Beauty by Definition

assalamualaikum wbt. everyone!


How are you?  May Allah guide you, and me in the right path, towards eternal success, insyaAllah.


Today I would like to share a very nice video.  This brother made a poem, on 'beautiful'.  Very nice, masyaAllah.  But before you press the play button, I would like to ask you to take time and reflect for a while.. what is YOUR definition of beautiful?  


Think...


Think..


Okey, you can watch it now.. (^_^)

Hope you had watched it, and enjoyed it as much as I did.  Did it penetrate through your mind and have you re-define beauty as it had on me?  


A few highlights of the video...


Everyone loves beauty.  Everyone appreciates beauty, and wish to be beautiful.  Girls spend their time in front of the mirror, while guys try their best to look sharp in their ties, blazers and slacks.


Yet is that the limitation of beauty that we seek?  Is beauty, showing off sexuality, make-ups, injections, faking here and there?  Is that all there is?


But if the whole world was blind, then how many people would you impress??


Beauty by definition, should not be so vague.  If it is all up to sights.. then there must be a huge piece missing out of the whole picture.  Because beauty is obviously more than just about sights and smells.  It should be more than just face paints, hair dyes, and perfumes.


Love yourself first, before anyone else can love you.  And to love yourself, is to love The One of which to all love belongs.
Never thought of it this way... but yeah, in order to appreciate yourself, you must first appreciate your Creator and Sustainer.  The Most Beautiful.  Thus to be confident that Allah had made us, the best, is to love, and really feel that He, our Creator, is, first and foremost, The Best.  The Most Beautiful will indeed made us beautiful, as He loves beauty.  And thus we also realize that, because He created us, He'll know what's the best protection for us, to remain beautiful in His eyes.  Thus, we try our very best to obey Him.

Once, I've faced with a challenge.  Which opened up my own view of how some people view hijab, and of my own views and stand, too.  In primary school (Primary Four, if I'm not mistaken), I was once laughed at when a strong gust of wind blew and my hijab went right off.  Alhamdulillah, my friends back then were very supportive, and immediately surrounded me so that I can wear them properly again.  I was really mad at the boy who laughed.  And yes, a tad bit ashamed, too, at the time, perhaps.  But as I pondered upon the incident years afterwards, I guess... it was not his fault.  The boy is just a kid.  Stereotyping people is everywhere, and kids just follow others.  Yet , alhamdulillah, at the time, I have proudly persevered with my attire, for it represents me, as a Muslimah.  And I've to show that, despite what others say, I am not oppressed by what I choose to wear.  Without a doubt, his insults hurt.  I am just a kid.  But thankfully Allah sent me good friends who protect me and reassure that it is alright to practice what I understand. To backtrack a little, at the time, the Public School I went to had only two full time hijabis.  Me, and another Iranian girl who is two years older than I. Hence, his views and acts, were, I presume, an act done out of ignorance.  And yes, many others have faced much harder criticism and mockery than I had.  Undoubtedly.


Which brings me to this stanza: Maybe she doesn't even care what people think.  'Coz most people's opinion ain't even valid.


In this so called 'modern' world, so many people view hijab as oppression.  Others, in many parts of the Muslim society (even in Malaysia), view hijab as more of a fashion, rather than an act done willingly, in order to obey the Creator, because she truly understands and realize fully what the hijab meant for her.  Opinions, to girls, especially, seem to matter a lot, somehow.  "How do I look?  Is this zit so big that it showed?  Is my hair right today?"  are just some of the many questions girls ask themselves, again and again.  But through the hijab, Allah thought us to look at beauty in a different perspective.  Not as how others see you, but how did Allah look at you? What is His opinion?


The hijab should not just be a fashion sense.  Nor should someone wear them, just for the sake of obeying a teacher, or parents.  If so, then at another place, some other situation, at work, etc, she might just take them off again, because of what people see, because it is not the trend, or because of the weird way she's being seen.  


Enough of my own rants.  What is beauty to you?  Let's ponder and reflect.
May Allah bless....

Supplements, Pills… and Health

Bottles upon bottles of pills.  Some gel-like, others small, and some are huge.  Variety. Of different colours, too.  She took them, one by one, swallowing them faithfully.

No, don’t worry.  She’s not a drug addict.  Nor is she on slimming pills, frantically trying to loose weigh.

