Faith

A man just got married and was returning home with his wife. They were crossing a lake in a boat, when suddenly a great storm arose.

The man was a warrior, but the woman became very much afraid because it seemed almost hopeless:

The boat was small and the storm was really huge, and any moment they were going to be drowned. But the man sat silently, calm and quiet, as if nothing was happening.

The woman was trembling and she said : “Are you not afraid ? This may be our last moment of life! It doesn’t seem that we will be able to reach the other shore. Only some miracle can save us; otherwise death is certain. Are you not afraid? Are you mad or something? Are you a stone or something?”

The man laughed and took the sword out of its sheath.

The woman was even more puzzled: What he was doing?

Then he brought the naked sword close to the woman’s neck, so close that just a small gap was there, it was almost touching her neck.

He said :” Are you afraid ?”

She started to laugh and said :” Why should I be afraid ?,If the sword is in your hands, why I should be afraid? I know you love me.”

He put the sword back and said, : “This is my answer. I know God Loves me, and the storm is in His hands SO WHATSOEVER IS GOING TO HAPPEN IS GOING TO BE GOOD.

If we survive, good; if we don’t survive, good ,because everything is in His hands and He cannot do anything wrong. ”

Allah( Subhana wa taaala) say’s in the Quran :

“But it may happen that ye hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that ye love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, ye know not” (Quran, 2:216).

Make a habit of saying Alhamdulillah and acknowledge Allah in everything you do. It’s very easy to forget and to neglect this. Acknowledging Allah as often as possible will save you from becoming selfish, self-centered and proud.

Therefore, Brothers and Sisters, always be optimistic and respond with “Alhamdulillah” and Remember that Everything happens with you is for GOOD. — 

Alhamdulilah [“Praise be to Allah.”] – الْحَمْدللّهِ

Source: Unknown

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Shaikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi , U.A.E.

Last year during Eid Al Adha holidays I went with my family to visit The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, popularly called the Grand Mosque by local residents. It’s said to be one the most beautiful in the world-  initiated no less by the late president HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who is fondly thought of as the father of the UAE.

Natural materials were chosen for its design and construction due to their long-lasting qualities, including marble, stone, gold, semi-precious stones, crystals and ceramics.

An equally impressive interior design complements the Mosque’s awesome exterior. Italian white marble and inlaid floral designs adorn the prayer halls and the Mosque’s interior walls have decorative gold-glass mosaic features, particularly delicate on the western wall. The main glass door of the Mosque is 12.2 metres high, 7 metres wide and weighs approximately 2.2 tonnes.

The 99 names (qualities) of Allah featured on the Qibla wall exemplify traditional Kufi calligraphy, designed by the prominent UAE calligrapher – Mohammed Mandi. The Qibla wall also features subtle fibre-optic lighting, which is integrated as part of the organic design.

I remember praying here (pic below). Since it was quite hot outside so coming in this room for prayer was pure bliss. We prayed here our Asr prayer:

The best thing I found about the mosque were it’s chandeliers. In fact, one lady (a visitor too) at the mosque told me they were the largest chandeliers in the world. Now, I am not sure whether it’s true but anyway I don’t mind believing that I saw the world’s largest chandelier 🙂 . The Mosque features seven 24-carat gold-plated chandeliers which were imported from Germany, all designed with thousands of Swarovski crystals. The largest of these chandeliers, which hangs from the main dome of the Mosque, is considered the biggest in the world; it measures 10 metres in diameter, 15 metres in height, and eight-to-nine tonnes in weight.

Since it was the holiday season there were many tourists at the mosque. We didn’t really got much information about the mosque and just headed there randomly due to which we had to go through the same places of the mosque 5 times! The mosque’s quite big – The Mosque can accommodate up to 40,960 worshippers from its prayer halls and courtyard.

Najma Aijaz, 20-2-2012

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The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed

I recently read The Perfect Mentor (Pir e kamil in urdu version). I read it in urdu version. The book here is Pakistan has gained so much popularity that it has been translated in English.
What is next to ecstasy?’ ‘Pain.’ ‘And what is next to pain?’ ‘Nothingness.’ ‘What is next to nothingness?’ ‘Hell! The place which has nothing ahead…… everything is left behind…… There’ll come a time when all this will make sense to you…… and you’ll never ask anyone what is next to ecstasy.’ Pir-e-Kamil has a message for everyone…. there comes a moment in life when one has to decide between light and darkness.. Even in light one needs to tread carefully because once in the darkness it makes no difference whether one can or cannot see. But sometimes there is a second chance, one may repent and trace back his steps to light. At this point the only solace is the voice that guides and leads to light, the voice of The Perfect Mentor.

