! In the Name of your Lord...) Qur'an Al-'Alaq 96:1. It wasn't al-Fatiha. How do you read? You read by Allah, our Creator. This verse was revealed to a person who could not read or write. But he, Allah bless him and grant him peace, became the source of knowledge for one reason, because he applied this verse. So read what has been given to us on a silver platter. Find the time to read and understand the Qur'an and try to apply them in your lives. Try to read a juz (chapter) a day. This is not a big deal inshaAllah if you put learning your religion a priority.
May Allah increase us in sacred knowledge and grant us tawfiq. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
One third of the Qur'an is stories--the key to knowing everything what is happening in your life now.
"We tell you the best of stories in revealing this Qur’an to you, even though you were unaware of it before it came." Qur'an Yusuf 12:3
In the stories, you will see exactly what's happening to you. You learn from these stories. Allah tells the best of stories--why are we busy reading novels and the like ignoring these stories?
Allah give you the victory when you are humble. When the Muslims thought that they could win against the non-believers in the battle of Hunayn, because of their greater army, and just when they were about to lose the battle, the tide changed because they realized they were slaves of Allah and Allah gave them victory. When we realize we are slaves of Allah, our lives will be different. People have miserable lives because something else is filling their lives, not Allah. If people have respect for the laws of Allah, they will be happy no matter what because when you obey Allah, Allah will put barakah (blessings) in your life.
The first ayah (verse) revealed was Iqra' (Read! In the Name of your Lord...) Qur'an Al-'Alaq 96:1. It wasn't al-Fatiha. How do you read? You read by Allah, our Creator. This verse was revealed to a person who could not read or write. But he, Allah bless him and grant him peace, became the source of knowledge for one reason, because he applied this verse. So read what has been given to us on a silver platter. Find the time to read and understand the Qur'an and try to apply them in your lives. Try to read a juz (chapter) a day. This is not a big deal inshaAllah if you put learning your religion a priority.
May Allah increase us in sacred knowledge and grant us tawfiq. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Cinderella
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
by Margaret Paul, Ph.D
Would the prince have chosen Cinderella to marry if she was a miserable young woman? If her stepsisters were beautiful but miserable, would he have chosen either of them?
Are you living under the delusion that when you meet your soul mate you will finally be happy - that your misery is because you are not in a relationship or not in the right relationship? If this is you, you might be interested in what I have discovered in my 42 years of counseling individuals and couples.
Most people who are happy in their marriages were ALREADY HAPPY before meeting their spouse! Happy people make happy marriages. Unhappy people either don't marry or generally continue to be unhappy after getting married.
While Cinderella wasn't happy with her circumstances, inside she was a loving, happy person. And so was the prince. "Happily ever after" is often not the result of getting married, but the result of two basically happy people getting married to each other!
Over and over I hear from my clients: "I need a relationship to be happy." Over and over I say to them, "Focus on learning how to make yourself happy now and then you might find the relationship you are seeking."
If you think about it, it makes sense. If you were a basically happy person, would you be attracted to a basically unhappy person? Not likely.
When you make your happiness dependent upon another person, you are handing them responsibility for your emotional wellbeing. Why would someone else want this responsibility? And, since we are attracted to each other at our common level of woundedness, the chances are that the person you are attracted to and who is attracted to you is also looking to you to take responsibility for their emotional well being. This is called a codependent relationship, not a happy relationship, and definitely not happily ever after.
There is certainly nothing wrong with wanting a wonderful relationship. But the chances of finding that wonderful relationship if you are unhappy is slim. When you are already happy, then you want a relationship to share your love, your happiness, your joy, your learning and growth, and your interests. When you are unhappy, the chances are you are looking for a relationship to make you happy, and this is likely not going happen.
Back to Cinderella. Because she was a caring person, she tried very hard to make her stepmother and her stepsisters happy. But they were never happy. Why? Because they were angry and blaming people, making Cinderella responsible for their happiness. No matter how kind and wonderful she was, it did not matter, because their misery was created by their own beliefs and ways of treating themselves and others.
The same is true in today's relationships. I have worked with many people who were never happy, no matter what their partner did to make them happy. As long as they were judging themselves and others instead of learning how to take responsibility for their own feelings, they were sad, empty, alone inside, hurt and/or angry. As long as they looked outside themselves for the source of their unhappiness, they were stuck being unhappy.
The way out of this unhappiness is to learn how to take 100% responsibility for your own pain and your own joy. Anyone can learn to do this, but, if you are stuck in the false belief that you need the right relationship in order to be happy, then you will likely not be motivated to learn how to do this.
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/cinderella-was-not-saved-she-was-a-happy-person-all-along-869485.htm
May Allah grant you tawfiq and bless your day. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
by Margaret Paul, Ph.D
Would the prince have chosen Cinderella to marry if she was a miserable young woman? If her stepsisters were beautiful but miserable, would he have chosen either of them?
Are you living under the delusion that when you meet your soul mate you will finally be happy - that your misery is because you are not in a relationship or not in the right relationship? If this is you, you might be interested in what I have discovered in my 42 years of counseling individuals and couples.
Most people who are happy in their marriages were ALREADY HAPPY before meeting their spouse! Happy people make happy marriages. Unhappy people either don't marry or generally continue to be unhappy after getting married.
While Cinderella wasn't happy with her circumstances, inside she was a loving, happy person. And so was the prince. "Happily ever after" is often not the result of getting married, but the result of two basically happy people getting married to each other!
Over and over I hear from my clients: "I need a relationship to be happy." Over and over I say to them, "Focus on learning how to make yourself happy now and then you might find the relationship you are seeking."
If you think about it, it makes sense. If you were a basically happy person, would you be attracted to a basically unhappy person? Not likely.
When you make your happiness dependent upon another person, you are handing them responsibility for your emotional wellbeing. Why would someone else want this responsibility? And, since we are attracted to each other at our common level of woundedness, the chances are that the person you are attracted to and who is attracted to you is also looking to you to take responsibility for their emotional well being. This is called a codependent relationship, not a happy relationship, and definitely not happily ever after.
There is certainly nothing wrong with wanting a wonderful relationship. But the chances of finding that wonderful relationship if you are unhappy is slim. When you are already happy, then you want a relationship to share your love, your happiness, your joy, your learning and growth, and your interests. When you are unhappy, the chances are you are looking for a relationship to make you happy, and this is likely not going happen.
Back to Cinderella. Because she was a caring person, she tried very hard to make her stepmother and her stepsisters happy. But they were never happy. Why? Because they were angry and blaming people, making Cinderella responsible for their happiness. No matter how kind and wonderful she was, it did not matter, because their misery was created by their own beliefs and ways of treating themselves and others.
The same is true in today's relationships. I have worked with many people who were never happy, no matter what their partner did to make them happy. As long as they were judging themselves and others instead of learning how to take responsibility for their own feelings, they were sad, empty, alone inside, hurt and/or angry. As long as they looked outside themselves for the source of their unhappiness, they were stuck being unhappy.
The way out of this unhappiness is to learn how to take 100% responsibility for your own pain and your own joy. Anyone can learn to do this, but, if you are stuck in the false belief that you need the right relationship in order to be happy, then you will likely not be motivated to learn how to do this.
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/cinderella-was-not-saved-she-was-a-happy-person-all-along-869485.htm
May Allah grant you tawfiq and bless your day. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Picking on people's words
بسم الله الرخمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Sometimes you begin with a good discussion and next you realize you are in an argument. More often than not it is over nothing. Yes, over nothing. What difference does it make to you if someone said yesterday it rained when you know it didn't rain? What difference does it make to you if someone tells you the sky is blue and you see the sky is gray or he said it is nice day today and you are sweating? What difference does it make if someone tells you he ate meat yesterday when you know he didn't like meat or he said he only ate a little but actually he finished a big bowl of rice? What difference does it make if your wife said she had 5 friends over but actually 10 friends came? What difference does it make to you if your husband said he left work at 4pm when actually he left at 6pm and so he is now "late" for dinner. Do you really have to correct this "lie"?
People exaggerate and make errors in their speech a lot for whatever reasons. If you want to correct them every single time, it will lead to bad relations. So, if there is no real benefit or advantage to correct someone, i.e. if it is not a matter that can lead to some worldly harm or if this is not connected with the religion (for example someone lies about the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace) and no one is going to be misguided by it, then remain silent.
"Whoever believes in Allah and the last day, then let him say the good or remain silent." (related by Tirmidhi)
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Whoever leaves picking apart another's words even if he is right, a house is built in the center of Paradise." (related by Tirmidhi)
If you have to correct someone, use the best method--gentleness and easygoingness.
"Call thou to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and good admonition, and dispute with them in the better way. Surely thy Lord knows very well those who have gone astray from His way, and He knows very well those who are guided. And if you chastise, chastise even as you have been chastised; and yet assuredly if you are patient, better it is for those patient. And be patient; yet is thy patience only with the help of God. And do not sorrow for them, nor be thou straitened for what they devise. Surely God is with those who are godfearing, and those who are good-doers." Qur'an Al-Nahl 16:125-128
"No people has gone astray after guidance except that they be are given argumentation." (related by Tirmidhi)
May Allah guide us. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Sometimes you begin with a good discussion and next you realize you are in an argument. More often than not it is over nothing. Yes, over nothing. What difference does it make to you if someone said yesterday it rained when you know it didn't rain? What difference does it make to you if someone tells you the sky is blue and you see the sky is gray or he said it is nice day today and you are sweating? What difference does it make if someone tells you he ate meat yesterday when you know he didn't like meat or he said he only ate a little but actually he finished a big bowl of rice? What difference does it make if your wife said she had 5 friends over but actually 10 friends came? What difference does it make to you if your husband said he left work at 4pm when actually he left at 6pm and so he is now "late" for dinner. Do you really have to correct this "lie"?
People exaggerate and make errors in their speech a lot for whatever reasons. If you want to correct them every single time, it will lead to bad relations. So, if there is no real benefit or advantage to correct someone, i.e. if it is not a matter that can lead to some worldly harm or if this is not connected with the religion (for example someone lies about the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace) and no one is going to be misguided by it, then remain silent.
"Whoever believes in Allah and the last day, then let him say the good or remain silent." (related by Tirmidhi)
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Whoever leaves picking apart another's words even if he is right, a house is built in the center of Paradise." (related by Tirmidhi)
If you have to correct someone, use the best method--gentleness and easygoingness.
"Call thou to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and good admonition, and dispute with them in the better way. Surely thy Lord knows very well those who have gone astray from His way, and He knows very well those who are guided. And if you chastise, chastise even as you have been chastised; and yet assuredly if you are patient, better it is for those patient. And be patient; yet is thy patience only with the help of God. And do not sorrow for them, nor be thou straitened for what they devise. Surely God is with those who are godfearing, and those who are good-doers." Qur'an Al-Nahl 16:125-128
"No people has gone astray after guidance except that they be are given argumentation." (related by Tirmidhi)
May Allah guide us. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Friday, April 16, 2010
Islam is a full package
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name Of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
After the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed away, some Arab tribes refused to pay zakat. Abu Bakr, Allah be very pleased with him, who was appointed to succeed the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, wanted to fight them.
