Dhul Hijjah tomorrow.

I'll keep this short. 1st of Dhul Hijjah tomorrow. I can't believe what I've discovered. Its like I get a second chance for what I may have missed out on during Ramadhan.

What can be done?

• Praise the Lord. The right way should be Ok. That is with plenty of Takbeers.

“Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar wa lillahil-Hamd.”

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, There is none worthy of worship except Allah. Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest and to Allah belongs all praises

• Here's another chance to read Al Quran.
• Go on, increase in your charity.
• Fast. Allah loves fasting.

I promised it'd be short but I urge you to find out about the benefits and opportunities of the following ten days granted to us by Allah.

I'll start, Allah Akbar.

Wassalam.

How rich would I be?

...for every time a slave of Allah bowed down in silent obedience. The worshipper's forehead laying still in complete submission.

Oh dear Muslim, for you are dear to me, when it all gets too much, find comfort in prayer. Just take some time, bow your head and let sincerity diffuse throughout your heart.

Its worked for me, dear Muslim. So many a times and the Prophet (pbuh) has instructed me that I am not a believer until I love for my brother what I love for myself.

It will not take much time or effort but the effects can last a lifetime. Submission is bliss. Submit to the Creator of the heavens and the Earth.

Call on your Lord humbly and secretly. He does not love those who overstep the limits. (Surat al- A'raf: 55)

He is the Living-there is no god but Him-so call on Him, making your religion sincerely His. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. (Surah Ghafir: 65)

He invites us openly, our Lord does. What greater mercy is there in answering the call of the worshipper. Don't be the loser and reject this invitation.

Salam alaykum.

Sisterhood.

I remember losing my phone once at university. I was, understandably quite confused. It was late, the family would be worried and there was no immediate form of contact with anyone. I left the busy lecture hall for a moment. I was hungry and I remember laughing about it. Maybe it was nervous laughter as is the case sometimes, with me.

I contemplated going home. I would have to go on the London Tube network then follow that with an overground train home. OK, it was quite a trek. I was attending an Islamic lecture. The irony at the idea of leaving before it had even finished was not very amusing considering I had stayed for quite a long time after my actual lectures had ended.

Let me return to the point of the story. There, as I admitted defeat and was walking to the station, I met a sister. She asked what was wrong and I told her of what happened. Her reply was

'Why are you so chilled with this'.

I laughed again.

'Come on', she said, ' let's go look for your phone'.

I was taken aback. I smiled and silently thanked Allah.

To cut a long story short, I found my phone with the thanks of five fellow sisters. We waited until the event had ended and everyone had left the lecture hall and searched all over for my phone. And my, I couldn't believe I found it.

Alhmadullilah.
It was one of those moments that I needed to experience for myself. I'd always heard of the 'sisterhood' , how it united the girls and such. I'd never believe I'd touch it, feel it like I did that night. They were so adamant not to let me go until we searched high and low. They walked me to the station and we said our salaams. I was overwhelmed at their simple kindness and generosity.
That was just one example. An active example. I live through the sisterhood most of my current life. It wasn't there before so I often wonder how I ever coped without it. It exists as a towering protection, a place of comfort and discovery.

What else would one expect from the sisterhood that reigns under the banner of Al Islaam?

Salam

Jumuah Mubarak.

A couple of weeks back, I posted this.

And now, I find myself beckoning on Fridays. I'm waiting for the novelty to wear off but I don't think it will. I awake on Fridays and realise I can attend the khutbah and it pleases me and lightens my heart. I can listen to the sweet melodious sound of the adhaan, just bliss!

source

Hard work does pay off!

Concentration and determination......sounds like a theme tune!

Seriously, though, it does. I can't remember the last time I concentrated for more than five minutes. I saw the fruits of my labour, right there, staring back at me. It felt so good I would like to repeat it. Maybe, I can make a habit of it, inshallah.

salam

Got there in the end!

perseverance + (Mahir Al Muaqly + Suhaib Webb)+ MP3/audio cd player + file converter = some time contemplating before bedtime. Thanking Allah I finally figured the thing out.

Mind, I'll probably sleep I'm so tired!

When he (pbuh) came to us.

Abdullah Salam (ra) narrates he was one of the people present when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) first came to Medinah. The Ansar all spread around the Prophet (pbuh), in eager anticipation.They came to see what the Prophet (pbuh) looked like.When he saw the face of the Prophet (pbuh), he knew this was not the face of a liar.

The first things the Prophet (pbuh) said to the Ansar were:

• Spread salam (to those you know and the strangers)
• Feed the hungry people in the community
• Perform the night prayer when others are sleeping

..and you will enter Jannah in peace.

Our Prophet (pbuh) would command good and forbid evil...whenever he had the opportunity.

Notes from a lecture from Muhammad AlShareef.

There is hope.

