Bi idhnillah? Fi Amanillah?

Bismillah.

Ever came across Arabic terms that you are unsure of its meaning? The presence of Google makes it much it easier now but alhamdulillah, here I would like to share a website that I recently came across, bi idhnillah, a website that features a compilation of commonly used Arabic terms that I find to be beneficial alhamdulillah. 

Dictionary- Islamic Ink

Since we will be accounted for our actions on the Day of Judgement, let's make dua to Allah that He grants us goodness and wisdom in every click that we make on the time spent online. 

May those who are involved in the compilation be rewarded immensely for their work.

May Allah grant us understanding and make us slaves who learn, understand and apply what we've learnt with ikhlas and istiqamah, insyaAllah. Ameen.

No Coincidences

Bismillah.

No coincidences. All that has taken place and that will be taking place are all in accordance to Your Will. Your timing is perfect and indeed You know best in all our affairs. We just have to pursue, work. strive, have faith in ourselves and have utmost faith in You. And as for these blanks, I seek Your help in filling them and in filling me as well. Ameen.

Animals in Islam

Bismillah. I would like to share this Facebook status update by Environment & Animal's Rights in Islam on 22 January 2013. In Islam, the welfare of animals is placed on high importance so much so that the animals that we wrong(nauzubillah) will testify against us on the Day of Judgement.

"The Prophet Muhammad -peace be upon him- taught Muslims to have mercy on all of God’s creation. A Muslim considers most animals to be deserving of a respect as creatures. He shows mercy to them due to the mercy of God upon them."

According to Islamic Shari'ah, mistreating animals is considered a sin in Islam. A Muslim is responsible for the care of animals so much so that an ill-treated animal will testify against the one who abused it on the Day of Judgement. Islam forbids branding animals and killing them in vain, such as for sport. The last prophet of Islam, Mohammed -peace be upon him- forbade people to capture baby birds, burn anthills, and whip animals. Even in slaughtering certain animals for food, Islam requires that the slaughtering be done according to Islamic procedure, which is humane and aims to cause the animals as little suffering as possible. As humans, we have a responsibility towards every living creature.

Have you ever gone to any Pet Shops ? Poor, helpless animals imprisoned in tiny cages without even enough space to turn around.Their sad, pleading eyes haunting. I wondered if the pet shop owner ever thought about what it would be like to be paralyzed, as he has incarcerated birds in little cages. And for what beneficial purpose? Weren’t birds meant to fly? Maybe only a fellow animal lover would really understand, yet the importance of kindness to animals is something every Muslim should understand as a part of his worldview. It is such a serious matter that in Islam, it is understood that one could gain Heaven or Hell due to one’s treatment of animals.

Abu Hurayrah was a close Companion of the Prophet Mohammed -peace be upon him- and has narrated more hadiths, or sayings of the Prophet than any other Companion. He was known for being very sympathetic and loving towards animals so much so that although his name was Abdur-Rahmaan, he was known as Abu Hurayrah, meaning “father of the kitten.” He was called so because of a small cat that he used to feed and care for and carry with him everywhere he went.

 May Allah bestow upon us love and mercy towards His creations, eventually to attain His Love and Mercy. Ameen.

Extraordinary

Bismillah.
This just occurred to me. The attitude of "Serves you right" or better known as "Tulah kau, padan muka" makes me cringe. I remember reading somewhere before that what annoys you or gets at your "off-limits" zone is that which is actually in you. Something like a dark side, so we're actually disliking something within ourselves. that needs change. Which most of the time, we fail to see it but only in others, perhaps the reason why we're so bent in changing others, before ourselves. Well, it makes much sense. Astaghfirullah.

To picture it, it is just like being content with others' plight/"suffering"/discomfort/inconvenience just because we felt it before too and by them experiencing the same it somehow compensates for our "pain". I don't know, I am still young and not that very experienced in matters of life but just laying down what I feel.

