I got to shiiiinnnee!

Assalamua Alaikom :D

I can't believe it! I got a 4.0oooooh!!! O.o I've NEVER gotten a 4.0 before! Not even in middle school! Shukr Alhamdulillah! :D.

Hey, college is fun.

But of course I'm bracing myself for the hard classes :P. 'Til then, time to celebraaattteee!

I'm usually not this cocky, forgive me :$.

Wa Salam :).

Alright. Ok.

Assalamua Alaikom :D

First lemme get down to business, I deleted my last post, because I had broken a rule and heck I love my sis :); she's the best, Masha'Allah! [No, she's not holding a gun to my head ;P.]

Anyway, EID MUBARAK errbody. yay. woohoo. :D. Keep it fresh and enjoy it! I'm celebrating on Friday, Insha'Allah. I have a final on that day O_o. I tried changing the date of it, but to no avail. Oh well, it'll still be fun :D. We're having it at our house this year!! For as long as I can remember, it was always at my aunt's house! O_o. Change is weird. I don't like change. Oh well ^_^.

Oh, I better go - almost time for another final. yahoo.

Wa Salam :).

P.S. A funny convo between my bhabi and I:

Me: Ok, write WV.
Bhabi writes double u's and a v.
Me: W! not double u's! hahaha!
Bhabi doesn't get the difference. Haha poor thing.
Teacher overhears, laughing: Funny conversation :P.
Then, everyone laughs, including my bhabi :D. I love her.

okthnxbye.

La di da di ~ geeks like to party.

Assalamua Alaikom,

Sometimes I wish I didn't meet some people. Why couldn't I have been a loner? A passer by...A stranger...

Love moderately.

:-/.

Wa Salam.

P.S. http://www.justgiving.com/stoppoverty Donate to a fabulouso cause!

Don't Report Me To the Asylum....just yet.

Assalamua Alaikom :),

Hmm, I'm going through a weird time in my life. I'm half here and half not. Sad, really.

I don't want to grow up any further. Heck, if I could, I would stop time and reverse it. Back to when I still had my innocence, back when I was 'too young to know'. Growing up sucks. Especially, if you're not sure what to do or how to feel...

Half here. I'd actually like to keep it that way. Don't wanna think about it too much...*pushes thoughts out of head* Aaah...This will only work for a lil longer. I'm gonna have to deal with it sooner or later. For right now, I'd just like to think about how much I love my mom. I want to cry. For some reason, I keep thinking everyone I love is going to die before me and I will have to witness their death. I'm losing it, aren't I? Hmm. And I haven't seen my dad all day, today! Oh man..I miss him. Insha'Allah I'll see him tomorrow. Tomorrow...:(...happy thoughts, happy thoughts...I have a nutrition exam tomorrow! er..:) heh.

Shukr Alhamdulillah. Thank You, Allah (subhana wa ta'ala), for evverrryythhiiiinnnggg. Best of all, my iman. And my family, of course. Subhan'Allah.

Sigh :). Wa Salam :).

It's beginning to feel a lot like Eid...

Assalamua Alaikom :),

As I wait for the henna on my hand and feet to dry, I'll wish everyone an EID MUBARAK! :D woohoo. Have a great time, insha'Allah!

I need sleep; I need to be up in 3-4 hours O.o...I shall saran wrap my hand and feet lol...and sleep. shoot. see ya'll.

Salam :).

Allahu Akbar!

Assalamua Alaikom wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu :D,

Hi, howdy, I'm doing my homework...wait for it...on a SATURDAY! weee. This kicking the procrastination habit thing feels good :D. Haha...Back to work for me! You just can't stop me now ;).

Wa Salam :).

P.S. Wow...my shortest post, yet ;P.

I like sayin 'Ankaboot ;D.

