too many thoughts

Our guest is coming soon inshaAllah

2010-08-09T11:12:00.003-12:00

Salaams! few days away from the arrival of our beloved guest , the month of Ramadhaan,who will bring us loads of gifts, inshaAllah cant wait, may it be their best stay ever ameen

wasalam

2010-07-02T06:39:00.004-12:00

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem,

Assalamu Alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh

Hope you are all well inshaAllah,

So its like this, since you were 14 you wanted to be a teacher and that was your goal in life. You took inspiration from some beautiful teachers around you,who did the job so well and you had also hoped that you too can be like them and share that energy,quirkiness and confidence. You even told your teacher you wanted to do what they did and so after the initial shock they provided you with the neccesary information. You had dreamt that in few years time you would be in front of that classroom inspiring many-you'd even had your outfit planned.

So you go along in life and go through your compulsary education, go through college and then university. You take a year out to think about what your next move is and then you go on to get a teaching qualification (sort of). You perhaps didn't think it through properly as much as you should have and ended up with the wrong type of qualification and need to further study to get a qualified status. You try a hand at teaching anyway and though its hardwork,demanding and low paid (at certain institutions) you love doing it, when it goes right you glow from within. This goes on for some time and you have to analyse once again what your next move is. This is when it hits you, do you still have the same ambition? Would a profession in mainstream teaching suit you? Do you have the organisation skills, the ability to control a group of 30 or so teenagers with raging hormones? Is it worth having a profession where alot of your personal time will be taken in planning,marking and preparing and anything else under the sun? Yes, your intentions were noble, you had wanted to make a difference in people's life, get satisfaction from your job and a legacy behind. You also think of your future children, a teaching job would not only allow you to get get school holidays with them but you want to make them proud of their mummy. Thier mummy didn't just chase good pay, she made a contribution to the society they live in and she did something she loved.

You think if its possible of other pathways you could take to still have a fulfilling job yet it doesn't take your personal time as much. It may be possible, you think , working with youth or community projects can have the same satisfaction. The jobs are paid better and once its time to go home you leave work behind, it wont come home with you in the form of marking piles and lesson plans.

Your heads almost spinning at this point and your not sure what route to take, you perform ablution, find a quiet moment, take out your prayer mat and prostrate. You seek counsel with your Lord, who has created you and knows you better than yourself. You know that once you have sought His guidance you'll be ok. His got your back. Alhamdulillah. (Praise be to God)

Please refer to du'a for istikhara in Hisnul Muslim or simialr du'a books for the actual supllication and ettiquettes.

May Allah always take care of our affairs and not leave us dealing with our own affairs, not even for a blink of an eye ameen.

wasalam

please do remember me and the ummah in du'as

P.s The Credits for photos go toa budding new artist aka my 4 year old nephew.

Simple Pleasures

2010-05-16T02:57:00.002-12:00

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh,

Lately I've been rather stressed over a few things in my life and I ask you all to please make du'a for me and my family. But that lead me to think about some of life's simple things that gives me pleasure , I love a simple life. So I'm sitting here on a sunny, Sunday afternoon making the following list: (in no particular order)

* Animals but particularly baby animals(kittens, chicks, lambs,)

* The smell of freshly washed clothes

* Newly made bed

*Walking barefoot on sand or grass

* Watching a surise or sunset

*A funny or cute text

*Looking through magazines for recipes

* A cool, refreshing drink on a warm, sunny day

*Seeing my parent relax

* Colourful, bright flowers especially in a beautiful garden

* A nice walk in the park with the birds, or by the sea or through country fields

*Smell of perfume oils

* Bike rides

* A lovely evening breeze

*Spring

*Seeing my parents laugh or relax

*My nephew when he says 'I love you'

*New stationery

*Eating fruit or veg from my garden

* Watching snow

I've left out acts of worship as I wanted to keep that personal inshaAllah, between me and my Lord . This has been fun might carry it on sometime inshaAllah :-)

until next time wasalam

To Queen aka bangladeshi wife aka my shunar moni xxx

2010-05-11T22:49:00.005-12:00

Ishara

Boloto kar isharai

Hashe chaad akashe

Jonake de je alo

Mayabe abeshe

(Tell me on whose gesture

Does the moon in the sky smile?

With the firefly glowing

In an air of enchantement)

Who made the clouds come by

So we can live and be

Sending rain, so mild

Cleansing you and me

Who gave me clear eyes to see

The moon when it beams

He taught me how silent love can be

A road to your dreams

Summer 2009

2010-05-05T04:13:00.005-12:00

assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh, This is just a glimpse of last summer I wonder what Summer 2010 will bring inshaAllah

The day I got to meet White African

2010-04-18T03:13:00.004-12:00

assalamu alaikum everyone hope everyones fine

Yesterday I got to meet someone special from blogland mashaAllah! I was at a conference and was looking at the doorway where a face looked very familiar to me so I started thinking 'where have a seen this face before?' then I realised it was on a blog... and the person was no other than White African !!! Check her blog over at: (ok i cant seem to put the link up check out my bloglist on the side)

As she passed me I was assalamu alaikum and started to smile, then I realised she wouldn't know who I am duh! So I quickly tried to introduce myself, 'I'm eternal peace'. Later that afternoon we were in the same workshop and was able to chat mashaAllah. The workshop itself was wonderful and we got share many laughs aswell as tears.

White African sis I'm not sure if you get to read this but if you do then mashaAllah I'm really glad to have met you, though I hadn't met you before it was like I already knew somewhat due to your blog. Meeting online friends in 'real life' is a topic for another post really theres just so much in it! May Allah love you sis and all the other wonderful blogger friends ameen

Remember me in your du'as folks

wasalam

Hijab Anniversary

2010-03-31T23:59:00.003-12:00

salaams all

Hope everyone is well inshaAllah, the easter holidays have started and this takes me back 10 years during this time when I decided to finally wear the headscarf outside my house. I decided its time I share my hijaab story.

I had been pondering for about a year or so before about covering my hair with a headscarf, I knew it was something that I should do to please my Lord yet I still couldn't face all my friends and teachers at school with it on. Though I went to a school with a Muslim majority where a lot of girls wore the headscarf I still thought people will think I'm a different person. I worried that once i wore it there was no going back. That was it. From now people will see my heard wrapped in a scarf whether it be at school, at family gatherings, weddings. I thought the headscarf would overshadow every occasion and event I went to. It was something that my Madressah teacher also pushed me towards, though looking back i'm not sure if that was a right approach or not but it was definatley a factor that effected my decision in wearing the headscarf. So every morning I used to get up,get ready for school and say to myself 'today is the day' but I remember bailing out a few times, until one day I kept it on and walked to school. My best friend was overjoyed as she wore it and encouraged me towards it aswell, other people gave me encouragement and some teachers asked why I did so. Before and also during the holidays was a taster for me in wearing the headscarf but after the holidays it was here to stay.

Since then I wore the headscarf to school, school trips, out shopping, school award evenings. I did take it off during one school trip to London I remember and this brother while walking past gave salaam to my friend who wore a headscarf, I was gutted he didn't offer me salaam and knew he would have if I wore the scarf as I would have been a visible Muslim.

My hijaab went through many phases, it all started with the headscarf (note so far I have called it a headscarf rather than hijaab because looking back I feel I didn't meet all the requirements of hijaab) I continued to wear my jeans and short tops and felt as long as I was covered and had a headscarf I was fine. Also during family gatherings and weddings the headscarf became non existant, as when I used to get ready and look around most of my relatives didn't have it on and so I too took it off. Though my school friends and teachers knew me as wearing hijaab the sad fact was that alot of relatives and family friends didn't associate it with me as they never saw me with it unless they had seen me out shopping! Alhamdulillah through Allah's guidance I slowly began to realise what I had been doing was wrong and it was during my university years that my external hijaab started to change. I started to look deeper at the deen and I have to say mashaAllah Islam channel,Isoc events and some great sisters contributed greatly towards it. I now started to wear the hijaab when I should,(when non mahrams visited my house, mixed weddings, family gatherings),at this point i started wearing longer tops,tunics and looser trousers. Gradually my take on modestly had developed until I started wearing an abayah and i still do most of the time. Though I know the abayah is not the only modest way to dress it did the job for me mashaAllah, it was so convenient for me as I could just pull it over what I was wearing and wear any colour scarf on top,grab my jacket and bag and I was ready to go. When I first started wearing a headscarf I mostly wore black square scarves as they were readily avaialable and matched my school uniform. Right now in my wardrobe my scarves are in so many different colours, I have black,red,white,cream,beige,gold,pink,blue,green,purple,lilac,grey,brown,silver as now alhamdulillah scarves of every design and colour are available in mainstream shops aswell as Islamic. The hijaab and jilbaab industry has grown quite rapidly over the yearss and I notice more and more sisters taking on the hijaab-Alhamdulillah.

I have realised how long this post has been so i'll end here inshaAllah but before I do a point I want to make is that I understand I have discussed my journey through donning the external hijaab only but this is not to undermine the status of the hijaab in our character and how we interact with people and our humblness before our Creator, I pray Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'la increases our understanding in both types of hijaab(external and internal), may He grant us modestly,humbleness, accept our deeds and forgive our wrongdoings aameen.

until next time wasalam

running through my head

2010-02-18T01:28:00.003-12:00

sometimes I feel overwhelemed with everything I have/want to/should do in life and I find it difficult to priortise,right now I'm finding it hard to juggle everything in my life though its half term right now I should feel relaxed instead some mornings I wake up in panic remembering what I have to do, look for a job,do the planning and preparation for the current job,go to my islamic classes and do the homework,organise stuff i need to for my voluntary stuff, be a good dutiful daughter,catch up with family and friends,look after myself,my health and diet,tide and organise my stuff....
then sometimes i look at other women,other sisters who have jobs,study are fulltime mothers and wives and daughters and daughter in laws and think subhanAllah HOW DO YOU DO IT?

if anyone has any tips or advise please do share
please remember me in du'as
wasalam

EID UL ADHA 2009

2009-11-28T08:14:00.002-12:00

EID MUBARAK EVERYONE!!!

