Baby Monitor

Recent 'holiday' from university means that I spend more time in my room doing my assignments as well as personal work there. Being in the room doesn't always mean peace, unless my 'little one' is sleeping.

So, when she is asleep, I decide to keep the baby monitor on and that gives me the freedom to move in and out of my room whilst still having 'my eye' on my daughter. I can hear her if she cries or wakes up; even the slightest of noises are audible in the receiver to the extent of noises outside the room.

So this monitor is really useful; I know my daughter is okay as long as I have the receiver with me. However, it can be a 'pain in the neck' at time also. How? I'll explain.

As I mentioned, the receiver can pick up the slightest of noises and the monitor is usually on when I come into the room whilst the receiver is downstairs. This means that the family can hear anything that is said in the room.

Now I sometimes tend to forget the monitor is on, but that doesn't change the fact that anything I say or do in the room can usually be heard by family members downstairs; at times even when we have visitors.

If you haven't guessed already, it could lead to some embarrassing moments...

Point

The point is sort of obvious; whether we are conscious or whether we tend to forget, Allah is always watching us and hearing us. The slightest of movements and the smallest of thoughts are all known to Allah.

We may feel we've gotten away with many of the things we do and say, but we only realise this when we go downstairs to the family room and we are told of what has been heard over the receiver. In the same manner, we may feel that we have escaped with some of our actions or statements, but when we are all in front of Allah we will be reminded of each and every action we did; a DVD screening of our entire life in front of the entire population. So can we imagine the embarrassment taking into consideration the life we live in front of people and the life we live behind them?

May Allah give us all the strength to make our thoughts and statements in accordance to His happiness. May we be obedient to Him whether we are in public or whether we are alone. May He make the Hereafter easy by overlooking our shortcomings and forgiving our sins. Aameen.

Use and Abuse

Recently I saw some people that were quite disappointed with being used and abused, a feeling that I am sure all of us have been through in some stage of our life. It is a feeling when we feel that a person befriends us, takes services of us or associates with us only until they have a need or requirement, after which there seems to be a major change in attitude and character of that person towards us.

Those of us who have been through that will realise that the feeling is really ‘depressing’ and it diminishes and dampens a person’s feeling, at times, to an extent where that person is left heart-broken and useless.

It makes me ponder at times what drives a ‘human’ to act in this manner towards another person that they treated as a friend or was on good terms with. The nature of a person should be such that he is approachable and can approach others.

The Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم has mentioned in a Hadith:

“A believer is approachable (people incline to him) and there is no good in that person who does not approach others (creates an inclination) and to whom people do not approach”

So in reality, a person who uses people as stepping stones or keeps relationships until there is no need are in reality deprived of any good within themselves.

Point

When we look at people and our emotions when we feel ‘used and abused’, we realise that it really aggravates a form of distance from that person at times because we look over the things that ‘we have done for them’ in comparison to ‘how they treated us’.

This probably occurs once in our life with any individual; once they are done with us it is unlikely that they will do the same thing again to us as there will be no connection. However, have we ever considered that amount of times we have used this same behaviour and attitude towards Allah? In times of need we approach and make promises to Him and when the situation is resolved we happily return to our old ways forgetting all promises and pledges we made to Him. Yet we see that Allah is so merciful he never leaves us and neither does he distance Himself by looking over all the gifts and benefits he has given us from even before the day we were born. Allah’s mercy overlooks our behaviour and gives us another chance to befriend Him and make the most of His friendship… The question that now remains is ‘How many times are we willing to ‘use and abuse’ Allah, His friendship and His mercy?

In the same context, it should be remembered that in reality a Mu’min should incline himself towards Allah alone and that people should approach him for his religion, piety and closeness to Allah; for if this is a case then those who approach them will seldom leave such a company in which Allah’s presence can be felt.

Furthermore, we should not be disheartened if people leave us but instead revaluate and access whether Allah is still with us… For there is no greater loss in this world or the Hereafter if Allah leaves us.

May Allah give us all the inclination, strength and understand to be inclined towards Him and those that are inclined towards Him. May He grant us His love, the love of those who love Him, the love of our Beloved صلي الله عليه و سلم and those who love him also. May He distance us from the attitudes of remembering Him in times of needs and forgetting Him in times of happiness Aameen.

Happy Birthday

The moment the word Birthday is mentioned many people become alert and hasty is connecting to the word Haraam. This blog is however not one of rulings but one of my insight and experience from matters in my life.

One of the many widespread activities in our societies include birthdays; a celebration of the day a person was born. If this is in a form of imitation and extravagance then it has been classed as impermissible; yet I believe that we should do whatever good you can with any permissible excuse possible.

Today, being the 'birthday' of someone I know feels to me a good enough excuse to remind them of me by remembering them. Though this person is always on my thoughts and my mind, I never have the chance of making them aware.

I pray to Allah that He grants my friend and their beloved a long and prosperous life that is filled with the pleasure and blessings of Allah; a life in which the coming year is better than the preceding in both, relating to the life in this world and that of the Hereafter.

