Thoughtfull Quotes...

On Children

Imam al-Ghazali said: "A child is a trust given to the parents. His pure heart is a simple jewel, without any pattern or design, ready to be engraved as you wish...

... So if you taught him well and made him accustomed to good; that is what he will grow up to do, causing pleasure for the parents in this life and the next. But if you accustomed him to evil, and neglected him as you neglect a wild beast he will be the cause of your unhappiness and destruction."

On Mothers

"The mother is a school; if you prepare her properly, you will prepare an entire people of good character. The mother is the first teacher, foremost among them, and the best of teachers."
Diwan Hafidh Ibrahim

A thousand words....

After Hardship comes ease.

Almost 4 years ago while I was expecting Maymoonah I had become extremely unwell. I remember feeling sick throughout my pregnancy, not just in the morning but all day and all night. But I could never actually throw up as I was not eating anything either. My weight plummeted to below 6 stones despite being pregnant and for the most part I would just try to sleep most of the day, I felt that at least if I was asleep, I would not be feeling so sick. I would wake up only to pray. I'm sure it was a miserable time for my husband too. I completely lost track of time, day and night seemed the same for me and one day when I received a phone call from a sister I didn't know very well, I asked her why on earth she was calling me at 3 o clock at night! (It was actually only afternoon.) She asked me, "Sister, are you okay? Do you need help?" She asked so many times I think I actually fell asleep on the phone while she was talking to me.

I avoided visiting my mum as I knew she would try to force me to eat, and she would also try to tempt me with my favorite foods. Curry was the last thing I wanted to smell. My poor husband would try to cook for himself and then have to face me complaining about the smells and the mess in my kitchen. Looking back - I was such a misery guts that if I had to live with me I would have probably left!

One day I woke up and thought to myself I need to get out and feel some fresh air. I rang a friend and asked her to meet me. At the time we lived in quite a multicultural area and there were many takeaways and fast food places all around us.

My husband seemed very surprised to see me dressed and I told him where I would be going and who with in case he needed to contact me.

I left the house and walked to the end of our street, managing to get to the bus stop. All of a sudden I felt like I couldn't breath properly and felt completely engulfed by the smell of curry - the worst possible smell for me at the time. I remember thinking that I needed to get way from this smell and trying to find my way home but everything seemed to be spinning around me, the shops, the people, the cars - they all seemed blurred. I can't really remember what happened after that, the next thing I remember is being placed by somebody on our doorstep, my husband took me inside and thanked the person and after that I was taken to hospital.

Alhamdulillah Allah brought me through all of that and my birth was by the mercy of Allah relatively straightforward, quick and easy. My second pregnancy was pretty much the same but by then I had learnt that the way to avoid the continuing sick feeling is to actually eat something. It doesn't make it go way but if you eat and then throw up at least you feel some relief for a little while. Also this time I couldn't sleep at all since I already had Maymoonah who was 1 years old at the time, I just learnt to get on with things and spent a lot of time at my mums.

Nobody seems to believe me (except my husband) when I say I would rather actually go through the birth process a few times in a row than go though 9 months of morning sickness!

We know that it is a promise of Allah mentioned in the Qur'an that: "After hardship comes ease. Indeed after hardship comes ease." But quite often after we feel the ease we tend to forget the hardship.

Today I was shopping at the local supermarket with my husband and the girls. A young man who works at the supermarket approached me in the aisle and smiled at me. At first I thought he was just asking me if I needed any help. He repeated himself: "Do you remember me?"

I looked at him and wondered if I had perhaps worked with him at some point in my life or whether he had been at the same college or Uni with me.

"No, sorry."

"About 3 years ago... You fainted on the road. I took you home.... I recognized your husband." He indicated towards my husband who was down the aisle.

He waited for my husband to approach us and introduced himself to him. "Is this the one?" He patted Maymoonah on the head, (my husband must have told him after he took me home that day that I was pregnant).

I felt really embarrassed to meet him and probably will not want to bump into him again, but at the same time it was a reminder for me to thank Allah for His mercy, that He had bought me through such testing times for me and has given me ease - so much so that if it wasn't for meeting this young man I would not have even remembered that time of hardship in my life.

