>> Ramadhan Quotes <<

Ramadhan Kareen to all...

how's your first Ramadhan?

It has almost ended, rite?

Here are some nice quotes I found while reading other people's blogs:

“The month of Ramadan is a type of spiritual school to which we enter every year but yet unfortunately only few of us graduate. But Allah through His mercy has allowed us to come back to this school year after year that perhaps we eventually graduate through the lessons we draw from this month”

Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Ramadaan has come to you - a blessed month. Allaah has made it obligatory on you to fast in it. During this month, the gates of heaven are open, the gates of the Hellfire are closed and the evil devils are chained. To Allaah belongs a night in it, which is better than a thousand months. Whosoever is prevented from its good, then he has been deprived."

Reading the hadith and quote made me wonder... will I be able to graduate this month with a better heart, a better servant and a better Muslimah? Will my deeds get a chance to be truly accepted by Allah? will my past sins be forgiven?

Ya Allah... accept this servant of yours...

Refrence: http://tinta-tarbawi.com/

Video: Seasonal Muslims

my friend had just gave me a link to an interesting video indeed.

just want to share it with everyone here..

So..

Let us try to be Full Time Muslims,

starting from NOW, insyaAllah..

let's make this Ramadhan a stepping stone to become a better Muslim, and a better servant who love Allah, and who He loves..

Ramadhan Message: To Make THIS Ramadhan Better

Assalamualaikum everyone…

 

First and foremost, I am sorry for not updating this blog more often. I had three mid semester exams coming up next week. So do pray for me. (^_^)

 

Secondly, Ramadhan Mubarak everyone! Let us take the opportunity to maximise the use of this blessed month to increase our faith and love towards the Almighty. How do we do that? Well, I do not have the opportunity to write an article, but, here is a very nice article I found, from IqraSense. I copied a bit of the article here, and if you're interested in reading the rest, do use the link.

 

 

The month of Ramadan is almost here and like every year before the start of the month, our E-mail inboxes flood with inspiring E-mails reminding us about the countless blessings of this noble month. Ramadan – as most of these reminders emphasize – is the Month of Quran, the Month of Taqwa, the Month of Prayers, the Month of Charity and the Month of Remembrance of Allah. This month provides a system to help us organize, struggle and liberate ourselves from the addictions, temptations and unbridled desires that sometimes drive our lives more than our thought out plans and good intentions. Ramadan is therefore a month for the spiritual and physical rejuvenation of oneself and the wise and fortunate amongst us are those that reap the most of what this month has to offer.

 

In preparing ourselves for this year's Ramadan, it may be beneficial to recall last year's Ramadan to assess how successful were we in aligning our behaviors with the spirit of Ramadan. If we reflect and ponder, we can most likely recognize the many ways where we may have fallen short in fulfilling the spirit of Ramadan and how we can refocus to potentially make this year's Ramadan better than last.

 

Getting the Food Mania Under Control

 

First, let's discuss what's hard to ignore in Ramadan – FOOD. Food, as we all know, becomes the center of attention in this month. Walk in any store frequented by Muslims a day or two before Ramadan and Muslims' food frenzy becomes quite clear. The sight of a Muslim's shopping cart – packed to the brim with a variety and volume of food offers an amazing as well as an amusing scene. Such a view is common only when people are restocking to get ready for an emergency like an impending hurricane. It just can't be that everyone's kitchen shelves become empty immediately at the start of the month. More likely, this can be attributed to a defense mechanism that the subconscious triggers against an impending trauma – a defense to cope with the hunger and thirst while fasting during the day. However, stocking for food isn't that problematic usually – until that shopping frenzy translates in overeating and other eating disorders and habits.

