A little boy is telling his Grandma how "everything" is going wrong. School, family problems, health problems, problems with friends, etc.




Meanwhile, Grandma is baking a cake. She asks her grandson if he would like a snack, which, of course, he does.



"Here, have some cooking oil." *"Yuck" says the boy.

"How about a couple raw eggs? " "Gross, Grandma!"

"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"



"Grandma, those are all yucky!"



To which Grandma replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!



God works the same way. Many times we wonder why he would let us go through such bad and difficult times.

But Allah knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!"

Stop Complaining and Be Grateful

If you think you are unhappy, look at them

If you think your salary is low, how about her?

 

If you think you don't have many friends...

 

When you feel like giving up, think of this man

 

If you think you suffer in life, do you suffer as much as he does?

 

If you complain about your transport system, how about them?

 

If your society is unfair to you, how about her?

 

Enjoy life how it is and as it comes

Things are worse for others and is a lot better for us

There are many things in your life that will catch your eye

 

but only a few will catch your heart...pursue those...







Share this page with your family and friends. Always donate to Islamic Charities to help those in need.

 

On Filling the Inner Hole and Coming Home

We’re Home.

And then we aren’t. Torn away from our origin, we came across time and space to another world. A lesser world. But in that separation, something painful happened. We were no longer with God in the physical space. We could no longer see Him with our physical eyes, or speak to Him with our physical voice. Unlike our father Adam (`alayhi as-salam – peace be upon him), we could no longer feel that same peace.

So we came down. We were torn from Him. And in the pain of that separation, we bled. For the first time, we bled. And that tearing apart from our Creator left a gash. A deep wound that we are all born with. And as we grew, so did the agony of that wound; it grew deeper and deeper. But as time went on, we moved further and further away from the antidote, already in our fitrah (nature): to be near Him, heart, soul and mind.

And so with each passing year, we became more and more desperate to fill that empty space. But it is in this very quest to fill the hole that we stumbled. Each of us stumbled on different things. And many of us sought to numb the emptiness. So, some of humanity stumbled on drugs or alcohol, while some looked to other sedatives. Some of us stumbled on the worship of physical pleasure, status or money. Some of us lost ourselves in our careers.

And then, some of us stumbled on people. Some of us lost ourselves there.

But, what if every single stumble, every challenge, every experience in our life was only intended for one purpose: to bring us back to our origin? What if every win, every loss, every beauty, every fall, every cruelty, and every smile was only intended to unveil another barrier between us and God? Between us and where we began, and where we are desperately seeking to return?


What if everything was only about seeing Him?

We must know that all that we experience in life has a purpose. And it is we who choose whether to realize that purpose or not. Take for example, beauty. Some people don’t even recognize beauty when it’s right in front of them. They can walk through a sunset or a brilliant forest of orange trees, and not even notice.

Other people see beauty and do appreciate it. They will stop and take it in. They may even feel overwhelmed by it. But it ends there. That person is like the one who appreciates art, but never inquires about the artist. The artwork itself was intended to communicate a message from the artist; but if the art lover loses himself in the painting—but never sees the message, that artwork hasn’t fulfilled its true purpose.

The purpose of the glorious sun, first fallen snow, crescent moons and breathtaking oceans is not just to decorate this lonely planet. The purpose is far deeper than that. The purpose is as Allah told us in the Qur’an:


“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding.”


“(Those) who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], “Our Lord, You have not created all of this without a purpose. Exalted is You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” (3:190-191)

All this beauty was created as a sign—but one that can only be understood by a select group: those who reflect (think, understand, use their intellect) and remember God in every human condition (standing, sitting, lying down).

So, even the sunset must be looked through. Even there, we cannot lose ourselves. We must look beyond even that majestic beauty and color, to see the Beauty behind it. For the beauty behind it is the True beauty, the Source of all beauty. All that we see is only a reflection.

We must study the stars, the trees, the snow-capped mountains in order to read the message behind them. Because if we do not, we are like the one who finds a message inside a beautifully decorated bottle, yet becomes so enamored by the bottle, that he never even opens the message.

But what is that message, stuck inside the intensity of stars? There is a sign— but a sign of what? These signs are a pointer to Him, to His greatness, His majesty, His beauty. A pointer to His might and His power. Study, reflect, absorb the beauty and majesty of what’s created—but don’t stop there. Don’t lose yourself in beauty. Look beyond it and consider that if the creation is that majestic, that great, that beautiful, how majestic and great and beautiful must be the Creator.

Finally realize, experientially, that: رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ - “My Lord, You have not created all of this without a purpose. Exalted is You.” (Qur’an, 3:191)

Purpose. Everything has one. Nothing in the heavens or the earth or inside of me or inside of you is created without a purpose. No event in your life, no sadness, no delight, no pain, no pleasure… no loss, was created without a purpose. So just as we must read the ‘message inside the bottle’ of the sun and the moon and the sky, so too must we examine the messages in our own life experiences.

We are always looking for signs. We are always asking for God to ‘speak’ to us. But those signs are all around us. They are in everything. God is always ‘speaking’. The question is whether we are listening.

Allah says:


“Those who do not know say, ‘Why does Allah not speak to us or there come to us a sign?’ Thus spoke those before them like their words. Their hearts resemble each other. We have shown clearly the signs to a people who are certain [in faith].” ( Qur’an, 2:118)

If we can look beyond and through everything that happens to us, everything we do—or fail to do—and see Allah, then we will have gotten the purpose. When something happens that you love, be careful not to miss the point. Remember that nothing happens without a reason. Seek it out. Look for the purpose Allah created in what He has given to you. What aspect of His Essence is He showing you through it? What does He want from you?

