~Zain's World~

Tube Lights

2011-12-25T02:56:00.000Z

Having recently moved to a new home, I'm still in the process of 'exploring' the house and I usually find many things that require maintenance or updating. However, that doesn't mean everything in there is in need of a change, but sometimes it can lack that personal touch which transforms a house into a home.

Saying that, many things are fine but over the weeks or months they require replacing as they've come to the end of their life cycle.

Anyways, I noticed, especially in the winter, that many of the lights at the exterior of the house were not working. I thought I'd get these done a little later as some of them needed a ladder and changing.

Whilst I was delaying these another tube light started giving up on me. I went down when evening into the kitchen and 'flicked' the switch on hoping to be showered with some light. To my disappointment, the light came on for second and then went off, it then came on again and went off... This cycle of coming on and going off never ended until I had to give in and switch the light off again.

read complete post...

Collaborating Sites

2011-10-10T08:05:00.003+01:00

Over time, I have begun to struggle in updating my blogs due to time constraints and becoming occupied with other commitments.

I also have a number of blogs which takes up a considerable amount of time to update on a regular basis.

I have therefore, with the advice of some friends, readers and fellow bloggers reverted back to my wordpress blog, zain121.wordpress.com.

I am consolidating all my blogs and publishing my posts at one central site. This will allow me to focus my attention at one site and therefore enable to post regularly.

However, at the same time, I will maintain the theme of my current blogs which were kept separate for this very reason.

In zain121.blogspot.com I was concentrating on life experiences and lessons learnt from them as well as the thoughts that run through my mind and remind me of my Creator.

In simplyislam.blogspot.com I introduced a range of educational Islamic material that people could refer to and benefit from.

And finally, zainulabedeen.blogspot.com was a collection of teachings and experiences from my days of studying at Darul Uloom (Islamic Institution) as well as the lessons I learnt I also include the words of wisdoms from my respected teachers and their biographies.

Also included on the wordpress site will be my collections from my zain121.freeforums.org site. This will include event notifications, book reviews, biographies, poetry and various other topics.

All in all, I pray that this is a positive step forward in the collaboration of the various different themes I have mentioned and that it proves to benefit me and its readers.

If you are receiving subscriptions from this site, please add a new subscription to www.zain121.wordpress.com for all future posts.

All posts, old and new, that would have originally been posted on this blog will now be available at the wordpress site under the category of "Lessons from Life"

Buy One Get One 'Free'

2011-08-08T12:25:00.000+01:00

The term 'buy one get one free' is not alien to any individual. In fact, it is a term which our eyes search for in supermarket shelves, shop windows and within other shopping mediums.

We always make an effort to save a 'penny' or two as they tend to add up. Taking the current economical climate into mind it is not just a habit but now a necessity to ensure any money spent is justified and well spent.

Well, an incident which occurred a couple of days back reminded of this 'buy one get one free' term. My friend was standing, frustrated, in front of a vending machine as his £1 coin was rejected one after another. So I swapped a £1 which I had and, as usual, it 'did the job'... out came the drink...

Hold on... out came TWO drinks.

It's not uncommon for this vending machine to make this sort of an error as highlighted by previous users. Now my friend already had paid for his drink and gave me the other drink which was 'buy one get one free'. What else could he have done with an extra drink.

I took the drink; both of us grinning at the bargain we had got, £0.75 for a drink is a fair price as compared to the extreme price of £1.50. Being happy with the price he paid we both left.

On my way, whilst having this drink I was questioning myself of whether this drink was okay for me to take and this returned my thoughts to three episodes:

1. Once a disciple of Hadhrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi رحمه الله came to visit him with his son. He travelled from his home to meet the Shaikh through the means of a train.

Whilst convercing with the Shaikh the disciple stated his 'cleverness' of getting a half price ticket for his son who was of age yet was short enough to look as a minor.

Upon hearing this the Shaikh was furious and informed the disciple of his lack of understanding for even the basics of the religion.

2. An incident which I came accross in a few forums where a Imam was taking a bus from him home into the town centre. The bus driver gave him £0.20 extra to which the Imam was having thoughts of keeping or giving it back. He felt that it was a minor amount but regardless he decided that it should be returned.

The bus driver was aware that the Imam had been given an extra amount but was doing this to test the Imam for the sole reason that the bus driver was thinking of studying Islam.

This made the Imam think and realise that he could have 'sold' Islam for the mere sum of £0.20

3. The final incident is of a person who was once travelling by river and saw an apple floating. He took the apple and ate it only to realise afterwards that he had taken something without prior permission. He went out of his way to search for this person in order to recompense him for the apple he had taken.

Once he found the owner he agreed to marry his 'dumb', 'deaf' and 'blind' daughter as a price for that apple. In reality the daughter was regarded the above for her purity as she would hear, see and speak no evil.

Once the person married the owner's daughter he found that she was neither deaf, dumb or blind. On enquiring about this, he was told that she had never used her ears, tongue or eyes for any unlawful activity.

Having thought of this, I ensured that we contacted the venders and informed them of this, who of course found it a little strange. Nevertheless, it was a common thing with the machines and was accounted for. Therefore, we were told not to worry about it.

Point

A few quick points to not lengthen the long post any further:

1. As we look for 'BOGOF' offers in this world, we should also take full benefits of these offers when Allah سبحانه و تعالى opens His 'shop' of mercy. These are times such as Ramadhan and regularly at Tahajjud time and on Laylat-ul-Bara'ah and Laylat-ul-Qadr.

2. We are quick to read labels of food items to see their contents and check to animal ingredients. However, we should pay more attention to neglected matters such as the manner in which we have acquired this food item. Have we caused someone difficulty to obtain this? Have we earned the money through a Halal medium? Have the shopkeeper charged us less by mistake or given us back more change?

3. We should never underestimate the effect of our actions on others. We can never be sure who is looking and judging us, and more importantly our religion, through our actions. We may not be informed of the consequences of our actions, but we can be rest assured that each of our actions are judged by people and opinions are made in regards to us and our religion. Ultimately, Allah is and will judge us in accordance to our actions and efforts.

May we all be given the strength to keep a constant watch over our actions. Aameen.

One Step Forward... Two Steps Back?

2010-12-19T17:12:00.000Z

During this period of the 'credit crunch' many individuals as well as multi-national companies are feeling the bite of the economic status.

Each and everybody is trying to ensure that they continue to 'plod along' and survive during this 'crisis' within which many jobs are at risk and many financial difficulties are being faced.

It is a time when we can raise our hands and submit to the fact that what we always want, hope for or plan doesn't occur and at times what we do not plan for can come as a total surprise and shock to us.

Something of the same nature occurred with me this week. Our plan which was structured over several months was at its final stages and we were just moving one step ahead when we suddenly had a major setback that made us feel we took one step forward and two steps back.

Point

Usually, during times of crisis and difficulty, our attitude is such that any progress which becomes void due to some drawback is seen as a loss and deficit. It is seen as 'one step forward and two steps back' or as 'the glass is half empty'.

It is seldom that an individual thanks Allah after looking at the situation and saying that Allah helped the individual by cutting the losses short and preparing them prior to the setback.

The loss has been cut by Allah to being one step back instead of two steps or by only half the glass being empty and not the entire glass.

In business or any worldly matter, we try our level best to ensure that this loss is covered and that we recover from it as soon as possible. In actual fact, our spiritual life should be the same where any drawback we face should be taken seriously and that we should ensure recovery from the drawback immediately (through repentance and execution of good deeds).

I would find it hard to conceive that any individual would strategically plan to make a loss in business. In the same way, it should be inconceivable that a person would plan to commit sin and set himself back spiritually.

We've all heard of the psychology regarding the attitude of how we see things, 'the glass is half empty' is just as true as 'the glass is half full'.

It is amazing at the times of drawbacks we always look at the glass as being half empty and how that causes some form of deficit in our lives.

Examinations

2009-05-01T01:39:00.004+01:00

It has been some time before my previous entry and even blogging at this time seems to be something which has required me to ensure I have set aside a few moments from my revision.

It is for many people a 'stressful' and challeging period of time: EXAMINATIONS.

My definition of examinations would be, although it'd be nice to really check what it meant in the dictionary:

The time in your life where you are tested on your effort and work for the past year to see if what you accomplished and acquired was of any use and benefit to you or not.

I think that's a fair enough definition for what many people will be experiencing in these current months.

I actually have an examination in the morning, which might be evident from my rambling; but during my 'well deserved' break I felt so exhausted and was wondering if all this effort would be paid off, whilst hoping that I did achieve good grades.

My chain of thoughts took me to the obvious lesson everyone should be constantly aware of, but funnily forget during these 'stressful' and 'demanding times'

Point

Our attitudes and forward thinking is usually restricted to the foreseeable benefits returns of this world whilst overlooking the fact that this world is, many a times, a reminder for the matters that will take place in the Hereafter.

It is vital to strive and make an effort in this world and excel in it as much as possible but whilst remembering that the true reward and returns are those which will be received in the Hereafter and that all our efforts here should have some connection with our intention to succeed in the Hereafter.

We spend so much effort and time in the preparation of worldly examinations which are marked by simply human beings who are prone to errors themselves.

Whilst some spend sleepless nights in preparation for an examination to ensure good results others spend sleepless nights due to examination nerves and stress. Such is the scenario of an exam which can also be re-taken.

What if we were to glance towards our preparation for the Hereafter? How many nights have we spent without sleeping whilst hoping for success?

Which night have we stayed awake to seek Allah's forgiveness for the day's sins?

Is it due to the fact that we don't have an examination date set? Or are we confident our actions and character will ensure us of an easy pass on the day when there will be option to re-take; when the stakes will be much higher than the loss of a first class honours degree or a six digit salary.

Our academic studies set for us an examination date and we are prepared to work and study endlessly but when Allah tells us to prepare for our examination in our every action we become heedless and carefree.

When we are informed that our examination could come at any moment of the day, so much so that we could be asleep and Allah calls us unto Him for this examination, we become complacent and fall into deep slumber.

This does not in any way, shape or form mean that we stop revising and making an effort for the examinations of this world... More so it means that we should made every effort to be successful in this world and make a greater effort to ensure that we're preparing for the 'real' examination and that we do 'suffer' from sleepless nights in preparation for this...

It may be that the tears that flow during our sleepless nights for the preparation for the Hereafter prove to be the the water the extinguishes that anger of Allah which comes in the form of the fire of Hell.

I still recall the one line Arabic saying our Ustad (respected teachers) used to write on our examination papers:

عند الامتحان يكرم الرجل أو يهان

It is at the time of an examination that an individual is honoured or disgraced

May Allah save us from disgrace from both this world and the Hereafter and give us the inclination to remember the true examinations even in times of stress and revision. Aameen.

Misplaced Belief

2008-11-28T23:52:00.004Z

I'm pretty sure many people have experienced this 'misplaced belief' at some point or another. I'm not sure what the real terminology of this experience is and I'm not concerned about the 'nitty gritty' of the science related to this feeling. But I will try and explain what I mean by this term 'misplaced belief' and my recent incident.

Have you ever miscalculated a step when coming down or going up a staircase? Having 'believed' that there is a still a step remaining and when you put your foot down 'wham' it goes down quite fast and astonishes you...

or

Ever been handed over a bag or item which you 'believed' to be lighter than it actually is... when you take over that item you become overwhelmed by its weight, only because you miscalculated its reality.

Well, the same sort of incident occurred with me the other day when I was heading towards my car. I thought there was still some pavement left and found myself unbalanced by the step which placed me on the road. It isn't a major deal, right? Well it happens every now and then to many people and it's just due to miscalculation.

Exactly what I thought when the above incident took place... and then I thought a little more at how interesting these small matters actually are... our beliefs can be so strong that when they turn out to be wrong we are caught off guard and overcome by the truth.

Like I mentioned above, in normal circumstances, we are able to carry heavy items; but when we miscalculate an item to be lighter than it is we can become easily overwhelmed by a relatively light object.

This is a trivial matter, but the lessons that stem from it are very important

Point

Whilst pondering over the above incident, a famous saying of our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم crossed my mind:

الكيس من دان نفسه، وعمل لما بعد الموت، والعاجز من أتبع نفسه هواها، وتمنى على الله
الترمذي

Wise is he who controls his desires and works towards that which is to occur after death; whilst a ignorant is he who follows that temptations of his desires and (regardless of that) keeps hope in (the mercy of) Allah.

For a person has misplaced belief in the mercy of Allah will, in the same manner of this world, be overwhelmed when reality will occur.

A person is required to make an effort in attaining the mercy of Allah and we have been clearly informed that our entering Jannah will be through the mercy of Allah alone and not through our actions and deeds.

The overwhelming in this world is an incident which lasts for a moment or so; but our misplaced belief in the mercy of Allah can overwhelm us in such a manner that it can drive us towards the fire of Hell.

May Allah save us all and give us the understanding of His mercy. May He save us from ignorance and give us strong belief in matters which are correct and not 'misplaced'. Aameen

Where Are You?

2008-10-16T01:14:00.004+01:00

I'm not sure how true this is for other readers, but I sometimes get this 'lonely' feeling or period where I feel that all the people that matter or that I care for or those who care for me are really 'busy', 'pre-occupied' or just 'disappeared'.

It's a funny feeling really, as I don't know if my 'loneliness' is sparked by those people not being around when I need them or whether my need for them is sparked when I feel lonely.

In all fairness, we tend to remember all the times a person was not there for us or things they didn't do for us as opposed to the contrary; the times when they stuck by us and where supportive, specially when we were in dire need of it.

Nevertheless, a spark of loneliness leaves me pondering where is everyone? Is the world just become 'faster' and 'busier' leaving the people within short of time and energy? Is the world becoming selfish and self-centred where the only things that matters to a person is himself? Or is it that people are becoming more attached to one another and to this materialistic world?

I can recall a phase in my life which was completely different to the current phase; a phase when everyone had time for one another; people met, talked and really socialised in a manner which was not Islamically wrong or breaking boundaries... And now I see that parents has selective time for their children and if that is the case of family then what needs to be said about friends and relatives.

Point

It might seem like a 'mumbling' post and therefore I'm going to really just get to the point. At times we really make an effort to 'communicate' with friends; to ensure that we are around and that we keep in 'contact'. Yet time is such a powerful tool that it can separate people in many ways... We can remain friends yet be busy with our own lives; or we could be physically separated through relocating or even worse we could turn into enemies and not want to have any contact with one another.

In all this, there usually is an emotional feeling attached. We either feel hurt, lost or maybe even alone. And this should be the case considering the amount of effort we place in these relations and connections.

At the same time, I thought, what if we were to place the same effort and dedication in befriending Allah? What if a day wouldn't pass where we ensured that we had conversed with Allah; gave him a 'quick call' or a simple 'text message' just to let Him know we are thinking of Him and missing Him?

What if our separation from Him caused us pain and grief; made us feel lonely, lost and saddened?

What if we ensured that we met regularly with Him; heard Him and talked about Him?

If we placed that much of an effort in befriending Allah; trying to please Him then it is guaranteed that Allah would return this friendship at a much greater level.

He would never leave us and would be there in times of sorrow and grief. He would give us support in times of hardship and would never leave our side so that we would never feel lonely. If we called Him then He would surely answer and not miss a single of our calls. If we created love for Him then we would surely feel the desire to meet Him.

Yet we choose to console our hearts with the love and friendship of 'temporary' things; materialistic items and with people that will come and go...

The way I look at it... There is not better friend than Allah....

May Allah give us the guidance to befriend Him and may He accept this friendship and accept us as His Khaleel. Aameen.

Battery Charging & Manual

2008-09-13T22:42:00.002+01:00

The majority of us, if not all, will have a mobile phone; and we would all be aware of its usage and functionalities.

Recently, due to Ramadhan, I’ve not been giving my phone a complete charge and therefore the battery either becomes close to ‘dying’ or actually does ‘die’ on me.

On many phones that I have used in the past, I have a bleeping sound warning me of the low battery charge and ‘hoping’ that I will connect it to the mains to give it a recharge. Recently, with the change of phone, I have a ‘lecture’ accompanying the bleep warning me that I could lose any unsaved work if I did not charge my phone.

It’s amazing in this technologically advancing world how many products require charging or some form of power supply, be it through batteries or through the mains. In the same manner, these items all come with a level of instructions and manuals to ensure correct usage of the product and eliminating the risk of rendering the product faulty.

I was thinking along these points during the month of Ramadhan, how our bodies also feel depleted of energy levels and how these levels of energy are increased during the time of breaking our fast and the sleep we have during the night.

Point

It occurred to me that in the way our accessories and gadgets require an energy source so does our physical body; by far the greatest ‘technology’ and ‘machinery’. In the same manner, as it is the month of Ramadhan, my mind drifted towards the spiritual body. Just as the technologies of today require a power source and the body requires an energy source, so does the spiritual body and Rooh (spirit, soul) require nourishment, energy and power.

Our mobile will continue to serve us and be of use as long as it has battery power; our bodies will function and have the strength to carry out our daily duties and necessities as long as it contains the energy and in the same manner our spiritual existence will continue to please Allah and create a connection with Him if we provide it with the correct nourishment.

It is in this month that there has been a greater awareness of this from Allah تعالى as a great level of emphasis has been placed on the existence of one’s spiritual needs. So much so, that we have been told to decrease the energy we give to our physical bodies so that we can strengthen our spirituality and create, within this month, a connection with Allah, our power source, who will illuminate our hearts, Insha Allah, with Nur (divine light).

It is through this divine light that we hope to continue our days serving Allah تعالى and whenever necessary we need to ensure that this power and energy is ‘topped up’ through the Faraidh, Sunan and Nawaafil (obligatory, optional and recommended acts).

Being the month of Ramadhan, I hope to keep this post to a minimum. But I pray that the message of this post as well as this month is clear; increase your spiritual awareness and its needs; increase the energy one places on one’s soul.

May Allah تعالى increase our connection with Him and make this connection a means for our salvation. May this month honour us with the mercy of Allah, His forgiveness and become a means of freedom from the fire of Hell. Aameen.

Du’as requested, especially in this blessed month.

Focus

2008-07-28T03:51:00.003+01:00

Whilst on my recent trip I was at an island for which the main form of transportation was either to walk by foot or by cycling. An alternative transportation, which I would class as more luxurious and occasional, would be the horse and carriage, mainly used as an attraction for the tourists visiting the island.

Whilst watching these horse driven carriages I noticed that the horse is made to wear a bridle along with eye covers which ensure that the horse's vision remains on the road and is not distracted towards the sides.

It is an important preparation for the rider to ensure the safety of the passengers as well as his well-being and that of the horse. Though the eye covers seem to be a restriction to the onlooker they actually ensure that the horse remains on the path he is supposed to take and is not distracted by other horses or disturbances which may occur in the surrounding.

Point

As individuals we all have a unique lifestyle; one that is determined by the many choices we have made and intend to make as well as those matters which are beyond our control and, at times, beyond our imagination.

We experience, from day to day, sorrow, grief, happiness, anxiety, anger, stress, disbelief, exhaustion, depression and determination amongst many other emotions and feelings. At times these feelings determine our course of action and thereby set our lifestyle which we established for ourselves.