'Umar, Allah be very pleased with him, came to the Khalifah and said how could he fight them when they testified that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger and they were praying. Abu Bakr swore that he would fight whoever differentiate between prayer and zakat and if they were to prevent him even a camel that they used to pay zakat to the Prophet, he would fight them over it. 'Umar asked him to be lenient with those Muslims because the situation of the Muslims were difficult after the death of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace--apostasy on the rise and disastrous news that were coming from every direction. Abu Bakr grabbed the beard of 'Umar and said, "O son of Khattab, you were a tyrant before you became Muslim and now when you became Muslim you want to become lame, feeble and weak." Then he said, "the religion has been left by Muhammad complete. I am not going to allow the religion of Allah be diminished." Abu Bakr waged war against those who refused to pay zakat until they surrendered.
Islam is a full package. As Muslims, we cannot take some and leave some--whatever is convenient we take and whatever is not, we leave or seek dispensations so we don't have to do it. If you want to keep the favor that Allah has bestowed upon you, i.e. your faith (Iman), and if you want Allah to continue to give you favors, then you have to do everything Allah tells you to do. You cannot believe some and not believe the other. If you do that, then you are not being truthful. Allah knows if you are truthful when you say you believe in Him. Remember Paradise is only for the believers.
"The believers are those who believe in God and His Messenger, then have not doubted, and have struggled with their possessions and their selves in the way of God; those -- they are the truthful ones.
Wassalaam
In the Name Of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
After the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed away, some Arab tribes refused to pay zakat. Abu Bakr, Allah be very pleased with him, who was appointed to succeed the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, wanted to fight them.
'Umar, Allah be very pleased with him, came to the Khalifah and said how could he fight them when they testified that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger and they were praying. Abu Bakr swore that he would fight whoever differentiate between prayer and zakat and if they were to prevent him even a camel that they used to pay zakat to the Prophet, he would fight them over it. 'Umar asked him to be lenient with those Muslims because the situation of the Muslims were difficult after the death of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace--apostasy on the rise and disastrous news that were coming from every direction. Abu Bakr grabbed the beard of 'Umar and said, "O son of Khattab, you were a tyrant before you became Muslim and now when you became Muslim you want to become lame, feeble and weak." Then he said, "the religion has been left by Muhammad complete. I am not going to allow the religion of Allah be diminished." Abu Bakr waged war against those who refused to pay zakat until they surrendered.
Islam is a full package. As Muslims, we cannot take some and leave some--whatever is convenient we take and whatever is not, we leave or seek dispensations so we don't have to do it. If you want to keep the favor that Allah has bestowed upon you, i.e. your faith (Iman), and if you want Allah to continue to give you favors, then you have to do everything Allah tells you to do. You cannot believe some and not believe the other. If you do that, then you are not being truthful. Allah knows if you are truthful when you say you believe in Him. Remember Paradise is only for the believers.
"The believers are those who believe in God and His Messenger, then have not doubted, and have struggled with their possessions and their selves in the way of God; those -- they are the truthful ones.
Say: 'What, would you teach God what your religion is, and God knows what is in the heavens and what is in the earth? And God has knowledge of everything.' They count it as a favor to thee that they have surrendered! Say: 'Do not count your surrendering as a favor to me; nay, but rather God confers a favor upon you, in that He has guided you to belief, if it be that you are truthful. God knows the Unseen of the heavens and of the earth; and God sees the things you do.'" Qur'an Al-Hujurat 49:15-18May Allah guide us and make our ending better than our beginning and in the highest of Iman. Ameen, Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Raising good slaves
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Some people have many children, some have few, some have none. I have friends in all categories. Whether you have many, a few or none, we thank Allah for deciding this for us. We would not be able to make this big decision for ourselves.
When we look at the many orphans, the many children without major limbs, the many children starving, we are grateful that our children are with us, that their destiny, at least for now, is not like that, but rather it reach very far to the other spectrum--with comfy beds to sleep on, with abundant food and entertainment to their heart desire, with trendy shoes to wear, just to name a few.
But are we teaching our children to be grateful to their Creator for what they have? We cannot say we are until we teach our children how to pray and to pray the way the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed, and they are doing it voluntarily.
When our children were little, we taught them to sleep at certain times--we were very adamant about this because we know it is good for them--they need that rest so they can grow healthy and their brain can function properly the next day at school. They must sleep or some "punishment" would follow--you take away certain things from them, no TV, no toys, etc.
Prayer is the main pillar of Islam. Just like a house, what will happen if the main pillar is not there or weak? Sooner or later it will collapse. We don't want that to happen to our children. May Allah protect our Iman. So, put a conscious and as much effort in making sure that our children pray, and pray the right way, as we made sure that they sleep at certain time, starting at age 5 or 6. This is the age that your children are easily molded the way you want them to be--because they are like sponges. In the matter of inculcating the love to pray, we cannot postpone it to later time. If you wait till they finished middle school, they might not do it at all. They are going into the teenage rebellious stage. They have their "own minds." They are more concerned at how they look and what their friends think of them. They listen to their "friends," not you. You can't tell them what to do. This is what you want to avoid and directing them to Allah from a very young age, inshaAllah you will avoid the social disasters that many families are facing.
Don't delay teaching your children the love of Allah and performing the prayers is the starting point. And you have to start now--even if it is one prayer today with you and increase the number gradually. If you don't take this step, even if you have obedient children (may Allah grant us with such children), you would still have made their lives difficult by not putting them into the habit of praying regularly and now they are struggling to get up for Fajr because old habits die hard they say.
You see my friends who don't have children, don't be sad and don't envy those who have. Our children are a big trust from Allah and to raise them to be good slaves of Allah is not a small task. We have our share of sadness and trials. So, be grateful that Allah has willed that you don't have children by helping families who are struggling with their (many) children. Maybe you can volunteer teaching them or take their children to the masjid with you or be their big brother/sister. May Allah increase you in all good. Ameen.
Reminder: InshaAllah, tomorrow is our next monthly khatm Qur'an. Those who have aspired to read 1 or 2 chapters a day or those who have aspired to complete the whole Qur'an every month for this event, please complete them by 7pm Friday California time. Those who are close to masjid Al-Ittehad, Vista, please join us there. Our group reading of the last juz at 7pm followed by the du'a and potluck dinner. InshaAllah.
May Allah protect our children and help us to raise them well. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Some people have many children, some have few, some have none. I have friends in all categories. Whether you have many, a few or none, we thank Allah for deciding this for us. We would not be able to make this big decision for ourselves.
When we look at the many orphans, the many children without major limbs, the many children starving, we are grateful that our children are with us, that their destiny, at least for now, is not like that, but rather it reach very far to the other spectrum--with comfy beds to sleep on, with abundant food and entertainment to their heart desire, with trendy shoes to wear, just to name a few.
But are we teaching our children to be grateful to their Creator for what they have? We cannot say we are until we teach our children how to pray and to pray the way the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed, and they are doing it voluntarily.
When our children were little, we taught them to sleep at certain times--we were very adamant about this because we know it is good for them--they need that rest so they can grow healthy and their brain can function properly the next day at school. They must sleep or some "punishment" would follow--you take away certain things from them, no TV, no toys, etc.
Prayer is the main pillar of Islam. Just like a house, what will happen if the main pillar is not there or weak? Sooner or later it will collapse. We don't want that to happen to our children. May Allah protect our Iman. So, put a conscious and as much effort in making sure that our children pray, and pray the right way, as we made sure that they sleep at certain time, starting at age 5 or 6. This is the age that your children are easily molded the way you want them to be--because they are like sponges. In the matter of inculcating the love to pray, we cannot postpone it to later time. If you wait till they finished middle school, they might not do it at all. They are going into the teenage rebellious stage. They have their "own minds." They are more concerned at how they look and what their friends think of them. They listen to their "friends," not you. You can't tell them what to do. This is what you want to avoid and directing them to Allah from a very young age, inshaAllah you will avoid the social disasters that many families are facing.
Don't delay teaching your children the love of Allah and performing the prayers is the starting point. And you have to start now--even if it is one prayer today with you and increase the number gradually. If you don't take this step, even if you have obedient children (may Allah grant us with such children), you would still have made their lives difficult by not putting them into the habit of praying regularly and now they are struggling to get up for Fajr because old habits die hard they say.
You see my friends who don't have children, don't be sad and don't envy those who have. Our children are a big trust from Allah and to raise them to be good slaves of Allah is not a small task. We have our share of sadness and trials. So, be grateful that Allah has willed that you don't have children by helping families who are struggling with their (many) children. Maybe you can volunteer teaching them or take their children to the masjid with you or be their big brother/sister. May Allah increase you in all good. Ameen.
Reminder: InshaAllah, tomorrow is our next monthly khatm Qur'an. Those who have aspired to read 1 or 2 chapters a day or those who have aspired to complete the whole Qur'an every month for this event, please complete them by 7pm Friday California time. Those who are close to masjid Al-Ittehad, Vista, please join us there. Our group reading of the last juz at 7pm followed by the du'a and potluck dinner. InshaAllah.
May Allah protect our children and help us to raise them well. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Lighten up!
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
You cannot do it without Allah.
Each and everyone of us have problems--all kinds, lots, little, minor, severe, unimaginable ones--people slandering you, backbiting you, envying you, people don't care about you, your wife/husband is upset with you, in-laws putting their hands in your marriage, you lost your job, divorce, ex fighting with you, custody battles, sickness, death of loved ones, and the list goes on. They come like waves--one leaves, the other one comes and sometimes they overlap. Sometimes you felt like you were going to break--it was the end of the world--and you almost break but Alhamdulillah you are still here reading my email. So it wasn't so bad after all. The difference between us is how we see our problems and how we react to them. If you see Allah behind these problems, just as you can see Allah's hands in the creation, then these are not really problems. They are creation of Allah and He is giving them to you so you know Him. He is inviting you to go to Him to raise you higher. This is a huge honor! Why wouldn't you want to accept the invitation and go to the King of the Kings and know Him?
So when problems come to you, recognize this is a gift for you, quickly lift yourself up and go to Him. Say Alhamdulillah and ask for forgiveness--you do much of this in between prayers inshaAllah.
"And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and earth and the crawling things He has scattered abroad in them; and He is able to gather them whenever He will. Whatever affliction may visit you is for what you own hands have earned; and He pardons much. You are not able to frustrate Him in the earth; and, apart from God, you have neither protector nor helper." Qur'an Al-Shura 42:29-31
Remember, Allah burdens no soul any more than it can stand. So lighten up!
"Allah does not impose on any self any more than it can stand. For it is what it has earned; against it, what it has merited. Our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make a mistake! Our Lord, do not place on us a load like the one You placed on those before us! Our Lord, do not place on us a load we have not the strength to bear! And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy on us. You are our Protector, so help us against those who stand against faith." Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:286
May Allah draw us nearer to Him and make us among the patient. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
You cannot do it without Allah.
