Poem on Jannah by Ammar

That was really good, mashaAllah.

What is Righteousness?

Allah says in Surah al-Baqarah, ayah 177:

It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, and each and every act of obedience to Allah, etc.) that you turn your faces towards east and (or) west (in prayers); but Al-Birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to Al-Masakin (the poor), and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free, performs As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and gives the Zakat, and who fulfill their covenant when they make it, and who are As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.) in extreme poverty and ailment (disease) and at the time of fighting (during the battles). Such are the people of the truth and they are Al-Muttaqun (pious - see V.2:2).

May we learn from this and attain righteousness, ameen.

And Allah is the Best of Planners.

"Things aren’t always as they seem. Musa's mother was told to throw her son in the river, Yusuf was left for dead in a well, Maryam delivered a child alone, Ayesha was accused of a terrible sin, Yunus was swallowed by a whale, Ibrahim was thrown in the fire, Muhammad lost the love of his life Khadija. Yet look at how it turned out for them in the end. So don’t worry, Allah has a plan for you."

وَمَكَرُوا وَمَكَرَ اللَّهُ ۖ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ

And (the unbelievers) plotted and planned, and Allah too planned, and the best of planners is Allah. [Surah 'Ali 'Imran:54]

Benefiting From The Things We Use

It's normal that all of us want things in this life. Game systems, the latest gadget, a new iPod, a cell phone, we all want things sometimes.

But for some of us, do we get it just like that? Some can't afford it, so they go to their parents for the cash, while others go and get a job to buy it.

I'm in the middle of both. I know I can have something if I go to my parents, but I don't because I'll feel like I'm wasting their money and burdening them to buy something I want, not need.

I remember when the new Nintendo DS Lite came out. I was 12 and I wanted it so bad, but I never asked my parents to buy it for me. I ended up saving it up and alhamdulillah, by saving up my Eid money, lunch money, random money, I had 80$. A few weeks later, my parents found out about my savings and were shocked and bought me my Ds. :) (with the 80 that I saved up, of course). I was happy that I got it and that I have (somewhat) accomplished my goal.

We're now in 2010 and I hardly use my Ds. In fact, I don't know where it is.

And this is the problem, we buy things that will not be of benefit later on. I only bought the DS because my friend had one and now, of what use is it to me?



I can't think of a way to re-use it since I don't like playing on consoles anymore. Perhaps, the next time we all buy something, we should ask ourselves this: How can this device benefit me in the future? How do I not regret buying?


The answer is simply, by planning ahead. If I buy a soccer ball (or some of you, a football :P), how do I benefit from it now and later on?

• I'm very interested in joining the soccer/football team
• I'd like to practice at home
• I'm thinking of staying in the soccer team for a long time
• Football is something I'm planing on doing later on

If I ask my 12 year old self , before I bought the Ds that is the DS something I see myself using in five years? I'm sure my 12 year old self would say no.



If you ask yourself " Do I see my using this in 3 or 5 years?" , you are sure to benefit for a long time inshaAllah.


If you establish that, then you can go a step further and say " How can I use this device to bring me closer to Allah (swt) and increase my imaan?"


If I buy a camera(which I do want to btw. :)), how do I use it to get myself closer to Allah (swt)?

• By not using it for evil
• By sharing it with other and show them the beautiful creation of Allah
• By (perhaps) opening up the eyes of others to this deen
• Maybe even use it for da'wah or help an event that's doing good

It doesn't necessarily need to be these, there are many way of using it for your own good. Maybe, you're into photography and you want to share your art work with others. There are millions of good possibilities to use a camera.

If we benefit from the things we use, there's no going wrong. If we benefit from it and accomplish something good with what you use, then that's even better. If try this, we'll learn to benefit more often than to regret often, inshaAllah.

EDIT: Sister Nadia has another good point on this that I'd like to add here. She says :

What I would add to your list is that people do not necessarily have to buy all things for themselves. It is possible also borrow things, as well as buy them to be used in bigger group of people. It's also reasonable to sell things that are not needed anymore. It saves new natural resources and gives a chance for someone else to have what he/she possibly needs. And you had good point reminding us that objects should be used to increase iman and remind us from Allh, may praise and glory be to Him.

Butterfly2729~Muslimahs Musings: A dua a day...

Butterfly2729~Muslimahs Musings: A dua a day...

