بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Things don't go on our timetable. You wait and be angry or you wait and be patient. Either way you have to wait. You either make yourself miserable by being angry or you make yourself strong by being patient while you wait. The amount of work is the same.
After I was cheated by a taxi driver a few weeks ago, I shy away from taking taxis. I take buses instead especially if I am not in a hurry and actually there is nothing to hurry except to hurry to get out of the intense heat. May Allah saves us from the Fire.
The other day I was going to take a bus to go to downtown Cairo to renew our visas. So many buses passed by, unfortunately we were not fast enough to read the bus numbers in Arabic to stop the buses! Rather than risking not getting our visas the same day and getting ourselves soaked with sweat in the intense heat, I decided to take a taxi. I'd make sure that the taxi driver agreed on the fare in advance to avoid being cheated again. But every taxi would not take us for the fare I offered, which was actually the going fare, and I wouldn't pay more, not because I could not afford the extra few dollars but I did not want to support greedy people or people who take advantage of people. So I passed one taxi after another.
There was this taxi that suddenly stopped in front of us. I walked over to the taxi and asked him if he would take us to Cairo for the same fare I told all the other taxis. He said yes, inshaAllah, and so we got in the taxi. Soon I realized he was one of the earlier taxis that I had stopped a few minutes ago. I said "SubhanAllah" and couldn't help it but laugh. He noticed that I realized who he was and smiled. He had Qur'an playing during the entire trip. MashaAllah. I gathered he was quite religious. You can tell also because he didn't smoke, his taxi was clean and smell good, as my sons noticed.
We had our visas done in record speed! MashaAllah, la hawla wala quwwata illa billah.
May Allah guide us. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Friday, July 30, 2010
Aiming For That Big Prize!
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In The Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Of all the common discomfort in our lives is being in the heat. When you are in 113° F (45° C) + for days and nights, what do you do? Find AC, fans or go in or under a shade? What happen when you don't have any of those? Maybe you are in a desert and there are no trees. Maybe you can't afford AC or fans, or maybe you have them but there is no electricity--maybe the whole city lost power because it can't handle the high usage or someone ran into the power pole and cause the blackouts! It is a common occurrence living in the African desert. SubhanAllah. Nothing you experience in life, good or bad, is without a purpose if only you reflect.
People usually become impatient when they are faced with discomfort or problems. Likewise, people often forget to thank Allah in good times. If you are alone, who is there to remind you all these? You have to tell yourself often, "I am not going to fail this test!" And be prepared for the next test which can be harder. But if you surround yourself with righteous people, it would be easier for you. You go through good and bad times the same. You find happiness in both. You are content in both. You remind each other of the favors of Allah. You remind each other of patience. You remind each other of that big prize you are aiming for!
"(Some) faces on that day shall be bright, looking to their Lord. And (other) faces on that day shall be gloomy, knowing that there will be made to befall them some great calamity." Al-Qiyaamah 75:22-25
May Allah grant us much patience to go through this life and make us His thankful slave. Ameen. Please remember 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.
Of all the common discomfort in our lives is being in the heat. When you are in 113° F (45° C) + for days and nights, what do you do? Find AC, fans or go in or under a shade? What happen when you don't have any of those? Maybe you are in a desert and there are no trees. Maybe you can't afford AC or fans, or maybe you have them but there is no electricity--maybe the whole city lost power because it can't handle the high usage or someone ran into the power pole and cause the blackouts! It is a common occurrence living in the African desert. SubhanAllah. Nothing you experience in life, good or bad, is without a purpose if only you reflect.
People usually become impatient when they are faced with discomfort or problems. Likewise, people often forget to thank Allah in good times. If you are alone, who is there to remind you all these? You have to tell yourself often, "I am not going to fail this test!" And be prepared for the next test which can be harder. But if you surround yourself with righteous people, it would be easier for you. You go through good and bad times the same. You find happiness in both. You are content in both. You remind each other of the favors of Allah. You remind each other of patience. You remind each other of that big prize you are aiming for!
"(Some) faces on that day shall be bright, looking to their Lord. And (other) faces on that day shall be gloomy, knowing that there will be made to befall them some great calamity." Al-Qiyaamah 75:22-25
May Allah grant us much patience to go through this life and make us His thankful slave. Ameen. Please remember us in your night prayers. JazakAllahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Monday, July 26, 2010
Your Clock Is Ticking
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that that you are well.
Say "If you do love Allah, follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins; for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." Qur'an AleImran 3:31
When you love somebody, you would put them in high esteem, think about them a lot, you would sacrifice yourself for them. So love is not lip service, not something you can just claim how you feel. There is no love without giving. Love is not an abstract feeling, but a feeling and an action.