An interesting conversation with my brother ensues. How did it start, Allahu a3lam. How did it end, with a smile from me and an inner feeling of hope, true hope in my Muslim Ummah.

'Why are we so pathetic?, I asked, referring to the sorry state of the Muslims nowadays. What a stupid question, rummage.

My brother looked at me in the way he normally does when he realises I've asked a type of question I want a comprehensive answer to. He sighed, then smiled. He wouldn't give me a satisfactory answer, but he'd try.

Don't underestimate the Muslim ummah he said, for so many have in the past.It takes time,he said. Be happy things are not like they were in the 70s where Prophet Muhammad (phuh) would openly be mocked in the journals and newspapers, of Muslim countries!

Saladin did not achieve greatness without the work of his forefathers, he also argued. He was optimistic as he said that it would take the first generation to move for change before it can come. Do not think you will live to see the chance but rather be happy you are part of it. Each and every Muslim should be.

The hypocrites will mock us in secret even if they know it to be the truth. He spoke of the time an individual attempted to hurt the Prophet while in prostration but couldn't because of the sight that had scared him as he proceeded to do so. There it was, as clear as anything , but still in denial. This certain man knew the prophet to be trustworthy but would not accept his prophethood out of pride and arrogance.

So I thought for a while. I do not need to see the change, rather be happy I am one to initiate it, inshallah. Its a stream after all, as has been described, it won't run uniformally all the time. The most important lesson I took from my brother was that if we ever expect victory, then to Allah the alliance should be. This is because, the moment our hearts our alligned with anything else, then we have already become the losers. Plain and simple as that.

So my brother pointed me towards these few ayahs in Surah Al An'am (the Cattle)

006.033 We know indeed the grief which their words do cause thee: It is not thee they reject: it is the Signs of God, which the wicked contemn.
006.034 Rejected were the Apostles before thee: with patience and constancy they bore their rejection and their wrongs, until Our aid did reach them: there is none that can alter the Words (and Decrees) of God. Already hast thou received some account of those Apostles.
006.035 If their spurning is hard on thy mind, yet if thou wert able to seek a tunnel in the ground or a ladder to the skies and bring them a sign,- (what good?). If it were God's will, He could gather them together unto true guidance: so be not thou amongst those who are swayed by ignorance (and impatience)!

And , of course, a lovely hadith on unity I found.

On the authority of Abu Hurairah(may Allah be pleased with him), who said : the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said :“Do not envy one another; do not inflate prices one to another; do not hate one another; do not turn away from one another; and do not undercut one another, but be you, O servants of Allah, brothers. A muslim is the brother of a muslim: he neither oppresses him nor does he fail him, he neither lies to him nor does he hold him in contempt . Piety is right here-and he pointed to his breast three times. It is evil enough for a man to hold his brother muslim in contempt. The whole of a muslim for another muslim is inviolable: his blood, his property, and his honor.” (Related by Muslim.)

Spread love, brothers and sisters. We are one Ummah, after all.

Salam alaykum

A letter to a friend...

How do I tell you I have failed in my duties to the Creator. Yes, failed. You don't hear that phrase often from me but now its heartfelt now. I've failed you and more importantly I've failed Allah and the Prophet's (pbuh) message.

It was a simple message, of La illaha ila lah (there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah). A few syllables yet a heavy testament. I didn't pass on the message, the jewel of Al-Islam. All those many years I have known you. The good times , the bad and the downright ugly. Through all the times , you were there, as sturdy as a rock.

I'm sorry for not repaying you in full and even greater than that. How can I claim I love you as a friend if I didnt convey La illaha ila lah to you. I can't. Again, I realise I have failed.

Yesterday was that and tomorrow brings a new day, dear friend. And as I live La illaha ila lah with more vigour, I'm sure I will try harder to convey it to you too.

This is how I feel. I want to be that musk seller the Prophet spoke of. Inshallah, I'll try my best.

Salam

After hardship, comes ease.

Allah is Most Forgiving, Al Ghafur.
Allah is most Forbearing, Al Azim.


And the ones that bring most comfort to me at this moment in time is Al Wadud and Al Latif, the Loving and The Gentle.

Allah tests those who he loves but Allah is also severe in punishment. So, I try to remember Allah is Oft-Forgiving when I turn to him seeking help, solace and guidance.

And of course, from the kalam of the Noble Quran, one will find all the comfort they are looking for.

Seek help in patience and prayer; and truly it is hard save for the humble-minded. (2:45)

O you who believe! seek assistance through patience and prayer; surely Allah is with the patient. (2:153)

From Surah Al Inshirah

[94:6] Surely, there is ease after hardship.
[94:7] Aye, surely, there is ease after hardship.
[94:8] So when thou art free from thy immediate task, strive hard,
[94:9] And to thy Lord do thou turn with full attention.

I love those verse, everytime I return to them , my heart is enveloped in comfort, again. Put your trust in Allah, and smile. It helps, too.

Salamu alaykum.