I also felt relieved to know that this young man, whom Allah entrusted with looking after me (my unborn child and anything else I had with me,) that day was a decent Muslim man.

My husband told me that his name is Ihsaan.

Fighting Your Nature

In ‘Hilyat al-Awliya” (10/287), it’s related that al-Junayd said:

الإنسان لا يعاب بما في طبعه إنما يعاب إذا فعل بما في طبعه

“A person is not to be blamed for his nature. Rather, he is to be blamed if he acts according to his nature.”

This is a very deep statement.

A person should not bring his status as an imperfect human being to serve as an excuse for manifesting blameworthy characteristics and actions. Yes, we were fashioned with varying degrees of negative attributes within us, such as envy, greed, lack of gratitude, arrogance, the desire to commit certain sins, etc.

However, we were also fashioned with the ability to repel, change, and strive against the inclinations to openly manifest them.

It is possible to abandon negative traits you find in yourself and change your character for the better. You just have to know what you want to become, and want it badly enough to put up a fight whenever the negative traits that get in the way begin to surface.

From http://iskandrani.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/fighting-your-nature

Remembering the Metaphysical laws in the Qur'an

Below are some thoughts by Fatima Barkatullah on Remembering the Metaphysical laws in the Qur'an.

I have also posted some related comments by Imam Anwar Awlaki and Sheikh Tawfique Chowdhury hafidahumallaah.


This brutality will never break our will to be free

The Meaning Of Gaza

Advice from Sheikh Tawfique

Here is also the comment of an Evil Zionist woman living in occupied Palestine about the Zionist Terrorist Attacks and Ethnic cleansing in Gaza. La'natullaahi Alaihim.
Evil Zionist Womans' response, 'What's been happening in Gaza is fantastic'


Remembering the Metaphysical laws in the Qur'an
Fatima Barkatullah.

We can do something about what is happening to our Muslim brothers and sisters. Boycott Israeli products (look at every product you buy and boycott it if it comes from Israel). Encourage our men to go to the demonstrations. Make sincere du'a to Allah for our situation. How pathetic we feel, and how little we can really do in the here and now to impact the situation.

Let's look to the future, to changing the state of the Ummah completely. The Jihad for justice starts in our homes.

I believe that the greatest and most powerful contribution we can make as mothers is this:

Bring up your children to be Mu'mineen, who take the laws of Allah seriously, who are attached to the life of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam and his Sunnah
Teach your children history and the lessons of history.
Teach them not just about the physical laws that Newton elucidated so well, but the Metaphysical laws that the Qur'an elucidates so perfectly.

A few days ago we went through the story of the Battle of Badr and I taught my children about the Sunnah of Allah, that if He wills he can make a small group of people overpower a huge number of people...I taught them that no one knows the army of Allah but He. 300 men who were less well armed beat 1000 well armed men that day - I want them to remember that forever. It can mean so many things in their lives: that the little kid can overcome the big bully, that when the odds are stacked against you, if you have Iman, you can win...that quality is more important than quantity...that if Allah is on your side, you have nothing and no one to fear...

The metaphysical laws that are the Sunnah of Allah are mentioned throughout the Qur'an.

The law that:
after hardship will come ease.
that Allah obliterates Riba (as we have recently seen) and make Sadaqah profitable
that if you thank Allah, he will give you more...all of these and many more have been mentioned in the Qur'an.
That the Jews and Christians will never be pleased with you until you follow their religion and way of life.
That if you are conscious of Allah, He will give you a way out and provide for you from means that you never imagined.

These are all laws that we can observe and that are talked about in the Qur'an.
If they grow up with yaqeen (true belief and conviction) in these metaphysical laws, they will be the bravest of men, because the apparent will not deter them...what is visible to the eye will not scare them...they will not be risk averse, rather they will leap off the most dangerous mountain, knowing that they will only be hurt if Allah wills it, they will jump into that deepest ocean, believing that if they are doing so for the sake of Allah then Allah will grant them victory over the waves. They will not be fooled by what seems to be reality because they will be aware that anything is possible if you have Allah on your side.

That is what this Ummah needs. A generation of people who have so much Iman in the sunan of Allah that they will take risks, they will dare to do what no one's done before, they will be willing to go against the grain, unapologetic, firm in their resolve.