The writer of this book is Umera Ahmed. Umera Ahmed is a novelist, short story writer and scriptwriter based in Sialkot. She did her Masters in English Literature from Murray College, Sialkot. She served in the Cambridge wing of Army Public College, Sialkot, as a teacher, before writing for the electronic media. She has authored 21 books so far, comprising novels, compilations of short stories and plays. Seven of her TV drama serials have received awards.

Here’s another excerpt from the book:

Salaar never before had felt as remorseful,as regretful,as he was feeling now about the dark chapter of his life.’Why?Why…..?Why did I come here?Why did I buy these women…….?Why didn’t I awaken to the awareness of sin?’he lamented,sitting by the roadside holding his head.And now……..now,when I’ve left this,so why…….why now…….this pain,why am I feeling it now?I know that I have to answer for all my deeds……..But Oh!God,please don’t hold me accountable here………….not in this manner.Don’t render to this bazaar the woman I love.’
He stopped crying—-the revelation dawned on him and that too,where,and how!
‘Love?’ he mumbled,unbelieving,gazing at the passers by.’Do I……….do I love her?’He had trembled.’Am I feeling this pain only because…………Is it remorse or something else…..?’he had debated.He felt as though he would never be able to get up from there.’So it isn’t remorse,it is love,which I’m chasing.’He felt almost lifeless.
‘Was Imama a thorn in my heart or an obsession?’The tears were still flowing down his cheeks.’And looking for this woman in this bazaar my feet had trembled because in the recesses of my heart I had placed her on a very high pedestal-a place,so high,that I couldn’t find her myself.

Najma Aijaz, 19-02-2012

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Easy way of getting rid of ones bad deeds

I recently read a book named Noor e hidayat .  One article of this book was about how we can easily get rid of our bad deeds. As soon as I read this title on the index I soon began reading it and was amazed at what was written. The book is in Urdu so I won’t be able to  write it in the exact way, I will try to summarize. The way it’s written in the book is way more interesting and in depth. Nevertheless I am eager to convey it’s message.

The sign of forgiveness is that after you repent (tauba) for your bad deeds you stop doing them. What kind of tauba will it be if even after that the bad deed remains.

Hakeem Raham’ Allah says so rightly that Quran’s every ayat has this specialty of healing disease.

Surah Al Furqan 25: 70-71 was also written in the article and it’s said that the ayat explains that asking for forgiveness (tauba) will convert our bad deeds to good ones (hasanat) (rewards).

When a true believer will get to know this above statement, he/she will truly develop a desire in his/her heart to ask for forgiveness. No matter how the believer’s deeds are, he/she will surely develop at least the slightest desire in himself/herself to ask for forgiveness.

When Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala ) is saying with so much love that you ask for tauba and he will convert the bad deeds no matter what they are, to hasnat (good ones) then how can there be a momin who won’t have even a slightest of desire in his heart to ask for forgiveness?

After reading this ayat , our hearts which had the desire for doing bad deeds, now have the desire of asking for forgiveness. Has not the Quran healed then?

We are all drowned in our bad deeds as said by Hakeem Al Imat Rahma Allah so we truly need to apply this ayat.  No matter how good a muslim we are, we all have our bad deeds. Are you free from bad deeds? Could declare yourself pure?

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is sitting with his companions and he says ya kul lo kum khat ta oon (you all are wrong doer’s or with bad deeds). Imagine companions are sitting and he says this. We all know how great and pious his companions were.  So can we call ourselves as pure?  Pure is the being of Allah. Therefore, Tauba is essential for everyone of us.

Hakeem Al Imat Rahma Allah says when you do a bad deed, ask for forgiveness. You do the bad deed with so much concentration then can’t use your heart and tongue to say Astaghfar after that? 

Arif Billah Hazrat Arfi Rehma Allah used to say this as well repeatedly that after bad deed say aftaghfar. Keep committing the bad deed and keep saying Astaghfar (tauba). You just have to say it with your tongue and heart. And This is the easy way.

We all keep ignoring the righteous path considering how difficult it is to apply and we have all sorts of reasons. Committing bad deeds appear easy to us. No matter what it is, all this article was suggesting and saying again and again that if you can’t stop committing a bad deed then don’t. All you have to do this say Astaghfar after it.