Assalamua Alaikom,

Hi, hello, how do you do? :) Me? I'm good, Alhamdulillah, thanks for asking :P. Can you believe we're more than half way through Ramadan?! O.o I can't...May Allah (swt) help us make the most of the remaining days of this blessed month, Ameen.

~~~

The parable of those who take guardians besides Allah is as the parable of the spider that makes for itself a house; and most surely the frailest of the houses is the spider's house if they but knew. [29:41]

Subhan'Allah. Paints a clear picture...

Alhamdulillah. I am grateful that Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) chose to guide me. I am a Muslimah. I bow in worship to my one and only Lord.

I came across this ayah right before bed last night...I dreamt [or is it dreamed?] of a white and gray [almost silver] spider. It was huge! 'Bout the size of my palm O.o and boy was it a beaut! :faint:. I was laying on the floor and it kept tickling the soles of my feet, making me giggle...It felt so real haha uuh :weirdo:. I wonder if a spider like that really exists...sigh.

Hehe..anyway! picture time! [you like that transition from the ayah, eh ;).]

Lemme start off with the best! The most dangerous! yeeee! [I'm actually excited about this lol.]

Australian Redback:




Brown Recluse Spider! Wow, when this lil bugger bites...it's grotesque!! like wow...You should see for yourself...that is, if you have the stomach for it heh :S.

Amazing web-making skills spiders have!


Black Widow, male and female! I know this one [the male, thank God...I hope I never have to cross paths with the female O.o] all too well ^_^. Lurve the blacknicity.


Daddy Long Legs - my first crush.

People on Flickr are so artsy fartsy!

How can someone not find these creatures fascinating?!?!

Ah ok, It's nearly time for school and I'm not ready haha...Too engrossed in the spiders, I s'pose :P. And yes, I know, I risk losing all my viewers by publishing this post...at least my true fans will shine through, right? :D

G'day, Salam :).

Why do I feel different?

Assalamua Alaikom :),

So, I was just reading my previous posts on this blog. I wanna go back to me. The me that was present in those posts...I know she's still here. I feel her. I feel it, rather. But not with as much force as I used to. That tranquil feeling...Lightheartedness. And such.

I feel fine heh *sad smile*...Alhamdulillah...I just wanna go back and see what I did differently then. Relive it. I can't explain it. I remember loving it. And why not.

You know what I think it is? I think I've 'settled' with my present state of imaan. No longer reaching for perfection - not working hard enough. You see, I'm what you would call a perfectionist. Yeah, yeah, no one can be perfect. But we can try to be what we think is perfect, yeah? nahmean? 'Reach for the moon, fall among the stars.' [Side note: The sky is gorgeous tonight Subhan'Allah. The moon is faint. Sigh :).]

I have my priorities in complete disarray. Ugh. How the heck did I let this happen....AGAIN.

This all sounds familiar...Why are some of my posts sounding the same? UGH. Same crap, different day, heh. That just ain't right!! Am I not learning anything from my past? That's what it sounds like.

Thank God for life. Life gives me hope. Hope for a better me. A better me for the sake of Allah (swt).

Ya Allah! Allow us to die among the mo'mineen (believers) in a high state of iman pleasing to You, save us from the torment of the grave, and make easy for us the reckoning on the Day of Judgment, and grant us a place in Jannat ul Firdaws.....

Ameen...aiight...I should get to sleep, so I won't be too sleepy during suhur. Suhur makes me happy. Ramadan makes me happy in itself. ah Alhamdulillah.

Wa Salam :).

18 feels good, yadamean?

Assalamua Alaikom :).

This year is gonna be good, Insha'Allah. I can feel it inside of me. I am so grateful to be alive. Shukr Alhamdulillah. :looks at the stars in the sky:. Mmmmmmm....

Anyhoo, this is my kinda squirrel, for sure ;D -

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070802/od_nm/squirrel_chocolate_dc

"It removes the foil carefully, eats the chocolate and leaves the store with the toy," Irene Lindroos said.

Hehe, cute huh? :D.

Hmm...I'm bored. Gimme some ideas of productive things to do...hmmm...(Yes, I'm talking to the crickets :P.)

Anyway, I think I'll just read something beneficial, salam :).

Knowledge is poooowwwwwwwaaaaa'.

Baaack.

Assalamua Alaikom warahmatullah wa barakatuhu :).

Hmm...I was scared and worried about a number of things. The situations haven't changed much, but this morning as I was reciting the Qur'an, I came across this verse:

"O ye who believe! Seek help in steadfastness and prayer. Lo! Allah is with the steadfast." [2: 153]

Crystal clear. Subhan'Allah.

I was meant to read that verse! And it couldn't have come at a better time. Alhamdulillah.

Now to put it into play and put the knowledge to some good use. Like realizing that I may think something is good for me, but it may not be. And patiently persevere, because Allah (swt) knows what is best for me. Allah (swt) is the Best of Planners. And I trust Him. And I rely on Him.

I feel like a rush of tranquility has come over me. I've missed this feeling. Alhamdulillah :).

~~~
I guess you could say that this is what I've been up to this past month or so:

It feels like I go through a process (it's a PROCESS, now) of taking a few steps forward, and before I can seal the deal (actually, I don't think there's such a thing as sealing the deal in this regard, so yeah, excuse the phrase), I leap a few steps backwards. I start losing my gripe on the rope of Allah (swt). And just keep tumbling downhill, all the while, knowing that something's not right. But something (it's Shaitaan...he's threatened by us believers, always tryna manipulate us) always takes over my senses, so I can't get back on track on my own. Only through the will of Allah (swt). And I'm very grateful that Allah (swt) chooses to guide me. Alhamdulillah. Subhan'Allah :). I come back stronger each time, I don't know what weakens me along the way, though :(...Whatever it is, I'm going to try my best to prevent it from happening this time around! Allahu Alim, it may be my last chance.