Similarly, when something happens that you dislike, or that hurts you, be careful not to get lost in the illusion created by pain. Look through it. Find the message in the bottle. Find the purpose. And let it lead you to glimpse just a little more of Him.

If it’s a slip or even a fall in your deen (religion), don’t let shaytan (satan) deceive you. Let the slip make you witness His mercy in a more experiential and deep way. And then seek that mercy to save you from your sins and your own transgression against yourself.

If it’s an unsolvable problem, don’t despair. Witness a glimpse of Al-Fataah, the One who opens for His slaves any closed matter. And if it is a storm, don’t let yourself drown. Let it bring you to witness how only He can save His servant from a storm, when there is no one else around.

And remember that after all of creation is destroyed and not a single being exists but Him, God will ask: لِّمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ – “To whom is the dominion today?” (Qur’an, 40:16)

Allah says:


“The Day they come forth nothing concerning them will be concealed from Allah. To whom belongs [all] sovereignty this Day? To Allah, the One, the Irresistible!” (Qur’an, 40:16)

To whom is the sovereignty today? Try to witness even a piece of that in this life. To whom is the dominion today? Who else has the power to save you? Who else can cure you? Who else can mend your heart? Who else can provide for you? Who else can you run to? Who else? To whom is the dominion today? Li man al mulk al yawm?

Lil wahid al qahaar. To the One, the Irresistible. To run to anything else is to resist the irresistible. To seek other than The One (al Wahid), is to become scattered, but never filled. How can we find unity, completion of heart or soul or mind in anything other than Him?

So, on this path back to where we began, who else can we run to? What else can we seek? After all, we all want the very same thing: To be whole, to be happy, to again say:

We’re Home.

Have You Ever Tasted Jannah?

Have You Ever Tasted Jannah?

In Saheeh Muslim, Ibn Masood narrates from RasulAllah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam the warming story of the last man to escape Hellfire:

His crawl away from Hellfire is filled with his face sliping into the dirt, a tremoring walk, and a fire that licks him until he finally escapes.

When he is past it, he looks back, horrified, and announces with the loudest voice, “All praise is due to Allah Who saved me from you.” Then he says, most proud, “Verily I have been rewarded with something that no one from the beginning to the end of creation has been blessed with.”

At that moment, a tree catches his eye – a tree that was commanded to be raised for him. He quickly raises his hands, “O Allah! Allow me to draw near to that tree so that I can cool off under its shade and drink from its water.”

Then Allah ta’aala calls him, “O son of Adam! I fear that if I grant you what you ask, you shall ask for more.”

“Nay, O Allah!” pleads the man and he testifies that he shall ask no more.

As the man basks in the glory of the tree, another tree is raised, one more bounteous and lush than the first. The man pleads, “O Allah! Allow me to draw near to that tree so that I can cool off under its shade and drink from its water.

Allah then says, “Did you not promise me that you would ask no more? Perhaps if I give it to you, you shall ask for yet even more.”

The man testifies that he will not, and is permitted that tree.

Just then a tree is raised near the doors of Jannah, one bigger and lusher than all the rest and the man’s heart sinks.

“O Allah, that tree, that tree. I’ll ask for nothing else.”

“Did you not promise you would ask for nothing more?”

“After that tree, yaa Allah, nothing more!”

He is permitted to draw nearer to the tree and there, as he nears the doors of Jannah, he hears the sounds of its inhabitants and he leaps, “O Allah! Enter me into Jannah!”

“O son of Adam!” Allah announces, “What shall satisfy you and finish your pleading?”

Then Allah offers, “Will it please you if I give you all the treasures and bounty of the entire world and then double it!”

The man’s smile shuts off and his eyes lock up. “My Lord, You’re the Lord of the universe…Are You mocking me?”

… Ibn Masood started laughing. He said to his students, “Ask me why I’m laughing. I’m laughing because RasulAllah laughed when he told us this. And he also asked us, ‘Do you know what makes me laugh? I’m laughing for Allah’s laughter when the man said, ‘You are the lord of the universe…are you mocking me?’”

Allah then tells him, “I am not mocking you, rather I am capable of doing whatever I so wish.” Allahu Akbar!

Turn to almost every page of the Qur’an and you’ll find mention of Jannah. Jannah…have you ever seen it? Have you ever smelt it? Have you ever touched it? Have you ever tasted it?

RasulAllah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam taught us that in Jannah there is that “which no eye has witnessed, no ear has heard, and that which has never been imagined by any human.” Recite the verse if you wish:

And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort of the eye (satisfaction) as reward for what they used to do (As-Sajdah 32/17).

Many Muslims tasted the eman of Jannah, and Bilal radi Allahu anhu was one of them. His slave master, Umayyah, would drag Bilal out to the grilling desert at noontime – the fiercest moment of the day. Umayyah would press Bilal to the scalding ground and place a boulder on top of his chest to increase the torture. As his back would melt away Bilal would say nothing but, “Ahad! Ahad! – One! Only One.”

Later in his life, when companions would see Bilal’s scarred back, tears would well in their eyes and they would ask him how he survived the punishment. Listen to his answer:

“The pain of punishment mixed with the sweetness of eman. I tasted both and the sweetness of eman overcame everything until I felt no more pain.”

Today, let us sample Jannah, as offered to us in the Qur’an and Sunnah.