Hazrat Arfi Rahma Allah says if you can’t get rid of your bad deeds then keep committing them but ask for forgiveness. Then he said which of them has more power over each other… the bad deed or astaghfar (forgiveness)? Who will win? He said bad deed is done by the human  and forgiveness will be granted by Allah (Subhan Allah) and therefore it’s limitless.  That’s why Astaghfar will be carrying more weight and you will get of your bad deed for sure inshaAllah.  He suggests that why don’t you start from now.  Whenever you ‘feel’ you have done some thing wrong, that you have committed a bad deed, then do tauba, ask for forgiveness. Why can’t you. Anyone can.. easily can. 

The article’s long and emphasized on asking for forgiveness repeatedly even if you keep committing the deed. It also says whether you do notice it’s good effects in your life or  you fail to notice it, just continue doing it.

May Allah ( Subhanahu wa Taala )  grant us the ability to ask for forgiveness and forgive us. Ameen

Najma Aijaz 15-02-2012

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Who should be the one we should look up to?

Dear readers,

This post is written by a classmate, friend, person I know since school, a very good friend and a very nice person. He has guest posted for my blog. I personally loved reading his post and the message that he’s conveying here.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, I start this post.

 

“On the road I saw a small girl, cold and shivering in a tattered dress, with no home, no family and little hope. I became angry and said to God: Why did you let this happen? Why don’t you do something?

 

For a while God said nothing, then that night he quietly replied, ‘I did do something- I made you.”

 

The above isn’t written by me. I read it and thought of using it. I will first apologize about the fact that what I am going to write might not be very coherent. There is a lot to be said, and I am not sure how to say it.

I look around me, and I see the world waiting for a hero. For a messiah. I look around me and I see tears. And I see people waiting for someone to come and rub them. I look around me and I see questions. Questions that aren’t yet answered. I look within me and realize, if not me then who? If not now, then when?

All of us have a lot of potential and this mainly goes out to the youth and to me first. Get off the couch and start doing something. Having good intentions is great, but what is the point of it if you are not following it with good actions. It is time for us to play our roles and take on responsibility. It is time for us to be doing things instead of just reacting to things happening around us.

Before fulfilling our roles I would want to talk about role models. When I look at my generation and the kids younger to me, one reason we youth are where we are, is because we have the wrong role models. Movie stars, singers, and people who will do anything to get popular – why are these our role models? What happened to Gandhi and Churchill and Malcolm X? More importantly, what happened to Muhammad [Peace Be upon Him], oh young Muslims? Why isn’t he our role models? Why isn’t Abu Bakr, Umar Farooq, Ayesha, Khadija our role models? Why do boys know everything about Brad Pitt and nothing about Bilal, and girls know everything about Aishwarya but nothing about Aasiya? Have the right role models. Know your role models and suddenly your role in life becomes clearer.

Our role in life:

I am a Muslim youth and what I am writing will be mainly for them. Please get rid of the desi mentality that many of our families and extended families have, of being religious when you come of age. That age being 40+ [or even more]. Our role in life is to please Allah. That doesn’t mean you do not do anything worldly [or for this dunia]. Do it in a way that you are not going to compromise on your religion, on your ideals.

Stop putting yourself, your happiness, your surroundings first and start thinking even bigger. Forget the self. Kill that ego. Learn to compromise on happiness. Stop being selfish. No one ever took anything with them to the graves and neither will we, except for our deeds. Again, as I have written before, know your role models and your role in life will become clearer. Read about them. About their time and the trials they faced. What they did in a 24 hour period. And start doing them. Did they just care for themselves? Or did they make sure that their neighbors’ ate food and only then did they fill their stomachs. If every Muslim/human starts taking responsibility and start playing their role then there won’t be girls like the one mentioned in the beginning of the post.

Taking responsibility:

And finally I will round this post up by talking about responsibilities. We are living at a time where giving excuses and finger pointing someone else and blaming them has become the norm. For things to change, take responsibility. Mother Teresa, very wisely quoted that if all of us cleaned our doorsteps, the world would be a beautiful place. Take responsibility. Do your bit, even if it is less. Actions that are consistent will bring results, for sure.

Finally, I do realize that it is easier said than done. Whenever I write a blog post, it is first and foremost for me, than before someone else. We have all lived quite eventful lives, and it is time to learn from our mistakes and be our very best so that the world is a better place to stay.

I will just summarize what this whole post has been about: Know your roles, choose your role models wisely, learn about your role models, clarify your roles, don’t shun your responsibilities, and always put others before self and strive to do more than what is expected out of you. 

Mohammad Yasin 27th January 2012

http://wakeupandsmellthelassi.wordpress.com/

 

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