بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
I was sitting waiting in my dentist office the other day and my eye caught on a writing on the wall and I read it. I didn't see this before and I wanted to ask if it was new and if the dentist knew who said it but then I thought again and thought that I should not open my mouth and waste my speech for something which does not matter one way or the other.
I thought I share the thought with you.
"The mouth in its entirety is an important and even wondrous part of our anatomy, our emotion, our life. It is the site of our very beginning. When animal loses its teeth, it cannot survive unless it is domesticated. Its very existence is terminated. It dies. In human, the mouth is the means of speaking, of expressing love, happiness and joy, anger, ill temper, or sorrow. It is the primary sex contact; hence, it is of initial import to our regeneration and survival by food and propagation."
In a lot of sense it is true--and if we open our mouth it can lead to good and happiness or bad and complications. So before we open our mouths, think. If we have nothing good to say, keep silent. This is the teaching of our Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace.
May Allah guide us. Ameen. Please don't forget me in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Friday, June 25, 2010
Don't Cheat Yourself
بسم الله الارحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
At what point do you stop trying and leave everything to Allah? There is no easy answer. But one thing you must do is that you take whatever humanly possible to get there. You are diligent. You dedicate yourself. Remember, things don't go on your timetable. Changes are inevitable. Remain focus. You don't give up easily. You are cheating yourself if you would go to all cost to get what you desire of this world but not of the next world. Everyone wants to be in the highest Paradise--we make du'a and make du'a for each other for this--but what have we done to get there? Some of us haven't even gotten up for night prayers on a regular basis and some still have a hard time getting up to pray Fajr on time. If you are one of them--ask yourself this--is there anything more important than Allah, Lord of the Worlds? If the answer is no, then you will start adjusting your life accordingly.
May Allah give us tawfiq. Ameen. Please keep 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.
At what point do you stop trying and leave everything to Allah? There is no easy answer. But one thing you must do is that you take whatever humanly possible to get there. You are diligent. You dedicate yourself. Remember, things don't go on your timetable. Changes are inevitable. Remain focus. You don't give up easily. You are cheating yourself if you would go to all cost to get what you desire of this world but not of the next world. Everyone wants to be in the highest Paradise--we make du'a and make du'a for each other for this--but what have we done to get there? Some of us haven't even gotten up for night prayers on a regular basis and some still have a hard time getting up to pray Fajr on time. If you are one of them--ask yourself this--is there anything more important than Allah, Lord of the Worlds? If the answer is no, then you will start adjusting your life accordingly.
May Allah give us tawfiq. Ameen. Please keep us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Why Are You Not Happy?
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
If you are not happy with your life, know that because you are far away from Allah. Allah is the source of happiness. If we were to know Allah in the way that we are supposed to know Him, we wouldn't have the time to think about other than Him--that includes things that bother some or most people. Your Lord is always there and He is watching. So we should find happiness in that, that we are not alone. Why then are we mad at people who do us wrong, why then we want to get even, why then we hold grudges and "kill" ourselves over it--when they cheated you, or lied to you, or even beat you up. They are wronging themselves more and you should be sorry for them--for they can be the bankrupt in the Day of Judgment. If you cannot thank Allah for what they did to you, be patient and the reward is tremendous for you. Allah is with the patient.
May Allah not leave us alone even for a blink of an eye and makes us among the patient. Ameen. Please keep 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.
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
If you are not happy with your life, know that because you are far away from Allah. Allah is the source of happiness. If we were to know Allah in the way that we are supposed to know Him, we wouldn't have the time to think about other than Him--that includes things that bother some or most people. Your Lord is always there and He is watching. So we should find happiness in that, that we are not alone. Why then are we mad at people who do us wrong, why then we want to get even, why then we hold grudges and "kill" ourselves over it--when they cheated you, or lied to you, or even beat you up. They are wronging themselves more and you should be sorry for them--for they can be the bankrupt in the Day of Judgment. If you cannot thank Allah for what they did to you, be patient and the reward is tremendous for you. Allah is with the patient.
May Allah not leave us alone even for a blink of an eye and makes us among the patient. Ameen. Please keep us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Wake up!
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
How things have changed? Back then Muslim Spain was the super power. The non-Muslims wanted to be like the Arabs (Muslims)--they rushed to imitate the Muslims in everything. They wore Muslim dress. Today everybody want to wear jeans. Then people wanted to wear the turban. The language of Muslim Spain was Arabic. The Jews and the Christians wanted their children to learn Arabic--forget Hebrew and Spanish, teach them Arabic. They spoke Arabic. Some were masters in Arabic and Arabic literature and attained high positions during the Islamic rule. They were known as Musta'rabin مستعربين (Arabized).
Today we don't have Musta'rabin but we change the "ain ع" in Musta'rabin مستعربين to "ghain غ" in Mustaghrabin مستغربين Mustaghrabin is a pun, which means "Westernized." But it also means something else, which is "the one who is astonished at." In those times we have Musta'rabin but in our times we have Mustaghrabin. We should learn this. We have a defeated mentality and we don't even know it. We have no sense of pride in our religion. We want to speak like other people, wear like other people (no hijab, wear shorts), eat like other people, have music like other people. It is just disgusting -- no sense of dignity.