Another angle of it is when we try to comfort ourselves by coming up with excuses for our shortcoming by focusing on the shortcoming of others that makes it seems "equivalent" to our own.

"Ala, aku bukannye sengaje. Macam la dia tak pernah lambat tsk!"

In my opinion, the culture of this "padan muka kau" attitude makes it seem fair. Afterall, it's like. "I'm just human too". So we're just ordinary humans. I've seen extraordinary people, just like me and you who always gives a person the benefit of the doubt, thinks well of them, who don't retaliate on impulse, who admits their mistakes,who sympathise and empathise people more than what normal people would do, to simply abandon, disregard and mutter "Padan muka dia".

As Muslims, we strive to be better and we should always strive to be better. Better person means better akhlak, But if we're gonna be the same like everyone else, reacting like everyone else, what will make us stand out from the rest in the sight of Allah s.w.t.?


I, you, we, need to stop blaming others for our shortcomings.
We need to be responsible for ourselves.
Seriously dude, seriously sis, like seriously.

Eradicate the negative, Inhale positivity
Output will be wonderful and blessed, insyaAllah!

May Allah forgive us for our shortcomings and grant us hidayah and guidance to be better beings, better Muslims. Ameen.

Rain, Rain, Come Again Another Day

Bismillah.
Subhanallah, how beautiful it is, if only I can capture the experience of a day where it has been raining throughout. Chill is all that I feel, the day accompanied by rain pouring forth from the skies,
I want to stay forever in awe of the beauty of these two creations.
Subhanallah. Subhanallah. Subhanallah.

The rain is beautiful and so are the grey skies,
don't tell them to go away.

Let's learn to always see beauty in Allah's creations. :)

Under His Shade of Love

Bismillah.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is really taking care of us. He is very kind, more than we can possibly imagine. Alhamdulillah. We just have to pay attention.
May Allah guide us all and gather us in Jannah one day, insyaAllah.

Good Morning

Bismillah.
To change our days we first change our mornings to be fruitful.

Let's work towards a productive morning with Allah, for Allah, by saying Alhamdulillah when our eyes open in the morning from sleep, waking up for Fajr prayer and reading the Quran(even if it's just a page with translation).
May Allah s.w.t. make us steadfast on His Deen. Ameen.

In the Lovely, Early Hours

Bismillah.
I've been spending much of time at home these few days so I decided to take a morning walk while accompanying my mum to the train station.

Alhamdulillah.
for the tranquility in the morning air, Walking outdoors while the sun is still set
Beneath the enveloping peaceful atmosphere,
that many others elsewhere can only wish for
Birds chirping, while actually, they're praising Allah, their Creator too. What a better reminder than that at that point of time that I too should also say, "Subhanallah".
The trees upright decorate the streets, the birds flying across and over the speed of us may find us small creatures, getting from one place to another.A reminder that in His sight we humans are just the same, slaves of Allah.
Walking home the sky is now clear
I thank Allah for the pair of eyes He has granted me, to see of His Greatness and Beauty.
In my hand I held a plastic bag, in it were 3 packets of food, for me and my dad.
Our rizq(sustenance) is set, but we have to get up and look for it, to feed ourselves so we have the strength, bi idhnillah, to continue to live and strive for Him.
Alhamdulillah. All praises be to Allah s.w.t.

There are traffic noise and gas exhaust around but really, it's what you choose to see :)

O Allah, help us to remember You, to be grateful to You and to worship You in the best of manners. Ameen.

*picture from: http://www.photographyblogger.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/morning010.jpg

Tech Tips & The Quran

Bismillah. In this post I would like to, insyaAllah, share a tip. I believe most of us are now equipped with smart phones and with multiple apps, in addition to text message and WhatsApp, notifications come in ringing by calling for our attention every so often. And there's no need to elaborate, the force Facebook has on us is that strong that we just have to check it at least once a day. But what about the book of Allah?

