Saturday, May 31, 2008

A Reflection...

A personal reminder to me...

How long ago have we cried for our sins? the sins that we do each day.. sometimes with promises to Allah, the Almighty to not repeat them..
and yet, we oft do repeat these mistakes..
how much have we really improved over time? as we grow older, and Death comes nearer..

how many times have we really done taubah nasuha, a taubah with a promise that we really uphold, a promise to never repeat the same mistakes..

I'm still in the process of trying. and so is many of you. trying to become better, trying to be a good Muslim/muslimah. upholding Islam, doing da'wah.. the road is far, and there undoubtedly tough... and may we get there... may we obtain Mardhatillah. insyaAllah..

Getting there is tough.. and make sure.. we do cry along the way.. to HIM, the Everknowing, who is always there..

**Sorry for the long talk.. dunno... it's just sumthing inside my head that wants to go out..

>>Life<<


**Written by sister Fawzia (http://spaces.muxlim.com/fawzia)




Life is an ebb and flow of constant changes.





Starting from the existence of a tiny seed

Blooming with hopeful life,

To the springing forth of a being so full of

future promise.





Who continually changes throughout the ever flowing paths of life's

ups and downs!

Changing constantly in form and status

While experiencing aweakenings, frustrations, sadnesses, and a gamut of feelings,

Related to disappointments, untimely occurrences, unwanted occirences,and exciting

occurences,

Often rarely prepared for the changes to come.





Dealing with the making of new adjustments,

While letting go of the familiarity and comfort of the past.





Knowing that what was so secure yesterday was just a fleeting moment in time.





As we go through life continuing to make adjustments related to life's happenings,

Seeking to find that inner peace and happiness,

trying to adjust to each step of life's

neverending changes!

Thursday, May 29, 2008

What Is Jihad??


**taken from http://fazirah.multiply.com/journal


Jihad means struggle, a resilience to established a point of victory, a holy war.

Every muslim or muslimah has a duty to established her or her own personal jihad. Jihad is a continuous fardhu ain. When the objectives of one jihad is achieved, we must strive to continue with the next jihad.. Jihad will keep our mind busy with zikrullah (rememberance of Allah) on sirat almustaqim(the straight path), which will protect us from lagho(empty mindedness) and dholalah( the stray path)

What is your Jihad??

Before we can established our jihad, we must first understand who we are, what is our primary duty and where do we begin our jihad.

You are [name bin/ti father's name], a student in [name of schools or university]. Your immediate duty is to Allah, to yourself, to your parents and to your school/ university is to become the best servant of Allah, the best motivator to yourself, the best child to your parents and the best student to your school and univeRsity. This is your JIHAD.

Where do you begin?

Your jihad begin within yourselves. Wake the sleeping mujahid within you. Prepare yourself with the strength and the tools your need to fulfill your duties. Plan your strategies and train your heart, mind and body for the ranging battle ahead. Your jihad does not end here, it will go on until your last breath. You must preserve along the path you have chosen for yourselves, the path of your jihad, your siratal mustaqim. When you have established your jihad, you must mow pursue your points of victory. Th secret is to aim high, to give your best and to accept whatever is the outcome of your jihad.

in JIHAD, there is no room for defeat... there is only victory..

Monday, May 26, 2008

Make Yours Carefully!!

Just sharing this...

A young man had been to Wednesday Night Class of Quranic Studies.
The Mualim had shared about listening to Allah and obeying Allah through intuition.
The young man couldn't help but wonder, 'Does Allah still speak to people through intuition?'
After Lessons, he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message.
Several different ones talked about how Allah had led them in different ways and that at the end you'll know it was Allah (SWT) Who has directed you.
It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home.
Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, 'Allah...If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey.'

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk.
He shook his head and said out loud, 'Allah is that you?' He didn't get a reply and started on toward home.
But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk came into his head.
'Okay, Allah, in case that is you, I will buy the milk.' It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home.
As he passed Seventh Street , he again felt the urge, 'Turn Down that street.' This is crazy he thought, and drove on past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street ..
At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh.
Half jokingly, he said out loud, 'Okay, Allah, I will.'

He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi-commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either.
The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed.

Again, he sensed something, 'Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street.' The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat.

'Allah, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid.' Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk.
Finally, he opened the door, 'Okay Allah(SWT), if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something, but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here.'

He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, 'Who is it? What do you want?' Then the door opened before the young man could get away.
The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. 'What is it?'
The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, 'Here, I brought this to you.'
The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway. Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen.
The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.

The man began speaking and half crying, 'We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking Allah(SWT) to show me how to get some milk.'
His wife in the kitchen yelled out, 'I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?'

The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face.
He knew that Allah (SWT) still answers prayers.

NOW HERE'S THE TEST....
Dear friends hope this would make our belief that Allah (SWT) hears our prayers stonger and give hope to those who have already lost faith considering the situation most people.
Sometimes it's the simplest things that Allah (SWT) asks us to do, that enable us to understand His words clearer and better than ever. Please listen, and obey!
It will bless you and others and it might happen to us...
A wise man, once said:
"If you want to talk to Allah then pray (make doa') then if you want to hear Allah talk to you then recite the Al-Quran"


source: www.siswihaluan.blogspot.com

A Story of Love in Another Sense




I would like share this story with you..





A woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat."

"Is the man of the house home?", they asked.

"No", she replied. "He's out."

"Then we cannot come in", they replied.

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened.

"Go tell them I am home and invite them in!"

The woman went out and invited the men in"

"We do not go into a House together," they replied.

"Why is that?" she asked.

One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home."





The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!!", he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him

come and fill our home with wealth!"

His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"

Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!"

"Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife.

"Go out and invite Love to be our guest."

The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest."

Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?"

The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!!!!!!"





-Where there is Pain, I wish you Peace and Mercy.

-Where there is Self-Doubting, I wish you a renewed Confidence in your ability to work through it.

-Where there is Tiredness, or Exhaustion, I wish you Understanding, Patience, and renewed Strength.

-Where there is Fear, I wish you Love, and Courage.


Source:
http://spaces.muxlim.com/MidnightPoet/blog/27381

Behind the long grass (lalang)



“Argh… not again! The lalang had grown in my lawn.” some homeowners might say. Yes, the lalang… of course, they are everywhere. In forests, at houses and even beside streets and roads. They are oft seen as a nuisance to people. A few days back, my friends and I had this very interesting conversation of this undelightful plant. Much to my surprise, the lalang, as we discovered, had a lot to tell us, and a lot to teach us, if we’re able to look beyond their simplicity. And I decided to share some of our discovery here.


The leaves of the lalang… they always go with the flow. Yet, have you ever noticed them fall apart or break away? Ever seen them destroyed by wind? Their roots must be very strong to be able to withstand all the winds and wither storms to survive. If we look at ourselves, at our own lives… as humans, we are piled up with obstacles along the path. These obstacles are just like the winds that threatened the life of these lalang. Yet, can we survive the tests that we face? Are we able to endure the rainstorms that we face throughout our lives? With strong and firm hold to our roots, I’m sure, insya-Allah we can all do so. But what are the roots that we must establish in ourselves? The roots that will ensure us to face the challenges that lies ahead? They are, of course, our iman and our trust in Allah the Almighty. If we have this, we will indeed be able to confront any enemy along the way to eternal happiness…


The lalang are always seen as pests. However, they always manage to live on, despite being trodden upon, cut and poisoned. Although some may die, there’ll always be a few that survived. Notice that those who work for Islam also fits this description perfectly. As workers spreading Islam, this is how we must be, never letting our work stop, and go on, despite hardships and hatred received from others. We have to expect people to try and stop us, but we must not falter because of it. The Prophet (PBUH) faced a lot more hardships on his path to spread this Deen. He even gave his whole life for the struggle. Let us ask ourselves, are we willing to hold on to the light and spread it on, no matter how dark the place is, and no matter how dim the light may be. For we must believe that there will always be rainbow at the end of every rainstorm, and ligt at the end of darkness.


“We are stronger when we work together,” was a saying for groups and teamwork. Yet, how many of us really face our lives like the lalang. The lalang, if we ever observe them, was always with their friends, and never alone. They live in groups, never alone. This is how we must be, always united and looking out for each other. If we do this with friends who is in the same road, fighting the same battle as we are, insya-Allah, the Muslim world will be strong and Islam shall strive, just as they had in the days of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions. Let us take the lalang as an example, unite in one aim, and remain with our friends through the thick and thin of this battle. For this battle of fighting jahiliyyah around us, and upholding what is right in His eyes, is never easy. We will need help from friends along the way t pull us back when we falter, to lean on when we feel like giving up, and simply, to go on.


These are just some of the many things that the lalang intends to teach us. There are many more for us to think of. I have no doubt that the readers can think of more. Let us look beyond the simplicity of His creations for something deeper. For each thing he created was meant to be pondered upon by us, his Khalifah.

Ten different phrases that are short, easy, and light, but will give you what no eye has seen, no hear has heard, and what no mind has imagined


Enjoy (and implement):


1 -
"Whoever says: 'Glorified is Allah, the Most Great, and praised is He' [Subhan Allah al-'Adhim wa bi-Hamdih] will have a date palm planted for him in Paradise." ['Sahih al-Jami'' #5531]

2 - "Whoever is stricken with sadness, grief, sickness or hardship and says: 'Allah is my Lord, without any partners' [Allahu Rabbi, la sharika lah], then it will be removed from him." ['Sahih al-Jami'' #6040]

3 - "Whoever ate something, then said: ‘Praise be to Allah who has fed me this food and provided it for me, without any strength or power on my part’ [al-Hamdu lillah aladhi at'amani hadha wa Razaqnih bi ghayr hawlin minni wa la quwwa] is forgiven his past and future sins. And whoever wears a garment and says: ‘Praise be to Allah who has clothed me with this garment and provided it for me without any strength or power on my part' [al-Hamdu lillah aladhi kasani hadha at-thawb wa Razaqnih bi ghayr hawlin minni wa la quwwa] is forgiven his past and future sins.” ['Sahih al-Jami'' #6086]