Each and everyone of us have problems--all kinds, lots, little, minor, severe, unimaginable ones--people slandering you, backbiting you, envying you, people don't care about you, your wife/husband is upset with you, in-laws putting their hands in your marriage, you lost your job, divorce, ex fighting with you, custody battles, sickness, death of loved ones, and the list goes on. They come like waves--one leaves, the other one comes and sometimes they overlap. Sometimes you felt like you were going to break--it was the end of the world--and you almost break but Alhamdulillah you are still here reading my email. So it wasn't so bad after all. The difference between us is how we see our problems and how we react to them. If you see Allah behind these problems, just as you can see Allah's hands in the creation, then these are not really problems. They are creation of Allah and He is giving them to you so you know Him. He is inviting you to go to Him to raise you higher. This is a huge honor! Why wouldn't you want to accept the invitation and go to the King of the Kings and know Him?
So when problems come to you, recognize this is a gift for you, quickly lift yourself up and go to Him. Say Alhamdulillah and ask for forgiveness--you do much of this in between prayers inshaAllah.
"And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and earth and the crawling things He has scattered abroad in them; and He is able to gather them whenever He will. Whatever affliction may visit you is for what you own hands have earned; and He pardons much. You are not able to frustrate Him in the earth; and, apart from God, you have neither protector nor helper." Qur'an Al-Shura 42:29-31
Remember, Allah burdens no soul any more than it can stand. So lighten up!
"Allah does not impose on any self any more than it can stand. For it is what it has earned; against it, what it has merited. Our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make a mistake! Our Lord, do not place on us a load like the one You placed on those before us! Our Lord, do not place on us a load we have not the strength to bear! And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy on us. You are our Protector, so help us against those who stand against faith." Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:286
May Allah draw us nearer to Him and make us among the patient. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan
Wassalaam
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The unshaken belief
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
"And when thy Lord took from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed, and made them testify touching themselves, 'Am I not your Lord?' They said, 'Yes, we testify'-- lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, 'As for us, we were heedless of this,' Qur'an Al-A'raf 7:172
Just as we know that it is wrong to lie, steal and cheat, deep inside people know that it is wrong to disbelieve. While we believe, Alhamdulillah, but how strong is our faith--are we certain in our beliefs? Look at our actions and our desires--are they all about seeking Allah's good pleasure? If not, then it is a sign that we are not all sure about what we believe.
"Those who submit themselves completely to Allah and do good have grasped the Firmest Handhold. The end result of all affairs is with Allah." Qur'an Luqman 31:22
An inspiring personality in strengthening and improving our faith is Abu Bakr, Allah be well pleased with him. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave him the title as-Siddiq for his power to discern the truth. His faith was too strong to be shaken by anything. He sacrificed everything for the sake of Allah and he was everything to the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. He was a man with great aspirations but his aspirations were only to please Allah. And so he became the best Companion and the greatest after the Prophets.
"As for him who gives out and has taqwa (godfearingness) and confirms the Good, We will pave his way to Ease. But as for him who is stingy and self-satisfied, and denies the Good, We will pave his way to Difficulty. Qur'an Al-Layl 92:5-10
"Those with most taqwa (godfearing) will be far removed from it, those who give their wealth to purify themselves, not to repay someone else for a favour done, desiring only the Face of their Lord Most High, only seeking the Face of his Lord the Most High; and he shall surely be satisfied. Qur'an Al-Layl 92:17-21
May Allah makes us among the people of taqwa. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
"And when thy Lord took from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed, and made them testify touching themselves, 'Am I not your Lord?' They said, 'Yes, we testify'-- lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, 'As for us, we were heedless of this,' Qur'an Al-A'raf 7:172
Just as we know that it is wrong to lie, steal and cheat, deep inside people know that it is wrong to disbelieve. While we believe, Alhamdulillah, but how strong is our faith--are we certain in our beliefs? Look at our actions and our desires--are they all about seeking Allah's good pleasure? If not, then it is a sign that we are not all sure about what we believe.
"Those who submit themselves completely to Allah and do good have grasped the Firmest Handhold. The end result of all affairs is with Allah." Qur'an Luqman 31:22
An inspiring personality in strengthening and improving our faith is Abu Bakr, Allah be well pleased with him. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave him the title as-Siddiq for his power to discern the truth. His faith was too strong to be shaken by anything. He sacrificed everything for the sake of Allah and he was everything to the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. He was a man with great aspirations but his aspirations were only to please Allah. And so he became the best Companion and the greatest after the Prophets.
"As for him who gives out and has taqwa (godfearingness) and confirms the Good, We will pave his way to Ease. But as for him who is stingy and self-satisfied, and denies the Good, We will pave his way to Difficulty. Qur'an Al-Layl 92:5-10
"Those with most taqwa (godfearing) will be far removed from it, those who give their wealth to purify themselves, not to repay someone else for a favour done, desiring only the Face of their Lord Most High, only seeking the Face of his Lord the Most High; and he shall surely be satisfied. Qur'an Al-Layl 92:17-21
May Allah makes us among the people of taqwa. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Monday, April 12, 2010
Know Allah
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Allah wants you to know Him. When you know Allah you will love Him and when you truly love Him you will worship Him for Him. Your life will center around Allah. Everything now becomes all about Allah.
The way to know Him is through the Qur'an, His Messenger and your life. So seek to learn the sacred knowledge and pay attention to your life and try to recognize what Allah is telling you.
When Allah wants His slave to know him, He will let him go though things throughout his life, albeit "bad" or "good", so he can know Him better. One poor man maybe complaining about his poverty and another man becomes happy that he lost all his belonging life savings. He is happy because he knows that Allah want to teach him that He is al-Ghani and he is the poor. The problem is that human being is always looking at what is in front of them and when they see something bad, they see it bad--because they could not see God behind what they see.
When an affliction comes to you and that make you realize that this affliction is a manifestation of a name/names of Allah then this is actually a Divine gift. When you recognize the living names of Allah behind this test then you should be thankful to Allah because it drove you closer to knowing Allah.
So when you have a problem with your husband or your wife or your loved ones--when he/she saying all the bad things, you can't bear to hear them, then if you see the Qahhar (Al-Qahhar, the Subduer) the Jabbar (the Compeller) that is bigger and the smaller of that person who is yelling and screaming at you, that person who is bugging you, that should remind you of Allah who is far bigger and greater than that person and everything else. So you would not respond in kind or make your voice louder than that person, making things worse than it is.
When you see your beautiful self in the mirror, the poor man on the street, when you see the people waiting for the bus in a very hot weather while you are driving in a nice air conditioning Mercedes, when you see the lining of the palm trees on the street, when you feel the gentle breeze, when you see your paperwork piling on the desk, you should see Allah, Ash-Shakur (the Rewarder of Thankfulness), Al-Karim (the Generous One), Al-Wadud (the Loving One), Al-Qhani (the Rich One), Al-Halim (the Forebearing), As-Salam (the Source of Peace) and so many other beautiful attributes of Allah. There is a lesson to be taught in your every gaze and your every feelings--Allah is always there if only you know.
When you look for something and you cannot find them, or you are in a hurry to get somewhere and your car couldn't start, don't get upset. He is the Lord of Majesty. He decides and you do not decide. He decides what to let you have and what not to let you have, whether you car work or not work today, whether you go or not go. All for your own good. When you realize and understand that He is behind all these, then you are actually in ihsan, that every moment He is there. A story of the pious--A man was insulted on the street. He went home and asked Allah for forgiveness, "O Allah, forgive me the sins that have caused you to allow me to be insulted." When you reach this level of ihsan, you are with the creation but in reality you are with the Creator. May Allah grant us ihsan.
In the famous hadith Jibril, the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, Ihsan is to worship Allah as though you see Him, and while you see Him not yet, truly He sees you.
So, pay attention to your life and try to recognize what He is telling you and seek sacred knowledge.
May Allah guides us to know Him better and guides us to ihsan. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Allah wants you to know Him. When you know Allah you will love Him and when you truly love Him you will worship Him for Him. Your life will center around Allah. Everything now becomes all about Allah.
The way to know Him is through the Qur'an, His Messenger and your life. So seek to learn the sacred knowledge and pay attention to your life and try to recognize what Allah is telling you.
When Allah wants His slave to know him, He will let him go though things throughout his life, albeit "bad" or "good", so he can know Him better. One poor man maybe complaining about his poverty and another man becomes happy that he lost all his belonging life savings. He is happy because he knows that Allah want to teach him that He is al-Ghani and he is the poor. The problem is that human being is always looking at what is in front of them and when they see something bad, they see it bad--because they could not see God behind what they see.
When an affliction comes to you and that make you realize that this affliction is a manifestation of a name/names of Allah then this is actually a Divine gift. When you recognize the living names of Allah behind this test then you should be thankful to Allah because it drove you closer to knowing Allah.
So when you have a problem with your husband or your wife or your loved ones--when he/she saying all the bad things, you can't bear to hear them, then if you see the Qahhar (Al-Qahhar, the Subduer) the Jabbar (the Compeller) that is bigger and the smaller of that person who is yelling and screaming at you, that person who is bugging you, that should remind you of Allah who is far bigger and greater than that person and everything else. So you would not respond in kind or make your voice louder than that person, making things worse than it is.
When you see your beautiful self in the mirror, the poor man on the street, when you see the people waiting for the bus in a very hot weather while you are driving in a nice air conditioning Mercedes, when you see the lining of the palm trees on the street, when you feel the gentle breeze, when you see your paperwork piling on the desk, you should see Allah, Ash-Shakur (the Rewarder of Thankfulness), Al-Karim (the Generous One), Al-Wadud (the Loving One), Al-Qhani (the Rich One), Al-Halim (the Forebearing), As-Salam (the Source of Peace) and so many other beautiful attributes of Allah. There is a lesson to be taught in your every gaze and your every feelings--Allah is always there if only you know.
When you look for something and you cannot find them, or you are in a hurry to get somewhere and your car couldn't start, don't get upset. He is the Lord of Majesty. He decides and you do not decide. He decides what to let you have and what not to let you have, whether you car work or not work today, whether you go or not go. All for your own good. When you realize and understand that He is behind all these, then you are actually in ihsan, that every moment He is there. A story of the pious--A man was insulted on the street. He went home and asked Allah for forgiveness, "O Allah, forgive me the sins that have caused you to allow me to be insulted." When you reach this level of ihsan, you are with the creation but in reality you are with the Creator. May Allah grant us ihsan.
In the famous hadith Jibril, the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, Ihsan is to worship Allah as though you see Him, and while you see Him not yet, truly He sees you.
So, pay attention to your life and try to recognize what He is telling you and seek sacred knowledge.
May Allah guides us to know Him better and guides us to ihsan. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Sunday, April 11, 2010
What is in your basket?
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah. Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
How time flies! That's what we say usually when we are having fun. But nowadays, time flies regardless whether you are having fun or not. Reminder: This coming Friday is our next monthly khatm of the Qur'an, please complete your recitation of the Qur'an before 7pm Friday April 16 inshaAllah. We will read the last juz together after Maghrib and du'a afterwards. InshaAllah.
