A quick one

I said I would post again at night so here I am.
The halaqa was rather interesting, discussed marriage stuff, the ayah about husband and wife being garments of one another- "They are your garments and ye are their garments." [2:187] its very deep, ill just summarise it- basically they should protect, comfort, cover, support, honour, guard and beautify one another. I think in our next halaqa we are going to go more in depth with marriage stuff, in 2weeks time inshaAllah. I love it, it's so relaxed and friendly and all us sisters are such good company, i love how we gather for the sake of Allah and discuss topics in Islam and always leave feeling in a state of high emaan and it motivates me to keep striving on this path.
Oh ye and we had some delicious chocolate muffins and cake after, mmmmmm anywho... Time was going nice and slow until 1 o'clock, i managed to (not do any more revision) but listen to an islamic lecture, and read like maybe 15 islamic articles on facebook. Now its getting late.
I really want to buy some hoodies and t-shirts with islamic slogans, so im just surfing the net right now, and also feel like reading! Which is quite rare lol actually if its islamic based then i love it. I'm looking for novel kind of books, which have a theme of religion and have morals and stories that us individuals can relate to and learn from. If anyone has any recommendations please comment.
JazakAllah khair :)

Dreams Dreams Dreams

I'm not talking about the ones you have when your asleep. (Although they are ever so fascinating). I'm talking about life dreams, dreams that each individual aspires to accomplish some day.
My list growns and alters and decreases and increases ever so often.

My one BIG dream is to set up a small weekly islamic class for girls, ages between 7-19 years maybe, (the youth are not holding onto deen as much as they should), anyway- a nice building, clean and full of a positive spiritual atmosphere, and a lovely garden outside for the younger ones to play in. I was looking through the argos catalogue and seen some cool climbing frames and such, thought it would be amazing if i could one day create a place for children to be free and explore. Kids are deprived of such joyful discovery these days, theres always fear around the place. I hope to run this place with my husband who could set up a boys class too inshaAllah.

I also want to go Palestine soon, help the poor brothers and sisters who are in need. I hate to be sitting here in a life of luxury while the Ummah are struggling for their lives :( really want to bring even a bit of happiness to them, and moreso please Allah by doing my duty.

A little dream thathas been lighting up my thoughts these days is painting. Ive always been creative and wanted to do something on the side, as a hobby but something thatcould bring benefit. So i finally discovered- islamic calligraphy. Ive menationed it before so i wont go on about it. But basically selling islamic calligraphy paintings and things would be awesome! InshaAllah

Okay i think thats the only 3 big dreams i have. I have the smaller ones of being a wife, a mother, being able tolive according to the Qur'an and Sunnah and lead a happy balanced life. Balance between physical and spiritual states, balance between family and community, and religion and work. Im sure all these things can go hand in hand, if i do things properly. Theres no time like the present though, so I'm sort of grasping the means to achieve my goals now. Better to start sooner than later. But what Allah has written for me, may not be what i want right now. Allah knows best and His plans are always successful so I shouldnt plan too much because I have no control over the future. Nevertheless its good to set high aims, 'you achieve only as much as you intend' so aim higher and higher you will be, inshaAllah.

Anywho, i justleft my revision-note making because i had these thoughts lol. Better get back to it, because my education is one way in which I can be of assistance in Palestine and help myself and my family and the community over here. Plus more money = more oppurtunities, more to give to charity, and better chances of making the dreams come true.
I think i'll be back tonight, after the monday halaqa. I think we are going to be discussing marriage issues or hadith about the Qur'an. InshaAllah I will share it with you :) peace out for now x

Zahir Mahmood

Such a great speaker mashaAllah. Listening to a few of his lectures about the early martyrs of Islam. These things really have such a great impact! Puts things into perspective. This world is insignificant.
One thing i pray for is to die as a martyr. The things we do in the places we are cannot be anything compared to that of the actions of the sahabah, so honoured to be in the presence of the Prophet (salallhu 'alaihi wasallam), they showed such courage and bravery, such love for the Prophet and for the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and such desire of Jannah. I wish i could be like them even a fraction!
I know in our time we have soo much corruption at every corner, and that is the test for us, but i know im not doing enough, im not even much of a good Muslim (Allah knows best) i fall into traps easily. Although i think i am getting better lol alhamdulillah.
Theres a hadith- which i cant find. Bascially if one prays to die in the way of Islam, as a martyr then he will be at the status of the martyrs even if he died in his bed.

May Allah make us strong and steadfast in our emaan, may He help us to carry out our duties correctly as Muslims and be obedient servants, to love His Messenger, to love Him with all our heart and do everything to attain His love mercy and pleasure. May He save us from the punishment in the grave and the hellfire and grant us a place close to Him in Jannah. Ameen

Just a little natter :)

Asalaamulaikum, Havent been on for a few days, to be honest the reason was because after my last post, i stayed up engaged in ibadah and i realised how much time i wasted trying to get into this blogging thing. Moderation is the key! A big thing to remember.