The Gates of Jannah

Imagine yourself present on the day when the gates of Jannah will be opened with all of the splendor that lies beyond it. Allah tells us in the Qur’an about when the muttaqoon are escorted to the gates of Jannah by the most handsome of Angels:

“And those who feared their Lord will be led to the Garden in crowds, until – behold – they arrive there. Its gates will be opened and its keepers will say, “Peace be upon you! You have done well, so enter (Jannah) and live in it eternally.”

RasulAllah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam spoke to the Sahaabaa about the gates of Jannah. He mentioned the gate of prayers, the gate of jihaad, the gate of siyaam, and the gate of charity.

Abu Bakr asked with the desire that took him to where he reached in eman, “Will anyone be called from all gates?”

RasulAllah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said, “Yes, and I hope that you will be one of them.”

The Shade in Jannah

Imagine yourself in Jannah’s cooling shade – water springs surrounding you, and fruits dipping in hands reach. Allah tells us:

Indeed, the muttaqoon will be amid shades and springs / And fruits from whatever they desire / Eat and drink to your hearts content for what you used to do (in the dunya) / Such we certainly reward the doers of good (Al-Mursalaat 77/41-44).

The Ambience in Jannah

Imagine yourself in Jannah. Jannah doesn’t have any gossip; no, “Did you hear about brother so and so,” or “Did see what sister so and so is wearing.” Your face is shining with joy and you’re so glad that you woke up for Fajr all those days, glad you paid your zakah, glad you wore hijab all those summer days. This is what the atmosphere is like in Jannah:

Faces that day will be joyful (radiant) / Satisfied with the effort they put (in the dunya) / In an elevated garden / Where they shall hear no unsuitable speech (Al-Ghaashiyah 88/8-11).

Jannah: The Greatest Gift

In Masjid An-Nabawee I had been reciting the Qur’an to Shaykh Muhammad Ahmad Ma’bad for over a year. Finally when the time of the Khatm Al-Quran came, I brought a recorder to the halaqah and told him that I wanted to record the Khatm and the du’a for my mother who was in Canada.

When he made du’a he prayed for my parents saying, “O Allah! Bless Muhammad’s parents with crowns of noor (light) on the Day of Repayment!”

A month later in Canada, when I was handing out gifts, I pulled out this tape for my mother. She took it and listened to the entire thing. When my mother heard this du’a, she sat crying. She told me, “This is the greatest gift I could have gotten.”

Truly, Jannah is the greatest gift one can get. As Allah subhaanahu wa ta 'aala says:

“Indeed Jannah is the greatest attainment!”

PART II

Regarding the inhabitants of Jannah:

“You can tell in their faces the radiance of the blessing.”

The inhabitants of Jannah shall be in:

“Gardens and rivers.”

The inhabitants of Jannah are:

“Most pleased with what Allah gave them from His bounty.”

Dear brothers and sisters, Jannah is the fruit of a seed planted in this dunya; it is the retirement package that you save up in all your years of work.

There once lived a pious man who was enslaved to a wicked master. The righteous slave wanted to teach his master a lesson that he would not forget; a lesson that would make him change his ways.

The master told him one day to plant wheat. The slave took the opportunity and went and collected seeds of barley and planted them instead. As the season drew near, the master was enraged to see that after all this work and time, the slave had planted the wrong seed. In his thrashing rage, he scolded the slave saying, “Why did you do this?”

The righteous slave said, “I had hoped that the barley seeds would come out as wheat.”

The master said, “How can you plant barley seeds and expect it to come out as wheat?”

The slave stopped and said quietly, “How can you disobey Allah and expect for His bounteous mercy? How can you openly challenge his deen and hope for Jannah.”

The master was stunned and silent. He understood. “You have taught me something today that I had never realized. You are free for the sake of Allah.”

A poet once wrote:

There is no home for a man after death

Except that which he used to build before he died.

If he built it with bricks of good deeds,

Then the architecture shall come out beautiful.

And if he built it with evil,

Its architect will fall into ruin.

Dear brothers and sisters, do you know what the greatest blessing for the inhabitants of Jannah is? Don’t let any laziness in Salah block you from being here. Don’t let anything anything stand between you and this blessing. RasulAllah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam told us:

“When the inhabitants of Jannah enter Jannah, Allah will ask them all, ‘Is there anything more that I can give you?’ They will say, ‘Have you not illuminated our faces? Have you not entered us into Jannah? Have you not saved us from Hellfire?’

“Then Allah will uncover the veil (and all shall see Allah). After that moment there would be nothing more beloved to them than seeing their Lord" (Bukhari and Muslim).

Let’s go home today driving towards Jannah!

She's My Sister...

She's My Sister...

Her cheeks were worn and sunken, and her skin hugged her bones. That didn't stop her because you could never catch her not reciting Qur'an. She was always vigil in her personal prayer room that our father had set up for her. Bowing, prostrating, raising her hands in prayer, was the way she was from dawn to sunset and back again; boredom was for other people.

As for me, I craved nothing more than fashion magazines and novels. I treated myself to videos until the trips to the rental place became my trademark. It’s a saying that when something becomes habit, people tend to distinguish you by it. I was negligent in my responsibilities and my salah was characterized by laziness.

One night, after a long three hours of watching, I turned the video off. The adhan rose softly in the quiet night. I slipped peacefully into my blanket.

Her voice called me from her prayer room. "Yes? Would you like anything Noorah?" I asked.

With a sharp needle she popped my plans. "Don't sleep before you pray Fajr!"

Agghh! “There's still an hour before Fajr. That was only the first adhan,” I said.

With those loving pinches of hers, she called me closer. She was like that even before the fierce sickness shook her spirit and shut her in bed. "Hanan, can you come sit beside me."