It feels like it was just yesterday we did our March khatm. SubhanAllah. This is indeed one of the signs of the Judgment Day is near. Do you know what will happen on the Day of Judgment? Read Surah Al-Waqi'ah--it is a good reminder inshaAllah.
"When the Terror descends (and none denies its descending) abasing, exalting, when the earth shall be rocked and the mountains crumbled and become a dust, scattered, and you shall be three bands -- Companions of the Right (O Companions of the Right!) Companions of the Left (O Companions of the Left!) and the Outstrippers: the Outstrippers...Qur'an Al-Waqi'ah/The Imminent 56:1-10
What have you prepared for this? Are you still not praying or praying the same way you prayed 10 years ago or a week ago? Are you still fighting with someone or holding grudges? Are you still thinking about buying that big house?
Your "work" in this life will never end. Your to-do basket will never empty. And it will still be something in that basket even on the day you die. The difference is what you fill your basket with. If you fill your basket with the world, then you will be terribly sorry when that day comes.
"...The day that men shall be like scattered moths, and the mountains shall be plucked wool-tufts. Then he whose deeds weigh heavy in the Balance shall inherit a pleasing life but he whose deed weigh light in the Balance shall plunge in the womb of the Pit. And what shall teach thee what is the Pit? A blazing Fire!" Qur'an Al-Qari'ah/The Catastrophe 101:4-11
May Allah help us remember, praise and worship Him well, and let us be steadfast in the right path all the time. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah. Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
How time flies! That's what we say usually when we are having fun. But nowadays, time flies regardless whether you are having fun or not. Reminder: This coming Friday is our next monthly khatm of the Qur'an, please complete your recitation of the Qur'an before 7pm Friday April 16 inshaAllah. We will read the last juz together after Maghrib and du'a afterwards. InshaAllah.
It feels like it was just yesterday we did our March khatm. SubhanAllah. This is indeed one of the signs of the Judgment Day is near. Do you know what will happen on the Day of Judgment? Read Surah Al-Waqi'ah--it is a good reminder inshaAllah.
"When the Terror descends (and none denies its descending) abasing, exalting, when the earth shall be rocked and the mountains crumbled and become a dust, scattered, and you shall be three bands -- Companions of the Right (O Companions of the Right!) Companions of the Left (O Companions of the Left!) and the Outstrippers: the Outstrippers...Qur'an Al-Waqi'ah/The Imminent 56:1-10
What have you prepared for this? Are you still not praying or praying the same way you prayed 10 years ago or a week ago? Are you still fighting with someone or holding grudges? Are you still thinking about buying that big house?
Your "work" in this life will never end. Your to-do basket will never empty. And it will still be something in that basket even on the day you die. The difference is what you fill your basket with. If you fill your basket with the world, then you will be terribly sorry when that day comes.
"...The day that men shall be like scattered moths, and the mountains shall be plucked wool-tufts. Then he whose deeds weigh heavy in the Balance shall inherit a pleasing life but he whose deed weigh light in the Balance shall plunge in the womb of the Pit. And what shall teach thee what is the Pit? A blazing Fire!" Qur'an Al-Qari'ah/The Catastrophe 101:4-11
May Allah help us remember, praise and worship Him well, and let us be steadfast in the right path all the time. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Speech
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
Of the most virtuous traits of the believer is silence.
It is reported that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever is silent is safe.” Jabir ibn Samura, Allah be well pleased with him, was asked, “Did you used to sit with the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace?” to which he replied, “Yes. He had long silences and seldom laughed. His companions would mention poetry and their business and they would laugh and he might smile.”
Whoever wishes to speak, then choose words of remembrance of Allah, or commanding the good, or forbidding the evil; and he must avoid words that do not concern him.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever believes in Allah and the last day, then let him say the good or remain silent.”
It is said that nine-tenths of well being are in silence and that tribulations are connected to speech. One of the righteous said, “I imposed on myself to pray two cycles of prayer for every word that doesn’t concern me, but that proved easy for me, so then I imposed on myself to fast a day for every word that doesn’t concern me, but that proved easy for me and I didn’t desist, so then I imposed on myself to give one silver coin in charity for every word that doesn’t concern me, and I found that tough.”
Imam al-Ghazali mentions, “The definition of speech that does not concern you is that you say words that had you been silent instead you would neither sin, nor suffer in your state or wealth. An example of this is that you sit with a people and mention to them of your travels and what you saw in them of mountains and rivers and what circumstance you experienced, and what you enjoyed of food and clothing, and those Shaykhs and incidents that impressed you – these are all matters that had you been silent instead, you would neither sin nor suffer. Even if you exerted yourself to not mix this account with falsehood from addition or subtraction, nor praising yourself through boasting of the tremendous matters that you experienced, nor backbiting or speaking ill of something Allah created, you have still wasting your time – and how on earth can you be safe from the sins that we have mentioned?”
Avoid talking too much, as plentiful speech is not free from mistakes. Excessive speech, beyond what is needed, is considered speech that doesn’t concern a person as is asking questions about what is not important. He shouldn’t deem his words of no consequence, even if they be few. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said, “Verily the slave says a word of the pleasure of Allah Might and Majestic, to which he does not ascribe any importance, but Allah raises him whole degrees by it; and verily the slave says a word of the anger of Allah to which he does not ascribe any importance, but he plunges by virtue of it into Hell.”
A person should speak in small, measured words. The speech of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, was clear, whoever heard it understood it; if someone wanted to count his words they could.
A person should be soft spoken, and not raise his voice unnecessarily. In the Qur’an, Luqman says to his son, “lower your voice; surely the most hateful of voices is braying of the asses.” Qur’an 31:19
May Allah purify our tongues and grant us beautiful speech. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
Of the most virtuous traits of the believer is silence.
It is reported that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever is silent is safe.” Jabir ibn Samura, Allah be well pleased with him, was asked, “Did you used to sit with the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace?” to which he replied, “Yes. He had long silences and seldom laughed. His companions would mention poetry and their business and they would laugh and he might smile.”
Whoever wishes to speak, then choose words of remembrance of Allah, or commanding the good, or forbidding the evil; and he must avoid words that do not concern him.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever believes in Allah and the last day, then let him say the good or remain silent.”
It is said that nine-tenths of well being are in silence and that tribulations are connected to speech. One of the righteous said, “I imposed on myself to pray two cycles of prayer for every word that doesn’t concern me, but that proved easy for me, so then I imposed on myself to fast a day for every word that doesn’t concern me, but that proved easy for me and I didn’t desist, so then I imposed on myself to give one silver coin in charity for every word that doesn’t concern me, and I found that tough.”
Imam al-Ghazali mentions, “The definition of speech that does not concern you is that you say words that had you been silent instead you would neither sin, nor suffer in your state or wealth. An example of this is that you sit with a people and mention to them of your travels and what you saw in them of mountains and rivers and what circumstance you experienced, and what you enjoyed of food and clothing, and those Shaykhs and incidents that impressed you – these are all matters that had you been silent instead, you would neither sin nor suffer. Even if you exerted yourself to not mix this account with falsehood from addition or subtraction, nor praising yourself through boasting of the tremendous matters that you experienced, nor backbiting or speaking ill of something Allah created, you have still wasting your time – and how on earth can you be safe from the sins that we have mentioned?”
Avoid talking too much, as plentiful speech is not free from mistakes. Excessive speech, beyond what is needed, is considered speech that doesn’t concern a person as is asking questions about what is not important. He shouldn’t deem his words of no consequence, even if they be few. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said, “Verily the slave says a word of the pleasure of Allah Might and Majestic, to which he does not ascribe any importance, but Allah raises him whole degrees by it; and verily the slave says a word of the anger of Allah to which he does not ascribe any importance, but he plunges by virtue of it into Hell.”
A person should speak in small, measured words. The speech of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, was clear, whoever heard it understood it; if someone wanted to count his words they could.
A person should be soft spoken, and not raise his voice unnecessarily. In the Qur’an, Luqman says to his son, “lower your voice; surely the most hateful of voices is braying of the asses.” Qur’an 31:19
May Allah purify our tongues and grant us beautiful speech. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Friday, April 9, 2010
Why why?
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
Our life here is only to worship Him. Part of the worship is to do what is commanded of us, no questions ask, no equivocation. No WHYs or BUTs because He is our Lord and we are His slaves. End of story.
Although our inquisitive nature want to know WHY, many things have no logical answer--we cannot use our brain to understand this. Some examples of this are obvious and easy to let go, e.g. why are we commanded to pray 3 raka'a for Maghrib and not 4? But some commands are more subtle and perhaps there is a good answer as to WHY but is it so important to know WHY? This is your test--Do you truly believe in Allah? If you truly believe you don't question, you take His word for it. Some things may be a good topic for discussions but these discussions typically leads to arguments and becomes counter-productive. Life is too short to be wasted in arguments.
If somebody give you a gift would you ask him why this gift, why are you giving me a gift? If you do this, it would be very poor manners. One thing to understand--Allah knows what is good for you and His commands are for your benefit--i.e. His commands are His gifts to you. It is bad manners to ask, in essence asking Allah "Why do you give me this gift and not a different gift?" "I don't like this gift", etc. You cannot pick and choose a gift. Instead you say thank you and enjoy it because it is from your caring and loving Lord. Although you may not see the benefits, it is for your own good nonetheless. It is wise for you to accept it and thank Him at the beginning. If this is an affliction, then you save yourself the suffering for however long it may be because one day you will say "Indeed I would not exchange that affliction for anything different," because by this time--perhaps 10 years down the road--you would have realized the full benefits of that "gift." So do what wise people do at the beginning which others do at the end and save you all the months, years of agonies and to benefit even more.
If you are still not convinced that you simply do what Allah commanded you to do, go on reading. Now what will happen if your friend who give you a gift found out that you don't like your gift and you throw it away? He/she won't give you another gift. You wouldn't want Allah to remove you from His favors? So to avoid this from happening, be grateful with whatever you have, whatever befalls you. if you truly believe in Allah, you must take His word for it and do what He tells you to do. When you take His word for it, your life becomes very simple and you will have more time to worship Him. SubhanAllah.
If you see anything that come in the way of you worshiping and coming closer to Him, you will have no problem avoiding or removing it from your path because you only have one Lord and He is all you need. If you are thankful to your Lord, He swear that He will give you more. Being thankful to your Lord is to use what He gives you for what they were created--they are means for you to worship Him not a means to disobey Him.
May Allah give us a sound understanding of His religion and increase us in all good. Ameen. Please don't forget me in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
Our life here is only to worship Him. Part of the worship is to do what is commanded of us, no questions ask, no equivocation. No WHYs or BUTs because He is our Lord and we are His slaves. End of story.
Although our inquisitive nature want to know WHY, many things have no logical answer--we cannot use our brain to understand this. Some examples of this are obvious and easy to let go, e.g. why are we commanded to pray 3 raka'a for Maghrib and not 4? But some commands are more subtle and perhaps there is a good answer as to WHY but is it so important to know WHY? This is your test--Do you truly believe in Allah? If you truly believe you don't question, you take His word for it. Some things may be a good topic for discussions but these discussions typically leads to arguments and becomes counter-productive. Life is too short to be wasted in arguments.