But ye, had a little 'party' at the islamic school on saturday. I thought all the children would be dresed in eid clothes, and i thought the other teachers would atleast wear nice abayas, so i wore a nice elegant black one with brown beads and embroidery (so glad i didnt go for the black and green one) everyone was wearing normal clothes!! haha. And then the kids were going crazy with the bouncy castle and painting and the snacks! Alhamdulillah it was lovely though.
But i have sooo much university work to do. Im sure others of you are like this, where you know you have things to do which are important yet youjust do the less importsnt things thatyou actually want to do. And now its nearly second week of holidays and ive done nothing. Familys always asking for help too and time goes soo quick. I just need to make sure i get started and not stress!

I find it not quite right though if i go more than a few hours without doing something islamic. And write now im going over my arabic writing, i really want to start arabic calligraphy and sell my work inshaAllah once its good enough. :) halaal money!
Anywho Ive been in bed a few hours today since i came back from helping my dad with cleaning the shop. Wasnt feeling too well, but i know Allah is always here and He knows my pain, so patience will ve rewarded inshaAllah and with pain our sins are expiated so us muslims, we are winners all round. SubhanAllah.

Awake for no reason

Salaam all... whoever is out there... Feel like I made this blog to talk to myself lol. So new to it, only made it yesterday because I came across some marriage and Islam blog and thought 'ooh lets see whats blogging about' and I got reeled in slowly but surely, one of those things I guess where you get hyped up about it and spend ridiculous amounts of time getting into it when you should be doing more important things and then it just dies down. But what the hey its something new :)
I was scheduled to sleep around 12 and wow its late now! lol. Argh now I'm thinking I have so much to do, why have I not started any lecture reading?? Ah well that can wait...
Anyway...
Had a reallyyy good day today alhamdulillah. Letting go for the sake of Allah and putting your trust in Him can be hard but with faith you can get through anything. And today, what I left yesterday came back, and now everything is as smooth as stroking newly laid plaster. My trust is with Allah, my peace and happiness is with Allah and He has opened so many doors for me, hence why Im doing what Im doing and getting involved with Islamic things here and there, its all from Him.

Hadith of the Day- "..Be mindful of Allah, you will find Him before you. Get to know Allah in prosperity and He will know you in adversity. Know that what has passed you by was not going to befall you; and that what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and ease with hardship." [al-Tirmidhi]... Oh and i <3 this 1- "Indeed amazing are the affairs of a believer ! They are all for his benefit; If he is granted ease of living he is thankful; and this is best for him. And if he is afflicted with a hardship, he perseveres; and this is best for him."

I find such peace and comfort in these things, knowing everything happens for a reason and knowing Allah is ALWAYS with me. hmmmm :) such a contented feeling I can't even explain.
Oh i forgot! I was meant to listen to an Islamic talk by Zahir Mahmood, could have listened to it while I was doing this, but never mind I'll listen to some of it now :) going to be awakening late i guess...one thing to end this deep night post-
Blesses to be a Muslimah :) x

Our shield, our identity

Hijab is an act of worship, and as an act of worship, it will be rewarded.

Part of our commitment to Allah SWT is to trust that He knows what is best for us and that what He has commanded is what is right. If we find ourselves disliking the way that He has set for us, our challenge is not to ignore or to try to change His command, but rather it is to seek for ourselves the wisdom in the command and to surrender to His will. If we don't like what He has commanded, we should try to change ourselves not His commands. We should try to find reasons why His command is right and will be beneficial for us, and we should try to motivate ourselves through this to obey the command.
We look to the Quran and Sunnah to find what Allah SWT has commanded. Neither one can be taken alone but they both go together.
"And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, [a list of relatives], or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss."
[24:31]
Surah al-Ahzab ayah 59 says:
"O Prophet! Say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the faithful to draw their outergarments (jilbabs) close around themselves; that is better that they will be recognized and not annoyed. And God is ever Forgiving, Gentle."
The reason why Muslim women should wear an outer garment when going out of their homes is that they may be recognised as "Believing" women and differentiated from streetwalkers for whom sexual harassment is an occupational hazard. The purpose of this verse was not to confine women to their homes, but to make it safe for them to go about their daily business without attracting unsavoury attention.
Together, these two ayat lay out seven commandments for Muslim sisters:

1. "to lower their gazes"
2. "to guard their private parts"
3. "not to display their beauty except what is apparent of it"
4. "to extend their headcoverings to cover their bosoms"
5. "not to display their beauty except to their husbands or their fathers..."
6. "not to strike their feet (on the ground) so as to make known what they hide"
7. "to draw their outergarments close around themselves"

Lowering the gaze means not looking at what is forbidden to be seen of others. Guarding the private parts means that only the husband is allowed to see or touch them. Not giving knowledge of what is hidden means not posturing or strutting around so as to jangle hidden jewellery or make men think about hidden body parts. All of these are part of what Allah SWT has commanded in regard to hijab.