I could never refuse any of her requests; you could touch the purity and sincerity in her. "Yes, Noorah?"

"Please sit here."

"Alright, I’m sitting. What's on your mind?"

With the sweetest mono voice she began reciting:

Every soul shall taste death and you will merely be repaid your earnings on the Day of Resurrection.

She stopped thoughtfully. Then she asked, "Do you believe in death?"

"Of course I do,” I replied.

"Do you believe that you shall be responsible for whatever you do, regardless of how small or large?"

"I do, but Allah is Forgiving and Merciful, and I’ve got a long life waiting for me."

"Stop it Hanan! Are you not afraid of death and its abruptness? Take a look at Hind. She was younger than you but she died in a car accident. Death is age-blind and your age could never be a measure of when you shall die."

The darkness of the room filled my skin with fear. "I'm scared of the dark and now you made me scared of death. How am I supposed to go to sleep now? Noorah, I thought you promised you'd go with us on vacation during the summer break."

Her voice broke and her heart quivered. "I might be going on a long trip this year Hanan, but somewhere else. All of our lives are in Allah’s hands and we all belong to Him."

My eyes welled and the tears slipped down both cheeks. I pondered my sisters grizzly sickness. The doctors had informed my father in private that there was not much hope Noorah was going to outlive the disease. She wasn't told, so I wondered who hinted to her. Or was it that she could sense the truth?

"What are you thinking about Hanan?" Her voice was sharp. "Do you think I am just saying this because I am sick? I hope not. In fact, I may live longer than people who are not sick. How long are you going to live Hanan? Perhaps twenty years? Maybe forty? Then what?" Through the dark she reached for my hand and squeezed gently. "There's no difference between us; we're all going to leave this world to live in Paradise or agonize in Hell. Listen to the words of Allah:

Anyone who is pushed away from the Fire and shown into Jannah will have triumphed.

I left my sister's room dazed, her words ringing in my ears: “May Allah guide you Hanan - don't forget your prayer.”

I heard pounding on my door at eight o'clock in the morning. I don't usually wake up at this time. There was crying and confusion. O Allah, what happened?

Noorah’s condition became critical after Fajr; they took her to the hospital immediately.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'oon.

There wasn't going to be any trips this summer. It was written that I would spend the summer at home.

It felt like an eternity had gone by when it was one o'clock in the afternoon. Mother phoned the hospital.

"Yes. You can come and see her now." Dad's voice had changed, and mother could sense something had gone deathly wrong. We left immediately.

Where was that avenue I used to travel and thought was so short? Why was it so very long now? Where was the cherished crowd and traffic that would give me a chance to gaze left and right? Everyone, just move out of our way!

Mother was shaking her head in her hands crying as she made du'a for her Noorah. We arrived at the hospital’s main entrance. One man was moaning, while another was involved in an accident. A third man’s eyes were iced. You couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive.

Noorah was in intensive care. We skipped stairs to her floor. The nurse approached us. "Let me take you to her."

As we walked down the aisles the nurse went on expressing how sweet of a girl Noorah was. She somewhat reassured Mother that Noorah’s condition had gotten better than what it was in the morning. "Sorry. No more than one visitor at a time,” the nurse said.

This was the intensive care unit. Past the flurry white robes, through the small window in the door, I caught my sister’s eyes. Mother was standing beside her. After about two minutes, mother came out unable to control her crying. "You may enter and say salaam to her on the condition that you do not speak too long," they told me. "Two minutes should be enough."

"How are you Noorah? You were fine last night sister, what happened?"

We held hands; she squeezed harmlessly. "Even now, alhamdulillah, I'm doing fine."

"Alhamdulillah...but...your hands are so cold."

I sat on her bedside and rested my fingers on her knee. She jerked it away. "Sorry, did I hurt you?"

"No, it is just that I remembered Allah's words.”

Waltafatul saaqu bil saaq (One leg will be wrapped to the other leg [in the death shroud]).

"Hanan pray for me. I may be meeting the first day of the Hereafter very soon. It’s a long journey and I haven't prepared enough good deeds in my suitcase."

A tear escaped my eye and ran down my cheek at her words. I cried and she joined me. The room blurred away and left us two sisters to cry together. Rivulets of tears splashed down on my sister’s palm, which I held with both hands. Dad was now becoming more worried about me. I've never cried like that before.

At home and upstairs in my room, I watched the sun pass away with a sorrowful day. Silence mingled in our corridors. One after another, my cousins came in my room. The visitors were many and all the voices from downstairs stirred together. Only one thing was clear at that point – Noorah had died!

I stopped distinguishing who came and who went. I couldn't remember what they said. O Allah, where was I? What was going on? I couldn't even cry anymore.

Later that week they told me what had happened. Dad had taken my hand to say goodbye to my sister for the last time. I had kissed Noorah's head.

I remember only one thing while seeing her spread on that bed – the bed that she was going to die on. I remembered the verse she recited:

One leg will be wrapped to the other leg (in the death shroud).

And I knew too well the truth of the next verse:

The drive on that day will be to your Lord (Allah)!

I tiptoed into her prayer room that night. Staring at the quiet dressers and silenced mirrors, I treasured the person that had shared my mother's stomach with me. Noorah was my twin sister.

I remembered who I had swapped sorrows with, who comforted my rainy days. I remembered who prayed for my guidance and who spent so many tears for many long nights telling me about death and accountability. May Allah save us all.

Tonight is Noorah's first night that she shall spend in her tomb. O Allah, have mercy on her and illumine her grave. This was her Qur'an and her prayer mat. And this was the spring, rose-colored dress that she told me she would hide until she got married; the dress she wanted to keep just for her husband.