Something I read on Sister Yara's post that I would like to share with you all... :)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful


Ya Allah!
Give me the strength:
To worship & obey you
To love you & fear you
To follow the Prophet & his sunnah
To have sabr & love all Muslims
To hold my tongue and have hayah

To read The Quran & not forget it
To listen to you & proudly wear hijab
To spread the Deen & help others
To appreciate my spouse & never commit Zinah
...And strive for Jannah & live only to please you.
~~*Ameen*~~

Amber Misk

This post will be inshaAllah all about my networking friend of Shawwal, Amber Misk. =)

Sister Amber has a blog called... Amber Misk. =) Actually, she has other blogs, but this one's about her accomplishments and about the world about her.

MashaAllah, May Allah reward her immensely with good for what she's doing. She's part of Ekra, SSouq, Miracles of Dua and I believe more! Allahu Akbar!

She's also the creator of the Network 'sisterswhoblog'. I must say, I've been a member there for a while and mashaAllah, I really love it there. =)Everyone has one thing in common in this network, we all blog. You explore and visit different sisters' blogs and they visit yours. It's a really great place to be and I'm happy that I've joined it. =)

Please check out our sister Amber's site(s) and join! You won't regret it. =)

MashaAllah to her works and may Allah give her success in this world and in the hereafter, ameen.

ASA.

Glory be to Allah!

On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

"Allah will say to the inhabitant of Paradise: 'O inhabitants of Paradise!' They will say: 'O our Lord, we present ourselves and are at Your pleasure, and goodness rests in Your hands.' Then He will say: 'Are you contented?' And they will say: 'And how should we not be contented, O Lord, when You have given to us that which You have given to no one else of Your creation?' Then He will say: 'Would you not like Me to give you something better than that?' And they will say: 'O Lord and what thing is better than that?' And He will say: 'I shall cause My favour to descend upon you and thereafter shall never be displeased with you.'"


[Bukhari (also by Muslim and at-Tirmidhi).]

SubhanAllah, that's amazing. That's so amazing. I don't know what is to say... Glory be to Allah!

May Allah make us of Ahlal Jannah. Ameen!

Who is the Ideal Muslim Teenager?

This thought has been provoking me for a while...

Who is the ideal Muslim teenager?

One would say that the ideal Muslim teenager is the one who fulfills his or her rights in Islam such as he prays his obligatory prayers or she fasts during the month of Ramadhan...

Others would say that in Islam, there's really no "teenager", they're are actually adults, just younger.

But living in the west, there's a difference between a teenager and an adult. The teenager does not necessarily do what the adult does in the society.

When teens become teens, they see the true reality in life. They realize that life isn't always a ray of sunshine, they figure out that their parents aren't perfect, they start to think for themselves and do things their way.

But what if you are a Muslim teenager and you already knew all that? What if you already knew that life isn't fair and that parents are not perfect? If we look closely at hows Islam describes what a teenager is and what the society describes what a teenager is, we'll see a big difference.

Islam's Teenager:

• Prays 5 times a day
• Fasts the holy month of Ramadhan
• Enjoins what is good and forbid what is evil
• Lowers his or her gaze
• Respects his or her dress code
• Acquires knowledge
  
• Does not mix with the opposite gender
• Picks his friends wisely
• Participates with the community
• Is active and productive
  
• Does not despair from Allah's mercy
• Has a bigger goal in mind
• Follows the Qur'an and Sunnah
  
• Loves for his brother what he loves for himself
  

Society's Teenager:

• Acquires knowledge
  
• Has a bunch of friends
• Tries to fit in with the crowd
  
• Does after school activities, has a hobby
  
• Participates with the community
• Likes what the other kids like
• Checks out the opposite gender
  
• Can be lazy
• Atitude
  
• Gets Teenage Angst
• Can be moody
• Feels lost
• Wants to be known
• Wants to be the best
  
• Constantly changes
• Is pretty much hated by adults
• Always tries something new
• Wants to be treated as a 'big kid'
• Pushes and hides himself or herself from the older
  
• Complains that no one 'gets him'
• So utterly confused
• Lets society show him or her who they really are
• Two words. Peer Pressure

Obviously there are some things you're just not going to do because it's impermissible in Islam. But there are some things mentioned above that as a teenager, you just face it. Like moodiness, I don't know anyone who has never been moody, it's natural. So is peer pressure, you just got the get the good kind and not the bad one. When the Muslim teenager in the west is fulfilling his or her rights, they are considered to be acting like an adult. Why is that? It makes teenagers sound like immature grown babies.

Once, a friend of mine told me that I looked very mature, that I'm a good girl and is respect-worthy because of how I dressed('abayah) and act.

She was telling be that I should be treated like an adult. Not a teen.

But why? Because I don't go joking with the guys? Because I don't go to parties? Because I don't own a pair of skinny's? That makes me not a teen? I don't think so, I think there's more to it being an adolescent.