May Allah increase love between you and your spouse and give you children who are the coolness of your eyes and leaders of the Ummah.

May He keep you free from worries and protect you and your family from any physical or mental stress and harm.

I pray that Allah grants you wisdom, knowledge, love, gentleness, patience, gratitude, steadfastness and the ability to remain firm on that which pleases Him.

May Allah keep you far from sorrows and make this life full of happiness for you and your loved ones. Aameen.

Vaccinations of Mercy

Many may not remember their childhood days which much detail, especially the first few years of it, but I am sure we were all told at some point or another that we used to have many vaccinations whilst we were children to aid our immune system against diseases.

In the same manner, my daughter has also had some of these vaccinations and receives regular appointments for further ones.

In all honesty, I don’t attend these ‘appointments’ personally and send my daughter with her mother to the surgery along with my mother. This way I can be sure that both of them can be there to look after my daughter and ensure that my daughter does not cry (too much).

I was thinking over these appointments and vaccinations and knew that it was essential and inevitable but I pondered over the fact that even though I could not personally see my daughter crying due to these vaccinations, her mother had to go with her and see her through it.

I have personally been to a couple and the feeling is not nice when my daughter cries for me to take her away from the nurse. Therefore, I decided to not go anymore.

Well, that was just one of her many vaccinations which will follow.

Point

Whilst thinking of these vaccinations, I felt a little guilt surging for not attending these appointments, but I could not see the pain and tears of my daughter. From this thought, my mind wandered further and I began to think that a mother is known to be more merciful than the father. Yet the mother is able to watch her child through these times and many other pain bearing moments.

My attention then went towards a Hadeeth in which Allah states that there are a hundred parts of mercy from which ninety-nine are with Allah and one was distributed on the earth; it is this one portion of mercy that makes even the animals refrain from hurting their children.

So if the mercy of a mother is to such an extent which can be witnessed on this earth, can we not even imagine the mercy of Allah? Are we not ignorant then when we question why Allah allows us to go through pain and suffering at times?

The true qualities of Allah are none other than those which indicate His mercy, yet He has qualities of awe and wrath which are needed at times to divert people towards His mercy. If at any time we stray from His path, Allah will show us a sign in this world, which will be an indication to us that Allah is angry with us or has sent down His wrath upon us and through this indication we turn towards Him and His mercy.

It is similar to the manner in which a mother is able to see her child go through the pain of vaccinations in this world, but she realised that the pain is short term and the benefits which this pain holds are much superior and long term.

May Allah give us all the strength to realise His true mercy and to turn towards Him in times of distress as well as in times of happiness. Aameen.

Not Far to Go

I was looking across some Islamic sites when I decided to visit the site for the local Masjid to confirm that the time for Taraweeh had not changed to an earlier time.

To my surprise I found that the website, being well updated, had the following image on its front page:


I am not sure what people’s attention will turn towards looking at the above image, but my attention went directly to “17 days left until Eid ul Fitr”. In fact, I simply couldn’t believe it and had to refer back to the time table to ensure that this was not some error.

I seems like only yesterday when I was thinking 6 days of Ramadham have passed and therefore we have a great number of days remaining.

Point

Not to go on for too long, as time is short already, but if the point isn’t clear from the above then no matter what I write hear, there will be no benefit.

The days of Ramadhan are slipping away from our grip in a manner that sand slips away from one’s grasp; no matter how hard we try to hold on, these blessed days are going to leave us much sooner than we can imagine and before we can even realise.

This is the mid-point of Ramadhan; where the days of mercy have ended and the days of forgiveness are heading the same way.

We need to question ourselves, have we been those fortunate people who have been accepted by the mercy of Allah; did we reap the blessings of the first portion of this month when Allah was showering His blessing upon those who stood before Him at night, in prayer, and whilst raising their hands seeking nothing but Him?

The portion we have now is to ensure that through the mercy we obtained during the first portion of Ramadhan is utilised in a manner where we increase our worship and submission to Allah and increase our supplications to Him; through which we should ask for His forgiveness and for Him to grant us paradise and save us from the Fire of Hell.

May Allah make us all realise the true blessings this month holds and thereafter may He give us the strength and inclination to reap the rewards within so that we are not deprived from His mercy, His forgiveness and neither are we punished by the Hell Fire whilst being retained from entering Jannah. Aameen.

Speacial Dua’s are requested in this blessed month.

MOT Certificate

Today I was looking for my MOT certificate for my car to ensure that the MOT was not already due or due recently.

It was obviously just a matter of searching through one of three files, and finally I did find the certificate along with certificates of the other cars in the household.

As I usually tend to the MOT certificates of all the cars, I tend to have a habit of stapling or keeping the MOT report along with the report. Although it is not required, I like to, sometimes, look back at the report and see what errors were found with the car and what faults were attended to during the previous MOT.

Despite this not being the case all the time, it is usually the older cars that require more attention and work to them whilst the newer cars seem to pass the MOT first time. Or the cars which have been well looked after and maintained correctly throughout the year give the least problem during the MOT period.