For Musta'rabin, they are not losing their dignity because they were imitating something that is good but when the Muslims start imitating the non-Muslims and leave their religion and language, we should be aof ourselves. How well do we know English versus Arabic? We should be really ashamed of ourselves if we know so much English and not Arabic. When we don't want to learn Arabic and let our children learn other languages and not Arabic, we should be astonished at. In those days, the Christians and the Jews traveled far to Muslim states to learn Arabic and Islam, but we are willing to send our children everywhere, spend lots of money, to gain knowledge of everything except Arabic and Qur'an. Many simply ignore what their own communities have to offer in terms of Islamic learning. They are not even willing to sacrifice their time to take their children to their local masajid for their children to receive this education, let alone sending them or taking them to the far away Arab lands to learn Arabic and Qur'an. Always, other things are more important. We have other priorities! Indeed, we should be astonished at.
If we are not willing to sacrifice now, if our children don't leave Islam, their children or their children's children will. Throughout history, there are many examples of this, and the consequence will be a great disaster. Don't be the one who is astonished at and plan this summer for your children well so that they can learn Arabic and this religion. Life is short.
"O man! Verily, you are returning towards your Lord with your deeds and actions (good or bad), a sure returning, and you will meet (i.e. the results of your deeds which you did). Then, as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand,he surely will receive an easy reckoning, and will return to his family in joy! But whosoever is given his Record behind his back, he will invoke (for his) destruction, and he shall enter a blazing Fire, and be made to taste its burning. Verily, he was among his people in joy! Verily, he thought that he would never come back (to Us)!" Qur'an Inshiqaq 84:6-14
May Allah guide us and keep our Imam. Ameen. Please keep 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.
How things have changed? Back then Muslim Spain was the super power. The non-Muslims wanted to be like the Arabs (Muslims)--they rushed to imitate the Muslims in everything. They wore Muslim dress. Today everybody want to wear jeans. Then people wanted to wear the turban. The language of Muslim Spain was Arabic. The Jews and the Christians wanted their children to learn Arabic--forget Hebrew and Spanish, teach them Arabic. They spoke Arabic. Some were masters in Arabic and Arabic literature and attained high positions during the Islamic rule. They were known as Musta'rabin مستعربين (Arabized).
Today we don't have Musta'rabin but we change the "ain ع" in Musta'rabin مستعربين to "ghain غ" in Mustaghrabin مستغربين Mustaghrabin is a pun, which means "Westernized." But it also means something else, which is "the one who is astonished at." In those times we have Musta'rabin but in our times we have Mustaghrabin. We should learn this. We have a defeated mentality and we don't even know it. We have no sense of pride in our religion. We want to speak like other people, wear like other people (no hijab, wear shorts), eat like other people, have music like other people. It is just disgusting -- no sense of dignity.
For Musta'rabin, they are not losing their dignity because they were imitating something that is good but when the Muslims start imitating the non-Muslims and leave their religion and language, we should be aof ourselves. How well do we know English versus Arabic? We should be really ashamed of ourselves if we know so much English and not Arabic. When we don't want to learn Arabic and let our children learn other languages and not Arabic, we should be astonished at. In those days, the Christians and the Jews traveled far to Muslim states to learn Arabic and Islam, but we are willing to send our children everywhere, spend lots of money, to gain knowledge of everything except Arabic and Qur'an. Many simply ignore what their own communities have to offer in terms of Islamic learning. They are not even willing to sacrifice their time to take their children to their local masajid for their children to receive this education, let alone sending them or taking them to the far away Arab lands to learn Arabic and Qur'an. Always, other things are more important. We have other priorities! Indeed, we should be astonished at.
If we are not willing to sacrifice now, if our children don't leave Islam, their children or their children's children will. Throughout history, there are many examples of this, and the consequence will be a great disaster. Don't be the one who is astonished at and plan this summer for your children well so that they can learn Arabic and this religion. Life is short.
"O man! Verily, you are returning towards your Lord with your deeds and actions (good or bad), a sure returning, and you will meet (i.e. the results of your deeds which you did). Then, as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand,he surely will receive an easy reckoning, and will return to his family in joy! But whosoever is given his Record behind his back, he will invoke (for his) destruction, and he shall enter a blazing Fire, and be made to taste its burning. Verily, he was among his people in joy! Verily, he thought that he would never come back (to Us)!" Qur'an Inshiqaq 84:6-14
May Allah guide us and keep our Imam. Ameen. Please keep us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Our Future
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Like most people, I attended my son's high school graduation held yesterday. But my reasons for attending was not to celebrate my son's graduation (it was not in my tradition and my son didn't feel it was much of an accomplishment for him at this level anyway) but to observe and I also wanted him and his brothers to observe and learn how people conduct their ceremonies that make people love to flock to these sort of ceremonies, even pay hundreds of dollars for it--for graduation book, gowns, mementos, graduation pictures, etc.
It was a very colorful event with about 800 graduates in their red and white gowns. Everything was orderly from the time people entered the big stadium to the time people exited the stadium and people were very attentive throughout the ceremony. There were at least 6000 crowded the stadium. Everything seemed perfect--the timing, the sound system, the ceremony, the speech, the band, the security, the traffic, the parking, and so on. The only thing that was not--there was only one Muslim name called to receive the diploma out of the 800 names of graduates and we were the only Muslims in the crowd. My sons and I had a discussion about these and we prayed that more Muslims will send their children to public schools so we Muslims can have a good presence and perhaps one day dominate the crowd like this and able to change the theme of these sort of ceremonies inshaAllah.
Indeed, Muslims are not well represented in the public schools. We should take a conscious effort to change this. Each one of us counts. We simply cannot ignore the place where people are getting their basic and early education if we want Islam to stay in the US of A and for our children to be the leaders.
May Allah grant us tawfiq. Ameen. Please keep 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.