The problems of the Ummah did not appear overnight and they will not disappear overnight. But we, the mothers of the Ummah can set that change in motion...we must set that change in motion.

Do you envision us meeting,

Hal Turaana Naltaqi MP3 by Saad Al-Ghamdi

Wording in Arabic

English Translation

Do you envision us meeting, or has it already,
Taken place in the land of the mirage;

Then it withdrew and its shadow vanished,
And turned into torturous memories;

Thus asks my heart whenever,
The days grow long, after your absence;

When your shadow stares, smiling,
It is as if I am listening to the response;

Did we not walk upon Truth together,
So that Good can return to barren land;

So we walked along a thorny path,
Abandoning all our ambitions;

We buried our desires deep within ourselves,
And we strove on in contentment, expecting reward from Allah;

We had made a pact to walk together,
And then you hurried in responding and departing;

When a Benevolent Lord called me,
To a life amidst gardens and vast lands;

And towards a sublime meeting amidst divine favours,
With the Soldiers of Allah, joyful in companionship;

Presenting their souls and lives, a sacrifice,
Responding without slightest doubts;

So to renew your heart from its slumber,
An ever-lasting meeting in such a land;

Oh traveler, Forgiveness from my complaints,
Unto me is your ghost, to him a patient reproach;

I abandoned my heart to bleed heavily,
Lost in the night, in the depths of fog;

And if I traverse, confused and alone,
I'll interrupt the path, long it is in depression;

And if in the night, I find a gloomy sea,
Encountering in it waves of pain;

Ceasing in my nights, is the radiance of lightening,
And the brightness of stars have disappeared;

Despite this, I shall continue just as,
You used to find me, in the face of adversity;

I shall continue keeping my head raised, And won't,
Consent to weakness in speech, nor reply;

I shall be guided by the sweet-scented blood,
And light has illuminated the horizons of escape;

Do you envision us meeting, or has it already,
Taken place in the land of the mirage;

Then it withdrew and its shadow vanished,
And turned into torturous memories;

Thus asks my heart whenever,
The days grow long, after your absence;

When your shadow stares, smiling,
It is as if I am listening to the response

Do all good things come to an end?

Only in this world.

When three friends so dear to you (including a teacher) leave the country within the space of a few weeks - whether its to the UAE or Europe, it really reminds you that everything in this world is temporary.

Yet another reason to strive to please Allah. So that InshaAllah we can be with those whom we love in Janaat.

A Bleak Future?

After having dinner at my father in laws today we decided to pop by my sister in Laws house before heading home. We arrived to see the street filled with people and a fire engine parked on the street.

Some boys had set fire to her neighbors (whom we also know) back garden shed. Why? Well simply because the boys were hanging around doing no good around her back garden and she had politely asked them to leave.

Her shed had burned to complete ashes along with a plastic slide and her swimming pool that were inside (the fumes were probably almost as dangerous as the flames.)

The seriousness of the matter was evident on a tree in the next garden behind her shed - the leaves had blackened all the way to the top.

Here comes the Bleak bit... the boys were only 7 years old.

Later on emerged rumors of more shootings in the Moss side area (where she lives) of Manchester. She was used to it now she said, it wasn't unusual for her to arrive back home from somewhere only to find the neighborhood partitioned of and blockaded with police patrol vehicles unable to go to her house. (Related Article here.)

I found myself feeling slightly fearful as we left the neighborhood to come home.

Then It dawned on me that this is probably less than a percent of the fear that innocent Iraqi and Palestinian civilians have to live with every day of their lives.

And speaking of Fear I urge all of you to raise your hands and sincerely make dua for four brothers who are forcibly being repatriated from Guantánamo Bay to Algeria on Monday, August 6, 2007.

Amongst these prisoners is Ahmed Belbacha, a former British resident of Algerian origin, who was cleared for release by the U.S in February 2007 after having been deemed to ‘pose no threat’ to the USA.Urgent action is required for Ahmed Belbacha. Please visit Cageprisoners here for more information.

Be like the Bee

Taken from muslimmatters.org

As people are content with the world, so you should be content with Allah. As they are delighted by the world, so you should be delighted with Allah. As they are intimate with their loved ones, so you should seek intimacy with Allah. As they desire to know their kings and their leaders, and to draw near to them in order for honour and status to be conferred on them, so you should come to know Allah and seek His love: this will lead to the utmost honour and distinction.