'Umar ibn Al-Khattab, Allah be pleased with him, loved the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, very much and one day he told the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, "O Messenger of Allah, I love you more than everything except myself." The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, told him, "Not until you love me more than yourself." 'Umar came back and said, "O Messenger of Allah, now I love you more than everything including myself." With that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him, "Now you have attained a complete faith."
If you love the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, you would consider his sunnah to be more important than your own interest and when the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, ask to do something in the hadith you would be willing to do it regardless of what people think of you. You should not just think the sunnah as the outward sunnah but also how the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant peace, lived his life. He lived his life being an example, teaching and fighting in the way of Allah.
In order to know about the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, you have to put time learning Islam. People often complain about not having the time to study the religion, not even to go to weekly Islamic study groups at the masjid or yearly Islamic conventions because they are busy (you name it what they are busy about), busy working, working hard for time is difficult. But this is not an excuse.
As Muslims, you need to work for this life and work for the next life. You cannot do for one and forget the other. You need to do for both. So you have to work harder. In order to succeed, you have to cut your sleep, you have to cut your entertainment and idle time, you have to stay away from arguing, fighting, backbiting and gossiping. A Muslim can't afford to waste time. Allah already ordained the exact amount of time you are in this world. Your clock is ticking. Every minute that passes by, you are that much closer to death--to meeting your Creator. What have you prepared for that moment?
May Allah bless our time and only take us at the highest of Iman. 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 that you are well.
Say "If you do love Allah, follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins; for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." Qur'an AleImran 3:31
When you love somebody, you would put them in high esteem, think about them a lot, you would sacrifice yourself for them. So love is not lip service, not something you can just claim how you feel. There is no love without giving. Love is not an abstract feeling, but a feeling and an action.
'Umar ibn Al-Khattab, Allah be pleased with him, loved the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, very much and one day he told the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, "O Messenger of Allah, I love you more than everything except myself." The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, told him, "Not until you love me more than yourself." 'Umar came back and said, "O Messenger of Allah, now I love you more than everything including myself." With that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him, "Now you have attained a complete faith."
If you love the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, you would consider his sunnah to be more important than your own interest and when the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, ask to do something in the hadith you would be willing to do it regardless of what people think of you. You should not just think the sunnah as the outward sunnah but also how the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant peace, lived his life. He lived his life being an example, teaching and fighting in the way of Allah.
In order to know about the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, you have to put time learning Islam. People often complain about not having the time to study the religion, not even to go to weekly Islamic study groups at the masjid or yearly Islamic conventions because they are busy (you name it what they are busy about), busy working, working hard for time is difficult. But this is not an excuse.
As Muslims, you need to work for this life and work for the next life. You cannot do for one and forget the other. You need to do for both. So you have to work harder. In order to succeed, you have to cut your sleep, you have to cut your entertainment and idle time, you have to stay away from arguing, fighting, backbiting and gossiping. A Muslim can't afford to waste time. Allah already ordained the exact amount of time you are in this world. Your clock is ticking. Every minute that passes by, you are that much closer to death--to meeting your Creator. What have you prepared for that moment?
May Allah bless our time and only take us at the highest of Iman. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Your Attitude
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 good and bad in every place. If you look for good, you will find good. If you look for bad, you will find bad. It boils down to your attitude.
We always thought of having a system is good. Everybody loves USA for its system. Everything seems to run like clock work--consistent, predictable and efficient. If you go to the Department of Motor Vehicles to register your car tomorrow, you can expect there are people working behind the desk to help you, the same way they were there yesterday or the year before. You plan your day without contingencies because you have complete faith in the system.
But having a system is not necessarily good. No human system is perfect. It works sometimes. It doesn't work sometimes. It may work for some, it may not work for some other. Sometimes no system is better.
This foreign place is notorious for not having any system (they say the system here is no system) but it works for millions of people and it works for me. For example, I can wait for a bus anywhere I want and I can tell the driver to stop anywhere I want (along the bus route). I cannot imagine we can do this in the good USA. If the bus driver did this, the police will ticket the bus driver for traffic violation and he will have to pay a hefty fine and penalty! And if I wanted to take a bus, I would have to drive to the designated bus stop!
So who need the system, fancy bus stop, well paved roads, state of the art bridges--who is paying for it? The people. When the people have to pay for the people's convenience and comfort, they have to work and the more convenience and the more comfort people want, the more they have to pay, and the harder they have to work to pay. And who lose? The souls.
May Allah grant us good in this world and the next and protect us from the Hellfire. 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.
There is good and bad in every place. If you look for good, you will find good. If you look for bad, you will find bad. It boils down to your attitude.