May Allah guide us to the Straight Path and keep us on it. Ameen, thumma ameen!

Ah, so I'm gonna go eat breakfast, now...Honey Bunches of Oats sound good right about now, ya heard. (Do I always end my posts with the mention of food? hmm :P.)

Salam :).

P.S. Tomorrow I'll be 18!! Alhamdulillah! I can't believe I've lived for 18 years O.o

I feel old...hah...

Big Things Poppin'!

Assalamua Alaikom :),

Ayo, hey all! Today's hot, eh? Subhan'Allah. OOF :fans herself: (haha I'm such a fob). I just realized there's no fan in this room O.o (Our A/C's not working :gasp: ). It's too late to get up and go get a fan now; I'm stuck to the leather computer chair :rolls her eyes: lol.

I was typing out a blog entry, yesterday...but then I decided not to submit, because I was in a crappy mood and I didn't wanna record that. So yeah, I'm feeling better, Alhamdulillah. Subhan'Allah. Especially after last night. I spent an hour or two reading about death and the akhirah. And about repentance. That was beneficial, because one of the reasons I was feeling crappy yesterday was because my unrepented for sins caught up to me and I realized I had SO many blemishes on my soul. Yeah, I was in deep thought about it all. I even imagined my bed as my grave. The fan was on and boy, it felt great. Alhamdulillah. And I want my grave to feel like that. A "garden from Paradise", not a "pit from Hell". May Allah (swt) make the torments of the grave easy upon us, Ameen. In the dark, thinking, "What if I died right now?" sparked something within me.

"If only thou couldst see when the guilty will bend low their heads before their Lord, (saying:) Our Lord! We have seen and we have heard: Now then send us back (to the world): we will work righteousness: for we indeed (now) believe." {Surah Sajdah, Verse 12}

I have to prove my belief to my Lord, before it's too late. This is our only chance. I can't afford to screw it up :-/.

So, I've realized that, and I'm gonna challenge myself to better for the sake of Allah (swt).

I love how I go through things like this and Allah (swt) opens my eyes to see the real purpose of my creation and the purpose of this world. That only comes from Allah (swt). "Allah tests those whom He loves." (authentic hadith...don't remember the reference. I should memorize some of those eh? hmm anyway!) Good to know! God is Great!! I'm grateful for that. Now if only I did my own part and USED MY BRAIN before attempting to sin. GAH! heh, Insha'Allah, that's all gonna change!! :). The future's lookin' bright...woo.

I know, I know, this post is gonna get even longer because I'm gonna add the stuff I read about Divine Love from the Al-Jumuah Magazine, but don't be overwhelmed! And READ IT. For your own sake :).

Divine Love
-In the Qur’an and the Prophet’s Teachings-

Why do we love God? Ibnul – Jawzi puts it well in his Saydul Khatir: that we do so because of the basic, God – inspired human instinct to search for perfection and beauty. He says that the very nature of man seeks after a kind of perfection not to be found in other human beings. Perceiving the faults of men, it turns away from them. If at this point, a man’s heart becomes attached to the Love of the Creator and it can no longer pause on any inferior level. As for those who possess true knowledge (ma’rifah, gnosis), they are engrossed in rapture (walahan); love for God having distracted them from all other loves. Their essence becomes drowned in the intense awareness and love (mahabbah) for the divine beauty and perfection.

The following verse emphasizes the high requisites for earning God’s love. The love of God is for those who are not complacent about their Islam, but constantly challenge themselves to be better. They not only avoid the forbidden things, but strive to reach a higher level of piety and faith and continue to strive further – until they are bestowed the greatest bliss and honor of all – divine love: “On those who believe and do deeds of righteousness there is no blame for what they ate (in the past), when they guard themselves from evil, and believe, and do deeds of righteousness, and still (they continue to) guard themselves from evil and believe, and still (they continue to) guard themselves from evil (have taqwa) and seek excellence (ihsan). For Allah loves those who seek excellence.” [5:93]

This is why I think instead of just saying “I love Allah” -just because we know it needs to be said- it’d be better for us to actually look deep into developing that relationship with Allah, our Creator. And not just settle for the perfection of the outer appearance of Islamic acts (namely, salah), but also want to feel it inside of you. And like it was said earlier in the article, when you feel an ounce of that love (or satisfaction/content/fulfillment etc. [it all leads to some type of love, doesn’t it? Or it is all essentially love.]), then you’re gonna want more and more. In other words, strive for excellence and perfection. Me, myself, I like a challenge. And I like winning. Why not challenge yourself to be better for the sake of Allah (swt) ? And win in His cause? You know what I mean? The fiyaa is ignited inside of me, now just tryyy ‘n’ stop me!! Sorry, sudden excitable outburst. Hehe :faint:.