Many of the things I've mentioned in the society's teen is in fact seen in the Muslim teen. But how much can you show?

I'm asking if it's possible to combine both and have an ideal Muslim teen in his society (not Muslim adult, but teen [hope that made sense...]).

Pakistan flood appeal- Worse than Tsunami

Help donate inshaAllah. Just look at them, they need their brothers and sisters' help. That's US.

You can donate to :

Islamic Relief
Muslim Hands
Al-Khair Foundation
UWT (Ummah Welfare Trust)

Remember: Any charity will do. Be it Red Cross, UNICEF. They all go to Pakistan inshaAllah.

You can also check if your local masjid, musalla or Halal Meat Store is already gathering money for Pakistan.

Help them TODAY.

May Allah swt reward you for your efforts.

ASA.

You just can't get tired of saying this...

Ameen. :)

Ramadhan Mubarak to you and your family. :)

ASA.

*Last Piece of Ramadhan advice!*

Although Ramadhan is just few days away, don't be so sure you're going to make it. It's Allah that is keeping you alive at the moment and if He (swt) willed, He could take it away one minute before Ramadhan. HOPE that you make it inshaAllah.

Make dua that you do make it and that you benefit from it inshaAllah. Try reading up on things to do, participate in the cool activities you can do during this month like : Ramadhan Quran Contest or try to complete the Ramadhan checklist. Read some interesting books, articles, listen to lectures and/or catch some Ramadhan specials coming on HudaTV inshaAllah.

I'm only left to say Ramadhan Mubarak you and your families and may Allah (swt) let you all live to see this Ramadhan. :)

May Allah help us attain Taqwa during this month,
May Allah keep us dutiful to our parents and respect our
elders,
May Allah bringthe ummah closer during this blessed month,
May Allah help us to truly benefit from this month,
May we always remember our Lord every second,
May Allah let us observe Laylatul Qadr,
May Allah accept our duas during this month,
May Allah raise our rank on this month,
May Allah forgive our sins and accept our repentance,
May Allah have mercy on us.

Ameen.


ASA.

Where Do You Stand?

Imam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah said:

"O you of little resolve, where do you stand upon this path? Adam found it difficult and Nuh lamented because of it, while Allaah’s Khaleel Ibraaheem was thrown into a pit of fire due to it. Isma’eel was laid upon his side ready to be sacrificed for its sake, and while upon it Yusuf was sold for a cheap price and then falsely cast into prison for many years. Zakariyah was sawed in half, and Yahya was slaughtered due to it. Ayyub suffered great distress, while Dawood cried copiously, and ‘Isaa cured the wretched poor of their diseases and walked with wild beasts due to it. And how many, how many forms of difficulty and hardship did the Messenger Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) face while proceeding upon it – yet you live through amusements and distractions!"

[al-Fawaaid: Page 41]

Who Can Cure Him?

You'd think that you live to see the next day. Day after day, you do the same thing: wake up, pray, start my day, come home, pray, time for bed, sleep then thinking you'll do the same thing again.

But, what if you don't ?

When your death day comes, will you know that not one can cure you and that your time to return to your lord has come.

I was thinking of this as I was listening to Surah al-Qiyamah. As I was listening, the following ayah came up and struck me.


27. Waqeela man raqin

When I heard that I found it so agonizing. The "Raaq" was very long and saddening. When I went to check it out, it meant (in interpretation and meaning):

27. And it will be said: "Who can cure him (and save him from death)?"

SubhanAllah. Who, who can cure him? One will know it's his death day, there's no cure, it's just time.

28. And he (the dying person) will conclude that it was (the time) of parting (death);
29. And one leg will be joined with another leg (shrouded)
30. The drive will be, on that Day, to your Lord (Allâh)!

To Allah we belong and to him we shall return to. It's just a matter of time...

May Allah help us benefit from our time. Ameen.
ASA.

It Has Been Narrated by...

Narrated Shaddad bin Aus :

The Prophet said " The best way for asking forgiveness from Allah is saying : O Allah , you are my Lord , no God Except you , you created me and I am your slave , and I am on your covenant and your promise as long as I can , I seek refuge in you from evil which I did , I confess to you in your grace , and I confess to you in my sin, forgive me , only you forgive the Sins "

The Prophet added. "If somebody recites it during the day with
firm faith in it, and dies on the same day before the evening,
he will be from the people of Paradise; and if somebody
recites it at night with firm faith in it, and dies before the
morning, he will be from the people of Paradise"
Sahih Al-Bukhari

عن شداد بن أوس، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: "سيد الاستغفار، أن يقول: اللهم أنت ربي، لا إله إلا أنت، خلقتني وأنا عبدك، وأنا على عهدك ووعدك ما استعطت، أعوذ بك من شر ما صنعتُ، أبوء لك بنعمتك، و أبوء لك بذنبي فاغفر لي؛ فإنه لا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنت". قال: " من قالها من النهار موقِناً بها، فمات من يومه قبل أن يمسي فهو من أهل الجنة، ومن قالها من الليل وهو موقن بها، فمات قبل أن يصبح فهو من أهل الجنة"
رواه البخاري أبوء : أعترف

Let's Prepare

I've been waiting for this moment forever. Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah it's so close, I can feel it.

