Practicing Islam Today

Many a times we assume that just because we are Muslims life will be a bed of roses for us, when in fact it is the opposite.

The Prophet of Allah (saws) has warned us that during the end of times holding on to faith would be like holding on to fire.

Anas bin Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“The people will see a time of patience in which someone adhering to his religion will be as if he were grasping to burning coal.”
(Tirmidhi-2260)

We have to put all our effort if we are to please Allah. This world is full of difficulties and it is important to understand why we have been put in such difficult situations. As we exert ourselves during these hard times we come to realize: this world  is temporary and what is in store is going to be worth it.

If things are ugly for you then it has been uglier for those before you and you must have witnessed worse things happening to those who are around you so remember to remain grateful.

Allah says in the glorious Quran Ch.: 29 V: 2
“Do the people think that they will be left to say “We believe” and they will not be tested?”

After having established that the times are difficult for one to pursue his/her faith what must one do?
What must be the plan of action?

•Remind yourself the purpose of your existence: the reason Allah created you was to worship Him alone. Other things that you do are to aid you to achieve this primary goal.

•A company that will remind of Allah: the example of a good companion is that of a perfume seller and a bad one is that of a blacksmith. Also the Prophet (pbuh) said a man is on the faith of his companion.

•Build yourself: Be better than what you were yesterday. Add a good deed in your habit list or eliminate a bad deed because even stagnant water gathers moss and becomes a hub for mosquitoes to breed in.

•Keep yourself busy: As the saying goes “An idle mind is a devil’s workshop.”

•Be proud of your faith: Don’t ever, ever be apologetic of you Deen. Because of the limited knowledge that we have we may not understand every aspect or injuction of Islam, but surely, beyond any shadow of doubt there is some wisdom behind every commandment of Allah. Umar (RA) said: Izzah (honour) is through Islam. If we seek honour through any other means than Islam, we will only be degraded.

Catharsis

Assalamu alaikum/Hello! Yeah, long, long time, absolutely no see 😊. Here's a (hopefully) thought-provoking piece. Enjoy!

Catharsis... The word has a ring to it, doesn't it?

What is catharsis? If you're a literature or a philosophy student, you probably at least have a rough idea of the concept. If you don't know, doesn't matter - here it is. It literally means:

1-The process of releasing and thereby providing relief from strong emotions

2-Purgation which is purification or cleansing.

I will give you two examples to explain the concept.

#1. A worker is scolded by his/her boss for some reason (maybe not completing the assigned task on time, etc.).

He/she is extremely frustrated and on the way back home, he/she is stomped by some random person and gets into an argument or physical fight.

Some would call this cathasis: the argument being that individual’s way of releasing his/her emotions.

This is a very basic instance of catharsis. If one is to read and observe there are many complex situations in which catharsis takes place.

The second instance is a true story.

#2.There is a young 9 year old girl who has seen her dad shoot her mom and this has affected her greatly both emotionally and mentally. She is psychologically affected, highly disturbed, and grows up with a strong baggage of emotions. At least once in a month she climbs high walls and yells and abuses, owing to fits.

Catharsis!

Do you think in these cases the emotions were released?

No, they were not; in fact these were a result of the accumulation of further negative emotions.

The individual in the first case argued or fought and collected more negative emotions and the girl climbs on the wall every month to release her emotions.

It is important to remember that two negatives repel; however, a negative and a positive attract. A negative release of emotions will only accumulate more negative emotions which might just result in a vicious cycle and spread more hate.

What happens if the same emotion is released in the positive form?

Through such a form of release people will benefit themselves as well as others.

Today most people practice catharsis negatively and the end result is destruction of generations and nations.

Allah says in the Glorious Quran (Ch: 41 V: 34)

“And not alike are the evil and the good. Repel evil with that which is BEST, when lo! He between whom and you is enmity would be as if he were a warm friend.”

When one keeps doing well to another in spite of being harmed, then not only the one harming is forced to stop and think about his actions, but the victim of this harm realises a higher moral level, and broadens his/her view of most things.

Let us be so good that people feel ashamed and guilty to harm us!

It might seem a difficult thing to begin with, but it is the solution given by Almighty and so one can easily trust on the results.