Like most people, I attended my son's high school graduation held yesterday. But my reasons for attending was not to celebrate my son's graduation (it was not in my tradition and my son didn't feel it was much of an accomplishment for him at this level anyway) but to observe and I also wanted him and his brothers to observe and learn how people conduct their ceremonies that make people love to flock to these sort of ceremonies, even pay hundreds of dollars for it--for graduation book, gowns, mementos, graduation pictures, etc.
It was a very colorful event with about 800 graduates in their red and white gowns. Everything was orderly from the time people entered the big stadium to the time people exited the stadium and people were very attentive throughout the ceremony. There were at least 6000 crowded the stadium. Everything seemed perfect--the timing, the sound system, the ceremony, the speech, the band, the security, the traffic, the parking, and so on. The only thing that was not--there was only one Muslim name called to receive the diploma out of the 800 names of graduates and we were the only Muslims in the crowd. My sons and I had a discussion about these and we prayed that more Muslims will send their children to public schools so we Muslims can have a good presence and perhaps one day dominate the crowd like this and able to change the theme of these sort of ceremonies inshaAllah.
Indeed, Muslims are not well represented in the public schools. We should take a conscious effort to change this. Each one of us counts. We simply cannot ignore the place where people are getting their basic and early education if we want Islam to stay in the US of A and for our children to be the leaders.
May Allah grant us tawfiq. Ameen. Please keep us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Don't Sweat The Stuff
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamua laykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
When something happens, we immediately react. Very seldom we reflect before we react. If we reflect first then perhaps we won't say or do the things that we would regret later, perhaps we won't be so upset or so angry, perhaps we won't be so disappointed. Everything happen to us points to the Creator. He is the One making Himself known to us. There is a lesson that is taught when something happens. In fact, everything around you, what is happening around you, what is happening to you now, what is happening to the person next to you, what happened yesterday that is still in your mind, there is a big lesson to be learned for the heart that is alive--Allah is always there.
When Allah wants His servant to know Him, He will let him go through things in his life so he can know Him better. So when something happens and you come to realize that it is a manifestation of a Name of Allah then this is actually a Divine gift. And you be thankful to the One who guides you and brings you closer to knowing Him, our Loving Lord, the Lord of Majesty and Bounty, the Owner of all.
So don't sweat the stuff of this world--they are means for you to recognize and know Allah, and nothing more. To Him we belong and to Him we return.
May Allah guide and bring us all closer to Him. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairn.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamua laykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
When something happens, we immediately react. Very seldom we reflect before we react. If we reflect first then perhaps we won't say or do the things that we would regret later, perhaps we won't be so upset or so angry, perhaps we won't be so disappointed. Everything happen to us points to the Creator. He is the One making Himself known to us. There is a lesson that is taught when something happens. In fact, everything around you, what is happening around you, what is happening to you now, what is happening to the person next to you, what happened yesterday that is still in your mind, there is a big lesson to be learned for the heart that is alive--Allah is always there.
When Allah wants His servant to know Him, He will let him go through things in his life so he can know Him better. So when something happens and you come to realize that it is a manifestation of a Name of Allah then this is actually a Divine gift. And you be thankful to the One who guides you and brings you closer to knowing Him, our Loving Lord, the Lord of Majesty and Bounty, the Owner of all.
So don't sweat the stuff of this world--they are means for you to recognize and know Allah, and nothing more. To Him we belong and to Him we return.
May Allah guide and bring us all closer to Him. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairn.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Follow the Natural Way
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Islam is what rectifies our worldly life and the next life. Allah created us with an upright predisposition and the teachings of Islam are in accordance with this disposition. Whoever follows the teachings of Islam has truly utilized the tremendous gift bestowed to human being. Whoever does not, is wretched, doomed and ugly. How can we have a lax attitude towards living Islam? Is not the power, wisdom and knowledge of the Creator sufficient to realize that judgment is not far away? What more signs do we need before we shape up?
You are the sign that points to our Lord. Allah says, "On the earth are signs for those of assured Faith. As also in your ownselves: Will you not then see?" Qur'an Adhdhariyat 51:20
"We indeed created Man in the fairest stature." Qur'an At-Tin 95:4. Our outer form is one of total nobility from the way we stand, we walk and we eat. Our inner reality sets apart from all of creation. We have a powerful intellect, a pure heart and a sound disposition. Our natural disposition, when not muddied by negative external influence, is inclined to realizing the reality of the world around us and to know the One who is the cause for all around us.
The whole universe revolves around us. "He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth. Then turned He to the heaven, and fashioned it as seven heavens. And He is knower of all things." Quran Al-Baqarah 2:29
We should not engage in matters if we know them to be harmful to us. This applies to acts that bring physical harm (such as smoking), social harms (such as violating the Islamic rules of gender interaction), and spiritual harms (such as filling our heads with useless television broadcasts). No creature in the entire animal kingdom willingly harms itself except the human being, who is ironically the most intelligent of them.
May Allah guide us and grant us tawfiq. Ameen. Please do not 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.
Islam is what rectifies our worldly life and the next life. Allah created us with an upright predisposition and the teachings of Islam are in accordance with this disposition. Whoever follows the teachings of Islam has truly utilized the tremendous gift bestowed to human being. Whoever does not, is wretched, doomed and ugly. How can we have a lax attitude towards living Islam? Is not the power, wisdom and knowledge of the Creator sufficient to realize that judgment is not far away? What more signs do we need before we shape up?