I hope everyone had a brillaint time with their loved ones and remembered the ummah on du'as.

A Yearning for Hajj

2009-11-20T10:24:00.006-12:00

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh

InshaAllah you are all in the best of health and highest of eemaan

The great days of Dhul-Hijjah began on Wednesday 18th November alhamdulillah. I'm not going to talk about these days in terms of what we should do because I will advice you to please read the following entries by fellow bloggers to understand its significance and importance:

http://alternativeentertainment.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/the-first-ten-days-of-dhu%E2%80%99l-hijjah-2/

http://diaryofamuslimgirl.blogspot.com/

http://muslimmatters.org/2009/11/17/retread-the-10-best-days-yasir-qadhi-video/ (theres a post and a link to Shaykh Yasir Qadhi video here)

http://www.happymuslimah.com/

http://www.igotitcovered.org/

Though all the links have information and advice regarding these days they are varied so i advise that you try read all of them,they arent too long!(honest)

For me when Eid-ul-Fitr ends and the talk of hajj begins and people start preparing for it thats when i start to feel a little sad. The reason being is that I have never been to hajj or to umrah and the emotions I have from the previous years are rekindled again and I begin to yearn for hajj.

Again this year i've been relying on good old Islam channel(Sky 813) and been watching it live twice a day whenever I can catch up with it. The vision of the millions of people performing tawaaf around the ka'bah,praying at the Harem where the reward of praying one salaah is multiplied many times and people drinking zam zam water,all just make me yearn for hajj and its experience. I imagine being there and seeing the ka'bah for the first time,how emotional would that be. Another aspect is the demonstration of unity of the muslim community,the ummah during hajj overwhelms me as everyones purpose is ONE,thier clothes is ONE,and their call is ONE.

I also think of the historical significance. The place and its link with the prophets (peace be upon them). It is the place where Ibraheem (AS) was commanded by his Lord to leave his wife Hajrah and baby son Ismaeel(peace be upon them) and she ran between the hills of Safa and Marwa to look for water. Allah has honoured her and now all the millions that perform Hajj be they men or women follow her footsteps and also run from Safa and Marwa. The water of Zam Zam that Ismaeel(Peace be upon him) was blessed with is still drunk every day by millions without running out subhanAllah.

It is also offcourse the place where our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him,his family and companions)was born,the place where he got married and lived together with our mother Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) The mountain of Hira where the Prophet (Peace be upon him) recieved the first revelation. Scared he ran to his beloved wife Khadijah,and she comforted him.It was the place where the enemies of Islam tortured many muslims and place of Islam's first matyr,Summayah (May Allah be pleased with her). Many years later it was the place where the Prophet(Peace be upon him) returned and took over Makkah,yet he was a humble with his eyes down and offering amnesty to those who tortured him,his family and companions for years before.

And offcourse most importantly its a command by Allah to perform hajj for those who can afford it and are physically able to do so. I was watching an interview with brother Baba Ali from ummah films and he said he and his wife saved money in an envelope for hajj and it took them 8 years mashaAllah.I pray that one day I will be in the position to go hajj inshaAllah and that Allah accepts it ameen. I pray that Allah grants all the hujjaj and accepted hajj,and gives all those who haven't been yet the ability and strength to do so ameen.

I have to remind myself though of the importance of these days and even though i'm not at hajj I can still do plenty here inshaAllah and gain Allah's love,pleasure and forgivness inshaAllah. May Allah keep my intentions pure and save me from all types of evil ameen.

All that I have said which was good is from Allah and all that I have said which was bad is from me and shaytaan and may Allah forgive me for it ameen.

Please remember me in du'as everyones and inshaAllah i hope we ALL take advantage of these days.

Until next time inshaALlah
wasalam

Selection of Du'as from the Holy Qur'an

2009-11-17T07:15:00.003-12:00

رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُّسْلِمَةً لَّكَ وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَآ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ
التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ

Our Lord! Make of us Muslims, bowing to Thy (Will), and of our progeny a people Muslim, bowing to Thy (will); and show us our place for the celebration of (due) rites; and turn unto us (in Mercy); for Thou art the Oft-Returning, Most Merciful
[2:128]

Rabbana wa-j'alna Muslimayni laka wa min Dhurriyatina 'Ummatan Muslimatan laka wa 'Arina Manasikana wa tub 'alayna 'innaka 'antat-Tawwabu-Raheem

رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
[البقرة :

Our Lord! Grant us good in this world and good in the hereafter, and save us from the chastisement of the fire
[2:201]

Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan wa fil 'akhirati hasanatan waqina 'adhaban-nar

رَبَّنَا لاَ تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ
[8: آل عمران]

Our Lord! (they say), Let not our hearts deviate now after Thou hast guided us, but grant us mercy from Thine own Presence; for Thou art the Grantor of bounties without measure
[3:8]

Rabbana la tuzigh quloobana ba'da idh hadaytana wa hab lana milladunka rahmah innaka antal Wahhab

رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاء
[إبرهيم

Rabbana wa taqabbal Du'a

O our Lord! And accept my Prayer.
[14:40]

EID MUBARAK

2009-09-22T05:57:00.002-12:00

EID MUBARAK EVERYONE!
HOPE U ALL HAD A BRILLAINT DAY INSHA ALLAH

You Love to Forgive

2009-09-10T10:27:00.002-12:00

assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

This is it now the last 10 days and nights inshaAllah i just wanted to remind everyone of the following hadith which I have taken 'I got it covered' and also Muslim Matters hope they don't mind. please remeber me and my family in your du'as wasalam

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: I asked the Messenger of Allah salla Allahu alayhi wasallam: “O Messenger of Allah, if I know what night is the night of Qadr, what should I say during it?”

He said: “Say: ‘O Allah, You are the one who pardons greatly and love to pardon, so pardon me.‘” [Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and Tirmidhi]

عن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت : يا نبي الله أرأيت إن وافقت ليلة القدر ما أقول ؟
قال : تقولين : اللهم إنك عفو تحب العفو فاعف عني

رواه أحمد بسند صحيح

Muslim Aid :Feed the World, Feed the Fasting

2009-08-24T09:00:00.007-12:00

All Proceeds to Muslim Aid. Artists. RIzwan Hussain, Abdullah Rolle, Khaleel Muhammad, Muslim Belal, Mecca 2 Medina, Labbayk. Call 020 7377 4200 or visit endpovertyfast.com - For enquiries email feedtheworld@live.co.uk

check out the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN78hFBwBzw

My prayer for my community

2009-08-24T08:22:00.005-12:00

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh

I live near the inner city of Birmingham, which has a large population of muslims mainly Indian,Pakistani and Bangladeshi. Recently many Somali families have also moved in. The non Muslim population are mainly Afro Carribbean. The area has many problems of drugs,crimes,poor housing, low income and poor education. Alhamdulillah there are many projects that are working to improve these conditions but its just a drop in the ocean in my opinion. However I feel that our local masajid have a role to play in this and sometimes I cant help feeling bitter about the inactivity in our masajids when it comes to the youth and women.

My prayer and hope for my community is that the crime rates will fall, drugs will become a thing of the past,the young people will have a strong sense of Islamic identity and will be moral,upright and contribute postively to the community. The masajid will be the place where the youth will turn to,where the imaams play football with the kids. They will be centres for the community which hold halaqahs for men,women and adolscnce. A place for childrens activities, homeowork help, help with jobsearch, fitness centres for men and women,counselling sessions,help for the refugee populations,places where weddings shall be be celebrated,dawah will take place and the non Muslim community would be welcomed in. They will be think tanks for how to deal with problems in the community and the commitee will allow the young and the women along with our first generation uncles.

Call me idealistic but I have hope. InshaAllah.

P.S Please do not think that I am pointing fingers at all the massajid in Birmingham I know of many that do great jobs such as Birmingham Central masjid and Greenlane Masjid I just hope many other follow suit inshaAllah.

If I have said anything wrong I pray Allah forgives me and guides me ameen

5 ways to make this Ramadan extraordinary!‏

2009-08-21T23:22:00.000-12:00

Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,

My dear friends and students,

Welcome to our long-lost friend: Ramadan. How we have missed the days of self-restraint and the nights of mercy and delight! After eleven months of sinning, we now have the opportunity to avail ourselves of a month of mercy and forgiveness. For those whose duas have not been answered, the month of answered duas has arrived. For those who have drifted away from the soothing night prayer, or who have never achieved it, the month of the blessed taraweeh has arrived. Welcome to our Lord’s mercy: the month of Ramadan. No doubt each and every one of us approaches Ramadan with a special excitement. Alas for many of us, however: the excitement is met with fear and dread instead.

Will this Ramadan be like the previous ones where I failed to truly take full advantage and mend my ways?

Will this Ramadan only demonstrate to me how far away from Allah I truly am?

Will it be yet another month that passes by without my taking full advantage of it?

If you are feeling this way, know that you are not alone. Many of us feel this way and do not know how to tackle it. As a result, the fear and dread are enough for us to avoid setting new goals and higher aspirations for this month. As a result, we find ourselves at the end of the month in the situation of having failed to benefit from this opportunity and languishing in sorrow at the thought that we will never improve.