Whilst scrolling through my MOT report I was glad to find that there were no faults in my car and that looking after the car during the year does pay off. The fact that the car is new and also reliable does give added peace to the level of maintaining that is required on a regular basis.

There are a few cars in the household that required quiet some attention during the MOT period. These are the cars that are used for business purposes and usually take a good beating, taking into account that the building trade is never gentle on cars and a brick on the bonnet becomes inevitable over a period of times.

One of these cars did require quite a lot of attention as it was over twenty years old and was neglected also. At times it required soldering and rust treating and at times it needed hand-brake adjustments. However, one of the other cars, which is also used in the business, despite having a ‘pitiful’ body, required no mechanical work on it as it is well maintained and the only effects apparent on it are the one’s which are on the outside, whilst the engine and mechanics of the car were impeccable.

Well, that was just a short story of me trying to find my certificate, which I thought would be nice to share.

Point

So the point of all that was...

Sometimes, we go through the month of Ramadhan and we hear from many scholars as well as many mosques in regards to all the activities and deeds that we should carry out within this month. We will be told time and again to increase Salaah, Qur’an, Du’a and Dhikr during this month and to ensure that we reap all the benefits of this month.

Many a times, we are also given the resemblance of this month with the MOT of a car; a car requires a service once a year and so do our spiritual bodies.

However, whilst going through these error and fault reports it was very hard to ignore the fact that each car is unique and different in some way or another; depending on the maintenance and care it receives, the way it is driven, the age of the car etc the car will bring along different errors and faults; some minor and others major.

In the same manner, the human is also unique and different in many ways; depending on the care and attention we have been giving to our spiritualism and the amount of effort we have made upon our soul and Nafs, we will also receive a different error report to another individual.

Each care requires different services and in the same manner each individual will also require a different service.

It is vital that we analyse our habits and spiritual status before we step into this month and ensure that during this month we give ourselves the individual service that we require. The guidelines set by the Masajid are in no way incorrect, but instead are, as mentioned, ‘guidelines’. We need to make the effort to investigate those matters which need our attention and which prevent us from acquiring the nearness of Allah. Thereafter, we can work on these errors and achieve, Insha Allah, a certificate of Allah’s mercy, pleasure and freedom from the fire of hell.

May Allah سبحانه و تعالى give us all the inclination to reform ourselves during the month of Ramdhan. May He give us the strength to make changes, to our lifestyles, for the better. May He make this month a month which brings along with it success, elevation in our ranks in the sight of Allah and may it bring us closer to Him. May Allah سبحانه و تعالى make it a month which brings along with it the glad tidings of Jannah and a betterment which will last for our lifetime. Aameen.

A special request for Du’as for me and the entire Muslim population. Supplicate for all of our brothers and sisters and for the increment of the Ummah of our Belover Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم. May Allah bring into open the truth of our Relgion and make it a source of guidance for All. May it truly be a مبارك رمضان (blessed Ramadhan). Aameen.

I've Got Your Back

It has nearly been a year since Allah blessed me with a beautiful daughter. Over the years there are many things I have learnt and understood just by being with her and spending time with her.

After becoming a parent I can understand why Allah has commanded us to be good towards our parents and why we are required to show and treat them with utmost respect. Our parents love and cater for us in a manner which we can only imagine; for even our love for our children can not compare the care and attention shown to us in our childhood by them.

It was just a few days back that I was with my daughter when she decided to scurry over to the bedside table near the bed. Despite her intention of reaching her goal as quickly as possible it was obvious that she was completely conscious and aware of her safety; her tiny fingers strained as she help onto the bed sheet whilst she used the bed for support. She made her way, step by step, to get her hands on her water bottle.

Children, with all their innocence are still aware, to some extent, of the dangers around them; they make an effort to keep safe and hold on tight whenever they feel unsafe or threatened. This I noticed from all the small things that she would do day-to-day.

When she did finally reach the water bottle she came to a slight dilemma, one one side she needed both her hands to be able to lift the bottle and drink from it and on the other hand she needed her security and safety by being able to grip the bed-sheet or nearby bedside table. However, she had to make her choice, it was one or the other.

I watched her with complete alertness as she balanced on one spot, ready to grab hold of her in case she lost her composure. A few moments later, I could not resist but give her some support to ease her tension and concentration. I placed my hand on her back and made her feel supported.

After a short pause she took complete advantage of the support and placed all her weight on my hand, completely relaxed and assured that she was safe and secure.

Point

A child is classed as a dependent; an individual who requires the full support and aid of another in order to survive. Children look towards their nourisher for security and assurance; a moment's separation brings tears to their eyes.

When a parent supports his child, that child becomes totally submissive to them, they let themselves loose and place their entire confidence and safety in the hands of those who are responsible for their upbringing.

