Fulfilled

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem
Assalammualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

Allahumma tahhir qalbi
Allahumma inni as-aluka hubbaka

Seek Him and you'll be content

"Truly, in the heart there is a void that cannot be removed except with the company of Allah. And in it there is a sadness that can not be removed except with the happiness of knowing Allah and being true to Him. And in it there is an emptiness that can not be filled except with love for Him and by turning to Him and always remembering Him. If a person were given all of the world and what is in it, it would not fill this emptiness."

[Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya]

Alhamdulillah wa syukrillah
La hawlawala quwwata illa billah

Wallahua'lam
Segala puji hanya bagi Allah, Tuhan sekalian alam

Preventing Social Woes

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem
Assalammualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

Corruption

Dumping babies
Murders and rapings
Cheating, lying and slanders

To solve this problem, one should start from its root

Start with your prayers

"Bacalah serta ikutlah (wahai Muhammad) akan apa yang diwahyukan kepadamu dari Al-Quran dan dirikanlah sembahyang (dengan tekun); sesungguhnya sembahyang itu mencegah dari perbuatan yang keji dan mungkar dan sesungguhnya mengingati Allah adalah lebih besar (faedahnya dan kesannya) dan (ingatlah) Allah mengetahui akan apa yang kamu kerjakan."

[al-Ankabut:45]

“With respect to prayer, there are five levels of people. [The lowest] is he who ‘wrongs his own soul’; who is remiss; who curtails his ablution and the times, limits and essential elements of prayer.

At the second level is he who keeps the times, rules and elements of the prayer; who keeps its ablution but is taken away by distractions, which he lacks the inner strength to resist.

At the third level is he who keeps the limits and essentials elements of the prayer, and struggles against distractions. This person is preoccupied with striving against his Foe, ‘lest he rob him of his prayer’. In prayer, he is in sacred combat [jihad].

At the fourth level is he who, standing in prayer, completes its requirements, its essential elements and its limits. His heart is absorbed in safeguarding the rules and requirements of the prayer ‘lest he miss any of them’. In fact, his entire concern becomes performing the prayer as it should be, completely and perfectly. In this way, his concern for the prayer and for worshiping his Lord absorbs his heart.

At the fifth level is he who, standing in prayer, performs it in the manner of the fourth, but in addition places his heart before his Lord. With this he beholds God – ever vigilant before Him, filled with His love and glory – as if, seeing Him, he were physically present before Him. Therefore, the distractions vanish, as the veil between him and his Lord is lifted. The difference between this person in his prayer and everyone else is as vast as the distance between heaven and earth, for he is occupied [only] with his Lord Almighty in prayer, in which he finds his source of gladness.”

The Invocation of God (Al-Wabil al-Sayyib min al-Kalim al-Tayyib) by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya

Wallahua'lam
Segala puji hanya bagi Allah, Tuhan sekalian alam

Agent of Change

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem

Assalammualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

We said we want jannah
His Blessings that we desired
His Love that we aimed
His Guidance that we needed

We talk of change
We talk of world peace
We talk of changing lives
We talk of managing needs
But what have happened to us
Have we make that change
Have we taken that step
And another step
And another step
Of change
Of evolution
Or
Have we taken a step
And we tripped
And we fell
And we stopped

This is reality
Life is a test
Life is a theater
Life is not forever

Never take a sip in the sea of dunya
For we will drown ourselves in it

Lets continue our journey
Lets continue paddling
Slowly but surely
In the Name of Allah
We will come to our destination
And we will be judged
solely by our intentions

If we want to see change
Then start changing
Ourselves
Then will only things fall into place
And we will understand
Why there were tranquility
When there were sacrifices
When there were pain
When there were sweat, blood and tears
When there were deaths

Because we know
We are here for a while
We are just travellers

You are a part of the ummah too
If you feel you are not
Don't you want to?