I too used to get these whispers and thoughts in my mind. However, I overcame these thoughts with the help of Allah. Here are five things that I have done to tackle these "Ramadan blues". Let me share them with you; perhaps the suggestions may benefit you, and help you to overlook the past and focus on the future.

Good thoughts about Allah: I remind myself that my Lord is most Generous and Kind. He loves me sincerely. The proof is that even when I disobey Him He still provides for me. That is why He is giving me yet another Ramadan: yet another opportunity to get closer to Him again. He loves to forgive, and His best friends are those who seek His forgiveness the most. He has brought me to another Ramadan so that I can have yet another chance at Laylatul Qadr, and yet another chance to make my duas accepted at the time of iftar, and yet another chance to do Hajj with Rasul-Allah (sall-Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) by doing umrah in this month. He has brought me to Ramadan to sooth the sorrows in my heart with His remembrance, and for me to be reminded of the nights in my grave by the solitude of i’tikaaf: by seeing how it feels to be alone with Him in the mosque. He wants me to lighten the load on my mind, so that is why He has given me the month of the Qur’an: so that I can relive the amazing Word of my Rabb (Lord and Master). The salaf (pious predecessors) would beg Allah for another opportunity for Ramadan, so how fortunate I am that He has given me this chance once again. How fortunate I am that He has given me the chance to know when this month is, so that I can take advantage of it. How fortunate I am that He has given me the yearning in my heart to meet my Lord in this month - and I know that the one who loves to meet His Lord, Allah subhaanahu wa ta’ala also loves to meet him.

Forget the past and focus on the future: I remind myself that past deeds are just that: a matter of the past. I live for the future, not the past. The past will be forgiven insha’Allah if I can mend the future. My concern should be the next deed that I do, because Allah loves to forgive; so I can have every confidence that He will forgive the past because I have nothing but regret for my past sins. The most important consideration for me is what sort of amends I make now. I remind myself of what Imam Ibnul-Qayyim (rahimahu-Allah) said in his Nooniyyah:

By Allah I am not afraid of my past sins,
For indeed they are upon the path of repentance and forgiveness;
Rather my real concern is that [in the next deed] this heart
Might cease to act upon revelation and upon the noble Qur’an.

Evaluate previous attempts in order to plan a strategy to make it work this time: I remember that it is illogical to think that my future chances of success are a reflection of my failures in the past. My past inabilities only show me what to do better this time so that I can increase my chances this time around. So if I tried to pray taraweeh every night but failed, I should look back at what happened in order to learn lessons from those failures. Was it that the Imam’s recitation was not good? If so, then let me try to find a mosque to go to whose Imam recites better. If I failed to complete reciting the whole Qur’an last year, let me look at why that was the case and how I can change it. Can I put up reminders to read the Qur’an, or shall I buy a few more copies of the Qur’an and put them in more convenient places, such as one in my car, another in my briefcase and another on my table, so that I have a mushaf always on hand? If I missed getting up for fajr last Ramadan, why did it happen and how can I change it? Perhaps I should buy more alarm clocks, so let me go to the store right now. Perhaps I should SMS my friends to start a fajr prayer-calling group so that each day one of us is responsible for waking the others up. Perhaps I should make my suhur my heaviest meal so that my body feels hungry at suhur-time and so I get up more easily.

Reward, challenge and penalise myself: I can plan and prepare to reward myself if I finish this Ramadan satisfactorily. So I tell myself that if I can make myself pray all my prayers at the earliest time this Ramadan and recite the Qur’an five times this month, then I will buy myself a new laptop; if I can recite it ten times then I will go away with my family for a holiday, or some other significant reward that I know I would definitely like to treat myself with. I warn myself that if I fail to at least recite the Qur’an five times in this month, then I will donate a thousand dollars to charity. I remind myself that even Allah’s Messenger sall-Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam used to give worldly rewards to those who excelled in battle: e.g. half the war-booty from the raids to the Muslim knights who had taken part in the raid; he (saw) would consider it a great sin upon the one who fails to join the obligatory battle. In the same spirit of reward, challenge and penalty, I would do this for my children and my wife as well by helping them with a reward if they do something extraordinary this month, and a penalty if they did not even do the minimum extra level. In this way I can give them an added incentive to do good in this limited time of Ramadan. I remind myself that ultimately we must do it for Allah and never for a physical prize, but associating an emotional desire with an action and fear of a punishment at the non-performance of it will cause that action to be foremost in the subconscious part of my mind. I remind myself that the worst thing about not making this Ramadan special is going to be something worse than the penalty I have stipulated. It will be the disappointment of a Ramadan wasted, and the risk of Allah’s wrath.

Create peer-pressure and responsibility: I remind myself that if I make my friends and family aware of some of my goals, then they might help me. So I share some of my goals with them, ensuring that I am doing it to engage their help in performing it, not in a spirit of boasting. I hope that this will give me added support and encouragement to ensure that they help me in achieving the good things I have set out to do. If they do not help, at the very least they should not mind when I excuse myself from their service or company in order to spend some time on working towards my goal.

I hope that some or all of these things will help you to look upon this Ramadan with a fresh outlook. Make lots of dua to Allah that this Ramadan will be special for you, for your family, and for the Ummah of our beloved sall-Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. I am interested in hearing from you if you have other things that you do to focus positively at the advent of another Ramadan.

Jazaakumullahulkhair and my duas for you and your family for a fantastic and blessed Ramadan, insha’Allah;

wassalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,

Tawfique Chowdhury
Director General
AlKauthar Institute and Mercy Mission World

Heart Wheel Journal by Shaykh Muhammad Al Shareef

2009-08-21T09:40:00.002-12:00

i forgot to mention in my last post about the heart wheel journal which everyone can download and print and use to help us maxmise our good deeds in ramadhaan and set ourselves goals inshaAllah.
you can download it here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/6377253/Heart-Wheel-Journal-102

also you can watch it on youtube inshaAllah just search heart wheel journal

wasalam

Ramadhaan mubarak everyone!

2009-08-21T09:12:00.002-12:00

assalaum alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh everyone, inshaAllah everyone is in the best of health and highest of eemaan just a quick post to wish you all and your families:

RAMADHAANUL KAREEM MUBARAK !!!

May this month be a means for us to get closer to Allah subhanahu wa Ta'la,to purify ourselves,attain His forgiveness and save ourselves from the fire,a means to enter jannatul firdaws togther with our families and loved ones ameen ya Rabb

with best wishes,du'as and love
eternal peace

Cannon Hill Park - Changing Times

2009-08-10T09:25:00.004-12:00

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh

inshaAllah everyone is well

Yesterday,late afternoon my dad and I decided to go to Cannon Hill Park. We usually just go to our local parks for a walk but yesterday I fancied going a little further. I have many fond memories in that park and while I was there yesterday I started to reminisce ,playing during summer in the huge(well seemed like it at the time) adventure playground,boat rides,climbing trees,wearing shorts and tee shirts,or sometimes pink frocks with pink plastic sunglasses LOL,taking pictures by flowerbeds and shaking hands with clowns on stilts! The park was almost identical to the one I remember many years ago but there one massive change I coudn't help noticing; the people.

Years ago I would see many non muslim white faces and saw the odd asian family here and there but hardly ever saw a sister with hijaab or a brother with a beard. (There maybe a few but I may have missed them because I was too busy playing!) Yesterday I saw many Muslim families and soooo many hijabi sisters mashaAllah. The park is usually quite busy espcially in summer and really ideal for family days out. I saw many hijabi sisters having picnics with families,taking a walk, one bike riding and there was even a group of hijabi sisters playing badminton. I really loved the atmosphere mashaAllah and glad to have seen so many Muslim sisters and brothers. It was a positive image of Islam in todays age of media stereotype. Ethnically it was a nice mix of ,Indian, bangladeshi,pakistani,arabs,chinese, african and jamacian to name a few. I mean the style of hijabs was so diverse that the team at hijabshigh blog would have had a field day!

I guess the point is that alhamdulillah I think our community is changing and many young sisters have started to embrace the hijaab and brothers the beard.

Yesterday as I watched the people pass by on a warm breezy evening I was proud of my city, different coloured faces,a range of clothing,heard many languages. So diverse.

until next time
wasalam

Breaking Free

2009-08-08T10:00:00.002-12:00

Assalamu alaikum warahmatuhllahi wabaraktuh
inshaAllah everyone is in the best of health and highest of eeman

following on from my last 'proper' post about cleanliness i thought i'd update about my decluttering adventures! so alhamdulillah i managed to sort out the downstairs reception rooms and thought i'd move to decluttering my room. Let me mention here that most of everything that I own is in this room, my clothes,makeup,jewellery,cosmetics,uni folders,stationery,books,arts and crafts stuff(dont ask why I have so much when i cant do any art),important documents,photos,keepsakes etc.

I had attempted to declutter before yet wasn't ruthless enough,only when I began to put different lenses on and see things like my friend(who is soo tidy) that I realised what a hoarder I was,subhnaAllah. I had notes from my A level and undergrad days! My very tidy friend who also did the degree with me was like throw the stuff away you dont really need the stuff! Let me tell you I get quite sentimental and attached to things and letting go of the uni notes was quite difficult for me. I kept thinking ' What if I need it for when i teach?' But I have to face reality I dont have the space to keep stuff that 'might come in handy someday'. It wasn;t only notes but my teaching resources(i have copies on memory stick though) and so much other junk that had I collected and so since Friday I have been filling plenty of black bags of clothes for charity,bric and brac for charity, loooaads of paper that needs recycling and general rubbish. It amazing how many empty folders,plastic wallets,baskets and boxes I now have!