You are the sign that points to our Lord. Allah says, "On the earth are signs for those of assured Faith. As also in your ownselves: Will you not then see?" Qur'an Adhdhariyat 51:20
"We indeed created Man in the fairest stature." Qur'an At-Tin 95:4. Our outer form is one of total nobility from the way we stand, we walk and we eat. Our inner reality sets apart from all of creation. We have a powerful intellect, a pure heart and a sound disposition. Our natural disposition, when not muddied by negative external influence, is inclined to realizing the reality of the world around us and to know the One who is the cause for all around us.
The whole universe revolves around us. "He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth. Then turned He to the heaven, and fashioned it as seven heavens. And He is knower of all things." Quran Al-Baqarah 2:29
We should not engage in matters if we know them to be harmful to us. This applies to acts that bring physical harm (such as smoking), social harms (such as violating the Islamic rules of gender interaction), and spiritual harms (such as filling our heads with useless television broadcasts). No creature in the entire animal kingdom willingly harms itself except the human being, who is ironically the most intelligent of them.
May Allah guide us and grant us tawfiq. Ameen. Please do not forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Global Warming
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
They say we all have skeletons in our closets. But my skeletons perhaps are a little different than yours. My closets are full of other people's skeletons and it's time to get rid of those skeletons. I don't want to live with them but I had no choice. In my profession I have to keep them for a certain number of years to comply with the law. I have been going through them for weeks but I am not finished! It seems like an endless task. The moment I opened them, the bigger it becomes! Allah help me! My house is starting to look like a disaster area with files and papers all over the place. It is cheaper to just take each skeleton and throw them but they are identifiable so I have to get a shredding company to remove them--I can't do it myself--the skeletons are too large! SubhanAllah.
These papers are reminders to myself that we create great problems for ourselves. The lawyers and the clients themselves. It is no wonder that California was termed as a "sue-happy" state--the number of lawyers in the state amount to somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 lawyer for every 200 citizens! SubhanAllah. We fight and fight! Some cases took years to resolve! And I still have a few old cases that are still lingering and I pray to Allah that they go away. Look at the paperwork generated for each case all these years--just a few of us lawyers are enough to destroy much of the Amazon rain forest and perhaps the cause of the global warming effect. Inna lillahi wainna ilayhi raji'un.
Allah says: "Is not Allah Sufficient for His slave?" Qur'an Az-Zumar 39:36
"And Allah is not unaware of what you do." Al-Baqarah 2:74
And Allah knows best.
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
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
They say we all have skeletons in our closets. But my skeletons perhaps are a little different than yours. My closets are full of other people's skeletons and it's time to get rid of those skeletons. I don't want to live with them but I had no choice. In my profession I have to keep them for a certain number of years to comply with the law. I have been going through them for weeks but I am not finished! It seems like an endless task. The moment I opened them, the bigger it becomes! Allah help me! My house is starting to look like a disaster area with files and papers all over the place. It is cheaper to just take each skeleton and throw them but they are identifiable so I have to get a shredding company to remove them--I can't do it myself--the skeletons are too large! SubhanAllah.
These papers are reminders to myself that we create great problems for ourselves. The lawyers and the clients themselves. It is no wonder that California was termed as a "sue-happy" state--the number of lawyers in the state amount to somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 lawyer for every 200 citizens! SubhanAllah. We fight and fight! Some cases took years to resolve! And I still have a few old cases that are still lingering and I pray to Allah that they go away. Look at the paperwork generated for each case all these years--just a few of us lawyers are enough to destroy much of the Amazon rain forest and perhaps the cause of the global warming effect. Inna lillahi wainna ilayhi raji'un.
Allah says: "Is not Allah Sufficient for His slave?" Qur'an Az-Zumar 39:36
"And Allah is not unaware of what you do." Al-Baqarah 2:74
And Allah knows best.
May Allah give us tawfiq. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Friday, June 11, 2010
Getting Rid of the Heaping Piles of Junk
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
I don't consider myself a pack rat and I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff already but I have so much stuff I myself couldn't believe it. They are not real junk either (some are really good and expensive stuff) but they have occupied one single garage and all my cabinets in my house all these years. I spent days sorting them out and I still have lots. Last night I finally had to dump everything I haven't sorted out in the dumpster--books, cds/dvds, electronics, art, pictures, etc. I can't deal with them anymore! I figured if they have been in the boxes and in cabinets for the last 3 years, I definitely don't need them and others can do without them--they have lived without them. I feel so light SubhanAllah! Look at all that free space!
Now if you have junk (in the true sense or not), you definitely need to get rid of them. Imagine all that free space after they are no longer in your lives!
The first step to getting rid of your junk is to sort out what you want to get rid of into piles. Sort them into piles according to the type of junk. Clothings, electronics, knick knacks, art, recyclables, you get the idea. Be realistic when deciding if you should get rid of something. Do you ever use it? Is there a real sentimental value attached to it? Do you even like it? If the answer is NO, then put it in a pile. The best thing to do is to give them to charities if they are lawful items and in good condition. If not, try to recycle those things that are recyclable.
There is nothing quite as satisfying as clearing away clutter in your life. For me the way my home is organized and used is a direct representation of how my life is going. When things in my life start piling up, so do things in my house.
We want to pile our life with remembrance of Allah and good deeds, not things. To do this, we don't need much things at all.
On the authority of the son of 'Umar, Allah be pleased with both of them, who said: The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, took me by the shoulder and said: "Be in this world as though you are a stranger or a wayfarer." (related in Bukhari). So travel light so you are not burdened with carrying the stuff with you. The more stuff you have the more you will be asked in the Day of Judgment. And it will certainly relieve those who you left behind from having to deal with your things after you die. Remember, death for us can come anytime. The son of 'Umar used to say, "At evening do not expect to live till morning, and at morning do not expect to live till evening. Take from your health for your illness and from your life for your death." (related in Bukhari)
May Allah lighten our burdens in this world and enter us into Paradise without accounting. Ameen. Please do not 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.
