:'(

One of our two birds escaped from the cage today, and sat on the street. By the time we got there a stray cat had eaten her! I can't stop crying :'( Her mate is chirping for her again and again. What is he feeling now? Sorrow? Fear?

There's a verse in the Qur'an that goes like this; bismillah alrahman alraheem: {And there is no creature on [or within] the earth or bird that flies with its wings except [that they are] communities like you. We have not neglected in the Register a thing. Then unto their Lord they will be gathered.} (Qur'an 6:38)

They're communities like us? Does that mean he's going to be devastated? :'( I just can't stop crying ya Allah! Some people might think am silly crying over a bird while there are kids and women being killed and families separated in this world, but I can cry for these two birds too! Because good treatment in Islam is for both humans and animals! And when I see a sad creature not knowing that his mate had just died...it's heartbreaking! :'(

The white one is who died, and the one behind her is who's left :'(

Read me now! And take action!

Asalamu Aliekum everyone,

I pray you are in the best of health and iman! And that you have food and water on your table to feed your hunger! But if you do there's a whole country of people...OUR brothers and sisters...who don't! This is a call of immediate action. Whatever you can donate...donate it now! The situation in East Africa is beyond imaginable, it's been declared the famine of the century! More than 30,000 kids under the age of 5 have died from hunger already! Where are YOU from this?! Imagine if this was you or your family! We're not talking about normal hunger and stomach sounds...we're talking here about starvation! So get your wallet out and donate!

Watch this video of a 13-year-old boy named AbdelRaouf:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRq5mHhQ8-8

UN coverage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp920dntdKc

Stop being selfish and DO NOT ignore this message and do nothing! These are YOUR brothers and sisters and you are obligated to help them! With whatever you can do! You can either donate online to trusted sites like:

Islamic Relief: https://www.islamicreliefcanada.org/client/ssldonate.aspx

and choose East Africa Appeal

Human concern internationl: http://humanconcern.org/urgent_somalia_drought.php

unicef Canada: http://www.unicef.ca/portal/SmartDefault.aspx

Life for relief and development: http://www.lifeusa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=hoa_foodbasket#.Ti2YTZlEfgg.tweet

or you can check out places of donation in your country!

“O you who believe! Spend of that with which We have provided for you, before a Day comes when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession. And it is the disbelievers who are the Zaalimoon (wrongdoers)”[al-Baqarah 2:254] 

262. Those who spend their wealth in the Cause of Allaah, and do not follow up their gifts with reminders of their generosity or with injury, their reward is with their Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve”

[al-Baqarah 2:261-262] 

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no day on which the people get up but two angels come down and one of them says, ‘O Allaah, give in compensation to the one who spends (in charity),’ and the other says, ‘O Allaah, destroy the one who withholds.’”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1374; Muslim, 1010. 

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah said: ‘Spend, O son of Adam, and I shall spend on you.’”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5073; Muslim, 993.

THIS IS A CALL OF ACTION! DONATE and spread this message! 

Join noooow :D

Asalamu Aliekum everyone,


First of all Ramadan Kareeeeem to all of you! :D I pray this Ramadan be a productive and fruitful one for all of us, and that we come out of it better and stronger Muslims! Ameen!
Second thing I wanted to tell you was about a small project I would love all of you to participate in and tell others about, I thought of making a video of audios that YOU send to me. All you have to do is record a 1-2 min audio saying Alhamdulelah for ...... and then stating whatever blessings come to your mind :) Remind us of forgotten blessings, participate and be part of something that'll be a reminder for you and everyone out there! I'm really looking forward to seeing what things you guys send inshaAllah!
Please send it to the following email:

islamic_thoughts@yahoo.com

Deadline is August 5th! Hurry upppp and click record :D

Click here for the promo video for this project :)

