Meaningful Words

Bismillah. For all the wonderful times where the right words get you at the right time. alhamdulillah.

Words from a wonderful sister, sister Yasmin Mogahed.

Know that the path to Allah is not a flat one. Your iman(faith) will go up and down. Your ability to worship will go up and down. But, know that for every dip, there is also a rise. Just stay patient, stay consistent, don't lose hope and seek help in Allah. The path is hard. The path will have bumps and drops. But, like all thing sin life, this path will come to an end. And that end will make it all worth it!

Allah says in the Quran: 

"Oh mankind, indeed you are ever toiling towards your Lord, painfully toiling...But you shall meet Him".- Chapter 84, Verse 6

Not By Our Measure

Never underestimate a deed, good or bad. Because we never know that seemingly small good deed or sunnah could be the reason why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grants us Jannah and we never know that seemingly insignificant bad deed/mistake/etc. could be the reason why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave us otherwise nauzubillah(may Allah protect us from that).

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us to be His slaves who are tireless in doing good deeds for His Pleasure alone and repent and learn from our mistakes/sins and do our best to make up for it. Ameen.

Today is a subtle invitation for us to change, and make a positive difference.

Bismillah.

I ask of you, dear reader, to read this thoroughly, visualize and practise.

"You begin to feel the urge to do something good. Then you begin to hear voices in your head, going at ten times the strength of your desire now. "What will the people say?", "I'm not that good anyway", "They will call me pious and start looking at me like a saint" , "My faith is not for display" and many many more. But realizing that this is the work of your enemy, you take a conscious action to seek refuge in The Protector as you visualize your passion igniting while your enemy gradually dissipates. You tell yourself, "I can make a difference today. I can make a difference today. I can make a difference today. For the sake of Allah. For the sake of Allah. For the sake of Allah. To seek His Pleasure alone."

Nothing's gonna stop you now, for you are doing this not for a creation but The Creator. With the strength you mustered, you took that step and never looked back. In the Name of Allah...

Repeat this to yourself.

Change begins with ME.

Change begins NOW.

Change begins as I take SMALL STEPS.

You don't have to necessarily make a big difference at one shot. because you can make millions of small differences anywhere your soul touches.

It may be insignificant in their eyes but it may just be the opposite in the sight of The Most Majestic.

This, like every other post, to myself first.

I'm Speaking to You, O Traveller

Imagine yourself as a traveller, on a journey. You have absolutely no idea how long this journey will take but you are very sure of your destination.
You know that no matter how many times you get lost, fail to ask for directions because you think you knew or stay immobile because you're just too tired or don't know what to do, you also know that there is something, much more greater than everything that's setting you back now, awaiting.
You know you're not alone on this journey, there are so many others who are heading towards the same destination. And the people around you, some are faster, some are a bit far behind. Are you going to continue walking alone? What if every difficulty faced can propel you nearer to your ultimate destination?

Keeping the Self Company

Tonight I am reminded of the times that I was alone

Where I felt truly alone

Many times messing up

Had tears to myself and the One who heard every trickle

Down each of my eye

Telling myself I had nothing to be drowning in sadness about

If I have all that I can ever need

What else would I die to have?

Even a shoulder gets tired after some time

But not that of the One who molded it

For that I am convinced and I believe

With every amount of energy I have been blessed with

To type these thoughts to tangible

That there is ease with every difficulty,

Solution for every confusion,

Wisdom for everything else I do not quite understand

So Merciful is He

Who wouldn't put us in a situation any greater than which we can bear

He knows, He knows

To think back

I was alone because everyone else isn't around and they were far

But our father Adam a.s. was the one and only human created then

How more lonely was he

Then who I am to complain

I don't mean to compare but

Theirs are stories for us set again,

For a purpose

At this page in your book you may still have blanks

And the page doesn't stay still it will keep turning

As you tread on this path of which you ask Him every day for it to be the straight one

Learn to trust Him whose promises are eternally true,

Learn to love the One whose love for you is unimaginably profuse.