This is a matter which relates to our present, transitory life; the life of this temporary world.

However, whilst passing our days in this momentary world we are required to stay focused on our long-term goal, the Hereafter. It would be of no use to acquire success and prosperity in this world at the cost of the Hereafter just as it would be useless to acquire a short-term goal at the expense of the ultimate goal.

For example, to acquire qualifications in medication and thereafter work in a call-centre or factory where the conditions, perks and pay do not meet the standards who hoped for. Hence, the short term achievements are important as long as they serve as a stepping stone for the long-term goal.

In the same manner, all that we do in this world will only be deemed useful and of benefit if it becomes a means of acquiring salvation in the Hereafter and therefore it is vital to put these 'covers' upon our eyes which safeguard us from the distractions of this world and allow us to stay upon the 'straight path' which leads towards our ultimate goal and destination.

May Allah give us all the strength to stay firm on the straight path which He has clearly defined and set for us. May He give us the inclination to safeguard ourselves from the distractions which surround this path and towards which Shaytaan continually entices us. May He give us the inclination to strengthen our Taqwa so that the fear and love of Allah and His beloved Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم become the 'covers' upon our eyes; guiding us to our ultimate goal, the Hereafter. Aameen.

Battery Low

2008-06-23T14:19:00.002+01:00

The exam periods have now come to an end, with most students awaiting their results and grades to continue into the next year of university or to confirm their offers from universities and colleges.

Seeing as I use my car more often than I used to whilst being at university, I noticed that despite changing my battery a few months back I still have the feeling that this battery is 'whining' and is not powering up as it should, especially for a battery which is six months old.

Six months ago my battery had given up all the power it had, although I noticed I could still recharge it with the small amount of power it had left. Therefore, I decided to charge the battery and drive over and get one that is 'life guaranteed' to ensure I don't have any problems in the future... but luck has it that my battery needs another replacement in just six months and I will have to take it back and get it changed for a new one.

Point

An episode of a battery; not the most exciting of posts and neither the most interesting of stories. But despite that this incident is one that occurred every time I would start the car; the whining for ten seconds followed by the roar of the engine always made me think of my battery and the fact that I needed to get it changed.

The battery powers up the motor (car) and makes the gadgets within the car work; the life and soul of the car.

In the same manner, I felt that our hearts have the same characteristics; it powers up the soul and the spiritual existence within us. The heart goes through phases which can be compared to the dying battery as well as to that of the powered battery.

At times our spiritual battery comes to a low and requires boosting through jump leads; this can be achieved, at times, through the short bursts of energy gained from the talks and gatherings that take place either on a regular basis on special talks which occur every once in a while.

At other times, the batter will not suffice through jump starting from another battery, instead it requires to be charged by a battery charger over a period of time and this is the same as seeking a spiritual guide (Shaykh) and asking the Shaykh to charge one's heart with spiritualism over a longer period to ensure that there is enough power to take a person through the hurdles, tests and trials of this world.

Alhumdulillah, the heart of a Muslim has enough power to never die out and be replaced; the spark of Imaan remains in the heart of every Muslim and just requires the power of the Shaykh, 'Ulamaa and the company of the pious to turn the spark and into a flame.

We, as Muslims, have an option of continuosly jump starting our batteries by attending the talks of the Shuyookh as well as to remain in their company and charge our batteries completely. If we fail to do this then we may just find ourselves stranded one day without an indication as to where we are and how we will get out of the place we have got into...

No battery, no power, no jump leads and no one to help us... In this world we may think that will never happen and there is always a solution - but - in the Hereafter it will surely occur... No battery, no power, no jump leads and we will not be able to 'drive' to Jannah but instead we will be driven towards Jahannam:

وَسِيقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَى جَهَنَّمَ زُمَرًا

"And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell In groups"

[Surah Zumur - 39:71]

May Allah سبحانه و تعالى save us all from the dying heart and keep our hearts alive with His remembrance. Our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم has stated:

مَثَلُ الَّذِيْ يَذْكُرُ رَبَّهُ وَالَّذِيْ لاَ يَذْكُرُهُ مَثَلُ الحَيِّ وَالمَيِّتِ

"The example of one who remembers his Lord and the example of one who does not remember Him is that of a living person and a dead person (respectively)."

May Allah سبحانه و تعالى give us all the inclination to glance towards the states of our hearts and hear its whining and cries. May He give us the strength and courage to reform and empower our hearts through His love. Aameen.

Exams

2008-05-01T16:28:00.007+01:00

For many of us these months will be stressful as it is the exam periods in schools and universities as well as many Madaaris. It is during these months that we will be examined, ranked and informed as to what we have done and achieved during the year that has just past.

It is no different for me as I am also going through my exams. Alhumdulillah, having already passed all my modules through coursework I am more relaxed during my exams and aim to achieve a better grade due to being less nervous during the actual examination.

Anyway, the concept and idea of examinations is quiet scary; although having put my best into the year I fear the results of the exams; will they really reflect my efforts? Will I be asked something that I overlooked or didn't revise? Did I miss something out without realising? Was my learning method and information I learnt wrong and incorrect?

These are all questions that I can ask myself despite having made an effort throughout the year. And obviously if I failed to make an effort then many more questions will arise and the stress will or should be greater than this.

So after one exam, I have got a taste of what examinations are really like; no matter how hard you try and revise there is always the pressure that will remain and the nervousness will remain until the results are released.

POINT

It will be obvious to many what the point of this incident of thought will be. It is a point that we have all been reminded of and all have pondered over. Yet it sometimes feels necessary to repeat these points so that we are reminded, for surely we need reminding of these matters time and again.

Despite knowing that I have passed all the modules and can continue in the second year I feel nervous of these exams and prepare for them to the best of my ability. It isn't necessarily for any financial gain but it is essential for me to achieve what I believe in and what I have set out to achieve.

But it sometimes is disturbing to think how much effort we place in the 'true' examination. How much consideration do we place on that examination where thousands of questions will be asked in front the entire world population; those who have gone before us and those who are yet to come? How much effort do we place to achieve success in that examination where there are no re-takes, no concessions and no hope of survival if we fail?

It is an Arabic saying: "at the time of an examination, a person is either honoured or he is disgraced"

Hadhrat Aisha رضي الله عنها relates that the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم stated: 'whosoever is questioned (on that day) will be destroyed'

An examination where all the questions will be based on our honesty, obedience, intentions and our lifestyle. We have achieved the name of Muslims but do our actions depict this? We claim to love Allah and His Rasool صلى الله عليه و سلم but does our obedience highlight this?

In these exams we can get away with leaving our questions or even guessing the answer; the examiner is not bothered and neither do we have to face him to answer to him. But on the day of the 'true' examination there will be no questions left unanswered, a day when our tongues will not have permission to speak but instead our hands, feet, ears, eyes and other limbs will answer and inform Allah of our deeds

Is this month not a reminder enough that we spend sleepless nights in revision for the success in the following year yet we never spend a night in worship for the success in the Hereafter?

May Allah make us all successful in our examinations in this world and the Hereafter. May he use these examinations to remind us of the true examination that is to come and that may arrive at the next moment... An exam that is guaranteed without an examination date. May He give us the ability and inclination to prepare for this exam so that after preparation He can overlook our shortcomings through His mercy and forgive us by excusing us and appreciating our efforts. Aameen.

I Spy With My Little Eye

2008-04-01T04:16:00.003+01:00

The title may be familiar to many and may also remind a few of us of our childhood days. Well, I wasn't playing 'I Spy...' recently neither was I able or planning to do so.

Recently, I went through laser surgery. A procedure that a friend of mine had already been through but assured me that it was safe and 'painless'.

Alhumdulillah, the procedure was a success and the recovery is also progressing well. However, it was one of the most frightening experiences I remember. The pain was minimal but the anticipation before the surgery was torturing just as the fear during was overwhelming.

After the treatment my eyes were stinging and burning for a couple of hours during which I was unable to open them or see anything. Water flowed from my eyes and the pain was severe for a couple of hours.

I can say I am pleased to have taken the surgery but I hoped that I was more prepared, more informed and more knowledgeable about the process. It would have definitely reduced my fear a little by knowing what I was going to expect and that I was mentally prepared for it. Physically, I had to ensure my eyes were well lubricated by putting lubricating gel regularly prior to the treatment.

Point

Bringing the rambling to an end, I realised that there were many lessons to learn from this experience.

The obvious one being that the gift of sight is something that we never really appreciate in its completeness. We tend to concentrate on all the negative occurrences in our life but we fail to compare them to all the blessings.

I realised that all the apparent discomforts and hardships of life balanced against the gift of sight would make us realise that we really have something to be grateful for. Try it... Walk around the house for an hour with your eyes closed. Overlook all the bumps and dependency you have and just concentrate on the depressing feeling of nothing but darkness... Should we not be grateful for sight?

I also realised that it is essential to prepare and be ready for occasions such as a laser surgery. It gives us confidence that we made an effort and that it will allow us to be more aware of what will take place. Keeping this point in mind, I thought of the Hereafter, the great trials and tribulations that will take place; the Hell fire and the questioning in extreme conditions.

Should we not prepare ourselves mentally and physically for this? Should we not take heed of the constant reminders warnings from Allah? Should we not ensure that we are ready for the Hereafter by making provisions prior to the event and occurrence of this mighty event?

There is much to understand and much to say... But I feel that if we get this message then it is sufficient.

May Allah make us aware of all His bounties and mercies, even in times of distress. May He give us the ability to be grateful for all we have and the inclination to do good in return.

May we realise the magnitude of events that will unfold before the day of resurrection and those that will occur after it and whilst understanding these events may Allah give us the strength and inclination to prepare ourselves. Aameen

Wake-Up Call

2008-03-01T22:48:00.003Z

The title is a term we all should be quite familiar with; a wake-up-call is usually referred to that sound our alarm clocks or mobile phones make in the morning to ensure that we're up bright and early.

The wake up call, although a simple term, can carry a lot of meaning if looked at from different angles. The term shows that before this 'wake-up-call' we're actually asleep and unaware of our surroundings and what is happening; as though we're in a state of ignorance.

The 'call' is a form of waking us up from our deep sleep and ignorance and gives us the message to start a new day and begin our moment of awareness.

This blog has been about my perception of life and my experiences and how they can relate to other people and also look into the messages of Allah through the activities of our daily lives.

However, I am more than certain that many people have shared this experience and also felt the natural wake-up-call from Allah, the earthquake.

Many have been discussing the earthquake and also mentioning the point I just mentioned, the sign from Allah.

It doesn't take any convincing to state that our sins definately have some sort of effect, in both this world and the hereafter. At times the effects of these sins are hidden by Allah and made known to the individual and at times the collective effects of these sins are shown to a group or even a nation.

Point

To be honest, I don't really see a great need to discuss the earthquake or what it means and how people are drowing in sins without regret or remorse. I feel that each individual who has some fear of Allah will be aware of the rights and wrongs that he has done. Yet I feel it necessary that each and every one of us should realise that this is a wake up call and we can choose to wake up to this call and begin a new day in the path of pleasing Allah or we can hit the 'snooze' button whilst hoping that the alarm and wak up call will come again, hopefully soon, to make us realise that we are stepping away from His path and earning His displeasure.

It may be that the call may not come again, or it could be possible that the next call will not be a wake up call but a call to anounce His punishment and wrath.

May Allah save us all and allow us to wake up to His calls and signs. Aameen.

Awareness

2008-02-02T12:38:00.000Z

My daughter always seemed to me to be the brave one, especially compared to my niece and nephew who are older than her. I would notice that she was quite ‘daring’ and wouldn’t be afraid to give something a try. In fact, something that would cause butterflies in her stomach actually made her laugh.

My nephew has always had this tendency to be alert and aware; much more now than he was when he was younger; whilst my niece is still willing to give things a try but really hates the butterfly feeling.

Though this may all seem random, it’s actually my thoughts gathered at our local park whilst I took the little ones there to enjoy themselves. I really notice the difference between this trip and the last one I made. The awareness of my nephew, who is the eldest, was far greater than I expected.

It made me realise that my daughter was not really the ‘brave one’ she was the one who was unaware of dangers, boundaries, hurt and pain. With age comes awareness and with awareness comes age. The older we get the more aware we should become; the more we should be able to understand, recognise and refrain from those things that could prove to be harmful to us in anyway.

Point

When we look at kids we should, to some extent, reflect upon ourselves. How ‘aware’ are we in regards to those things that can harm and hurt us? I believe at times we’re quite aware of things that could be dangerous to our bodies and health; yet we either take a risk or we don’t realise just how dangerous these things can prove to be, if not in the present time then in the near future.

Yet how many times have we pondered about how aware we are in regards to Allah? Have we become any closer to Him; to pleasing Him through our age? Were we more sensitive about Allah’s pleasure and displeasure when we were kids or are we becoming wiser with age?

I remember, when we were kids, our mother used to tell us that Allah will burn is in fire if we do something wrong and He will become upset. At that age we used to be constantly reminded or we would constantly question our actions; is Allah going to be displeased with this? Will He punish us?

Yet our awareness in relation to Allah is such that we become more aware of His mercy, or should I say more dependent; whilst we completely overlook His power and promise to punish. In reality, we, with age, have chosen to become more unaware of Allah.

May Allah give us awareness of His might and power as well as His mercy. May He make us understand that His pleasure is ultimate and that nothing should come before His pleasure. May He give us the strength, courage and understanding to that which pleases Him and refrain from that which displeases Him.

Aameen.

Unwavering Intentions

2008-01-15T03:47:00.000Z

The New Year has now begun, both in the Hijri calendar as well as the Gregorian calendar. This time of the year holds many different customs, norms, traditions as well as celebrations. Many will be aware of the ‘sales’ that take place, whilst others will have suffered the load bangs of people setting fire to their money through the purchasing of fireworks.

It is also during this time that many people make a New Year’s resolution; a statement containing a list of items that one determines to complete and be steadfast upon during the New Year.

I usually tend to grab any opportunity, any excuse to make a resolution; so whether it is a big achievement in life; a new opportunity; my birthday or New Years, I don’t miss a chance to update my resolutions... In fact, we should make a resolution every day reminding us to avoid the mistakes of yesterday.

So now that the New Year is here, should we not use this as an opportunity to make a pact with Allah; to use this opportunity to bow in front of Him and ask Him for another chance?

Point

Well the point is crystal clear... it is as I said above... Don’t waste a moment’s time to make a gesture of good will towards Allah or towards a fellow being. Bring in a change for the better by reflecting upon the past.

So what can be included in a resolution? Anything from the smallest of ‘promises’ to the greatest of Du’as... Start simple and build on it after you have achieved one... Make a list and cross off one by one...

O Allah give me firm and unwavering intentions which I can use to gain Your pleasure and the pleasure of those whom You love. O Allah, grant me the wisdom to make the correct intentions in life and the courage to carry out my intentions. Allah, if You have placed benefit in any act then put it in my fate to do that action and O Allah if there is any action that is not in my favour then You are the Most Merciful, turn me away from that action and distance that action from me.

O Allah clean my heart in the same manner that water cleanses dirty clothes. O Allah quench my thirst with knowledge in the manner that water quenches thirst. O Allah grow the love for You and Your beloved in my heart like the manner in which water grows crops.

O Allah, You are the one who gives and who takes; I ask from You not that which I desire but instead that which You desire for me and I ask You to desire for me not that which is in accordance to my deeds but that which is in accordance to Your mercy and kindness.

O Allah another year has gone within which I was unable to become any closer to You yet Your mercy has given me another chance, another year, O Allah make every remaining moment of my life one that is not wasted in futile goals and materialism; O Allah make every moment one within which Your favours smile upon me not through my worship but through my efforts.

O Allah in this life many people have come and gone; many have given hope of love and many hopes of happiness yet my heart knows that there is no true love except that which is for You and that which is from You; there is no happiness except in those things that make You happy. I beg of You O Allah to remove the false love that drowns my heart and elevate me to a rank where I can understand what it means to love You and be loved by You.

O Allah, my heart is dying through the poison of my sins; O Allah, in this desperate hour of need do not close Your doors of forgiveness on me. O Allah give me the ability to make a sincere repentance to You.

Ya Allah, I am deprived of tears; of remorse; of words and even of the manner of asking from You. O Allah even a beggar is more sincere when he begs. But Allah I am more certain that Your mercy is far greater than the ocean of my errors; I belief in you is firmer than my habits and sins. I ask You through your mercy to grant me my supplication.

O Allah, You alone are aware of my intentions of my Du’as and of my efforts in Your path. I beseech you to accept the little I do and grant it uncounted rewards from Your treasures. My effort has an end, my time is limited and my devotion may waver but O Allah You are free from defects; You are perfect in every sense and there is no limit in Your treasures neither does it decrease; grant me from this endless treasure of Yours an amount similar to Your rule over mankind, an amount which does justice to all of Your beautiful names.

O Allah, on the day of resurrection do not shame us in front of the entire nation; O Allah on that day overlook our errors and sins. Ya Allah, if even a moment of our life is displayed then we will drown in shame and remorse. O Allah, You are Sattaar, the one who hides and conceals, O Allah, You are the Lord which bestows air, food, drink and sleep after we sin and even whilst we’re sinning. O Allah, on that day, we will be dreading every moment of our lives, every action we did. Ya Allah, hide us in Your cloak of concealment. Ya Allah give us shade under Your thrown and make us amongst those whom the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم recognises and asks intercession for; for indeed his intercession will be accepted.

O Allah, send countless blessings upon our beloved Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم and make us living examples of his life in this world. O Allah, give us the courage and wisdom to act according to his teachings and not let our emotions and foolishness taint his image and the image of Islam. Ya Allah, give us the honour of seeing the beloved Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم in this world and in a state where he is pleased with us. O Allah, give us a place in Jannah with him even if it be as his servants.

O Allah, our tongues will tire from asking, our arms from begging and our eyes from shedding tears but O Allah You never become tired. We may stop asking but You never stop listening. We may forget to ask but You know that which is within the hearts. O Allah, we ask You for all good and ask Your refuge from all evil. Grant us that which our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم has sought from You and save us from that which our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم has sought refuge from. Aameen.

Baby Monitor

2007-12-22T15:54:00.000Z

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

2007-11-29T16:15:00.000Z

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

2007-11-24T00:59:00.000Z

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

2007-10-21T22:41:00.000+01:00

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

2007-09-25T20:38:00.000+01:00

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

2007-09-12T16:55:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-24T00:52:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-01T11:34:00.000+01:00

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

2007-06-28T15:14:00.001+01:00

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

2007-06-21T14:22:00.000+01:00

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

2007-06-05T16:27:00.000+01:00

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

2007-05-01T16:32:00.000+01:00

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;

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.

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.

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.

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

2007-04-18T16:23:00.000+01:00

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...

2007-04-01T21:18:00.000+01:00

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"

2007-03-21T22:12:00.000Z

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

2007-03-12T23:11:00.000Z

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’

2007-02-12T15:11:00.000Z

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

2007-01-17T15:47:00.000Z

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.