You know, the ultimate bliss of the heart and soul has got to be in knowing and loving God…hmmm…

“He who knows Allah, loves Him.” – Al – Hasan al – Basri

Perfect.

The Beloved of God: Awliya

The concept of wali, literally ‘the one whom God has given special favor and protection,’ has often been misunderstood in Islamic history and has inspired much legend and superstition at the hands of folk preachers and charlatans who ascribe magical powers to the pious men and women to color their narratives and fool the naïve. The awliya (pl. of wali) in Islam are not exactly saints as in Christianity, because no one but God knows the unseen and, unlike the Catholic Church-for example-, no one in Islam can claim to speak infallibly on behalf of God. We do not know for sure how Allah will judge even the most pious of our scholars and worshippers – people’s judgment f someone’s knowledge and piety can always be erroneous and only Allah is the true and final judge. Hence to exaggerate some humans’ merits, sanctifying them beyond reason, consider them beyond and reproach or criticism, is an un-Islamic practice, which has unfortunately been too common among Muslims. On the flip side, there might be true lovers and friends of Allah who are not recognized or even respected by the people.

The following qudsi hadith is the best way to understand this concept: “Allah the Almighty has said: ‘Whoever harbors enmity against a wali of Mine, I declare war against him. Nothing draws My servant closer to Me than doing of what I have made obligatory upon him. And My servant continues to draw nearer to Me with supererogatory (nawafil) deeds until I love him. When I love him, I shall be his hearing with which he shall hear, his sight with which he shall see, his hands with which he shall hold, and his feet with which he shall walk. And if he asks of Me, I shall surely give it to him, and if he takes refuge in Me, I shall surely grant him it.’” (Bukhari)

TEN THINGS THAT ENGENDER LOVE FOR ALLAH

To earn the highest and ultimate honor of Allah’s love, we must love him, and do so in the way He taught us. And the best way to do that is to learn from the words of Allah as He teaches us in the Qur’an the attributes and practices that He loves, and avoid those that He does not love.

One of the most prolific and profound writers on the topic of Allah’s love in the light of the Qur’an and Sunnah is Imam Ibnul Qayyim. In his most celebrated work Madarij-us-Salikeen, he enumerates ten practices that help create and stimulate love for Allah, subhana wa ta’ala, in our hearts.

FIRST, reciting the Qur’an while reflecting on its meanings and implications for us.

SECOND, seeking nearness to Allah by performing voluntary deeds in addition to obligatory ones. The is as stated in the aforementioned qudsi hadith: “My slave continues getting closer to Me by performing voluntary deeds until I love him.” [Bukhari]

THIRD, remembering Allah continuously and under all circumstances, with one’s tongue, heart and actions. The extent of one’s love for Allah is determined by this.

FOURTH, giving precedence to what He loves over what you love even when you are overtaken by your desires.

FIFTH, adorning your heart with Allah’s Names and Attributes and roaming frequently in the garden of that blessed knowledge.

SIXTH, witnessing and contemplating on Allah’s mercy, goodness and bounties, both hidden and open.

SEVENTH, and this is the most wonderful, softening, humbling and subduing one’s heart before Allah.

EIGHTH, being alone with Allah in worship during the time when the lord descends during the last portion of the night, reading His Book and seeking forgives and repentance.

NINTH, being in the company of the beloved and sincere servants of Allah, subhana wa ta’ala, and benefiting from the most fruitful of their speech and speaking only when speaking will improve your state and be beneficial to others.

TENTH, staying away from everything that comes between Allah and your heart.

These ten causes take the lovers to the station of true love and bring them to their Beloved.

SHOULD WE LOVE PARADISE?

Ibn Taymiyyah rejects the notion that Paradise cannot be loved for itself or Hellfire cannot be feared, as it flies in the face of the commonsensical understanding of the Qur’an and Sunnah. He argues that all favors which God has prepared for His beloved, including the ru’yah (vision of God) are all included in the general Qur’anic concept of Jannah. Thre is no doubt, however, that the bliss of the vision and company of God will be the greatest for the believers in the afterlife, and Ibn Taymiyyah says in his at – Tuhfatul Iraqiyyah, those who truly seek it are among the special beloved of God.

This was most likely in response to the well-known du’a of Rabi’ah al-Adwiyyah of Basra, mentioned earlier in the article, this one:

“O Lord, if I worship you out of fear of hell, then burn me in hell.
If I worship you in the hope of paradise, forbid it to me.
And if I worship you for your own sake,
Do not deprive me of your eternal beauty.
(Translated by Paul Losensky, Early Islamic Mysticism)

Those are the parts I thought were worth sharing, may we all benefit from it! Insha’Allah. The rest of the article is about the theological debates about divine love. That was interesting, as well – learned some new stuff, Alhamdulillah :).