If somebody give you a gift would you ask him why this gift, why are you giving me a gift? If you do this, it would be very poor manners. One thing to understand--Allah knows what is good for you and His commands are for your benefit--i.e. His commands are His gifts to you. It is bad manners to ask, in essence asking Allah "Why do you give me this gift and not a different gift?" "I don't like this gift", etc. You cannot pick and choose a gift. Instead you say thank you and enjoy it because it is from your caring and loving Lord. Although you may not see the benefits, it is for your own good nonetheless. It is wise for you to accept it and thank Him at the beginning. If this is an affliction, then you save yourself the suffering for however long it may be because one day you will say "Indeed I would not exchange that affliction for anything different," because by this time--perhaps 10 years down the road--you would have realized the full benefits of that "gift." So do what wise people do at the beginning which others do at the end and save you all the months, years of agonies and to benefit even more.
If you are still not convinced that you simply do what Allah commanded you to do, go on reading. Now what will happen if your friend who give you a gift found out that you don't like your gift and you throw it away? He/she won't give you another gift. You wouldn't want Allah to remove you from His favors? So to avoid this from happening, be grateful with whatever you have, whatever befalls you. if you truly believe in Allah, you must take His word for it and do what He tells you to do. When you take His word for it, your life becomes very simple and you will have more time to worship Him. SubhanAllah.
If you see anything that come in the way of you worshiping and coming closer to Him, you will have no problem avoiding or removing it from your path because you only have one Lord and He is all you need. If you are thankful to your Lord, He swear that He will give you more. Being thankful to your Lord is to use what He gives you for what they were created--they are means for you to worship Him not a means to disobey Him.
May Allah give us a sound understanding of His religion and increase us in all good. Ameen. Please don't forget me in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Thursday, April 8, 2010
He is watching you
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
While I was engrossed with reading the Tafsir ibn Kathir of Surah Al-A'raf while waiting for my sons to finish their high school credit class at one of the community colleges, one of my old favorite songs started playing in the background of the place where I was sitting. SubhanAllah! It was as if to comfort my soul "Don't worry, He is there." Allah, the Seer of All, the Watchful One is there.
Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
Allah is watching you ...
"Surely your Lord is God, who created the heavens and the earth in six days -- then sat Himself upon the Throne, covering the day with the night it pursues urgently -- and the sun, and the moon, and the stars subservient, by His command. Verily, His are the creation and the command. Blessed be God, the Lord of all Being. Call on your Lord, humbly and secretly; He loves not transgressors. Do not corruption in the land, after it has been set, right; and call on Him fearfully, eagerly -- surely the mercy of God is nigh to the good-doers.." Qur'an Al-A'raf 7:54-56
"Verily I am God; there is no god but I; therefore serve Me, and perform the prayer of My remembrance. The Hour is coming; I would conceal it that every soul may be recompensed for its labors. Let none bar you from it, that believes not in it but follows after his own caprice, or you will perish." Qur'an Taha 20:14-16
May Allah not leave us alone even for a blink of an eye. Ameen. Please don't forget me in your night prayers. Ameen.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
While I was engrossed with reading the Tafsir ibn Kathir of Surah Al-A'raf while waiting for my sons to finish their high school credit class at one of the community colleges, one of my old favorite songs started playing in the background of the place where I was sitting. SubhanAllah! It was as if to comfort my soul "Don't worry, He is there." Allah, the Seer of All, the Watchful One is there.
Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
Allah is watching you ...
"Surely your Lord is God, who created the heavens and the earth in six days -- then sat Himself upon the Throne, covering the day with the night it pursues urgently -- and the sun, and the moon, and the stars subservient, by His command. Verily, His are the creation and the command. Blessed be God, the Lord of all Being. Call on your Lord, humbly and secretly; He loves not transgressors. Do not corruption in the land, after it has been set, right; and call on Him fearfully, eagerly -- surely the mercy of God is nigh to the good-doers.." Qur'an Al-A'raf 7:54-56
"Verily I am God; there is no god but I; therefore serve Me, and perform the prayer of My remembrance. The Hour is coming; I would conceal it that every soul may be recompensed for its labors. Let none bar you from it, that believes not in it but follows after his own caprice, or you will perish." Qur'an Taha 20:14-16
May Allah not leave us alone even for a blink of an eye. Ameen. Please don't forget me in your night prayers. Ameen.
Wassalaam
Monday, April 5, 2010
Gems of the religion
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
I am not sure where I got this but for sure from one of my classes' notes. I thought I share them with you. InshaAllah it is beneficial. May Allah give us the desire and strength to put into practice the teachings of our beloved Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Ameen.
A companion of Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, Khalid ibn Al Waleed, Allah be well pleased with him, narrated the following: A Bedouin came one day to the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said to him, "O, Messenger of Allah! I've come to ask you a few questions about the affairs of this life and the Hereafter." The Prophet responded, "Ask what you wish."
* I'd like to be the most learned of men.
Fear Allah, and you will be the most learned of men.
* I wish to be the richest man in the world.
Be contented, and you will be the richest man in the world.
* I'd like to be the most just man.
Desire for others what you desire for yourself, and you will be the most just of men.
* I want to be the best of men.
Do good to others and you will be the best of men.
* I wish to be the most favored by Allah.
Engage much in Allah's praise, and you will be most favored by Him.
* I'd like to complete my faith.
If you have good manners you will complete your faith.
* I wish to be among those who do good.
Adore Allah as if you see Him. If you don't see Him, Know that He sees you. In this way you will be among those who do good.
* I wish to be obedient to Allah.
If you observe Allah's commands you will be obedient.
* I'd like to be free from all sins.
Bathe yourself from impurity and you will be free from all sins.
* I'd like to be raised on the Day of Judgment in the light.
Don't wrong yourself or any other creature, and you will be raised on the Day of Judgment in the light.
* I'd like Allah to bestow His mercy on me.
If you have mercy on yourself and on others, Allah will grant you mercy on the Day of Judgment.
* I'd like my sins to be very few.
If you seek the forgiveness of Allah as much as you can, your sins will be very few.
* I'd like to be the most honorable man.
If you do not complain to any fellow creature, you will be the most honorable of men.
* I'd like to be the strongest of men.
If you put your trust in Allah, you will be the strongest of men.
* I'd like to enlarge my provision.
If you keep yourself pure, Allah will enlarge your provision.
* I'd like to be loved by Allah and His messenger.
If you love what Allah and His messenger love, you will be among their beloved ones.
* I wish to be safe from Allah's wrath on the Day of Judgment.
If you do not lose your temper with any of your fellow creatures, you will be safe from the wrath of Allah on the Day of Judgment.
* I'd like my prayers to be responded.
If you avoid forbidden actions your prayers will be responded.
* I'd like Allah not to disgrace me on the Day of Judgment.
If you guard your chastity, Allah will not disgrace you on the Day of Judgment.
* I'd like Allah to provide me with a protective covering on the Day of Judgment.
Do not uncover your fellow peoples faults, and Allah will provide you with a covering protection on the Day of Judgment.
* What will save me from sins?
Tears, humility and illness.
* What are the best deeds in the eyes of Allah?
Gentle manners, modesty and patience.
* What are the worst evils in the eyes of Allah?
Hot temper and miserliness.
* What alleviates the wrath of Allah in this life and in the Hereafter?
Concealed charity and kindness to relatives.
* What extinguishes hell's fires on the Day of Judgment?
Patience in adversity and misfortunes.
Imam Al Mustaghfiri said: "I have never heard a tradition more comprehensive of the beauties of religion, and more beneficial than this hadith. It collects all the good things of Islam but not put to use." (Related by Imam Ibn Hambal)
And Allah knows best.
May Allah bless your day. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
I am not sure where I got this but for sure from one of my classes' notes. I thought I share them with you. InshaAllah it is beneficial. May Allah give us the desire and strength to put into practice the teachings of our beloved Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Ameen.
A companion of Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, Khalid ibn Al Waleed, Allah be well pleased with him, narrated the following: A Bedouin came one day to the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said to him, "O, Messenger of Allah! I've come to ask you a few questions about the affairs of this life and the Hereafter." The Prophet responded, "Ask what you wish."
* I'd like to be the most learned of men.
Fear Allah, and you will be the most learned of men.
* I wish to be the richest man in the world.
Be contented, and you will be the richest man in the world.
* I'd like to be the most just man.
Desire for others what you desire for yourself, and you will be the most just of men.
* I want to be the best of men.
Do good to others and you will be the best of men.
* I wish to be the most favored by Allah.
Engage much in Allah's praise, and you will be most favored by Him.
* I'd like to complete my faith.
If you have good manners you will complete your faith.
* I wish to be among those who do good.
Adore Allah as if you see Him. If you don't see Him, Know that He sees you. In this way you will be among those who do good.
* I wish to be obedient to Allah.
If you observe Allah's commands you will be obedient.
* I'd like to be free from all sins.
Bathe yourself from impurity and you will be free from all sins.
* I'd like to be raised on the Day of Judgment in the light.
Don't wrong yourself or any other creature, and you will be raised on the Day of Judgment in the light.
* I'd like Allah to bestow His mercy on me.
If you have mercy on yourself and on others, Allah will grant you mercy on the Day of Judgment.
* I'd like my sins to be very few.
If you seek the forgiveness of Allah as much as you can, your sins will be very few.
* I'd like to be the most honorable man.
If you do not complain to any fellow creature, you will be the most honorable of men.
* I'd like to be the strongest of men.
If you put your trust in Allah, you will be the strongest of men.
* I'd like to enlarge my provision.
If you keep yourself pure, Allah will enlarge your provision.
* I'd like to be loved by Allah and His messenger.
If you love what Allah and His messenger love, you will be among their beloved ones.
* I wish to be safe from Allah's wrath on the Day of Judgment.
If you do not lose your temper with any of your fellow creatures, you will be safe from the wrath of Allah on the Day of Judgment.
* I'd like my prayers to be responded.
If you avoid forbidden actions your prayers will be responded.
* I'd like Allah not to disgrace me on the Day of Judgment.
If you guard your chastity, Allah will not disgrace you on the Day of Judgment.
* I'd like Allah to provide me with a protective covering on the Day of Judgment.
Do not uncover your fellow peoples faults, and Allah will provide you with a covering protection on the Day of Judgment.
* What will save me from sins?
Tears, humility and illness.
* What are the best deeds in the eyes of Allah?
Gentle manners, modesty and patience.
* What are the worst evils in the eyes of Allah?
Hot temper and miserliness.
* What alleviates the wrath of Allah in this life and in the Hereafter?
Concealed charity and kindness to relatives.
* What extinguishes hell's fires on the Day of Judgment?
Patience in adversity and misfortunes.
Imam Al Mustaghfiri said: "I have never heard a tradition more comprehensive of the beauties of religion, and more beneficial than this hadith. It collects all the good things of Islam but not put to use." (Related by Imam Ibn Hambal)
And Allah knows best.