Should we not take heed from a child and show the same trust (Tawakkul) in Allah? Should we not be prepared to let ourself go for his sake? Allah states in Surah al-Fatiha:

الحمد لله رب العالمين

"All praise be to Allah the nourisher of the worlds"

[al-Fatiha - 01:01]

In this verse Allah uses the term رب for Himself which means He who up-brings, caters and provides for everyone.

The trust of a child can be seen when you pick them up and throw them in the air, a smile is seen or a giggle is heard; the simple reason being is that they know... if a few seconds they will be in the arms of their beloved, safe and happy.

May Allah give us the strength and firm belief to place our trust in Him in a manner which it should be. May we muster the courage to hand our problems over to Him with full confidence of them being solved. May He give us the realisation that no matter how high the tides of sorrow and grief toss us in this world, with our trust in Him, it shall be in His mercy and arms that we land. Aameen.

Body Language

Recently, I have been having high fever and temperature, especially during the night. This wasn’t unexpected or a surprise to me because the boils I get usually are an indication towards the fact a fever is going to follow very soon.

Nevertheless, this fever continued for a couple of days whilst I tried to combat it with some pain killers, hoping that the matter would not reach antibiotics.

It was amazing to see how the body responded to different matters taking place internally and externally to give us a signal or indication to the fact that something is wrong or against the norm.

When we experience cold temperatures we get ‘goose bumps’, similarly when we are scared or excited our heart pace increases. There are many examples of the body speaking its own language to indicate a matter to us, a fever being just one of them.

The ‘language’ portrayed by our body is in actual fact amongst the great signs of Allah which indicates towards the truth and existence of Allah. He states:

سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ

“Soon will we Show them Our Signs In the (furthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the truth. is it not Sufficient In regard to Your Lord that He is a witness over All things?”

[Surah al-Fussilaat - 41:53]

It is in this same manner that many surroundings around us indicate towards a matter that indicates another thing; at times it will be an indication towards something that is wrong or at times it will indicate to something that requires a change or needs our attention and at all times it is the sign of Allah’s existence and the truth of Islam.

Point

At times we can understand that there are matters within this world and even our body that have their own methods and languages to portray a message to us. However, it is in the same manner that we have to realise that just as these outward and apparent things can give us an indication concerning this world, in the same manner, we can be guided from the feelings of our inner self which can also indicate to us many matters.

Our love for Allah will at endless times be questioned and tested and at these times our body language and our surroundings should become an indication to us in regards to our decision; we should be able to ‘feel’ the change and difference; we should be able to understand the language of things around us and within us that indicate to us such necessary matters.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم stated:

استفتي قلبك وان افتاك الناس وافتوك

“Consult your heart even if people give you their opinion”

This Hadeeth is clear in alert us to the fact that our heart, which is a part of our body language, indicates to us matters which can aid us in following the Deen; it is an organ, which, if looked after and cared for, can guide a man away from sins and towards Allah.

The body language of the heart will allow a person to feel content with an act that he is going to commit, if that act is pleasing to Allah. Similarly, if that act is displeasing to Allah then the heart will send a signal to him indicating a dislike and reluctance to carry out that act.

However, if the body is going to give any signals or indications, it is necessary to maintain and care for the body so that it is healthy to do so. In the same manner, if the heart is to give us indications of our Religion then it is vital that we care for and look after this heart so that it can differentiate, when the need arises, the difference between good and bad.

May Allah give us all the inclination and ability to understand the signs that He has placed for us and the strength to take actions according to these signs. May He give us the strength and courage to protect our heart so that we can use it as a guide upon the religion of Islam. Aameen.

zain121 - Forum

السلام عليكم

I have recently created a new forum for members to be able to seek a different Islamic information.

This forum has been created to achieve a different purpose to other Islamic forums on the internet.

The aim of the forum is not to provide the Muslim community with a place to be able to interact with other Muslim's and benefit from the various and vast knowledge that other members hold.

It is neither a place that will be filled with articles, talks, audios and sections that are found on other forums.

The main objective and aim of this forum is to educate the Ummah in regards to the detailed information and knowledge of the religion of Islam, going, at times, into depth and presenting the pearls of wisdom safeguarded from our pious predecessors.

It will be a place where the Qur'an and Hadeeth will be discussed in depth and its relevance to today's world will be depicted.

Whatever is produced on this forum will be from the Shari'ah and I pray that it is beneficial to the Muslim Ummah as well as those who seek the understanding of Islam.

This forum is an attempt to gather Knowledge of different areas of Islam and present them in a range of depth which will be suitable for beginners as well as people who have a greater level of understanding and Knowledge.

The link to the forum is: Zain121 - Forum

May Allah make it a source of salvation for me as well as the readers. Aameen.

Lying Down

A week or so back, whilst I was driving home, I saw a man lying on the floor just outside the park entrance. Surrounding him were two officers and a large group of audience, spectating from their cars or houses.

The traffic lights were on red, and I was looking at that person trying to get up, but was being held down by the officers, ensuring that he didn’t injure himself further. It wasn’t long before the ambulance arrived to administer first aid to the person below.