The Prophet, sallallahu alaihe wa sallam, taught the following du’a or prayer to his Companions, “O Allah, allow me to love You and to love those who love You, and to love whatsoever brings me nearer to Your love, and make Your love more precious to me than cold water to the thirsty.” (Tirmithi)

More precious than cold water to the thirsty?? YESS. ALLAHU AKBAR!

Alhamdulillah.

Aiight, Safia is getting hot and is hungry and hence will get cranky in 3..2..RUN WHILE YOU CAN!

J/K, I'm harmless ^_^.

Mmm, lasagna :drool:.

Salam :D.

Shtuff on my mind....

Assalamua Alaikom :),

Today was slightly weird, because all I did was sleep (not really, but it seemed like it). I've been sleeping way too much, lately. There's beauty sleep, then there's zombie sleep. I've been experiencing the latter haha...But I look at it this way, at least by sleeping I'm not committing my usual sins! But when I wake up people aren't necessarily happy to see me, knowing that I've had a good amount of sleep and they haven't. Oops, teehee!...And there's also the fact that I'm missing out on life. You know, if, say, we live up to 60 years old, and sleep 8 hours each night, we would have wasted 2/3's of our life, sleeping! Mmhmm. I did the math. It's true. Not 50 %, but 66.67%! So yeah, Insha'Allah, I'ma try 'n' sleep less...Maybe instead I can work out? Pahaha...No, really, I might, though, since, I do need more energy! (Whoa, so many commas. I need a grammar lesson on commas.)

Anyway, when I was sleeping, I had a dream, 'twas very long and weird, but towards the end it got profound. My sister-in-law was in it and she said to me, and I won't forget:

"Aww, sweetie, why are you crying? You aren't lost. No! You aren't lost. He didn't lose sight of you. But you lost sight of Him."

Then, in urdu, she said:

"Quick as you can, run back to Him, He will forgive you, He is Al- Ghafur. Read the Qur'an, you'll see what I mean. And you'll feel better, immensely. You won't feel lost. You'll be of those who journey unto Allah (swt) and they, they are never lost!"

Funny thing is, I don't even know urdu, but in my head I knew that's what she said. And everyone around me (we were in Baltimore, MD, for some odd reason lol) was emotional and tearin' up...but I was just standing there, like a statue hmm....That's not like me. I'm worried :-/.

Reminds me of a quote I read:

"If Al - Khadir said to Musa, for disobeying him three successive times: 'This is parting between me and you.' I wonder how can one of us disobey Allah many times a day and still trust that He won't say to him: 'This is parting between Me and you?' " - Imam Shafi'ee

So, I'm thinking here. It must be my excessive sleeping and my sinning that's making my heart restless. I have diagnosed myself, but now for the remedy...I know just where to go for that, Alhamdulillah. The remedy is in salah and the Holy Qur'an. Subhan'Allah.

You know, reality hits the hardest when you're immersed in this world. And I wouldn't have thought I was immersed in this dunya (not that I'm so pious where I've denounced the world, just didn't feel like I was completely "lost"...that was probably part of the illusion!) . But I guess it creeps up on you, unexpectedly. And at the end of every day you gotta re-evaluate and re-prioritize and count your blessings, so as not to seem ungrateful.

Alhamdulillah, I'm still alive. And for having some sense in me, that only comes from the Will of Allah. :).

Anyway, at the moment, I'm reading the cover story of March/April's Al - Jumuah Magazine: Divine Love. The Heart of Islam, the Principle of Creation.

I'll see if I can summarize/or just post parts I find good in my next blog entry, Insha'Allah. Ya'll should definitely read it, if you subscribe to the magazine, that is. Oh yeah, if you haven't already subscribed to it, then do so! I love this magazine :D.

One last thing, on the request of N, more stories :).

Bedouin Girl and the Love of Allah

A pious man relates that in one of my journeys I once saw a young Bedouin girl. "Where do you stay?" I enquired "The jungle", she replied. "Do you not feel lonely?" I asked curiously. She answered, "Oh Shaykh, one who befriends Allah and keeps His company can never be lonely". I asked, "Where do you eat?" She replied, "Allah knows best from where He provides for His creation. He gives it to those who believe in Him". Then she went on to say, "The hearts that are alive with the recognition of Allah's oneness and have relented to His love, their food is the love of Allah and His Company".