All praises be to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Of Mixed Colors & Compassion

In light of recent "racial tension" spurred by my fellow Singaporeans, I would like to share this status update by bro Aiman Azlan on his Facebook page.

I always try to find ways to think good of people, even to those who apparently don't deserve it. Sometimes it's hard to make excuses for people, but I'll find a way.

I do that not for them, but for me. I know that my perception of them will affect how I will treat them. If I am to be compassionate in my treatment of others, I have to first be compassionate in my perception. 

Compassion is not weakness. Compassion is strength. 

 I personally find it challenging too, to practise husnuzhon(=sangka baik=think good of others) with all kinds of people in all kinds of situations but we have to keep trying again and again and train ourselves, as part of being a better Muslim as well insyaAllah.

May Allah subhnahu wa ta'ala guide us and grant us understanding. Ameen.

Gives Me Hope

Sometimes, it takes you to see someone being gifted the most precious gift that you realize and are reminded that you do have it too. And that gift that I'm referring to is Islam.

MasyaAllah, Allah swt guides whom He wills.
It is really heart-warming and refreshing to listen to and read of stories of reverts to Islam. How they discovered Islam, how Islam brings peace and serenity to their hearts and lives.

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/10/01/241253.html
This is an article regarding a French revert sister who used to be a rapper. She said that Islam was introduced to her by coincidence when she saw her Muslim friend praying. SubhanAllah, who knew right? That just by seeing someone fulfilling the commandment of solah(prayer), it can be a door of opportunity for dakwah!

Stories like these gives me hope, amidst the chaos and negativity surrounding Islam. Why? Because Allah swt works in amazing ways. By His Will, many more are receiving and returning to Islam. And I believe it's a sign for us all to be aware that it is not too late to turn to Him, even if we have failed many times. Because I have too.

Another thing that struck me was when she said in her TV interview that her "conversion to Islam was the result of a personal conviction, after understanding the religion and reading the Holy Quran."

Take note that she said AFTER understanding the religion and reading the Holy Quran.

As a born Muslim, do I even understand my own religion? Have I actually read the Quran, understood what it means and apply it to my life?
Am I being grateful to my Creator for the best and most precious gift that a human can ever have? Between my creation and my return to my Creator, what am I doing to please Him?

My dear sisters and brothers, let's start to establish our 5 daily prayers first. Learn, understand, practice. May Allah swt guide us all and make us among those who makes prayers the biggest priority in our daily lives and be submissive and tranquil in our prayers. Ameen.

You know you're gonna lose these.

It's very common to hear "You don't know what you've got till it's gone".
Someone I know commented that, the truth is, we do know, we just don't realize that we will lose it.

Thus a reality check for all of us:
Nothing in this world belongs to us. Not a thing, not status, not position, not money and property, not a person, not a lover. Whatever that we choose to hold in our hearts aside from the One who created it, just won't last. What we have now and what's in front of us will be gone from us one day and we'll be taken away from it. And our return is to Allah swt. And we belong to none but our Creator, Allah swt.

Let's be among those who are always grateful.

May Allah swt help us to remember Him, be grateful to Him through our hearts and actions manifested and worship Him in the best of manners. May He guide us all onto the straight path on which He will be pleased with. Ameen.

The One Who Loves You Most

I didn't do what she would be pleased with yet the way she received me when I reached home after class tonight in her loving manner is just like any other day.
A mother's love is apparent, and priceless.
How do you even repay.
You would cry for her to come to you, you needed her love and care at all times when you were little
She never complained.
Would you even bear to see a single tear down her face
That has aged with years after years
Of you that she raised.

A mother's love.

Just imagine.

If you could right now, you would do anything in your might to repay her love and kindness and make her the happiest woman right?

You would do anything for the one you love, who loves you.

Now pause.

What about the One who loves you and loves the person you love with a love greater, much much greater than a human love you can ever feel?

