Feb 22, 2013

Thoughts to Share...

I love how there are these moments (sadly not often for me but I do try!) where I really read Qur'an...I mean I read and listen to the words not just read to convince myself that 'I read a bit of Qur'an for the day'. And in one of these moments I was reading Surat Ali-Imran which is Chapter 3 in the Quran and I came upon verses number 14 & 15 and I stopped. Subhanallah they were so beautiful, you know why? Because these two verses show the difference between what this ending life has to offer us and what the eternal life in Paradise has to offer us. May we be from the people of Paradise..Ameen! The verses go like this, read them with focus;

Allah says in the Quran:
Bismillah Al-Rahmaan Al-Raheem,


{Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire - of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life, but Allah has with Him the best return.
Say, "Shall I inform you of [something] better than that? For those who fear Allah will be gardens in the presence of their Lord beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and purified spouses and approval from Allah . And Allah is Seeing of [His] servants - } (Qur'an 3:14-15)

 And then the verses go on to explain who are Allah's servants?

{Those who say, "Our Lord, indeed we have believed, so forgive us our sins and protect us from the punishment of the Fire,".... The patient, the true, the obedient, those who spend [in the way of Allah ], and those who seek forgiveness before dawn.} (Qur'an 3:16-17)


So let us try to be from those people who remember to ask for forgiveness from Allah when we do wrong, for He is always there and He is always watching.
Let us remember to thank Him for the many countless blessings He bestowed upon us.
Let us try to move our hearts before they wilt like a flower and die. For even though our hearts are beating but they might be dead...if we don't read Qur'an, if we don't remember Allah by doing tasbeeh for example, if we don't pray the 5 prayers, if we don't instill the teachings of Islam into our lives...then what is our purpose in life really?

I pray that Allah guides me and you unto the right path always. I pray that he keeps our hearts beating with the remembrance of Him. I pray that our hearts and tongues never stop from doing remembrance of Allah. I pray that Allah grants us Khushoo in Salah. And I pray that Allah keeps us strong on the beautiful path of Islam!

This is a reminder to me first before anyone else for I feel like life has taken up all my time and I don't put time for the more important and beneficial things, the more valuable things. We need to start prioritizing our lives better to lead a much happier and comfortable life.

Whatever I said that's wrong is from me and whatever I said that's true is from Allah.

Until next time,

Take care everyone!

Feb 12, 2013

My new favorite Islamic Song!

The link of the song I'm talking about:

* This one is the video clip for it but no translation in the video

* This one has the translation in the video. (I found it after I translated below...so my translation might be different in words...but the meaning is the same :)

Asalamu Aliekum brothers and sisters,

I was listening to different Islamic songs a few minutes ago and I just had the sudden urge to write, to express what emotions went and are going through me. One of the nasheeds I was listening to was talking about Islam and what it truly is. The words were just so beautiful and I just went wow! In such simple words this song actually captured the simplicity and beauty of our religion. I'll quickly translate the words so you can see what I mean; it goes like this:

No, No don't assume that Islam is far away from love and life
and that by not following Islam you will live what your heart desires
or that the days will be better and more beautiful and that life is what will save you and bring you to happiness

For your religion is a sea of hopes with a beach for your dreams
Islam is not what you fear; just full of obligations and things forbidden
For truly Islam is beautiful, and not what you assume

All the orders God gives us are things to guide us and call us for what is right and good for us
He tells us to leave things that would lead us to evil and hurt
For Allah is Al-Raheem (The Most Merciful ) and Al-Haleem (The Forbearing ) and calls us to good things

In Islam there's prayer and fasting...and also happiness and joy
and the religious person is the one you find smiling and full of light
always trying to build this life...with a personality so gentle and patient

Islam is inside us growing and nurturing our love for others
Islam is a ship of sweet love and peace pushed by the most beautiful of feelings
What a beautiful life this would be if we live with Islam as the base of our life!


So these are the words (I translated as best as I could) of the song I'm talking about. And it's as if I was awaken...for that's so true! When Allah tells us to leave something it's not because He wants to make our life hard and miserable! It's because He wants to make it happy and full of peace and comfort! He doesn't want us hurt. He created us and He knows what is best for us more than anyone else including ourselves. For who better knows us than the One who created us?

For example, Don't do drugs. Look around, it's the cause of problems worldwide. Even people with different religions or non-religious people still look at drugs with hate, for it ruins a person and his life and the life of those around him!

Then comes alcohol which at one point years ago, even the USA wanted to ban due to it's negative results but couldn't because the people wanted it. As humans we run after our desires and these desires aren't always good for us..these desires can't be controlled unless we are willing to control them and we have a bases in life to help us do that...and that's what Islam is! Our lifeline! What does alcohol really do except break up families? Or make the person drinking it lose consciousness of what is around him? What does it really do except silence the desires of humans to forget? We are talking about the majority of people in this world. Rules are never put just for the one or two people who might be different than the rest.