Imagine the kind of change it would bring in the world.

*Disclaimer*

This is just one of the ways of solving problems and catharsis. I do not claim it is the only way.

Leave that which does not concern you

Abu Hurairah(R.A) said that the Messenger of Allah,(SAWS) said: “Part of perfection of one’s Islam is his leaving that which does not concern him.”  (Tirmidhi)

What happens when you are curious to know about things that do not concern you?

·        You are constantly distracted by the things others are doing and in the process you lose your focus thus reducing your productivity.

·        Lack of attention, concentration, loss of time while digging for information, and even dissatisfaction if you are unable to acquire that information.

·        You begin judging people based on what you have heard which could possibly be a lie.

·        This also makes people indulge in backbiting and slandering about others - both of which come under major sins.

·        You become more careless of your own sins, you’re lulled into complacency.

With the rise in the use of social media, which gives a platform to share personal information, though it is quite  a beneficial medium to share messages and connect people, however, has become a great cause of concern as people are constantly indulging in other people’s lives. And therefore this has produced a whole new level of an unproductive community.

Allah swt too filters information for us and provides us only that which we need. If we analyze the first 6 verses of surah Yusuf, we would be amazed as to how Allah has chosen to give us information in a particular format, letting us know a few things while not letting us know some things which are not very important for our imaan.

Allah says in surah Yusuf (Ch:12 V:1,3,6)

1-“Alif,  Laam, Raa, these are the verses of the Clear Book.”

3-“We relate to you the best of stories in what we have revealed to you of this Quran, and you were, before it, among the unaware.”

6-“….Indeed, your Lord is KNOWING and WISE.”

Subhan Allah! This is so amazing.

When we look at the first verse ‘Alif, Laam, Raa’ do we know its meaning? No.

But in the second half of the same verse Allah says, verses of Clear Book. Misleading!?

Third verse says it is one of the best story we have revealed and you were unaware.

Let us understand it:

Allah is only telling us those things that are important ,the meaning of “Alif,  Laam, Raa” is not imortant in terms of our faith, as Allah explains this in another Surah, Surah Ali Imraan (Ch 3: V 7)

“It is He who has sent down to you, the Book; in it are verses Muhkam (precise), they are foundation of the book-and others Mutashabih (unspecific). As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], seeking discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to them]…”

So here Allah is teaching us not to probe in things that do not concern us and Allah has given us a practical example in surah Yusuf. So we were unaware of the story of Yusuf (A.S) and Allah related it to us as it would help our imaan grow. So we realize us that Allah is selecting necessary information and relating only that to us. And Allah also choses to use two of his attributes i.e. KNOWING and WISE which further elucidate the beauty of the message that though Allah knows everything He is wise enough to give us only that which we need.

Lastly, Hasan Al-Basri said: “O son of Adam! You are nothing but a number of days, whenever a day passes then part of you is gone.”

So why waste your precious time in those things that do not even concern us or benefit us in any way?

TIME is like a sword if you do not cut it, it will cut you!

And Allah knows the best. May Allah rectify our characters ad increase our Imaan.

Un-blinker Yourself

Peace be on you all!
Yeah, we know, and we're terribly sorry, and we won't even begin on how late we've been this time.
We have this one request from you - please show some response, ask some questions, etc. to help us assess how we're getting on here. It'll really be appreciated, InShaaAllah.
Now, with the post.

Consider this scenario: you're offered a promotion, a pay raise, and you're not bad with responsibility -- would you decline this proposal? Given that you are right-headed, that is.
No, most probably you'd be overly eager to accept it. Unless you're genuinely lacking.

Now, aren't we all terrific fools, that when God gave us final clues for answers, full debriefing, and unparalleled greatness after that, we're still clung on to the previous, primitive short-term goals?
Allah blessed us: with morals of justice, we run behind 'equality'. He gave us a clear path to world peace and we're blindly inching forwards on the street of provincial peace. He showed us Eternal Bliss but we're obsessed with a terminal period.

And after all, we're all pumped up and confident (over-?) about matters that lurk in the darkest patches of our ignorance.
Tsk-tsk, indeed "...mankind was created weak." (Al-Quran 4:28) http://quran.com/4/28

Every once in a while, we must retrospect, to purify and protect our precious intentions from the callers towards Evil.