What is apparent are the hands and face, it is clearly stated that the hair should be covered and extending to cover the chest, this includes the ears and the neck, and outergarments should be drawn around, not showing the figure of the woman which could lead to unlawful gazes, and encourage male desires.
The purpose for clothes in the west is beauty, for attraction. On the subject of attraction, two sure things exists, one in a woman and one in a man. That which exists within a woman is the desire to show herself off, it is a part of her nature. That which exists in a man is an inclination towards looking, not just looking but flirting and receiving pleasure from it. By dressing in a way that Allah (swt) has asked of us, it will prevent the showing off as there will be no means for one to do so, and hence men will not be inclined in looking or behaving in an unlawful manner that would put himself and you at risk.

As you must be aware, women walk the streets virtually naked these days. But this nakedness may not be the actual revealing of skin. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) spoke about times that would come where women are clothed but naked (i.e. her clothes will be tight fitting, transparent) this is amongst the signs of the Day of Judgement.
We should not fall into this trap. Wear hijab for the sake of Allah, it is only of benefit to us in this life and the next.

We should be known as chaste and virtuous women not mere puppets of media. A statement of truth and liberation, not a means of profit and subjects of abuse. A sight of honour- a believing woman following the way of the Ummahat-al-mu'mineen, not followers of these celebrities.

Sisters who wear hijab, I'm sure you feel very safe and shielded, and at the same time you know your representing Islam and this reinforces you to observe proper Islamic etiquettes. Its wonderful to see Muslimahs who are not afraid to wear hijab :) our bodies are beautiful so only our husbands have the right to see them, not every man who walks past. Biiiggg high five to the Hijabi's :D

Precious Advice

O Muslim! You believe in Allah and in the final day, its reward and its punishment. You believe in the day of reckoning and the paradise and hellfire. You know that Allah sees you, He hears you, and that He knows the core of your conscience. He loves what will benefit you and hates what will harm you. He loves that which is permissible for you and hates that which is impremissible for you.

With that said, I remind you to take account your soul and that you return to the obedience of your Lord, your Master, your Protector. The One Who created you, provides for you, gave you life, and forgives you.

* The One Who feeds you, gives you to drink, clothes you, and provides you with shelter. He strengthens you with intelligence, hearing, sight, knowledge, and understanding. He taught you what you did not know and gave you preference over many that He has created.

So praise Allah my Muslim brother and thank Him with all of your heart, tongue, and good deeds by doing what He made obligatory on you and by leaving what He forbade you.

* At the forefront of that is Tawheed of Allah and being sincere in worshipping Him only. Then focus on performing the five daily prayers on time with the congregation (for the men) in the Masjid. It is a pillar of the religion and a connection to the Lord of all of the worlds. It is from the religious rites of the Muslim that distinguishes between Islaam and Kufr. It expiates the sins and faults. It prohibits lewdness and objectionable matters. Allah has obligated it upon you and upon every Muslim who is mature and sane. He has obligated it for every situation whether in good health, illness, while resident or during travel, during times of safety and in times of fear based on one’s capacity:

{Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.}

* I remind you that the one who abandons prayer is a disbeliever whose blood is permissible to be shed. Such a one cannot marry a Muslim woman. His deeds are not accepted. He does leave inheritance to be inherited and does not inherit from others. When he dies he is not to be washed or shrouded and definitely not to be prayed over. He is not buried in the graves of the Muslims except for the one who repents (before dying). Allah will accept his repentance as He is at-Tawwaab (the One Who accepts repentance), ar-Raheem (the Merciful). Returning to the truth is better than to be persistent upon falsehood. So repent to your Lord my Muslim brother and protect the observance of your five daily prayers.

Have remorse for your pervious shortcomings in obeying Allah and resolve never to return to disobedience before you die remorseful when remorse will not benefit you and you will despair of your negligence.

O Allah guide us to Your straight path. O Allah accept our repentance for indeed You are at-Tawwaab, ar-Raheem. O Allah send peace & blessing upon our prophet Muhammad and upon his family and companions.

Taken from Daily Reminders
By ash-Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (rahimahullah)
-Taken from Risaalah fee al-Ghusl, wal-Wudhoo, was-Salaah pages 57 – 62
-Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee (may Allahu guide him)

A prayer for each new beginning

Ya Allah,
I thank you for this day.
I thank you for my being able to see and to hear this morning.

I'm blessed because you are forgiving and understanding Allah
You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me.

Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought
that was not pleasing to You.
I beg now for Your forgiveness.
Please keep me safe from all danger and harm.

Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of ggratitude.
Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so
that I can hear from You.

Please broaden my mind so that I can accept all things.
Let me now whine and whimper over things I have no control over.
And have the best response when I am pushed beyond my limits.
I know that when I can't pray you listen to my heart.
Continue to use me to do your will.
Continue to bless me that i may be a blessing for others.
Keep me strong that I may help the weak.
Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others.

I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way.
I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood.
I pray for those who do not know You intimately.
I pray for those that don't believe.

And I thank You that I believe.
Believe that You change people and change things.

I pray for all my Muslim brothers and sisters.
For each and every family member in their households.
I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes, that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.
I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance of situation greater than Allah.