 

Barring any health and medical challenges, fasting otherwise is known to provide numerous health benefits. However, overeating during iftar and suhoor, eating fatty, fried and other unhealthy foods, and stuffing our bellies too quickly are some of the major health hazards that potentially can nullify the health benefits gained during fasting. In addition to controlling the size of our portions, we do not have to eat or taste everything that crosses our tables, though our temptations may tell us otherwise. In this Ramadan, let's strive to substitute unhealthy items with healthy foods. Keeping our food and drink intake to moderate and light levels also provides the added benefit of helping us to stay focused in prayers that follow Iftar and Suhoor rather than feeling physically uncomfortable and guilty of unhealthy eating. Remember, the prophet's food intake was very light and he (saws) said:"The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls, to keep him going. If he must do that (fill his stomach), then let him fill one third with food, one third with drink and one third with air." Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1381), Ibn Maajah (3349); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (2265)."

 

Use Time to your advantage

 

"Time" in Ramadan, as we all know, passes quickly. The prayers at their prescribed times, Taraweeh prayers, Iftar and Suhoor meals leave little time for other activities. To top it all off, by packing social activities in the remaining pockets, the time goes even faster. The amount of time spent on "food" related activities in Ramadan can become excessive. Add up the time for shopping for food, waiting to eat, preparing food, planning for all social activities related to food (e.g. Iftar) and the time spent socializing during the Ramadan feasts can compromise the spirit of Ramadan.

 

The theme of Ramadan – we should tell ourselves and others – is not supposed to be food, socializations, lavish iftar parties, and fashion shows. By not dedicating time to Quran, extra prayers, reflection and repentance, Dua to Allah, and so much more, we lose opportunities for personal atonement and heavenly rewards. Good deeds in this month get multiplied manifold. So, why not be careful with our time during Ramdan?

 

For this Ramadan, we should strive therefore to make a few deliberate and focused changes to collect more blessings and rewards. Rather than merely going with the flow of the family and the community members around us, we can plan to take charge of our time. By substituting self centered and social activities with Ramadan specific activities such as Quran recitations, extra prayers, dhikr, helping the needy, etc. we can hope and pray to get closer to Allah this time. Perhaps, that can help in washing away those sins that we accumulate courtesy of our temptations and unbridled desires.

 

Atonement for Sins

 

Ramadan is the month of seeking forgiveness from sins. It helps to ponder on how we accumulate sins, the way sins impact our lives, and how cleansing from them can make our life in this world and in the hereafter better. Sins are those roadblocks that we personally put on our own paths to worldly happiness and in the hereafter. We engage in those sins by the hour – daily, weekly and yearly. Yet, do we repent for those sins? Do we commit ourselves to not commit those sins again? Unfortunately, in many cases we are not even aware of committing those sins. Ramadan provides us the opportunity to ask for heartfelt forgiveness from those sins. The Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, "Every son of Adam sins and the best of the sinners are those who repent." (Ibn Maajah). In this Ramadan, let's strive not to be amongst those unfortunate ones who barely spend anytime reflecting on their sins and transgressions.

 

Training ourselves for prayer and masjid etiquettes

 

Ramadan is the month of prayers and Taraweeh. Through longer prayers and Quran recitation, Taraweeh provides us more time to be closer to Allah and listen to and ponder on Quran. By staying focused in a state of Khushu or piety for that long can be challenging, but longer prayers also provide the opportunity to correct and calibrate those Khushu levels every time our minds lose focus. Taraweeh prayers are not about merely taking credit to stand behind the Imam while he finishes the Quran in melodious recitations. Rather, Taraweeh is about understanding what is being recited and to become closer to the One for whom you made all that effort in the first place. By perfecting khusyu'(focus) levels during Taraweeh prayers we can extend this benefit to other prayers as well. After all, the reward for each prayer is proportional to the quality of our prayers.