Said one of the ascetics (zuhhåd): “I can never imagine that someone could hear about Paradise and Hellfire and can still waste an hour without performing any act of obedience to Allah; neither remembrance, prayer, reciting Qur’an nor an act of charity or kindness.” Someone said to him: I weep profusely. He replied: “That you laugh while confessing your sin is better than weeping yet being puffed-up with pride because of your deeds. For the deeds of a conceited person will never rise above his head.” The person then requested: Please counsel me. So the ascetic replied:

“Leave the world to those who hanker after it, as they leave the Afterlife to its seekers. And be in this world as the bee: it eats only good, produces only good, and when it rests upon anything it neither ruins it nor deflowers it.”

FOOTNOTES
* Al-Fawa’id (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Rushd, 2001), 187; trans. Surkheel Sharif.

The Weeping Willow

Taken from here.

The Weeping Willow

The darkness had arrived. But it didn't make a difference to the Tree. Day and night were the same. The Tree would stand alone. The morning light provided no comfort, except for, of course, the fact that it was essential for the sun to shine sometimes in order to survive. Survival of the fittest, The Tree smiled bitterly to himself. But only The Tree wasn't the fittest. In fact it was barely surviving. Loneliness is a killer......'Your too far out' they would say. 'It's not a proper place for our kind.' Meaning what? Am I not a tree, like you?

He knew the truth. It had nothing to do with the location as their branches reached out far and wide. He knew full well what they meant by 'our kind.' He was of an odd nature compared to them. His branches drooped whilst theirs expanded out. His trunk was hidden by waves of shadow, even if it was to be seen it was crumbled and wrinkled unattractive to the eye. Theirs a deep brown, strong and hard, perfect for climbing. Their leaves green, a forest green. But depending on seasonal change they shone golden and orange and at peak times they jeweled red. Not to forget being decorated with the pink and white blossoms under the crisp spring sky.

And me......Pale yellow fragile leaves, which naturally drooped as the downturn of a mouth would. In the rain they would become brown and give away to nothingness. Nothing but the remains of unwanted mess under shoes squelching in the mud. At my best, my leaves would turn a light shade of green (I rather like the colour) but my fellow trees would still scorn. Ooooh fancy that, faded green, who's known a tree to be of that colour. Indeed you are strange species. Rejected and hurt, I turn away. I have still some dignity left, I do not let them see me weep. I try to lift myself, but to no avail. I am weighed down by my branches. And there I remain. I stand alone again.

But then one early morning, before the morning sun rose, my life changed. Dramatically. Oh I will never forget that day of sweet sounding melody. I awoke like I do; just in time to see the pink horizon. This is my daily dose of hope of a better day. And the Lord above chose today to be that day, Alhamdulillah! (how can I not praise my Lord, the bestower of unexpected bounties). I felt a movement against me. Ok wake up, dream time finish, I told myself, you know in reality there is never any sign of life around me. But there it was again. The shuffling, the exclamations of delight, the warmth of a presence. Allahu Akbar! This was no dream. This was a different kind of motion. Whilst I was trying to figure out what this was, earnestly frowning at this strange visitor. The most beautiful sound came out. If I had a heart it would literally stop. Pleasure was not something I was familiar with, but this I knew to be pure pleasure. I crouched further to be in closer range so i could make out the words. And did they flow out. They carried out to reach the heavens I'm sure.

They said, "Alif Lam Mim.
This is the Book, whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al Muttaqoon.
Who beleive in the Ghaib and perform As salat and spend out of what we have provided for them, (spend on themselves, their parents, their children, their wives and also give in charity to the poor and also in Allah's Cause)."
{Al Baqarah: 1-3}

I knew then what it was. It was The Book that our Lord had blessed the humans with. The divine scripture promised to be protected by God Himself. And I the weeping willow was shelter to the reciter of these beautiful words. Never had any object of nature reached such a status to give refuge to one reading the Qur'an. This person had voluntarily come to me. Out of all the trees, I was the most appropriate location. Why? Because it was the humility of my branches that stood out against all the upright boastful trees.

