Solat

Solat, so that Allah may forgive your sins.
Solat, so that Allah may make life easy for you.
Solat, so that Allah may increase your Rezq (sustenance).
Solat, so that Allah may make you a stronger person.
Solat, so that Allah may help you refrain from bad things.
Solat, so that you may thank Allah for all that you have.
Solat, so that you may remember Allah always.
Solat, so that you will have more peace of mind.
Solat, so that Allah may save you from Hellfire.
Solat, with much hope that you will be among the dwellers of Paradise.
Solat, so that Allah may ease your problems.
Solat, so that Allah may purify your heart.
Solat, so that Allah may make you a good person.
Solat, so that you may Praise Allah.
Solat, because it is our obligation to solat.

How NOT to name an event.

I literally cringed at a couple of inappropriate names I saw for events intended to be soul-inspiring.
How to be inspired when the 1st image painted is of trash or out-of-the-world association?

The drama series (I don't even want to type out the name) is such a TRASH - all parents I meet agree that this is doing NOTHING but planting negative ideas into the minds of the youth. They ban their children from watching it. NO, the kids don't seem to learn anything positive from this series. Articles have been written in the newspapers suggesting that we just take this series as one for pure entertainment. My GOD! That is even worse for entertainment. Such a pollution to the mind and soul. Enough coming from the West already, we have to create our own TRASH??

AND THEN, somebody thinks that it would be a effective to associate this series name with a soulful talk. Of course it was with the good intention of trying to address wayward youth and bring them to something meaningful - hopefully God-consciousness. BUT, do we seriously believe the youths will be attracted to the event BECAUSE the errghh name, which everyone will relate to the trash series, was used? I'm totally turned off.

Another one quite recently which made me cringe is the association of the blessed name or 'Rasulullah SAW' with a thing that is not only known to cause much distraction to people and is used to spread negative things (besides the little good things). There are more negative than good, and you really need to sift through the contents in front of your eyes, to try and just read good ones. Yes, I'm trying to mention the thing as far away from the beloved name. They put the name beside ' & Facebook'. It's nothing you say, but I ask you, even if it's meant to create an interest - if you are a serious, God-conscious person, having much resistance to worldly distractions and calling people to Solah and Zakah and Good Deeds, would you like to see "YOUR NAME & GAMEBOY" "YOUR NAME & JUSTIN BEIBER" ?? Do you get the idea? You really think Rasulullah SAW would have been happy to be associated with the name that they associate him with? It's quite appalling.

It's sad, sad, SAD, that we think we have to accommodate THEIR WAYS to invite people to goodness. That we have to acknowledge a bit of trash to invite people to being God-conscious?

The other sad thing is, now there is more HYPE compared to actual work of bringing people to good, and the objectives always ALWAYS get blurred. People get excited in the planning and making things grand, to create hype until they forget what they are doing it for. The sincerity and simplicity of it is gone. Rasulullah didn't need to have a carnival or banners to spread the message of Islam. It is spread through good deeds and good advice and a clear example. Like I hear from a few reverts who have become scholars, the best way to invite people to Islam is by being a good Muslim yourself. Let's get back to basics.

Let us be proud of Islam. Let us be proud and stand firm on the beautiful, gentle, clean message of Islam and don't associate it to something useless. Where is our pride in our faith?

It's not just a name of an event - that name can reveal a LOT about how confident we are of our Deen.



Sometimes, after I get so disappointed and I wish I can do something about it - I'd wonder (realise?), as I do now, that, I guess, some of these crazy things were meant to happen because The Hour is approaching(?) We cannot make ALL things good. There will be good and bad. And there will be a lot more of bad, and only little good. I truly hope and pray that we will be among the little good left in the world. Aamiin.

Oh boy, I'm pms-ing.

Still.. :(

When you reach 40 years of age

Alhamdulillah, we've been given the complete and most perfect Book of Guidance, the Qur'an.

Just now my father shared with me this ayat, which I would like to in turn share with you, especially those 35 years old and above. It's a doa that Allah teaches us, when we reach 40 years of age.

وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ إِحْسَانًا حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ كُرْهًا وَوَضَعَتْهُ كُرْهًا وَحَمْلُهُ وَفِصَالُهُ ثَلَاثُونَ شَهْرًا حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَبَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً قَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَى وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِي فِي ذُرِّيَّتِي إِنِّي تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ

أُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ نَتَقَبَّلُ عَنْهُمْ أَحْسَنَ مَا عَمِلُوا وَنَتَجاوَزُ عَن سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ فِي أَصْحَابِ الْجَنَّةِ وَعْدَ الصِّدْقِ الَّذِي كَانُوا يُوعَدُونَ

We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents: In pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth. The carrying of the (child) to his weaning is (a period of) thirty months. At length, when he reaches the age of full strength and attains forty years, he says, "O my Lord! Grant me that I may be grateful for Thy favour which Thou has bestowed upon me, and upon both my parents, and that I may work righteousness such as Thou mayest approve; and be gracious to me in my issue. Truly have I turned to Thee and truly do I bow (to Thee) in Islam."

Such are they from whom We shall accept the best of their deeds and pass by their ill deeds: (They shall be) among the Companions of the Garden: a promise! of truth, which was made to them (in this life).

Al-Ahqaf 46:15-16 (translation by Yusuf Ali)

Aamiin.

Imitation

An excerpt from Islam at the Crossroads.
Every Muslim whose environment is bombarded with Western ideas/images/behaviour should read this book. Written by a... or should I say, ex-Westerner. The late Muhammad Asad, May Allah reward him for his earnest effort to uphold the idea of a true Muslim.

And only very superficial people can believe that it is possible to imitate a civilisation in its external appearance without being at the same time affected by its spirit.

(At this point I'm imagining those who dress up as gothics or punks or trojan heads - can they possibly dress like that and still feel like a true Muslim?)

A civilisation is not an empty form, but a living organism. As soon as we begin to adopt the outward forms of that organism, its inherent currents and dynamic influences set to work in ourselves and mould slowly, imperceptibly, our whole mental attitude.

It is in perfect appreciation of this truth that the Prophet said:

"Whoever imitates other people becomes one of them" (Musnad Ibn Hanbal, Sunan Abi Da'ud)

This well-known hadith is not only a moral admonition but also an objective statement of fact - in this case, the fact of the inevitability of Muslims being assimilated by any non-Muslim civilisation which they imitate in its external forms.

everyone-is-happy day

There was a bit of a hoohah about Mother's Day celebrations among the Muslims. Some group of people has strongly suggested that it is HARAM! And then there are others who say, this is just a Mother's Day celebration for heaven's sake!

There are several opinions or versions for the history of Mother's Day (just look up the web). One stemming out of a Christian's 'Mothering Sunday' celebration, and then some people relate it to the honour of Maryam or Mary - Mother of Jesus Christ A.S, and another which states that it is basically to have a day to appreciate mothers generally.





You know what - I feel silly wanting to talk about it for very long, and thus making a fuss. All I want to say actually is that - I have no strong resistance to the celebration if for all these people, they really feel it's basically THE day to honour their mothers and it will make their mothers happy.

However, I just wish that we don't make a big fuss with this Mother's Day thing because it is kind of funny to think that we should pick a day to honour our mother or make her happy, when we should on ANY OTHER DAY AND EVERY OTHER DAY, honour our mothers and make them happy. This concept of honouring and making mothers happy should be all year round - don't highlight it on this single day.

Mothers themselves shouldn't feel the slightest bit hurt if their children happens to be busy on or even forget Mother's day, when they have been good children every other day.

Like every declared 'something'-Day - the happiest people are the shopowners. All these X-Days have become a commercial and business opportunities to increase sales.

Some children feel pressured to get their mothers something, (and this applies for birthdays) because they feel that it's so wrong not to get her anything on this specific day - then they end up buying something that the mother do not actually use or like. All the unnecessary pressures and wastage. Any other time of the year - if you're out walking and you see something that your mother (or any loved ones for that matter) have been wanting or you know they would like to have - get it for them. No, don't wait for something-day.

I also hope that siblings don't fall into arguments because someone forgot to book a restaurant and they cannot get a place on a declared something-day. The food doesn't taste any better on that day - in fact it could even be more expensive than on other days. You can go another day. Oh, but there is a day when food taste better - that's on Hari Raya Puasa, after a month of fasting. :D



Why do I have to write about this today? Ok, nevermind. I just would like to wish everyone an Everyone-is-Happy Day. InsyaAllah. Aamiin.