And for those who don't know, you can find my youtube channel by clicking here

May Allah swt bless you all <3

♥ My Lovely Mother ♥

Dearest Mother,


I love you so much! I love your tenderness, passion, personality and big heart! Thank you for everything, thank you for always being there for me, helping me, loving me, showing me how to be strong, guiding me. Thank you for making me what I am today! I remember the many moments you turned my frown upside down, you listened to my complaints with patience, listened to my detailed description of how my day had gone while taking the time to comment as I talked. The moments when you gave your best to make me happy, to give me everything I need and more! I remember your encouraging words telling me to follow my dreams! Mom, I can never imagine a life without you! You're everything to me!
You're my shelter on rainy days, my safety place away from thunder. You're my best friend and close sister. Your arms around me give me such a feeling of security! I can't imagine how I will feel like when I have to leave..to a new home, a new life with my husband...become independent with responsibilities...live under a different roof than the one you're under.
You're such an inspiration to me! How patient you are, how strong you are, how wise you are, how sweet and caring, loving and tender!
I know one thing is for sure, you're the greatest mom anyone can ever ask for or have! I pray God to keep you safe for me, to grant you a happy and comfortable life in this world, and the highest of places in Jannah! Ameen!

I love you, I love you so much!


Your eldest daughter, ever so thankful for having you,
Dana QK

Picture from Google Search...not taken by me

♥ Perfectly Perfect! :') ♥

This post was inspired by a video (click here to see it) that hubby shared with me, Jazaka Allahu Khayran darling!
                                                                       ~~~~~~~~~
This world is so perfect! Subhanallah...Glory be to Allah who created this world with accuracy and precision beyond any human capability! So perfeeeect! The mountains, the roses, the sky, the water. The composition of material, the way animals mate, and grow! The way our body functions, the way our heart beats, the way our eyes see and our ears hear. The way we have feelings that come out depending on what situation we're in, the way the breeze touches our skin and makes us feel fresh. The way we feel love for a new born baby, or our spouse...who came out of nowhere to be our everything! This world is so perfect, yet us imperfect humans ruin it by feeling hatred, inhumanity, intolerance...by making fights and wars as our number one solution whether in small groups like with families or friends, or in a bigger picture between countries, nationalities and religions!

We were born to build this world...not ruin it! We were born to take care of our souls...not get them lost with wrong decisions.

I feel so thankful for being a Muslim. For learning that peace is the solution. For learning not to look down on others. For learning to love for others what I love for myself, taking care of my parents and family, spreading good in this world. For learning that the true way is the way God has for us in this world, He knows what's best for us because He's our creator! For learning that life is full of obstacles but with faith, love and respect I can get through anything! For learning that this world has an end, we are all going to die one day and be accounted for what actions and decisions we made in life, so never prioritize this ending world over Heaven and working to get there! For learning to pray to God to keep this world in my hand, but the hereafter in my heart. For learning to be successful while remembering it's from God.
I'm also sooo extremely thankful for having Allah swt always there to listen and protect me, to give me what's best for me and to guide me through the bumpy road of life...

I learned a lot of things as I grew up, and I will keep on learning...But one thing is for sure, I can never thank God enough for all the blessings that He has blessed me with, the best of which is being a Muslim!

So Alhamdulelah again and again. Thank you Allah for lighting my way. For showing me the beautiful, breathtaking path of Islam. A path so diverse, with such a strong bond between its followers from everywhere and from all times! I pray you keep me strong and steady on this path, always awed by the never ending miracles you have for us humans to witness in this world.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah! :')


The following pictures were found from Google and are not taken by me:

Hmmm...

It's such a blessing that Allah swt kept our mind and heart private, just for us to know what's in them..and Him! Imagine if everyone could tell what your heart is feeling, or what thoughts are running through your mind. I mean sometimes in life, you are forced to respect people...but you can't be forced to love them right? Because that's between your heart and you. These two places are no person's land...just yourself :)

So Alhamdulelah for that blessing!

Change

So currently mom is having our house renovated, and it's total chaos. We've got people coming in and out every five seconds, which only makes sense to keep the main door open lol. Furniture has been moved around as the painters finish a room and go on to the next, and I can barely find my own self in all this mess lol. But things are turning out nice so far alhamdulelah, so can't complain! InshaAllah the final thing will be beautiful, I'll share with you pics once all this is over and everything is back into place. But for now "chaos pictures" are in order :P

Subhanallah, it's funny how changing the house changes the atmosphere. You know what I mean?

