Life Within...

It's funny how in this day and age everything we know or do comes from a screen not much bigger than me and you.

The world has been placed in our hands... Nothing new,

but are eyes are glued to a screen that flashes green and blue.

But maybe one day if we looked up we may really see the view.

We may see the leaves scuttle by,

or the twinkle in that little girl's eye,

or even the moon waving us goodbye.

It's the little things we ignore in our day-to-day lives that should make us think awhile,

that should stop us for a bit and bring us back a mile.

Time flies by on the wings of a butterfly,

so don't let is pass by you in a frenzy

or whilst your mind is stuck in denial.

Days come and go,

doors open and close.

But life is about treasuring those moments and not letting go.

Our life in this world is short,

take it as it comes.

Don't regret what is already gone,

life is about moving on.

Smiling at the passerby and laughing even when you are at war inside.

A wise guy once told me life is more than a basic routine,

rather it's about exploring that person within.

It's about standing out and not trying to fit in.

Take life as it goes,

make every second count.

Don't leave this world whilst still lost in doubt.

( You changed my way of thinking and shaped the person I am and for that I am truly grateful. S.H. I pray that Allah gives you the best in this world and the hereafter

Allahumma Ameen.)

Beauty of Hijab

When the word "Hijab" comes to mind the first thing we come to think of is the head cover, some might think of the abayah or even the Niqab. But what does Hijab really mean? The Hijab is an Arabic word meaning a barrier or partition. However in Islam, it has a more deeper meaning. It is the principle of modesty and it includes behavior as well as dress for both males and females. So why is it that we as Muslims limit it to just a piece of cloth that we wrap around our heads? Don't we know that there is a more greater and beautiful meaning behind it? 
We shouldn't see the Hijab as being something forced upon us but rather something that is part of us. The Hijab is not only there as a symbol of our Deen but rather it's more than that. It wasn't created to oppress us but instead it was created to liberate us, to free us from the oppressive looks and stares of people who can't keep their eyes to themselves. 
We live in a society where it's okay revealing yourself to others but the moment you cover you become a victim of oppression. But who really is the oppressed one? Our Deen is based around the idea of Haya and flaunting our beauty to the world is not part of it. Our Deen gives our women status, not every Jack and John has the pleasure of seeing who we really are. We believe a woman modestly dressed  is as a pearl in it's shell. Our beauty is preserved for the deserving, but why does't everyone see it like that? The status women have in our Deen is incomparable and to call the Hijab an act oppression is a sign of ignorance.

 “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Ahzaab 33:59] 

The idea of Hijab is something that was commanded on every single Muslimah, shouldn't we take it upon ourselves to perfect it? We live in a society where the Hijab has become a fashion statement and the true beauty is lost in this cauldron of westernization. Instead of doing what is required of us, we spend our time changing our ways to fit into a society which differs in so many aspects. My sisters we shouldn't let the temptations and the pleasures of this Dunyah get to our head. What use is it to cover our hair but to beautify our faces with makeup? What use is it to cover our hair if we are going to wear clothing that highlights every single curve of our body? What use is it to cover our hair but the smell of our perfume can be smelt from miles away? Who are we trying to mess with? The Hijab is not only a piece of cloth on our head but rather a symbol of our modesty and Akhlaaq. Allah gave us status, Allah gave us pride, who are we to refuse this?
The idea of your Hijab is to conceal your beauty and for you alter it to do the exact opposite just defeats the whole purpose. Allah did not create the Hijab as way of burdening us but rather as a way of protecting us from the Fitnah of this world. We spend our time looking up to celebrities to the point we even start to dress like them. But what could be better than imitating the dress styles of our mother Aa'isha RA?
It may not be easy to wear it in such a society where every Muslim is seen as threat but think about all the reward that Allah will shower you with. We need to remember we were not created to please the creation but rather the only person we should be pleasing is the Creator. The Hijab is the basics of our Deen. Don't get me wrong for Allah does judge us on our intentions raher than our external appearance, but we should always strive to become the best of Muslims and one way by doing this could be to start dressing like one.  
The Hijab is a beautiful concept brought down for us all and like all things the more you learn about it the more you fall in love with it. At first it may seem like a struggle, it may seem hard but I promise you there is nothing more better than to cover for the sake of Allah. You will never regret it Inshallah. 
The sun does not lose its beauty when it's covered by the clouds. The same way our beauty does not fade when we choose to cover for the sake of Allah. The Hijab was not made to protect men but rather to honor women. So the next time you walk out that door look at yourself and ask "Am I really wearing a hijab?"

May Allah allow us to remain steadfast and may he guide as and always keep us sincere in all that we do. Allahumma Ameen.