I don't consider myself a pack rat and I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff already but I have so much stuff I myself couldn't believe it. They are not real junk either (some are really good and expensive stuff) but they have occupied one single garage and all my cabinets in my house all these years. I spent days sorting them out and I still have lots. Last night I finally had to dump everything I haven't sorted out in the dumpster--books, cds/dvds, electronics, art, pictures, etc. I can't deal with them anymore! I figured if they have been in the boxes and in cabinets for the last 3 years, I definitely don't need them and others can do without them--they have lived without them. I feel so light SubhanAllah! Look at all that free space!
Now if you have junk (in the true sense or not), you definitely need to get rid of them. Imagine all that free space after they are no longer in your lives!
The first step to getting rid of your junk is to sort out what you want to get rid of into piles. Sort them into piles according to the type of junk. Clothings, electronics, knick knacks, art, recyclables, you get the idea. Be realistic when deciding if you should get rid of something. Do you ever use it? Is there a real sentimental value attached to it? Do you even like it? If the answer is NO, then put it in a pile. The best thing to do is to give them to charities if they are lawful items and in good condition. If not, try to recycle those things that are recyclable.
There is nothing quite as satisfying as clearing away clutter in your life. For me the way my home is organized and used is a direct representation of how my life is going. When things in my life start piling up, so do things in my house.
We want to pile our life with remembrance of Allah and good deeds, not things. To do this, we don't need much things at all.
On the authority of the son of 'Umar, Allah be pleased with both of them, who said: The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, took me by the shoulder and said: "Be in this world as though you are a stranger or a wayfarer." (related in Bukhari). So travel light so you are not burdened with carrying the stuff with you. The more stuff you have the more you will be asked in the Day of Judgment. And it will certainly relieve those who you left behind from having to deal with your things after you die. Remember, death for us can come anytime. The son of 'Umar used to say, "At evening do not expect to live till morning, and at morning do not expect to live till evening. Take from your health for your illness and from your life for your death." (related in Bukhari)
May Allah lighten our burdens in this world and enter us into Paradise without accounting. Ameen. Please do not forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
What do you weep about?
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 truly believe that everything comes Allah, it is very easy to handle losses, disappointments, difficulties and the like. The same way Allah take away something from you, allow disappointments to creep into your hearts, afflict you with pain, Allah can give you back what you have lost or give you something better; Allah can give you satisfaction and contentment, Allah can ease your problem. He says, "Be" and it is. That does not mean you can be a passive human being and wait for it to "be" or the unemotional one--that you don't cry, that you don't feel. Far from that. In fact, the opposite. You must act in a positive manner--take steps to relieve your burden, keeping in mind that Allah has chosen what is best for you so you should not resent it. You are allowed to cry and grieve for a time--it is the mercy that you have in your heart whether you are a man or a woman. I don't know who came up with this statement that boys don't cry. Well, all my brothers cry (sometimes worse than me) and I saw my father cry when I was a girl. MashaAllah they are among the most compassionate and helpful people I know.
Actually, we all need a big cry. The biggest cry is when you see the ummah of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, is deteriorating, and we are deteriorating. Religion is on the wayside for many and ignorance is pretty common. This affects us all collectively. You see thousands of people going to occasional Islamic knowledge-based events but once the event is over, the knowledge disappears before it even brought into practice.You see hardly any people come to the masjids and it is always the same people who come or contribute their time and money to the masjids.
We forget and some don't know that the first thing that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, did when he entered an area was to build a masjid for people to congregate in worship and provide a place where knowledge can be acquired. The masjid An-Nabawi in Madinah for example, was not only a place of worship but also a center of learning and it was there many great early scholars were produced whose knowledge we benefit until today.
But many of our mosques today are pretty quiet because not many people frequent them and so no activities take place or maybe people don't frequent them because there are no activities. But Allah already set some activities for us to follow everyday--the five daily prayers and the Friday prayer. Especially for a resident man, it is obligatory to perform the Jum'ah prayer (with a few exceptions) and it is important for man to pray at the masjid. The wisdom behind this is obvious.
So when bad things happen to you or something happen that you don't like, perhaps it is a wake up call, perhaps it is begging you to do something positive, perhaps it is to strengthen your iman, perhaps it is to raise you higher. Regardless, it is the most suitable for you for your circumstance and you should be grateful that it is happening. The minimum you should do is don't complain. Be content with it and if you can't then be patient and endure for that which is unpleasant lies much good.
We should learn from Umm Ayman Barakah, Allah be pleased with her, who was the first person to hold the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, in her arms when he was born and the only person who knew him from that point until his death. Her devotion to the religion of Islam was strong and unshakable. She tied her well-being to that of Islam. During a visit from the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, he asked: "Ya Ummi! Are you well?" and she would reply: "I am well, O Messenger of Allah so long as Islam is." After the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, had died, Umm Ayman would often be found with tears in her eyes. She was asked by Abu Bakr and Omar, Allah be pleased with them, "Why are you crying?" and she replied: "By Allah, I knew that the Messenger of Allah would die but I cry now because the revelation from on high has come to an end for us." (and Abu Bakr and Omar wept along when they heard this).
What do you weep about? When you cry, you don't cry about losing something of this world--your job, your house, your money, your wife, your children--but about losing the opportunity to do good for the next world. And we have plenty of opportunities to do good for this world and the next eternal world--all for our own well-being. Grab it while you can.