She had have a fever.  It had been almost a week now, and the fever does not really seem to improve, sadly.  Supplements?  She took four different kinds.  Drugs?  Well, she went to see her physician and got plenty.

That night, as she faithfully took some pills and drank them with water, a thought dawned on her.  Pills can never make her better.  She had been mistakenly pining her hopes upon them.

What?  Then what about all the medications that had been prescribed by doctors every day, and taken by so many people throughout the world?  They cannot make people better?  Then what’s the purpose of Pharmacists?  What about all the Pharmacies and Pharmaceutical companies everywhere?

Hold it… That is not exactly what I mean. 

As a health science student, I learned all about mechanisms of actions of drugs, the types, effectiveness and so on and so forth. 

What this girl realised is, that no matter how much drug she took, no matter how many different supplements she had, only her Creator was able to make her better.   That, she had somehow forgotten.

So… are the pills useless?  Absolutely not.  But they are just tools that we use, in order to try and get better.  At the end of the day, if she had indeed recovered, it is only with the help of Allah.  Although she did try numerous means to get well.

A very important thing to remember, that no matter what, ONLY IN ALLAH SHOULD WE PIN OUR HOPES.  Hopes to be happy, to get well, to get a job, to get good spouses, and so much more. 

Yes, put our hope on HIM, and HE alone will help you get better.  Because no matter how good a drug is, or how effective a herb is for the pain you face, only Allah can make them work for you.  Only Allah can defeat the bacteria or virus that is attacking your body.  When our defence system is weak, only Allah can help make them strong again. 

You don’t trust HIM?  Then who can you trust?  Because at the end of the day, in reality, Allah had indeed created you.  Every single cell of your body.  He knows, everything.  Everything that goes into our body and out of it.

Turn to Allah.  Not only at times of sickness.  But turn to Allah for everything.  In every phase of life.  For no matter what, HE knows best. 

Put hope in Him, pray, read the Quran, make zikrullah, and remember Allah, day and nights.  By the way… al-Quran is one of the best medication available.  It reconnects us to our Creator, and Sustainar.

~Sorry… an update that is long overdue from me.  Hope this is up to your expectation.  And most of all, I hope this serves as a reminder to you, and me.

May Allah bless.

The Three Heroes Who Failed

 
I was browsing through an old book of mine, and found this hadeeth (from Sahih Muslim):


Abu Hurairah reports that the Messenger of Allah PBUH said:


[The first hero]
    Certainly, the first person who will be judged on the Day of Resurrection will be a Shaheed (matyr). He will be brought before Allah, Who will then list the favors which were bestowed upon him (in the world), and the Shaheed will recognize them. Then (Allah) will ask, "What did you do with them?"
    He will reply, "I fought in Your cause and die as a Shaheed."
    But Allah will say, "You're lying. You only fought so people would call you brave, and so they said it."
   Then the command will be issued and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into hellfire.


[The second hero]
    Then a person who acquired and taught knowledge and recited the Quran will be brought before Allah, Who will remind the person of the blessings (he received) and he will recognize them. Then Allah will ask, "What did you do with them?"
    He will reply, "I acquired and taught knowledge and recited the Quran for Your sake."
    But Allah will say, "You're lying. You acquired knowledge only so people would call you a scholar and you recited the Quran only so they would call you a reciter, and so you were."
    Then the command will be issued and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into hellfire.


[The third hero]
    Then a person whom Allah had made influential and who was given riches would be brought forward and informed about the favours he received, and he will recognize them. Then Allah will ask, "What did you do with them?"
    He will reply, "I donated in every cause for You would have wanted me to."
    Allah will say, "You're lying. You only donated so that people would call you generous, and so they said it."
    Then the command will be issued and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into hellfire.

To sum it up all together, which of these heroes benefit from their efforts? Sure, they gain popularity and publicity in the Earth, but is it worth it? At the end of the day, although they seem to be doing good and noble acts, fighting for Islam, taught knowledge, recite the Quran, and donate to good causes, they fail to achieve happy ending in front of Allah.

Why so? Because the intentions of these men are not solely for Allah's sake. Hence, in spite of all their efforts and time, they are not rewarded in the next life.

Let us reflect back at our own life. We study, work all day, donate our time, money and efforts on good causes, but is it really for His sake? Or do we have, hidden deep inside, a hidden desire to become popular, rich or to show off? Let us check our intentions. Check our hearts. For our actions will be useless, unfortunately, had they not been for Allah alone. Sure, you might get good positions, be world-renown in this earth, but this world is a temporary abode, and the hereafter is forever. Never forget that vital fact.