May Allah Protect us and Purge us all. Aameen.

Peace be to all those who follow the Guidance.

Rafting

Peace be upon you. Here you go.

You’re white water rafting, against the current. The water sprays on you, the whole of you, and you still have to plough through with your only paddle. And, of course, you’re alone.

But this isn’t the worst part. Rather, every bit adds up to stand towering over you as a challenge.

Yet the huge rocks that jut out of the raging tousles – some that you’re able to see before you just go crashing into them, and, some not – are the ones giving you a tough time. So, some you steer around, a few you go over, and the rest you hurtle into. Thus, whatever follows, follows.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, this rafting of yours isn’t just sport. What’s it, then? Any guesses?

 

It’s a simile of your life’s status quo.

The hurdles that you meet, and will encounter, are the rocks that you will see. And you choose – skirt around them, take them and move over and on, or go collide into them, totally unprepared, and capsize.

“Choose your battles.”

“For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.” 94:5.

“Allah will bring about, after hardship, ease.”65:7.

Peace be to all those who follow the Guidance.

Not Excused!

Peace be upon you. Again, we're late, sorry, et cetera. Here we go.

Surah Ash-Shams, Verse 8:
فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا
Then He inspired it to understand what is right and wrong for it;

The soul was given the knowledge, the criterion. Did we just hear our brains counter, "Ignorance is bliss"? Well, is it any ignorance if you've all the knowledge you need to not be excused?

If a machine was made perfect (if, that is, by humans) and programmed efficiently, and given 'artificial intelligence', and yet it erred while running, what's to blame? Not the fashioner, no, he was quite thorough in his work.

Gotcha!

Actually, we're all caught. We can't say, 'We didn't know'/'We didn't understand it at all'/ etc. When the Message came to us, we felt our heart tug us towards it. The Right or the Left won. Or will, if Allah Wills.

All in all, the bottom line is - we can't skitter behind excuses that will never be applicable to us. We must embrace the Truth when it comes, for it will come, by the Will of Allah.

Eco-friendliness: Our duty.

Our poor Earth begs to see those twinkling stars,

For it could formerly even admire the beauty of planet Mars.

These factories smoking a thousand cigars a day,

The smoke clouding up with a hue of blackish grey.

Not to mention, of course, our folks who breathe

Out those toxins; never enough to seethe.

Tonnes of garbage dumped mercilessly at the great seas,

Even the lakes and oceans are not set free.

So many chemicals polluting the noble waters,

Choking fishes and many plants, even our health greatly falters.

Unhealthy, hybrid foods replace the better nutrition,

To feed the numerous masses, to produce weaker generations.

For the best in both lives, plant a seed today,

That’s also what the Lord and His Messenger (saw) say.

You may never realize—it’s a little forest of your own,

With household garbage and compost, the large plants you have grown.

Let’s unionize our efforts to success via the Way,

How Muhammad (saw) taught us, our world needs it today!

~~~

Peace be upon those who follow the Guidance.

We felt; it's wrong?

Peace be upon you.
We have some write-ups in the making, please pray for us, and that we find time (and mind) to produce great read-worthy articles.

~ ~ ~

They held the showing of emotion, verily, even the harbouring of sentiment, a negative, a fallacy.

Did they never see the machines they 'made'? Did they ever find in them any genuine feeling? Was their creation not amateurish or was it authentic expertly? Now, were they so far too arrogant to ridicule the creations of the Master, the Creator, the Fashioner of all art?

Did they have no shame left in them? Do we?

Peace be to all those who follow the Guidance.

Freedom Pub. Ltd.

Peace be upon you!
We're sorry to have defied our 'monthly' term. Whoops! But please pray that from now on we are disciplined. We're human, by the way. (Hah!)

~~~

They told you modernity granted you freedom. Well, quite generously. But maybe, just maybe, you've heard, "There's a limit to everything." We may not agree in all absolute facets, but in this life, and for us humans, yes.
'But I've got freedom', some may object. 'I can do everything I want to.' Actually, you can't. You can do only what you can. 
That aside, owing to freedom and my downright fascination, may I eat fire? May I? Please..?
Logically, I may not. Because it's detrimental.
And thus, here, for us, there are limits. And we must wisely accept them.