We always thought of having a system is good. Everybody loves USA for its system. Everything seems to run like clock work--consistent, predictable and efficient. If you go to the Department of Motor Vehicles to register your car tomorrow, you can expect there are people working behind the desk to help you, the same way they were there yesterday or the year before. You plan your day without contingencies because you have complete faith in the system.
But having a system is not necessarily good. No human system is perfect. It works sometimes. It doesn't work sometimes. It may work for some, it may not work for some other. Sometimes no system is better.
This foreign place is notorious for not having any system (they say the system here is no system) but it works for millions of people and it works for me. For example, I can wait for a bus anywhere I want and I can tell the driver to stop anywhere I want (along the bus route). I cannot imagine we can do this in the good USA. If the bus driver did this, the police will ticket the bus driver for traffic violation and he will have to pay a hefty fine and penalty! And if I wanted to take a bus, I would have to drive to the designated bus stop!
So who need the system, fancy bus stop, well paved roads, state of the art bridges--who is paying for it? The people. When the people have to pay for the people's convenience and comfort, they have to work and the more convenience and the more comfort people want, the more they have to pay, and the harder they have to work to pay. And who lose? The souls.
May Allah grant us good in this world and the next and protect us from the Hellfire. Ameen. Please keep us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Surrounded With People
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
No matter which corner of the earth you live in--you are surrounded with people--all kinds of people--good people, bad people, people who make you smile, people who make you cry, people who comfort you, people who stress you out, people who make you happy, people who make you angry, people who bug you, people who make you feel safe, people who take the wits out of you, people who are generous to you, people who take advantage of you, people who don't think of you, people who take you for granted...
You can't get away from these people even if you try to or want to, you can't hide yourself. There are times you just want to be alone--away from everybody even from your loved ones--but you can't especially those who depend on you, although they sometimes pretend like they don't need you or appreciate you.
They are all there--it's a matter of degree. But know that Allah sends all these people to you and they are there for your good--it is up to you to see it, and thank your Lord whether you see it or not.
If you are alone, don't be sad or feel lonely. Be grateful that Allah gives you this time alone. This is your time to draw near to Him, not TV or world news or one round of cigarette--pick up that Qur'an, soothe yourself with a few verses. If you are awakened in the middle of the night, take wudu' and worship your Lord.
May Allah bring us closer to Him and not leave us alone even for a blink of an eye. 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.
No matter which corner of the earth you live in--you are surrounded with people--all kinds of people--good people, bad people, people who make you smile, people who make you cry, people who comfort you, people who stress you out, people who make you happy, people who make you angry, people who bug you, people who make you feel safe, people who take the wits out of you, people who are generous to you, people who take advantage of you, people who don't think of you, people who take you for granted...
You can't get away from these people even if you try to or want to, you can't hide yourself. There are times you just want to be alone--away from everybody even from your loved ones--but you can't especially those who depend on you, although they sometimes pretend like they don't need you or appreciate you.
They are all there--it's a matter of degree. But know that Allah sends all these people to you and they are there for your good--it is up to you to see it, and thank your Lord whether you see it or not.
If you are alone, don't be sad or feel lonely. Be grateful that Allah gives you this time alone. This is your time to draw near to Him, not TV or world news or one round of cigarette--pick up that Qur'an, soothe yourself with a few verses. If you are awakened in the middle of the night, take wudu' and worship your Lord.
May Allah bring us closer to Him and not leave us alone even for a blink of an eye. Ameen. Please keep us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Birds of a Feather Flock Together
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Islam taught us many things but if we apply even a fraction of what we know, life would be wonderful for us and people around us. Just take for example this one hadith:
"None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." (related by al-Bukhari an Muslim)
How many of us practice this? For most people, their lives only center around themselves and perhaps it extended to their immediate family members, perhaps a little further or to their best friends, but so many people not even to their own immediate family members, let alone other people or people they don't know. This is not surprising at all...for people are mostly selfish. But if you are in the company of people who do practice this hadith, this is the true meaning of life. How do you find these people? There are all over but you have to be one of them to find them. Birds of a feather flock together they say. May Allah take us to them. 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.
Islam taught us many things but if we apply even a fraction of what we know, life would be wonderful for us and people around us. Just take for example this one hadith:
"None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." (related by al-Bukhari an Muslim)
How many of us practice this? For most people, their lives only center around themselves and perhaps it extended to their immediate family members, perhaps a little further or to their best friends, but so many people not even to their own immediate family members, let alone other people or people they don't know. This is not surprising at all...for people are mostly selfish. But if you are in the company of people who do practice this hadith, this is the true meaning of life. How do you find these people? There are all over but you have to be one of them to find them. Birds of a feather flock together they say. May Allah take us to them. Ameen.