The traffic continued to move slowly as all the drivers were taking a look at what was happening at the person. No doubt, different thoughts would be entering the individual minds of people.

Similarly, I had a few thoughts of my own, which changed from time to time…

Point

It occurred to me later that we may have all looked at that person making assumptions of his health and condition. But it did not occur to me at that time, that the person lying on the floor would have perceived this was going to occur to him today. Similarly, all the people who were looking at him were looking at the problem that had befallen him; none thought that it could be them in his place.

In this world, we are many a times negligent of the signs of Allah, mostly because we perceive them to be the calamities or problems of others without thinking that it could have been us if Allah had chosen; or without realising that what has occurred to another person today will be the same thing that will occur to us tomorrow.

Another thought that occurred to me was the actions of the man who was on the floor. Despite being aided by the local police, he was making every attempt to get up from the fall he had just experienced. This is not something fascinating or new; a person, after a fall, always attempts to recover from that fall and get up once again. In fact, at times, we make haste in getting up from our fall in order to avoid embarrassment and attention.

Despite this ideology and thinking we are very negligent of making an effort to get up spiritually after we have sinned and fell into the trap of Shaytaan and our Nafs (Desire). At times we make no attempt to get up from the fall (by seeking sincere forgiveness) and at times when we do intend to recover from our fall, we are quite relaxed and care-free.

It made me think, that the only reason for this could be that there is no regret and remorse; neither is there any concern of people seeing us sinning as the true severity of sinning has been eradicated from our minds due to our ‘luxurious’ social lives.

Had the above not been the case, we would be attempting to recover from a spiritual fall in such haste that every sin would be wiped out from our deeds and our tears would flow from the fear of Allah. We would be alert and look around to save ourselves from embarrassment, ‘has anybody seen me committing a sin’; ‘let me get up quickly before I am humiliated for committing a sin’; these should be our thoughts and our priorities.

May Allah give us all the wisdom to look at the calamities of others as a sign of reformation for ourselves. May He give us the knowledge to prioritise our duties and to inculcate humility, shame, regret and remorse into our lives. Aameen.

إن السعيد من وعظ بغيره

Fortunate is he who takes heed from others

[عبد الله ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه]

'Skinny' Cats

Although summer is here, we still see rain and experience cold weather. However, on my recent trip, I experienced hot weather, really nice, hot weather. The temperature reached up to forty degrees Celsius at times and the humidity was shown at seventy-nine percent; all in all, a very hot, sticky and humid atmosphere.

Though the heat was tolerable, as I love the hot climate, it was a reminder for me that there are places in the world that are so different to ours in many ways; places which were inhabited by people totally different to us when we compare their lifestyles to ours, their food, their poverty and richness, their aims and struggles, we can see that throughout the world life is challenging in one way or another.

During my recent trip I saw many things I had seen before, the same place, the same people, the same lifestyle but always a new struggle. I saw people, animals, buildings, nature and much more from a different view than I saw it previously.

POINT:

I learnt many things from my journey and it made me realise that we are blessed to be where we are, no matter where we are, who we are and what we do. If we believe in Allah and follow is shown path then we are in the best possible state and circumstance. Our struggle is not for the world but for the Hereafter, our reward is not limited to this life but continues in the Hereafter. Therefore, we receive endless rewards for limited suffering and struggle.

Whilst abroad, my sister pointed out to me the cats that were roaming the streets in search of food, asking me whether I noticed something about the cats there. I failed to see what she saw and she informed me that all the cats were ‘skinny’ especially in comparison the ones we have in the UK. Concentrating on this point, I realised how fortunate yet ungrateful we are for all the blessings we receive.
It is to no surprise Allah states:

قُتِلَ الإنْسَانُ مَا أَكْفَرَهُ

Cursed be man! How ungrateful he is!

[Surah Abasa – 80:17]

Another thing which came across my mind is the heat of the Hereafter that Allah has promised us; when the sun shall hover above the heads and the people will drown in their own sweat. May Allah save us all. Aameen.

May Allah give us all the appreciation of that which we have and to be grateful for all His blessings upon us. May He give us the strength to look at those who are less fortunate than us in the world, so that we are appreciative; and to look at those above us in regards to the Hereafter so that we can struggle in attaining a higher status in the Hereafter. Aameen.

Stroll in the Park

As summer has begun, we see many people enjoying the weather, doing activities which would not have been possible in winter and generally the moods and atmosphere seems much more alive and better and improved.

This is the first summer of my daughter, Fatima, who enjoys traveling and going out as much as she can. Therefore, I thought let me make the most of this summer as we cannot trust the length and duration of how long it will remain.

With this in mind, I took my daughter out for a stroll, her in front and me behind pushing her stroller. She apparently enjoyed herself and made every effort to let people around realise that she was out and enjoying herself; her screams and laughter could be heard from far.

During my walk, I was extra careful when crossing the road, keeping my eyes open to cars, cyclists, other people and any dangers that might be around in order to keep my daughter safe from harm. Similarly, in the house, extra effort is made to minimise possibilities of hazards and harms.