Eid Mubarak

2006-12-30T01:46:00.000Z

Eid is a day made by Allah to mark a special event and a blessed event. It is a day in which Muslims around the world gather to perform the sacred and religious sacrifice in the blessed land. This is another day from the days of Hajj which denotes the Sacrifice made by Ibrahim عليه اسلام.

Allah states:

لَن يَنَالَ اللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَاؤُهَا وَلَكِن يَنَالُهُ التَّقْوَى مِنكُمْ كَذَلِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمْ لِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

"Their flesh and their blood reach not Allah, but the devotion/piety from you reaches Him. Thus have we made them subject to you that you may magnify Allah that He has guided you..."

[Surah al-Hajj - 22:37]

POINT

This is the day where, although we enjoy ourselves, we should remember the sacrifice that Hadhrat Ibrahim عليه اسلام made for the sake and pleasure of Allah Ta'ala. It is a day within which many pilgrims have sacrificed their desires, comfort and families to complete one of the pillars of Islam whilst bearing hardship to seek the pleasure of Allah and acquiring closeness to Him.

May Allah allow us to enjoy this day in its true meaning whilst giving us the understanding to realise that this day is about sacrifice for the sake of Allah and not following one's desires to displease Allah. Aameen.

Eid Mubarak to all the readers.

Interview

2006-12-16T16:25:00.000Z

My friend had an interview a short while back; an interview which I believe was fairly easy and straightforward in achieving results. He was given a paper with possible questions that would be presented to him which he was to provide answers for.

Obviously, life isn’t always that simple and there would be other questions asked from him which were not mentioned on the paper he received. However, with the interview time being limited, I would have thought that providing good answers would leave him with limited time for questions that were not on the paper.

Well, I met my friend the day before and I was astonished to see that he was relaxing in his room with no concern about his interview. When I asked him regarding this he simply replied “it’s okay, I’ll be fine”.

I found it to be quite funny as well as disturbing that he was hoping to achieve results without having done any work or preparation for that result.

POINT

In life there are many things that we aim to achieve yet we fail to plan and exercise effort in achieving this.

The example of this foolishness is the example of a person who intends to travel south but takes the road that leads to the north.

These are all worldly matters; I pondered over my friend’s attitude and realised that we sometimes have the same attitude in our religious affairs:

الكيس من دان نفسه و عمل لما بعد الموت؛ و العاجز من اتبع نفسه هواها و تمني علي الله

“The intelligent person is he who subdues his desires and works for that which comes after death; and the foolish person is he who follows his desire and has (vain) hopes in Allah”

[Sunan Tirmidhi]

A person who pursues his desires and does what his heart desires then hopes for the mercy and favours of Allah is a foolish person. It is important for an individual to understand what is required from him and then to make an effort in achieving, thereafter leaving it in the hands and of Allah.

May Allah give us all the inclination to control our desires and to become intelligent in the way Allah has shown us and not to be foolish by following our desires readily whilst having false hope in the mercy and forgiveness of Allah. Aameen.

Why am I not happy?

2006-11-23T22:29:00.000Z

Through the journey of life, it is a natural occurrence that something will take place which will be contrary to our desire and wishes. It is at these times we will feel a great sense of unhappiness and displeasure.

We sometimes feel displeasure when our food isn’t ready on time; sometimes when we are late we feel unhappy in regards to this. Furthermore, our discontentment is mixed and contaminated with ingratitude and ungratefulness. We seem to let our annoyance become the reason behind our lack appreciation for everything else that has occurred and is continuing to occur in our life.

At times in life we feel a certain discomfort and frustration towards things that occur in life which we were hoping would emerge and develop in a totally different matter and at that point we tend to forget all the happiness, pleasures and bounties we have in the world and show our lack of appreciation and thanklessness based on that single occurrence.

POINT

In life we always tend to forget the favours of Allah during the time when we are displeased with an action of His or something that went against our own desires. In actual fact, we have moulded our heart in such a manner that it only receives pleasure when its wishes, desires and requests are fulfilled.
Yet we tend to ignore and disregard all the favours and bounties that have been given to us by that person, if it was through them we received annoyance; or the fact that there could be something superior to that which we have lost.

There is a saying:

'When something occurs and it is according to your wishes and desire, then that is a good thing… but when something takes place which is against your will and desire then it is even better. For that which is not in accordance with your desire is in accordance to the desire of the Lord'

In simple terms, when something takes place we should always relate its occurrence to Allah; by doing so we will never be displeased, as a believer’s true pleasure is in the pleasure of Allah.

Thus, by doing so, there will not be a circumstance within which a person will not become ungrateful and unappreciative; instead he will ensure that he thanks Allah for all those times where his wishes have been met and accepted despite being only His slave.

May Allah give us all the realisation of His presence and His will and command. May He give us the strength to accept that which He has chosen to occur and understanding to realise that all good lies in His hands and in His power. May He give us wisdom (Hikmah) in that which we know, and a zeal and thirst for knowledge for those matters which we have no knowledge of. Aameen.

Slow Puncture

2006-11-11T18:59:00.000Z

Recently, I've been having a little problem with the front driver side tyre. I woke up one morning to find that there was less air in the tyre and became frantic to pump it up at the petrol station before it reached a stage where I couldn't drive the car.

Off I drove to the nearest petrol station to fill in the air. I know this is totally wrong, but I decided to fill the air in the tyre to 42psi instead of the normal 35psi. My thinking was that it'll last a little longer and I'll have the extra time to get the tyre repaired.

I was correct about the tyre lasting for another day or so, but I was still unable to find some time to get the tyre repaired.

In the back of my mind I always had this concern that I might park the car somewhere and find it to have less air in the tyre, forcing me once again to visit the petrol station.

This procedure continued for a fair few days and I was a regular visitor at my local petrol station just to fill the air in the tyre.

POINT

The lesson we learn from here is simple and always mentioned by the scholars. It is the lesson of the water and bucket. No matter how much we fill the bucket we will eventually find it empty, sooner than later, if there is a hole within that bucket.

This is the same principle with our actions; no matter how much we strive (even if we 'over-do' acts of worship) we will find that we will be left with nothing if we fail to stop sinning and leaking out the acts of worship we have done.

It is always essential to repair the leak when it occurs instead of avoiding and ignoring it. Once the leak is repaired even a few acts of worships will ensure that our hearts are filled with Noor (diving light).

May Allah give us all the inclination, ability, strength and understanding to repair the holes that we have created in our hearts. May He give us the wisdom to stop sinning whilst worshiping. Aameen.

Eid Mubarak

2006-10-23T03:18:00.000+01:00

After Eisha Salaah the day felt really incomplete without the Taraweeh prayer. As I headed home I was thinking about the month of Ramadhan, its purpose and the way in which It just came and went.

The month of Ramadhan is a devotion and dedication to Allah for which we are giving the day of Eid in return. We celebrate on the day of Eid because during the month of Ramadhan we are to have attained a rank higher, blessings and self-control that we never possessed before.

For those who were sinful they were granted forgiveness and guidance; for those that had few sins or were on the correct path they were granted rank and status.

The month of Ramadhan just reminded me of a training ground; a person enters the ground and trains for a month after which he leaves. Generally this 'graduation' day is celebrated with family and friends and thereafter we are sent into the real field.

POINT

The month of Ramadhan is like a training ground for us all; a month which teaches us self control, discipline, devotion and worship. It is followed by a day of celebration which is known to us as Eid. Eid is our graduation from this blessed month and this graduation only indicates that now the real work is to begin.

Whatever we learnt and done in the month of Ramadhan will now be reflected from what we do in the remaining months. We will prove whether we were worthy or graduation from this training camp or did we let ourselves down.

The month of Ramadhan was a month where we worked upon ourselves... Now arrives the months within which we have to maintain that work and show what we learnt in the blessed month of Ramadhan.

May Allah make this day of graduation filled with happiness and blessings. May He make us worthy of this graduation and aid us in the path we are to take. May He guide us and prove our training to be at least successful if not complete. Aameen.

Eid Mubarak

Manuals & Instructions.

2006-10-18T00:36:00.000+01:00

I was at the factory looking at the manuals for all the machinery we have there. Each manual contained a detailed explanation on how to operate the machinery, how to maintain it as well as what to do and what precautions to take.

When I came home I was going through my drawers and once again manuals of computer software and electronic items were placed in a pile in one of my draws.

It just made me realise, that the simplest of items to the most complicated machinery and technology contained some sort of instructions and guidance; at times on a small piece of paper giving simple warning instructions or indicating the safety standards of the product and at times a whole manual covering every minute detail of the product.

It was obvious that the more complicated and complex the product was the more detailed the manual would be. And this was obviously a need that was comprehended by the maker of the product and therefore the need was met in this manner.

POINT

The human body is the most complicated of machinery, the most amazing creation of Allah, the Creator; and just as complicated is the soul that is present within this human body.

Allah, the Almighty, knowing that there would be a need for not only a manual but also a guide, sent down our Beloved Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم as a guide and along with him the Qur’an as the manual, the book of guidance.

“This is that book in which there is no doubt. Guidance for the God-fearing”

[al-Baqarah – 02:02]

Allah, being the Most Merciful not only sent down this manual and book of guidance but also sent down our Nabi صلي الله عليه و سلم as a demonstrator and a complete guide. He included in this ‘manual’ every necessity and requirement of man. How man should maintain both his physical body and his spiritual body.

Allah mentioned within this manual technicians that will aid one to repair one’s physical body, these being doctors; and in the same manner technicians that would aid us in our spiritual ailments, these being our Shuyookh (spiritual doctors).
These two are the greatest gifts and blessings from Allah which are exceedingly forgotten and unappreciated by mankind.

Imagine our electronic devices without any instructions, without any guidance of operation! Imagine all our tools and utensils without any maintenance instructions! Let us try assembling complicated items without any illustrations. It can seem difficult despite its simplicity in comparison to the complicated and masterful creation of the body.

May Allah give us all the understanding and appreciation of both the teachings of the Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم and the Qur’an. May He give us the appreciation for all the favours He has done upon us and then courage and strength to bring that appreciation into action. Aameen.

Tug-of-War

2006-10-05T19:03:00.000+01:00

Whilst sitting in my room one night, I was totally aware that the following day would hold a great challenge; a day that would require me to exercise every ounce of patience I had. I knew the baby-sitting my nephew and niece was not going to be an easy task… not by far.

Well, to be honest, they’re a pair of good kids, but they’re kids. So I was preparing myself mentally and headed off to sleep to prepare physically also.The day came and the day went; and to be able to write up the activities of that day I would need your attention for a couple of hours. So to skip to the point…

Two packets of crisps, two children but only blanket is the perfect ingredient for trouble. Kids, although loving, caring and sharing, can sometimes decide that they want something totally to themselves and that they want ‘that particular one’.

Not before long there was a tug of war on the blanket and the rivalry to get the blanket had disappeared replacing it with a fun activity of seeing who was stronger and would win this tug of war.

Muhammad, being the elder had no advantage at all as his physique left him pull with all his might; whilst on the opposite side, Aisha, although younger and stronger also didn’t have the advantage because she was too busy giggling and laughing instead of pulling… In the end I had to call it quits before someone gave up and one of them went ‘flying’.

POINT

We sometimes fail to realise that life is a big ‘tug-of-war’ where we have oppositions and teams at many modes of life. At times we will find people who will willingly join our team and give us strength and an advantage over the opposition and at times we will meet people that would rather give join our opposition and then we have to put on a stronger fight and greater effort, if not to win, then at least to stay in the game.

In life, we have one team of goodness and one of badness; these teams stand either side and tug against each other hoping to pull the opposing team into their territory and by doing so win the ‘game’.

In our life, on one side we have those who will aid us into getting closer to Allah by helping us pull at this ‘rope of worship’ and at the same time we will find people that will oppose us and try and weaken us in achieving this.

However, in life, we also find people that appear to be on our team yet they make no effort in helping us, and at times their actions help the opposing team. These people appear to be our friends but in reality hold interests for the opposing team.

In this month of Ramadhan we have been given support by Allah Himself, who has taken the strongest of the opposing team , Shayaateen, and locked them behind bars. However, we still have to keep tugging and pulling and not become distracted, who we have people who seem to be on our side that actually aid the opposing team, this is our Nafs, Self Desire.

O Allah, give us strength so that we come out as the winners, give us courage that we never lose hope when the opposition seems strong. O Allah, save us from those people who appear to be friends but distract us from your path and in doing so aid the enemy. O Allah, save us from our desires and give us the zeal to walk the path you have chosen for us, the path that leads to you. Aameen.

When will it be me?

2006-09-29T02:07:00.000+01:00

At a young age I was totally unaware of death; the meaning of death and its existence were totally oblivious to me due to the lack of understanding. When I grew up a little and began understanding the meaning and existence of death I associated death with age and illnesses; when a person reached a certain age and becomes old, or if a person is exceedingly ill, he then dies and is buried.

However, after Islamic education and further understanding, which came with age, I began to learn that death was not associated with illness or age. Death can come to anyone at any time and no one is excluded from death.

Nevertheless, the human mind always has a feeling that death will never reach him or he will die when he is old. When a person is young and strong he feels that death is far from him and will not come to him for at least another few years; whilst still having this notion in mind that he will reach his old age.

Whilst I was standing in Salaah today I felt slightly dizzy and thought that I would collapse on the spot due to my knees becoming weak. At once I remembered the football player I had read about that died on the football pitch during a match; one minute he was standing the next minute ‘thump’ and he was on the ground… Dead. It made me realise that even before starting this Salaah I was fully confident that I would complete it and return home and complete my tasks which I had set for the day.

Our life is such that we plan not each day as it comes, but we plan years ahead and have this ‘false’ confidence that we will complete these plans and maybe one day ‘retire’ after which death will come to us.

POINT

كن في الدنيا كأنك غريب او عابر سبل

“Live in this word as though you are a stranger or a passer-by”

Meaning:

Live in this world like a traveller lives in a hotel or a country he does not reside in; always keeping in mind that this is not his permanent place of residence and therefore not getting too attached or comfortable. Our home is the hereafter whilst this world is a temporary station.

الدنيا سجن المؤمن و جنة الكافر

“The world is a prison for the believer and paradise for the disbeliever”

Meaning:

The world is full of restrictions for a believer just like a prison has restrictions for a prisoner. However, once we are free from this ‘jail’ (world) we will have no restrictions, Insha Allah.

The prison is a place where a prisoner is unable to unite with his beloved; it acts as a barrier and obstacle between a person and his beloved. In the same manner, a believer is deprived from meeting his beloved, Allah, due to the barrier of this world.

تحفة المؤمن الموت

“The gift of a believer is death”

Meaning:

Death, if seen with an open mind, is a gift not only to believers but to entire mankind. However, it is the believers that realise and appreciate this. Death allows this world to have enough space for its residence; otherwise the world would be overcrowded. Furthermore, it relieves people from old age and the illnesses and weaknesses that come with it.

Death is the only obstacle between a lover (believer) and his Beloved (Allah). Therefore, a believer sees death as a gift from Allah as it is a call from the Beloved to the lover. Moreover, it is the bridge that takes a lover to his beloved, Allah.

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Our beloved Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم has taught us that death can come at any time to anyone. In fact, he صلي الله عليه و سلم has taught us that death is so sudden that when we say one ‘Salaam’ in Salaah we should know in our hearts that it may not be possible to say the other ‘Salaam’ though the interval between the two may be of a few seconds.

In Islam, when a child is born, the call to prayer (Adhan) is given in the child’s right ear whilst the call to gather the congregation (Iqaamah) is given in the left ear and there is no Salaah that is performed thereafter.

However, the teaching of Islam is that after the Adhan and Iqaamah immediately prayer (Salaah) is commenced. Therefore, in this case, the ‘Ulamaa (scholars) have explained that the prayer that follows is the Salaatul Janaaza (prayer upon the deceased) to show that the life of a person, in reality, is extremely short, so much so, that it seems there is a short interval between the Iqaamah recited in the child’s ear and the Janaaza Salaah which takes place at the time of their death. Furthermore, they explain that this is the reason why there is no Adhan or Iqaamah for the Janaaza prayer.

O Allah, give us all the true understanding of death and give us the wisdom to accept that it could occur at any time. Give us the courage, time and importance of remembering death at all times. Keep us alive until that time which life is better for us and give us death when death is better for us. Make our lives ones that are long and filled with good deeds. O Allah, make us from those who see death as a gift and this world as a prison and make not death ‘sudden’ upon us and keep us ever ready for it.

O Allah, save us from the pangs of death and make death easy upon us. Do not attach our hearts to this world to such an extent that we feel sorrow, grief and pain at the time of our death. O Allah, we seek from you your mercy and that you send upon us the angels of mercy to remove our soul. O Allah, make us pleased with death for indeed it is death that will unite us with our Creator. O Allah, make us happy to see you and make us such that you are happy to see us. Aameen.

Ramadhan Mubarak

2006-09-23T01:02:00.000+01:00

It is the mercy and blessing of Allah that He gave us life to be present in the month of Ramadhan and by doing so given us an opportunity to seek His forgiveness, mercy and blessings that overflow for His servants in this blessed month.

The month of Ramadhan is like the period in our life where we make great efforts to do some 'spring cleaning' and 'throw out the old' and 'bring in the new.' In the same way, the month of Ramadhan is where we do a 'spring clean' of our hearts and get rid of all the bad habits and give way to new and good habits. It is a month where we try and cleanse ourselves so that we are pure, clean and spiritually motivate for the months to come.

I pray to Allah that He gives us the understanding and vision to seek the rewards that are present within this month of Ramadhan and then the strength, ability and zeal to reap them all.

I pray to Allah that He accepts us and our efforts within this month then shows us His acceptance by making a change visible within us during this month and in the months that follow.

I make Du'a to Allah that He removes, through the means of this month, the pain, suffering, depression, illnesses, worries, trails, difficulties, poverty, hunger etc that people are facing in the world so that they are able to devote themselves to Him alone.

O Allah send the choicest of blessings upon our Beloved Prophet Muhammad صلي الله عليه و سلم and upon his blessed family the amount that pleases you.

O Allah send blessings upon our Beloved Prophet Muhammad صلي الله عليه و سلم and upon his blessed family equal to the amount of rain drops that have dropped and will drop.

O Allah send salutations on our Beloved Prophet Muhammad صلي الله عليه و سلم and upon his blessed family equal to the amount of people that remember him and the amount that are negligent of his remembrance.

O Allah elevate the rank of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad صلي الله عليه و سلم to the status and rank of محمرد, which you have promised him and grant him the highest of places in Paradise.

O Allah forgive our shortcomings and hold us firm upon your path. Make us pleased with your decisions and please us with your decisions. O Allah, grant us Jannatul Firdous and honour us with the intercession of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad صلي الله عليه و سلم on the Day of Judgement and of drinking the water of Kauther from his hands. Grant us the status of being with the Prophets and the pious people and with those whom You will grant shade under Your throne where there shall be no shade but Yours.