Please keep us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
When You Are Cheated
بسم اللخ الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
Like one of my dear friends said, if Allah wants me to have my lost baggage, He will return it to me. Alhamdulillah, last night I received a message that baggage has been found and waiting for me at the airport. They would not send the baggage to my place. But, that was quite alright because the airport is about 15 minutes away from my place (if taxi drivers don't cheat!). So I got a taxi and went to the airport this afternoon with my son and my friend and we got there in good time and only cost us a few dollars Alhamdulillah. When we arrived, I thought it would be a simple show your passport and take your bag deal. No! It was an unbelievably long process--it was almost like flying all over again except there was no aircraft. SubhanAllah.
Up to a certain point my friend and my son had to stay behind. There was a young Polish lady (non Muslim) who was in transit who lost her baggage in Bahrain. She sat waiting and walking around the airport with me to get to our luggage. She was afraid to be by herself. I asked her what she was afraid of. She said Muslim men! SubhanAllah. I said "me too but only those who don't practice." While we were walking outside of the airport building she asked me if I didn't feel hot in my abaya and my hijab. I said no and told her that actually it was cooler for the body covered than exposed. She said she would buy some abayas for herself. We had a long conversation about people. She typed her name and her email address on my phone and asked me to write to her.
It was night by the time we received our baggage. She clearly was afraid to take a taxi by herself and asked if we could accompany her to the hotel where she was staying. We said yes, of course. As we were waiting for a taxi, there was a shuttle marked with the name of the hotel where she stayed. So we waived for the shuttle and it stopped for her.
We then got in a taxi. The driver asked us how much we wanted to pay him. My friend said we followed the meter and so he turned on the meter. Soon I realized that we were going in circles and so did my friend and my son! My friend was quite upset by this time and confronted him. I told her not say anything until we got down and make sure we got off farther away from my place. It took him more than an hour to take us from the airport to my place when it should only take about 15 minutes--with 3 times the regular fare shown on the meter! I asked my friend before we pay to ask him if he wanted halal money, I'd would pay him what was fair, but if he wanted haram money, I'd give him what was shown on the meter.
When we got out of the taxi, I asked my son, who was ready to explode, to keep silent and move away with my luggage. My friend proceeded to the passenger side of the taxi and asked the driver if he is a Muslim. He said yes. My friend asked him if he prayed Maghrib yet. He said no. My friend asked him if he knew what time 'Isha is. He said he didn't know. My friend asked him if he took us on a long route and drove us through the same road more than once. He said no and he swore. So my friend put the first 1/3 of the money on the passenger seat and said to him--"this belongs to you." Then she placed another 1/3 and said "this belongs to her." Then she placed another 1/3 and said, "this is haram for you." He looked at us dumbfounded and we walked away. He drove away. I told my son, who was quite upset by the whole idea that the taxi driver cheated us and I prevented him from "taking action", that it was not our money and it was a good tarbiyah for him and let him think when he heard the 'Isha adhan, which came on as we walked away. Perhaps he would stop and pray at the masjid. InshaAllah. And we forgave him.
May Allah guide him and guide us and forgive him and forgive us. 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
Like one of my dear friends said, if Allah wants me to have my lost baggage, He will return it to me. Alhamdulillah, last night I received a message that baggage has been found and waiting for me at the airport. They would not send the baggage to my place. But, that was quite alright because the airport is about 15 minutes away from my place (if taxi drivers don't cheat!). So I got a taxi and went to the airport this afternoon with my son and my friend and we got there in good time and only cost us a few dollars Alhamdulillah. When we arrived, I thought it would be a simple show your passport and take your bag deal. No! It was an unbelievably long process--it was almost like flying all over again except there was no aircraft. SubhanAllah.
Up to a certain point my friend and my son had to stay behind. There was a young Polish lady (non Muslim) who was in transit who lost her baggage in Bahrain. She sat waiting and walking around the airport with me to get to our luggage. She was afraid to be by herself. I asked her what she was afraid of. She said Muslim men! SubhanAllah. I said "me too but only those who don't practice." While we were walking outside of the airport building she asked me if I didn't feel hot in my abaya and my hijab. I said no and told her that actually it was cooler for the body covered than exposed. She said she would buy some abayas for herself. We had a long conversation about people. She typed her name and her email address on my phone and asked me to write to her.
It was night by the time we received our baggage. She clearly was afraid to take a taxi by herself and asked if we could accompany her to the hotel where she was staying. We said yes, of course. As we were waiting for a taxi, there was a shuttle marked with the name of the hotel where she stayed. So we waived for the shuttle and it stopped for her.