That is Allah SWT. He is ar-Rahman. He is ar-Rahim. He is al-Ghafur. He is al-'Afuw.
That's just 4 of the 99 attributes that describes the Greatness of Allah.

Remember this...
The love of Allah to His servants is greater than a mother's love to her child.
No one, no single human, loves you more, than Allah.

All we need at all times is complete trust in Allah, that He hears everything and He sees everything. We simply cannot imagine His attributes because it is in the way that describes His Supremacy and Greatness that is beyond human capacity. We are mere creatures. Only Him do we worship and only to Him do we seek help.

We need to go back to the Quran, just so badly. Urgently. Seriously.
I need to go back to the Quran, just so badly. Urgently. Seriously.

I pray that Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala will guide us all onto His straight path and keep us steadfast in this deen until the day that we meet Him. Ameen.

A Short Message from Us Sisters to All

Whether or not a Muslim sister wears the hijab, the niqab or not yet wearing the hijab, we're all in the midst of our respective journeys, towards the same destination, striving to be closer to Allah and be a better servant of Him. We shouldn't be judged by what we wear. If you find something wrong in the way we dress or the way we are as to how we dress, advice us, gently and kindly. If that seems unfeasible, then perhaps you should say nothing at all but remember to keep us in your duas. May Allah forgive us and guide us all. Amin.

Even if the situation that you are in is seemingly foggy and you can't help but wonder how and why, believe that there's a solution and there's even better plans to failed ones. Trust Allah.

Prophet Adam AS Part I

May peace be upon you.

I was inspired by a mosque youth's monthly sustenance program that recently featured the youth du'at(plural for daie> people who convey the message of Islam) presentatation on prophets Hud a.s., Adam a.s. and Yusuf a.s. and I thought of researching on them! As of what I've learnt, it is based on a lecture series of the lives of the prophets from Prophet Adam a.s all the way to Prophet Muhammad pbuh by Sheikh Shady AlSuleiman. It is really enlightening and well, mind-blowing if I may say. Alhamdulillah. There are possibly many more that I've yet known and if I do make any mistakes do point out. I hope to share this with all you readers, whoever you may be. May it be beneficial and may Allah ease us in our affairs. Amin.

This is a summary based on the first part of the video, the bulk of it touches on before the creation of Prophet Adam a.s.

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There were 124 000 prophets and messengers before Prophet Muhammad SAW

Of which 300 are messengers

25 prophets and messengers in Quran

Difference: messenger has a higher status than prophet, prophet followed a sacred book revealed to messenger; messenger given a certain dakwah task; prophet performs dakwah without a certain dakwah task

---every messenger is a prophet but not every prophet is a messenger--

Allah reveals stories of the prophets to Prophet Muhammad PBUH in the Quran to strengthen him, give him comfort. It also serves as a lesson and example for the believers.

Order of creation

The Pen(al-Qalam) under the order of Allah SWT, it writes everything that will happen then all the way till the Day of Judgement on the Luh Mahfuz(protected bode)

Then the Angels, whom have no desires, they only worship Allah SWT

Then Heavens and the Earth, in 6 days. Measurement of a day by Allah isn’t the same as our measurement which is 24 hours.

The dust, the sand on Saturday

The mountains, on Sunday

The trees, on Monday

Maqrub. Germs, atoms, on Tuesday

Light, on Wednesday

Animals, on Thursday

Prophet Adam, on Friday after Asr. Between asr and maghrib.

Before Adam A.S., jinn had lived 2000 years before Adam

Angels were created from light, jinn from flame, human beings from dust/mud

Jinns were very powerful but dumb. O snap.

Allah SWT created us because He wants to see His attributes on His servants like His Mercy, His Forgiveness, His Just-ness

Jinns and humans were created to worship Him not for any need of them for Him

Allah SWT created Adam from dusts from different parts of this world

That’s how descendants of Adam a.s. come in different colours, nature, thinking as they differ from the nature of the ground

Dust mixed with water> mud

Then Allah created Adam with His own hands, in a way that suits His Glory & Majesty. We cannot imagine His hands.