May Allah guide us to do good with excellence. 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.
When we truly believe that everything comes Allah, it is very easy to handle losses, disappointments, difficulties and the like. The same way Allah take away something from you, allow disappointments to creep into your hearts, afflict you with pain, Allah can give you back what you have lost or give you something better; Allah can give you satisfaction and contentment, Allah can ease your problem. He says, "Be" and it is. That does not mean you can be a passive human being and wait for it to "be" or the unemotional one--that you don't cry, that you don't feel. Far from that. In fact, the opposite. You must act in a positive manner--take steps to relieve your burden, keeping in mind that Allah has chosen what is best for you so you should not resent it. You are allowed to cry and grieve for a time--it is the mercy that you have in your heart whether you are a man or a woman. I don't know who came up with this statement that boys don't cry. Well, all my brothers cry (sometimes worse than me) and I saw my father cry when I was a girl. MashaAllah they are among the most compassionate and helpful people I know.
Actually, we all need a big cry. The biggest cry is when you see the ummah of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, is deteriorating, and we are deteriorating. Religion is on the wayside for many and ignorance is pretty common. This affects us all collectively. You see thousands of people going to occasional Islamic knowledge-based events but once the event is over, the knowledge disappears before it even brought into practice.You see hardly any people come to the masjids and it is always the same people who come or contribute their time and money to the masjids.
We forget and some don't know that the first thing that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, did when he entered an area was to build a masjid for people to congregate in worship and provide a place where knowledge can be acquired. The masjid An-Nabawi in Madinah for example, was not only a place of worship but also a center of learning and it was there many great early scholars were produced whose knowledge we benefit until today.
But many of our mosques today are pretty quiet because not many people frequent them and so no activities take place or maybe people don't frequent them because there are no activities. But Allah already set some activities for us to follow everyday--the five daily prayers and the Friday prayer. Especially for a resident man, it is obligatory to perform the Jum'ah prayer (with a few exceptions) and it is important for man to pray at the masjid. The wisdom behind this is obvious.
So when bad things happen to you or something happen that you don't like, perhaps it is a wake up call, perhaps it is begging you to do something positive, perhaps it is to strengthen your iman, perhaps it is to raise you higher. Regardless, it is the most suitable for you for your circumstance and you should be grateful that it is happening. The minimum you should do is don't complain. Be content with it and if you can't then be patient and endure for that which is unpleasant lies much good.
We should learn from Umm Ayman Barakah, Allah be pleased with her, who was the first person to hold the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, in her arms when he was born and the only person who knew him from that point until his death. Her devotion to the religion of Islam was strong and unshakable. She tied her well-being to that of Islam. During a visit from the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, he asked: "Ya Ummi! Are you well?" and she would reply: "I am well, O Messenger of Allah so long as Islam is." After the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, had died, Umm Ayman would often be found with tears in her eyes. She was asked by Abu Bakr and Omar, Allah be pleased with them, "Why are you crying?" and she replied: "By Allah, I knew that the Messenger of Allah would die but I cry now because the revelation from on high has come to an end for us." (and Abu Bakr and Omar wept along when they heard this).
What do you weep about? When you cry, you don't cry about losing something of this world--your job, your house, your money, your wife, your children--but about losing the opportunity to do good for the next world. And we have plenty of opportunities to do good for this world and the next eternal world--all for our own well-being. Grab it while you can.
May Allah guide us to do good with excellence. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Guilty
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Everyday we are guilty of something and they are huge but we care less to reflect and repent. We cant' reflect because we are too busy with this world--enjoying its pleasures or running after it--the have and the have not alike, the rich and the poor alike. And that is what make us guilty everyday. Then when something goes terribly wrong, we complain. Now we are piling more charges against ourselves.
You have a duty to know and to believe that Allah gives and Allah takes, Allah causes benefit and harm. Everything Allah does cannot be better and more perfect. When He say "Be" and it is. So why do we not choose Him; why do we not have Him in our lives in every moment of our lives; why do we not keep company and deal with Him, why do we neglect our duties to Him?
May Allah guide us to excellence. Ameen. Please don't forget me in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan. Barakallahu feekum.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Everyday we are guilty of something and they are huge but we care less to reflect and repent. We cant' reflect because we are too busy with this world--enjoying its pleasures or running after it--the have and the have not alike, the rich and the poor alike. And that is what make us guilty everyday. Then when something goes terribly wrong, we complain. Now we are piling more charges against ourselves.
You have a duty to know and to believe that Allah gives and Allah takes, Allah causes benefit and harm. Everything Allah does cannot be better and more perfect. When He say "Be" and it is. So why do we not choose Him; why do we not have Him in our lives in every moment of our lives; why do we not keep company and deal with Him, why do we neglect our duties to Him?
May Allah guide us to excellence. Ameen. Please don't forget me in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan. Barakallahu feekum.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Sunday, June 6, 2010
A Shoulder to Cry on
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
If you need a shoulder to cry on who would be best to give you that shoulder? Follow Prophet Ya'qub, Allah grant him peace, "He said, 'I only complain of my anguish and sorrow to Allah;.." Qur'an Yusuf 12:86
Allah put you in that situation, so why run to His creation? Remember, His creation don't have any power to relieve you of your sorrow and your grief. Show your sorrow and grief to Him only and "...Do not despair of Allah's comfort..." Qur'an Yusuf 12:87
May Allah gives our hearts peace and tranquility. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your 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.