Brothers and sister
This is the beginning
The continuum
Of change
Of development
For ourselves
And the ummah

If we haven't started
Lets start now

If we have started
Lets continue

Everything is counted
Even to smallest of deeds
To the biggest of sacrifice
Isn't that enough for us

Lets change
It is now or never

Wallahua'lam
Segala puji hanya bagi Allah, Tuhan sekalian alam

Cleaning Up My Closet

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem
Assalammualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

Ighfirly ya Allah

When the steps become dusty
the mind falls into laziness
the movement careless
and the heart hardens

Tracing back my steps
to solitude and repentance
back to my only salvation

O' Lord of the universe
Lord of the seen and the unseen
Forgive my sins
Forgive my heedlessness
Light up my heart
Purify my conscience
Guide my steps
To the straight path

"Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad): Wahai hamba-hamba-Ku yang telah melampaui batas terhadap diri mereka sendiri (dengan perbuatan-perbuatan maksiat), janganlah kamu berputus asa dari rahmat Allah(1), kerana sesungguhnya Allah mengampunkan segala dosa; sesungguhnya Dialah jua Yang Maha Pengampun, lagi Maha Mengasihani; Dan kembalilah kamu kepada Tuhan kamu dengan bertaubat(2), serta berserah bulat-bulat kepadaNya(3), sebelum kamu didatangi azab; kerana sesudah itu kamu tidak akan diberikan pertolongan; Dan turutilah Al-Quran sebagai sebaik-baik (panduan hidup)(4) yang diturunkan kepada kamu dari Tuhan kamu, sebelum kamu didatangi azab secara mengejut, sedang kamu tidak menyedarinya"

[az-Zumar:53-55]

Wallahua'lam
All praise be to Allah, Lord of the universe

Ask Him for Love

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem
Assalammualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

You are with the one you love

أبو الدرداء - رضي الله عنه - :قال : قال رسول الله -صلى الله عليه وسلم- : «كان من دُعاء داودَ ، يقول : اللَّهمَّ إِني أسألك حُبَّك ، وحبَّ من يحبُّك ، والعَمَل الذي يُبَلِّغُني حبَّكَ، اللَّهمَّ اجعل حُبَّك أَحَبَّ إِليَّ من نفسي ، ومالي، وأَهْلي ، ومن الماءِ البارِد ، قال : وكان رسولُ الله -صلى الله عليه وسلم- إذا ذُكِرَ داودُ يحدِّث عنه ، يقول : كان أَعْبَدَ البَشَرِ».أخرجه الترمذي

Abu’d Darda’ (Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said that from the supplication (du`a’) of the Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him) was, “O Allah, I ask You for Your love, the love of those who love You, and the actions that make me attain unto Your love. O Allah, make love of You more beloved to me than my self, my wealth, my family, and from cold water.”

[HR Tirmidhi]

Wallahua'lam
Segala puji hanya bagi Allah, Tuhan sekalian alam

Al-Istikhara: Of Choices and Decisions

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem
Assalammualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

May this post meet us in good health while we are tasting the sweetness of iman that is sweeter than honey and healthier than aspartame. Alhamdulillah wa shukrillah, we thank Allah al-Hakeem, ar-Rahman, ar-Raheem war-Razzaq, for the blessings of knowledge of this beautiful deen, the enlightening nur of iman, the tranquility and peace of brother/sisterhood, and the everlasting spirit of jihad that can never be separated from us, muslims & mukmineen. Masha Allah la hawlawala quwwata illa billah.

Serendipity is a blessing

I remembered in one of the meetings that I had with my sisters, we learned about the fundamentals of tawakkul, du'a, and steps of making decisions. Seeing that our age of innocence are developing rapidly to the age of experience, there are more decisions to make and these are life-changing decisions that will shape the way we are in this world and in the hereafter. The method of decision-making is simple and it can be found from the best example for mankind, Rasulullah s.a.w. It is through istikhara and the power of syura (consultation). I thought of sharing these beautiful gems and pearls of sacred knowledge to you and as a reminder to me too. I will share this with translated excerpts from one of my favourite kitab, Madarij-us-salikeen (Steps of the Seekers) on the Chapter of The Station of Tawakkul: Trust in God by Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (rh). May Allah guides us to the straight path. Insya Allah.