Fallen...

I am lost.
I have no sense of direction.
Turning right or left just leads to another situation.
Turning back just leaves me with another complication.
My soul starts to malfunction as I slowly lose hold of that connection.
But You have never left me... not even for a second.
So why is it that I feel nothing more than emptiness?
There is only one explanation.
I have walked away and fallen for all the temptation,
further and further away with every distraction.
But I am not forsaken for You have never left my side.
For You have said Walk to me and I will run to you,
call Me and I will find you.
The light of Your guidance is what I so dearly miss,
I need it to remove this darkness within.
My Lord I have traveled so far away,
bring me me back to the right way.
Oh Allah! Grant me the strength to pick my self up
for I have fallen so low and I have allowed this world to run through my veins.

Forgive me is all that I can say and do not allow me to ever go astray.

What I am and how I feel is something only You can take away.
This pain in my heart is beyond any pain,
I feel my Imaan slowly starting to slip away.
Oh Allah! Bring me back to You before it becomes TOO LATE.

Umbrella Of The Ummah...

Our Ummah is in such a state that if our beloved Prophet (SAW) was to see us right now He may not even recognize us. Our Brothers and Sister around the world are suffering to the extent of thinking that its a norm. There suffering is NOT a norm, it's completely out of order. I don't know when the world will start to realise that enough is enough, you can't fight guns with guns.Where is our common sense? Whilst the politicians think they are fighting an evil it is costing the lives of innocent civilians. The simple Human right to life is slowly starting to become a myth for some people. We need change. That change starts with US as an individual. We need to understand that we as an Ummah are one body, if one part of the body is not functioning properly it is up to us to fix it. If we want to change the state of our Ummah we need to change ourselves and those around us first, without those basic foundations how is it that we plan to change the world. Every action we do in this world will have a repercussion on our Ummah, it is our responsibility to make sure it is a good one. Without helping ourselves how can we truly help others?

Oh believers our Lord is One. 

Our Ummah should be one.

But are our hearts truly one?

Is our Ummah one body?

Do we share the same tears, heart and lungs?

Or is that just another analogy we choose to ignore?

How much blood has been shed? 

How much tears have been dropped?

How much souls are now gone?

Their pain should be our pain,

but are we an umbrella to our believers when it truly rains?

Are you living for yourself or you living for they (Ummah)?

Are you clinging on to the dust called luxury, 

or has the Dunya betrayed you and left you insane?

Or are you waiting for the Akhirah because the Dunya has nothing but afflictions and pain?

Tears for our brothers and sisters have been slain,

cheers to the ones that have been brave. 

There are those amongst us burying the truth and putting lies on display. 

Oh believers we will have our day, 

the tears of yesterday will become our smiles for today. 

Put your faith on display like the moon and the stars at night,

Be patient for the promise of Allah is surely coming our way.

(A poem by Anonymous Aliza that sums it up beautifully... Jazakallahu Khair for everything May Allah reward you in this world and the hereafter. Allahumma Ameen.)

Once upon a promise...

You are torn.
You are lost.
You almost feel forsaken.
The hope you had seems to have been taken.
You are in this whirl of emotions
where everything you do just becomes a huge commotion.
The person you gave your heart to was nothing more than another complication.
You gave your trust to something  that wasn't worthy,
you thought what you were doing was for the best,
but little did you know it was all part of a huge test.
A test to prove that you were severely mistaken.
What was once upon a promise may have left you broken.
It may have put you in a situation,
but giving up is never an option.
Turn to Allah and immediately you are heading towards the right direction.
You are struggling with the pain,
but it is He who can only take it away.
I promise He will never leave you in this way.
They say they care
they say they would be there,
but it is only Allah that shall ALWAYS be there.
They played with your emotions
left you at your lowest,
but you don't need them
for you have Allah the Almighty.
Allah the greatest.
Put your feelings aside,
put your memories behind.
Move on,
for Allah shall always be at your side.