We then got in a taxi. The driver asked us how much we wanted to pay him. My friend said we followed the meter and so he turned on the meter. Soon I realized that we were going in circles and so did my friend and my son! My friend was quite upset by this time and confronted him. I told her not say anything until we got down and make sure we got off farther away from my place. It took him more than an hour to take us from the airport to my place when it should only take about 15 minutes--with 3 times the regular fare shown on the meter! I asked my friend before we pay to ask him if he wanted halal money, I'd would pay him what was fair, but if he wanted haram money, I'd give him what was shown on the meter.
When we got out of the taxi, I asked my son, who was ready to explode, to keep silent and move away with my luggage. My friend proceeded to the passenger side of the taxi and asked the driver if he is a Muslim. He said yes. My friend asked him if he prayed Maghrib yet. He said no. My friend asked him if he knew what time 'Isha is. He said he didn't know. My friend asked him if he took us on a long route and drove us through the same road more than once. He said no and he swore. So my friend put the first 1/3 of the money on the passenger seat and said to him--"this belongs to you." Then she placed another 1/3 and said "this belongs to her." Then she placed another 1/3 and said, "this is haram for you." He looked at us dumbfounded and we walked away. He drove away. I told my son, who was quite upset by the whole idea that the taxi driver cheated us and I prevented him from "taking action", that it was not our money and it was a good tarbiyah for him and let him think when he heard the 'Isha adhan, which came on as we walked away. Perhaps he would stop and pray at the masjid. InshaAllah. And we forgave him.
May Allah guide him and guide us and forgive him and forgive us. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Stuck in a Marriage
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Sometimes you are "stuck" in a marriage where it seems that everything you do for your spouse was never good enough. There was always something wrong with you. Know that some people see things in terms of the cup is half empty rather than the cup is half full. This could be the underlying problem.
Read this story. It was passed down from an old grandmother to her granddaughter and to me--a real story. Perhaps you have heard this story but good to hear it again. InshaAllah it is of benefit.
A lady was married to someone she didn't love. She did everything to keep him away from her but he was patient. One day, she burned the rice dish on purpose and served it to her husband. She expected her husband to be angry but her husband said, "what an aromatic rice this is!" and he ate the rice. The next day she cooked the rice with a lot of water until it became soupy and served it to her husband. The husband said, "hmm, this rice is easy to swallow!" and swallowed it. The next day she served him with a half way cooked rice. "hmm, this will fill me up for a while!" and he ate it. With that the wife realized that her husband is a good man and stayed with him, and they had many children together.
It is very rare to find a "perfect wife" or a "perfect husband." And remember, you married your spouse. So you have to work a little harder to keep your marriage especially if you have children (unless it is for certain that it is more detrimental for your children to stay--typically when there is constant abuse.) One wise man said, the chances of finding a better spouse than the one you have is 1 out of 3. The other 2 could be the same or worse. So if you don't want to risk getting a spouse who is worse than the one you have, you have no choice but to be patient. Find all the excuses in the world for your spouse whether you love your spouse or not, whether you think your spouse is good or not. You will come out the happy one. Always ask Allah to help you and your spouse. Allah will make a way out of the situation for you. InshaAllah.
May Allah grant us peace and tranquility. 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.
Sometimes you are "stuck" in a marriage where it seems that everything you do for your spouse was never good enough. There was always something wrong with you. Know that some people see things in terms of the cup is half empty rather than the cup is half full. This could be the underlying problem.
Read this story. It was passed down from an old grandmother to her granddaughter and to me--a real story. Perhaps you have heard this story but good to hear it again. InshaAllah it is of benefit.
A lady was married to someone she didn't love. She did everything to keep him away from her but he was patient. One day, she burned the rice dish on purpose and served it to her husband. She expected her husband to be angry but her husband said, "what an aromatic rice this is!" and he ate the rice. The next day she cooked the rice with a lot of water until it became soupy and served it to her husband. The husband said, "hmm, this rice is easy to swallow!" and swallowed it. The next day she served him with a half way cooked rice. "hmm, this will fill me up for a while!" and he ate it. With that the wife realized that her husband is a good man and stayed with him, and they had many children together.
It is very rare to find a "perfect wife" or a "perfect husband." And remember, you married your spouse. So you have to work a little harder to keep your marriage especially if you have children (unless it is for certain that it is more detrimental for your children to stay--typically when there is constant abuse.) One wise man said, the chances of finding a better spouse than the one you have is 1 out of 3. The other 2 could be the same or worse. So if you don't want to risk getting a spouse who is worse than the one you have, you have no choice but to be patient. Find all the excuses in the world for your spouse whether you love your spouse or not, whether you think your spouse is good or not. You will come out the happy one. Always ask Allah to help you and your spouse. Allah will make a way out of the situation for you. InshaAllah.