Story of an Idolater
Abdul Wahid b. Zaid (mercy be upon him) who belonged to a lineage of saints said, "We were once sailing in a boat. A gush of wind blew away our boat to an island where we saw a man busy adoring an idol. We asked him what he was worshipping. He pointed towards the idol. We said to him that this idol was made with his own hands. How could he worship it? The God whom we worship creates all such things Himself, and so deserves to be worshipped, alone." He then asked us, whom do you worship? We told him, "We worship the Great God (Allah) who lives in the highest heaven. He alone controls the heavens and the earth. All other creatures whether human or animal depend on Him for their sustenance." He further asked how we came to know about this Glorious God. We replied, "He sent His final Messenger (Peace be Upon him) to the whole of mankind to teach them about His Greatness." He proceeded to enquire "Let me know of the place where this Prophet of God is?" We replied, "After the Prophet had completed his mission by conveying the message of God he died and returned to his Lord". He continued to ask, "Did this Messenger of God leave behind a thing for your guidance?" We explained, "Yes, he left behind a Book (the Qur'an), which was revealed by God. He asked to see the book. We offered him the Holy Qur'an. He told us he was unable to read and so we recited a few verses for him instead. During the course of its recital he repeatedly wept until we stopped. He finally asserted, "This can only be from Allah, the Most High", and immediately confirmed his Faith in Allah and His Messenger. We informed him about the duties of Islam and also explained some verses of the Holy Qur'an. After the late night prayer we went to bed and the man continued to ask questions. "Does Allah sleep at night? he wondered aloud as we lay comfortably in our beds. "Our Exalted God is Ever living and Everlasting. He does not sleep or rest!" we exclaimed. On hearing this he cried, "What disobedient slaves you are! Your Lord keeps awake, whereas you sleep!" We were dumbstruck by his remark. When we were about to return from this island, he begged us to take him with us to allow him to learn more. We agreed. On reaching the city of 'Aabadan, says Abdul Wahid, I said to my companions, "This man is our brother, therefore we should provide him with some livelihood". Some dirhams were offered to him but he refused to accept them and exclaimed, "What is this?" We replied, "These are some dirhams for your expenditure." He said, "It is enough that you have shown me the right path. I was upon error and Allah guided me. I did not even worship him yet He neither destroyed nor killed me. I am so grateful to Him and you After a few days, we were told that he was about to breathe his last. We went to see him and asked him if there was any need of his to be satisfied. He said no and that he was happy with all that he had gained from Allah. Abdul Wahid said, " I was all of a sudden, overcome by sleep and hence slept there. While sleeping, I saw a very fertile garden wherein was a very fine vault; a throne occupied by a very beautiful girl, a beauty that I had never seen before. She said to me , 'By Allah, I returned him to His Lord quickly', By seeing her in such a state I became very anxious. He added, ''When I woke up , the man had passed away. We managed to bury him immediately.'' Again at night, said Abdul Wahid; ''I witnessed the same garden, the same vault and the same girl sitting besides the man who had died. She was reciting the following Qur'anic verse, the translation of which is ''And the Angels visit them from each door and send them their compliments, glad tidings for peace and safety against each kind of misfortune. All this is the fruit of your contentment (and steadfastness for the religion of Islam). There is therefore a good reward for you in the Hereafter.'' This story of the idolater shows the Greatness of Allah and His Mercy towards the man who previously worshipped idols. He sent the people to the island as a means to guide the idolater and thus rewarded him a magnificent rewarding the hereafter. ''O Master of the world ! Whom Thou giveth to, nobody can withhold and whom Thou giveth not, no one can confer upon him.''

It's cheesecake and brownie time :P.

Wa Salam :).

Keep dreamin'....

Assalamua Alaikom :),

I had a nice dream, today, Alhamdulillah. And that was the best 1 1/2 hours of sleep I've ever had! I didn't know getting enough rest was possible in 1 1/2 hours! Whoooa. Even my naps are 2 hours long! And after those, I'm not so refreshed like I was this morning. Wowee. Alhamdulillah. After Fajr and reciting some Qur'an - the sun was peek-a-booing from behind the houses, I went outside, dayaaam the weather and scenario was beautiful, Subhan'Allah! I guess I'm an out-doorsy type of person.

Something I came across (my dream was nothing like these - I wish it was!):

Dreams
Rabi bin Sulaiman relates that I saw Imam Ash-Shafi' in my dreams after his death and Iasked ''Oh Abu Abdullah how Allah deal with you . ''He replied ''He sat me down on a chair and showered me with diamonds.'' A Pious Saint relates that I saw Shaykh Abu Is-haak Ibraheem bin Ali bin Yusuf Al-Sherazi in a dream after his death, ccrowned and clothed in beautiful white garment. I asked, ''Where is this whitenessappearing from?'' He replied, ''Honour of Obedience.'' Again I asked ''And the crown?'' He replied ''Honour of knowledge.''