This person did not want their identity to be known out of shyness. She wanted to be hidden from everything else but Allah as it was Allah's Pleasure alone she was seeking. She knew the angels would surround the recitation at dawn time and she wanted them to go and report to Allah. We knew while the world was sleeping we were awake in harmony. How blessed I felt at that moment. Allah chose the ground under me to bear witness to her faith. In that instance I recalled the story of the tree that cried when the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) moved away from it. I could now empathize the loss it must have felt. This moment, this memory will only die with me and not before.

I no longer wallowed in my loneliness, instead I looked forward to the morning dawn as my beautiful earthling would use my branches to carry out the Words of Allah to the world. Alhamdulillah I am The Weeping Willow, with a new meaning to life.

You can imagine how much the recitation of the following verses delighted me as they rose to the top of my trunk . I felt beautiful like I had never felt before. A true honour for the creation of His Majesty's trees...

"See you not how Allah sets forth a parable? A goodly word as a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the sky.
Giving its fruit at all times, by the Leave of its Lord, and Allah sets parables for mankind in order that they may remember.
And the parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree uprooted from the surface of earth, having no stability.
Allah will keep firm those who believe, with the word that stands firm in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allah will cause to go astray those who are zaalimun and Allah does what He wills."
{Ibrahim: 24-27}

Make things EASY

[Hadith]
Rasul Allah, sal Allah alayhi wa sallam, said, "There was once a
merchant who would lend money to people. Whenever the person he lent money to was in difficult circumstances, he would say to
his employees, 'Forgive him so that Allah may forgive us.' So,
Allah forgave him."
- Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 292

[Lessons from this Hadith]
When you and I forgive people, who are we actually setting free?
OURSELVES! Because of the outstanding way this man dealt with
people, Allah forgave him, and blessed him with profit in this
life and the next. Is there someone in your life that you are
making things difficult for? What can you do to make it easy for
them?

With best wishes to see you succeed at the highest level!
- Muhammad Alshareef

.

Talking too much

So Charlotte tells Jack, 'I have a new ambition in life.'

Jack wearily, 'Oh no..... sounds dangerous....'

Charlotte continues seriously, 'I'm going to talk less.'

Jack roles his eyes and tries to hide a smirk.

So now Charlotte wants to know how can a person train themselves to talk less?
.

Her reward is with her Lord.

As I walked into the sisters section in one of the Masjids in Manchester the other day. The room was empty apart from a sister who was hoovering. Well, I thought it was a hoover, untill I noticed that it had water in it and a small tube attached to it. I assumed that she must be the cleaner.

When we started chatting I realised that she wasn't a cleaner. I enquired about her 'hoover thingy' and she told me that it was a carpet cleaning machine. She seemed hesitant to supply all the information, but I probably forced her to with all my questions.

She had - from her own initiative ordered the carpet cleaner from Ebay - at a bargain price of £122 including delivery, (they are usually double the price or more.)

So she had come in at a quiet time to clean the Masjid. She isn't hired or paid to do so. Her reward is with her Lord.

AND she is a full time mother! She had her two young children with her who were playing happily outside.

Frightening SubhanAllah.

Inna Lillahi wa inna ilahi raji'oon.

Forget Ghost stories or jinn stories. This is probably one of the most frightening things I have seen. I was eating something when my husband decided to show me this, if anything has ever put me of my food - its this.

The Coffin: Another Way Out of Guantanamo

Moazzam Begg
Cageprisoners

31-05-07

News of yet another death in my former place of torment, Guantánamo Bay, comes with great sadness, but little surprise. When three young Muslim men detained in Guantanamo returned home in coffins last year - two Saudis and one Yemeni – the US commander, Rear Admiral Harry Harris and assistant secretary of state for public diplomacy Colleen Graffy, the described the alleged suicides as acts of ‘asymmetric warfare’ and ‘a good PR move’. These tactless words proved embarrassing even for the usually hard-line President himself. Henceforth, the stated aim of Mr. Bush was that he ‘would like to see Guantánamo closed’. It’s almost a year to date since these men died, yet results of the autopsy have still not been released. Since attention regarding these cases tapered off into insignificance for the Bush administration conditions in Guantanamo have deteriorated according to visiting detainee lawyers, human rights organisations and the handful of released prisoners.