May Allah bless your day. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Love for Allah
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
I pray that you are well.
The sign that you love someone for Allah is when you are able to hate that same person when he/she disobeys Allah. And when he/she repents, you are able to love him/her again.
When you love Allah then you like what He likes and you hate what He hates. If you love Allah you follow the teachings of His beloved, Allah bless him and grant him peace.
"Say: 'If you love Allah, follow me, and Allah will love you, and forgive you your sins; God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.'" Qur'an AleImran 3:31
Your love for Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, should be more than anything else. "Say: 'If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your clan, your possessions that you have gained, commerce you fear may slacken, dwellings you love -- if these are dearer to you than God and His Messenger, and to struggle in His way, then wait till God brings His command; God guides not the people of the ungodly.'" Qur'an at-Tawba 9:24
Obeying Allah's commands is the fruit of love of Allah.
"O believers, whosoever of you turns from his religion, God will assuredly bring a people He loves, and who love Him, humble towards the believers, disdainful towards the unbelievers, men who struggle in the path of God, not fearing the reproach of any reproacher. That is God's bounty; He gives it unto whom He will; and God is All-embracing, All-knowing." Qur'an Al-Ma'idah 5:54
May Allah loves us and make those who love Him love us and grant us righteous deeds so He loves us. Ameen. Please don't forget me in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
I pray that you are well.
The sign that you love someone for Allah is when you are able to hate that same person when he/she disobeys Allah. And when he/she repents, you are able to love him/her again.
When you love Allah then you like what He likes and you hate what He hates. If you love Allah you follow the teachings of His beloved, Allah bless him and grant him peace.
"Say: 'If you love Allah, follow me, and Allah will love you, and forgive you your sins; God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.'" Qur'an AleImran 3:31
Your love for Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, should be more than anything else. "Say: 'If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your clan, your possessions that you have gained, commerce you fear may slacken, dwellings you love -- if these are dearer to you than God and His Messenger, and to struggle in His way, then wait till God brings His command; God guides not the people of the ungodly.'" Qur'an at-Tawba 9:24
Obeying Allah's commands is the fruit of love of Allah.
"O believers, whosoever of you turns from his religion, God will assuredly bring a people He loves, and who love Him, humble towards the believers, disdainful towards the unbelievers, men who struggle in the path of God, not fearing the reproach of any reproacher. That is God's bounty; He gives it unto whom He will; and God is All-embracing, All-knowing." Qur'an Al-Ma'idah 5:54
May Allah loves us and make those who love Him love us and grant us righteous deeds so He loves us. Ameen. Please don't forget me in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Farmland for the next life
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
This life is farmland for the next life. If you sow excellent seeds and nurture them properly, you will reap excellent harvest in the next life. Otherwise, what a lousy crop you will have for your eternal life?
We have a responsibility to improve our lives and we must take the best steps possible to improve it. We cannot sit back and watch where the tree falls because the tree might fall right on top of you. Whatever you do to improve your lives, if it is religiously motivated, then you will be successful even if all odds are against you. Otherwise, you will be among the losers. Remember we are on this earth for an appointed time only. Our graves are closer than we think. When the angel of death comes and pulls your soul out, all doors of repentance are closed and you have no right to appeal. What remains is what you have sown on this earth.
"... those are they brought nigh the Throne, in the Gardens of Delight a throng of the ancients and how few of the later folk) upon close-wrought couches reclining upon them, set face to face, immortal youths going round about them with goblets, and ewers, and a cup from a spring (no brows throbbing, no intoxication) and such fruits as they shall choose, and such flesh of fowl as they desire, and wide-eyed houris as the likeness of hidden pearls, a recompense for that they labored. Therein they shall hear no idle talk, no cause of sin, only the saying 'Peace, Peace!' The Companions of the Right (O Companions of the Right!) mid thornless lote-trees and serried acacias, and spreading shade and outpoured waters, and fruits abounding unfailing, unforbidden, and upraised couches. Perfectly We formed them, perfect, and We made them spotless virgins, chastely amorous, like of age for the Companions of the Right. A throng of the ancients and a throng of the later folk.
The Companions of the Left (O Companions of the Left!) mid burning winds and boiling waters and the shadow of a smoking blaze neither cool, neither goodly; and before that they lived at ease, and persisted in the Great Sin, ever saying, 'What, when we are dead and become dust and bones, shall we indeed be raised up? What, and our fathers, the ancients? Say: 'The ancients, and the later folk shall be gathered to the appointed time of a known day. Then you erring ones, you that cried lies,you shall eat of a tree called Zakkoum, and you shall fill therewith your bellies and drink on top of that boiling water lapping it down like thirsty camels.' This shall be their hospitality on the Day of Doom."
Qur'an Al-Waqi'ah 56:11-56
May Allah make us among the Companions of the Right and keep us away from the Companions of the Left. Ameen. Please keep us in your prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
This life is farmland for the next life. If you sow excellent seeds and nurture them properly, you will reap excellent harvest in the next life. Otherwise, what a lousy crop you will have for your eternal life?
We have a responsibility to improve our lives and we must take the best steps possible to improve it. We cannot sit back and watch where the tree falls because the tree might fall right on top of you. Whatever you do to improve your lives, if it is religiously motivated, then you will be successful even if all odds are against you. Otherwise, you will be among the losers. Remember we are on this earth for an appointed time only. Our graves are closer than we think. When the angel of death comes and pulls your soul out, all doors of repentance are closed and you have no right to appeal. What remains is what you have sown on this earth.
"... those are they brought nigh the Throne, in the Gardens of Delight a throng of the ancients and how few of the later folk) upon close-wrought couches reclining upon them, set face to face, immortal youths going round about them with goblets, and ewers, and a cup from a spring (no brows throbbing, no intoxication) and such fruits as they shall choose, and such flesh of fowl as they desire, and wide-eyed houris as the likeness of hidden pearls, a recompense for that they labored. Therein they shall hear no idle talk, no cause of sin, only the saying 'Peace, Peace!' The Companions of the Right (O Companions of the Right!) mid thornless lote-trees and serried acacias, and spreading shade and outpoured waters, and fruits abounding unfailing, unforbidden, and upraised couches. Perfectly We formed them, perfect, and We made them spotless virgins, chastely amorous, like of age for the Companions of the Right. A throng of the ancients and a throng of the later folk.
The Companions of the Left (O Companions of the Left!) mid burning winds and boiling waters and the shadow of a smoking blaze neither cool, neither goodly; and before that they lived at ease, and persisted in the Great Sin, ever saying, 'What, when we are dead and become dust and bones, shall we indeed be raised up? What, and our fathers, the ancients? Say: 'The ancients, and the later folk shall be gathered to the appointed time of a known day. Then you erring ones, you that cried lies,you shall eat of a tree called Zakkoum, and you shall fill therewith your bellies and drink on top of that boiling water lapping it down like thirsty camels.' This shall be their hospitality on the Day of Doom."
Qur'an Al-Waqi'ah 56:11-56
May Allah make us among the Companions of the Right and keep us away from the Companions of the Left. Ameen. Please keep us in your prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Friday, April 2, 2010
Truth and Lying
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Beneficial
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
Truth is to state what corresponds with reality, how things are, and is the opposite of lying.
Lying is a serious vice in our religion. It is a great sin. It is a heinous crime to speak even a word of lie. No one tells a lie to save themselves except they fall in a greater predicament that they are in either soon and generally it won't be long before they fall into worse predicament. Even if you experience difficulty or blame in the present circumstance, by immediately telling the truth Allah will give in exchange for that the rectification of very important affairs. We should train ourselves and teach our children to to be truthful.
Lying is a despicable vice and it is rampant in our society. Public figures lie, government lies. It is more despicable when Shaykhs and religious teachers lie. They should know better that their lying contradicted with what they teach and their lying would be a cause of ruining the splendor and beauty of true speech, and this behavior would cause people to turn away from Islam and look down upon Muslims. An exposed lie undermines trust and sows suspicion, because a person who has been lied to is likely to mistrust the person who lied in the future.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked: "O Messenger of God, can a believer commit fornication? He said: Yes, he can. O Messenger of God, can a believer be a liar? He said: No. Then he recited the following verse: They only forge falsehood, who believe not in the signs of God, and those -- they are the liars." Qur'an An-Nahl 16:105
Truthfulness is the foundation of character of a Muslim and in their emulation of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Truthfulness is necessary to save us from the calamity of hypocrisy and from the cause of humiliation and curse from Allah. Allah said: "...So lay God's curse upon the liars." Qur'an AleImran 3:61
Lying is tied to hypocrisy as described by the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, “If anyone has four characteristics, he is a pure hypocrite, and if anyone has one of them, he has an aspect of hypocrisy until he gives it up: whenever he is trusted, he betrays his trust; whenever he speaks, he lies; when he makes an agreement, he breaks it; and when he quarrels, he deviates from the truth by speaking falsely." The Prophet’s teaching is that we try our best to free ourselves of hypocrisy by keeping our trusts, telling the truth, keeping our promises, and not speaking falsely.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, stressed the importance of always being truthful and the seriousness of habitual lying. "Truthfulness leads to piety and piety leads to the Paradise. A man should be truthful until he is written down as truthful with Allah. Lying leads to deviance and deviance leads to the Fire. A man will lie until he is written down as a liar with Allah.