O Allah, we seek Your pleasure and the pleasure of Your Beloved صلي الله عليه و سلم. Be pleased with us and make us Pleased with you. Aameen.

َ اللهُمَّ صَلِّيْ وَسَلِّمْ عَلى مُحَمَّدٍ كُلَّمَا ذَكَرَهُ الذَّاكِرُوْنَ , و صَلِّيْ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّم كُلَّمَا غَفَلَ عَنْ ذِكْرِهِ الْغَافِلُوْنَ َ

"O Allah, send blessings and salutations upon our Beloved Prophet Muhammad صلي الله عليه و سلم the amount of every person that remembers (sends salutation upon) him; and send blessing and salutations upon him صلي الله عليه و سلم the amount of every person who is ignorant of remembering (sending blessings upon) him صلي الله عليه و سلم."

Please remember me in your Du'as.

Parents

2006-09-21T12:45:00.000+01:00

At times we rebel, at times we show them great love... Parents.

Parents are those beings who were given to us by Allah to cater for us, care for us and fulfil our every need and valid desire on this earth. Our parents look after us when the only thing we are capable of doing is sleeping, crying and breathing. They tend to us and lose their sleepp so that we, their children, can sleep in peace; they stay hungry only so that they can feed us.

However, life is such that we can never fully appreciate our parents. We sometimes upset them, go against their desires and do things that hurt their feelings. Yet we fail to realise what a true gift these parents are despite all their 'apparent flaws.'

As usual, my posts are related to something that occurred in my life...

Alhumdulillah, by the grace of Allah, I was blessed with a baby girl this Monday. It brought me great pleasure to have been able to complete two Sunnats of our Beloved Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم; the first Sunnah being that the first child was a girl and the second Sunnah that her name is Fatimah.

A humble request to all readers to remember me and my family in your Du'as in the month of Ramadhan.

Point

"Your Lord has decreed that you shall not worship except Him, and your parents shall be honoured. As long as one or both of them live, you shall never say to them, "Uff" (the slightest gesture of annoyance), nor shall you shout at them; you shall treat them amicably.

Even if you have to turn away from them, as you pursue the mercy of your Lord, you shall treat them in the nicest manner."

[Surah al-Israa - 17:23]

This order of Allah should always be remembered and it should be understood that Allah, after ordering His worship in the entirety, has ordered good towards the parents. Such is the rank of parents and such are their favours.

However, we tend to forget ourselves the amount of sacrifices our parents have done for us and we tend to think that this was their 'duty' yet we fail to realise our duty towards them.

It is a well known Hadith of the Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم which states that the he صلي الله عليه و سلم supplicated for the destruction of three types of people whilst ascending the Mimbar.

The Prophet of Allah صلي الله عليه و سلم said: "Jibraeel عليه السلام appeared before me and said, destruction to him who found the blessed month of Ramadhan and let it pass by without gaining forgiveness, upon that I said, Ameen."

When I climbed the second step, Jibraeel عليه السلام said, "destruction to him before whom your name is taken and he does not salutations. I replied Ameen."

When I climbed the third step, Jibraeel عليه السلام said, "destruction unto him in whose lifetime his parents or either one of them reaches old age, and (through failure to serve them) he is not allowed to enter Jannah. I said, Ameen."

We are all aware of our responsibilities to our parents, we all are aware of right from wrong. However, we all need to realise the true sacrifices and value of our parents to be able to be obedient to them for eternity.

May Allah give us all the understanding to be pious and obedient children. May He give us the strength to serve them through their old age and grant us Jannah as a result. May He make our parents pleased with us and make us coolness for their eyes. May He reward them in this word as well as the hereafter for their sacrifices, care Ameen.

May He give us pious children who become the coolness of our eyes and who are obedient to us. May He make our children successful and grant them health and honour in His eyes. Aameen.

I pray to Allah that He gives us the ability and knowledge to be successful parents to our children and that we are capable of providing them with sound knowledge of Islam and educate them about Islam and its teachings so that through them our path towards Jannah becomes easier. Aameen.

Losing Someone

2006-09-07T00:44:00.000+01:00

If anyone here has ever lost anyone then only they will know the true feeling and meaning of loss.

Losing someone is a pain that cannot be explained nor described, it is a pain that can only be felt and experienced by an individual.

When we lose those who are close to us it brings us much pain and grief; and if it a loss of a person we have been close to, someone we grew up with and spent most of our time with, then this pain multiplies and becomes harder to bear.

At this moment in time, a very true and close friend of mine is fighting for their life; lying in bed without any knowledge of what the future will hold.

Although no one ever wishes to lose someone, it is inevitable to think of what life would be like without someone so dear and so close. Losing such a close friend would be something that one may not get over throughout one's life.

These are the thoughts travelling through my head, whilst the heart prays and begs Allah for the recovery of such a great friend.

My request to all the readers for humble Du'as for my friend's speedy and complete recovery.

Point

It is amazing how we grieve over the loss of a person that we have built a connection and bond with maybe over a period of twenty to thirty years. This bond then becomes stronger if that person is close to us, has done us favours and we have looked after them like our own.

If an individual can understand this bond created by one human for another human, how can we overlook the bond created by Allah for His bondsmen.

Allah personally created man, took care of him from the time he was in the womb till the day he reaches the grave and even after that. It is Allah that fed that person, clothed him, loved him and appointed angels to keep him safe. It is Him who created for him the tools and means to remove every difficulty; He created for him a partner to relieve his loneliness and become his companion.

What sort of a bond would be created by Allah with someone He has done this much favours upon? What love and care would Allah have for that person? So when such a servant turns away from Allah why is it that we fail to see His disappointment, His remorse and His reason to become angry despite given us chances upon chances.

An Incident

This reminds me of an incident that took place between Allah and Hadhrat Mussa عليه السلام. On one occasion, after having made every effort possible, Mussa عليه السلام turned to Allah and requested that his entire nation be destroyed as they did not take heed of his words and guidance.

Allah asked Mussa عليه السلام to make 40 clay pots with his bare hands before any action was taken. Although Mussa عليه السلام was unaware of the link between the making of the clay pots and his request to Allah he submitted to the command of Allah and began making clay pots with his own hands. Mussa عليه السلام put his entire effort into making these pots and completed making all forty, after which, he looked with delight towards what he had achieved.

Mussa عليه السلام then turned to Allah and informed him of completing the task Allah had set him. Allah then commanded Mussa عليه السلام to take a stick and break one pot after another. Mussa عليه السلام was astonished by this command but continued to obey the order of Allah. He slowly began breaking one pot after another bearing the pain in his heart for destroying what he had so carefully made.

After Mussa عليه السلام had finished destroying all the pots, Allah informed him, O Mussa (عليه السلام), you found great difficulty in breaking pots of clay that you made with your bare hands, yet it was you that asked me to destroy an entire nation that I myself created and moulded with my own hands. At this point Mussa عليه السلام realised what he had asked from Allah.

Lesson

We feel the pain of our loss, we feel the pain of the destruction of our belongings and we feel our anger is justified towards one who is ungrateful towards us and our favours. Yet we fail to see Allah's disappointment and 'grief' when a servant that He created from His own hands turns away from Him; we fail to understand and justify His punishment for all the sins we commit and all the times we rebel against Him; we fail to see the sacrifices of His beloved Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم. But we never fail to sacrifice our religion...

May Allah give us all the understanding to love Him in the manner He loves us. May He make us worthy of being His creation and may He make us worthy of being called His. May He give us the realisation of our acts and the harm and pain they cause and most important of all, may He accept us. Aameen.

Barbeque

2006-08-18T23:01:00.000+01:00

Note:

This was a post that was written by Zain a while back but he never had the chance to post it. Seeing as he isn't on the blogs for a while and I have some of his unpublished posts I thought I could publish these. Please forgive me for any errors or incompleteness as I am not sure if these posts are ready for publishing.

This summer has been very hot; a summer full of heat and sunshine. Well, if there's one thing you have to take advantage of in this country is the weather. Therefore, seizing the moment we decided to go to a nearby park for an outing and a barbeque.

The outing was organised by a few families and we all decided to take different varieties of food and share the responsibility of taking the different necessary things.

As always, departure was hectic, and those who had prepared in advance were relaxed whilst those who had left things for the final moment were rushed and flustered.

Finally, when we did make our way to the park and got there we off-loaded all the items we had and then made our way to a quiet and sheltered place. The last thing any of us wanted was to sit in the direct sunlight.

To cut a long outing short, we started the barbeque after some while and realised that we had no fire-lighters. The people who were supposed to bring the fire-lighters had left everything to the last minute and had forgotten to pack. Now we had a problem trying to light the coal and get a fire started for the barbeque.

We finally managed to light the barbeque (using various other methods) and enjoyed ourselves (finally).

POINT

This post has quite a few points, some that I never realised myself at the time and came to realise it whilst writing the post.

The first point that I realised was during the barbeque. It is easy to light a fire when paraffin is available and the fire-lighters are present. If the right things are present then even to light up charcoal is not a problem. But if you don’t have the correct stuff even a petrol soaked sheet of paper would be hard to put on fire.

This is the same case with burning a fire within one’s heart; the fire of the love for Allah. If one uses the correct method he is able to light this fire of love easily; and if the right method is not adopted this fire will be difficult to ignite. Nevertheless, the person who is determined will manage to produce a spark and light the fire either way.

Therefore, it is important to try and use the correct methods and mediums to gain the love and mercy of Allah. We all have the spark and flame of Imaan within our hearts, it is now up to us to ignite this flame and turn it into a blazing fire.

The other point I realised whilst writing this post was the need to prepare in advance. Even for a small trip correct preparation is vital to avoid hassle and inconvenience later on. Preparing means one becomes more relaxed and confident and is more able to carry out other tasks. However, the person who doesn’t prepare forces upon himself stress and difficulty; and it could well be that after having prepared in a rush we realise later that we have actually forgotten something very vital.

This is also the case when we refer to the hereafter; if preparation is needed for such a small trip then it is inevitable that immense preparation will be required for the journey from this world to the hereafter. It is therefore essential that we prepare for this journey in advance so that when the time for departure arrives we are relaxed and not troubled; and if we fail to prepare for this journey then we will be anxious and frustrated at the time of the departure, and Allah forbid that on the Day of Resurrection we realise that we have actually forgotten something behind.

As a final point, it is worthy of noting how we are eager and make an effort to find shade in this world when the temperature rises even a little. However, we should ponder over the Day of Judgement when the sun will be just above our heads and their will be no shade but His, under His throne. May Allah give us the inclination to do those acts by which we will be granted the honour of being under the shade of His throne of the day of Judgement. Aameen.

The Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم said: “There are seven whom Allah will shade in His Shade on the Day when there is no shade except His Shade:
a just ruler;
a youth who grew up in the worship of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic;
a man whose heart is attached to the mosques;
two men who love each other for Allah’s sake, meeting for that and parting upon that;
a man who is called by a woman of beauty and position, but he says: ‘I fear Allah’,
a man who gives in charity and hides it, such that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives in charity;
and a man who remembered Allah in private and so his eyes shed tears.”

[Saheeh al-Bukhari]

May Allah give us all the inclination to burn the fire of love for Him and His Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم in our hearts. May He guide us to the correct and quick path towards His mercy and love. May He give us the inclination to prepare for the hereafter in advance. Aameen.

Ouch

2006-07-26T16:46:00.000+01:00

Ever pricked your finger? Or maybe tripped over a stone? It's painful isn't it? How about being cut with a knife or beaten with a stick? Haven't we all felt these pains in one way or another?

Let us look at some other pains... Ever lost a loved one? Sworn at by a total stranger? Discriminated? Or been left out?

These are pains that vary, some physical, some mental. But either way they cause great pain.

Today I decided to 'advice' someone and maybe guide them in the right direction. The intention as always was the pleasure of Allah. However, it was quite painful when that person responded in a negative manner, something I didn't expect and was totally hurt.

This post is written for a few reasons...

1. To apologise to that person for causing them pain and hurt, which was totally unintentional.

2. As usual, derive a beneficial lesson from this.

POINT

1. In life we do many things to please people. At times we even go out of our ways to assist them or cause them ease. At times we expect something in return and at other times we do it totally for the sake of Allah.

However, we should keep a few things in mind when helping people.

a. When a person aids another, Allah remains in his aid.

و الله في عون العبد ما كان العبد في عون أخيه

"And Allah remains in the aid of a servant as long as that servant remains in the aid of his brother"

[Sunan Muslim]

b. Removing a difficulty from someone in this world will mean that Allah will remove a difficulty of ours in the Hereafter.

من نفس ان مؤمن كربة من كرب الدنيا نفس الله عنه كربة من كرب يوم القيامة

"And whosoever relieves from a believer some grief pertaining to this world, Allah will relieve from him some grief pertaining to the Hereafter."

[Sunan Muslim]

c. A believer is rewarded for even a thorn that pricks him.

‏ما من مصيبة تصيب المسلم إلا كفر الله بها عنه حتى الشوكة يشاكها

"A Muslim is not afflicted by hardship but Allah expiates his sins from Him, due to that hardship, to the extent of even a thorn that pricks him"

[Saheeh al-Bukahri]

d. Allah is the one who rewards.

إن أجري الا علي الله و هو علي كل سيء شهيد

"My reward is from Allah only. And He is a Witness over all things."

[Surah Saba – 34:47]

2. When we are hurt we feel pain, we feel remorse and depression at times. We feel unappreciated and ungratified.

Have we ever turned a thought towards why we feel like that? It is solely because we done someone a favour and never got anything from them. If that wasn't bad enough, we actually went the opposite way and done them harm or went against their will and hurt them.

This is the feeling we get when one of our favours are unappreciated. Yet we fail to appreciate Allah for His countless favours and gifts. In fact, the more He gives us, the more we retaliate, the more we hurt Him and the more we turn away.

We're never reluctant to take a blade and cut off the Sunnah of our Beloved Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم despite his sleepless nights for us; disregarding his tears that soaked his beard in our concern.

If we feel pain and remorse... How will Allah the Creator of all feel? How will the Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم feel?

Are we justified in our actions?

3. When we do something we should always expect its reward from Allah and none other. The Prophet of Allah صلي الله عليه و سلم has said: "indeed even the slightest of show is Shirk" and it is mentioned that we will be asked to collect our rewards from the people who we done the deed for.

May Allah save us all and give us the inclination to do acts for His sake only. May He give us the strength to bear the torments from people and make it bearable by reminding us that the true reward is from Allah alone. Aameen

All Planned Out...

2006-07-16T14:32:00.000+01:00

Human nature is such that it wants to plan ahead and feel in control and organised. And if we look at it, in life it sometimes is necessary to plan ahead. Some people like to plan day by day as it comes; some choose to plan a month ahead and others plan years ahead.

As many of my readers will be aware, I was suffering from appendicitis. I've had this problem since February and was admitted in emergency on two occasions, only to be discharged and put on the NHS waiting list.

Recently, I received a letter letting me know that I had a place in the hospital to have my surgery done and should contact the hospital. I was given Thursday 13th July 2006 to have a pre-assessment and thereafter be admitted on Wednesday 19th 2006. The operation was booked for Thursday 20th 2006 and my discharge date as Friday 21st of July 2006.

I had all these dates a week in advance and naturally I started planning out what I would be doing during the following week.

However, to cut a long story short, when I went for my pre-assessment on Thursday, I was admitted in emergency and had the operation done on the same day. The operation was a little 'messy' and it meant that I had to be in the hospital a day extra and was discharged on Saturday.

When I came out of Hospital, I was just thinking how I had planned a whole week ahead whereas everything happened to the contrary and finished within the week.

POINT 1

As I mentioned, in life it is neccessary to plan ahead. But it is far more necessary to realise that our planning ahead should be only limited to our worldly acts, for if the wordly acts are left out for any reason the consequences cannot be that bad.

However, in actions regarding our Hereafter, we should never leave anything til later but instead strive to commit and carry out that act as soon as possible. For if the acts of our hereafter are left out then the consequences and regrets are far greater.

POINT 2

When planning for anything we should never in our minds think that this is exactly what will happen. Instead we should pray to Allah to make matters easy for us and remember that life is unpredictable, one minute we are here, the next we could be gone.

POINT 3

Finally, there is no gift like health. Whilst in hospital, and even looking at myself, I can realise how the strongest of people crumble under pain. When our health is not to a level we can't even worship Allah to our maximum limits. This is why we have been told by the Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم:

"Take benefit of five before five:

1. Your youth before your old age,
2. Your health before your sickness,
3. Your wealth before your poverty,
4. Your free-time before your preoccupation, and
5. Your life before your death."

[Bayhaqee]

May Allah give us all good health so that we can use it in His worship. May He also give us the courage and understanding to carry out acts of worship as soon as possible and not leave them to a later date. Aameen.

Please remember me in your Du'as and especially make Du'as for my recovery. Insha Allah, depending on my health, I will try and update as and when possible.

Eyes

2006-07-03T22:05:00.000+01:00

My last post was on a gift that was given to me by my friend. Something I showed great appreciation for and I therefore treated it with the greatest of care and held it in high value and esteem. My lesson and message was that we should be thankful for these gifts and we should furthermore be more grateful towards Allah for His gifts.

Friday is probably the best day of the week for me for a number of reasons. To begin I have to lead the prayers at Rugby Mosque and to be able to provide a service to the Muslim Ummah is an honour whilst the peaceful journey there and back is a bonus. As the evening comes I get to see my adorable niece and nephew. Although looking after them and playing with them is like a full time job it is the best moments of my day and even my week. And without any surprise I sleep well after being drained out of all the energy I possessed.

Saturday, although being accounts day is also something I look forward to as we have football matches and therefore something else I enjoy and await during the week. After which my day usually ends in resting and some paperwork.

Finally, Sunday is family day and it is always a pleasure that needs no description or explanation.

However, this week went a 'little' different for me. It was a week where I realised that despite realising the value of the things we have, we only realise its true value when we actually lose it.

The weekend began as normal and I had my game of football as planned. The game was fun and winning was obviously even better. However, after a couple of hours after returning from football, I realised that I had an itch on my eye-lid and that it was a little painful. As usual, I left it to my body to deal with it and continued with my day. That evening, without actually realising, my eye had swollen and become red and I was hardly able to open it; forced to continue my activities with the aid of one eye I was hoping it would resolve sooner than later.

On Sunday, my eye went from bad to worse and I was unable to see anything from that eye, and to make matters worse my other eye was continuously watering and it was difficult to clearly see from there either.

The tasks which I carried out day after day without a second thought are now tasks that take a great deal of concentration and last forever.

...And I am still to experience how hard it is with an eye like this...

POINT

At times we tend to forget the gifts and bounties of Allah, especially those we have take for granted, like our eyes, hands, feet, speech etc. And then there are some that realise that we have been given these gifts yet they fail to realise how precious and valuable these gifts really are.

There are only a few people who realise the value of these gifts and many of these are those who have lost them. Ask the value of sight to a person who was once able to see; ask the value of speech to someone who is no longer able to talk; tell a person to explain the value of legs to someone who is now in a wheelchair...