I remembered my sister and cried over all the days that I had lost. I prayed to Allah to have mercy on me, accept me and forgive me. I prayed to Allah to keep her firm in her grave as she always liked to mention in her supplications.

At that moment, I stopped. I asked myself what if it was I who had died. Where would I be moving on to? Fear pressed me and the tears began all over again.

“Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar…” The first adhan rose softly from the masjid. It sounded so beautiful this time. I felt calm and relaxed as I repeated the mu’adhin’s call. I wrapped the shawl around my shoulders and stood to pray Fajr. I prayed as if it was my last prayer, a farewell prayer, just like Noorah had done yesterday. It had been her last Fajr.

Now, and in sha Allah for the rest of my life, if I awake in the morning I do not count on being alive by evening, and in the evening I do not count on being alive by morning. We are all going on Noorah's journey. What have we prepared for it?

The lonely ember...

The lonely ember

A Musalli of a certain Masjid, who previously had been attending salaah in congregation regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the Imaam decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening.

The Imaam found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for the Imaam’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a big chair near the fireplace and waited. The Imaam made himself comfortable but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the play of the flames around the burning logs.

After some minutes, the Imaam took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet fascination.

As the one lone ember’s flame diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and “dead as a doornail.” Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.

Just before the Imaam was ready to leave, he picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the Imaam reached the door to leave, his host said, “May Allah reward you so much for your visit and especially for the “fiery” sermon. I shall be back for salaah in the Masjid at Fajr.”

Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and reason with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for your Lord knows best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance. (Qur’an Surah An-Nahl: 125)

Sayyidina Abdullah bin Umar (R.A.) reported that Rasullullah (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) has said that Allah created some of his creatures in order that they may fulfil the needs of people. When people face any difficulty they get worried and (enquire about them). Such people are protected from the punishment of Allah. (Tabaraani, Jama’al Fawa’id)

Can you sleep when the wind blows?

Can you sleep when the wind blows?

Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received A steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer.
“Are you a good farm hand?” the farmer asked him.
“Well, I can sleep when the wind blows,” answered the little man.
Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him.

The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man’s work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters.

He shook the little man and yelled, “Get up! Astorm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!”

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, “No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.”

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm.

To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down.
Nothing could blow away.

The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

When you’re prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear.
Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life?
The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm.

We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of Allah. We don’t need to understand, we just need to hold on to His commands in order to have peace in the middle of storms.

What have you learned?

A Scholar once asked his student: You have accompanied me for a long period of time, so what have you learned?
…
He replied : “Eight things”

The first: I looked at the creation and found that every person has something that is beloved to him, but when that person reaches his grave, his beloved would be separated from him. So I made the most beloved thing to me, my righteous deeds, so that they may be with me in my grave.

The second: I looked at the saying of Allah the Elevated:

…But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires and lusts. Verily, Paradise will be his abode. (Quran79:40-41)

So I strove against myself, repelling desires and lusts from it until it settled upon obedience to Allah.

The Third: I saw that whoever possessed something valuable would keep it in a safe and secure place, I then looked at the saying of Allah the Glorified:

Whatever is with you will come to an end, and whatever is with Allah will remain. (Quran16:96)

So whenever something of value came into my possession, I directed it to Him, so that it may remain for me with Him.

The Fourth: I saw that people return to wealth, lineage and nobility, and they are all worthless, so I looked at the saying of Allah the Glorified:

The most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. (Quran49:13)

So I worked on attaining Taqwaa or righteousness so that I may be honorable with Allah.

The Fifth: I saw that people envy each other, so I looked at the saying of the Elevated:

It is We Who portion out between them their livelihood in the life of this world. (Quran 43:32)

So I left envy and jealousy.

The Sixth: I saw them taking each other as enemies, so I looked at the saying of the Glorified:

Surely, Shaytaan (Satan) is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy. (Quran35:6)

So I left their enmity and took Satan as my only enemy.

The Seventh: I saw that they humiliate themselves in pursuing provision, so I looked at the saying of Allah the Glorified:

And no moving (living) creature is there on earth except that its provision is due from Allah.
(Quran 11:6)

So I concentrated on what was due to Him from me, and left what was due to me to Him.

The Eighth: I saw them dependent upon their trades, professions and health, so I depended upon Allah the Glorified.

And whosoever puts his trust in Allâh, then He will suffice him.
(Quran 65:3)

Burnt Toast....

“When I was a little Boy, I remember one day in particular when she had made breakfast. She must have been very tired.
My mom placed a plate of eggs, and rather burned toast in front of my dad.

I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed. Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my mom, and ask me how was I ready for school. I don’t remember what I replied, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jam on that toast and eat every bite!

When I got up from the table, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I’ll never forget what he said: ‘Darl, I love burned toast.’

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy and I asked him if he really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said,

‘Your Momma works hard day after day and she’s real tired. And besides a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!’ You know, life is full of imperfect things… and imperfect people. I’m not the best football player either.

What I’ve learned over the years is that learning to accept each other’s faults – and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences – is the one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

We should learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of ALLAH. Because in the end, He’s the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where burnt toast isn’t a deal-breaker!

We could extend this to any relationship in fact – as understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship!!”

On the road to Dubai......

On the road to Dubai, we stopped at a small mosque to offer the Asr prayer. As I sat in the car, I saw a figure approaching from the direction of a small group of houses. It took some time before I realised it was a man, crawling towards the mosque. He wore rubber sandals on his hands. His lower body dragged on the hard, rocky ground. The sweltering heat was beating down hard on his body.

