Ups & Downs

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

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

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

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

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

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'

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

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?

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?

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.

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

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

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...

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.