Many a times we fail to show enough gratitude to Allah for the gifts He has given us and many of us feel it is enough thanks by just raising our hands and thanking Allah once in a while for these gifts.

The 'Ulamaa (scholars) have mentioned the true method of thankfulness for all the gifts of Allah:

01. Thank Allah through "speech".

We should all take time out to raise our hands in front of Allah and utter words of thanks and appreciation. This is thanking Allah by means of one's tongue.

02. Thank Allah through "appreciation"

It is also necessary for every person to have the feeling of appreciation for the gifts Allah has given to us. This is thanking Allah through one's heart.

03. Thanking Allah through "Actions"

This is where many people fail to thank Allah. We should show appreciation and thanks to Allah through our actions and this is achieved in two ways.

Firstly, we should thank Allah by our actions in general. And secondly, we should show appreciation through the particular parts of our body. For example, to show appreciation for our tongue we should not utter anything that would displease Allah; for appreciation for our eyes we should not look at anything which Allah has forbidden us to look at; and so forth.

I pray to Allah that He gives us the true understanding of His gifts and bounties and thereafter He gives us the ability, understanding and inclination to thank Him through the many channels He has made known to us. Aameen.

Please do remember me in your Duas.

A Gift...

2006-06-21T16:05:00.000+01:00

My day began as any other day... I continued doing my duties for Madrassah and for work. However, during midday I received a package, very nicely packed I must admit, sitting on my desk.

I was expecting a package, but I had no knowledge of what was inside (and no idea that it would be so delicately packaged).

I sat there, with a big grin I must admit, and started to tear open the package. When I finally got to what was inside, after removing all the measures taken to protect the item, I got to what was 'mine'.

It's always good to share, but the hand-made frame that was inside totally belongs to me. And I thought I would take this opportunity to thank the person who went to such effort to make something so beautiful for me.

I pray to Allah the He removes all calamities from your path and the path of those who are associated with you. I pray that He keeps you and you family safe from all harm and sadness. May He fill you life with happiness and make you successful in all that you choose to do. Finally, I pray that makes you smile through each day and give you the inclination and will power to get closer to Him and win His favours. May He grant you Jannatul Firdaus. Aameen.

POINT:

Point 1

The religion of Islam is such that Allah teaches us to be thankful towards Him and furthermore He tells us through our beloved messenger صلي الله عليه و سلم that we should also be thankful towards the people.

من لم يشكر الناس لم يشكر الله

[Sunan Tirmidhi]

"He who is not thankful towards the people
is not thankful towards Allah"

Therefore, it is vital for us to thank Allah by also thanking the people.

Point 2

The gift was really precious to both me and my friend who sent it; this was evident from the packing. It took me nearly five minutes to take out the frame from the packing.

The packing was the evidence of the value of what was inside. Similarly, Allah Ta'ala has value for the heart of a believer and has given it the best of packing; the human body.

Allah Ta'ala's gift to man is the heart within his chest. This gift has been wrapped by Allah and given it and it is obvious that we are expected to take care of it.

It we destroy a gift through negligence or due to lack of appreciation then surely the person who gives us a gift will feel that we don't 'deserve' any more gifts from him or will not make an effort to send us any gifts.

However, Allah is merciful and we may see that He again sends us more gifts in life. However, we have to realise that this may be through His mercy and as the Lord and not as a friend and beloved. However, this gift gives us an opportunity once again to gain the favours of Allah.

May Allah give us all the inclination to show gratitude towards all of His gifts. May He give us the understanding to be thankful towards people in order to show our appreciation towards Him. Aameen.

Power Stations

2006-06-08T13:43:00.000+01:00

Summer is here (finally) and everything seems to be bright and 'alive'. It is one that time of the year where people like to be outside or make the most of the sunshine in whatever way they can, be it decorating, day trips, family outings or other activities. And most of all it seems as though the wedding season has begun.

During the weekend I was traveling to a wedding which took place in Bradford. I thought it was going to be a short drive but I was totally wrong about that. Nevertheless, the drive was good because of the weather and obviously the surrounding greenery and scenery.

Whilst driving on the M1 North I came across many things which I don't usually see on the M1 South (my usual motorway route). But the most meaningful thing that I saw on the motorway was the Nuclear Power Stations. It's an amazing site. Big 'chimney-pot-like, pillars with smoke coming out from within; showing its power, might and strength. The big pillar just took my attention off the road and other surrounding things. It made me realise that these were the things that provide us with our energy sources... Electricity.

POINT

When I saw these power stations I straight away imagined a doctor, a spiritual doctor. Someone who has that spiritual energy and distributes it as far and wide as he can. I realised that although we look at these strong pillars we fail to sometimes realise their value and need in the community and how they provide us with the energy that we rely on yet take for granted.

Our Shuyookh (Scholars & Spiritual Doctors) are our Power Stations. They are the ones that provide us with this energy; it is they that give us what we take for granted. Just as they power stations are constant in providing energy, we too need to realise that we need to receive constant spirituality and guidance from our scholars and Shuyookh.

May Allah give us all the inclination to realise the need of constant energy that takes us to his path and allows us to constantly produce acts of obedience for His happiness. Aameen

Antiques

2006-05-24T00:34:00.000+01:00

Leicester, being a small place, can get boring at times and on occasions its confusing as to where to go and what to do to pass time.

This Sunday I went for a long drive towards Market Harborough and further up. In one of the town centres I saw like a Museum and Town Centre hall. On the window I read "open only on Tuesdays, Thursday & Saturdays" and therefore I thought it would be closed.

As I was just about to drive past I saw a banner reading "Antique Show on Sunday" and in order to pass some time I parked up and made my way inside.

Inside were mostly old people with stalls arranged in a large hall, a total of thirty or more stalls were displaying items that were antiques and usually had some history connected to it.

Whilst inside I saw a variety of items, from books to collector items; model cars, old scales, small items, large items, medals, cups and a wide range of antique items.

The thing that amazed me was the price tag on most of these items; A model of a toy car that we can purchase in a shop of a new model car would cost over five or six times more because the model was of an old car; a small cup the size of one's finger nail was priced at about £45.00; and many other items that 'seemed' to be highly priced.

POINT

The people at that antique show were those people who realised and appreciated the value of these 'aged' items.

It made me realise that Islam has also realised the value of 'age' and has instructed us to do the same:

Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As رضي الله عنه has narrated the Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم as saying:

"Those who do not show mercy to our young ones and do not realise the right of our elders are not from us"

[Sunan Abi Dawud]

Similarly, Hadhrat Abu Musa al-Ash'ari رضي الله عنه has narrated the Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم as saying:

"Glorifying Allah involves showing honour to a grey-haired Muslim..."

[Sunan Abi Dawud]

We all realise how important obedience towards our parents is, and furthermore how necessary it is to serve them, but this becomes a great obligation when they reach their old age:

Hadhrat Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم said:

"Let him be humiliated, let him be humiliated, let him be humiliated. It was said: Allah's Messenger, who is he? He صلي الله عليه و سلم said: "He who finds his parents in old age, either one or both of them, and does not enter Paradise (through serving them)".

[Saheeh Muslim]

We all know what the status of parents are according to Islam and humanity; we even feel regret at times due to our disobedience towards them; and at times we even go to the extreme of neglecting them and their needs. This is only because we fail to realise the true price tag attached to our parents, especially in their old age.

The Prophet of Allah صلي الله عليه و سلم has mentioned the following person to be most unfortunate:

"...(When I ascended the third step of the Pulpit Jibra'il عليه السلام appeared before me and said:) Woe to him in whose presence his parents or one of them attain old age, and through failure to serve them is not allowed to enter Paradise." I said, Aameen".

[Hakam, Tabarani]

May Allah give us all the inclination and understanding to serve our parents. May He give us the strength to be respectful towards our elders and show mercy towards them and our youngsters. May He make us steadfast in serving our parents, especially in their old age, and make it a source of entering His paradise. Aameen.

FEEDBLITZ

2006-05-17T15:04:00.000+01:00

As Salaamu Alaykum,

As many readers will already be aware of the fact that Bloglet may no longer be an available service to bloggers.

Therefore, many bloggers have decided to move to Feedblitz which seems to be more stable.

There was a request for some bloggers to re-subscribe to the blogs. However, this won't be necessary as I have imported my contacts from Bloglet to Feedblitz and therefore all subscribers should be receiving updates in their mail as usual.

However, if you did not receive an update for this post, please re-enter your email address to subscribe to this blog.

Finally, I would like to take this oppertunity to inform people that there subscription is now available on my new blog. www.zain121.wordpress.com.

Wasalaam

Selling Point...

2006-04-30T12:48:00.000+01:00

Whilst at work, many a times, I have to deal with sales representatives who come at the office and try to sell us, the company, some of their products. At times, we can have like a few of these a week and it's always amazing to see the techniques and methods they use to sell their products.

Method One

Some sales representatives will sell you their product by continually praising it, and therefore, you will start considering the product and realising its true potential.

Method Two

Another method is to compare it to the product you are already using and making you realise why their product is far better than the one you are already using.

Method Three

Making the buyer realise how flexible and versatile their product is and how it is possible to complete more than one task with their product, thus replacing the need for more than one product, in other words, how complete their product is.

Method Four

This is one of their most essential selling techniques; they advertise their products by making sure they are using it themselves. If someone was to see a car salesman of Company A driving a car from Company B, he would automatically question, within his mind, that this person is selling me a product that he himself would not use. Therefore, to sell the item by making the buyer realise that the seller would not use anything but this product himself.

POINT

So how do we sell our religion? Well, as with any selling technique we first have to realise that we will always have competition, Shaytaan and our Nafs (Self Desire).

Shaytaan will try and sell his religion and we, in competition, have to sell our religion. The advantage is ours because our religion, without doubt, is better and complete, whereas Shaytaan has no religion and uses deception to sell what he does not have.

And the devil will say, after the judgment had been issued, "GOD has promised you the truthful promise, and I promised you, but I broke my promise. I had no power over you; I simply invited you, and you accepted my invitation. Therefore, do not blame me, and blame only yourselves. My complaining cannot help you, nor can your complaining help me..."

[Surah Ibrahim - 14:22]

Therefore, we have to think whether we are even using their basic selling points to make sure we are spreading our religion and not turning people away from it:

Method One...

Do we continually praise our religion and realise how valuable and perfect it is? Or do we complain when we want to do something and are told it is Haraam and forbidden in Islam?

Method Two...

Have we ever taken the effort to make people realise the differences between our religion and the people of other religion? Do we make an effort to make people realise which is the complete and true religion.

Method Three...

The misconception, many a times portrayed by us, is that religion is 'difficult' and very 'strict'. Do we think like this or have we made an effort to understand how flexible our religion is within its boundaries.

Method Four...

Are we promoting our religion whilst adopting methods which are far from it? Do we say we love Allah and His Prophet صلي الله عليه و سلم whilst doing actions that totally displease them?

These are just a few basic points that we should bring into consideration.

If we are turning people against the religion of Islam, intentionally or unintentionally, then we will be question regarding that as every sales person. But the reality is that our religion is far more precious than any sales persons' product.

May Allah give us all an true understanding of our religion and make us realise the responsibility we have been placed with of spreading this true word. And may He save us all from being those who turn people away from His path and those who portray His way incorrectly. Aameen.

zain121

2006-04-18T23:19:00.000+01:00

As Salaamu Alaykum,

Alhumdulillah, it has been a year since I began this new zain121 blog and since it has begun I have learnt many things from it. I pray that Allah has made it beneficial to all the readers also.

It doesn't seem like a year since I started this blog; time seems to have gone so fast. I can recall when I just posted to pass time and someone asked me to continue the blog.

Nevertheless, it has been a year and I would like to thank everyone that has helped me in making this blog successful in any way.

Over the past year, apart from my simplyislam blog I began two more blogs, drops of an ocean and News & Views.

However, I felt that it would be better to combine these blogs so that all the different contents can be found in once place. Therefore, I have decided to keep this blog and the simply Islam blog going but at the same time I will be incorporating my other blogs into my wordpress account, zain121.wordpress.com and additionally have a few other subject areas also.

In addition, I have managed to convince Sister Sajeda (Muslimah Ukhti) to contribute to the blog. Those who are aware of her works will appreciate all that she has to offer, and those who have not, Insha Allah will find out her depth of knowledge. May Allah increase her in her knowledge and reward her for her efforts and contributions. Aameen.

I pray to Allah that this blog proves to be beneficial and that it serves the purpose it is being published for. Aameen.

You may visit the new blog at zain121.wordpress.com

Wasalaam

Car Race

2006-04-15T00:21:00.000+01:00

On my way back from Rugby today I witnessed two drivers having a race on the motorway. It reminded me of racing games and the actual concept of races.

Although I am sure everyone knows how a 'car race' actually works, it's important to just mention what occurs for us to realise the lesson behind it.

In a race two cars set a course as to how far they have to race and set a destination or target they have to reach. Thereafter, each car competes to get to that destined place first. Whoever reaches first is the winner.

The thing to remember is that the deciding factor is who reaches the destination first and crosses the line. However, within the race there will be many times where one car overtakes the other, this does not make the other driver give up but instead makes him work harder, for he knows that it's not over until they cross the line.

POINT

I realised from these people racing, that despite them overtaking one another several times, they never gave up to try and win the race.

Similarly, in our lives, we are having a race, a competition, with Shaytaan and our Desires. There will be times in our life where Shaytaan or our Desires will overtake us. However, we should never let this stop us from reaching our goal and winning the race; in fact we should make an extra effort to win back the first position and perform extra acts of worship and seek more forgiveness.

Furthermore, we should never drop our guard down for Shaytaan and our Desires will try and overtake us at a point when we cannot return from the defeat; this is at the time of our death, near the finish line. If at this point Shaytaan succeeds and wins the race then we have lost, no matter how many a times we overtook him during our lifetime and if at that time we beat Shaytaan and depart this world with the Kalimah and whilst having faith in Allah then we have surely won the race.

May Allah give us the understanding and strength to win this race and this battle; may He give us the courage to continue to overtake Shaytaan if ever he overtakes us. May He incline our hearts to seek forgiveness and may He shower His mercy by forgiving us. Aameen.

Glow in the dark

2006-04-09T11:58:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, whilst I was sitting in my room, my attention went towards my watch on my wrist. It's not the first time I was looking at my watch and thinking of how the handles on the watch glow in the dark; to be honest, it fascinates me.

Sometimes I make the room totally dark just to see if the handles glow; and most of the times I find that they don't because during the day they haven't had enough light.

However, it struck me yesterday for the first time that this watch has a great message for us.

POINT

For the handles of the watch to be able to glow in the dark it is necessary that it receives enough light during the day.

Similarly, if we want to glow in the darkness of the grave, if we want to shine of the day of Judgement, if we want to guided by the light of Imaan then it is inevitable that we provide ourselves with this light during our lifetime. It is necessary to prepare for the darkness while there is still light.

Like the saying goes, do not start digging for a well when the fire has commenced. Meaning that it is hopeless and too late to start digging for a well when the fire has broken out; there is no time for that now. Similarly, it will be hopeless to start searching for the light in the grave if we have not prepared luminous acts beforehand.

May Allah Ta'ala give us all the inclination to prepare for tomorrow and to send forward those acts that will provide us with a glowing light in our graves and will guide us towards Jannah on the Day of Judgement. May He make those acts a guidance for us in this world towards His obedience, submission, happiness, guidance, love and towards the love and of our beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam. Aameen

A Bad Penny

2006-04-01T17:12:00.000+01:00

This Friday, at Rugby, after the prayers we were all sitting and whilst talking going through the contributions people had made towards the Masjid. The money was being counted and we were just looking to ensure that all the coins were 'real' and not tokens or foreign policy.

We found a couple of tokens last week and foreign money, and this week I thought there may be an odd coin that would turn up. However, this week we saw a penny that looked as though it had been everything someone could pit it through; the coin was worn our, eroded and shabby, the edges were not round but chunks were cut out from it and it was filthy and dirty.

One of the members sitting there picked up the coin and was amused, we could tell from the look on his face that he was trying to determine whether the coin was genuine or not and whether it would be accepted. Whilst he was doing this another member took the coin and said that the penny was a penny and the bank wouldn't really look at the apparent condition it was in and would accept it as it still held the value of a penny.

Point

Our beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has taught us this same lesson in regards to our Deen and religion. He states in a Hadith:

"Indeed Allah does not look towards your appearance nor your body, but instead he looks towards your heart and actions".

[Saheeh al-Bukhari]

The value of a believer is known through his heart and actions, no matter what his appearance is. Just as the bank would accept the penny coin so will Allah accept His servants through the value of their hearts.

It made me realise that no matter how a Muslim may look, no matter what his race or colour, regardless of his language or background, the true value of a believer is in his heart because he holds the Kalimah within, he holds the love of Allah and of His Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam.

After realising this, we should remember that we are brothers and sisters in Islam and that Allah has made us different so that we can recognise one another and appreciate one another. It is though His wisdom that He has made some people rich and some people poor, some people happy some people poor, some people educated and others uneducated; one reason is so that we can all aid one another, the poor will work for money while the rich will need them for their services. etc.

May Allah give us the ability to realise that the true value of a person is recognised from his actions and his heart, and that appearance is only for recognition. Aameen.

Car Park Ticket

2006-03-12T21:03:00.000Z

We all have had that moment in life when we had to 'pop' into the town centre to do a little bit of shopping. It's one of those things in life that you just have to do.

For some people, strolling down into the town centre and doing shopping is like a fun activity or shopping; for me it's something I try and prolong for as long as possible... But there are some things that just have to be done.

Being Sunday, I had a little time on my hand and built up the courage to drive to the town centre and park in the Haymarket Theatre. There is a flat rate for parking at the Haymarket Theatre on Sundays and therefore people prefer parking there as they can shop for longer without having to worry about returning to their car before a specific time.

While I was on my way into the car park there was another car leaving; the car stopped and opened its window to offer me his parking ticket as it was valid for the entire day. "I won't be needing this ticket anymore, you can use it if you please" was what he said. I thought for a moment and refused...

POINT

Sometimes we forget that Islam is a way of Life, a religion that is present in every act and action we do; a religion that categorises every deed and deems it either acceptable or unacceptable in the eyes of Allah.

It was tempting to take that ticket and park my car in the Haymarket; there seemed to be nothing wrong it doing so; he offered me the ticket, willingly, and I could have made use for it.

But... I remembered an incident of Hadhrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi:

As far as I recall, there was a disciple of Hadhrat Maulana Ashraf that came to His Khankah to visit him with his children. The disciple, through some talk, mentioned to Hadhrat Maulana Ashraf Ali that he had paid only half price for his child’s ticket in order to get to the Khankah because despite being an adult he only looked like a child and therefore was able to pass off as a child at the ticket counter.

After hearing this Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi became perplexed and disturbed and told his disciple that he had not understood the basis and principles of Islam and therefore he was not even fit for Khilaafah (being his disciple).

It is an incident that should make us realise the true meaning of Islam; an incident that should make us realise that Islam is much more than just offering charity, praying Salaah and making supplications. It was upon the above act that the disciple lost his Khilaafah.