By the time he reached the courtyard of the mosque, I could see he was soaked and his face was flushed. Many men passed him on their way to the prayer, perhaps accustomed to seeing him everyday.

One man came out of a shop and watched him for a while. He went back into the shop and came out with a cold drink. He opened it for the crawling man and they sat together for a minute.

I heard them talking as the man who offered him the cold drink requested that he would help the crawling man to make it up the stairs to the mosque. He was concerned about making it on time, so he excused himself and continued his slow, laboured journey to the prayer.

I did not watch him as he mounted the stairs. I could not imagine how to help him. I was crying by then, remembering the Hadith of the Prophet (pbuh):
"The hypocrites find the Fajr and Isha prayers in congregation very oppressive. If they could know the virtues of these two prayers, they would certainly join them, even if they had to go crawling."
(Bukhari, Muslim)

This man, who literally did crawl even in the heat of the day, did not find the congregational prayer oppressive at all. May Allah reward all who struggle to please Him and may He always remind us of our own weaknesses through such people.

I Learn From My Little Daughter… A lot!

I Learn From My Little Daughter… A lot!


(Translated from the Arabic short story by: Muna al-‘amad.)

One day, my little daughter came to me, holding her open hands before me. She said with a pretty, hopeful smile on her face, "mama! Give me some almonds, please!" I smiled back at her & lovingly kissed her palms. She uttered a short joyful laugh & said, "Mama! I held my hands for you to fill them with almonds not to kiss them." I said, "First I kiss them. Then I fill them, my little darling!" I took her hands & walked to the cupboard. I didn’t want to turn her down, after that demonstration of love & affection she had made to me. I filled her hands with almonds. She leapt with joy, kissed me gratefully & ran away overjoyed. My heart so overflowed with affection & compassion for her that I wished to grant her everything she desired.
I stood there gazing at her & wondering how similar the case of my daughter & me with that of the creature & its Creator. Of course, Allah is divine. No one is to be likened to him but just see the wisdom about it. I wondered if a man asked & pleaded with Allah in exactly the same way my daughter did to me. If a man raised his hands to the sky, hoping & pleading; asking whole-heartily Allah to give him what he yearns for; will Allah turn him down? According to a Hadith, if every single man or jinn was given his every single wish, Allah's kingdom will not lack or fall short of anything. On the contrary, Allah is the only Owner & the only Provider. If we ask Him, He will provide us & if we thank Him, He will shower us with more blessings. Allah says, (If ye are grateful, I will add more (favours) unto you)
When my daughter thanked me saying, "I love you, mama!" I felt so humble that I wished I would rather have given her more. That's exactly what happens when a man thanks Allah & feels gratitude for Allah's blessings. Allah grants him more.
When one of my children asks for what he wants in an ill-mannered way, I feel angry with him. & though my love for him never wavers but I deprive him of what he wants, to teach him a lesson. But then I wonder, how very for-bearing & patient Allah is! He blesses people with their wishes while they disobey Him. Some people even deny His existence. Some worship other than Him. Some make enormous mistakes & others never feel the urge to say, "thank you Lord!" but Allah's blessings shower like rain & deny no one of life's pleasure & comfort.
Once, my little daughter asked me for something & pleaded in every possible way. She cried & begged but I refused to yield. Well! She wanted a knife! Her little immature mind couldn’t imagine what harm a knife might subject her to. It is my love for her that makes me firm & unyielding & so I didn't permit her to have what she begged for. After that, I tried to distract her thoughts from the knife, I showed her a doll & tried to persuade her that this little toy is far more beautiful & charming than the knife. In this way, diverting her interests to the more beneficial & less harmful thing.
That is so much similar to what Allah does to us, we ask Him for things that we think suit us but Allah knows that they will harm more than benefit. It is because of His love & affection that He deprives us of what we ask for. Allah says in the Quran, (But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not.)
But Allah, on the other hand, never turns down His slave. He grants him another blessing or something else that would prove more beneficial than what he had asked for.
Therefore, it should be a clear belief that we should always be grateful to Allah because however our life turns, as long as we are praying, it shall turn to the best even if we can't see it.
Well, I hope now you perceive why I said,
"I learn a lot from my daughter…"

"Why on earth…?"

"Why on earth…?"