Whilst crossing the roads I realised something, that usually when my attention is not too much on safety I never used to notice all the cars turning into the side streets and now that I was keeping an eye out, it felt as though every car wanted to turn into the street that I was crossing.

To cut a long story short, we went for a long walk, she had ice cream and enjoyed herself and I strolled along behind her for her pleasure.

POINT

There are a few points that I realised in this incident;

1. Firstly, it is Allah who brings good and bad days in our life; whilst one day it is raining, she surely brings after it a day of sunshine. Similiarly, he states in the Qur'an that after hardship (in this life) their will be easiness (in the Hereafter). Similarly, at times we experience Bast and Qabz in our life; where at times our inclination to worship is at a low, at times like that we should remain steadfast and wait for Allah to give us the inclination to worship Him.
   


2. By keeping our eyes open and remaining alert in regards to a specific matter we will notice it more often and clearly. In the same way, we should keep our eyes open and remain alert in regards to sins; by doing so we will realise how many of them Shaytaan sends our way which we fail to perceive without remaining observant.
   


3. A parent is the up-brings his child with love, care and dedication. He will not wish that child any harm. Similarly, Allah is our Rabb (nurturer); He loves us and would not wish us any harm. But at times, it is necessary to tangle us in minor difficulties to prevent us from being tangled in major difficulties.
   


4. Love for someone can make you do things which you might not necessarily enjoy, but their pleasure becomes your pleasure. Keeping this in mind we should create immense love for Allah and His Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم. By doing so one will remain at peace and will be content for the pleasure of Allah will become his personal pleasure.

May Allah give us all the immense love of Allah and open our eyes to see the deception of Shaytaan and his efforts to misguide us. Aameen.

The Big Move

Recently, the days have been very hectic and strenuous both at work and personal life. As many people will know, that Jame' Masjid, Leicester, is going under construction; the work has already commenced, Alhumdulillah, however the move was very chaotic and everyone linked with the Masjid or the Madrassah, in any way, was involved with the 'big move'.

The community had to make adjustments as the building was to be different and thus they had to adapt and become accustomed to the new environment and surrounding. The people who were involved in the Masjid had to ensure that all the necessary and useful items were moved and that the temporary accommodation was adequate and appropriate for all those who would be praying in the Masjid.

The Madrassah people were also occupied in ensuring that the Masjid has suitable space and therefore had to adjust to a degree to allow the 'big move'.

All in all, the move, although simple and smooth, was very strenuous as it involved great responsibility and any lack of preparations and arrangements would lead to difficulty for many members in the future.

For me, the Masjid moving into another building was a 'big move' as I was involved in all areas of the move; from being one of those who prays at the Masjid, as well as being part of the Masjid and Madrassah. Therefore, I got a slight realisation of what was involved in the 'big move'.

POINT

If moving buildings can be so chaotic, where there is a possibility of making amendments for our mistakes and errors, can we even imaging of the move from this world to the hereafter where the only retribution of our mistakes could be the cleansing fire of Hell?

In this world it is essential to make arrangements to a comfortable, welcoming and adaptable environment, and all our efforts are placed into it. However, how many times have we considered the arrangements of the hereafter? Do our deeds suggest that we are comfortable with Hell as our abode?

Those who are involved in some project feel the direct strain and tension of that project; therefore we exercise our greatest efforts to ensure that the project is successful. However, our daily lives indicate to the onlooker that we have no connection or involvement with the hereafter; that our project, importance and objective lies in this world.

May Allah save us all and give us the understanding and inclination to realise the necessity of preparing for the real 'big move'; for on that day, apart from His mercy there will be no power that can save us from our involvement in those matters that separated us from His love and commandments and from the worry and concern of the Hereafter. May He forgive us for our addiction to this world and cure us from the deviation of this world, its love and deception. Aameen.

Drip... Drip...

Our passage is like a motorway for human feet. There is so much traffic there that despite removing our shoes in the house that carpet goes through quite a bit of wear and tear. So, we arrived once again towards that time in which replacing the carpet was necessary.

We removed the old carpets and realised that there were floorboards that need nailing down as well as replacing due to being rotten or loose. Therefore, we put someone on the simple task of removing the old floorboards and nailing down the new ones.

After handing over this 'simple' task we sat down to eat our lunch. Within minutes we heard panic and saw house members rushing from here to there. In order to find out what the commotion was we also rushed to have a look at what had taken place, only to see that the ceiling was like a fountain, abundantly pouring down water through the entire ceiling including the light bulb.

To cut a long story short, one of the pipes had taken a good 'beating' in the process of changing the floorboards and a simple fifteen minute job took a good three to four hours to correct.

In addition to the extension of time, we also suffered the loss of water for a period of an hour or so as we had to turn off the mains tap to fix the leakage and damaged pipe.

POINT

There are a few things I learnt from this incident that took place at our house. Some only whilst I was writing this post.