If you need a shoulder to cry on who would be best to give you that shoulder? Follow Prophet Ya'qub, Allah grant him peace, "He said, 'I only complain of my anguish and sorrow to Allah;.." Qur'an Yusuf 12:86
Allah put you in that situation, so why run to His creation? Remember, His creation don't have any power to relieve you of your sorrow and your grief. Show your sorrow and grief to Him only and "...Do not despair of Allah's comfort..." Qur'an Yusuf 12:87
May Allah gives our hearts peace and tranquility. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Friday, June 4, 2010
No More Excuses
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Excuses are tools of incompetents
that build monuments to nothingness
and those that use them seldomly
accomplish anything
those who specialize in them
are seldom
good in anything
but excuses excuses excuses
(author unknown)
Quoted as from Delphos Daily Herald Friday, December 14, 1894 Delphos, Ohio
No wiser remark was ever made by Dr. Benjamin Franklin than a severe sentence which he once uttered to a young man who had an appointment with him and missed it. Next day the young man came and began to make a very fluent excuse to the doctor for his absence the day before.
"Stop!" said Franklin. "You have said too much already, my good boy, for the man who is good at making an excuse is seldom good at anything else.''
Remember this when we try to make an excuse not to do something for which we were created for. Allah did not create us and then leaves us out on a limb. Nothing is going to break if you do as He commanded.
"Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned.... (Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:286).
So if you want Allah to love you, follow His Messenger and obey Allah and His Messenger.
'Say: 'If you love Allah, follow me, and Allah will love you, and forgive you your sins; Allah is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.' Say: 'Obey Allah, and the Messenger.' But if they turn their backs, Allah loves not the unbelievers." Qur'an AleImran 3:31-32
Make lots of du'a, not excuses.
"Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us; our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Maula (Patron, Supporter and Protector, etc.) and give us victory over the disbelieving people."
"Guide us to the Straight Way. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went astray." Qur'an Al-Fatiha 6-7
May Allah makes us among the the righteous and the good-doers. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khrain.
And Allah knows best
wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Excuses are tools of incompetents
that build monuments to nothingness
and those that use them seldomly
accomplish anything
those who specialize in them
are seldom
good in anything
but excuses excuses excuses
(author unknown)
Quoted as from Delphos Daily Herald Friday, December 14, 1894 Delphos, Ohio
No wiser remark was ever made by Dr. Benjamin Franklin than a severe sentence which he once uttered to a young man who had an appointment with him and missed it. Next day the young man came and began to make a very fluent excuse to the doctor for his absence the day before.
"Stop!" said Franklin. "You have said too much already, my good boy, for the man who is good at making an excuse is seldom good at anything else.''
Remember this when we try to make an excuse not to do something for which we were created for. Allah did not create us and then leaves us out on a limb. Nothing is going to break if you do as He commanded.
"Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned.... (Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:286).
So if you want Allah to love you, follow His Messenger and obey Allah and His Messenger.
'Say: 'If you love Allah, follow me, and Allah will love you, and forgive you your sins; Allah is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.' Say: 'Obey Allah, and the Messenger.' But if they turn their backs, Allah loves not the unbelievers." Qur'an AleImran 3:31-32
Make lots of du'a, not excuses.
"Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us; our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Maula (Patron, Supporter and Protector, etc.) and give us victory over the disbelieving people."
"Guide us to the Straight Way. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went astray." Qur'an Al-Fatiha 6-7
May Allah makes us among the the righteous and the good-doers. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khrain.
And Allah knows best
wassalaam
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Gratitude and Patience
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
No matter how good things get there are people who still only see the bad – and they go to great lengths to point it out to everyone around them. These are the complainers. A lot of people don't realize they are complainers. Complainers are complainers. You cannot cheer them up, you cannot suggest them solutions, you cannot ask them to pull themselves together, you cannot complain about them, you cannot complain along with them, you cannot ignore them, you cannot confront them. So what do you do? You sincerely say, "You know that sounds terrible. I don't know how you deal with all these problems!" You will find them say, "Well, it's really not that bad!" Remember, don’t be sarcastic when you say it. Be sincere.You don’t have to agree that these are huge problems. Even if everything the complainer says sounds trivial to you, remember that it feels like a huge problem to them or they wouldn’t go on about it. What seems trivial to one person can be a huge problem for others.
For the complainers, you need to learn to look at yourself in the mirror in a humble fashion. Look at the blessed you and think of the many people who are in worse situation than you. You hear about them everyday in the news, in your emails and you can see them around you too--poverty stricken, loss of limbs, orphans, refugees, homelessness, and just can't enumerate the entire examples here. When I was at the convention the other day, I saw a paraplegic (and came across him a few times) and I looked at my children and they looked back at me with a look of someone who knew what I was going to say to them if I were to say it--be grateful, don't complain.
So be thankful to Allah that you are able to stand up and look at yourself in the mirror, by virtue of a huge blessing of the limbs from your Lord which you won't trade even for millions of dollars. If you thank Allah, Allah will give you more. Be patient, nothing happen but for a good reason. Move on, don't make the life of those around you miserable, make lots of du'a and just wait for that good thing to fall on your lap. It will come sooner than you think and most of the time in a very unexpected way, although sometimes you may not notice it. Allah's reward is tremendous for the patient one. InshaAllah.
And Allah knows best.