4 - "Whoever enters the marketplace and says: 'There is none worthy of worship except Allah who has no partners, for Him is the Dominion, and for Him is all Praise, He brings life and He causes death, and He is Alive and does not die, in His Hand is all good, and He is able to do all things,' [La ilaha ill-Allah, Wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-Mulk, wa lahul-Hamd, yuhyiyy wa yumit, wa Huwa Hayyun la yamut, bi Yadihil-Khayr wa Huwa 'ala kulli shay'in Qadir] then Allah will write one million good deeds for him, and will wipe away one million of his bad deeds, and will raise him one million levels and will build a home for him in Paradise." ['Sahih al-Jami'' #6231]

5 - "Whoever controls his anger when he is able to act upon it, then Allah will call him to come in front of all of the Creation so that he would let him choose from the Hur al-'Ayn and marry from them whomever he pleases." ['Sahih al-Jami'' #6518]

6 - "Whoever asks Allah for Paradise three times [Allahumma inni as'aluk al-Jannah], then Paradise will say: "O Allah! Enter him into Paradise!" And whoever seeks protection with Allah from the Fire three times [Allahumma najjini min an-Nar], the Fire will say: "O Allah! Protect him from the Fire!"" [Reported by at-Tirmidhi, and it is authentic]

7 - "Whoever seeks forgiveness for the believing men and the believing women, Allah writes for him - for every believing man and woman - a good deed." [Reported by at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Ahmad, and it is authentic]

8 - ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud said: "Whoever reads 'al-Mulk' (chapter 67 of the Qur'an) every night, Allah will protect him from the torment of the grave. At the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), we used to call it al-mani’ah (that which protects). In the Book of Allah, it is a chapter which - whoever recites it every night - has done very well." ['Sahih at-Targhib wat-Tarhib' #1475]

9 - “Whoever asks Allah sincerely for martyrdom [Allahumma inni as'aluk ash-shahadah], Allah will cause him to reach the status of the martyrs even if he dies in his bed.” ['Sahih al-Bukhari' #1909]

10 - "No one witnesses that there is none worthy of worship but Allah and that I am Allah's Messenger - truthfully, from his heart - except that Allah makes the Fire of Hell forbidden to touch him." [Reported by Muslim, Ahmad, and al-Bayhaqi]

Translated by Abu Sabaayaa

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Ghuraba'

Ghurabaa`, ghurabaa`, ghurabaaa` ghurabaa`
Ghurabaa`, ghurabaa`, ghurabaaa` ghurabaa`

Ghurabaa` do not bow the foreheads to anyone besides Allah
Ghurabaa` have chosen this to be the motto of life
Ghurabaa` do not bow the foreheads to anyone besides Allah
Ghurabaa` have chosen this to be the motto of life

If you ask about us, then we do not care about the tyrants
We are the regular soldiers of Allah, our path is a reserved path
If you ask about us, then we do not care about the tyrants
We are the regular soldiers of Allah, our path is a reserved path

Ghurabaa`, ghurabaa`, ghurabaaa` ghurabaa`
Ghurabaa`, ghurabaa`, ghurabaaa` ghurabaa`

We never care about the chains, rather we'll continue forever
We never care about the chains, rather we'll continue forever
So let us make jihad, and battle, and fight from the start
Ghurabaa`, this is how they are free in the enslaved world
So let us make jihad, and battle, and fight from the start
Ghurabaa`, this is how they are free in the enslaved world

Ghurabaa`, ghurabaa`, ghurabaaa` ghurabaa`
Ghurabaa`, ghurabaa`, ghurabaaa` ghurabaa`

How many times we remembered a time when we were happy
In the book of Allah, we recite in the morning and the evening
How many times we remembered a time when we were happy
In the book of Allah, we recite in the morning and the evening

Ghurabaa`, ghurabaa`, ghurabaaa` ghurabaa`
Ghurabaa`, ghurabaa`, ghurabaaa` ghurabaa`

Ghurabaa` do not bow the foreheads to anyone besides Allah
Ghurabaa` have chosen this to be the motto of life
Ghurabaa` do not bow the foreheads to anyone besides Allah
Ghurabaa` have chosen this to be the motto of life
If you ask about us, then we do not care about the tyrants
We are the regular soldiers of Allah, our path is a reserved path
If you ask about us, then we do not care about the tyrants
We are the regular soldiers of Allah, our path is a reserved path

Ghurabaa`, ghurabaa`, ghurabaaa` ghurabaa`
Ghurabaa`, ghurabaa`, ghurabaaa` ghurabaa`

The Prophet SAW said "Islam began as something strange, and it will return as something strange the way it began. So luck is for the Strangers"

Ghurabaa`, ghurabaa`, ghurabaaa` ghurabaa`
Ghurabaa`, ghurabaa`, ghurabaaa` ghurabaa`
Ghurabaa` do not bow the foreheads to anyone besides Allah
Ghurabaa` have chosen this to be the motto of life

WaALLAHu'alam.
insyaALLAH let ALLAH choose us.. to be Ghurabaa'..


**source: http://putera-mukashah.blogspot.com/