I’ve spoken with some of my former cell mates released this year who tell me conditions have worsened and are unbearably bleak and harsh in all sections of the camp. Concentrations of large numbers of prisoners in tiny cells, with no natural light, solitary confinement, constant glaring lights, no communication with the outside world and very little recreation have brought many more people to breaking point than the US administration would have us believe.

Instead of informing families directly, the US administration has deemed it more appropriate to simply release a terse press statement which mentions only the dead man’s nationality and time of death. When I called the Guantanamo public affairs office they were unable to confirm the name or the number of the deceased man. There are over 60 Saudi families with loved ones held in Guantanamo and I’ve been on the phone with a few of them already. They are undoubtedly distraught with anxiety, each one bracing itself for the worst. One of them is the family of my friend, Shaker Aamer, a Saudi national and South London resident, whose British family – including a son he’s never seen – have waited for him in anguish for five and a half years. He has been on hungers-strike for over six months, kept alive having liquid food forced through his nasal passage into his stomach. Shaker has spent a total of over three years in solitary confinement. When I received a letter from him last year he was in a state of paranoia - feeling he could trust no one. One of the last letters received by his family states:

“I am dying here every day, mentally and physically. This is happening to all of us. We have been ignored, locked up in the middle of the ocean for years. Rather than humiliate myself, having to beg for water, I would rather hurry up the process [of dying] that is going to happen anyway.

“I would like to die quietly, by myself. I was once 250 lbs (17 stone 12 lbs). I dropped to 130 lbs (9 stone 4 lbs) in the first hunger strike. I want to make it easy on everyone. I want no feeding, no forced tubes, no ‘help’, no ‘intensive assisted feeding’. This is my legal right.

“The British government refuses to help me. What is the point of my wife being British? I thought Britain stood for justice, but they … abandoned us [British residents], people who have lived in Britain for years, and who have British wives and children. I hold the British government responsible for my death, as I do the Americans.”

The British government maintains that it cannot make representations on behalf of non-UK citizens held in Guantánamo, the way it did – after three years – for me. But only a few weeks ago Bisher al-Rawi, an Iraqi national and British resident, was returned to the UK and released after the UK government negotiated his repatriation due to ‘special interests’. We – including Bisher - are all agreed that the UK government’s stance is now untenable. They must call for Shaker’s return home – if it isn’t already too late. Some of the last words Shaker related to his (and my) lawyer in Guantanamo, Clive Stafford Smith, was the US military response to his protest against treatment and imprisonment without charge or trial:

“Do you think the world will ever learn of your hunger strike? We will never let them know…We care nothing if [any] one of you dies.”

I used to escape from Guantánamo every night in my sleep – praying that I’d never awake. Waking up the next day was part of a slow death which I was finally delivered from. Many Guantánamo prisoners I believe now make the same prayer, and if they are not released, more of them will be escaping: in coffins.


Moazzam Begg
Spokesman
Cageprisoners
PO Box 45798
London
SW16 4XS
Email: moazzam.begg@cageprisoners.com
Web: www.cageprisoners.com

5 (unobvious) things I cannot be grateful enough for.

1. That this was one of the first articles I read when I started to practice Islam.

2. The Best Advice from a sister before I got married.
When you get married if you have a problem with your husband talk to Allah first and foremost.
Then if you still need to talk to your husband.
Then if you still need to talk to a person of knowledge who does not know your husband.
Then if you still need to in a very serious case speak to your Wali.
Do not speak to other sisters if you can avoid it. As tempting as it may be. You will notice most problems disappear after the first level, after you speak to Allah.

Do not discuss negative things about your husband with anyone because most of the time it will get sorted, you will forget the argument and forgive but others will not.
Nor talk about positive things too much about your husband, because sisters start to compare and become dissatisfied with their spouse - everyone has different good and bad qualities.

3. The best advise from a brother to my husband before he got married.
When you get married act like it. Act like you are married, not like many brothers who still act like single brothers even when they are married and remember your responsibilities.

4. For the teaching of my parents and family always reminding me, If a guy is going to even speak to you and not come forward to your family he is someone who does NOT respect you or your family.