Narrated Samura bin Jundab: Whenever the Prophet finished the (morning) prayer, he would face us and ask, "Who amongst you had a dream last night?" So if anyone had seen a dream he would narrate it. The Prophet would say: "Ma sha'a−llah" (An Arabic maxim meaning literally, 'What Allah wished,' and it indicates a good omen.) One day, he asked us whether anyone of us had seen a dream. We replied in the negative. The Prophet said, "But I had seen (a dream) last night that two men came to me, caught hold of my hands, and took me to the Sacred Land (Jerusalem). There, I saw a person sitting and another standing with an iron hook in his hand pushing it inside the mouth of the former till it reached the jawbone, and then tore off one side of his cheek, and then did the same with the other side; in the meantime the first side of his cheek became normal again and then he repeated the same operation again. I said, 'What is this?' They told me to proceed on and we went on till we came to a man Lying flat on his back, and another man standing at his head carrying a stone or a piece of rock, and crushing the head of the Lying man, with that stone.Whenever he struck him, the stone rolled away. The man went to pick it up and by the time he returned to him, the crushed head had returned to its normal state and the man came back and struck him again (and so on). I said, 'Who is this?' They told me to proceed on; so we proceeded on and passed by a hole like an oven; with a narrow top and wide bottom, and the fire was kindling underneath that hole. Whenever the fire−flame went up, the people were lifted up to such an extent that they about to get out of it, and whenever the fire got quieter, the people went down into it, and there were naked men and women in it. I said, 'Who is this?' They told me to proceed on. So we proceeded on till we reached a river of blood and a man was in it, and another man was standing at its bank with stones in front of him, facing the man standing in the river. Whenever the man in the river wanted to come out, the other one threw a stone in his mouth and caused him to retreat to his original position; and so whenever he wanted to come out the other would throw a stone in his mouth, and he would retreat to his original position. I asked, 'What is this?' They told me to proceed on and we did so till we reached a well−flourished green garden having a huge tree and near its root was sitting an old man with some children. (I saw) Another man near the tree with fire in front of him and he was kindling it up. Then they (i.e. my two companions) made me climb up the tree and made me enter a house, better than which I have ever seen. In it were some old men and young men, women and children. Then they took me out of this house and made me climb up the tree and made me enter another house that was better and superior (to the first) containing old and young people. I said to them (i.e. my two companions), 'You have made me ramble all the night. Tell me all about that I have seen.' They said, 'Yes. As for the one whose cheek you saw being torn away, he was a liar and he used to tell lies, and the people would report those lies on his authority till they spread all over the world. So, he will be punished like that till the Day of Resurrection. The one whose head you saw being crushed is the one whom Allah had given the knowledge of Qur'an (i.e. knowing it by heart) but he used to sleep at night (i.e. he did not recite it then) and did not use to act upon it (i.e. upon its orders etc.) by day; and so this punishment will go on till the Day of Resurrection. And those you saw in the hole (like oven) were adulterers (those men and women who commit illegal sexual intercourse). And those you saw in the river of blood were those dealing in Riba (usury). And the old man who was sitting at the base of the tree was Abraham and the little children around him were the offspring of the people. And the one who was kindling the fire was Malik, the gatekeeper of the Hell−fire. And the first house in which you have gone was the house of the common believers, and the second house was of the martyrs. I am Gabriel and this is Michael. Raise your head.' I raised my head and saw a thing like a cloud over me. They said, 'That is your place.' I said, 'Let me enter my place.' They said, 'You still have some life which you have not yet completed, and when you complete (that remaining portion of your life) you will then enter your place.' " (Bukhari)
May Allah protect us from lying and make us of the truthful. Ameen. Please keep us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Beneficial
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
Truth is to state what corresponds with reality, how things are, and is the opposite of lying.
Lying is a serious vice in our religion. It is a great sin. It is a heinous crime to speak even a word of lie. No one tells a lie to save themselves except they fall in a greater predicament that they are in either soon and generally it won't be long before they fall into worse predicament. Even if you experience difficulty or blame in the present circumstance, by immediately telling the truth Allah will give in exchange for that the rectification of very important affairs. We should train ourselves and teach our children to to be truthful.
Lying is a despicable vice and it is rampant in our society. Public figures lie, government lies. It is more despicable when Shaykhs and religious teachers lie. They should know better that their lying contradicted with what they teach and their lying would be a cause of ruining the splendor and beauty of true speech, and this behavior would cause people to turn away from Islam and look down upon Muslims. An exposed lie undermines trust and sows suspicion, because a person who has been lied to is likely to mistrust the person who lied in the future.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked: "O Messenger of God, can a believer commit fornication? He said: Yes, he can. O Messenger of God, can a believer be a liar? He said: No. Then he recited the following verse: They only forge falsehood, who believe not in the signs of God, and those -- they are the liars." Qur'an An-Nahl 16:105
Truthfulness is the foundation of character of a Muslim and in their emulation of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Truthfulness is necessary to save us from the calamity of hypocrisy and from the cause of humiliation and curse from Allah. Allah said: "...So lay God's curse upon the liars." Qur'an AleImran 3:61
Lying is tied to hypocrisy as described by the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, “If anyone has four characteristics, he is a pure hypocrite, and if anyone has one of them, he has an aspect of hypocrisy until he gives it up: whenever he is trusted, he betrays his trust; whenever he speaks, he lies; when he makes an agreement, he breaks it; and when he quarrels, he deviates from the truth by speaking falsely." The Prophet’s teaching is that we try our best to free ourselves of hypocrisy by keeping our trusts, telling the truth, keeping our promises, and not speaking falsely.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, stressed the importance of always being truthful and the seriousness of habitual lying. "Truthfulness leads to piety and piety leads to the Paradise. A man should be truthful until he is written down as truthful with Allah. Lying leads to deviance and deviance leads to the Fire. A man will lie until he is written down as a liar with Allah.
Narrated Samura bin Jundab: Whenever the Prophet finished the (morning) prayer, he would face us and ask, "Who amongst you had a dream last night?" So if anyone had seen a dream he would narrate it. The Prophet would say: "Ma sha'a−llah" (An Arabic maxim meaning literally, 'What Allah wished,' and it indicates a good omen.) One day, he asked us whether anyone of us had seen a dream. We replied in the negative. The Prophet said, "But I had seen (a dream) last night that two men came to me, caught hold of my hands, and took me to the Sacred Land (Jerusalem). There, I saw a person sitting and another standing with an iron hook in his hand pushing it inside the mouth of the former till it reached the jawbone, and then tore off one side of his cheek, and then did the same with the other side; in the meantime the first side of his cheek became normal again and then he repeated the same operation again. I said, 'What is this?' They told me to proceed on and we went on till we came to a man Lying flat on his back, and another man standing at his head carrying a stone or a piece of rock, and crushing the head of the Lying man, with that stone.Whenever he struck him, the stone rolled away. The man went to pick it up and by the time he returned to him, the crushed head had returned to its normal state and the man came back and struck him again (and so on). I said, 'Who is this?' They told me to proceed on; so we proceeded on and passed by a hole like an oven; with a narrow top and wide bottom, and the fire was kindling underneath that hole. Whenever the fire−flame went up, the people were lifted up to such an extent that they about to get out of it, and whenever the fire got quieter, the people went down into it, and there were naked men and women in it. I said, 'Who is this?' They told me to proceed on. So we proceeded on till we reached a river of blood and a man was in it, and another man was standing at its bank with stones in front of him, facing the man standing in the river. Whenever the man in the river wanted to come out, the other one threw a stone in his mouth and caused him to retreat to his original position; and so whenever he wanted to come out the other would throw a stone in his mouth, and he would retreat to his original position. I asked, 'What is this?' They told me to proceed on and we did so till we reached a well−flourished green garden having a huge tree and near its root was sitting an old man with some children. (I saw) Another man near the tree with fire in front of him and he was kindling it up. Then they (i.e. my two companions) made me climb up the tree and made me enter a house, better than which I have ever seen. In it were some old men and young men, women and children. Then they took me out of this house and made me climb up the tree and made me enter another house that was better and superior (to the first) containing old and young people. I said to them (i.e. my two companions), 'You have made me ramble all the night. Tell me all about that I have seen.' They said, 'Yes. As for the one whose cheek you saw being torn away, he was a liar and he used to tell lies, and the people would report those lies on his authority till they spread all over the world. So, he will be punished like that till the Day of Resurrection. The one whose head you saw being crushed is the one whom Allah had given the knowledge of Qur'an (i.e. knowing it by heart) but he used to sleep at night (i.e. he did not recite it then) and did not use to act upon it (i.e. upon its orders etc.) by day; and so this punishment will go on till the Day of Resurrection. And those you saw in the hole (like oven) were adulterers (those men and women who commit illegal sexual intercourse). And those you saw in the river of blood were those dealing in Riba (usury). And the old man who was sitting at the base of the tree was Abraham and the little children around him were the offspring of the people. And the one who was kindling the fire was Malik, the gatekeeper of the Hell−fire. And the first house in which you have gone was the house of the common believers, and the second house was of the martyrs. I am Gabriel and this is Michael. Raise your head.' I raised my head and saw a thing like a cloud over me. They said, 'That is your place.' I said, 'Let me enter my place.' They said, 'You still have some life which you have not yet completed, and when you complete (that remaining portion of your life) you will then enter your place.' " (Bukhari)
May Allah protect us from lying and make us of the truthful. Ameen. Please keep us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Human Needs
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
I pray that you are well.
We all know about the Maslow hierarchic theory of needs. The hierarchic theory is often represented as a pyramid, with the larger, lower levels representing the lower needs--basic physiological needs (food and shelter), psychological needs, social needs, spiritual needs, and the upper point representing the need for self-actualization (knowing that you have strong beliefs, values, morals, and confidence).
To a certain extent the theory is relevant to us. We all have needs. We want to have food in our bellies, roof over our heads, we want companionship and friends, we want to have a sense of belonging and association. These are the things that many people work very hard for each day to no end. When they have satisfied these needs, then they might start thinking about the religion. But when? These needs seem to always expand. Remember, at one time you might share a room with your friend. Then you got married and moved to a small 1 or 2 bedroom apartment. The apartment seemed too small to fit you, your spouse and your juniors, so you moved to a three bedroom apartment. All of a sudden you have to move to a 5 bedroom 3 car-garage home and found out that you could not fit all your stuff and you have a tool shed in the backyard! Sound somewhat familiar?
So you see, you will never have enough of this world. You will never have the time to think about your religion, let alone practicing it, if you don't make a point to think about it, learn it and practice it. The danger is that you might be doing haram or fall into haram because you are too focus on the wrong needs.
So what is really our basic needs?
Ibrahim alayhissalaam has an inverted pyramid of needs for us. After he left his wife and infant son in the desert where there was no cultivation to provide them with food, he made du'a to Allah. One would think he would ask Allah to provide food for them but the first thing he asked was to let them perform prayer (spiritual need), then to draw people to them and make people love them (social needs), then only he asked Allah to provide them with fruits (Maslow's basic need). Even when he asked Allah to provide them with worldly he connected it to worship, so they may be grateful to Allah. This is self actualization when Allah becomes everything to you, when you are eating, sleeping, learning, playing, enjoying your time with your company, working, etc. When Allah is everything for you, you will have tranquility. Nobody else achieve this except the Prophets and the friends of Allah.
"Our Lord, I have made some of my seed to dwell in a valley where is no sown land by Thy Holy House; Our Lord, let them perform the prayer, and make hearts of men yearn towards them, and provide them with fruits; haply they will be thankful." Qur'an Ibrahim 14:37
May Allah give us tawfiq. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
I pray that you are well.
We all know about the Maslow hierarchic theory of needs. The hierarchic theory is often represented as a pyramid, with the larger, lower levels representing the lower needs--basic physiological needs (food and shelter), psychological needs, social needs, spiritual needs, and the upper point representing the need for self-actualization (knowing that you have strong beliefs, values, morals, and confidence).
To a certain extent the theory is relevant to us. We all have needs. We want to have food in our bellies, roof over our heads, we want companionship and friends, we want to have a sense of belonging and association. These are the things that many people work very hard for each day to no end. When they have satisfied these needs, then they might start thinking about the religion. But when? These needs seem to always expand. Remember, at one time you might share a room with your friend. Then you got married and moved to a small 1 or 2 bedroom apartment. The apartment seemed too small to fit you, your spouse and your juniors, so you moved to a three bedroom apartment. All of a sudden you have to move to a 5 bedroom 3 car-garage home and found out that you could not fit all your stuff and you have a tool shed in the backyard! Sound somewhat familiar?