The day was very dull, though sun was at its peak. With great difficulty, I reached the main Hospital of Gaza. Trying hard to lift up my legs & walk as quickly as possible. But it seemed that the distance has elongated several times. I saw them waiting for me. I felt my head heavy & my heart hollow. They took me to the emergency ward & I saw her on the bed, lying very calm. Her forehead was rapped with gauze. & her eyes were closed. Her little mouth was slightly open as if she wanted to say something. Pale-faced, I moved slowly to her, I touched her fingers, they were cold. I touched her cheeks, her hair. I lifted her in my arms but she was all cold. My eyes produced no tears. They just couldn’t. I felt my heart sinking, my stomach sore. It seemed as if some one has torn my liver out. I called her "Sara… but she did not move.
They told me she had been murdered in the bombardment, but I couldn’t believe them... This cant be. Why on earth she would die? She is too little for death to overwhelm her. This simply can't be.
There must be some mistake… just today in the morning, I promised her to go to school to get her admitted. And last week was her fourth birthday. She just can't go. Her little soul is so pious, so innocent. Death can't simply get hold of her. NO! She is not dead. She is just sleeping. When she will wake up I will take her to the market & buy her that chocolate she likes. I will let her eat it & watch her spoiling her mouth & nose & her hands to the wrist. I will take her to the village. She must have missed her grandpa. She will enjoy running after the kitten. "Sara! Sara! Dear, wake up… I'll take u to grandpa." I shook her; she didn’t move. The doctor nearby tried to calm me down. Tears fell from my eyes upon her hand. I wiped them. I kissed her on her cheek with trembling lips… then… I burst into tears. Oh God! Why did she leave me? Why should all that happen to me? Why should I suffer all that?
My dear kid… the child to whom I was ready to give my life… is gone… I'm left alone… alone with sorrows & misery… with pain &grief… which I'll bear all my life. I'm left with memories of hers that would remind me of her cuteness & innocence & of how much I adored her. I'll always be tortured by the remembrance of how she used to come to me & ask me to make her hair. & how she slept on my arms while I fed her.
Every morning, every evening… every day & every night… I regurgitate the same question.
Why on earth am I deprived of my child? Why on earth am I deprived of taking her to school every morning & bringing her back every noon? Why am I deprived of her laughter that used to fill the whole house with joy & liveliness? Why am I devoid of singing for her every night & telling her stories before she slept?
To these questions I always found one & only one answer…
There are people on earth called Jews who don’t want us around, they hate us & hope for us all evils. For that, they try with all means to kick us out of our homeland… for that they killed my little daughter & many other daughters of parents like me. They want us to surrender to the fact that Al-Aqsa is gone… but we won’t…& they will never succeed because what ever evil will they cause us, & whatever pains will they make us suffer; it will make us stronger & stronger until we will be able to get our occupied lands back & we will kick THEM out of this world & only then…
The world will live in peace.
Let my daughter die,
Let many of our little, innocent souls go to the sky.
For there is a new dawn coming,
Full of bright light
Bringing with it the good omen
Of a new world,
Full of peace, tranquility
& life…

THE ULTIMATE STORY

THE ULTIMATE STORY (A short story)

There was a farmer who grew
superior quality, award-winning
corn in his farm. Each year, he
entered his corn in the state fair
where it won honors & prizes.

One year a newspaper reporter
interviewed him and learned something interesting about how
he grew his corn. The reporter
discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors.

"How can you afford to share
your best seed corn with your
neighbors when they are
entering corn in competition with
yours each year?" The reporter
asked.

"Why brother" '' The farmer replied,
"Didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen grains from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior, sub-standard & poor quality corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I have to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors to grow
good corns."

The farmer gave a superb insight
into the connectedness of life. His
corn cannot improve unless his
neighbours' corn also improves.

So it is in the other dimensions and areas of life!
Those who choose to be in harmony must help their
neighbours and colleagues to be at peace.
Those who choose to live well must help others live well.
The value of a life is measured by the lives it touches…
Success does not happen in isolation; it is most often a participatory and collective process.
So share the good practices, ideas and new knowledge with your family, friends, team members and neighbors & all.

Why we need to read Quran, even if we can’t understand Arabic yet.

Why we need to read Quran, even if we can’t understand Arabic yet.

An old American Muslim lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson.

Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Quran. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.

One day the grandson asked, ‘Grandpa! I try to read the Quran just like you but I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Qur’an do?’

The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, ‘Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.’

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, ‘You’ll have to move a little faster next time,’ and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.

This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead.

The old man said, ‘I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough,’ and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house.

The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, ‘See Grandpa, it’s useless!’

‘So you think it is useless?’ The old man said, ‘Look at the basket.’

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out.

‘Son, that’s what happens when you read the Qur’an. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Allah in our lives.’

al-Quran is meant for the self not the shelf!

"Recite in the name of your Lord who Created -" Quran

MUST READ!!! - Three Friends.

MUST READ!!! - Three Friends.

Not long ago, three friends came to New York city. They decided to stay in a hotel during the visit. It so happened that their room ended up being on the 60th floor.
The policy of the hotel was that every night after 12:00 a.m. the elevators are shut down for security reasons.

So on the next day, the three friends rented a car and went out to explore the city. They enjoyed movies, concerts, and other things throughout the whole day. At one point, they remembered that they have to get back to the hotel before 12 a.m. When they arrived, it was beyond 12 a.m. at night.
The elevators were shut down.

There was no other way to get back to their room but to take the stairs all the way to the 60th floor.

All of a sudden, one friend got an idea. He said "For the first 20 floors, I will tell jokes to keep us going. Then another one of us could say wisdom stories for the next 20 floors. Then, we will cover the other 20 floors with sad stories."

So, one of the friends started with the jokes. With laughs and joy, they reached the 20th floor. Now, another friend started saying stories that are full of wisdom. So, they learned a lot while reaching the 40th floor.

Now, it was time for the sad stories. So, the third friend started thus, "My first sad story is that I left the key for the room in the car."

Moral of the Story:
Now, what is the point of this story? This story resembles our life cycle. For the first 20 years of our life, we spend time in joking and enjoying whatever is out there. Then, after we reach 20, we go into the work force, get married, have kids and this is the time when we use our wisdom. Then, if we reach 40, we finally see the white hairs and begin to think that my life is coming to an end.

It's better that we start our life in the very beginning by remembering death rather than preparing for it at the end our life when very few of us have the energy to obey Allah completely.

Death is the certainty, others are only maybe!

A Remainder...