Oh, and some random story I like:

Yaqeen
Shaykh Fath al - Mowsily relates, once I saw a young boy walking through the jungle. It appeared as if he was uttering some words. I greeted him with Salaam and he replied accordingly. I inquired, "Where are you going ? ''He retorted, "To the house of Allah"' I further asked, ''What are you reciting?'' ''The Qur'an'' he replied. I remarked, ''You are at a tender age, it is not an obligation that you are required to fulfil.'' He said , ''I have witnessed death approach people younger than meand therfore would like to prepare if death was to knock on my door.'' I astoundingly commented, ''Your steps are small and your destenation far.'' He responded, ''My duty is to take the step and it remains the resposibility of Allah to take me to my destenation.'' I continued to ask, ''Where is you provision and conveyance (means of transport).'' He replied ''My Yakeen is my provision and my feet are my conveyance. ''I explained, ''I am asking you regarding braed and water. ''He replied ''Oh Shaykh if someone invited you to their house, would it be appropriate to take your own food?'' I exclaimed, ''No!'' ''Similarly, My Lord has invited His servant to His house, it is only the weakness of your Yakeen (certainty) that maked us carry provisions. I despite this. Do you think Allah will let me go to waste? ''Never.'' I replied. He then left. Sometime later I saw him in Makkah. He approached me and inquired, ''Oh Shaykh are you still of weak belief?''

We're all going to the park now!! Woohoo! See ya suckaaas! (joke! :P).

Salaam.

Intentions

Assalamua Alaikom :D,

Hello, everyone (lol like people actually read this ;P), hope you’re all well, Insha’Allah! I'm just gonna jump into the topic of intentions, alright? Alright :).

Umar ibn al-Khattab who said: I heard the Messenger of God say:

“All actions are judged by motives, and each person will be rewarded according to their intention. Thus, he whose migration was to God and His Messenger, his migration is to God and His Messenger; but he whose migration was for some worldly thing he might gain, or for a wife he might marry, his migration is to that for which he migrated.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim)

Subhan’Allah. It’s a big deal. “All actions are judged by motives, and each person will be rewarded according to their intention”!!! Allah (swt) knows our deepest thoughts and secrets, so He knows our intentions. It’s what He looks at first and foremost. If you intend to do a good deed for the sake of showing off to others, Allah (swt) knows this, you can fool all the others with your “sincerity”, but you can’t fool Him. It’s silly and stupid to think you can.

There are the deeds we do that are not in total relation Allah (swt) (a lotta things are, though – that’s what’s interesting about a Muslim’s lifeJ), but we do ‘em because that’s life. Like, sleeping, eating, etc…. What I love about the concept of intention -or in this case I’ll be talking about the Greater Intention- is that everyday activities can be turned into acts of worship all because you purified your intention and were sincere! Like, say, you’re cleaning the bathroom, and you think, “oh gosh, why am I doing this again?! It wasn’t even THAT dirty to begin with!” Hah…well, the Greater Intention would be: “I will do this, because my mom wants me to, and Allah (swt) says to obey my mother”. OR a direct approach would be: “I’ll do this because Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) loves purity; purity is a half of faith, after all!” I dunno, it makes things a lot easier for me, at least…Or like I think a lot about how marriage and kids can be a hindrance to your spiritual life. And your job can be a hindrance, too. But if you go into it all with the right mindset, intentions, etc., it’s all gooood. Alhamdulillah. Besides, marriage and kids are a blessing from Allah (swt), one we cannot deny!

Our main aim should be to please Allah (swt), not other people. Allah (swt) is our Creator; He has more of a right over us than anyone else in the world. Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) doesn’t need us, but we are in need of Him, so if we don’t have the sincere intention of doing it for God’s sake, we’re only depriving ourselves from His Mercy, Love, and Acceptance. Without it were just drones in the world! Life is only good and meaningful when God is in the center of it. When we’re conscious of God, He’s conscious of us, and I’m comfortable knowing that my Lord, The Guiding Friend, is watching over me!! Nah mean?! Alhamdulillah. Subhan’Allah.

The Companions saw a man and were astonished by his hard work and industry. They lamented: “If he were only doing this much work for the sake of God…”

God’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) replied:

“If he is working to support his small children, then it is for the sake of God. If he is working to support his elderly parents, then it is for the sake of God. If he is working to occupy himself and keep his desires in check, then it is for the sake of God. If, on the other hand, he is doing so to show off and earn fame, then he is working for the sake of Satan.” (al-Mundhiri, as-Suyuti)

“A person learned [religious] knowledge and taught it [to others], as well as reciting the Quran. He will be brought [to the presence of God], and God will mention to him all the favors he granted him, and he recognized them. God will ask him, ‘What did you do with them?’

He will answer, ‘I learned [religious] knowledge and taught it [to others], and I recited the Quran purely for Your sake.’