 

According to Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) "The basic meaning of khushu' is softness of heart, tranquility, submission and humility. If the heart is properly focused in this manner, then the rest of the body will follow it in focus, because they follow it as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "In the body there is a piece of flesh which, if it is sound, the entire body will be sound, but if it is corrupt, the entire body will be corrupt. Verily it is the heart." Narrated by al-Bukhaari (25) and Muslim (1599)." Jaami' al-'Uloom al-Hukam (1/35). (Ref: islam-qa.com)

 

Remembering not to forget the "Remembrance of Allah"

 

Ramadan is about remembering Allah. Remembrance of Allah (also known as Zikr or dhikr) extends beyond the obligatory prayers to remembering Him at other times (when walking, driving, sitting, laying down, etc.). The benefits for reciting azkars are numerous but are not part of the scope of this post. Suffice it to remind ourselves, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Shall I not tell you of the best of your deeds, the most pleasing to your Sovereign, those that raise you most in status, and that are better than your giving gold and silver, ………….." They said: "Yes," He said: "Remembrance of Allah (dhikr), may He be exalted." Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (3373) and Ibn Maajah (3790); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.

 

While attaining the discipline to attend 5 obligatory prayers may be more common, many of us need to strive further to remember Allah outside those prescribed prayer times. It may be difficult at first to put that discipline in action. The prophet (SAWS) through his Ahadith has prescribed numerous prayers (about thanking Him, praising Him, seeking forgiveness, etc.) that we should recite during the day – outside the prescribed prayer times. But the point is to adopt a discipline to remember Allah through saying of those salutations in the various pockets that we find during the day. (See for a link on the side of this page where you can download a book of Azkar and Dua's).

 

So, with a little effort, we can change the theme of this month for ourselves and for our families. Let's strive to not make this the month of food or month of socializations and to instead substitute that time with activities, which are more in line with the spirit of Ramadan. Let's make use of this month to achieve taqawa, the ultimate objective of Ramadan.

 

Allah says in the Quran (interpretation of the meaning):

 

"O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)" – Quran [al-Baqarah 2:183]

 

Everything else that we do in Ramadan is just a means to that end. Let's constantly gauge our hearts and if our actions, deeds, and heart and soul are not attuned to Allah and to the spirit of Ramadan, we may have adopted a theme for this month not sanctioned by our prophet (saws).

 

May you have a happy Ramadan and that all our good deeds are accepted!

She’s Only A Mother

You never see the tears that she's about to cry -- 
instead she turns her head to hide them. 

You never see the times she stills away to her secret 
closet to pray -- 
instead she invites you in to just talk. 

You never see how her shoulders are sagging 
from heavy burdens -- 
instead she gives you those shoulders to cry on. 

You never see the aches in her heart 
when her children rebel -- 
instead she gives them more patience and love. 

You never see the hand she pulls back 
when she's rejected -- 
instead she continues to lend a "helping" hand. 

You never see the aches in her hands from grasping 
and holding on when she feels like giving up -- 
instead she folds those same hands and prays even more. 

You never see the aches in her knees and forehead from 
praying for others -- 
instead she spends even more time on her knees. 

You never see the fears she has of being 
a "disappointment" -- 
instead she prays for more power and a sound mind. 

You never see any of these things 
and she doesn't want you to-- 
After all, she's only "a mother". 

"Paradise lies beneath those tiring feet". 

'Not even 'Uff' must be signalled as abuse to her'. 

"Oh Allah have mercy on them as they were compassionate to me during childhood!" 

>> A poem which made me cry the first time I heard it. Back during Qiamullail at school when I was in form 3.

The Spectacles… and More!

I have been silent for more than three weeks now... (well, maybe almost four). Forgive me for the lack of articles for the past month.

The semester break is over, and yes, the leisure time's up. I had to admit, this semester is tougher than the last, and yes, more pressure to. Third year of university is definitely not a breeze. I hope to do well, too. So I have had to do quite a lot of studying compared to last semester.

The term 'busy' this semester, does not really focus on my studies only. This semester, I hope to focus fully on amal islami as well. Juggling the two together is, admittedly, quite a handful. Yet I hope I may be able to do it. No… correction. I hope that, with strength from Allah, I may be able to do it.