May Allah forgive all of our sins; those we commit knowingly and unknowingly; those we perform in the light of the day or the darkness of the night; those committed openly or in hiding and may He give us the true understand of our Religion, Islam. Aameen.

Get Well Soon

2006-02-22T18:43:00.000Z

Since the past week, I have not been well at all. I've been to the Accident & Emergency and from their I got admitted into Hospital. I stayed there a couple of nights of 'NBM' (Nil By Mouth) where I was on drips and nothing to eat. The pain was bad and the needles that were injected me at short intervals were worse.

Nevertheless, it is the mercy of Allah that He gives sickness to mankind to make them ponder, realise and accept their sins; it is His way of forgiving people in this world so that they do not have to suffer the pain in the hereafter.

During my visit to the hospital I was under 'close watch' and it was reassuring in a sense that I knew that if I had any problems there would be there someone looking over me. And as I was in a ward where the patients were those on whom a constant watch was kept on, I realised that there were people far worse off than me.

Even at the moment, I can remember their faces, their lost look; at visiting times some of them never even had a visitor throughout the while visiting time whereas my bed was constant with visitors and even that there was a limitation to 'two per bed', meaning a queue in the day room to visit.

POINT

Sickness if from Allah, maybe He sometimes even gives us physical pain to make us realise that there may also be another sickness towards which we are not turning our attention. If sickness omits the sins of man then surely it should make us realise that we need to pay a great deal of attention to our spiritual side also. We are quick and fast to rush to Accident & Emergency when we have bodily pain but do we even run to our spiritual doctor when we miss our Fajr (morning) prayer?

Similarly, just as the constant watch from the doctors and nurses in the ward gives us that sense of security and ease of mind, similarly, if we created the right link with Allah then we would be content with knowing that He is watching us all the time and will be there whenever we need Him.

I thank Allah for the family He has given us, for the facilities He provides for us and for all the ease of pain that comes from Him. I thank Him for all that He has done for us, whether me realise it or not.

May He forgive us, rid us of any illnesses, physical, mental and spiritual. May His constant remembrance and presence be with us all day. Aameen.

There will be no posts on this blog for a short while until I recover. Please make special Duaa for me.

Road Works

2006-02-14T18:43:00.000Z

Whilst on my way to Rugby last Friday, I had decided to take the M1 South. I usually take the side roads through the villages because of the scenery, but this time I decided to take the motorway to see how much time I could save.

However, little did I realise that there were road works on the M1 and that I would be stuck in slow moving traffic. Due to road re-surfacing two lanes were closed and only one was operating. This meant that flow of traffic was dependent on this one lane.

While the traffic was moving slowly, it was possible to see all the workmen in action, the manner in which the works was taking place and the actual work the people were carrying out to the road.

The first thing I began to notice was that there was this great big stone wall being built between our side of the motorway and the oncoming traffic. This was obviously a safety measure that the council had probably decided to implement to avoid accidents or collisions. This seemed a little peculiar to me at the beginning, because, without a doubt, there was a previous barrier there. It's not possible for one car to cross over to the other lane, but this time the council had gone a step further and made this really strong and solid wall between the two sides to avoid even a large vehicle from breaking through it.

The second part of work that was taking place was on the actual road surface. This is why only one lane was accessible to motorists while the first two lanes were closed. I was just looking at the road surface how smooth, new and flawless it looked. It was amazing, the way the tar was just laid across the ground to produce the road surface we drive on. What I also noticed was the level of smoke and steam that was produced from the vehicle that was pouring the tar out onto the ground. The strong material of tar had to be melted at extreme temperatures so that it could flow onto the ground and be spread out evenly.

Well, my exit came, and I departed from the motorway to join the side roads leading to Rugby.

POINT:

From each of the works that was being carried out I realised two things that could aid us in our journey towards Allah, on the path of Islam.

First of all, I realised that our declaration is a barrier that protects us, or stops us from crossing the boundaries set by Allah. It is this barrier that prevents suffering from a major accident and that aids us is staying on the path that we have chosen. This is exactly what I saw on the motorway day after day. However, this time I saw the strengthening of these barriers and it made me realise that we also need to strengthen our Imaan in order to prevent the major obstacles and distractions from taking us over that forbidden border. Although we have this barrier of Imaan, we may realise that many a times we cross over these boundaries set by Allah and cause an 'accident', his displeasure.

Thus, in order to stay away from these temptations we need to build a strong wall between us and these desires and temptations; a wall made from the Love and Fear of Allah Ta'ala. Thereafter, Insha-Allah, whenever we are tempted towards a sinful desire, there will be that barrier, that love of Allah and His Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, that will act as a prevention from this major catastrophe.

Thereafter, I also realised another point, that in life there are many things that are beautiful, solid and strong. However, many a times it takes plenty of effort and work upon that thing to make it into the finished product and to give it that complete and perfect look. Whilst looking at the tar, I was reminded of our sins which are like dirt marks that and gather upon our hearts and settle there becoming very solid and set, similar to how the tar is set on the ground and left to dry to become solid.

However, before the tar settles it needs to be melted, it needs to go through extreme pressures to allow it to flow and become liquid again.

Similarly, in this way, our hearts become 'solid' like stones due to the sins we commit. As a result of these sins our tears sometimes lose their flow and become dry. This was shown with the tar as well as the solution; extreme temperature to 'melt' the tar. In order to remove this 'hardness' and bring back the flow of tears we need to soften our hearts by melting them with whatever procedure necessary.

Many Saints have mentioned the many methods of softening one's heart; some being: The Dhikr (constant remembrance of Allah), Salaah Alan Nabi Salllallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam (salutations upon the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam), Muraaqabatul Maut (Remembrance of Death), through the recitation of the Qur'an and excessive Istigfaar (seeking forgiveness).

May Allah give us all the inclination to build a wall between us and all those matters that displease Him and His Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam. May He support us in the attempt of 'melting' our hearts by eliminating the sins that have settled upon it. Aameen.

News & Views

2006-01-31T21:10:00.000Z

This blog was originally published so that we could obtain a little insight of all those little things in life that allow us to reflect and remember our Lord, Allah. It highlighted our daily chores that reminded us of Him and of all his 'signs' that can be found in each of His creations.

This blog has been of great benefit for me from the moment I published it; I began to look for a deeper meaning in the little activities that we carry out day to day and started realising that if one paid attention, for even a short period of time, it wouldn't be long before we came to understood that Allah is present everywhere and that His signs are visible in all our activities.

Looking at this blog, I began to think that a look at the wider world would really help us understand the Wisdom and doings of Allah all across the globe. In this attempt, I have created another blog named as News & Views.

This blog aims to bring 'News' to the readers and will be followed by a short 'view' and then if applicable, I will present Qur'anic verses and Prophetic Narrations (Ahadeeth) that are relevant to the news. It also allows everyone to put their views forward.

I pray to Allah that He accepts the efforts of this new blog and that through it I am able to achieve the many objectives I have in mind. May He make it a source of forgiveness and also a means of salvation. Aameen.

Ajnabi - A Stranger

2006-01-26T11:06:00.000Z

Once whilst getting groceries for my mum, I saw two people talking inside the shop. How it is a common habit for people to have particular times to go 'grocery shopping' and they meet up in the shops just to have a nice 'chit chat'.

So the above scene was nothing out of the ordinary; virtually every person would be part of a small group who would pick the same time to shop so they could have someone to talk to. But what took my attention was a woman who was so obviously avoiding the other women that was talking to her.

At some time or another we bump into a person that we want to ignore; a person that manages to get a 'deep sigh' because we were hoping we could avoid her. However, this woman wasn't being discrete about hiding the fact that she didn't want to talk to her; each time the woman came in front of her she would turn her face and look the other way and fidget with another kind of vegetable and would respond to her comments with little 'grunts'.

In the end, the other women finally left her and continued her shopping. Thereafter, another woman approached her and asked why she had been behaving in such a manner; the women replied that she was related to the women but she would always retaliate with her in matters and then after she had retaliated, she would always return to her to talk and accompany her and that she had done this once too many.

POINT

It is in a person's nature that he does things according to his desires, and at times these are the things that cause him to sin. We retaliate against our Lord, Allah and then it is towards him that we have to turn.

There is a great difference in the forgiving nature of Allah and that of His creation; Allah is the Oft Forgiving and is ever ready to forgive us. But His wrath is also the same, if we continue to disobey Him deliberately, out of rebellion, and then it could be that He puts a 'seal' on our hearts so that we do not have the inclination to even return to Him for forgiveness. This will be Him turning his face away from us.

Whilst I was in that grocery shop, I was reminded of a Hadeeth where a couple of people approached the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam with a message from their 'Lord' (i.e. their king) and he, Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, turned his face away from them because they had cut their beards and had gone against his teaching and the teaching of Allah.

The true point is, what will we do if, on the Day of Judgement, or whilst we are in the grave, he, Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, turns his face away from us? What answer will we give and what hope will we have?

May Allah save us all from this rebellion and from it being the reason that we become an Ajnabi (a stranger) in His eyes or the eyes of His Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam. Aameen.

Cleaning Services

2006-01-07T14:18:00.002Z

On Wednesday afternoon, whilst standing at my bedroom window, I saw a couple of men with brooms and pans, cleaning up the side of the streets.

It was amazing to see, that despite living on that street, I never noticed the amount of litter that was scattered on the floor. After seeing these men sweep us the litter I realised that despite me not being able to see any dirt, there was quite a fair amount on the streets.

Obviously, there were some plastic bags, the odd cans and other large items that were visible without giving them much attention, but the smaller items that were regularly dropped on the street were not noticeable until we paid attention to them.

POINT

Similarly, in our life, we continuously gather litter; litter that we cannot see unless we pay extra care and attention towards it. This litter is known as minor sins and it contaminates and corrupts our hearts.

Similarly, at times we commit major sins, and these are the sins that we should be able to point out straight away and clean as soon as we can. For these are the sins that take away the glow of Imaan, the Nur (Divine Light) away from our faces and is visible to others also.

Therefore, we have to take heed from these "Cleaning Services" and ensure that we also take out time to clean our hearts; to sweet up all the sins that we sometimes don't realise we have committed. And the best cleanser for sins is the tears of remorse and regret that comes from the eyes of a believer.

May Allah give us all the inclination to do a daily sweep-out of our sins and to leave us with a clean and pure heart that pleases Allah. Aameen

In The Driver's Seat

2005-12-23T11:19:00.000Z

First of all, Jazakallah to everyone that remembered me in their Duas and for all the comments and e-mails people have sent.

Since I have started this blog, it has become so much more easier to see a deeper meaning to the everyday things in life. Just as Allah has stated in the Glorius Qur'an:

"To God belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth;
and God hath power to will anything..
Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day; there are indeed Signs for men of understanding.
Those who remember God standing and sitting and lying on their sides and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth:
Our Lord! You have not created this in vain!
Glory be to You; save us then from the chastisement of the fire"

[Aal-e-Imran 3:189-91]

This verse is particularly important for our observation of the creation, for shaping our worldview with belief in Allah and applying our belief to our daily lives. It means that every single thing in its creation is a sign to the Creator and it reflects the attributes of the Creator. Whatever we can think of, each and every thing or event is created with wisdom as a sign to the Creator. We receive a phone call, a fly lands on our hand… these do not happen in vain, without any meaning or purpose...

So, if we reflect on any matter in life, and ponder over its creation and how it reflects the attributes of Allah, we will automatically start seeing the purpose of creation and how we are reminded of Allah through every act and each of His creation.

The lifestyle in Pakistan is completely different to the one we are used to seeing in the United Kingdom. Being a third-world country it is enivitable that we will see poverty, corruption and also a totally different living standard. There is no system, no practiced laws and everyone has their own styles of living.

The thing which caught my attention was the driving method in Pakistan. Those who have been there will be well aware of the manner of driving their; and those who have not had the pleasure of seeing it, I can simply say there is no system and no rules, anything goes (but you have to see it to believe it).

Whilst driving in Pakistan, there will be many times where you have to stop in the traffic (hardly for a traffic light). If at any point the car stops in the traffic, the driver, along with the passengers will be faced with two things; either they will have a beggar come up to their windows and ask for something, or they will have a poor person, trying to make his living, who will come to sell something.

Additionally, whilst driving in Pakistan, as there is no system, a driver is able to travel is able to take any route he wants to reach his destination; some routes will taker him faster to his destination than others, but always, the destination remains the same.

POINT

Similarly, in our lives, on the path of Islam and reaching Allah, we will also find times where we will either trip or come to a little stop, it is at this time that Shaytaan will take the opportunity to come to us and try and 'sell' us a lie and deceive us, or he will come and 'beg' us to do something which will divert our attention from the road for a moment or so.

It is then our choice whether we choose to pursue further onto the path we have chosen or whether we are deceived by the "sellers" and "beggars".

Another point to remember is that when we set out, our destination is always the pleasure of Allah; reaching Him, and acquiring paradise. However, no matter what our destination is, if we take the wrong path, we will never reach there and in the process we will have wasted valuable time. To the contrary, to reach Allah we can take many paths; those that will take us closer to Allah in a shorter span of time than other paths. There are many paths and each person has a choice to decide which path he wants to take to reach Allah, but it should not be forgotten, that no matter what path you choose, the final destination is none other than Allah.

May Allah give us the inclination to choose the path in which He is pleased, the path of Islam. May He show us the path that will earn us His pleasure and one that will take us to Him earlier than other Paths, and that He saves us from Shaytaan that who is our open enemy and will always try and deceive us from the straight path. Aameen.

A Short Break...

2005-11-06T14:53:00.000Z

As Salaamu Alaykum,

Just a short notice to all the readers. Insha Allah, I am leaving to go abroad today for about a month. Therefore, I doubt I will be able to post during my travels.

Some people already know the purpose of my travels and others are probably totally unaware.

Insha Allah, I will be aiming to "complete half of my Imaan" and I request each and every reader to keep me in their Duas and make extra special Dua for me that Allah makes me successful and makes everything easy and that this can be a new beginning in the long stretch of efforts in pleasing Allah. Aameen.

I will be keeping everyone of you in my Duas and I hope that I have loads to write once I return from my trip.

Jazakallah for all the support and encouraging comments.

Wasalaam

EID MUBARAK

2005-11-03T11:32:00.000Z

EID MUBAARAK to all the readers. May Allah make this day speacial and blessed for each and everyone. May He help all of us share in the joy of our friends and family.

May He accept our deeds during the month of Ramadhan and show us the sign of this acceptance by keeping us steadfast during the months to come. Aameen.

Please do remember me in your Duas and specially those people who are less fortunate than we are at this moment in time, keep them in your Duas and prayers and let us pray that Allah showers His mercy upon them so that they we can united in sharing the joy of Eid. Aameen.

Wasalaam

Life is a football match

2005-10-21T20:23:00.000+01:00

Yesterday night, after Taraweeh, we went to play football with our ten players. The teams were different this week as we had different player this week as some of the regular players could not make it.

As always, a good game of football feels great and there are many lessons to be learnt from what we would class a simple game of football.

Yesterday the teams were evenly matched and equally balanced out. The result of which was a very tight game. Each team put in a hundred percent to overcome the other team and push forward.

In short, the game ended as a draw. One team's goal was answered by the same from the other team. The battle of sixty minutes led to nothing more than a tie.

POINT

The teams in this football match were equally matched and therefore the result was a draw. In our everyday life we have a football match and we have to make an effort to make a stronger team than the opposition.

The length of this match is until our soul is taken by the angel of death and the referees are the angels upon our shoulders.

So who are the team players?

Team one:

Player one: Me, you, us.
Player two: the love for Allah
Player three: the love for our Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam
Player four: Desire for Jannah

Versus

Team two:

Player one: Shaytaan
Player two: Nafs (Self)
Player three: Habits
Player four: Desire for sinning.

The only way we can defeat this opposition if we continue to give back what we take. Each time Shaytaan strikes and scores a goal against us we should become more alert and follow it up straight away.

The Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has said:

"and follow up a sin with a good deed, it (the good deed) will wipe it (the sin) out..."

The only way to win this game is by training our players; by increasing our love for Allah and His Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam and increasing the desire for Jannah we will have a stronger and better team than Shaytaan.

And if we slip up our defences some times and let Shaytaan's team score a goal then we should make certain that we reply a goal with a goal.

May Allah Ta'ala give us the inclination and make us strong in our beliefs. Aameen.

Rush Rush...

2005-10-11T13:05:00.000+01:00

As usual I had to lead Jumu'ah prayers at Rugby town this Friday. Alhumdulillah the weather was great and the sun was shining, the drive there was as good as the drive back; with all the scenery and greenery I was pleased that I had taken the country roads to get to the Masjid.

The journey takes me one three hours in total; an hour to get there and back, and an additional hour at the Masjid. Usually I hasten to leave the Masjid after an hour so that I can reach home and get to the other duties I have. However, this Friday I stayed behind for an additional half an hour reading a few books and just meeting the local people at the Masjid.

It was only when I decided that I had to leave that I realised I had to rush back because time was short and there was a fair bit of work that needed to be completed and I was also missing the luxuries of my home. Keeping this in mind, I left the town and decided to take the Motorway so that I could do greater speeds, thus arrive home earlier than I would if I had taken the country roads...

It was during this drive that I realised that I had an aim; a destination. I wanted to reach somewhere and my love for it was making me rush and hasten towards my goal. The luxury of my home had made me take a path which was quicker than the path I would have chosen otherwise...

POINT

Allah tells us in the Qur'an:

"And hasten towards the forgiveness from your Lord; and a Garden, the extensiveness of which is (as) the heavens and the earth, it is prepared for those who are God-fearing."

[Surah Aal-e-Imran 3:133]

In this verse we are asked to hasten towards forgiveness and Jannah, yet we can see that we fail to act on this command and instruction of Allah.

If we ponder over the reason, we will realise that we haven't created that love and haven't set Jannah and the forgiveness of Allah as our goal and target. For if we were aware of the luxuries of this Paradise then surely we would adopt such a path within which we would reach our goal much quicker than the path we have adopted.

Allah shows us through our daily lives that desire to achieve our goal is what will make us hasten towards attaining it... And if we have this desire then we will be concerned about the path we need to take in order to reach to this goal as quickly as possible.

May Allah Ta'ala create the love and realisation of the luxuries of Jannah in our heart. May He increase it's desire in our hearts so that we can prepare our journey to hasten towards it. May He also show and guide us on those paths which will take us quicker towards reaching this goal of ours. Aameen.

Ramadhan Mubarak

2005-10-03T18:32:00.000+01:00

As Salaamu Alayakum,

Just a simple post to say Ramadhan Mubarak.

May Allah give us the strength and inclination to achieve in this month all the rewards and blessings that are sent down by Him.

May He make us from amongst those who have His glad tidings by the time this month comes to an end and may He make us from amongst those who He has forgiven.

Please remember me in your Duas during this month as I will be rememebering you.

Wasalaam

Network Busy...