May Allah grant us peace and tranquility. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Monday, July 12, 2010
People Do Look At Us
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
It was 9 o'clock in the morning and I was still packing for our travel. I had stopped packing at 3 a.m. and went to sleep because I could hardly stand up anymore--I hardly had more than 3 hours of sleep every night for several weeks prior to that day! When I woke up at 4 a.m. for the night prayer, my son was still busy scanning some final papers for me and he told me he hadn't slept.
Our flight was scheduled to depart from LAX at 4pm that day. I asked my son to get some sleep. We had some time to get what I need to do before we had to go to the airport. My dear friend whose home we stayed at for the night had finished cooking breakfast in the kitchen and had called out for us to eat. I was then checking my email and there it was, an email from the airline re my itinerary. To my surprise the flight from LAX was changed to 12:30pm from 4pm, 3.5 hours earlier!
I rushed my kids to quickly take their shower because we had to leave immediately. We had only 3 hours before the flight leaves! And the airport was more than an hour away without traffic. Alhamdulillah we decided to take up my friend's offer to spend the night at her home which is about half way between my house and the airport! Alhamdulillah, we did not encounter the normal rush hour traffic on the way to the airport and we arrived at the airport at 10:30 a.m. We should have just enough time to check in. But we couldn't self-check in because of security issues and the only person who could help us with this issue was busy with another family. After waiting for about an hour, I started looking at the clock more often. It didn't seem like we were going to make it. It was almost 12 noon and they hadn't finished. It would be an impossibility to make it to our 12:30 pm flight and if we missed this flight we would missed all the connecting flights!
What do you do? My boys looked at me and I looked at them, the clock was ticking. I then said, "Well...He knows and He wills! Make du'a! InshaAllah, we will make it."
Finally, the people in front of us stepped aside and the airline rep told me to wait for 15 minutes to take his lunch break. I said, "O please, our flight is at 12:30pm!" He was nice enough to continue working. Alhamdulillah. When he looked at my self-checkin reject paper, he said---"this is a difficult one!" (meaning it has to go a long process to try to get clearance). "Why so?" I asked. He said "Yours are the same as the people before you and we had to refer theirs."
He was quite optimistic and efficient though. He said, "I will do my best and while we wait, we will weigh the bags and when the clearance come we only need to tag them." He kept praising my boys who were working together with me and him with the bags while he diligently checked the computer screen for security clearance. By the time we got to the last bag he announced the good news and he quickly tagged our bags. Now it was time to access the excess baggage (3 extra!). He charged me very little on the excess baggage. I said, "thank you but why are you giving me a break?" He said, "because you and your sons waited for a long time and that is not right. I don't know anything about Islam, but I think you and your family are good people." He asked us to follow him to the security so we could get to the gate quickly as the plane was about to depart. I gave him my book, "Reflections of a Wayfarer," and he thanked me for the surprise gift and said he would definitely read it.
I tell you this story to illustrate how other people look at us. If we want to represent Islam well, we need to act well, especially in public. People do look at us. If you carry Muslim names or wear hijab, you are not free to do what you want. You must make sure you behave well in public because if you don't, you have done a great disservice to Islam. The people ahead of us were arguing and impatient. They were Muslims but the ladies didn't wear hijab.
May Allah make us among the people of noble character. 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.
It was 9 o'clock in the morning and I was still packing for our travel. I had stopped packing at 3 a.m. and went to sleep because I could hardly stand up anymore--I hardly had more than 3 hours of sleep every night for several weeks prior to that day! When I woke up at 4 a.m. for the night prayer, my son was still busy scanning some final papers for me and he told me he hadn't slept.
Our flight was scheduled to depart from LAX at 4pm that day. I asked my son to get some sleep. We had some time to get what I need to do before we had to go to the airport. My dear friend whose home we stayed at for the night had finished cooking breakfast in the kitchen and had called out for us to eat. I was then checking my email and there it was, an email from the airline re my itinerary. To my surprise the flight from LAX was changed to 12:30pm from 4pm, 3.5 hours earlier!
I rushed my kids to quickly take their shower because we had to leave immediately. We had only 3 hours before the flight leaves! And the airport was more than an hour away without traffic. Alhamdulillah we decided to take up my friend's offer to spend the night at her home which is about half way between my house and the airport! Alhamdulillah, we did not encounter the normal rush hour traffic on the way to the airport and we arrived at the airport at 10:30 a.m. We should have just enough time to check in. But we couldn't self-check in because of security issues and the only person who could help us with this issue was busy with another family. After waiting for about an hour, I started looking at the clock more often. It didn't seem like we were going to make it. It was almost 12 noon and they hadn't finished. It would be an impossibility to make it to our 12:30 pm flight and if we missed this flight we would missed all the connecting flights!
What do you do? My boys looked at me and I looked at them, the clock was ticking. I then said, "Well...He knows and He wills! Make du'a! InshaAllah, we will make it."