Asalamu alaikum :)
When you have a moment, please read this reminder:
---
When Islam came, Allaah prescribed that the manner of greeting among Muslims is ^As-salaamu alaykum,
and that this greeting should only be used among Muslims and not for other nations. The meaning of salaam (literally, peace) is harmlessness, safety and protection from evil and from faults. The name al-Salaam is a Name of Allaah, may He be exalted, so the meaning of the greeting of salaam which is required among Muslims is, "May the blessing of His Name descend upon you." The usage of the preposition 'ala in 'alaykum (upon you) indicates that the greeting is inclusive.

Ibn al-Qayyim said in Badaa'i' al-Fawaa'id (144): "Allaah, the Sovereign, the Most Holy, the Peace, prescribed that the greeting among the people of Islam should be "al-salaamu 'alaykum", which is better than all the greetings of other nations which include impossible ideas or lies, such as saying, "May you live for a thousand years," or things that are not accurate, such as "An'im sabaahan (Good morning),' or actions that are not right, such as prostrating in greeting. Thus the greeting of salaam is better than all of these, because it has the meaning of safety which is life, without which nothing else can be achieved. So this takes precedence over all other aims or objectives. A person has two main aims in life: to keep himself safe from evil, and to get something good. Keeping safe from evil takes precedence over getting something good"
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made spreading salaam a part of faith. Al-Bukhaari (12, 28 and 6236), Muslim (39), Ahmad (2/169), Abu Dawood (5494), al-Nisaa'i, (8/107) and Ibn Hibbaan (505) narrated from Abd-Allaah ibn Umar that a man asked the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): 'What is the best thing in Islam?' He said, 'Feeding others and giving the greeting of salaam to those whom you know and those whom you do not know.'

Ibn Hajar said in al-Fath (1/56):
'i.e., do not single out anybody out of arrogance or to impress them, but do it to honour the symbols of Islam and to foster Islamic brotherhood.' Ibn Rajab said in al-Fath (1/43): 'The hadeeth makes the connection between feeding others and spreading salaam because this combines good actions in both word and deed, which is perfect good treatment (ihsaan). Indeed, this is the best thing that you can do in Islam after the obligatory duties.'

Al-Sanoosi said in Ikmaal al-Mu'allim (1/244):
'What is meant by salaam is the greeting between people, which sows seeds of love and friendship in their hearts, as does giving food. There may be some weakness in the heart of one of them, which is dispelled when he is greeted, or there may be some hostility, which is turned to friendship by the greeting.'

Al-Qaadi said in Ikmaal al-Mu'allim (1:276): 'Here the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was urging the believers to soften their hearts. The best Islamic attitude is to love one another and greet one another, and this is achieved by words and deeds. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) urged the Muslims to foster love between one another by exchanging gifts and food, and by spreading salaam, and he forbade the opposite, namely forsaking one another, turning away from one another, spying on one another, seeking out information about one another, stirring up trouble and being two faced.
Love is one of the duties of Islam and one of the pillars of the Islamic system. One should give salaams to those whom one knows and those whom one does not know, out of sincerity towards Allaah; one should not try to impress other people by giving salaams only to those whom one knows and no-one else. This also entails an attitude of humility and spreading the symbols of this ummah through the word of salaam.'

Thus the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained that this salaam spreads love and brotherhood. Muslim (54), Ahmad (2/391), and al-Tirmidhi (2513) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
'You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you about something which, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread salaam amongst yourselves.'

Al-Qaadi Ayaad said in al-Ikmaal (1/304):
'This is urging us to spread salaam, as mentioned above, among those whom we know and those whom we do not know. Salaam is the first level of righteousness and the first quality of brotherhood, and it is the key to creating love. By spreading salaam the Muslims love for one another grows stronger and they demonstrate their distinctive symbols and spread a feeling of security amongst themselves. This is the meaning of Islam.'
It is clear that it is obligatory to say salaam and return salaams, because by doing so a Muslim is giving you safety and you have to give him safety in return. It is as if he is saying to you, 'I am giving you safety and security,' so you have to give him the same, so that he does not get suspicious or think that the one to whom he has given salaam is betraying him or ignoring him. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that if Muslims are ignoring or forsaking one another, this will be put to an end when one of them gives salaam. Al-Bukhaari (6233) reported that Abu Ayyoob (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: 'The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'It is not permissible for a Muslim to forsake his brother for more than three days, each of them turning away from the other if they meet. The better of them is the first one to say salaam.'
__________________________________________________
May Allah give us guidance and strengthen us in Iman and Love of one another :)
Wassalamu alaikum,

EMPTY HOUSE!

EMPTY HOUSE!

There was an old family that was financially stable, they earned enough but lived in a simple, little hut. They didn't have proper carpet just bits and pieces of it here and there, no nice furniture nor a big tele, just a simple little house with no luxurious stuff.



The people of the community who lived nearby used to visit this woman that lived in this small hut and they would see how run down her home was and they talked amongst themselves in the community. "Have you seen what dump they live in, it's a sham! they haven't even chairs to sit on nor carpets. The wallpapers all peeling. What do they do with the money they earn? her husband has a high paid job!"



One day one of the woman's friends come to her house and they were sitting chatting and the friend says 'Your husbands has a well payed job so why don't you get this house done up?'



The woman replies 'We've got another house so we use our money on that instead because we don't see the point of spending it on here'.

The woman's friend is surprised and says 'Oh i didn't know you had another house, where is this house?'



The woman replies 'In Jannah'



How often do we decorate our homes? InshALLAH let's do good actions each day and slowly your house will be built in bricks of gold and silver. The more good deeds you do your house will have planning permission to grow :) Let's utilise our wealth and help the orphans, the widows, the ill. Let's utilise our wealth to help build mosques.



May ALLAH grant us all beautiful homes in the hereafter, Aameen