Choosing between blessings is a blessing in itself

In the Quran, there is a beautiful verse that were said by a believer from the people of pharoah, after fearlessly delivering the message of God to the unwilling tyrant. It goes like this:

"And I hand over my affairs over to God..."
[al-Mu'kmin:44]

This is tafweed - to hand over the affairs to God and it refers to the faith and strong belief that, what God decides for one in the matters of this world and the Hereafter is better for him than what he himself could have, and even if God's decree goes against his immediate wishes, he is pleased with it knowing that it will be in reality better for him even if its good is hidden from him at the moment. The case of the one who trusts God is thus similar to or even higher than the one who hands over his affairs to someone, because to trust God is to not only hand over his affairs to Him but also to have tranquility and peace in one's heart that whatever God decrees will be better for him. This will result in Ridha - which is being pleased with whatever God does in his matter.

Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned that an act is surrounded by two things: tawakkul (trust in God) before it and ridha (pleasure in God's decree) after it.

This is the ultimate idea and core concept of what istikhara is all about (tawakkul and ridha). This can be seen in the clarity of the du'a of istikhara itself (as narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah r.a. translated into English):

"O'Allah! I seek goodness from Your Knowledge and with Your Power (and Might) I seek strength, and I ask from You Your Great Blessings, because You have the Power and I do not have the power. You Know everything and I do not know, and You have knowledge of the unseen. Oh Allah! If in Your Knowledge this action (which I intend to do) is better for my religion and faith, for my life and end [death], for here [in this world] and the hereafter then make it destined for me and make it easy for me and then add blessings [baraka'] in it, for me. O'Allah! In Your Knowledge if this action is bad for me, bad for my religion and faith, for my life and end [death], for here [in this world] and the hereafter then turn it away from me and turn me away from it and whatever is better for me, ordain [destine] that for me and then make me satisfied with it"

[HR Bukhari]

The first line of the supplication (du'a) - "O'Allah! I seek goodness from Your Knowledge and with Your Power (and Might) I seek strength, and I ask from You Your Great Blessings, because You have the Power and I do not have the power," is tantamount to tawakkul and tafweed (trusting and handing affairs over to God respectively) and as the supplication continues to the second line - "You Know everything and I do not know, and You have knowledge of the unseen", it is to disavow any claim of one's own power in favor of God and to connect with Him (tawassul) in the best manner that is possible and dearest to Him, using one of His Beautiful Names (asma al-husna). Then one ask his Lord to accomplish that matter for him in the short and the long term and to save him from it if it is harmful for him in the short or the long term. After this, all that remains for the slave to do is ridha - being pleased with what God decides for him, so one ends the supplication with - "and whatever is better for me, ordain [destine] that for me and then make me satisfied with it."

After this, it is advised that one consults someone over the choices and decisions. Remember that there is baraqah in syura. Find a pious and trustworthy person and ask for his/her advice and du'as for this is also a sunnah in itself. This is essential for us as mukmineens as this is one of the criteria of the people whom Allah promises of the nikmah that is near to Him:

"Now whatever ye have been given is but a passing comfort for the life of the world, and that which Allah hath is better and more lasting for those who believe and put their trust in their Lord; And those who shun the worst of sins and indecencies and, when they are wroth, forgive; And those who answer the call of their Lord and establish worship, and whose affairs are a matter of counsel, and who spend of what We have bestowed on them; And those who, when great wrong is done to them, defend themselves.."