Finally, the people in front of us stepped aside and the airline rep told me to wait for 15 minutes to take his lunch break. I said, "O please, our flight is at 12:30pm!" He was nice enough to continue working. Alhamdulillah. When he looked at my self-checkin reject paper, he said---"this is a difficult one!" (meaning it has to go a long process to try to get clearance). "Why so?" I asked. He said "Yours are the same as the people before you and we had to refer theirs."
He was quite optimistic and efficient though. He said, "I will do my best and while we wait, we will weigh the bags and when the clearance come we only need to tag them." He kept praising my boys who were working together with me and him with the bags while he diligently checked the computer screen for security clearance. By the time we got to the last bag he announced the good news and he quickly tagged our bags. Now it was time to access the excess baggage (3 extra!). He charged me very little on the excess baggage. I said, "thank you but why are you giving me a break?" He said, "because you and your sons waited for a long time and that is not right. I don't know anything about Islam, but I think you and your family are good people." He asked us to follow him to the security so we could get to the gate quickly as the plane was about to depart. I gave him my book, "Reflections of a Wayfarer," and he thanked me for the surprise gift and said he would definitely read it.
I tell you this story to illustrate how other people look at us. If we want to represent Islam well, we need to act well, especially in public. People do look at us. If you carry Muslim names or wear hijab, you are not free to do what you want. You must make sure you behave well in public because if you don't, you have done a great disservice to Islam. The people ahead of us were arguing and impatient. They were Muslims but the ladies didn't wear hijab.
May Allah make us among the people of noble character. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Total Submission
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Our life is all about submission to our Creator. It is about being close to Allah. It is a tremendous goal of our lives to want to be close to Allah. Who else do you really have other than our Creator. He knows us inside out like no other can. He takes care of us like no other can. In the end we are going back to Him alone with no one. So why is He not our only goal in this life?
We are expected to submit to Allah's commands whether we know the "goodness" of the command or not. It is not acceptable for people to violate what Allah wants from us. Violating Allah's instructions is violating His purpose of creating us--i.e. to worship Him alone.
Violating Allah's commands has dreadful consequences. There are many warnings and examples in the Qur'an. Look at what happened to the people of Sabbath who were turned into monkeys.
"So when they forgot the remindings that had been given to them, We rescued those who forbade evil, but We seized those who did wrong with a severe torment because they used to rebel against Allah's command (disobey Allah). So when they exceeded the limits of what they were prohibited, We said to them: "Be you monkeys, despised and rejected." Qur'an Al-Araf 7:165
When we turned away from revelation and we take ourselves as source of right and wrong, then everything become corrupt.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked about what is righteousness and he, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Righteousness is what the soul finds peace in and what the heart finds peace in. Sin is what stirs in the soul and goes to and fro in the breast even if the people pronounce is okay."
Obviously, this is not for everyone. This is for someone who is fully aligned with the words of Allah. Someone who is fully aligned with Divine law, his heart is his guide. If your heart is not at peace, you realigned yourself with the words of Allah, through submission to Divine law, not twisting the revelation to suit you. You changed what and how you think and do to fit the revelation. When you do this you are like a plant placed in the garden after being locked up in a closet without sunlight. Everything is now flourishing again. Now you are a being with a functioning conscience. All your faculties are in place.
If we are not learned, we really don't know know whether our feelings are right or wrong until we ask the scholars. So knowledge of our religion is the first step to know what Allah wants from us.
May Allah guide us. 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.
Our life is all about submission to our Creator. It is about being close to Allah. It is a tremendous goal of our lives to want to be close to Allah. Who else do you really have other than our Creator. He knows us inside out like no other can. He takes care of us like no other can. In the end we are going back to Him alone with no one. So why is He not our only goal in this life?
We are expected to submit to Allah's commands whether we know the "goodness" of the command or not. It is not acceptable for people to violate what Allah wants from us. Violating Allah's instructions is violating His purpose of creating us--i.e. to worship Him alone.
Violating Allah's commands has dreadful consequences. There are many warnings and examples in the Qur'an. Look at what happened to the people of Sabbath who were turned into monkeys.
"So when they forgot the remindings that had been given to them, We rescued those who forbade evil, but We seized those who did wrong with a severe torment because they used to rebel against Allah's command (disobey Allah). So when they exceeded the limits of what they were prohibited, We said to them: "Be you monkeys, despised and rejected." Qur'an Al-Araf 7:165
When we turned away from revelation and we take ourselves as source of right and wrong, then everything become corrupt.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked about what is righteousness and he, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Righteousness is what the soul finds peace in and what the heart finds peace in. Sin is what stirs in the soul and goes to and fro in the breast even if the people pronounce is okay."