1. The carpets of a house are exposed to a lot of wear and tear due to continuous strain upon it and due to that they need replacing. Similarly, a believer continuously experiences the strain of this world upon his soul and though we can't 'replace' our soul we can sure get it cleaned and reformed in order for it to remain in pristine condition and achieve its purpose.

2. Like the floorboards, we also tend to 'loosen up' a little over a period of time and, Allah forbid, we sometimes also reach a stage when we 'rot' also. However, it is necessary to ensure that we don't slack and loosen up in our A'maal (acts of worship) if it that happens, it is essential to refer to a 'professional' to 'tighten' and heighten our spirits.

3. As mentioned above, we need to refer to the professionals to ensure that we are doing the correct things and that we receive the correct treatment. When we don't have the knowledge of something then that 'simple' task can become complicated. Similarly, when we make efforts to seek Allah through A'maal, it is essential that we also have knowledge to ascertain what we are doing is right. One can understand this in another manner, a person who walks on a path to seek Allah, without a guide (Shaykh), will take a hundred years for a two day journey.

4. The blessings of Allah should always be remembered and His mercy also. At times we tend to forget his blessings because we are so accustomed and used to them. For this reason we tend to overlook it and become appreciative towards it. When the house was without water we realised how this blessing of Allah was so important and essential for a 'normal' daily life. But if we divert our attention to those who do not have water to quench their thirst then we will realise how fortunate we are.

5. Finally, as mentioned above, we should be grateful to Allah for sending reminders to us from time to time. Like above, we showed us the value of water by depriving us from it for an hour or so. If He so wished, He could have taken this blessing away for ever due to our ungratefulness.

May Allah Ta'ala give us all inclination to act upon that which we learn and to thank Allah for His infinite blessings and reminders and for not punishing us for our ungratefulness and ingorance. Aameen.

"Keep at Room Temperature"

Recently, the weather in Leicester and also Birmingham has been quite unsettled; where at one moment it has been sunshine and warm and the next moment it is cold and snowing.

Due to this continuous change of weather, my eye has been frequently drifting towards a thermometer hanging over my daughter's cot to ensure that the room temperature is at a suitable level for her.

I am aware that we are all aware of the use of a thermometer and that we have used it at some point or another, but we often tend to forget that it is amazing piece of equipment.

The temperature in my room is kept between a certain amount which is regarded suitable for a child. I take necessary precautions to ensure that the temperature does not rise to a high level by controlling the heating in the room and I also ensure that it does not drop too low due to ventilation.

POINT

Not so long back, I read a post which quoted one of my greatest teachers, Shaykh Imran ibn Adam, advising an individual to use a 'love thermometer' to observe the progress of our love with Allah Ta'ala.

This point holds great importance to a person who relies and constantly checks a thermometer. We should be constantly monitoring our love with Allah Ta'ala through the thermometer of our body, the heart. The heart plays a great role in a believer's life as it monitors our connection with Allah and the degree of our love for Him and His Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم.

May Allah Ta'ala give us the realisation of the necessity to monitor our love for Him just as we monitor the temperature from time to time. May He incline our hearts to increase our love for Him in such a manner that His love exceeds the love of anything besides Him and that which He has commanded us to love. Aameen.

I 'Kneed' you

The day for someone in the United Kingdom would normally consist of the same routine; a routine that is repeated day after day, usually involving the same activity; so is the case for me. My usual week consists of the same activities which include teaching, administration, management, footballing and most important parenting my precious little daughter.

At times life becomes such a routine and norm that we tend to continue in our ways and methods without even thinking or having to strain our thoughts in regards to the activities we carry out. We get into our cars and without much concentration on the route we are taking we arrive at our destination; for the simple reason that we are always travelling on that route. This applies to many aspects of our life.

However, when a slight change occurs in our routine we seem completely lost. This is what occurred to me this morning when I woke up in terrible pain. I was unable to bend my knee and was praying to Allah to give me a quick recovery so that I could attend the office and not miss my teaching or appointments I had arranged. I was unable to lift or even bend my knee when I woke up and only then was I able to step back from my daily routine and realise...

POINT

We sometimes become so engrossed that we tend to take granted things which others are deprived of and do not have. We tend to forget Allah for giving us a normal life. Yet when Allah reminds us of Him by placing matters in our lived that turns our attention towards Him, we complain and ask ourselves why we deserve this pain and what have we done wrong.

Is it not selfish to forget all the blessings of Allah and overlook the 'normal' things that others in many places have not been gifted with? Sight, sound, functioning limbs and brain, and so forth; are these not a blessing from Allah that we should appreciate each morning? Or are we waiting for an non-functional limb to remind us Allah?

I also realised another point; we are so habitual in our worldly routine that without effort our tasks and actions become automated; we arrive at destinations without any effort or concentration. This happens to such an extent that a change in our routine makes our entire day incomplete and a 'real mess'. Yet how many of us have a system and routine of worshipping Allah to an extent that our tongues automatically begin to praise Him without any thought? How many of us have our days feel incomplete and unsystematic when we miss a prayer of forget to remember Him on a regular basis?