Allah created Adam in a form of a figure and then left him to his own.

Iblis was one of the jinn. The only good one out of the jinn was iblis.

Initially, Allah honoured iblis and elevated him to be in the heavens

Iblis saw that Adam is empty from inside and he kept looking at Adam

He saw that Adam was empty inside and wonders if Adam would be better than him and such.

Soul of Adam blown into Adam

When soul reach nose Adam he sneezed. Angels taught him to say “Alhamdulillah”.

When reach stomach he became hungry, he desired the fruits

Adam wanted to jump and reach for the fruits, despite his soul not yet reaching his legs!

We already submitted ourselves to Allah even before we existed Subhanallah!

Allah SWT ordered all beings including angels to prostrate to Adam

All prostrated except for iblis

Iblis’ arrogance. He thinks he’s better than Adam as he is created from flame than Adam who is created from dust.

He hates the human being. HE will do anything, all the way to the day of judgement, to stray us from the straight path to prove that he is better than human beings.

Those who fear Allah in the day and night, will be protected by Allah

Adam a.s was in the Heavens

Allah taught Adam a.s. everything b4 he experienced anything

.

Who is the happy one?

The happy person is he who loves to see others happy and be the one who makes them happy.
-Prof Dr Muhaya

Please Be Reminded

Allah is the most forgiving and His Forgiveness knows no limit
The default form that you are
sins after sins that you commit
Yet He is still there
Aren't you ashamed?
You say you won't do it again but are you dead serious about it
His Forgiveness isn't for us to take for granted
You give in to your desires
You give in to your enemy
Who has promised to the one God that he will lead you astray?
He wouldn't stop now, he will make you believe his lies and deception
Try to put you in contemplation
Make you doubt
Make you question
But havn't you heard the One True Revelation
That your God has promised to be a guide
And a shining light
An armor you should hold tight
A source of strength
To fight
The overwhelming desires of yourself, the persistent temptations and whispers that keep on coming day and night
What makes you believe
That you are guaranteed to live
Another day
On His Earth
Eating and drinking from His Provision,
Sitting in a comfortable sofa in your home in front of the television
Day and night goes pass and you stay like that stagnant
Have you no vision?
And a mission
To live a life worthy of provision
For the life that after comes after this
No, no one person will be missed
It's about time you give up some things
For the sake of your Lord
Who has given and been given you all
That you need
To succeed
So take heed,
Now, there's no tomorrow
That is guaranteed
Please seek forgiveness and forgive
Replace the bad done with good deeds
And be a Muslim who submits
Wholeheartedly and sincerely
For it is he who will succeed.

Being Steadfast After Ramadhan

May peace be upon you.

2 months have passed since Ramadhan.
How have you been?
Better? Worser?

How is your relationship with Allah as His servant?
How is your relationship with humans as a khalifah?
How is your love for Prophet Muhammad PBUH?

How is your five daily obligatory prayers?
Are they done on time, as early as possible, with khusyuk(tranquility)?

How is your relationship with the Quran? Do you read it once a day, twice a day, once a week, occasionally when you feel like it?
Do you make time to read and understand the book of Allah or do you try to squeeze it into your day?

Are you still practising those sunnah practises like you regularly did in Ramadhan?
Solat sunat qabliyah subuh(2 rak'ahs before Fajr prayer) or waking up barely minutes before sunrise? What about Duha prayer? Solat witir after Isyak prayer?

Are you more aware of yourself, your mind and your heart? 
"Change your thinking, change your life". Still practise self-auditory exercise? The 5 prescribed medicines of the heart, do you take heed? For a heart that fluctuates, do you still practise reciting, "Ya muqollibal qulub, tsabbit qalbi ala deenik"?

What do you do with your money?
Do you set aside a certain amount for your parents? Every time before or after you enter or leave the mosque, do you drop a few dollars into the mosque's donation box? Do you give a certain amount to children or elderly who needs it?