Peace and blessings be to those who follow the Guidance.

Where's the Ω?

Peace be upon you! Welcome back to our monthly blog.
Let's proceed.

The universe is orchestrated with a symphony of balance, every being dancing to the Divine programming. And Justice is just one prominent note in the harmony. If God Himself wasn't the One of Most Justice, Most Truth, Most Mercy, Most Forgiveness, and Most Love, then how in the cosmic possibilities could we mere humans, a race with inherent weakness, have come to discover, or "invent",  as some of us might prefer, them?

So how, in the awesome universal justice, could anyone expect this near constricted world to be the alpha and omega of human existence?

Now, we all know that there were many such heads with seats of power that blew off a million other heads for vested interests, a grudge, some fear, you name it. And they died like the others died. Death is justice?

I'll talk maths. We all started off as the same--a million Xs. Suppose I got power (normal; this isn't physics) of 2 units. And owing to this, I took away 1 unit of your freedom. Like we started, we must also end equal. As x+2 is not equal to x-1, and supposing we both die now, it ends up like x+2=x-1 which isn't true for it's really x+2≠x-1. So this must not be the omega. This is not the end.

For the sake of justice and equality, thank God for the Judgement Day!

Peace be to all those who follow the Guidance.

Falsity

Peace be upon you.
Here, now, with blood flowing like river-water, wounds drying like mud under the sun, we needn't say much to explain the atrocities being inflicted upon our brethren in humanity. Lord, please now save Palestine!

Only a coward bombs the unarmed mass,
To occupy a land that's another's home,
Hailed for their cowardice, injustice in guise,
Israel, turning Palestine into unfelt tombe.

Babies they kill, chivalry profess,
To 'defend', to re-capture their "Promised Land",
And shout out their wounds, their bruises, some scratch,
While a nation they grind beneath their stand.

Our bretheren they kill,
Humanity, slay,
For injustice in our world,
Will we still pay?

Fund those cool brands,
The crowns of all industry,
Or fund genocide or kill--
Identical equality.

When the hailed crown's but stolen,
Robbed from their very host,
We go blind and dissociate,
(Saying)"It's not ours, that post."

Well, why do we smother conscience,
Sugar-coating this gall?
Drop, a drops form an ocean,
Customer's king, after all.

When the better of us royals resign,
And morality, anti-hexastar, support,
The oppressors' economy shall decline,
By God's Will, Justice our purport.

If not for religion, least for virtue,
For humanity, morals, justice, the truth,
Stand, O People, Stand firmly for mankind,
Be kind to man, so beyond may you see the Fruit.

O Allah! Lord of all,
Unite my bretheren against the evil force,
In throngs they force, to uproot Thy Deen,
Yours our will, Justice we propose.

O Allah! If not for Your Aid,
Misguided, useless, senseless is undermine,
O Allah! Piety we beseech,
Our Lord, please NOW save Palestine.

Peace be upon all those who follow the Guidance.

The Month of Guidance

Peace be upon you, who has been following this blog since a long, long time. And to those of you who haven't, too.

The Holy month of the Muslims is up and high, bright and sanctifying. Why are we making this the subject of this month's post? This period has dozens of deeds which can be, and are, the source for scores of great benefit: physical, spiritual, mental, and many more, you name it.

Firstly, fasting in Ramadaan, the fourth pillar of Islam, is observed by the Muslims as a means for attaining god-consciousness and piety, as mentioned in the Quran, 2:183. "O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous." Also, as the verse says, this deed was enjoined upon nations of the past, so it stands not as a new idea for the masses of humanity.

Someone made a statement as follows,"If one can control his food, he can control anything." So secondly, it empowers the one who's fasting with self-control.
Hence, it is easier to perform acts of worship with the full presence of mind and total control of will. If one's good enough. And if he's not, well, this is a great time to make or break habits!

Fasting helps the physical human body to gain a lot of boons. The digestive system is given rest, and as with everything, a rested system is more productive. It can be a means of weight control. More health benefits can be found on http://www.allaboutfasting.com/benefits-of-fasting.html. Et cetera, et cetera.