2005-09-26T11:09:00.000+01:00

As time moves on technology becomes more advance. If we were to look ten years back we will see that many of the luxuries that we have today were not available to us ten years ago. The phone industry is one such industry that has been providing us with remarkable improvements in technology.

I can remember a time where to answer a call we had to stand in corner of the living room and we had no privacy because we were limited to "corded phones". As techonology improved we were able to carry the phone around in the house due to the new "cordless phones". It has now come to a stage where we can make a call from just about anywhere. We carry our own personal little phones in our pockets and have the facility to call whenever we want and wherever we want.

So, without a doubt, it's a thumbs-up to technology and in particular the mobile industry.

Despite this, there are times with every system where they suffer some sort of technical problems. One which everyone will be aware of is "Network Busy".

Our network connection is dependent on our mobile service provider. The larger the compnay, or the more coverage the company has, the greater possibility of our calls being connected.

Today I used a friends phone to make a call as I didn't have my mobile with me. The call was quite important and therefore I was disappointed when he returned to tell me that the only response he had was "network busy".

POINT

The most important and worthiwhile connection we can ever have or think of is the connection we have with Allah Ta'ala. It is this connection that tries to establish itself many a times in a day; yet, due to our ignorance we fail to see this happening and continue with our lifestyles without a connection.

Each time the Adhaan (call to prayer) is said it is a connection that Allah is calling us towards; a reminder from Allah saying that come towards me and establish that link. But how many times do we cut off that connection and pay no notice?

Each time our parents give us an order to do something it is an that tries to connect us with Allah; a reminder from Him telling us that we are expected to obey our parents and treat them with love and respect. Despite this, how many times have we been disobedient to our parents and put them second only to place our desires first?

How many times have we had that regret when our connection was lost? How many times did we feel remorse when we returned Allah's call with a reply of "network busy"?

May Allah give us the inclination of creating a link and connection with Him. And may He also give us the feeling of regret and the understanding to establish a connection with Him. Aameen.

Run-Down Vehicle

2005-09-17T13:57:00.001+01:00

For the past two Fridays I have been travelling to Rugby town to lead the Jumu'ah prayers. It is about an hours drive from home and the roads are through the countryside and it is a beautiful drive.

This Friday, on my way back home, I was going through a town where I saw this really run-down, battered and abandoned van. My eyes took in as much as they could whilst the car was on the move, and from what I saw it was obvious that the car had been looked after well but it had just past its time and had been either abandoned or left parked without much use.

This got me wondering... We take so much care over our cars and vehicles and then at the end of the day we have to abandon them because it is of no use.

Sometimes, the care out does us and it is us that leaves the world before the car reaches a point of being rendered outworn.

POINT

In our lives we pay so much attention to our bodies, we wake up each morning and spend hours on adorning ourselves. The world goes to so much effort in order to create "anti-wrinkle" creams and similar creams. Though there is nothing wrong with 'looking' after one's body, have we ever thought about how much attention we pay to our souls?

The soul is the real gift and everlasting item whilst the body is just the container. The example is simple, the soul is like the perfume inside a bottle; not matter how beautiful the bottle is, the reality is what is inside the bottle.

The human body is just a case for this precious item within, it will one day corrode and have no purpose for Allah will give every soul a new body in the hereafter.

May Allah give us the inclination to pay more attention to our souls than to our temporary body. Aameen

Remember me and I will remember you.

2005-09-12T18:57:00.000+01:00

Recently, there was a request to post something in regards to doing Dhikr of Allah. It got me thinking as to how the Dhikr of Allah is implemented in one’s life and how one gains benefit from it.

The verse that came to mind was:

"...Remember Me and I shall remember you..."

[Al-Baqarah - 02:152]

What can be more rewarding than the fact that Allah remembers us if we remember Him.

This blog is dedicated to me, my life and my experiences, how each thing we do in life is connected to His being and presence.

POINT

Those who remember Allah and those who do not, how do they defer? What are the differences in their lifestyles?

Let us start with a simple example; we see at the airport many people have baggage with them. We can easily split these people into two types; firstly, those who carry their baggage and then those who place them upon a trolley.

If both these people were carrying a heavy load of the same weight, we could easily say, despite of both of them having the same weight, that the person using the trolley will be at more ease than him who is carrying his bag. We could even go further to say that the person with the trolley is able to carry a greater with more ease than that person who is carrying his load.

This is the difference between a person who remembers Allah and a person who does not. When a person remembers Allah, then in return Allah also remembers him, and in due to this all the burdens of that person become easier and bearable.

The Dhikr of Allah means that Allah will be remembering that person and surely if Allah remembers us our daily life becomes much easier to bear despite the load being the same.

So, in simple terms, the remembrance of Allah aids us in living our lives; we find pleasure and sweetness in our worship; it keeps our hearts alive and it every time we remember Him we should keep in mind that He is also remembering us.

May Allah give us the inclination to remember Him continuously. Aameen.

A path...

2005-09-06T18:17:00.000+01:00

Firstly I would like to thank Brother Adam for making such an effort to make me realise how important this blog was to all the readers. May Allah bless him and give him a high abode in Jannah.

In every aspect of life there is a lesson to learn. Many times, we make choices in life that affect more than just our lives, and it is those choices that we should make with great consideration.

Life is tiring and sometimes it becomes a burden. This burden can be felt in many of the activities that we do, whether they are totally connected to worldly gain or whether they are totally connected to our Deen and spiritual upbringing.

These are the repetitive activities that tires one out, and many a times makes the person leave the act which he was doing day after day.

This could be something that I went through in the last week...

POINT

Many a times we see people who are committed to their religion and their beliefs; they worship Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta'ala with commitment. But then, a time comes upon them, where they feel, for what ever reason it be, that they have to diverse from this path or that another path is better for them.

It is after the person leaves the path of Allah that he can feel the emptiness, the lack of spiritualism; it is then that he realises what he left and what he is missing out on. This feeling is something which one should welcome and make every effort to work upon this feeling, for very few people, despite having this feeling, are able to return to the path of Allah.

The reason is simple; Shaytaan makes the path that one treads on beautiful and so addictive that one is unable to return to the path of Allah. May Allah save us all from leaving His path, and if His will is that we should trip whilst being on His path, then I pray to Him that He always returns us to His path alone and to give us death in the state that He is happy with us. Aameen.

Adam - A Request

2005-09-04T11:51:00.000+01:00

It feels awkward to writing on a blog that has always been an inspiration to me. I have always read these posts even during the times I was not so well. I read this blog so many times that I actually took it for granted.

One thing that I learnt from Maulana Zain is that we should never take anything to granted, not even the next breath we plan to take. Despite this teaching I couldn't help but hope that this blog would always be here as a guide in a manner which not many sites offer.

I've been making an effort to change the mind of Maulana Zain and I hope that the requests and comments from people do help. I would appreciate it if all the readers of this blog or any of his other blogs would comment and show him how much need we have for this blog. I don't know about everyone else, but I sure could do with the guidance I've received from this blog.

Jazakallah for your time.

Adam

The End... By Far

2005-09-02T16:31:00.000+01:00

As Salaamu Alaykum,

Alhamdulillah, since the time I began blogging till today, I have learnt many things and my blogs have gone through many changes. It is the Mercy of Allah Ta'ala that He has chosen me from amongst many other people to carry out His words in many different ways; and although there are many people that carry out this act, it is always an honour to spread the religion of truth.

The internet is a very big place, I would class it as a world of its own. Those who are able to swim in this world can be fortunate enough to spread the truth in a way that has not been known to man, and those who are unable to swim in this world unfortunately drown.

Every thing has to come to an end, be it good or bad. This is the case for any creation for Allah, so much so that even death will have to die.

In short words, I believe the time has come to put an end to this blog. However, there have been many requests to keep it going and therefore I will give this blog away to brother Adam who is more skilled in the English language and able to produce better pieces of work.

I hope that He his words will aid each and every reader to continue along that path which I began to tread on. I hope that He is more able to lead the people to the destination that we all intend to reach.

It has been an honour to have many people through this blog, all gifted in their own ways. I hope that you will continue visiting and give the encouragement to brother Adam that you have been giving me.

Please remember me in your Duas and maybe I shall return (might be soon), but currently I have a few issues I have to go over... I have to find the true meaning of trust and friendship.

May Allah forgive us all and grant us honour of being from amongst those who will qualify for the intercession of the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam. Aameen.

Thunder and Lightening

2005-09-01T17:31:00.000+01:00

Yesterday in Leicester, and maybe a few other places, it was thundering and lightning and rain was pouring down heavily (Masha Allah it was beautiful).

For most of the people, it was just another day with bad weather; for some people it may have been a good excuse to stay in and not have to go out, but for a very few people this thunder and lightening was actually a message.

Every time the weather goes bad and there is thunder and lightening, I believe that there is a lot of power present. It is as though you can feel it in the atmosphere.

To be honest, that sort of weather scares me and sometimes prevents me from sleeping. I wonder if it is a sign from Allah that He is upset. What if the thunder is His anger and the lightening is a warning, a punishment that could strike anytime? We see the lightening coming down from the sky and reaching towards us and we hear stories of those people who have been struck.

Point:

Has Allah not given mankind respite from His punishment? Has He not also said that He will give us respite till a limited time thereafter He will reel us in towards Him in such a quick action that we will be left dumbfounded.

Is it not time that we looked at the signs of Allah and turned towards Him? Is it not the Mercy of Allah that He gives us respite as well as warnings so that we may take heed before His wrath falls upon us?

May Allah protect us from His wrath and punishment. May He save us from being amongst those who earn His displeasure and anger, and instead, may He make us from those who return to Him by looking at His signs and therefore earn His love, mercy and bounties. Aameen.

Ups & Downs

2005-08-22T19:07:00.000+01:00

This temporary world is an important reminder that this place is not paradise and nor is it problem free, for was it, there would have been no need to create paradise and its existence would not be unique and catching.

However, this world, being just in theory as a waiting room, brings along with it many difficulties. I realised this myself for the past for days or so. Sometimes life is so perfect and serene that one could not wish nor desire for anything more. And at other times, life can be so hard and demanding that death is not only an option, but in actual fact feels like a gift.

Although, I would not like to extend into details, nor do I want discuss my feelings at this very point... The matter which is important at the moment is that life has not been a comfortable ride recently. I do not complain, for this has not been the first time and I am certain that it shall not be the last.

Now, Alhumdulillah, I am feeling much better and then it occurred to me, during those few days thousands of thought went through my head and were washed down by hundred of tears, that I had not once left living, nor had I given up; I may have desired it, but nevertheless, I am sitting here, which denotes that I did not follow my desires.

POINT

The point is simple, where we have the materialistic side of this world; we also have the spiritual side that works in parallel. Just as the body has "ups and downs" in this world, so does the soul of a person feel the same "ups and downs" regarding its spiritual side. This feeling of "ups and downs" is known as "Qabz" (spiritually depleted state) and "Bust" (state of spiritual zenith).

In the state of Bust a person is willing and eager to worship Allah Ta'ala; it is in this state that he enjoys worshiping and being obedient to his Lord. No act or deed is too far fetched to carry out and he is able to carry out that which he has been ordered. In opposition is the state of Qabz in which man is a depleted and depressed state. He has no drive in him to carry out the acts which he has been ordered by his Lord nor is their any enjoyment for his soul in carrying these acts. But, in reality, it is within this state that the true test lies for the servant of Allah; for if he is successful and persuades his soul to worship Allah, despite detesting it and not gaining any pleasure, then surely he has reached fought his desires to a great level and therefore receives an equally high reward.

In conclusion, just as we fight our daily problems without letting the desires to give up succeed, so must we worship Allah Ta'ala without the urge to give up or forsake him, "for indeed with every difficulty comes easiness".

May Allah give us the ability to worship in every state, be it Qabz or Bust and may he make each state easy for us as the other. Aameen

4.7 Seconds

2005-08-04T13:00:00.000+01:00

Life has been really hectic and busy for the last few weeks and it has been difficult to post on this blog, or any other blog for that matter.

While I was out for a drive one day I came across a billboard with the words "most people fall in love within 4.7 seconds"

That's the only thing that I managed to catch hold of and the fact that it was an advertisement for a Jaguar car. Nevertheless, the message behind that board was far more than meets the normal eye... it is a message for us to ponder.

Isn't it true how we can totally fall in love with something that has just been sighted by our eyes...

I know for sure that I've walked into a car showroom and fell in love with a car within a minute; I'm sure that this works for many people, falling in love with a dress in the shop window, some jewellery, a house, a computer, or whatever a person is into. It's not even strange to see people falling in love with animals.

Seeing that advert made me ponder about the meaning and the word "love". It made me thing that this is such a strong word and its usage is mostly with meaningless things.

Then it occurred to me that a meaningless thing becomes some precious as soon as you apply the "love" in the equation.

So where does that leave us with 'Love'?

POINT

If a man can fall in love with a care within 4.7 seconds and a girl with probably a dress (or a Barbie doll - I have no idea), then surely we should think about how we are not applying this love correctly in each part of our life.

Love is a great thing if done in moderation and applied in the right places, but it can be a very harmful and bad thing when it is used in the wrong places and more than need be.

We need to have love for money and material, but this should be very minimal. It should be enough to see us through our days and not leave us begging; yet it should not be so much that it makes us blind from everything else.

We need to have love for our partners and children so that we can fulfil their rights and have a peaceful life; yet it such not exceed the love we have for Allah, His Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam and His religion.

We should have love for Allah so that we can be successful in both this life and the hereafter; yet we fail to realise that this love should have no limits but it is the love that sometimes has no beginning.

We are so busy in loving all these futile, things that will perish one day that we have forgotten to love that which is beneficial and eternal.

The harm is still not done... do we change or do we continue to be drowned in what Shaytaan has shown us to be "love"... the decision is ours, will we recognise true love.

Surely we have had more than 4.7 seconds and over a thousand reasons to love Allah... Should we not ponder as to what or who is stopping us from loving Allah and is encouraging us to love futile objects?

A New Start... A deception

2005-07-25T11:53:00.000+01:00

Our Beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has shown us many ways to prosperity and success. He has outlined to us, and shown us, the lifestyle of a Muslim. Yet, the fact remains that Shaytaan, the accursed, has made a vow, "I will take each and everyone into the hellfire" and this is where the battle begins.

On one hand, we have a believer, one who may not seem to be strong, but nevertheless has the flame of Imaan and belief buring inside his heart. And on the other hand we have Shaytaan who has vowed to mislead mankind despite knowing the result and consequence. Who will win the battle? That option and choice lies with every individual, it lies with me and it lies with you...

Have you ever had this thought, this belief and feeling, that I will start being god-fearing once I get married and settle down? Have you ever had the urge to give up something that is forbidden only to have a force telling you that you are still young and there will be time to repent? Has a whisper ever lead you away from Allah giving you false promises that you shall, one day, return on his path?

All these notions, whispers and forces are non other than the deception of Shaytaan.

Why am I mentioning all this? Surely this blog has things only to do with what I endure in my life, the things that occur to me... Well, this is my story...

This weekend I went to a Walimah (I thought avoiding the wedding ceremony would save us all from the Fitnah). In my mind I had a notion, a belief that people do Walimah because our Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has told us and taught us to do so. Therefore, if we are doing the Walimah we will surely not be slaughtering the commands of our Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam.

To be honest, it was appalling to see each and every Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam being slaughtered. It was a shame to see people doing the total opposite of what their 'true' desire is...

Every person that gets married hopes and prays for a happy marriage. We even begin this mighty decision by seeking the guidance of Allah through the prayer of Istikhaara. We beg Him to give us a happy married life and to keep our love and marriage strong through all that life throws at us... We ask Him for beautiful pious children... We prayed to Him for 'A New Life' yet how did we begin this 'New Life?'

Yet, have we ever turned around and asked ourselves if we will ever get what we asked for? The day we take vows and become Husband and Wife is the day that we break nearly all of Allah's commands and rules. We forget Allah in such a way that the only pleasure we seek is that of mankind, the only praise we beseech is that of the people.

We begin to believe that what we truly want is for a 'grand' wedding. A wedding where each and every person of the community is invited, where food is at large and no attempt of upholding the laws of Islam is made... We begin to fall into the deception of Shaytaan to see this as our true desire.

Which wedding can be more 'grand' and worthy of praise than that of our Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam and his beloved Companions Alayhimus Salaam?

I don't want to stretch this post to an extent where it will tire people to read on... But the pain that is felt within the heart is so great that the eyes fail to shed tears but the heart cannot stop wailing. The sorrow is indeed because the happiness of Allah is slaughtered, but the shame and sorrow is for those people who asked for something great for their marriage and done something in totally contradicted it when it came to taking the blessings of Allah.

POINT:

Shaytaan is very weak yet he is very sly and cunning. He will not stop a man from wishing good for himself nor will he stop a believer from begging in front of Allah. Shaytaan's deception is such that he will make you feel that you have done what you needed to do and then he will take you against Allah knowing that your asking was futile when you do not follow His commands.

Has one never felt Shaytaan tell him "do this later, you are still young"?, "You can do all of this once you are married and settled", "there is plenty of time, when you get old, just repent". Shaytaan will never say "No! Don't pray Salaah", "Don't do this act of worship", but he will always aid you in the path of procrastination.

I pray to Allah that He aids us through every step of our life, that He forgives us when we fall into the deception of Shaytaan. I pray to Allah to forgive us all and not to look at our shortcomings and instead look at our sincerity when we spread these hands in front Him to beg Him for His mercy and blessings. Aameen.

Near Misses

2005-07-19T20:41:00.000+01:00

I've been meaning to update this blog for some time. However, I had to give priority to my simplyislam blogspot because I have not managed to update that for some time.

As days go by so does the commotion increase, people seem to be getting busier and life seems to be moving on much faster. There is no time for anyone and people are drowned in their own world.

So, what does half of Leicester do at a time like this? When time is moving fast and there is nothing to do but to try and keep up with it, what options does one have?

Well, I don't know how people really tackle that problem, but when I sit into my car and decide to take my mum for a half day shopping spree, I realised what many people do... They drive like maniacs. I could understand the theory of driving fast, but fast becomes maniac before you can really catch on.

I was out shopping with my mum and during that time I saw all sorts of traffic (apart from school traffic, I see that everyday); I saw people rushing to lunch, from lunch, to shopping from shopping, to work, from work and many others that I have no idea about.

During that day, I realised how inconsiderate and dangerous other drivers can be. I had over seven near misses and non were my fault (if I would've hit them it would be their fault - and no, I'm not always right).

To cut a long story short, I managed to finish the shopping and get mum, myself and my lovely car back home in one piece... But I did ponder...

POINT

It's amazing how we take life for granted, yet Allah shows us and takes us through so many events in one day which could be life threatening for us and yet we don't even realise. The simple act of eating can be life threatening, all one needs to do is have the morsel go down the wrong pipe. Allah saves us day after day to show us that He is capable of taking us to Him, to show that there is a power that we have no control over, and most of all, he gives us the 'wake up call' so that we turn towards Him before it is too late.