After all that i feel much lighter,like all my clutter was weighing me down and now I have broken free alhamdulillah,I dont need to keep so many things for sentimental reasons I have many happy memories alhamdulillah. After all when I leave this world I'm going alone, except for my deeds. I'm just a traveller and so I might aswell travel light.

However having said all that the downside to decluttering if your not careful is that there is a certain brand new almond body butter that I cant find right now and perhaps may have got 'decluttered' oops!....

Until next time inshaAllah
wasalaam

Cleaniness

2009-07-28T09:42:00.003-12:00

Assalamu alikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

I've started a short Islamic course for this summer inshaAllah that covers basic Arabic fiqh and aqeedah. Today during the fiqh session the shaykh covered taharah (purity). This is the first chapter in any fiqh book because cleanliness and purity is so important in our faith. Islam has greatly emphasized the importance of cleanliness and purity; the Qur'an says what means the following:

"Indeed Allah loves those who repent and those who keep clean" (Al-Baqarah 2:22)

"There you will find men who love cleanliness and Allah loves those who are clean." (At-Tawbah 9:108)

RasulAllah (SAW) has also expanded on the importance of cleanliness by saying that "cleanliness is half of faith" (Muslim), adjoining cleanliness to faith in Allah Himself.

There are many other verses of the Qur'an and hadith that also mention the imporatnce of cleaniness and its relation to faith and worship.

Although what was taught today was not new to me as alhamdulillah I was taught this in the madressah I went to after school it did get me thinking about my surroundings and that I should start decluttering, tidying and cleaning it. I have managed to pile up so much paper,clothes,jewellery,books (the list goes on) and this is making My surroundings very busy. For me when my home is cluttered that impacts my mental state and that affects my faith.

As Muslims we must be both physically pure(our bodies,clothes,homes) and spiritually pure(cleaning our heart of diseases such as pride,hypocrisy,lies). For me I have to start off clearing my surroundings and physical state and then move deeper to my spiritual state.

So inshaAllah with Ramadan in mind I intend to tidy away alot of my stuff so that by Ramadan I have a clean,tidy, tranquil haven that I can worship Allah in totally focusing. May Allah give me the ability ameen

Whatever I have said right is from Allah and His Messenger, Anything that I have said wrong is from myself and shaytaan and may Allah forgive me ameen

Shaban

2009-07-25T06:26:00.002-12:00

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh

So SubhanAllah the month of Shaban has now arrived and so Ramadan is not far at all. I'm going to take this month inshaAllah to try and prepare for Ramadan as much as I can. I have read some sisters' blogs and alhamdulillah they have inspired me. In previous years I have made so many plans for Ramadan that were perhaps not realistic and so at the end of the Ramadan I have been disappointed. At the end of this Ramadan I want to come out feeling like I have achieved something, improved myself and my relationship with Allah Subhanahu Ta'la inshaAllah.

At the moment I can think of two areas of my deen (Islam) that I want to concentrate on inshaAllah and perhaps by the time I get to Ramadan I would be ready to add more.

1) SALAH: InshaAllah I am going to try and read every Salah punctually at the earlist time with concentration.

2) MEMORISATION OF QUR'AN: Unfortunatley I haven't been memorizing Qur'an for a long time now and so I'm going to revisit surahs that I have memorised in the past and then learn some new ones inshaAllah. To achieve this goal I plan to spend 2 days at the most on the surahs I should already know and then after that learn a new ayah(verse) every day.

May Allah SWT give me the ability to achieve these goals so that I get closer to Him,May He make it easy for everyone else to achieve their goals,ameen
Peace and Blessing be upon Muhammad,his family,his companions and all those who follow his way until the day of Judgement ameen

Until next time inshaAllah
wasalam

I'm Back

2009-07-23T03:14:00.002-12:00

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh my invisible readership!

Hope everyone is in the best of health and highest of Eemaan inshaAllah. So after months of not blogging I've decided I shall resume inshaAllah because Ramadan is around the corner and its time to reflect so inshaAllah I shall be reflecting on this blog (yes my sis has found me but she can have a look i'm not bothered anymore its not like my innermost feelings shall be explored here anyways LOL)

I hope inshaAllah to share my Ramadan preparations here and just general musings. so until the next post
wasalam

So you found me

2008-11-22T05:20:00.002-12:00

Dear lil sis,

ok so you've found my blog and you think your clever quoting off it in conversation with me, guess what? I dont really care. Hope you learn a thing or two from my blog haha

take care
wasalam

USA Elections

2008-11-05T03:03:00.005-12:00

salaams

Woke up today and Obama has done it, history has been made, Martine Luther King's dream has come true,people of America i'm proud of you i'm not even American
lets hope and pray this is a step in the direction of real equality and peace

EID-UL- FITR 2008

2008-10-08T09:19:00.006-12:00

HOPE YOU ALL HAD A GOOD TIME INSHALLAH :)

EID mubarak

2008-09-30T00:04:00.001-12:00

its soo upsetting that the blessed month has gone, and we have to let go alhamdulillah Allah has given us a beautiful day of eid though, EID MUBARAK to everyone may Allah SWT unite this ummah with love and mercy for one another ameen
wasalam

My beautiful guest, I'm so sorry

2008-09-28T09:52:00.004-12:00

assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh

i pray that you are all in the best of health, highest of imaan and that ramadan is going well inshaAllah

i sit here on the 29th night that my guest has been here (which has a chance of being laylatul qadr night) and look back at the time they have been here. As always before they arrive I have such high hopes and expectations of myself and then experience dips in the middle of their stay. I cant believe its nearly time to say goodbye, my guest i'm really sorry that i haven't been the best host yet you've been so generous.

Your spirit was felt in my family, we tried to be good with eachother and patient. Your spirit was felt in my neighbourhood, there was a buzz of generosity, sharing of foods, i heard people out late coming home from taraweeh.

Your spirit was felt in the ummah, people night after night donated towards the poor, needy, orphans, masjids, madrassahs(i got to say at this point how proud i have been especially of the bangladeshi community in the UK who have raised money every night of ramadan on channel S 814)

I have no idea whether i'll be here to see you again next year, i sincerely pray and hope that I will see you year after year and that this coming year I will be able to continue with the little good deeds I have done while you've been here and build up in even more and that i can be a better host to you inshaAllah.i pray Allah accepts our good deeds. ameen

“O Allah, forgive me. My Lord, I could have done more but I did not, so forgive me. My Lord, excuse my shortcomings and blemishes, You are indeed oft -Forgiving and You love forgiveness, so forgive me.”
ameen

Please remember the ummah in your du'as, the living and dead, may Allah SWT forgive our sins, save us from hell fire and grant us jannah

wasalam

Ramadhaan kareem

2008-09-16T08:30:00.003-12:00

assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh,

like to wish everyone ramadhaan mubarak, i pray Allah gives us the ability to reap the benfits of this blessed month, may he forgive our sins, save us from the hellfire and make paradise our destination ameen

i know its ever so late, like 16 days late but thats me always late!!sorry!
take care all
wasalam

Death

2008-05-27T21:23:00.002-12:00

salaams

i've come to work after having an extended weekend, however the mood here is gloomy, we've just heard one of our collegues father has died in India, the colleuge went to see his father because he was ill but came back here for work and now his fathers passed away. Last weekend another collegue and manager at the place lost his mother. I also heard yesterday that the shakyh that we used to study at madressah w his fathers very ill at hospital and they have left it to Allah SubhanWaTa'ala. makes me think of my own death. May Allah SWT let us die on imaan,make it easy for us, have mercy upon us and save us from the torment of the grave and hereafter ameen
please remember our shaykh's father in your du'as.
wasalam

Rumours & Lies

2008-05-14T22:37:00.003-12:00

salaams,
i'm in an upset kind of mood right now and you may have guessed its to do with rumours and lies. Theres a dear friend of mine and shes had people lie against her, accusations of being with someone elses husband(audhubilla) and shes very upset. I dont understand why people feel the need to spread such malice, why ruin people's family life, emotional state and honour and dignity. SubhanAllah a person's honour is the most precious thing to them and to have someone ruining it for them and have others see them differently must feel like thier worlds turned around.

Allah SWT says in the Qur'an:

“O, you who believe! Avoid much suspicion; in deeds some suspicions are sins. And spy not neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear God, verily, God is the one who accepts repentance, Most Merciful. ( Surah Al Hujurat 49: 12)

It also reminds me of the incident of our mother Ayesha(May Allah be pleased with her)when she was falsely accused aswell and Allah SWT confirmed her inncocence subhanAllah.

i really hope my friend whose like a big sis at times too, hope she finds comfort and peace and the gossipers are exposed for what they are.

wasalam

tagged by hayah

2008-04-14T21:20:00.002-12:00

salaams, so i've been tagged by hayah so lets give this a go and see if i do it right, (many thanks to hayah for giving me hyperlink tutorial!)

The Rules:
1. Write your own six word memoir
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post
4. Tag six more blogs with links
5. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

my six word memoir: Trying to get closer to Allah

i tag: organic muslimah we love hijab
white african
00kitty
Ammenna

Happy Birthday Blog

2008-04-07T00:22:00.002-12:00

salaams,
just wnat to say a big happy birthday to my blog who turned one on the 3rd(sorry i'm late). This is probably the only blog that i have kept updated for this long, all the rest i lost interest after a month or so! Its been a place where i can talk talk my thoughts however big or small! thank you blog!
(is it weird to chat to a blog?)

Will You Hate Me?