More importantly, an average, sensitive human being recognizes and sympathizes with the condition of the poor, those who haven't the means of looking forward to even breaking their fast, out of no fault of their own. This helps social relations and societal development through brotherhood.

A sort of summary, rather the crust and scan of what Ramadaan is supposed to be and what it must compose of.

Foreheads that kiss the ground, low,
Elevated by spirit, by creed: the glow.
This month of restraint, of superior control,
By the slaves of the Almighty, those incandescent coals.

Eat not, thou, from dawn to dusk,
Be the time an aeon, or the trifling brusk.
For the Pleasure of thy Lord, fast this time,
So you'd feel his hunger, thy brother with no dime.

This deed for Him shall yield you nobility:
Care, character, God-consciousness, piety.
A pillar of your edifice; break, not, it down,
Erect it firmly; may salvation, there, be your crown.

A sinning soul, myself; now I'd conclude,
Not, may we have hallucinations of mere food.
Taqwa, instill into our hearts, O Lord!
And forgive us all sins; our Destiny Thy accord!

Peace be to all those who follow the Guidance.

Thy Account

Greetings to you of peace again!

One of us just got wondering... And, here's the wonder.

If you're a student, (okay, let's say an average, normal student) you'd be worried about your result. When's that? At the end of the respective Academic Year. The confectionery store's book keeper lays down the incomes and outflows at the end of the day. The general store's accountant pens it, let's say, at the end of the week. And the universal (or rather, more accurately, international) corporate world sums and solves its accounts at the end of the business year. 
You see the trend? Everything important is accounted for at the end of its term.

Now, would you count your life important? Whether you do or you don't, it does stand significant. And, just another proof is before you: you'll have to account for your tenure at the end of your life and later, to the One who Created you. Let's not deny this obvious fact and be doomed forever. Remember--The Almighty would certainly not create all this magnificence for sheer play.

May Allah Guide us to all that is good and Paradise. Aameen.

Peace be to all those who follow the Guidance.

P.S. We'd appreciate if you'd be so kind to rate our posts, through the check-boxes at the end of each one. May Allah Reward you. :)

The Blind Pride

With the greeting of peace, we greet you. Welcome, again, to our blog. Happy reading and may we benefit through it all.

I write this piece not as some great advisor, but as a well-wisher, offering counsel, first 2 my own sinning soul, then to each one of the human race, all those who we care so much for.

Our society is abundantly plagued with corruption, murder, shamelessness, and even our youngsters brewing in disrespect, cheating, moral abuse, let alone the elders, just to state a few. And Satan was debarred from the Gardens due to this one feeling which propelled an act: Pride. How do we hope to advance while stripping our characters of instrumental qualities?

God Created us all with a balance: if Jake is blind, he's got an extra of another feature, say his hearing; if Ahmad is low in verbal interaction, another one of his qualities certainly hails a thumbs-up, for instance his writing or techno- skills. When you're treated to a hats-off demeanor, remember well that another of your qualities is perfectly deficient, so you have no reason to rocket-off the Earth. Everyone is the protagonist of their own story (well, maybe everyone except John Watson), but each person also deserves a respectful treatment, don't they? Put yourself in their shoes and examen just how much you'd relish being treated like a filthy rag. Not that your or their condition is permanent -  today you may soar, tomorrow you could dive.

What really marks us above the rest is the faith that we cultivate within us, the extent to which we serve our purpose, how conscious are we of our Creator, what breed of character do we culture within our souls. And even with that, the noble one would fear for himself a treachery from himself, when all the purity might be diseased with the plague of evil. Pride is the cloak of God Almighty, and derailing indeed are we if we see it fitting upon ourselves to don the Exalted One's attribute, not to mention its forbiddance may bring the greatest calamities upon our heads.

May Allah Increase us in His consciousness, nobility and the good of all things, and May He Purge us of our misdeeds and keep us far, far away from the Fire.

Peace be to all those who follow the Guidance.