5. For my beautiful sisters in Islam. That myself and all my close friends started to practice Islam one after the other at University. Therefore we started learning from the beginning together and it was the most fun way of learning. We all had different qualities and wisdoms to offer to each other, and if anyone started to head in the wrong direction we were able to advise each other in the best way.
I was also able to become friends with many sisters who were older (and younger sisters)and more experienced than me in life, who were role models for me and encouraged me in the best of ways.

And Love for the sake of Allah is more beautiful than any other love we shared for each other.

Sleep Paralysis?

Two things have made me think a lot about Jinns and magic etc lately. Firstly My brother will hopefully be getting married early next year so my whole family will hopefully be going to Bangladesh for the wedding and a holiday.

Each time I've been going to stay at my mums we end up staying up really late talking about weddings, Bangladesh and family history. Naturally more often than not talking about Bangladesh leads to never ending Jinn stories. I do mean NEVER ENDING!

Also I've been reading Tafsir surah Baqarah. Allah says: “They followed what the devils attributed to Solomon’s kingdom. Solomon did not disbelieve but the devils disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things as came down at Babylon to the angels Hârût and Mârût. But neither of these taught anyone (such things) without saying: ‘We are only for trial; so do not disbelieve’. They learned from them the means to sow discord between man and wife. But they could not thus harm anyone by it except by Allah’s permission. And they learned what harmed them, not what profited them, and they knew that the buyers of (magic) would have no share in the happiness of the Hereafter. And vile was the price for which they did sell their souls, if they but knew!” (Verse 102)

So i've been trying to also do some extra reading. Here is spomething VERY interesting I came across...

Question: Our daughter is having strange experiences during sleep. She complains of feeling something pressing down on her chest which paralyzes her entire body. She cannot even speak. This stops and starts throughout the night. It happens so frequently that she has become depressed and angry. We feel that this is an attack from the Jinn and we want to know what she can do about it.

Answered by the Scientific Research Committee - IslamToday.net

These symptoms should not be construed as an attack from the Jinn. This is a very common problem. It is a condition known as sleep paralysis (SP).

Sleep paralysis is defined as a condition in which someone, usually lying in a supine position, about to drop off to sleep, or just upon waking from sleep, realizes that he is unable to move, speak, or cry out. Many complain that they try to recite Âyah al-Kursî but are unable to do so. People in this condition are often beset by feelings of fear or dread and frequently try, unsuccessfully, to cry out. After seconds or minutes, they feel suddenly released from the paralysis, but may be left with a lingering sense of anxiety.

Many people experience this sensation while falling asleep or as they are waking up and it can cause them discomfort. Some people describe it to be as if they feel as if someone is sitting on their chest.

Common secondary symptoms of this condition are as follows:

* A feeling of being choked or suffocated
* A feeling of being pinned down or sat upon (particularly in the chest area)
* Auditory hallucinations, typically the sounds of footsteps and voices nearby or knocking or banging on the walls
* Visual hallucinations, typically beings or dark shadows surrounding or standing near the bed
* A frightening feeling of descending or encompassing evil or dread
* Shaking of the body or a rumbling sensation (ringing) in the ears
* A feeling of intense, suffocating evil
* A feeling of being in a dream-like state while at the same time sensing being awake

The source of this phenomenon is a natural bodily function. When you sleep, your brain shuts off the signals coming from your muscles so you do not get up and act out your dreams. This is to prevent you from injuring yourself in your sleep. For some reason, people with sleep paralysis come into consciousness before the brain returns voluntary control back to the muscles, creating a sense of feeling paralyzed. This sensation is quite uncomfortable and understandably frightening, which can lead the not wholly conscious person to experience some of the secondary symptoms of this disorder that can often be very frightening and realistic.

None of what you describe is strange, peculiar, or in the least bit exceptional. It is a benign condition. Several recent surveys suggest that between 25-30% of people have experienced at least a mild form of sleep paralysis at least once and about 20-30% of these people have experienced it on several occasions.

However, if it is a frequent problem for you that is impairing your sleep or causing you discomfort, then you should seek medical attention for it. There are actually many treatments and prescriptions for this condition.

Doctors suggest that getting on a regular sleep schedule and avoiding sleep deprivation are helpful in alleviating this condition.

And Allah knows best.

Do we hear what we want to hear?