Obviously, this is not for everyone. This is for someone who is fully aligned with the words of Allah. Someone who is fully aligned with Divine law, his heart is his guide. If your heart is not at peace, you realigned yourself with the words of Allah, through submission to Divine law, not twisting the revelation to suit you. You changed what and how you think and do to fit the revelation. When you do this you are like a plant placed in the garden after being locked up in a closet without sunlight. Everything is now flourishing again. Now you are a being with a functioning conscience. All your faculties are in place.
If we are not learned, we really don't know know whether our feelings are right or wrong until we ask the scholars. So knowledge of our religion is the first step to know what Allah wants from us.
May Allah guide us. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Something Priceless
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيمQur;a
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Time is a blessing which many of us don't have. There are so many things to do in so little time. Sometimes life circumstance took our time away from the things we want to do now. Sometimes people make us wait for no apparent reason or simply because they are being slow or not as efficient as you are. Sometimes people lose our things and we have to spend time tracking them down and replacing them. We don't get crazy or upset over it as this will take more of our time. We stay cool. We just work the best way we can under those circumstance and re-adjust our plans if necessary. And, remember everything is from Allah. Nothing happens without His will and He knows what is best for us and He allowed it to happen because it is good for us. So be thankful.
The moments of your life that you spend in the best way is priceless. Any moment that is not spent in the optimal way is lost forever--cannot be recaptured--and you have lost the opportunity to be that much closer to Allah.
So watch how you spend your time and who you spend it with. Don't waste your time--even a moment. Make Qur'an your best companion and don't go anywhere without it.
I lost all my family's important personal documents (many of them cannot be replaced) during our recent travel. Due to the passage of time and other contents in the luggage, it is not likely that we will ever see them again but something happened as a result which is priceless! Do not doubt Allah's promise!
May Allah bless our time. Ameen. Please remember 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.
Time is a blessing which many of us don't have. There are so many things to do in so little time. Sometimes life circumstance took our time away from the things we want to do now. Sometimes people make us wait for no apparent reason or simply because they are being slow or not as efficient as you are. Sometimes people lose our things and we have to spend time tracking them down and replacing them. We don't get crazy or upset over it as this will take more of our time. We stay cool. We just work the best way we can under those circumstance and re-adjust our plans if necessary. And, remember everything is from Allah. Nothing happens without His will and He knows what is best for us and He allowed it to happen because it is good for us. So be thankful.
The moments of your life that you spend in the best way is priceless. Any moment that is not spent in the optimal way is lost forever--cannot be recaptured--and you have lost the opportunity to be that much closer to Allah.
So watch how you spend your time and who you spend it with. Don't waste your time--even a moment. Make Qur'an your best companion and don't go anywhere without it.
I lost all my family's important personal documents (many of them cannot be replaced) during our recent travel. Due to the passage of time and other contents in the luggage, it is not likely that we will ever see them again but something happened as a result which is priceless! Do not doubt Allah's promise!
May Allah bless our time. Ameen. Please remember us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Friday, July 2, 2010
Sweet Victory
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are very well.
When we are met with afflictions and difficulties, whether you saw them coming or they hit you by surprise, try remember this.
The Prophets were the most tested by Allah, and their tests were more severe than anyone of us are going through, perhaps more than many of us combined.
The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Tests come down upon a person that is loved by Allah, far quicker than the rain falls down on the ground."
Tests are there to purify the servant of all his sins in general but to draw him closer to Allah in particular. Because the more he gets tested the more he will long for Paradise where there will be no more tests. So afflictions and difficulties are indeed blessings from Allah. And we thank Allah for choosing us to draw close to Him.
Be patient, it will pass. You will get through this inshaAllah. "Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope..." Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:286
There is no victory without struggle. The harder the difficulties, the sweeter the victory.
May Allah make our tests our way to the highest levels of Paradise to dwell with the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and our loved ones. 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 very well.
When we are met with afflictions and difficulties, whether you saw them coming or they hit you by surprise, try remember this.
The Prophets were the most tested by Allah, and their tests were more severe than anyone of us are going through, perhaps more than many of us combined.
The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Tests come down upon a person that is loved by Allah, far quicker than the rain falls down on the ground."
Tests are there to purify the servant of all his sins in general but to draw him closer to Allah in particular. Because the more he gets tested the more he will long for Paradise where there will be no more tests. So afflictions and difficulties are indeed blessings from Allah. And we thank Allah for choosing us to draw close to Him.
Be patient, it will pass. You will get through this inshaAllah. "Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope..." Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:286
There is no victory without struggle. The harder the difficulties, the sweeter the victory.
May Allah make our tests our way to the highest levels of Paradise to dwell with the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and our loved ones. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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