2008-04-01T02:48:00.002-12:00

salaams i dont make a habit of copying and posting song lyrics, but i love this song so i am lol,
From what i understand Brother Dawud is talking about someone who is looking into Islam buti think its relevant to Muslims too. Seriously i think too many times we pretend to be someone else, dress like someone else, talk like someone else perhaps using certain lingo of a sub group so that we acceptable to certain people who only know of 'my way or the highway' Perhaps we should ask ourselves why we are trying so hard to impress the creation of Allah. I'm not saying that we should have to reveal our secrets or sins, but lets take off our masks.

Will you hate me? by Dawud Wharnsby Ali

Smile in the two- way mirror of my eyes
I put on my faith like I wear a disguise
You can’t see my soul
See the life that I live
Show you the mask of the best I can give
I’ve hid here afraid like a child behind.
Truth of my thoughts that clutter my mind.

What if you knew about all that I do?
Things that I think,
The me that is true.Would you call me a hypocrite?
Call me a liar?
Would you curse out my name?
Would you damn me to fire?
Would you know what to say?
Or would you just walk away?
Afraid the me I’ve tried to hide
Would too closely resemble the truth of you that lies inside?

I’ve been looking for answers since becoming an adult
Not looking for dogma to live like a cult
I’ve been looking to live,
I’ve been living to find
Freedom from cages that limit my mind.

Would you call me a hypocrite?
Call me a liar?
Would you curse out my name?
Would you damn me to fire?
Would you know what to say?
Or would you just walk away?
Afraid the me I’ve tried to hide
Would too closely resemble the truth of you that lies inside?

Will I scare you, upset you, frustrate you, irate you?
Challenge a lifestyle or weaken your trust
Or will you see my efforts and my passionate sincerity
Would you see just a little of yourself in me
Will you take off your mask so we can both be free.

Would you call me a hypocrite?
Call me a liar?
Would you curse out my name?
Would you damn me to fire?
Would you know what to say?
Or would you just walk away?
Afraid the me I’ve tried to hide
Would too closely resemble the truth of you that lies inside?

Watch is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuKCda-cFew

May Allah SWT forgive me for anything that I have said that is wrong ameen
until next time fiamanillah
wasalam

time for a mini rant

2008-03-07T00:41:00.003-12:00

assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabraktuh everyone, inshaAllah i pray everyone is in happiness, in the best of health and highest of imaan.

ok, so i'm in the office right now, and for like over half an hour or so the conversation has been in another language, i mean a few words here or there is ok generally but when your going on and on....subhanAllah i'm losing my patience. The worst part being is that i think i know what the conversations about, its about other collegues and sometimes even me! i mean some of it may be good but it makes one uncomfortable, i remember when i used to go madressah and we were taught that it was rude and wrong in islam for two people to whisper while a third is present. Isn't it just common courtesy that people should converse in a language that all people present understand? office gossip hate it! actually all gossip, may Allah save us from it ameen.

May Allah SWT forgive me, and all this ummah, keep us steadfast uopn imaan, make us a means of guidance for others, and give us succesful in this world and afterlife, ameen. (i was about to write dunya and akhira but that would be contradicting myself, what if some of my readers dont understand? ;))

until next time fiamanillah
take care wasalam

leap year

2008-02-28T22:19:00.003-12:00

salaams, hope everyone is well inshaAllah, so we're in 29th of February 2008, and its a leap year! An extra day of the year, an extra day one can spring clean, bake, try soemthing new, spend time with the family,as for me i'm at work! But alhamdulilah ala kulli haal.

Recently i've been thinking about death, it kind of started off on a programme that shaykh Tawifique Chodhury did 'Journey to the Hereafter' where he talked about the first night of the grave, they filmed it from an actual graveyard and then he physically went inside a grave, asking whose grave this was, yours or mine? subhanAllah it was really thought provoking,it sent shi9vers down my spine. few days later some people we know passed away, including my dads good friend, inna lillahee rajeeoon. it gets me thinking, what this life is about, and i started off this post asking how this extra day of the year shall be spent, well perhaps we can use this extra day to invest in the hereafter, and as a bonus is the day of jummah.

May Allah SWT give us the good of this dunya, and the good of the hereafter,may we live and die with imaan, may he expand our graves, give it a window of paradise, save us from the torments of the grave, give us shade on the the day of Judgement when there will be no shade except Allah's ameen

'our pathetic state' by mariya

2008-01-28T04:44:00.000-12:00

salaams, i came across a poem on brother abdur rahmans blog, who got this poem from this sister:
http://mariyah.muslimpad.com/2006/12/25/our-pathetic-state/#comment-128

mashaAllah, i have found great truth in this poem, sometimes i'm too much into the asthetics of life rather than the inner deeper side..

Cute Hijabs, matching tight pants, perfectly manicured hands drumming restlessly to the beat of the latest Nasheed pop;
Nice rides, sipping café lattes, halaqas embraced in the depths of cozy rooms, speaking of distant dreams and privileged existences.
Do we know the real struggle?
ISNA club, throngs of fans milling air conditioned convention halls, pop star speakers glimmer in the spot light, beckoning distant hearts to spirituality and deeper lives; chastising in that “oh so mesmerizing voice”; as the crowd yells a deep bass “Takbir” followed by shrills of “Allahu Akbar”…
Do we really comprehend the Greatness of our Creator?
Trekking the globe in search of meaning, disenchanted existences within treasure filled homes, dreams of substance blocked by trivial minds; apathy radiates in different colors; squeezing potential out of our beings like deep soaked sponges inflated by muddy waters;
Can meaning seep into a suffocated heart?
Following zigzag paths of nothingness; in search of “Deen” or “the other half of my Deen” whatever comes first. So we step in style, mouthfuls of “Subhana Allah”; gleeful “Mashaallah”; echoing from empty hearts frenzied by empty lives.
Scratching the surface of submission; echoing lines from distant lives; dreams of greatness shelved away; as we pander our “Proud to Be Muslim” shirts; cheap prices for cheaper wares.
Pardon my jaded writing…perhaps I forgot the subtle depths of this struggle; as I begin to still the meaningless symbols clanging in my heart;
Please remind me:
Do rays of the Divine
ever
illuminate
these
darkened
c o r n e r s ?

Winter Sunshine

2008-01-24T02:47:00.000-12:00

salaams all,
today the sun is shining and the mood is happy alhamdulillah, theres something about winter sunshine that really lifts my spirits high alhamdulillah, perhaps the fact that though we are surrounded by bare trees and icy weather, through all that the sun shines :)
wasalam

jazakAllah khayr

2008-01-21T02:10:00.000-12:00

salaams all,

i hope everyone is well inshaAllah, in the best of health and imaan, i've been noticing that fellow bloggers have commented on my previous posts, and so this post is dedicated to you all, a warm welcome to my blog, jazakAllah khayr for taking time out to comment.

sister ammena- offcourse i dont mind sis you linking my blog to yours:) thanks and if anyone teaches me i would like to know how link others on my blog.

sister zainab and hm, thanks for your comments

sister anonymous, i really appriciate your advice sis regarding the dillemma post, its true, often i wonder who am i fearing more? the Creator, or the creation? and sometimes a simple answer is the key, e.g i'm not allowed to, its forbidden by my Lord. i guess the reason we want to elaborate because we want to explain to them the beauty of the deen.

so heres a bunch of e-flower bouquet for everyone :)

wasalam

rainy days, wet socks and work

2008-01-15T02:41:00.000-12:00

salaams all
hope everyones well inshaAllah
it was raining quite a bit as i took to the bus to work, it was raining so much and my shoes must have had a tear in them somewhere because the water got in and i had wet socks at work! though it was embarrassing a little bit i had to take them off otherwise i probably would have had a cold if i kept them on, anyways i put my wet socks on the radiator but kept taking them off quickly everytime the boss came in, it was soo funny, my colleugues were giggling at my madness, but then i decided i'll ask one of my bros to drop me off some socks and when he did and my co workers found out they were like 'awww how sweet, shes got her brothers wrapped around her finger!'

so alhamdulillah i sit here typing with dry socks on, note to self though: need some new shoes!

other news yesterday i had a driving test that i failed but alhamdulilah i accept its the decree of Allah and one day inshaAllah i will pass and become a safe driver on the streets of britain:) but i got thinking i remembered my face when the examiner said sorry on this occassion you haven;t passed and she showed me my mistakes, on the day of Judgement when i stand before Allah SWT what will be my result? what will be shown on my book of deeds, would i be sorry? i pray that Allah SWT makes us all among those who follow our beloved Prophet SAW to paradise, among those who are recognised as part of his ummah and get to drink from the fount of al kauthar by the Prophet SAW'S hands, and may we be among those whom Allah is pleased with ameen

wasalam

Happy New Year

2008-01-09T03:00:00.000-12:00

All Praise is due to Allah
Peace and blessings be Upon Muhammad, his blessed family and his noble companions and all those who follow in his in his way until the day of judgment day.

In the name of Allah Most Merciful, The Most Kind

assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh everyone!

inshaAllah hope everyone is well, in best of health and imaan, and smiling :)

would like to wish everyone a very happy new year, no its not late because i mean the new hijri year 1429, may Allah SWT bless us, increase us in good deeds, give us lots of happy times, keep us away from sin, increase us in health and imaan, unite this ummah ameen

take care all please remember the ummah in duas

wasalam

2007-12-17T21:45:00.000-12:00

salaams,

i'm at work right now, but my minds elsewhere, it has been for the last few days but today even more so, for the last couple of years i've been watching live hajj by islam channel, this year even channel S is covering it too alhamdulillah, every year i watch it and i wish i was there, how i pray i was among those who are crying out 'Labbaik Allahumma labaik..' among those who are begging for Allah's mercy in the plains of Arafa. just before i came to work i was watching live from arafah and subhanAllah even the hardest of hearts wouldn't be able to contain thier tears i dont think, so many people there for one reason, and one of the shaykhs on islam channel was saying that this was the REAL global peace and unity event.