As for having relationships in a haram way meaning by having boyfriends/girlfriends and such instead of the right way which is marriage. This leads to broken hearts and again broken families! One of the many scenarios that would come would be; A girl has a sexual relationship with a guy and if she ends up with a kid the guy might not want to get married, or might say he doesn't want to take responsibility...this leaves the kid with no real family name...he doesn't know his dad...the mom has to work to raise the kid. And even if he did accept the kid as his own, what sort of relationship is it when the girl or the guy are always unsure if this will be forever or not? There's no real thing that actually ties them together like a marriage certificate and ceremony...so the uncertainty is there and that leads to instability....why put yourself in a situation like this? This isn't respect for the woman is it? Of course that's just one of many scenarios of real events that happen out there due to the uncontrolled life that people choose to lead, giving it the name 'freedom'. When in reality a person is just shackling him/herself to an unstable life that won't lead to happiness.

Those were examples of things we are forbidden to do. Then there are the things we are ordered to do.

Like the prayers (Salah) for example. Some just choose not to do it, others do it while feeling like its a burden. But why? If we were to think of it this way...each day has 24 hours right? And our day is just filled with things we do for this life...sleep...eat...go out...study...work...have fun...read books...watch movies...etc. And how many prayers do we have? Five. Let's say each one took about 5 minutes. That's 25 minutes! 25 minutes that are spread during the day to act as reminders of why we are really here, to remind us to go back to God...to remind us to do good deeds...to remind us of who we are and what our purpose is...and we feel burdened! God isn't in need of our prayers but He ordered us to do it for our sake! So we have time out for a few minutes from this life to just feel at peace and talk to the One who can help us more than anyone else, the One who is always there to listen, always close...and who loves us! The One, might I remind everyone including myself, who provided us with everything in our life that makes us happy. You're going out with money you got from work, the work you got from your degree in university...etc etc and all that was because God blessed you with that success and He can as easily take it away. And what about your health, you're healthy enough to work and have fun...but that health is also a blessing from God. See what I mean? This whole life and your happiness and success is from God and yet you don't want to thank Him by praying these 5 simple prayers? I'm not even talking about the extra prayers that we are given a choice to do or not....just a way to gain more merits and thank God more. I pray that you and I have better and stronger faith to not only do the 5 prayers with love and patience and concentration...but also to do more and aim more! To search for more ways to thank Allah! Ameen!

Then the fasting, oh the fasting. The month that truly feels full of blessed days. I pray that the minute one Ramadan ends we start feeling excited for the next one to come. The month where we actually stop being selfish thinking about ourselves and feel with other people. The month we actually remember to give and be thankful. I don't know what we would do without Ramadan!

And of course Eid is a beautiful celebration that I don't think anyone out there doesn't like it or enjoy having fun with family and friends during the days of both Eid's during the year!

Finally...even though there are many points and I could carry on but I think we all got the picture...so finally I want to talk about The Holy Qur'an. Sometimes, and I'm talking about me included, life just keeps us so busy that days pass without us finding time to read a few pages of the Qur'an. Even though we do find time to do something fun, watch tv, read a book...etc yet we don't find 15 min or half an hour to just sit there and read the Qur'an. Why? I mean we have been given this miracle, this beautiful book...that has ALL the answers we need, that has precious advise in life, precious rules to follow to organize our life. Precious life style to follow that would lead to happiness and success...and even stories that one could not only enjoy but learn from and relate to!
And memorizing Qur'an is an essential thing, I pray for me and all of you that we have the patience and willingness to sit there and start memorizing even if we go slow, but it's better than nothing!
My husband once said (and I quote) :

“Memorizing Qur'an and having it in your chest is a blessing that will guide you no matter where you are and regardless of your friends. When it is anchored in your chest, it has to come out sooner or later and reflect on your manners and personality.”

And when he said that to me...I was like wow....and I had to write it down because it was so true! If we have that there inside us then even when we do fall into error in life and make mistakes, which we will because we are human after all, this will help us to swim back up before we sink in too deep!

So subhanallah, Glory be to Allah, how one Islamic song triggered this. I really hope me and all of you try to work on ourselves to better ourselves. Islam will bring happiness in every household if followed and understood right like Allah wants us to.

I pray that we all benefit from this talk and I pray that with every passing day our faith increases. For faith isn't steady, as my uncle once told me, it's a moving scale always on the move either going up or going down a certain point...so if we make that point high up there, then even if it goes down we are still in the safe zone. So let's all work on bringing that point higher and higher.

Whatever I said that is right is from Allah and whatever I said that is wrong is from me.

Till next time.

Take care everyone!

{Only in the remembrance of Allah (swt) will your heart find peace} (Surah 13: Verse 28)

 


I'm back!

Asalamu Aliekum everyone!

It's been quite a loooong time since I've posted anything here!!! I'm so excited to be back to share articles and read what you guys write :) I'll be posting one soon InshaAllah (God willing).
Just wanted to give a quick shout-out to all my followers to say salam and that I've missed you all!
How's everyone been doing?

- Dana


Aug 21, 2011

:'(

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 :'(

Aug 5, 2011

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:


UN coverage:


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:

and choose East Africa Appeal




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! 



Jul 31, 2011

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