God will say, ‘You have lied! Rather you learned [religious] knowledge to be called a scholar, and you recited the Quran to be called a recitor, and it was said of you!’ Then it was commanded [to punish] him. So he was dragged on his face and he was thrown into the Fire.” (an-Nasa’i)

I think your intentions are the hardest thing to control. Because first you have to have a control over your “lower self” and the whispers from Shaytaan. And you need a whole lotta taqwa! That’s a struggle, duuude! Shaytaan is always looking for me in my vulnerable state and tryna convince me that my intentions aren’t pure and sincere. I need to build a strong barrier between him and I!

Then there are the sins we commit…how do we purify our intentions for those? Haha :|…..”I’m going to sin so I can repent to Allah (swt) afterwards, because Allah (swt) loves those who repent”??? I’m not making a mockery out of anything, Na’udhu billah…I’m just tryna make sense out of why we sin so much! What’s our intention?! (thought of another one: “Lemme do this sin one last time – to get it outta my system- then I’ll never do it again!”) Of course, that’s not what it is. We’re human, the lowest of the low because of our base desires and whims and we fall for temptations all the time and are blinded by passion. That’s what makes us jahil. We’re not ignorant, because we know right from wrong, but we’re jahil (ignorant) in the sense that we don’t put our knowledge to action. (The Arabic word “jahl” has two connotations; 1. Lack of beneficial knowledge, and 2. Lack of action in accordance with that knowledge. Both are equally jahl linguistically and as well by Shari’ah)…And in return, we DISOBEY Allah (swt)! That may not be our intention, but it is what we’re doing!

So, what I’m tryna to say is that the strongest, wisest person fulfills all his obligations to the best of his ability and never loses the sight of his Lord, and the Hereafter, and fulfills all his obligations to the best of his ability, where he will be eternally…Let’s aim for Jannah, people! Insha’Allah…:D.

And oh yeah, hold onto Allah's Word, The Qur'an.Reminder for myself first, others second.

Yeah, so this was just on my mind (very incoherent, I know haha) and I don’t mean to speak on everyone’s behalf when I say “we” or “our” it’s just how my fingers typed it out heh…

K, good day, salaam :).

My First Blog Entry! Exciting, eh!

Assalamua Alaikom,

So...I decided to venture out into the blogworld on my own. (I'm apart of a joint blog: Muslimah Crew [ch ch check it out funkshow brotha]). I like it so far; I only wish I knew what the heck html was haha! Ah well, I'll figure it out on my own, Insha'Allah.

Anyhoo, you may be wondering what it means to "die before you Die". I have yet to find out for myself for sure what it entails. When I first read it, I automatically thought, "die physically before you Die spiritually." That made sense to me. But then one of my buddies reassured me that it actually had more of a ascetic approach. This is what I found online about the hadith (yeah, it's a hadith, but I can't seem to find it within contexts or with references, etc.):

"From the lips of the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihe wa salam) came the saying: Mutu qabla an tamutu - die before you Die: leave this world with your own will before you are faced with the necessity of leaving it at the end of your life."

Asceticism is something to admire. And some ask if I think it's too extreme, sure it may seem like it in this day and age, but it's not impossible and not extreme. Besides: "The Zuhd (ascetic self-restraint or abstemiousness) in this world is not to abstain from the permissible or to waste away your wealth, but that you rely on what is in Allah's hands more than what is in yours, and that you are more desirous of the reward of a calamity if it strikes you than if it did not. " - Dunno. But that just sums up everything! Asceticism is not abandoning this world and the obligations that come with it, but to realize to the full extent that this world is temporary and for worshipping Allah (swt) and that we will someday soon return to our Creator. That's our purpose. But of course, it may seem simple written out, but it's not. We get caught up in the "beauty" of this world and the fitnah that follows and whatnot. That's what makes it hard. I think we all know that...I mean, you don't need me to school you on that. Besides, I can go on forever :P. I'll leave that for some other time.

Maybe one day if I want it enough (I'm pre-occupied at the moment. God help me.) to work towards it and Allah (swt) wills it for me, then I'll be able to reach that level (gosh, that *does* seem impossible; but never be discouraged, with Allah (swt) near, anything's possible). At the moment, I'm doing what I can; it's a struggle! God knows. I know I can do much much more. I'm being awfully lazy, Astaghfirullah :(. For now, it's nice having a goal, one goal that you never lose sight of, one that never gets complete, which just makes it all the more exciting, and makes your heart beat faster and float inside you without strings (arteries?) attached and aaah you know! :) Goal: striving to please Allah (swt) in every way possible and getting closer to Him and obtaining His love...May Allah (swt) grant us the divine taufeeq to do all that pleases Him and to worship Him in the most perfect manner and may He fill our hearts with endless love for Him, Ameen.

Alright, I'll end it on that note... submitting my first blog entry...why does this seem so sentimental? :raises eyebrow:. I need my breakfast haha....:).