The Best Ten Minute Reminder

توكل الطير

لا أبغي التوكل بعد إنتهاء الليل وفناء وقت السحور

ولكن أبغي التوكل قبل أن يرفع كثيف الضباب عن الأمور

لا أبغي توكلاً ولد عن تجارب الحياة ودروس القاها في دروبي

أبغيه عن إيماناً بالموكل عليه — إيماناً ملأ قلبي وجرى في عروقي

فإن لذيذ الصبر ليس عند لحظة سقيان السحاب للأرض المحرومة

ولكنها في فترة الحر والعجز والعطش وقلة الماء والمعونة

ومن شعر بحاجة للإطلاع على الغيب ليطمئن قلبه على المستقبل

فالأفضل له أن يطلع إلى قلبه بالغيب هل خف ايمانه ام ثقل

يا للعجب كيف صرنا ننصح بعضنا البعض بالتوكل وتفويض الأمور..

والتوكل راحة القلب، و جوهرة السلام ، و ثمرة الايمان، و أمر مطلوب..

ومن أراد أن يتعلم التوكل حقا..فالينظر إلى الطيور..

توكلوا كل صباح فرزقوا حاجتهم.. وها نحن ما زلنا بالامر نتدبر ونقول

Salah—anytime, anywhere..

Boredom

While I still attempt to study, and only wish I can be blogging instead, I leave you with this quote to ponder over:

“How could a Mu’min/Muslim be bored when he has to save himself from hellfire? A mu’min never gets bored. That word’s not in his dictionary. He knows he has enough to do for his akhirah to be bored in this dunya!” - Sheikh Yasir Qadhi

Hang in there..for there’s a meeting planned in Paradise inshaAllah

Everyone’s invited…but not many accept the invitation…

Will you accept?

 

 

*This post is a reminder for myself before anyone else!

The Power of Dua’a!

Sometimes we do things without thinking. Without considering the aftermath. Without any wisdom…
Sometimes we just let go of our intellect and follow our emotions. Sometimes we forget our values and our very own statements and promises and run after our worldly desires.

These times, when we do all of the above mentioned, we’re really hurting none but ourselves. We’re only cheating our own selves out of what we know to be true.

Sometimes…all we want to do is stare into space and think and ponder over life. Over the little incidents here and there that never make sense…Over the coincidences that statistically seem out of this world…

“What are the chances?”, we may ask ourselves…
“Pretty good actually! Anything is possible…the one in a million is possible…with duaa!!“, my optimism replies

“Can dua’a heal my heart? What about my soul?”, we wonder many times…
“What are you waiting for! Start making duaa and find out for yourself!”, my thoughts respond…Besides, ألا بذكر الله تطمئن القلوب (Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest -13:28)

How can we protect ourselves from acting on impulse? From falling into holes our own faulty actions dug up for us?
One of the most amazing dua’as I’ve ever learned was: اللهم لا تكلني إلى نفسي طرفة عين
I have many more favorite dua’as but…if I started I fear I will never finish!

I’ve listened to Du’a: The Weapon of the Believer (by Sheikh Yasir Qadhi hafithahullah) many times before and it gets to me EVERY single time! I cannot count the times I sat quietly in the car, late at night in tears, and early in the morning with a smile, avoiding stepping outside into the world, attentively listening to the beauty and power of dua’a! “Just listen to a couple more minutes”, I always think to myself!! I love it mashaAllah!! I think its one of the most beneficial things I have ever stumbled upon walillahi alhamd!

If you would like to borrow the CDs from me, please let me know…
Note: it’s actually originally a book (which you can download from here) that Sheikh Yasir Qadhi wrote and later recorded, jazahu Allahu khairan!! 

You can also listen to it here: (If you’re running short on time, listen to part 9 first…surely, it will get you hooked for some more inshaAllah )

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9

Wake Up!

Wake up before you sleep forever!

Changing is not a flip of a coin. It’s hard work and takes a lot of effort. A critical ingredient for change is holding ourselves accountable for our actions. When we “wake up” and realize we need to change, a plan must be put in action before we go back to sleep mode again. This plan MUST include accountability…

One way to do this is to have a small notepad by our side at all times. Divide the notepad into sections you need to improve on (i.e. reading more quraan, lowering the gaze, praying all sunnahs, decrease gender interaction, etc.). Once this is done, we can list examples from our past that we are not proud of, ones we want to change and erase (not necessarily in full detail, in case the note pad lands in someone else’s lap). 

It’s a beautiful thing, a blessing really, that we have a Merciful and Forgiving God. While God’s mercy can in fact erase someones sins and even replace them with good deeds, this must be striven for. In order for us to get that clean slate with God, we need to start working on clearing our notepad!! 

Keep track of your actions. Every time you realize you’ve “done it again” write down the action…Watch your progress and think of ways how you will avoid the same situation in the future. 

We all have our small fitnahs and our big ones. Those that we can control and change and those that seem like mountains heavily rooted in our lives. Regardless of the intensity of the fitnah, it can be taken care of inshaAllah, because even the mountains will become dust on the day of judgement. Nothing is hard on Allah azza wa jal so ask Him to guide you and to help you on the straight path once He has guided you. 

Reward yourself when you see that you no longer have to write as many bad scenarios in your notepad. How? Do such an amazing good deed that you’ve never done before. One that you see “pious people” do but never attempted. This will help you keep going forward, striving, and pushing yourself to the next stage. 

Wake up NOW before you sleep forever. Continue on making duaa…especially in the middle of the night. 

What are you waiting for? The door’s of forgiveness and tawbah are still open alhamdulillah!! 