"Verily the hereafter is better to you than the present." (ad-Dhuha:4)

Here's a du'a that we should recite often, as a safety measure to protect ourselves from misguided intentions..

The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught Abu Bakr a supplication by which we can ask Allah forgiveness when insincerity strikes us unawares. He instructed him to say: "O Allah! I seek refuge with you from associating partners with you knowingly and I seek your forgiveness for what I do unknowingly." [al-Bukhari]

What steps should you take in ensuring that your intentions remain pure? Do share! I'll write more regarding intentions in other posts, insyaALlah...


Source of Hadeeth: taken from What Islam is All About, by Yahya Emerick [original source: Sahih Muslim]

Trials and Tribulations

 
Troubles come and go. Sometimes it piles up, one on top of the other. At times, it feels like one cannot take it anymore. Sometimes, one just lets everything go. Shut down. Hibernate. Call it whatever you want. This is what happens, I guess.


 
But Allah is always there. Waiting for us to get back to him. Patiently, He waits. With gentle reminders, time and time again. "Get back on track." He whispers. A sudden, unexpected question from a friend. A timely sharing of article from another. A sudden drive to do what was obviously wrong, which works as though someone had just dumped a bucket of cold water on your face (the simile is weird, but yeah, that's how it seems).


 
All along, a flashing red light keeps sending warning signals inside my head. One that would have been noticed easily, had this girl been alright in the first place. Yet she keeps suppressing them, covering her eyes from the reality. "Ignore them. You're facing too much already as it is."


 
Yeah, that was the case, till a few days ago. Hence the hiatus. From blogging, from being the old me.


 
I snapped out of it, Alhamdulillah, with Allah's help. He pulled me through. Though everything is not completely over, it is indeed a much needed start. Have had a lot of damage control that needs to be done, though. A heart in need of repair. Thoughts to sort out, priorities to be set. And a multitude of repentance to Him, for time wasted, for neglecting to turn to Him in healing my wound.

 
But Alhamdulillah. Thank You Allah. For giving me the opportunity to go to the meet in that house up the hill. Where they had, unintentionally, reminded me, again and again, of my little heart that had been neglected. Thank You, Allah. For sending my old pal to hear me out. To tell me everything will be fine. Even though she had to lend her ears at midnight, when everyone else was asleep. When she had to wake up extremely early the next day. Most of all… thank You, Allah. For showing me the way, guiding me, puling me back, again and again, to the right way, when I stumble and fall.


 
Trials and tribulations come and go. Hopefully, the next time they come, I won't break down like I had this time. Hopefully, the next time they come, I turn to Him first, instead of wasting a whole lot of time dealing with them with my emotions. Next time, hopefully, I checked my connections with Allah in my heart first, before dealing with it any other way. 

Need to check my heart... how is its connections with Allah??

Next time anything comes up, I hope, I can remember this verse:

"Or do you think that you shall enter the Garden (of Bliss) without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They encountered suffering and adversity and were so shaken in spirit that even the Messenger and those of faith who were with him cried: "When (will come) the help of Allah?" Ah! verily the help of Allah is (always) near." (al-Baqarah: 214)

Yeah, life in this world is full of tests. Otherwise, how will we be able to gain Jannah?

Allah knows what's best for us. Always.  And He knows, what is going on with our life.  More than we do, actually.

 This time round, Allah had shown me, again and again, that He is most Merciful. Apparently I forgot that, too… (yeah, it is so easy to say them. But when it boils down to the need to understand them in my heart, I forget, sometimes.)

"Say: "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (az-Zumar: 53)

 
Sharing this for anyone who is going through the same thing. May Allah guide us, and help us all remain in the right path, no matter what comes our way. Writing this down, so that I can be reminded again in the future, too. If there comes a time when the going gets rough. And sharing this, so that each of us are reminded. That we have an important duty as a friend: to help our friends out when they face with difficulties. No, not in terms of money, but even lending an ear to listen to their woes helps a lot. If you are far away, or when you are nearby, send them a prayer once a while. It makes a whole lot of difference to a person. Indeed.

  
May Allah guide us all. For without His guidance, we are nothing, nothing at all…



I might be talking in a riddle, today. But I hope the message got through, anyway.