Let us all remember Allah time after time and take out moments to raise our hands and say this to him, "O Allah, I need you". This may be a short supplication, but it creates awareness of Allah and our dependence upon Him. It makes us realise who our Master is.

May Allah save us all from falling into such a routine which blinds us from His remembrance and from thanking Him. May Allah guide us and incline our hearts to such a system which inculcates His worship, remembrance and thankfulness throughout the day. May we remember Him in both good and bad days. Aameen.

Keep on Kickin’

Children are an amazing creation of Allah. They teach us so many things through the manner in which they are uniquely created. It has been several months that I have been seeing my daughter grow older. We calculate our age by years whilst their age is recorded by weeks or months. It is amazing how such a small creation of Allah grows into such a big person and whilst on this journey of growth is able to teach us lesson after lesson.

Recently, I saw my daughter form a new habit; the habit of kicking her legs around and waving them continuously. I have seen her do this several times but I would never have guessed that it would occupy her for such a long period of time. Masha Allah, whilst lying on the bed she will keep herself busy and happy by waving her legs around for hours on end.

I sometimes sit and look at her kicking things around waiting for the moment when she will get tired and start to cry or decide to do something else, but on very few occasions I have managed to succeed in this attempt as I have always got tired before she has,

POINT

So a child, kicking in the air, leaves what message for us? It may seem far-fetched but it is a lesson that I have learnt and appreciated. When we were young we were pleased with little and simple things. We would be satisfied easier and become bored less quickly. Our pleasure would lie around the little world that we had created and then would become the source of our pleasure.

We can see a child doing a single activity for hours without getting bored or tired; if we ask ourselves why then we will come to many conclusions; some of which will be that they enjoy doing activities like that, or that they may have nothing better to do, or they are easily pleased and satisfied with such activities, even that it is part of their growing.

In the same manner, we should ask ourselves why we are so easily frustrated and get bored when we begin to involve ourselves in some religious activities. Are we easily bored with it and not gain satisfaction from such activities? Do we not consider it a part of our spiritual growth or necessity? Do we have something better to do than spend time worshipping Allah?

Something that a child can teach us is that the worshipping of Allah is not only an obligation but should also be a pleasure as well as a necessity; such a necessity that our days do not seem to run smoothly without the remembrance and worship of Allah. We should be dedicated in his worship just as a child is able to occupy himself for hours on end.

May Allah make us dedicated in His worship and give us the ability to worship Him without distraction. May He grant us His love and the love of His Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم in such a manner that our lives revolve around their pleasure and that we become his true worshipers. Aameen

To-Do Notes

The joys of a simple, non advanced note system can usually result to lots of pieces of papers lying scattered along my work desk. Therefore, it was necessary for me to go through these notes that usually indicate what needs to be done and remembered in the daily duties of my life and select those which have been completed or are of no use.

I was amazed to see the contents of my pocket and desk indicating to me what I had gathered and collected over the week; half of which was of no use anyway.

So, there I sat, at my table, emptying the contents of my pocket that contained my notes and sieved through all the paper I had.

I came across many things that had a use at one time but were not needed now; such as old receipts and instructions. I also had gathered notes which I though I would use but never had the chance or didn’t really need to use at the end of the day. All in all, I managed to reduce the papers to a small amount allowing me to flick through the small pile of paper and giving me instructions and information that was current and relevant.

The paper that did suffer the torture of being torn into tiny pieces were also of many type; from quality business cards and paper to recycled paper; each material showing off its quality and character in a different manner.

POINT

Amazing how talking about small notes and papers can also contain a message reminding us of Allah and as to how fascinating His creating is. There is nothing that has been created by Him but that it contains His remembrance and indication towards His existence.

I noticed that at times, without realising, we tend to pick up things that are of no use to us and only when we come to clearing them out do we realise that they hold no value. It is in the same manner, that at times, in life, we tend to pick up habits and characters that hold no value, in actual fact they decrease the value of the individual. If we take out a moment and sieve through all the habits we accumulate and all the actions we commit, we will realise there are a very few of these are of any real benefit to us in either of the worlds.

Similarly, at times, we think that some matters are important and of use to us; but in reality these matters will not help us in this world or the hereafter; they will only use up or time, concentration and effort that we should place for the rewards of the hereafter.

Finally, I realised that when I tried to tear apart some of the cards they had a special film to make them strong and more feasible for everyday use, whilst others would be tear without even intending to do so. It is the same in life that we can protect our heart with such a film that it will protect us from tearing and breaking that heart or we can make it vulnerable that it will tear apart at the sight of even a desire-less sin. We need to cover our heart with the film of ‘love for Allah and His Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم’ a film that will save us from being torn by sins because we care for the pleasure of our Lord and fear His displeasure.

May Allah make us strong, protect us and give us the ability to choose and pick that which is beneficial to us. May He give us the understanding and inclination to create a protecting film over our heart that will save us from the desires of sins. Aameen.