After I wrote this post, I was clicking from one blog to another and I found these on this blog: 
 

Shaykh ul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

The punishment for a sin committed by a believer is removed in ten ways:

1. He repents to Allah (taubah), so Allah accepts his repentance, for the one who repents from sin is like the one who has no sin.
2. He seeks forgiveness from Allah (istighfar), so Allah forgives him.
3. He does good deeds that erase his sin for good deeds erase bad ones.
4. His believing brethren pray for him or seek forgiveness for his sins during his life or death.
5. Or they [ask Allah] to bestow on him as gift from the reward for their deeds, with which Allah benefits him.
6. His Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, intercedes for him.
7. Allah tests him with trials in this world which expiate his sin.
8. Allah tests him in al-Barzakh (the intermediate life in the grave, between the death and the Day of Judgment) which expiates his sin.
9. Allah tests him in the various stages of the Day of Judgment which expiates his sins.
10. Or the Most Merciful of those who have mercy has mercy on him.

Whoever, then, is missed by these ten cannot blame anyone but himself.

Source: Islaam.com

Friday Naseeha

Al-Shams (The Sun)

Chapter 91: Verse 10

“And he fails who corrupts it.”

Corrupted Soul…

The Arabic word al-khaibah has many aspects to it, including:

1) weakness in one’s soul, as the soul does not have the strength and courage to follow what it knows is the truth;

2) hesitation and confusion as every time it wants to do good, the soul drags it back down and fights it;

3) true psychological humiliation as he is worshipping something that has no benefit to it and it is not worthy of a human being to be worshipping something of that nature;

4) cowardice and stinginess as his soul knows that he is disobeying his Lord and he cannot look forward to anything positive; hence, he has to hang on to his life and everything that he possesses in the strongest fashion;

5) loss of modesty and dignity as his soul drives him to do shameless acts to the point that he accepts them, supports them and loses all shame concerning them.

This is all part of the reality that happens to him in this world. And that is all much less than the disgrace that he will face in the Hereafter.

Compiled From:
“Purification of the Soul: Concept, Process and Means” – Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo, pp. 478, 475

The Disease of the Idiots

I recently read this quote on this blog and I thought I would share it:

A South Asian scholar of the past said:

To cast lustful glances is the disease of idiots. You neither give, nor receive. All you do is put your own heart in turmoil. You can stare at a girl forever, but you will never get her. You will only get the person that Allah has decreed for you as halal. Since this is a matter which has already been decided by Allah, that is why this is the disease of idiots.

Therefore, let us remember next time we look at a girl (or at a boy if it is a sister looking) that we are indulging in the disease of the idiots.

Oh and remember, you’re using the blessing of eyesight which Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala blessed you with to disobey Him! If you’re gonna sin and disobey Him, then don’t use any of His blessings, don’t sin on His land, and do it without Him knowing of it. (If that didn’t make sense to you yet: You can’t do any of that! It’s IMPOSSIBLE! So just stop with that sin already and get to that next level you’ve been trying to reach forever!)

*A reminder for myself before anyone else*

Aqeedah in Action..

If only I lived in Ottawa

Sin vs. Mercy

” Do you think that you, and you alone, can be so sinful that Allah’s mercy cannot encompass you? That you have so much ‘power’ to commit sins that the infinite mercy of Allah is powerless when faced with it?!” – Sh. Yasir Qadhi

From my rear view mirror..

Driving to school today, as usual, tailgating my way through trucks, vans, some fancy and some not-so-fancy cars, my eyes suddenly shot up to the rear view mirror after hearing a bang so close behind me.

The car behind me was hit by the car behind it. A loud thud escaped and disturbed the usual chaos of the busy highway-like street. Any other person driving down the road for the first time might not have noticed the noise amongst the anarchist driving conditions. 

“It could have been me”; the phrase kept ringing around me.

We are given so many chances in life to correct ourselves and mend our ways and yet, how many of us actually use these golden opportunities? Our excuses hold us back. They trap us behind a shield sometimes so invincible it seems impossible to get through.

This morning, in my rear view mirror I saw the result of an excuse. Ahead of me was another chance. I gladly took it without a thought as I drove on…

to be continued inshaAllah..

Have you heard??

PSSSTTT….I have a secret…

You wanna know what it is?

Something just happened and I just couldn’t keep the news to myself!!

Check it out HERE!

Under the Spot Light…

Why are you still hiding? You want the microphone? Go ahead! You’re under the Spot Light now! 

Check this out, no regrets inshaAllah…

Part 1/6

The Trip of A Life Time

Between millions of people, going to worship Him only during hajj, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala knows us by name, knows our concerns, our dua’as, our pleas, and just about everything else… 

That time of the year is coming close again, and my heart aches knowing that I will not be going…For those of us going, I suggest reading these (short and very beneficial) posts I got from True and Good Words:

Realizing The Importance of Hajj
Aiming for Perfection
Patience, Patience, and some more Patience!
Plan and Prepare
Check out the Prep guide in the above post!! Brilliant mashaAllah!
Remembering Allah Throughout

I look forward to this journey when I can stand beside the rich and the poor, the black and the white, worrying about nothing but pleasing Allah and getting my sins forgiven inshaAllah…

I have found this documentary very touching (yes it made me cry) and I couldn’t help but wish I could be there right now!

(I am posting it from Google Video but you can also find it in YouTube cut up into five parts)

National Geographic Inside Mecca

And for a good laugh, LOL, check this out:

 

Make duaa for those not there!

It’s White Again

It’s Winter again alhamdulillah.

It’s time to shiver, to freeze, to get sick, to hide inside…

But it’s also a Muslim’s favorite time…Why?

Well because the days are short and easy to fast as the Prophet peace be upon him taught us!

And the nights are long and so it becomes easy for us get up and pray

So make sure you use this winter wisely inshaAllah!