Ramadhan, that blessing month Ramadhan is just a couple of weeks away. My heart can finally come to rest. This blessed month is very near and it's important for us to be prepared.

A first would be to fast. You should take your time to make up your missed fasts before Ramadhan. If you already have done that then, mashaAllah! Here's option two : Fast the month of Sha'ban anyway. Don't wait 'til Ramadhan and be totally off day 1. Try to already get used to the feel of fasting and when Ramadhan comes you'll be ready to fast full-time.

Second, cleanse yourself, physically and spiriturally. Try not to stuff yourself when you're eating. Try to keep an eye on the things you eat so you can take care for your body properly. On the spirituality side, repent. Clean your heart for Ramadhan so you may fully benefit from it inshaAllah.

Third, make dua. Pray to Allah swt to make this the Ramadhan you needed all along. Although Ramadhan is near, that doesn't mean that we will make it there. Pray to Allah to keep you alive for Ramadhan. Make a list of everything you want in this world and in the akhira. Then when Ramadhan comes, convert it into a dua and read it every night so that maybe that night it may get accepted inshaAllah.

Lastly, try to pray your compulsory prayers and read from the Qur'an more so this can be a habit during the month inshaAllah.

Take Sha'ban and prepare. Ramadhan is the time where you can totally re invent yourself to become a better servant of Allah, so take this month and prepare.

May Allah swt make help us benefit from this Ramdhan and help us come closer to him. Ameen

ASA.

Don't give up!

(This post is dedicated to the sisters because this is a serious matter we're dealing with.)

Sisters, what do you look for in life? What do you seek?

Sometimes, I feel that some sisters think that Jannah is only for men, but that's not true.

Why are they thinking this way? Maybe because they pass by a bunch of ahadith that mention that majority of people in hell are women and that the amount of women from Dunya in Jannah are little. This is hadith, they are true.

BUT, these ahadith are not there to give up. Astaghfirullah, these are words of the Prophet sallalAllahu alayhi wa salam. These hadiths are here to warn us, to tell us not to be of these women.

So this is my message, don't give up. You possibly cannot do that. Not now, not ever.

Allah says in the Qur'an:

Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has Faith, verily, to him will We give a new Life, a life that is good and pure and We will bestow on such their reward according to the best of their actions. [16:97]

There are some sisters that when they read these ahadith, they give up and loose hope. No! Sisters you can give up, don't let Shaytan trick you! You're actually going to let yourself burn in Jahanamm? Heck no!

Allah is Al 'Adl, The Just. So you can't possibly give up and say you are doomed. These hadiths are here for encouragement, but sometimes when you read too many of them shaytaan whispers into your ear and tells you it's not worth it, there's no hope.

Don't bring yourself down. Read the hadiths that tell you of the great reward the muslimat can get!

Imam Ahmad narrated (17341) that ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us about the martyrs and mentioned among them, “A woman who is killed by the child in her womb attains martyrdom, and her child will drag her by his umbilical cord to Paradise.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Kitaab al-Janaa’iz, p. 39.

Don't give up striving, don't throw your life away. Remember that Jannah is not free so there's no easy way in. Life's a test and you got to work hard for it.

Let's all strive to get into Jannah al-Firdaws inshaAllah.

May Allah keep us steadfast and strive and attain Jannah al-Firdaws. Ameen.

ASA.

Back-up Blog

I decided to make this the back up blog for seekingjannah.halalpress.com. HalalPress is currently down at the moment so I'll be posting here for the meantime inshaAllah.


ASA.

HalalPress

ASA everyone. :)

I'm sorry to say but I've decided to leave Blogger for another blog-making website. Don't get me wrong, Blogger is nice, but I can't get ANY followers here and yes I've tried...

But Alhamdulillah, I seem to have people reading my posts from there.

For those who've actually read my posts, I suggest you go to my new website: www.seekingjannah.halalpress.com

It's really awesome and there's other people there too! :)

Get your own halal press at HalalPress.com

ASA!