My husband had a 'Potential' customer the other day. I say potential because I doubt she'll come back. A lady of East Asian or origin. She spoke with an accent aswel and spoke what we consider to be fast. So she made some enquiries and he asked to take down some contact details.
She said her name.
"Ling Chung?" He asked to confirm.
"No," she replied. "Angel."

How a Pearl Develops: A Khutbah for Muslim Women

by Muhammad Alshareef

When news of the Christian army that had prepared on the horizons to wipe out Islam reached Abu Qudaamah Ash-Shaamee, he moved quickly to the mimbar of the masjid. In a powerful and emotional speech, Abu Qudaamah ignited the desire of the community to defend their land – jihaad for the sake of Allah. As he left the masjid, walking down a dark and secluded alley, a woman stopped him and said, "As salamu alaykum wa Rahmatullaah!" Abu Qudaamah stopped and did not answer. She repeated her salam again, adding "this is not how pious people should act." She stepped forward from the shadows. "I heard you in the masjid encouraging the believers to go for jihaad and all I have is this…" She handed him two long braids. "It can be used for a horse rein. Perhaps Allah may write me as one of those who went for jihaad."

The next day as that Muslim village set out to confront the crusader army, a young boy ran through the gathering and stood at the hooves of Abu Qudaamah's horse. "I ask you by Allah to allow me to join the army."

Some of the elder fighters laughed at the boy. "The horses will trample you," they said.

But Abu Qudaamah looked down into his eyes as he asked again, "I ask you by Allah, let me join."

Abu Qudaamah then said, "On one condition; if you are killed you will take me with you to Jannah amongst those you will be allowed to intercede for."

That young boy smiled. "It's a promise."

When the two armies met and the fighting intensified, the young boy on the back of Abu Qudaamah's horse asked, "I ask you by Allah to give me 3 arrows."

"You'll lose them," said Abu Qudaamah.

The boy repeated, "I ask you by Allah to give me them."

Abu Qudaamah gave him the arrows and the boy took aim. "Bismillah!" The arrow flew and killed a Roman. "Bismillah!" The second arrow flew, killing a second Roman. "Bismillah!" The third arrow flew, killing a third Roman. An arrow then struck the boy in the chest, knocking him off the horse. Abu Qudaamah jumped down to his side, reminding the boy in his final breaths, "Don't forget the promise!"

The boy reached into his pocket, extracted a pouch and said, "Please return this to my mother."

"Who's your mother?" asked Abu Qudaamah.

"The women that gave you the braids yesterday."

Think about this Muslimah. How did she reach this level of taqwa where she would sacrifice her hair and her son? Indeed, she spent her life in the obedience of Allah, and when exam time came, she passed. Not only did she pass herself, but her children shone with that same beauty of eman; children that she herself raised.

Most often the lectures, khutbahs, and talks are all directed to the Muslim men. We forget that from the hady (guidance and way) of RasulAllah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam was that he would allocate a specific day of the week to teach the women. Women would come up to him in Hajj, in the street, and even in his home to ask him questions about the deen. At the Eid salah, after addressing the men, he would take Bilal and go to the women’s section and address the women. Allah revealed an entire surah by the name of An-Nisaa’ (The Women), another by the name of Maryam (Mary), and yet another by the name of Al-Mujaadalah (The Woman Who Pleads). It is in enlivening this Sunnah that today this speech shall be addressed to the believing women – al-mu'minaat.

Dear sister, dear mother, and dear daughter, everyone is looking for happiness and fun, and I am sure that you are not excluded. Where is that happiness and fun though? And where and when do you want that happiness? Do you want to have ‘fun’ in this life at the expense of the hereafter? Or is it in the hereafter, when you meet Allah, that you want to be happy?

READ MORE...

Thank you.

[Hadith]
Rasul Allah, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, said, "Whosoever does
not thank people, has not thanked Allah."

[Lessons from this Hadith]
As you struggle through life to move up, it is not people who
are higher up then you that shall pull you up. Rather, you will
be 'pushed' up by your colleagues. Be genuine and thankful of
everything they do for you. Email someone right now and say
'thanks' and be specific about what you are thanking them for.


With best wishes to see you succeed at the highest level!
- Muhammad Alshareef

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that has been keeping me busy. Please, check out what's new!