If we can have the need to check our Facebook or any other social networking utility at least once daily lest we feel that something is missing, why can't we, as Muslims, who strive to live to attain His Pleasure by obeying Him and following Prophet Muhammad(p.b.u.h.)'s sunnah, make some time for the Quran, the words of Allah s.w.t, conveyed to His Messenger?

So this is how. Turn off all Facebook notifications. Before you click the Facebook icon on your phone or device, ask yourself if you have read the Quran yet today. Read a page for example, or a short surah along with its translation. Or just the translation. Take your time and don't rush through it. Not for the sake of it, but because you know there's something far more important to value and make time for.
Alhamdulillah it has worked for me and I believe that, insyaAllah, it will work for you too :)

On that note, to minimize distractions during prayer and reading of Quran, let's silent our phones. Let go. For a while, for a few extra minutes, for Allah. It wouldn't hurt. Instead, it will benefit us, insyaAllah.

May Allah guide us all and make us steadfast on His Deen. Ameen.

*photo from: http://www.alquranclasses.com/teach-quran-kids-online/

There's An Ant In My Drink!

Bismillah.
A while ago I poured some warm water into a plastic cup and walked to the dining table for my dinner. Somehow I managed to catch an ant in my plain mineral water. I replaced the water thereafter. Of course, that's not the point I'm trying to bring across.

This incident reminded me of a story I read online which I can't remember the exact details of but nevermind. It tells of a story of a young boy who asks his father how is Allah s.w.t. taking care of us. His dad replied by making him recall those times when he is about to drink yet just before he does, his eyes catch the sight of an insect in his drink, thus making him stop. That, his father said, is just one of the ways of Allah taking care of us.

Now this may just be a simple and short story but I believe it has a important message.

We are by default, weak humans. We forget, slip, fall, overlook so many things. But Allah is far from all that. He never forgets and He is the One taking care of us at all times, whether or not we choose to remember Him. If He wills, He could have just let our sight slip past the insect and we drank the drink without knowing nothing. But He loves us. Allah, ar-Rahman, ar-Rahim.

Let's say Alhamdulillah. All praises belongs to Allah subhanahu wa ta a'la.

The Greatest Blessing

Bismillah. The words of my ustaz still echoes through my mind. It sounds something like, 

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like to meet Allah, Your Lord? Wouldn't you want to see The Face of Allah? All this while you have been praying to Him, fasting for Him.. Truly, the greatest blessing of a Muslim is when he sees His Lord in Heaven."

Hearing that makes a heart yearn and long for a meeting with He whose Love has never and will never be lost, as long as the one holding onto the rope of His Deen remains steadfast till he meets Him. 

And then my ustaz went on about the story of Prophet Musa 'alayhissalam who wanted to see Allah S.W.T. The Quran depicts of his story:

And when Moses arrived at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, "My Lord, show me [Yourself] that I may look at You." [ Allah ] said, "You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it should remain in place, then you will see Me." But when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He rendered it level, and Moses fell unconscious. And when he awoke, he said, "Exalted are You! I have repented to You, and I am the first of the believers."(Surah al-'Araf, Verse 143) Sahih International- Quran.com

Subhanallah. Even an inanimate creation cripples at the sight of its Creator. What would it be like for us?

Our human eyes fall short of the strength to see Him in this dunya but,

[Some] faces, that Day, will be radiant, Looking at their Lord. (Surah al-Qiyamah, Verses 22-23) Sahih International- Quran.com

So now the question is, whose faces on Judgement Day, will be the radiant ones? Will we do all that we can to be among those which such, blessed with the greatest of blessing? 

References
*https://nasbunnuraini.wordpress.com/2008/07/03/kisah-nabi-musa-ingin-melihat-allah/

Grant Me A Friend

O Allah,
Grant me a friend
Who in her companionship will gain another
So we can be each other's pillars
In seeking Your Pleasure
Ameen.