The Squall

You're afflicted with a heart-wrenching difficulty. So is your brother, your sister, your friend, your every relative, and each soul upon the face of the Earth. You're no special solicitation of God's Wrath, and it's probably not even His Anger that you experience, but rather a test. Note the absence of 'simple'. He Tests most those whom He Loves. So brace yourself in the wake of the tempest and place your trust in Him. Soon, it shall pass, with His Will, and you'll rise above your flaws. Yes, you will, if He Wills.

A small reminder, for me and for you...

Storms shall rise
In your voyage at the seas,
So prepare, don't blame,
For destruction's for those tease.

A blade sharpens the blunts,
A whetstone a sword,
With this dip you'll climb further,
Why, then, question the Lord?

Battles will rage,
You're armed with sword and shield,
When nothing you did lack,
Why in the cosmos yield?

Kiss the dust--
None but you to blame,
Deny the gawking truth,
Implore great defame.

The knife's in your palm,
Slay yourself or defend,
Now is the time for choice,
The morrow's too late to mend.


May Allah (the Exalted, High) buttress our mettle, our trust in Him, our acts only for Him. He's the solution to your and my distress. May He forgive us all our sins, and enter us into the best of His slaves.

Peace be to all those who follow the Guidance.

The Overlooked Piece

Peace be to you, again. We apologize for the lapse in timing between our last post and this one. Hope to keep you engaged in awesome ideas! Now, the post...

In our daily lives we delve, unthinking, un-contemplating of the One Who Created us, of the One Who Forwards all the favours that we call our own, of the Only One Who Deserves to be thanked in every moment of our lives. Yet we conveniently forget all the rights He Has upon us.

And when does the double-edged sword stick in our wounds? When we’re afflicted with a certain “calamity”, and call out to Him earnestly, like He’s all we care of. For He’s all that’s left. And we move further to call upon our “fulfilled duties” to Him, of our loyalty to His Might, of the firmness our attestation to His Existence. Really, pledging loyalty to God does not only entail belief in Him when we’re at the end of our tether, when all mortals have dissociated themselves from us, when imminent destruction looms before our eyes. And most undoubtedly it implies throwing off His mention into the air when the dog is having its day, doesn’t it? How truly ungrateful we are!

What more reason do we need to remember Him whenever we can besides the undeniable fact that He Created us, and left us not to “manage on our own”; rather, He Fed us, clothed us, protected us, promoted us, and He Knows best what all else! But yet, we don the cloak of pride and refuse to turn to Him. Then why do we complain when the repercussions strike?

He has, undoubtedly, very Wisely said this in the Quran, Surah Mulk, “Or who is it that will give you sustenance if He should withhold His Sustenance? Nay, they persist in disdain and aversion.” (67:21)

But you’ll say that you did not realize He did all these acts. Only had you obedient eyes that noticed the subtleties of your provisions, you would remark the impossibility of it without His play therein. And don’t excuse yourself by saying anything like, ‘I cannot be so observant’ or ‘You’ve got to be kidding about Him’, etc. You can see it, and this is, surely, the truth.

He Deserves to be praised, and if we do not give the religion foremost priority that it is rightful of, we shall surely witness the blind pitfalls in our lives.

Peace be to all those who follow the Guidance.

Ponder...?

Good Life again everybody! The pristine greeting of peace we bestow on you once more!

Now, to business... Haven't you ever wondered why we are so constricted of mind? Here is what we present to you from Islam:

With what an admirable wonder does the curious child spend that enormous amount of time scrutinizing the creations of God! Although his simple mind, he just happens to find the enigma in a symphonic ripple of water, the impeccable rays of sunlight, the strangeness of another person's eye. An aspect that we abominable adults just happen to overlook. So conveniently. Oh, but we're so busy studying/working/gossiping/whatever-ing that it works itself up as a pretty plausible excuse for not being "childish". Or does it?

Almighty God Created us to worship Him, and the purpose can be achieved even in everyday acts of normality. The morning train houses airy windows to a brilliant sky alight with the entrancing young sunlight, if only you were extraordinary enough to see. And the biology class teaches you the impeccably flawless programming of God in microscopic genes. And the astronomy class reminds you that the Empire of God does not NEED your cooperation to function; that's only needed for your own salvation. And so many infinitely more evidences, if only YOU were to see...

Peace be to all those who follow the Guidance.