So you see, you will never have enough of this world. You will never have the time to think about your religion, let alone practicing it, if you don't make a point to think about it, learn it and practice it. The danger is that you might be doing haram or fall into haram because you are too focus on the wrong needs.
So what is really our basic needs?
Ibrahim alayhissalaam has an inverted pyramid of needs for us. After he left his wife and infant son in the desert where there was no cultivation to provide them with food, he made du'a to Allah. One would think he would ask Allah to provide food for them but the first thing he asked was to let them perform prayer (spiritual need), then to draw people to them and make people love them (social needs), then only he asked Allah to provide them with fruits (Maslow's basic need). Even when he asked Allah to provide them with worldly he connected it to worship, so they may be grateful to Allah. This is self actualization when Allah becomes everything to you, when you are eating, sleeping, learning, playing, enjoying your time with your company, working, etc. When Allah is everything for you, you will have tranquility. Nobody else achieve this except the Prophets and the friends of Allah.
"Our Lord, I have made some of my seed to dwell in a valley where is no sown land by Thy Holy House; Our Lord, let them perform the prayer, and make hearts of men yearn towards them, and provide them with fruits; haply they will be thankful." Qur'an Ibrahim 14:37
May Allah give us tawfiq. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Hold fast to the rope of Allah
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
When I was at an airline counter the other day wanting to inquire about our connecting flight, the airline representative ignored me for quite sometime. At first I thought she was busy but after a while I realized that she wasn't going to serve me. Finally, I said, "Excuse me, are you very busy, I just have a quick question!" She looked at me and asked me what I want. So I asked her my question--if we had to go through security again for our connecting flight. Apparently there were people watching what was going on which caught my attention. So I said to them, "If I were to wear something like yours they won't ignore me." And they smiled nodding!
This story is not for entertainment. The point here is that we have to change this. But we can't change this if we are not united. What will unite us as Muslims comes from dedicating ourselves to Allah. People need to make a real change in their own lives inwardly and outwardly--start praying, fasting, giving charity, being honest, helping people, praying at night, praying at the masjid, etc. We need to set a good example to our children and show our dedication to Allah for them to carry it to the next generation. If we start taking care of this today, there will be successful tomorrow for us inshaAllah. We will have the upper hand and people will look up to us and want to follow us. Otherwise, we will see worse things happening to us.
"O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims. Hold fast to the rope of Allah all together, and do not separate. Remember Allah’s blessing to you when you were enemies and He joined your hearts together so that you became brothers by His blessing. You were on the very brink of a pit of the Fire and He rescued you from it. In this way Allah makes His Signs clear to you, so that hopefully you will be guided. Let there be a community among you who call to the good, and enjoin the right, and forbid the wrong. They are the ones who have success. Qur'an AleImran 3:102-105
May Allah give us tawfiq. Ameen. Please keep us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
When I was at an airline counter the other day wanting to inquire about our connecting flight, the airline representative ignored me for quite sometime. At first I thought she was busy but after a while I realized that she wasn't going to serve me. Finally, I said, "Excuse me, are you very busy, I just have a quick question!" She looked at me and asked me what I want. So I asked her my question--if we had to go through security again for our connecting flight. Apparently there were people watching what was going on which caught my attention. So I said to them, "If I were to wear something like yours they won't ignore me." And they smiled nodding!
This story is not for entertainment. The point here is that we have to change this. But we can't change this if we are not united. What will unite us as Muslims comes from dedicating ourselves to Allah. People need to make a real change in their own lives inwardly and outwardly--start praying, fasting, giving charity, being honest, helping people, praying at night, praying at the masjid, etc. We need to set a good example to our children and show our dedication to Allah for them to carry it to the next generation. If we start taking care of this today, there will be successful tomorrow for us inshaAllah. We will have the upper hand and people will look up to us and want to follow us. Otherwise, we will see worse things happening to us.
"O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except as Muslims. Hold fast to the rope of Allah all together, and do not separate. Remember Allah’s blessing to you when you were enemies and He joined your hearts together so that you became brothers by His blessing. You were on the very brink of a pit of the Fire and He rescued you from it. In this way Allah makes His Signs clear to you, so that hopefully you will be guided. Let there be a community among you who call to the good, and enjoin the right, and forbid the wrong. They are the ones who have success. Qur'an AleImran 3:102-105
May Allah give us tawfiq. Ameen. Please keep us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Raising strong Muslims
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
One thing I hate about flying is going through the airport security. I just don't like the pat-down. Usually I went along with it convincing myself they were only doing their job. But for some reason last night I could not convince myself that anymore and I felt I need to do something because I clearly saw that they were discriminating against me. No one else, including my boys, were asked to step aside except me. At first I asked the person if my pins that secured my hijab triggered the alarm (which I did not hear it went off). He said NO. So I asked, "So, is it it because I am a Muslim!?" He grudgingly smiled! While I was being pat down, I said to the lady, "You know this is not right that I am being singled out for this because I look Muslim!" She didn't say anything. After the pat down, the lady said thank you. I said to her, "Please don't thank me, I certainly didn't let you do this willingly!"
My kids were observing all what was going on. After I helped my kids to put away all our belongings and personal items from the conveyor belt which by now were all over the place, I told the boys to wait at the corner so I could complain to the authorities. As I was walking away, my 3 boys, in panic, called me, "Mom! Mom!" a few times. I turned back to them because clearly they were distressed and left the area. Then I started my speech to them. I said, "You see now what is going on. We have been flying for many years and never once I was not asked to step aside. You cannot let it go and simply go with the flow. I will be an 80 year old lady and they will still do the pat-down on me! And it can worse than this if we overlook this. You are the ones who can change this. I am only one person and I am a woman. But I can guide you. You have to be strong Muslims to change this and that's what I am trying to make you inshaAllah. And you can do the same to your children. If you cannot change it during your time, your children will inshaAllah. You cannot be strong if you don't take your religion seriously, if you don't learn it, if Allah is not your number one, if you waste your time, if you bicker among yourselves, if your computer is more important than your brother, if you get tired with 30 minutes of Qur'an but you are not tired with talking and texting with your friends, with Naruto, Warcraft for hours. While I am still alive, help me and don't fight me!" I noticed my kids were very quiet throughout this lecture! MashaAllah. They knew I was very angry at the situation and if they were to say one word I would have more to say! I could do a little simmering but I wanted my kids to learn from this episode and take it seriously. inna lillahi wainna ilayhi raji'un. So I thought I made my point and we walked towards the gate and while waiting for boarding they read their Qur'an--such coolness to my eyes. SubhanAllah.
We can change our situation in no time if we want to. We just have to learn from our history. Muslims were minority but they were able to turn ruins into the ornament of the world. They were the "Super Power" at one time. Why? Because they were righteous and they took Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, seriously and they were determined to change the world and spread the light to humanity. The point is not whether we are a majority or a minority. Muslims changed the world because they were firmed and held fast to the commands of Allah and so Allah gave them victory. la hawla wala quwwata illa billah.
So we have to start somewhere and that somewhere is here, now. Each of us, as parents have a big role to play--we must teach our children their religion well and we cannot wait till they are "older." Each day you missed teaching them something about Islam, you have deprived them of Islam a great deal and you cannot catch up with what you have missed. Sooner or later they will become a leaf in the wind of ignorance. So for those who have young kids, you are fortunate and don't waste this opportunity to teach them Islam because they are like sponges--they take everything, good or bad. As for older children, they can be a constant challenge, but we haven't missed the boat as long as they are still with us. So take the steps. But first, you yourself have to show the determination and don't give up. Anything you do towards this is a step closer to Allah and to changing our situation as Muslims minority.
May Allah guide us and give us tawfiq and make our children a generation of strong Muslims and cause victory of Islam in their hands. Ameen. Please remember us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
One thing I hate about flying is going through the airport security. I just don't like the pat-down. Usually I went along with it convincing myself they were only doing their job. But for some reason last night I could not convince myself that anymore and I felt I need to do something because I clearly saw that they were discriminating against me. No one else, including my boys, were asked to step aside except me. At first I asked the person if my pins that secured my hijab triggered the alarm (which I did not hear it went off). He said NO. So I asked, "So, is it it because I am a Muslim!?" He grudgingly smiled! While I was being pat down, I said to the lady, "You know this is not right that I am being singled out for this because I look Muslim!" She didn't say anything. After the pat down, the lady said thank you. I said to her, "Please don't thank me, I certainly didn't let you do this willingly!"
My kids were observing all what was going on. After I helped my kids to put away all our belongings and personal items from the conveyor belt which by now were all over the place, I told the boys to wait at the corner so I could complain to the authorities. As I was walking away, my 3 boys, in panic, called me, "Mom! Mom!" a few times. I turned back to them because clearly they were distressed and left the area. Then I started my speech to them. I said, "You see now what is going on. We have been flying for many years and never once I was not asked to step aside. You cannot let it go and simply go with the flow. I will be an 80 year old lady and they will still do the pat-down on me! And it can worse than this if we overlook this. You are the ones who can change this. I am only one person and I am a woman. But I can guide you. You have to be strong Muslims to change this and that's what I am trying to make you inshaAllah. And you can do the same to your children. If you cannot change it during your time, your children will inshaAllah. You cannot be strong if you don't take your religion seriously, if you don't learn it, if Allah is not your number one, if you waste your time, if you bicker among yourselves, if your computer is more important than your brother, if you get tired with 30 minutes of Qur'an but you are not tired with talking and texting with your friends, with Naruto, Warcraft for hours. While I am still alive, help me and don't fight me!" I noticed my kids were very quiet throughout this lecture! MashaAllah. They knew I was very angry at the situation and if they were to say one word I would have more to say! I could do a little simmering but I wanted my kids to learn from this episode and take it seriously. inna lillahi wainna ilayhi raji'un. So I thought I made my point and we walked towards the gate and while waiting for boarding they read their Qur'an--such coolness to my eyes. SubhanAllah.
We can change our situation in no time if we want to. We just have to learn from our history. Muslims were minority but they were able to turn ruins into the ornament of the world. They were the "Super Power" at one time. Why? Because they were righteous and they took Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, seriously and they were determined to change the world and spread the light to humanity. The point is not whether we are a majority or a minority. Muslims changed the world because they were firmed and held fast to the commands of Allah and so Allah gave them victory. la hawla wala quwwata illa billah.
So we have to start somewhere and that somewhere is here, now. Each of us, as parents have a big role to play--we must teach our children their religion well and we cannot wait till they are "older." Each day you missed teaching them something about Islam, you have deprived them of Islam a great deal and you cannot catch up with what you have missed. Sooner or later they will become a leaf in the wind of ignorance. So for those who have young kids, you are fortunate and don't waste this opportunity to teach them Islam because they are like sponges--they take everything, good or bad. As for older children, they can be a constant challenge, but we haven't missed the boat as long as they are still with us. So take the steps. But first, you yourself have to show the determination and don't give up. Anything you do towards this is a step closer to Allah and to changing our situation as Muslims minority.
May Allah guide us and give us tawfiq and make our children a generation of strong Muslims and cause victory of Islam in their hands. Ameen. Please remember us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
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