Since the live coverage has begun a few days ago i've ben glued to the screen in the evenings watching it, but today i'm sorry to have missed live from arafah becauuse i'm at work, i pray Allah SWT gives me tawfique to me thier next year inshaAllah, may Allah grant all the hujjaj an accepted hajj and grant them a safe return, may Allah unite the ummah ameen

and finally

EID MUBARAK EVERYONE

please remember the ummah in your duas

wasalam

dillemma

2007-12-14T00:18:00.000-12:00

salaams today is our staff meal, its a at a resturant where there is alchohol sold and some of my collegues will be drinking, when it was booked it didn;t occur to me about the alchohol but earlier this week it did, and i suddenly thought wait a minuten theres bound to be alchol and i'm not supposed to be near alchohol on a table where its served! so i've managed to take leave for that afternoon alhamdulillah but now everyones kinda curious as to why i cant go and why cant i go and not just drink....even my muslim collegues/mates at work asking.....i know why i cant go i need to explain properly thats all, give me strentgh ya Rabb

wasalam

when sharing isn't caring

2007-12-07T00:36:00.000-12:00

salaams all hope all is good inshaAllah,

we all know this time of the year theres soo many of these bugs going round and nearly everyone you know has some kind of bug, i mean in our office this week so many people have had days off work due to it. so we should all try our best in trying to keep germs at bay...right? wrong , yesterday on one of our open sessions i saw a client who was coughing alot, ok fair enough you have a cough and i hope you get better soon inshaAllah but please please DO NOT COUGH ON ME!!! i got feel it on my hands the germs breeding!!

ok now my rants over and i pray everyone learns to cover thier mouths ameen

take care all wasalam

Reflections

2007-11-27T09:38:00.000-12:00

In the name of Allah The Most Merciful, The Most Kind

assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

InshaAllah hope everyone is in the best of health and imaan, since i've started full time work i feel like my lifes been taking over and i dont have time to do much else, every morning i get ready for work, go to work which is always busy these days, fit my salaahs during work (there are 3 now that the days are shorter) and i'm just rushing about. i come home tired and spend most of the evening recovering from me tiredness, how do people do it? We live in a society where a large number of the population have full time jobs, but how do they manage everything? mothers who hold up a job, look after thier kids and manage a household and family and be a wife and a friend. Yet it hasn't been that long for me yet i feel so fed up!

I'm also wondering what i'm doing in life, am i spending far too much with this dunya(world) when its the hereafter that i should prepare for? How much time am i giving to worshiping Allah, improving my salaah, my du'a, doing what Allah loves and leaving that which He hates, learning about the deen, spending quality time with my parents and family, being a good friend/neighbour, developing myself,helping those in need..and so on.

Should life be like this? everyday its just working against the clock, and then an evening to recover but then time for bed soon and the another day starts. Yes i have the weekends but thats spent doing things i didn;t get a chance to over the week, and then its monday again! SubhanAllah

sometimes it feels like i've chained myself, become a slave of this dunya, i understand people need to work so that they can provide for thier families, and that we should not want to live on hand outs, alhamdulillah in that respect i feel blessed i have a job though i dont need to support a family but i'm just finding it hard and have been thinking hard of going back to part time hours.....

Ya Allah Guide me to whats best for me

ameen

summer memories

2007-11-18T23:15:00.000-12:00

salaams all,

today we all came into work all complaining of the cold, some of us still have our coats on because the buildings still cold as it hasn't been heated all weekend,it snowed my part of town last night and subhanAllah i love looking at the snow, coz its like looking at a magical scene, but at this present moment i'm thinking of the summer. It no secret but i'm not a fan of hot weather, i like mild breezy days, but as i was browsing through a sisters blog i wanted to be somewhere else, i wanted to witness the sunset in egypt, and have lazy summer evenings by the lakeside somewhere....well i've taken taken some pics off her blog, i've also included the link to the flikr account:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10030647@N04/795564811/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10030647@N04/795565271/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10030647@N04/796440628/

until next time inshaAllah wasalam

staff training

2007-11-12T08:26:00.000-12:00

assalamu alaikum warahamtullahi wabaraktuh,

inshaAllah i hope everyones well

i've just been looking at the pics i have on my camera and they have piled up, some i've specifically taken to put on this blog yet i haven't got round to it...

well here are some staff training ones i took, it was a week after eid, the day was really fun alhamdulillah though it was it started off as cold and foggy. The activities included clay pigeon shooting, archery, quad biking and power turning. Quad biking won hands down at the thrill factor and was everyones favourite, it was the first time i had even done it and was nervous so asked to stay behind the instructor yet once i got going i wanted more and more.We quad biked in the countryside, around the crop fields and then through the woods. The view of nature from my quad bike was amazing and all i could say was subhanAllah, being a city girl i dont get to visit the country as much but i'm really missing out because that day i felt close to nature and i didn't care if there were hundred of spider webs randomnly landing on our faces!

and the day ended with us going to an italian resturant that had rude staff!

but until next time take care
wasalam

Eid Mubarak

2007-10-16T02:37:00.001-12:00

assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh

i'm sorry its late but like to wish you all EID MUBARAK!

may Allah SWT accept our ibadah, increase us in good and keep us steadfast in our good actions ameen

last time i wrote here it was ramadhan and now its gone, i pray Allah brings mnay more ramadhans in our life, out of which we take many blessings ameen, it just hits me in the last 10 days that its going and the just before maghrib on the last day is emotional, many thought come to the head such as will i see next ramadhan, will Allah accept my deeds? have i made the most of ramadhan?

after a week off a work during the last days days of ramadhan and also days of eid i'm back at work, and its been kinda interesting, i've come come back to a new post trying to do it by myself as the person i'm meant to be covering has now left for maternity leave, while doing the advice sessions i sometimes can get into interesting conversations about life for instance:

client: are you married?

me: nope

client: there is no rush dont worry, single life is really good

me: hmm

client: married life is hard, its ok at first and then ...

(let me just add that this client is seperated from her husband)

hmm so is she right? is marriage really that much hard work, shes not the first to tell me this but the more people tell me the more i think are people really worse off these days with marriage? are there no happy couples out there??

oh and there was this other client who had a mini go at me for filling in her form wrong, and that i shouldn't fill in stuff if i didn;t know! i was like i only wrote what you told me!

oh well cant please everyone, anyways i better get on with work now time for me to end my break

take care

wasalam

Ramadhan Kareem

2007-09-13T02:01:00.000-12:00

assalamu alaikum warahamatullahi wabaraktuh

We've long awaited, and we've counted down the days and alhamdulillah its ramadhan again, cant believe how the year has gone subhanAllah. The only thing i'm sad about this ramadhan is the fact that on monday i found out that i will be working full time, i really wanted to work part time and make the most of the month, but khayr inshaAllah. the really great thing about this ramadhan is that everyone i know is fasting on the same day Allahu Akbar, may Allah SWT save this ummah from divisions ameen.

so today is the 1st day of ramadhan, i went to sleep after suhoor, usually after suhoor i really love sleeping in, but today felt different, the sun was shining and it was warm and i wanted to get out of bed. so i got up, showered and got ready for work. at work there are a few muslims and alhamdulillah all fasting, but it just seems that all i've heard is complains about hunger, thirst or withdrawal symptoms, inshaAllah tommorw will be better once everyone gets used to it.

May this Ramadhan be the month where this all mulims get the full rewards and blessings of this month, may we unite as one ummah,may Allah grant us entrance to His jannah and save us all from the fire of hell, may Allah forgive us our sins, keep us in the best of health and increase our imaan, and taqwa ameen.

anyways i'm blogging from work so i should go now take care all (my invisable readers)
and please remember me in your du'as.

wasalam
fiamanillah

A feeling i cant describe

2007-08-31T02:20:00.000-12:00

assalamu alaikum

i'm blogging today from work, after lunchtime. Today i went out to lunch to the chip shop and there in the shop i saw a woman eating some chips with a can of coke besides her, she had many scars on her hands and face, her jumper was dirty and torn and so were her jeans and trainers. i stood there uncomfortable because this woman looked as if she lived on the streets, and i was standing there knowing that i can afford a good meal and have a warm house and family to return to alhamdulillah. when i went to the next shop i was telling my friend that i can't stop thinking of this woman, my friend replied she must be a prostitute and it dawned on me how many people are living thier lives in such a developed country as ours. For some reason i couldn't make my feelings of guilt go away, a type of sinking feeling. my friend explained that many of these cases are self induced and though i know of this, that many people get homeless because of drugs and then to feed thier habit they have to steal, or go into prostitution. i pray Allah SWT takes everyone out these situtions, take them out the darkness and bring them to a life of light and may we never have to be situtations like that, ameen ya Rabbal Ameen

ok i've used this blog as therapy, but that feeling hasn't gone completly but alhamdulillah ala kulli haal, i feel like that my bubble has been burst today, and i've really stepped outside my cushy comfort zone. May Allah SWT guide us and protect us in this dunya and akhirah ameen

Nani

2007-07-29T03:38:00.000-12:00

salaams,

This morning my nani(mums mum) left for Bangladesh, after staying with us for 5 months. It seems just the other day when she arrived from bangladesh, and today its time to go. My nani is my only living grandparent, the rest had passed away before i was born or while i was very young. But i had only seen my nani twice on my 2 visits to Bangladesh, yet this time she came to stay with us and we got to know the feeling of having a grandparent around the house, making sure we had ate in the morning before going to work or uni, at the end of the day when we came home she would again check if we has ate, and waking up in the morning trying to sneak around and doing some of the chores because if we saw her we would stop her. the house is quiet without her, she shared my room and so some of her clothes are still here, my mum, bro and sis still haven;t come back from the airport from dropping of her off coz the flight has been delayed, bet my mums really glad it gives her a few extra hours with her mother, i know when my mum comes home she'll be an emotional wreck, my nani leaving for bangladesh today will affect my mum the most, for once in her life in the UK she had a mum around.