May Allah bless.

~ English: Pronunciation Test and some... ~

Assalamualaikum everyone...


First of all... forgive me for leaving this blog in a hiatus for so long.. will try and update some stuff soon, insyaALlah.  I'm currently writing up an article, so it will be posted soon, insyaAllah.  


Meanwhile, to all Muslim friends, blog readers and followers, here's something for you:

and here's something a senior of mine posted on facebook the other day, which I found to be very interesting. An English pronunciation test, which was first found on a British newspaper (no credits goes to me, evidently! I'm just sharing it with you..)

I take it you already know

Of tough and bough, and cough and dough?

Some may stumble, but not you,

On hiccough, thorough, slough and through?

So now you are ready, perhaps,

To learn a less familiar traps?

Beware of heard, a dreadful word

That looks like beard and sounds like bird.

And dead, it's said like bed not bead;

For goodness' sake, don't call it deed!

Watch out for meat and great and threat.

(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt.)

A moth is not a moth in mother, 

Nor both in bother, broth  in brother.

Can you pronounce the bold-ed words correctly?

If so, hurrah for you!

If not, check the dictionary for further explanation.

Haha, enjoy.!

Hope you enjoyed that. I had. ^^

May Allah bless

Count Your Blessings!

I did not go to my practical clinic session today.  I had a headache. Some sort of fever, and very runny nose.  It's been on and of for a while, around ten days, perhaps.  But some days are indeed worse than others.  Well, today seems like one of the bad days...

With my head pounding, it gets me thinking of the days.  The days when I am healthy and energetic.  Well, looking back, I feel bad.  Because I often forget to thank ALlah for the many days I am well.  I did not utilize the time He gave me being healthy, to its maximum.  Caught guilty, indeed.

In a way, although being sick is not nice, it serves as a sharp reminder.  A reminder to utilize time to the fullest.  A reminder, to count your blessings, and really thank The Most Gracious for them.  A reminder, that we are indeed so fragile, and so weak, that we do really need Allah at every step of the way.

I'm reminded of a hadeeth (not the exact translation):

 Remember five before five: the times you are healthy, before you are sick.  The times you are young, before old.  When you are rich, before you are poor. The times you are free, before you are busy. And life, before your death.

 I actually have a lot to do...just to reflect for a while.   Hoping for your du'as.

Going back to my piles of assignments and study (exam is coming up!).

May Allah bless.  Assalamualaikum...

Jamuan Raya... Do forgive me!

Assalamualaikum....

I didn't go. so sorry to let you guys down. I know, it is indeed the last year we'll enjoy Hari Raya together as students, hence the last jamuan Raya as a class, too. But can't go. Because to me it didn't seem right.

Lasting memories..
Thanks a lot everyone!
Love u all, for HIS sake...

Yeah, it does not seem right.  To my principles, at least.  Of what I understand of how Allah allows me to deal with different genders.  Yes, I know, my views might be rigid.  Yet this is what I hold on to, since I was in school.  What I try to uphold, despite failing to do so, many times these years in university.  

What is it that I try to hold on to?  That Allah s.w.t.'s words "do not come near zina" entails me to limit my communication with the opposite gender.  No, not that I cannot be friends with men, but I try to deal with men, when required.  This does not mean that I don't care what happens to my classmates of the different gender. I do care.  But it means limiting unnecessary talks, discussions, and laughter.  This is how I understand, from my teachers and parents, since form 3.  This, is where I learn and draw my own guideline to my social rules.

As I said, I failed so many times already.  No one else's fault but mine, of course.   The chatterbox who enjoys chatting to people, and laugh quite often, too.  Yet I tried my hardest to stay true to this principle.  Truth be told, each time I realized I went way overboard (in my own view) I was sad.  Really sad.

Thus I decide not to come.  Not because I care not.  Not because of the many loads of assignments (oh, I know, you have as much as I do, if not more!).  I love all of you, a lot.  I wish to spend time with you guys too, share and build up memories of the times we have together as classmates.  But to me the Jamuan is against my principles, and I believe that Allah does not allow me to be part of it.   I have so many faults, that I dare not pile them up, and get Allah angry. 

Forgive me!  and I love you all, and I pray, that Allah will give all of us, you and me, happiness and blessings, here and in the next life.  

Let us try our fullest to live the way he wants, and love HIM, above all else.

May ALlah bless!