May Allah give you tawfiq. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
No matter how good things get there are people who still only see the bad – and they go to great lengths to point it out to everyone around them. These are the complainers. A lot of people don't realize they are complainers. Complainers are complainers. You cannot cheer them up, you cannot suggest them solutions, you cannot ask them to pull themselves together, you cannot complain about them, you cannot complain along with them, you cannot ignore them, you cannot confront them. So what do you do? You sincerely say, "You know that sounds terrible. I don't know how you deal with all these problems!" You will find them say, "Well, it's really not that bad!" Remember, don’t be sarcastic when you say it. Be sincere.You don’t have to agree that these are huge problems. Even if everything the complainer says sounds trivial to you, remember that it feels like a huge problem to them or they wouldn’t go on about it. What seems trivial to one person can be a huge problem for others.
For the complainers, you need to learn to look at yourself in the mirror in a humble fashion. Look at the blessed you and think of the many people who are in worse situation than you. You hear about them everyday in the news, in your emails and you can see them around you too--poverty stricken, loss of limbs, orphans, refugees, homelessness, and just can't enumerate the entire examples here. When I was at the convention the other day, I saw a paraplegic (and came across him a few times) and I looked at my children and they looked back at me with a look of someone who knew what I was going to say to them if I were to say it--be grateful, don't complain.
So be thankful to Allah that you are able to stand up and look at yourself in the mirror, by virtue of a huge blessing of the limbs from your Lord which you won't trade even for millions of dollars. If you thank Allah, Allah will give you more. Be patient, nothing happen but for a good reason. Move on, don't make the life of those around you miserable, make lots of du'a and just wait for that good thing to fall on your lap. It will come sooner than you think and most of the time in a very unexpected way, although sometimes you may not notice it. Allah's reward is tremendous for the patient one. InshaAllah.
And Allah knows best.
May Allah give you tawfiq. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Wassalaam
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
A Deep Relationship
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah , Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Alhamdulillah, my children and I had an an exhilarating weekend at the Reviving the Islamic Spirit conference in Long Beach, California, mashaAllah. For those who couldn't make it this time, inshaAllah you will be able to take your family to this convention next year. You learn a lot from this type of Islamic conference, if nothing else, you are in the company of many good and knowledgeable people, which is in itself a great boost to your Iman--which money can't buy!
Many of the things I heard were nothing new, and I am sure some of you who attended, feel the same, but we need to hear them over and over again. Our lives are full of repeats--albeit good or bad--but we don't mind repeating them. We have more than one child (that's a repeat), we choose the "wrong" spouse or friends more than once, we drive to work and back following the same route, we go to the same place for vacation. But when it comes to the deen and learning the deen, we don't like to repeat. When was the last time you learn how to pray or learn about prayers? For many people they never actually learn the prayers but simply follow the acts of others.
Qur'an is full of repetition. We are commanded to pray five times a day (but we can pray more if we desire nearness to Allah.) Why? Because we tend to forget a lot. Repetition is good for us so we are reminded of Allah when we forget.
One of the speakers at the conference talked about our responsibility in this life. Our foremost and important responsibility is to recognize Allah. Our relationship with Allah is not a few moments of worship but a deep relationship. We should strive to have this relationship with Allah, our Lord. The only way to have this deep relationship is through knowledge of Him. How can you know Him without learning and knowing His names and attributes? When you know Allah, you will love Him and all other love is subject to His love. You will want to do everything to please Him. Remember the sweetness of love that you experience with your spouse at one time? You have so much energy, nothing tires you for the sake of your love, everything is sweet. But when the honeymoon is over, the sweetness started to fade away and it becomes a normal thing, you take each other for granted, and for some it turns bitter. Not with Allah, if you fill your heart with the love of Allah, the sweetness stays and in fact it gets sweeter and sweeter, and He gives more and more. Your soul is always tranquil no matter what you experience outwardly.
May Allah brings us closer to Him and grant us that peace and tranquility in our hearts. 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.
Alhamdulillah, my children and I had an an exhilarating weekend at the Reviving the Islamic Spirit conference in Long Beach, California, mashaAllah. For those who couldn't make it this time, inshaAllah you will be able to take your family to this convention next year. You learn a lot from this type of Islamic conference, if nothing else, you are in the company of many good and knowledgeable people, which is in itself a great boost to your Iman--which money can't buy!
Many of the things I heard were nothing new, and I am sure some of you who attended, feel the same, but we need to hear them over and over again. Our lives are full of repeats--albeit good or bad--but we don't mind repeating them. We have more than one child (that's a repeat), we choose the "wrong" spouse or friends more than once, we drive to work and back following the same route, we go to the same place for vacation. But when it comes to the deen and learning the deen, we don't like to repeat. When was the last time you learn how to pray or learn about prayers? For many people they never actually learn the prayers but simply follow the acts of others.
Qur'an is full of repetition. We are commanded to pray five times a day (but we can pray more if we desire nearness to Allah.) Why? Because we tend to forget a lot. Repetition is good for us so we are reminded of Allah when we forget.
One of the speakers at the conference talked about our responsibility in this life. Our foremost and important responsibility is to recognize Allah. Our relationship with Allah is not a few moments of worship but a deep relationship. We should strive to have this relationship with Allah, our Lord. The only way to have this deep relationship is through knowledge of Him. How can you know Him without learning and knowing His names and attributes? When you know Allah, you will love Him and all other love is subject to His love. You will want to do everything to please Him. Remember the sweetness of love that you experience with your spouse at one time? You have so much energy, nothing tires you for the sake of your love, everything is sweet. But when the honeymoon is over, the sweetness started to fade away and it becomes a normal thing, you take each other for granted, and for some it turns bitter. Not with Allah, if you fill your heart with the love of Allah, the sweetness stays and in fact it gets sweeter and sweeter, and He gives more and more. Your soul is always tranquil no matter what you experience outwardly.
May Allah brings us closer to Him and grant us that peace and tranquility in our hearts. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)