Posts, Posts and more Posts!

I found this website that had random pictures in it; thought I'd share a few of the ones I liked :)

Hehe found it cute with a great point to all the people who think Islam calls for terrorism

So Powerful isn't it?

Alhamdulelah! All praise and thanks to Allah! To always be thankful and satisfied, and to always see how much you are blessed, look at the people who have less than you, not more than you!

‘View from the grave’
An interesting picture,makes you think..so thought I’d share.

Allah’s Apostle (Sal-allahu-aleihi-wasallam) used to invoke (Allah):

“O Allah! I seek refuge with you from the punishment in the grave and from the punishment in the Hell fire and from the afflictions of life and death, and the afflictions of Al-Masih Ad-Dajjal.” [Vol 2:#459]

For more pictures click here.

Stylish Blogger Award

I want to thank dearest Rose for giving me this award, I'm very touched indeed! MashaAllah. I find sister Rose such an active blogger, and even though I don't know her very well, but I do feel like she is a great person! Check out her blog, you will not regret it inshaAllah, and she does deserve this award back since she is a stylish blogger mashaAllah! :)

Now, the rules when someone receives this award is to share 7 things about herself...so here goes:

1) I love to read sooo much. Currently am finishing up Dan Brown's latest novel "The Lost Symbol". He's such an outstanding genius at writing that once I start one of his books I just can't seem to put it down till I reach the last page!

2) I also love to write. I mostly write poetry, but I'm currently working on a story for kids..been working on it for a whiiile but inshaAllah it turns out a good one!

3) I'm blessed with a great husband and a wonderful family alhamdulelah...they fill my life with love and happiness and I just can't thank Allah swt enough for having them with me!

4) I enjoy making sweets and decorating them.

5) I looove Italian and Chinese food!! lol :P

6) I hate how the world is full of injustice, and how at this moment as I'm typing there are people in Syria, Libya, Yemen, Palestine..etc being killed and tortured to death for standing up for their rights and asking for one simple thing every human should have: Freedom!

7) I love to travel to different places of the world, try to learn a few words of their language, and go sightseeing :)

I give the award to the following fellow bloggers:

* My Life Under The Veil
* The Color Of Our Skin
* The Muslim Wife's Kitchen

With Each Day...

In Each Day We Live...

Someone dies
Someone is born
Some people are happy
Some people morn

Someone was murdered
Or tortured to death
Some just got rich
While some lost their wealth

Someone is working
To keep a family living
Someone is carelessly
Taking money and spending

Someone is praying
Asking God for help
Someone is lost
Doesn't believe nor worship

Someone is performing
Salah so sincere
Someone ignores the call
Five times a day with no fear

You See In Simple Terms...Everyday...

Someone is happy
Someone is sad
Someone is crying
Someone is glad
Someone is alone
Someone lost a dad
A mom, sibling, friend
In ways so bad

This life we lead
Is full of twists and turns
Some causing happiness
Some causing burns

Think of the life
You're currently living
Do you really not feel
God's many blessings

With each test you face
Be strong, patient and wise
For it's in the hereafter
Where the True Life resides

By: Dana S.

~ Chocolate Muffins ~

Asalamu Aliekum everyone! :)

Well, a while back I came upon this blog full of recipes; called "The Muslim Wife's Kitchen". Then a while ago I decided to try out one of the recipes for sweets on that page, to surprise my parents-in-law since they were coming over. And seeing that I'm still learning how to cook, and only just started on that path, I was very happy with the results alhamdulelah! :D So I thought I'd share the recipe with you if anyone thought of trying it out! :)

Click here for the recipe...Chocolate Muffins!

Here are pictures of how my muffins turned out :)

And then I added a few creative touches to the platter :)

Enjoy! ;)

Five Beautiful Times! :)

Sometimes as I'm in the car, I look around me and just watch the people passing by. Some walking, some in their cars. Life moving fast. Everyone rushing to get things done. Everyone so taken up with whatever is on their mind. Then, right in the middle of all this the adhan is called out from the masjids all around. And that is just beautiful!! A call back to why we are here, a wakeup call that breaks through the routine life that we lead.