Do you remember death, the grave, the torment of the grave, the questioning in the grave, the crossing of the Siraatul Mustaqim, the gathering at Padang Mahsyar more?

How is your attitude and behaviour towards your family, friends, brothers and sisters, neighbours, classmates, adults, children, elderly, non-Muslims, animals? Are they all the same?

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Ramadhan may be over, but the Lord of Ramdhan and all the other months is still here, and still near. As each day passes, a part of us dies and a day we are closer to meeting our Creator, thus in between our arrival onto His Earth and the returning of us to Him, we should strive to prepare ourselves with good deeds and a pure heart through the various means we can utilize in this dunya.

Conclusively, there are many tools that we can pick up from Ramadhan that we can continue to utilize so as to sustain and improve the quality of our ibadah throughout the year.

Let's reflect and audit ourselves. Reset our minds. Purify our hearts.
Seek to be consistent and strive for excellence. In all that we do. 
For everything that we do, each decision, each step that we take, shall be a means to seek His Pleasure.

May Allah SWT grant us strength and patience.  Ameen.

We're dying, but we've not died yet.

Puisi buat Saudariku

This is a Malay poem written several months ago, specially dedicated to all my Muslim sisters who have had the intention/thoughts to don the hijab but face difficulty in doing so. May this be of benefit and may Allah guide us all. Ameen.

Wahai saudariku
Terlintas di hati ini untuk menulis sebuah puisi untukmu
Juga kepada saudari-saudariku yang lain
Yang belum lagi berhijab
Namun atas dasar iman
Dan hatimu yang berhubung dengan Ilahi
Timbullah hasrat di hati
Untuk memenuhi satu lagi perintahNya

Wahai saudariku
Setiap insan tidak pernah lepas dari ujian
Kadangkala, ujian yang berat itu jugalah yang matlamatnya membawa kepada kebaikan
Dan inilah ia salah satunya bagimu
Beserta keinginanmu untuk memenuhi perintahNya
Ada sahaja halangan yang menghampiri
Untuk cuba menghentikan dirimu dari merealisasikan niat yang terbuku di hati

Wahai saudariku
Keberanian dan kekuatan yang wujud dalam dirimu boleh menumpaskan itu semua
Lumrahnya manusia
Mereka akan selalu mengata
Pandang seronglah, pandang peliklah, pandang buruklah
Mungkin ia akan membuat dirimu sedih dan mahu berpatah balik
Tetapi cekalkanlah hatimu dan bersenyumlah
Kerana yang utama adalah pandangan Pencipta kita terhadap dirimu semata

Wahai saudariku
Ini bukanlah suatu paksaan
Tetapi ini sebuah undangan, bersulam sayang
Buat dirimu yang cantik lagi berhati mulia
Untuk kita sama-sama
Membimbing dan menyokong
Antara satu sama lain
Agar kita dapat bertemu lagi di Jannah,
InsyaAllah.

Taking the First Step

I've always been the person, who follows many great and inspirational people, brothers and sisters
I wonder what it took for them to take that leap of faith
And contribute what they can, for this Deen.
(If they can be then why can't I?)
There are many things that have been holding me back
I realised that it all boils down to fear and procrastination
But how long more do I have to wait
Till a moment comes where I feel that this is "it"?
And the way to overcome the fear is to face it
People might think to themselves, perhaps out loud, say
But I can choose to not be affected

The more these great people do their individual creative works of dakwah and inspiration
The more I feel I should start on mine
Everyone's talented in their own way, I believe I have too, with the gift to write
Perhaps a novel will be far in hindsight, I should just keep it mind,
for the future.

As for now, I shall start to build a place where I can collect my writings, poems and anecdotes of reminders
Where in much hope that it will be of benefit
To everyone who reads it
An most importantly, the writer herself.

Times have advanced and with every negative news spread
A good piece of writing can be viral as well
Thus in this I lay a vision to deliver, remind thus be a benefit
Pardon me for repeating that bit

Let's take this upon myself, yourself and ourselves
To get it started, not much time left, so this is it.

Bismillah.