Last night my mum didnlt get much sleep not only coz she was worried about my nani leaving but also because we had relatives yesterday all day, (some even at 12am) to see my na off, and one family who stayed with us last night and so we all had to move around making space.

I really hope and pray we get to see my nani a lot more in this lifetime and i pray Allah SWT keeps her in the best of health because she hasn;t been well and the best of imaan ameen. she couldn't say many words today without crying, i cant deal with people crying( i know what a wimp!) so i just said a quick goodbye, she gave me her goodbye message yesterday " Look after your parents, your the sensible one, and remember me in your du'as"

Anyway the other day as we were driving i spotted a rainbow in the sky. so i took a few shots, which i think is quite fitting for this post because even though its about a goodbye, i still hope and pray its not the last time we see our nani. ameen

until next time inshaAllah

fiamanillah

pat-a-cake,pat-a-cake bakers man

2007-07-20T06:00:00.000-12:00

assalamu alaikum wr wb

inshaAllah hope everyone is in the best of health and imaan

last week my bro decided it was time for him to take up baking! my bros quite good at cooking curries and other spicy foods but he realised its been far too long that we been questioning his abilities at baking, so offcourse every night he would bring cake home from the resturant, and he even baked them at home,one night at 11.30 he deciced he wanted to make biscuits so me, my bro and sis went to 24hour asda got the ingredients and baked till half past midnight! (yes u have to understand when my bro has an idea theres no stopping him!)

Anyways here some of the pics of the baking!

wasalam

For my work collegues

2007-07-13T06:20:00.000-12:00

Bismillahir rahmanir raheem

assalamu alaikum warhamtullahi wabarakatuh

inshaAllah everyone is in the best of health and imaan

i am writing this with a warm feeling, a happy feeling alhamdulillah. i have just got back from work, and thought i'd share some news with my dear blog. Alhamdulillah 2 days ago i got the news from uni that i had passed my degree with a 2.1 mashaAllah i was really pleased, i was at work when my sis told me over the phone and so everyone at work had heard and they were really pleased for me, little did i know the extent of thier pleasure and kindness.

Today when i went to work one of the managers gave me a plant, and someone who i regard as big sis/work collegue/friend had given me a cuteee bag and card, then a call came from downstairs office and a few of them lovely ppl got me a bouquet of flowers and card, then i got another call from downstairs office where another 2 of them lovely ppl got me chocs, and i was feeling overwhelmed like it was eid or soemthing LOL..but really it wasn't the presents (though they were beautiful) but it was the fact that they thought of me and shared my happiness, all of the wishing me success and happiness, i was truly touched. so this blog is dedicated to everyone at my workplace because of the lovely people they are, they dont' read this blog, coz they dont know i have one but i shall dedicate it to them anyways.

As usual i never defy this blog of clear illustrations of my days so there are photos of the presents that i got.

take care inshaAllah

fiamanillah

wasalam

2007-06-23T10:15:00.000-12:00

assalamu alikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh

i've been carrying my camera everywhere it has a permanent place in my handbag! so thought i'd share a few pics inshaAllah

wasalam

lazy summer days

2007-06-11T05:27:00.000-12:00

assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh

inshaAllah everyone is in the best of health and imaan

well the sun is shining, unis over and so i thought i'd take some pics of the garden, just for you my dear blog! i'm not a fan of hot weather but i cant deny how beautiful the flowers and sky looks in the sunshine.

so until next time inshaAllah

fiamanillah

wasalam

old mcdonals had a farm

2007-06-03T05:47:00.001-12:00

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

inshaAllah everyone is the best of health and imaan

Last week I went to visit my friend after weeks of assignments and exams we deserved a good catch up, but not only that she had recently got some chickens and invited me to come and see them. There were different breeds some long legged, some short legged, a cock and some cute little chicks that were hatched in an incubator by my friend’s brother. And they were soo cute mashaAllah I had so much fun holding them, playing with them and teasing my friend and her sister that they would make nice roast meals(I’m cruel aren’t I?) But seriously it felt like I was at a farm somewhere and not in a garden in Birmingham! LOL She also had birds and a cat who had her hyper hour and running and playing hunting games. I usually love playing with cats and kittens but this one freaked me out LOL. To add icing to the cake my friends mum very kindly gave me some eggs to take home(get this they get fresh eggs hatched everyday! mashaAllah)
Anyways I have some pictures below so enjoy:) actually they are above don't ask why i just dont get it at all!

Take care
Wasalam

end of an era

2007-05-22T06:25:00.000-12:00

assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh

inshaAllah everyone is in the best of health and imaan

After days of stressing, and long nights on the laptop doing last minute assignments alhamduliullah yesterday i managed to finish my work and hand it in, alhamdulillah. After a group of us were typing away against the clock nearing deadline hour, i thought as soon as i hand in the work i'll have a new feeling, but in actual fact it just felt like handing in any other piece of work, but in reality it wasn't just another piece of work. The feeling didn;t sink in, but if all goes well inshaAllah this will be my last assignments for my degree and really this was last day of uni..now i wasn't going to miss uni that much with all its seminars, lectures,assignemnts and stress but i knew i was going to miss my beautiful sisters that i had the fortune of meeting there at the isoc alhamdulillah. i learnt from them, laughed with them, and just chatting to them i felt calmer. i make du'a that Alah keeps them happy in this dunya and akhira ameen.

Anyway before this get waaay to sentimental i'll end here for now inshaAllah

until next time

wasalam

Youth Unity Convention 2007

2007-05-10T05:03:00.000-12:00

assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh

inshaAllah I pray everyone is the best of health and imaan.

This Monday which was bank holiday, there was a youth convention with a wonderful line up of shaykhs, speakers and nasheed artists mashaAllah, including, Shaykh Hasan Ali, Shaykh Hathim Haddad, sister Yvonne Ridley, Khaleel Muhammed and Asif Chaudhry (upcoming nasheed artist inshaAllah). Yusuf Estetes, Imam Ziaullah Khan and Maulana Zahir (local shaykh) were all scheduled to come too, but I never got to see them because I had to leave early and the event was running late. (Muslim timing LOL) I was really looking forward to seeing Imam Ziaullah Khan because I’ve never seen his talks live but on the internet and they are funny yet inspirational, but khayr inshaAllah. The great news was that we had three new members to our ummah subhanAllah, one took shahadah on stage. The event was chaired by local Shaykh Shahrul Hussain. Khaleel Muhammad made the audience join in the nasheeds, and it was a case of brothers V sisters LOL. The kids in white (may Allah bless them ameen) were up on stage singing various nasheeds, and some in particular had beautiful voices, when I was asking them if I could take their picture they were like” Put the flash on!” Even these little kids knew how to take better pics than me!

There was a bazaar with loads of stuff like scarves, jilbabs, artwork, jewellery, perfume, Cd’s, information, and FOOOD! Yummy biryani!

Unity TV 825 was covering the event so all can watch it sometime next week inshaAllah that’s why I wont go into detail about the messages the speakers had, I wouldn’t be able to do justice to it anyway. The pictures were taken yours truly, yes I know she still hasn’t mastered taking pictures even in this era of digital photography. Great news for White African sis and every other person in Manchester, an event like this coming your way soon :)

Anyways until next time inshaAllah

Fiamanillah wasalam

2007-05-03T11:02:00.000-12:00

Alhamdu-Lillah, Wa-Salaatu Was-Salaam ‘Ala Rasoolillah Wa-Ala Aali Hi Wa-Ashaabihi Ajma’ een, Amma Ba’ad”.
(Praise be to Allah - peace and blessing on the Prophet Of Allah, his descendants and companions)
Auzoo Billahi Minashaytaan Nirajeem Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Raheem

( I seek refuge in the rejected satan, in the name of Allah the Compassionate, the most Kind)

assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh

I thought i'd have a post about one of the ways of seeking forgivness,one that is called 'the master of forgiveness' The arabic text is at the beginning of the post, and here is the rest inshaAllah:

Transliteration:

Al-laahum-ma anta Rab-bee, laa ilaaha il-laa anta, khalaqtanee wa anaa 'abduka wa anaa 'alaa 'ahdika wa wa'dika mastata'tu. A'oodhubika min shar-ri maa sana'tu, aboo`u bi ni'matika 'alaiyya wa aboo`u bi dhambee; faghfirlee. In-nahoo laa yaghfirudh-dhunooba il-laa anta.

Meaning:"0 Allaah! You are my Lord! None has the right to be worshipped except You. You created me, and I am Your slave/worshipper. And I am faithful to my covenant and my promise as far as I am able. I seek Your refuge from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge before You all the favors that You have bestowed upon me, and I confess all my sins to You. So forgive me, since none can forgive sins except You."

[The Prophet (Sallallaahu Ta'aala 'alaihi wa Sallam) said, "Whoever says it in the day, with firm conviction in it, and dies in that day before evening - then he is from the people of Paradise. Whoever says it in the night, with firm conviction in it, and he dies before the morning - then he is from the people of Paradise."