Some people start questioning why Muslims pray 5 times a day. Wondering isn't it too much? How do you find the time to do it? While other people, though being Muslim themselves, tend to neglect this most important obligation we Muslims are asked to do. But at that moment, when the adhan is called out, just stop everything you're doing and listen. And you will know. You will know why we pray 5 times a day. Why it's a good thing for us, not a burden.

From the 1440 minutes we live each day, taking 5 minutes off to pray each prayer = about 25 minutes. Too much? No! Not when this is for our own good. We are so taken up with this fast-moving life sometimes that we forget why we are even here, we become so burdened with whatever problems and trouble we're facing. Or so happy with whatever happy occasion came upon us. That we just forget to pray to Allah swt, or thank Allah swt, or do a bit of remembrance to refresh our iman (faith) and our heart! So you see we need this reminder. We need these prayers.

As the adhan is called out, listen to the words and repeat after them. One of the sentences in the Adhan is "Haya a'ala al-falah" meaning "Come (rush) to success". So by rushing to perform Salah, you are obeying this command. True success is accomplished through salah, because there you meet with Allah swt, your soul soars with comfort and you feel the greatness of Allah swt and the miraculous things all around you. It is where you leave behind the Dunya, it's problems and all the little things in it, and you look at the more important things, the things that will help you achieve Paradise as a destination. It is where you feel true comfort, true peace that can't be found anywhere else in the world!

We are not just bodies moving. We have a soul to take care of too, and we should never forget that nor neglect it.

So yes, praying 5 times a day is a blessing that Allah swt has given us to help us pass through life with ease and comfort. To always and constantly go back to Him.

Videos related to this topic:

- Salah: Life's Forgotten Purpose
- How Can Muslims Pray 5 Times A Day?
- Praying

Blessed! ♥

Ever felt like you're so blessed and content that you just want to keep thanking God over and over again? I feel like that right now, alhamdulelah; all praise and thanks to Allah swt! I mean I may not have a perfect life, and there are ups and downs constantly but at this moment I just feel so blessed alhamdulelah!


The thing about life is, however low your coaster gets there will always be people who are even lower. When you think of it that way, you will always thank God for everything you have, because you realize that even then you got it good! I mean try getting a piece of paper and writing like 10 blessings down. Once you start the list, it'll become endless subhanallah! From the senses we have like hearing, touching, tasting..etc, to the home we live in, to the blessing of having internet to use...and the most beautiful one of all...the blessing of being a Muslim!! Priceless! ♥


So thanking God is important. Always remember to say "Alhamdulelah" and "Alhamdu wa Shokro Lelah" meaning "All praise and thanks are due to Allah".


Try to remind others as well. When with your kids, spouse, family and friends...use the word "Alhamdulelah" often in front of them. They'll start saying it after you and eventually get used to it. Imagine the merits you will get for every time they say it! Look at how small the word is yet how big the ajer (merits) are going to be for you and for them too!


{And We shall remove from their breasts any (mutual) hatred or sense of injury (which they had, if at all, in the life of this world); rivers flowing under them, and they will say: "All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has guided us to this, and never could we have found guidance, were it not that Allah had guided us! Indeed, the Messengers of our Lord did come with the truth." And it will be cried out to them: "This is the Paradise which you have inherited for what you used to do."} (Qur'an 7:43)



This article was inspired after talking with my husband. I just felt so blessed alhamdulelah for having him in my life that I opened up the blog to write my feelings down. I thank Allah swt everyday for having such a great guy in my life to help me become a better person...alhamdulelah alhamdulelah! :)


I do pray this article will work as a reminder for us, of the importance of saying Alhamdulelah and that we all try, as brothers and sisters, to say it constantly and remind each other to as well inshaAllah!


Take care everyone! :)

..BBQ Trip..

I very much enjoyed taking photos last time and reading your feedback, so when I went out with a couple of friends on a BBQ trip I decided to give it another "shot" ;P So here it is, they're not as good as last time, but I tried to take pictures of the bees as they were near the flowers, you might notice that in a few of the pictures :)

Hope you enjoy them! xxx