Dependent

Recently my life has been all over the place and I feel as if I'm putting that lightly. Everything seems to be falling apart one by one, there are nights when I cry myself to sleep just thinking about it. I was at a point where I just felt torn between what was truly right and what was wrong. I would speak to people about how I would be feeling, about what I was going through, but no one would really understand. Maybe I'm not too good at explaining. Or maybe telling people my problems isn't the right thing to do. It's not going to make it easier, sometimes it just adds to it. I just don't know,
We as humans are weak, more weaker than we actually think. We find ourselves  dependent on worldly needs. Whether it may be a person, an object or even a habit. There are times in our lives when we start to feel lost or confused without them. We start to forget that things in this world are temporary. Nothing stays in your life forever, the sooner we digest that, the easier life will be. Let's use a contemporary example: our phones. Some people actually live around their phone, without their phone they almost feel lost, it's almost like a lifeline. The moment it goes missing or it stops working, your life flashes before your eyes. It's sad when you think about it. It's an object, an object that holds no value. It's worth nothing so why should it mean anything?
But I guess it's different when talking about people. We find ourselves constantly wanting to talk to people about problems, sometimes even hoping they can take it away. But what makes them any different? They are just another person like you trying to go through life and their problems. So why should there be a need to annoy them with your own? Of course there are those who are always happy to listen and willing to help, but there is always a limit to everything. One day that person will start to have enough, one day that person won't be bothered any more and sooner or later you will start to sense it. But that's okay. Take that as a learning curve because trust me the only thing that will never get tired, frustrated on annoyed is ALLAH. Wallahi never ever, but we tend to forget this. With Allah you don't always need to use words or expressions, because Allah already knows. HE knows when your at your weakest, He knows when your at your best. He knows what's behind every tear. He knows what's behind every smile. But do we always acknowledge this? No we don't, we really don't. Allah is always there. Whilst people come and go for once has He ever left? NOO. NEVER. Why should we be dependent on something else when the only thing we should be dependent is the One that created us. Allah cares like no one could ever care. Not like your mother, not like your husband or what not. LIKE NO ONE.
There are times where I feel distant from Allah, where I feel as if I've lost the connection. maybe it's my sins coming to haunt me. Something I know I need to work on. But the one thing I know for sure is I know how to set my priorities straight.
For Allah said:

"So remember me; I will remember you and be grateful to  me and do not deny me"

(2;152)

Without Allah we are nothing, we would have been nothing. Without being able to fully depend on Allah is is a major flaw. A flaw that we all need to overcome, starting with me. We may lose all we have, we may lose the people we love. But as long as we have Allah, we have everything we need.

(O Allah! There are times when all I want to do is cry. There are times when I feel so weak. There are times when I feel so lost. I am a slave that needs guidance. Guide me to what you think is best. For verily it is only you who can put my heart at ease. Allahumma ameen.)

"Planned it all out"

There are certain days in my life where I like to spend my time just wondering and wondering some more. Where I would normally take the bus I would walk and those times of walking I would take the longer route, just so I could have that extra minute or so to clear my mind. Lately I've been doing that a lot (whether it's beneficial or not is debatable.) It's the same thoughts over and over again. Sometimes I try to block it out with plugging in my headphones and allowing the soothing voice of Omar Hisham Al-Arabi to mute it, but I guess sometimes your brain just needs to let it all out. 

As humans we have this thing about us that likes to know what we're doing. We like to have this plan, we like to follow things in a certain order.. Well some of us do anyway. This idea of "this is how it should be done and this is how I will do it." We often think that we are in control, we are the hands controlling the steering wheel.. no one else. But on that one occasion it slips out of our hands, hell breaks loose. We often don't prepare ourselves for the "If's" and the "But's" we go straight into something with out thinking of the consequences. Regrets only begin when it never worked out or it didn't go the way we planned it. But at that time it's too late. You can't pick up spilled milk now can you? 

This is what has me thinking soo much. Lately I've been asked about my future a great deal. People ask me as if I know what's going to happen, they ask me as if I have it all planned out.. if only they knew. Everyone has dreams, everyone has hopes and I'm not any different, but whether I will reach or achieve them is a whole different story. A story that no one knows the plot and twists to, apart from the All-Knowing. But one thing I do know is that it ends with me being returned to my Lord. That could be today or it could be tomorrow... I DO NOT KNOW. (I just pray that when that day comes Allah takes our life whilst in good). We plan and plan like we know what's going to happen. What if that career you want to go into becomes nothing more than a distraction from your Lord? What if that person you want to marry is nothing more than a disaster? What if all that money you want to make is nothing more than a Fitnah? We say we want this and we want that, but what we want is not always good for us and what we don't want could be what's best for us, Allah knows best. If only more people understood that.

We as individuals all want our lives to look a specific way and if it is good for us in this world and also in the next I  pray that Allah makes it easy for us. But those times when Allah takes things away from us I just Pray that Allah gives us the strength to understand that that's what's best for us. Something that we often forget is that Allah doesn't do things without reason. He may take something to replace it with something better. He may test us to bring us closer to Him. But whatever happens is for the best; nothing more or nothing less.

To those people who think MM has it planned it out... please think again. I pray for certain things to happen but whether it will happen is something that is not in my hands. Please try to understand that.

Oh Allah! I pray You remind me that Your plans for me are better than  what I dream them to be.

Ameen.