Anyways… here's an entry from me. Something which I hope will substitute for the month long silence.

The door creaked open. A 20-year old girl with a merry smile entered, humming a tune. She greeted her housemates cheerfully. Evidently, she was elated. The reason? She had just brought a new pair of spectacles. A very nice pair too, for it was quite expensive, and is said to last for quite a while.

From that day onwards, she wore the glasses unfailingly, spending most of her waking hours with them on. At least, other than the times when she was praying or taking a shower, that is.

One morning, waking up from sleep, she discovered that her spectacles were missing. She was not very worried, for she was forgetful sometimes, but her things would normally turn up again after a while. Yet the glasses did not turn up at all, even when she got worried and searched high and low for them.

As days go by, the girl felt at loss without her spectacles. Thankfully it was during the holidays, so she would not need her spectacles on to see her lecture notes. She had to admit though, that she had taken her spectacles for granted all this while. She had not really thought of thanking Allah for the spectacles that Allah gave her to use, nor did she utilize them fully to seek for Allah's pleasure.

A week after the incident, the girl made a new pair of spectacles. Putting them on, she was delighted that the world become so sharply focused, and she was able to see everything so clearly again. There is no need to squint in order to observe things, no second guessing who are around her, and no more leaning so near to the computer screen in order to see the screen well. Smiling, she repeatedly said alhamdulillah.

She can see everything easily now, with her spectacles on. This time, she vowed to thank Allah fully for them, and use them for His sake…

We have had received so many things in life from Allah. Some things which we use regularly and some which we cherish and keep carefully. Some which we enjoy daily and others we neglect. Yet how many of these gifts have we thanked Allah for? Did we even feel and believe that our belongings and possessions are really from Allah, to begin with? Did we feel the need to use these gifts as tools and methods to get closer to Him, and to obtain His love?

Let us sit back and ponder upon the bounties from Allah. Thank Him for them, before they are taken away from you. Utilize them well to gain His pleasure and to gain Jannah, before you were asked in the day of judgement, "What did you do with the many things He showered you with?" and you were unable to answer. Nauzubillah…

These gifts come in many different forms. It may be something as simple as a pair of glasses and a pair of shoes, or something we cherish, such as our laptops and hard disks, or something which Allah give to us alone, such as a special talent, or it may even be our intellect and even the gift of Islam. It may even be the ability to sleep, to be healthy, and to see and enjoy life itself. The list is endless.

Have we been thankful for all this and more?

Thank You, Allah!

"O Allah, forgive me for not thanking You for all the ni'mah (gifts) You have given me, the opportunities that You allow me to have, the family that You shower with Your love, the friends that care about me, the knowledge that You allow me to seek, and most importantly. For the gift of iman which You allow me to enjoy. Thank you, Allah, for all these, and many more… You are indeed the Most Gracious, Most Merciful."

This is an award from two friends, from quite a while ago.. thank you to both ukhtie Atiqah and ukhtie Sha (both of them gave me the same award). Jazakillahukhair to both of you..

This is all for now… please pray for me. I hope that, by His will, I may be able to write more soon, insyaAllah.

Wallahu'alam…

The Stranger

This is a story I had read when I was in secondary school. I had found it again by chance while browsing thru iluvislam.com. Hence I decide to share it here, for all of us to ponder.

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A few months before I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer, and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in our family. In my young mind, each member had a special niche. My brother, Bilal, five years my senior, was my example. Fatimah, my younger sister, gave me an opportunity to play big brother’ and develop the art of teasing. My parents were complementary instructors - Mom taught me to love the word of Allah, and Dad taught me to obey it. But the stranger was our storyteller. He could weave the most fascinating tales. Adventures, mysteries, and comedies were daily conversations. He could hold our whole family spell-bound for hours each evening.