This was taken from

http://http://duaas.blogspot.com/2006/01/syedul-saiyidul-sayyidul-istighfar.html

until next time inshaAllah

wasalam

2007-04-30T11:11:00.000-12:00

assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh

I have alot of assignments to do at the moment, as i know alot of other people do aswell as exams so inshaAllah here are some du'as i came across asking Allah SWT to make our affairs easy for us, indeed all success if from Him. i ask everyone to remember me in thier duas, I know i'm talking to an invisible audience here lol but just writing this just in case someone comes across it accidently!)until next time inshaAllah

fiamanillah

wasalam

Alhamdulillah Baby boy's 1 today!

2007-04-27T08:52:00.000-12:00

assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

A year ago today someone very speacial came to our life , weighing at about 5 and half pounds he was tiny but subhanAllah how he melted our hearts! Though my parents thought they wont be that kind of grandparents that overreact and get excited over every little thing thier baby grandchild does they coudn't be so wrong-my dad shouts out at us to witness every new thing his grandbaby does! LOL

But Alhamdulillah all praise is due to Allah whose given my brother and sis in law thier first child, my parents thier first grandchild, and me and my brothers and sister our first nephew, his brought alot of joy in our lives, even on our grumpy days when he looks at us with those beautiful big black eyes, we cant but smile.

My darling nephew may Allah SWT always keep you smiling, may He give you the strength to serve in His way,may you become a great scholar of islam, may you live and die a muslim, and may Allah always be happy with you, ameen

wasalam

Abba,Abbu,Baba,Father,Dad,Daddy,Papa

2007-04-24T09:38:00.000-12:00

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh

Last week my dad was feeling unwell and had to go to A&E, and he stayed there the whole night and they let him out late the next morning after doing checks, though my mum was with the in the hospital that night it was hard for me to sleep knowing my dads in hospital. Alhamdulillah his doing well now but it really made me appreciate my dad, the type of person he is and the love his given me. I think perhaps from all the children I’m the closest to my dad, even as a child I went most places with him, when I was 3 or 4 and he came home from work late night I used to sleep on his chest, even now when things go wrong in life its my dad I go running to, I think I’ve always been a daddy’s girl. So this is a list of things that my dads taught me and some of the nice things about him:

- My dad lost his mother when he was about 4 or 5, and lost his father when he was about 16. Being the eldest of the family he had to be responsible for the family, and so giving up his studies he worked as a teacher to support his stepmother and little brothers and sisters. Even today, he still sends money back in Bangladesh to his brother and late sisters family.
- Though I was brought up in a culture that has class systems, and your recognised by the family you come from , my dad has always taught us to see all people as equal and to love the poor.
- His called over for when people have family, marriage or general kind of disputes, because he has a reputation for being just, alhamdulillah.
- His a straight forward man who if he doesn’t like something says it.
- His someone who is hardly ever late, if he has an appointment or people to see then his ready to go at least half an hour before!
- His had a lot of illnesses but his coped with and not letting life stop because of it alhamdulillah
- His taught us to values good character, manners more than materialism.

- His hospitable,people loving kind of person, who welcomes people to our home, and belive me our homes busy alot of the time alhamdulillah!
- He tells some great stories, Islamic ones and also folktales. The folktales are usually of animals that can talk! LOL Me and my brother have fond memories of my dad telling stories while we all relax.

I can go on for a longer but I think I’ll stop here now inshaAllah, to conclude I will say my dads not perfect, his human, he makes mistakes like any other person and I know everyone’s parents are special to them and I’m no different, if I could choose a dad it would be no other than my ABBA!

May Allah SWT love you, and be merciful to you and reward you always Abba.
May Allah SWT preserve our parents, grant them parents long lives, with the best of health and highest of imaan, and may Allah SWT forgive and be merciful to those parents who have passed away and returned to Allah and give all our parents and the belivers jannatul Firdwas, may we all be reunited there. Ameen

Rabbana ghfir li wa li wallidayya wa lil Mu'mineena yawma yaqumul hisaab

O our Lord! Cover (us) with Thy Forgiveness - me, my parents, and (all) Believers, on the Day that the Reckoning will be established![14:41

Until next time inshaAllah
Wasalam

identity

2007-04-12T22:44:00.000-12:00

assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

this is probably one of the few times i'm likely to talk about sports, but this goes a little bit deeper than sports, it brings questions of identity. The other day the bangladeshi and england teams were playing against eachother in the world cup. For the older family members and relatives it wasn't hard to decide which team to support, they were born, raised and educated in Bangladesh. Yet for my generation, the question arose as to who we should show our loyalty to? My brother was like "urmm...why should you want to support bangladesh? what have they ever done for you? my reply was they had given me part of my identity, yet England was where i was born, raised and educated. This is where i felt a sense of belonging to a certain extent. Yet the other side of the debate came from my cousins wife who though was raised here, argued that we feel like 3rd class citiznes here.

Certainly the official bangldeshi cricket song that goes " laal shobujer protekaaaar"(red and green flag) and the images of bangldeshi places and people, and then family members in my living room celebrating everytime the Bangladeshi team did well made me also feel part of it too, and i think when it came down to the cricket i supported Bangladesh a whole lot more, yet when it comes to football i support England! Well this is just going in circles, i haven't established who should support, and where my identity belongs more, but one things for sure i'm happy to be muslim, and i know this is all Allah's world and perhaps its a privedge to feel part of two lands!

Anyways i've waffled for far too long

take care

wasalam

Honour thy guest

2007-04-07T10:44:00.000-12:00

In the name of Allah most Merciful, most Kind

assalamu alaikum

Today i was watching a programme called the 'Nobles' on Islam channel, the programme is about the lives of the sahabah(ra). Today the shaykh was talking about the life of Umme SALEEM (ra) who though she and her husband did not have enough food, still recieved the guest of Rasulullah (SAW) they sent their children to bed, and they sat with the guest in darkness while the guest ate the food, under the illusion that his hosts are also eating. The next day when umme saleem's husband Abu Talha went to Rasulullah SAW, Rasulallah (saw) told him that Allah is pleased with him as this verse was revealed:

"They prefer others above themselves, even though poverty become their lot (LIX: 9)."

I've told the story in brief because i'm sure this story is well known, i personally have heard it a few times since i was a child yet today it had a different impact on me, because the shaykh was explaining that one of the attributes of this ummah is that our hospitaility, our guests do not need any appointments, and they could be anyone yet we would offer them food and accomadation and generosity. I then thought about myself and though i love having guests sometimes i secretly wished that my guests/relatives wouldn't come at awkward times such as when i had an assignment due the next day, or i was stressed, or it was late in the night, and sometimes i really wished they phoned before coming. Instead of thinking that way i should have seen it as an opportunity to please Allah SWT, and see the guests as a blessing from Allah. SubhanAllah i have been lucky to be brought up by parents who love having guests and alhamdulillah our house is full alot of the time but today the shaykh's message really brought it home to me " Our guests dont need appointments to come" so may Allah SWT give me the ability and strength to be a great hostess to my guests even when it might not be the best of times, may i treat my guests the way Ibraheem (as) treated his guests, how Rasulullah SAW treated his guests, and how his companions treated thier guests ameen.

* Whatever i said that was good is from Allah SWT, and the mistakes are from me and my nafs, may Allah (SWT) forgive me and guide me ameen
wasalam

The sky is blue like blue bubblegum

2007-04-05T08:55:00.000-12:00

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh

subhanAllah today was another day of beautiful spring weather, and as i went out with the washing i looked up at the sky, and there wasn't a single cloud. I love spring weather because its not too hot which makes me tired, but spring weather is motivational!! well i cant blame the weather anymore for my own lazyness!!
ok wasalam for now
fiamanillah

countryside

2007-04-04T09:29:00.000-12:00

assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabaraktuh all

well the suns been shining these days alhamdulillah, and spring is certainly in the air inshaAllah. Its also the easter holidays and so my brother thought it''ll be a good idea to visit the countryside,sounded like a good idea to me too...but by the time we set off it was evening so all we did was drive and drive and brother got a little lost! LOL it was nice to see the fields and the animals and inshaAllah i hope next time we go for longer and actually do something there! but all in all i like the countryside you get to see alot of Allah SWT'S creation, away from the hustle and bustle of citylife.

Anyways until next time inshaAllah
fiamanillah
wasalam

2007-04-03T09:53:00.000-12:00

This is one of the pics from when it snowed back in February i think!

A new blog is born

2007-04-03T00:57:00.000-12:00

All praise is due to Allah, the most Beneficent and the Most Merciful. We Praise Him, and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge from in Allah from the evils of ourselves and the mischief of our deeds. Whosoever Allah guised cannot be misguided and whosoever Allah misguides cannot be guided. Peace and blessings be upon the final messenger, Muhammad upon his family and his noble companions. Ameen

I greet you all with a greeting of peace, universal peace, assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu, May the blessings of Allah be on you all.

This is like the 3rd or 4th attempt i'm making to keep a blog, and inshaAllah long may this one live! ameen

i've been looking at blogs for sometime now and kinda fancied one of my own, yet i wasn't sure what i was going to write, my main interest is Islam so just hoping to post things that i have find out inshaAllah so it benefits and reminds me and anyone else who comes across it inshaAllah. throughout my entries, any mistakes i make are from me and my nafs, and Allah and his messenger SAW are free from it, may Allah forgive me for them,and keep me upon the straight path anyone who notices any mistakes I ask you to please correct me straightaway inshaAllah.

jazakAllah khair

wasalam