I was also wondering how engrossed we are in our own worlds that we can't even think or care about the safety and well-being of others. In Islam, there has been a great emphasis on rights of our fellow beings, yet we overlook this and become totally ignorant of the level and amount of questioning that will be made in this area.

I pray to Allah that he keeps reminding me of His path and power through all of His signs and that He gives me the strength, inclination and understanding to change myself so that before the death reaches us our hearts, love and connection have already reached Him. I pray that He allows us to see the importance of the rights of people and then He gives us the ability to keep them in our minds so that we are not faced with a burden on the day of Judgement. Aameen.

A New Set of Wheels

2005-07-14T15:22:00.000+01:00

Alhumdulillah the last week or so has brought along with it really good weather. It has been really warm and sunny; weather that makes you feel alive and happy as opposed to the normal, gloomy weather most people are used to in this country.

I really love the heat, but my body has its own problems during this time of the year. The heat gives me nose bleeds on a daily basis which leaves me really weak (due to anemia). Nevertheless, I try to enjoy the weather as much as I can.

One of my favourite ways of enjoying this weather is to go for a nice long drive. It is the Mercy and Grace of Allah that He has given me two beautiful cars which are not more than three years old; one being a small polo and the other a Mercedes.

I decided that the Mercedes would be a better option for this long drive. So, I seated myself in (and yes, I did have my seat-belt on) and I set off for a drive. Five minutes down the road and I thought to myself 'great weather for a convertible, I should get of those...' And, sometimes, without realising, we tend to forget what we have and in turn we forget to appreciate it.

It wasn't long before I had thought this that I came to a halt at a traffic light. The people at the pedestrian crossing were trotting across the street and amongst the bustle of the people I saw a person in a small car used by invalid people.

I realised, that though we may not have a posh car or cars that we would like to have, we should be grateful that at least we have some sort of car. And for those who don't have a car, we should really be grateful that at least we are not dependent on some sort of transport because our feet cannot carry us.

POINT:

I am not saying that to desire for a better car is a sin, nor am I saying that we should stop living and enjoying ourselves. Sometimes, we find it hard to stay on the path of religion because we fail to understand what religion is. The truth is that we are not asked to sacrifice our pleasures, but we are asked not to sacrifice our religion for our pleasures. To wish for a great car is not a problem, but to be ungrateful for what one already has is not an act of a true believer.

I pray to Allah that He keeps our mind open towards His religion so that we can understand His way, His choices and His Will in each step that we take. I pray to Allah that if we ever slip from His path that He sends us a simple sign to remind us of Him and His mercy upon us. Aameen.

Allah's Blessings

2005-07-08T11:17:00.000+01:00

This weekend I went to London to get away from everything. London, although not my place of residence, somehow feels like home to me.

Anyways, while I was there I was talking to my cousin and realised how people can be liiving a totally different life to the one that we live.

Yes, I know that this is a pretty obivious thing and everyone has thee own lifestyles and their own daily repsonsibilties and chores. But, the thing that made me ponder was the basic things in everyone's lives can really differ.

Whilst we were talking my cousin mentioned to me how proud he was of himself that he managed to pay off seventy pounds of his bank charges and bills. Currently my cousin is jobless and is looking for work, which means that he has to be very careful with the money he receives.

Sometimes, by looking at the lives of others, we can perceive how fortunate we ourselves are. When we compare ourselves to someone less fortunatge thab oursesleves it is then that we can actually learn to appreciate and be grateful for even the small things that we take for granted.

The practices of the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam teach us to look at the people below us in regards to our worldly matters and to look at the people above us in our Deeni (religious) matters.

By practising what the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has taught us we will achieve satisfaction and learn to be grateful and at peace in our worldly matters and the fire of greed, jealousy and competition will cease to consume us. In the same manner taking an example of those above us, in our religious matters, will awaken us and will aid us to create a desire to accomplish what the Auliyaa (friends of Allah) have achieved. This will therefore help us in creating closeness to Allah Ta'ala and will also give us a high rank in the eyes of the pious people as well as in the sight of Allah Ta'ala.

Simply put, the essence of the outcomes of both these methods will be a peace, contentment and a burning desire to please Allah and meet him.

Allah states:

"If you are grateful, I will surely give you more and more"

[Surah Ibrahim 14:7]

May Allah give us the inclination to be thankful towards Him for all that we have, so that in return He shall fulfil His promise and increase us in our blessings.

'Spring Clean'

2005-06-22T15:40:00.000+01:00

Our house is going through a thorough clean at the moment; some rooms are being 'broken down' and done up again from scratch, others are having a few touch ups here and there because a simple clean won't do.

During the year, life is so busy and the easiest way of getting rid of something is just to dump it in the store room and say "I'll deal with it later". However, now that the "later" has finally come, we've realised how hard it is to clean all that mess which we gathered throughout the year.

The things have piled up so much that it takes a few hours each day to make such a little difference, and half the things need throwing out whilst others need to stay but have no place. Cleaning up is such a mission, especially after we've been dumping for a year.

So, every day, when I spend some time trying to clean up all the mess that the people have gathered what does my mind say to me? It says that 'if only you would have dealt with it when it occurred...' or sometimes it just provokes me by saying 'prevention is better than cure...' Nevertheless, at times I see the positive side, 'clean away, you will get there...' or 'it's all worth it in the end...' I know it's hard, but I will get there one day, if I keep on trying... Next time, make it a habit to deal with it on the spot.

POINT:

The point of this little cleaning spree is simple. We strive to clean our bodies, our houses, cars and belongings each day; things that will perish one day. Yet we fail to clean the everlasting soul that will accompany is in the hereafter as well.

Throughout the year we commit sins, we gather it in our hearts and make ourselves believe that we will clean it up one day and that one day we will repent. We fail to realise that the "one day" we refer to may never arrive, and if it does come, then surely to deal with a heap load of sins is so much more difficult than to deal with it at the time it occurs. The sins will have, with no doubt, stained our delicate hearts, and to remove those stains of habits will be a very difficult act indeed.

This is one of the reasons that the month of Ramadhan has been sent to us. Ramdhan is said to come in the meaning of "to burn" and the reason for that is because it burns our sins and cleanses our heart. Soon this blessed month will be upon us and it is vital that we start preparing for it now. Surely to reap all the benefits from this month we must prepare ourselves by making our habits in accordance to the Shari'ah. So that when this month does come we are prepared for it. Remember, we will get there if we keep trying.

I pray to Allah that He makes every day of mine a spring clean, so that I can sit and cry tears in His presence, seeking His forgiveness and Mercy, so that one day I am not faced with a mountain of sins which I have gathered. May Allah forgive us all and give us the strength to repent before a time comes when our repentance shall not be accepted. Aameen

Good Ol' Days of Sweet Wrappers

2005-06-10T03:18:00.000+01:00

Good Ol' Days of Sweet Wrappers

Today I was very fortunate to be able to get some more chocolates. Yes, I really do enjoy my chocolate feast, not that I'm as bad as I used to be a couple of years back, I now have a limit (honest).

So, here I was, like any other kid, in my room, with the door closed, and my tin of chocolates in front of me. I took one out from the tin and carefully took of the wrapper. I love to keep these wrappers, even though that these wrappers only fascinate me for like ten minutes (which I guess is still quite a long time).

The first wrapper was a nice orangey colour... I took off the wrapper and obviously ate my chocolate. Then I remember how we used to play with these colourful transparent chocolate wrappers. The way we would look through them and see a totally different colour of this world. Something that would seem so beautiful through this wrapper would be the same old boring thing that we would look at everyday in our lives and most of all ignore.

Interesting thought, how a colourful wrapper can you world look different from reality whilst being such a small and uncomplicated thing, just a wrapper.

Point:

Our beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has said:

"The life of the world is sweet and green. Allah makes you generations succeeding one another so that He may try you in respect of your actions."

It can be complicated to understand this Hadith, yet just as simple. If a mere wrapper can make my everyday bedroom look fascinating, then indeed the powerful eye can make this word seem sweet and green.

So will we fall into the delusion of our eyes? or will we realise that once this wrapper of sweet greenness is removed from our eyes there will be nothing in this world that will seem beautiful.

I pray to Allah that He saves us from the false deception and colour of this world, and that He allows us to see the true reality of this world before it is too late. Aameen.

No Signs? No Post?

2005-05-31T11:13:00.000+01:00

I wake up each day, following the same routine in a zombie like manner. Each day is followed by the same activities that I would expect everyday to hold for me. I get dressed, head to the office, carry out my work there (which varies, but only slightly), followed by a short session of teaching at the Madrassah. Thereafter, back to the office and then lunch (sometimes) and, yes, believe it or not, back to the office. Followed by another session at Madrassah and then back home for Dinner (if I feel like it). Thereafter, some time spent with family and back to bed.

That was my normal routine fitted into one paragraph. Not much changes in that (apart from my unpredictable emotions).

It occurred to me that within all those activities, there hasn't been something that 'startled' me and made me think of Allah Ta'ala and His creation or doings (like the previous post). I then felt a wave of remorse... Am I forgetting Allah?

But now that I look back, I realise, that my actual pattern for a week is the doing of Allah.

Point:

I wake up each morning - Allah has returned to me my soul, He has given me life once again after this small death. I could class it as another chance to free my soul from the fire of hell... Do we let this chance go day after day? Or do we make the most of this opportunity that thousands of people don't receive after they lay to sleep?

My daily routine is a mercy from Allah, His kindness and His affection. Man is not accustomed to surprises and shocks. Therefore, surprises arouse extreme forms of feelings, either they make him extremely happy or extremely sad. Our day to day activities are so normal that Allah is saving us from extreme sadness, He saves us from the worry of what will happen next and what we should do next...

If only we could live a day of the lives of those people who do not even know what situation is going to befall them the next minute, let alone the next day. The families of those people who are severely ill; the people who themselves are drowned in a see of illness; those children who have grass as their daily meal, not knowing what will be next on the menu... Shouldn't we thank Allah that our lives are so systematic that we are saved from a million worries a day? Should we not stop complaining about the few worries that befall us and divert our attention towards the millions we are saved from?

May Allah give us all the correct understanding and wisdom to see His signs in our day to day activities. Aameen

How Rich Am I?

2005-05-20T15:22:00.000+01:00

During this past couple of days, we have been having some good weather. It may not have been the hottest of days, but at least the sun was out and the sky was clear.

So, I set of in my car, and thought I'd enjoy the weather with a nice long drive (which is like fifteen minutes, because I have to be back at the office). I set off, on a long stretch of road (keeping my eye open for speed cameras) and put my foot down (just a little).

In Leicester, it's common to stop the car every, say, five minutes. At the traffic lights, behind approximately fifteen to twenty cars, my car came to a halt, on the right side was a restaurant and on the left side some houses (with really nice cars).

I was just having a look around when something unusual caught my eye; I saw a women pushing a pushchair in the most awkward manner. She seemed to be young and very able. When I did look at what she was doing, I realised that one of her arms was either short or maybe cut of. She was pushing the buggy with what seemed like her shoulders to the bus stop.

The light had gone green by now, and I made my way forward. But that little stop at the traffic light opened up my eyes and my heart to ponder...

... How rich am I? Can I complain? Have I ever stopped and wondered? Am I suffering?

At some time in life, maybe all of us have felt deprived, depressed, poor and neglected. Some of us complain, others use it as an excuse to do whatever we please in life. But have we truly had the time to stop, ponder and then be thankful?

If it was not for a traffic light, would I not have gone along with my usual day, thinking I was overworked, I deserved better, I need a nicer car, more money, etc?

Yet, when we look at the things Allah puts his other slaves through, it makes us realise that we are the richest people in the world. We may not have a car, but we have our feet. We may not have a bungalow, but we have a shelter over our heads. We may not be handsome or pretty, but we have a perfectly normal face. We may be busy, but we are able to be active. We may be sick, but we are alive.

Should we not be grateful for rich Allah has really made us? Would we sacrifice our hands, arms, legs, eyesight or our sense of hearing for even a million pounds? I know I wouldn't.

I thank Allah that He has made me gave me life without me asking, I thank Him that he made me a Believer without my asking. Now I pray to you Allah that make me steadfast upon your Deen and make me your beloved. O Allah, if you can give man such great bounties without him even having to raise his hands, then indeed you can accept the request of this servant who is begging from you your Mercy. Aameen.

Food For Thought.

2005-05-10T17:16:00.000+01:00

This Sunday I thought I should spend a little time on the house; give it a coat of paint, pull out the brushes and scrub away the marks that were placed from the stains from everyday use.

I managed to sand paper one door (honestly, it was hard. It had six panes of glass) after which I could here my stomach talking to me. It was nearly four o clock and I hadn't eaten anything all day.

We had some visitors over so mum had made some samosas and Bhajias (don't ask the English for that, because I have no idea). Nevertheless, I had to wait until the visitors had finished so that I could have my fair share (I was starving by now).

Finally, it was about five thirty when I did get my hands on two samosas and one Bhajia, but I sure wasn't complaining; I was glad to get anything down my throat.

I put the samosa in my mouth, and "crunch"... I stopped, looked down in horror, and I realised it was, unbelievably, VEGETABLE samosa. Yes, the shock of the moment, images of the peas staring me in my face, and rumbling noise coming from the direction of my stomach.

I don't have anything against vegetable samosas as such, I just prefer meat ones. So, I thought, 'what difference does it make?' and continued pleasing my stomach with the samosa.

For all those that want to know, I made up for it all at dinner time.

As usual, there is a point... Not one, but two points... Isn't that the purpose of life, to live and learn?

Point 1 - Cleaning.

It's amazing, how we can see the dirt and stains on the doors, windows, cars and table but we fail to see what marks the daily filth leaves on our heart.

Just as the dirt on the table and chair are removed with tap water, so must the filth upon the heart be removed with water... But this water is the water of the eyes... Our tears.

Sincere repentance and will power to stay away from those things that gather filth upon our heart is essential. Just as how we cannot live in a house full of dirt and filth, how can we expect the Al-Mighty to be in a filthy heart?

Point 2 - Hunger and Appreciation.

Alhumdulillah, Allah has blessed us enough that we have enough food for the day. We do not even have to worry about the food for the week to follow let alone worry about the provision for the next meal time.

However, not everyone is fortunate as us; there are some people who do not even have half a meal a day. In fact, there are some people that die due to hunger and starvation.

These are our brothers and sisters, suffering and dying, while we are here over-eating and wasting food. The pain and suffering of hunger can only be known by that person who has been starving, maybe for even three or four days without any food.

Should we not be grateful towards our Creator who has made us fortunate enough to be living in such great conditions? Should we not show Him our obedience for what He has given us?

May Allah give us all the inclination to remember our brothers and sisters in our Du'aa and to realise the importance of the blessings showered upon us by Allah Ta'ala. May He give us the understanding not to waste what we have been given and the strength to follow His path so that we can keep our hearts clean enough so that non other than the love and Allah and His Prophet is contained within. Aameen.

Long Weekend

2005-04-18T13:09:00.000+01:00

During the long weekend, I decided to make my way over to London so that the change of environment could be a form of relaxation.

I set off, leaving all the commotion and hassle of my "normal" life towards London where the change would relax me both physically and mentally.

The trip all in all was great fun, I spent a whole day travelling in the tube, busses and walking for hours on end, exploring the sites in London and examining the stores.

It was definitely a good change of atmosphere and something that I wouldn't mind looking forward to again.

What I really want to mention though is some of my thoughts before, during and after this short trip.

Before:

Before I set off to London, I really was really happy, cheerful and excited... Why? Because of the hard work that went into my life before my trip. I knew that I had enough money to get me there and allow me to enjoy myself while I was there.

Point: The point is, isn't that what life is about? To prepare for the hereafter? If we worship Allah in this world will we not get rewards (money) for the hereafter? Is it not our faithfulness towards Allah that will make us look forward to meeting Him?

During:

During my trip to London I was calm and at peace. I knew that there was nothing that would cause me discomfort; I had packed my bags and was prepared.

Point: Have we packed our bags for our journey to the hereafter? Can we be at peace and say that we have prepared for our journey to come?

Another thing that I noticed during my trip was the different types of people. The tube, the busses, the streets and even the shop were like a market full of people on display. Each and every person doing their own things, living in a world of their own; people of all colour, background, styles and beliefs.

Point: Are we not lucky that out of thousands of people we were chosen to carry the message forward? Are we not lucky that we were the chosen to reside in Jannah by being given the gift of Imaan? Is it not our duty to save the others? Are we doing our part as Muslims?

After:

In short... Back to the same old lifestyle. What was I expecting? But, I knew it was coming. A little tired and down, but that is the pattern of life.

Point: Our life here is limited and temporary just like my visit to London. This life may be dull and tiring with all the responsibilities, but it is through these responsibilities that we are able to enjoy the life to come (like I did my visit).

Point: No matter what lifestyle we choose, what ways we decide to take. At the end of the day, the reality is always there, the truth will always shine and the single path of Islam is where we shall all have to return.

Saturday

2005-04-18T12:53:00.000+01:00

Saturday is Football day. I woke up and got ready for the match that we were going to have. It had been time since I had lost a game, but I knew with the proposed teams this week it may well be my first defeat after such a long time.

To no surprise, I lost the game, and it was no close one either. Nevertheless, I never gave up hope, I kept on pushing forward, giving my team all the energy I had so that I could once again win. But it was not meant to be, on the final whistle I was well aware of my loss.

I came home, defeated, tired yet not broken. I came back stronger knowing where I went wrong and the things I would change for the next week.

Then I pondered (as usual). A simple game of football and I took it so serious. An hour of fun and play (and the needed exercise) and I was not willing to give up. So why, when it comes to the hereafter, when it comes to winning the love of Allah and His Prophet do we take defeat from Shaytaan so easily?

I thought of all the times when i would exercise no effort to fight the provocations of Shaytaan, all his efforts to deviate me and take me on the path of the losers.

I realised, that if i treated my life as a football pitch, in which the goal was to achieve the love of Allah and His Prophet, and if I exhausted all my efforts in winning this match I would achieve much more than I would from a mere football game.

May Allah give us all the inclination to make an effort to spend our effort in attaining His and His Prophet's love and and pleasure.

Aameen.

Something I Learnt...

2005-04-06T13:11:00.000+01:00

Today, like every other day for the past month, was full of stress and confusion. My life, although apparently seeming very luxurious, is one chaotic process at the moment.

It's amazing how in life everything is based on the decisions you make, every step that you take has a consequence; some that we may not see, some that may not be immediate, but all have some sort of affect on our lives.

As I sat in my office chair, I pondered over the pass couple of days, everything I seemed to have done seemed to have no meaning, no purpose and no benefit. It seemed as though we do things and then ponder over them, only to find that the things we done were only limited to that moment, its use no more than the moment, but its effect could be of a lifetime.

From the many things I learnt today, I learnt that although the people in our lives come and go, they always leave a footprint in our hearts. It is the those footprints that sometimes show us the path we take in our life.

I pray that the people that leave a footprint in my heart are those that inspire me spiritually. And may Allah Ta'ala give me the inclination and ability to make those choices in life that will aid me in acquiring His pleasure.

Ameen.

*~Zain's World~*

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