If I wanted to know about politics, history, or science, he knew it. He knew about the past, understood the present, and seemingly could predict the future. The pictures he could draw were so life like that I would often laugh or cry as I watched. He was like a friend to the whole family. He took Dad, Bilal, and me to our first major league baseball game.

He was always encouraging us to see the movies and he even made arrangements to introduce us to several movie stars. The stranger was an incessant talker. Dad didn’t seem to mind but sometimes Mom would quietly get up while the rest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of faraway places, go to her room, and read her Qur’an and pray. I wonder now if she ever prayed that the stranger would leave.

You see, my dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions. But this stranger never felt an obligation to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our house - not for some of us, from our friends, or adults. Our longtime visitor, however, used occasional four letter words that turned my ears and made Dad squirm.

To my knowledge, the stranger was never confronted. My dad was a teetotaler who didn’t permit alcohol in his home, as good Muslims should. But the stranger felt like we needed exposure and enlightened us to other ways of life. He offered us beer and other alcoholic beverages often. He made cigarettes look tasty, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (probably too much, too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I know now that the stranger influenced my early concepts of the man-woman relationship. As I look back, I believe it was the grace of Allah that the stranger did not influence us more. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents. Yet, he was seldom rebuked and never asked to leave. More than thirty years have passed since the stranger moved in with the young family on Wangee Road.

He is not nearly so intriguing to my Dad as he was in those early years. But if I were to walk into my parents’ den today, you would still see him sitting over in a corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures… His name you ask? We called him TV.

Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and expiate from us our evil deeds, and make us die in the state of righteousness.

"O Allah, let our last days be the best days of our life and our last deeds be the best deeds, and let the best day be the day we meet You." (Surah Al- Imran Ayat 193)

********************************

[Written by a Muslim brother, for a nationwide essay competition in Canada. Needless to say, he took the first prize]

I Apologize

Assalamualaikum wbt... In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, most Merciful.

Just a post to say... I'm sorry. To everyone who know me, virtually or in reality. Sorry for any mistakes I had made. Sorry for the hurt I may have caused. And sorry if, by any chance, anything I had done had hurt or offend any of you, in any way.

For those who went to any schools, camps or workshops with me, and for those who travelled together with me during the holidays, I'm sorry if I was noisy. Sorry if I ask too many questions, interrupted too often, or talked too much.

I am me. Though I try to improve, I know that I cannot change all at once. Plus… what I do, at the time, was what I felt was right.

I talked of Islam, of da'wah, and tarbiyah, not because I am perfect. Nor because I am a girl who had done so much herself. No, I am also just a girl who still have much to learn. But I share, because I care. Because I would dearly love my friends to understand what these matters mean, and to get involved in working for Islam as well. Furthermore, I wish that we can work together, in upholding this deen, and meet again in Jannah, insyaAllah. For I know that, despite the hardships of this road, at the end, Allah had promised His Pleasure and His paradise. Also because I hope, that one day, if I forget, someone will be there to remind me, and pull me back up in this path.

Then again, I know that sometimes, I do say things which is inapropriate, or unnecessary. And sometimes, because I am too direct, I tend to say things that may hurt people. I am trying to improve, but this does take time. So, I apologize. I admit that I talk without thinking first, at times. Forgive me for that, as well.

There are many other things about me, weaknesses which I am trying to overcome, and strength that I intend to, hopefully, improve on. Forgive me for the weaknesses, and do remind me, to help me improve myself. I am me, and I cannot change overnight. For who I am now, is based on the past experiences I have, the places I travelled to, and the understandings and beliefs which I hold to. Yet, I am trying to improve, to be a better girl, a better daughter, a better friend, a better citizen, a better Muslimah, and most importantly, be a better servant to Allah. Thus, I welcome you to help me along the journey. Lead me on, and guide me towards His pleasure.

Before I end, I'd like to repeat, I am sorry, everyone.

And Jazakumullahukahiran kathira, to those of you who have helped me so far. May Allah reward your deeds…

Forgive me..

_humayra_