[as-Shura:36-39]

All in all, may the decisions we make benefits us in this world and the hereafter and also brings blessings to the ummah. Insya Allah. May Allah forgive our sins in the past, the present and the future, loves us and guides our heart to the straight path. Dear brothers and sisters, please make du'a for yourself, for me and the ummah. Allahumma arinal haqqa haqqa warzuqnat-tiba'ah, wa arinal bathila bathilaw-warzuqnaj-tinabah. Rabbana aatina fid dunya hasanah, wa fil akhirati hasanah, waqeena azhab an-naar. Ameen.

Wallahua'lam

All praise be to Allah, Lord of the Universe

Lets Reflect!

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem
Assalammualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

[Surah an-Nur verse 41-46]
Just let the Words of the Creator rejuvenates your heart

A'udzubillahi min as-syaitanirrajeem
I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed satan

See you not (O Muhammad SAW) that Allâh, He it is Whom glorify whosoever is in the heavens and the earth, and the birds with wings out-spread (in their flight)? Of each one He (Allâh) knows indeed his Salât (prayer) and his glorification, [or everyone knows his Salât (prayer) and his glorification], and Allâh is All-Aware of what they do.

[an-Nur:41]

And to Allâh belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, and to Allâh is the return (of all).

[an-Nur:42]

See you not that Allâh drives the clouds gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a heap of layers, and you see the rain comes forth from between them. And He sends down from the sky hail (like) mountains, (or there are in the heaven mountains of hail from where He sends down hail), and strike therewith whom He wills, and averts it from whom He wills. The vivid flash of its (clouds) lightning nearly blinds the sight. [Tafsir At-Tabarî].

[an-Nur:43]

Allâh causes the night and the day to succeed each other (i.e. if the day is gone, the night comes, and if the night is gone, the day comes, and so on). Truly, in these things is indeed a lesson for those who have insight.

[an-Nur:44]

Allâh has created every moving (living) creature from water. Of them there are some that creep on their bellies, some that walk on two legs, and some that walk on four. Allâh creates what He wills. Verily! Allâh is Able to do all things.

[an-Nur:45]

We have indeed sent down (in this Qur'ân) manifest Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, lawful and unlawful things, and the set boundries of Islâmic religion, etc. that make things clear showing the Right Path of Allâh). And Allâh guides whom He wills to a Straight Path (i.e. to Allâh's religion of Islâmic Monotheism).

[an-Nur:46]

Dear brothers and sisters,
lets reflect on the blessings that Allah had bestowed to us and be thankful
Subhanallahi wabihamdih, subhanallahil azheem

Wallahua'lam
Segala puji hanya bagi Allah, Tuhan sekalian alam

Holiday Promises

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem
Assalammualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

It's the holiday season!
Astaghfirullah hal azheem

Teach, and you will be Taught

Hopefully everyone is tasting the sweet taste of iman, the beauty of patience, the motivating spirit of good health and goodwill, the rejuvenating fragrance of tawakkal, and the cleansing coolness of tawbah. Insya Allah. Alhamdulillah! Its the holiday season again and this is when most of us will probably be spending time more with our families. So, dear brothers and sisters, lets make this holiday a memorable and a blessed one. Insya Allah.

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ قُوٓاْ أَنفُسَكُمۡ وَأَهۡلِيكُمۡ نَارً۬ا وَقُودُهَا ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلۡحِجَارَةُ عَلَيۡہَا مَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةٌ غِلَاظٌ۬ شِدَادٌ۬ لَّا يَعۡصُونَ ٱللَّهَ مَآ أَمَرَهُمۡ وَيَفۡعَلُونَ مَا يُؤۡمَرُونَ (٦)

Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Peliharalah diri kamu dan keluarga kamu dari Neraka yang bahan-bahan bakarannya: Manusia dan batu (berhala); Neraka itu dijaga dan dikawal oleh malaikat-malaikat yang keras kasar (layanannya); mereka tidak menderhaka kepada Allah dalam segala yang diperintahkan-Nya kepada mereka, dan mereka pula tetap melakukan segala yang diperintahkan.

[at-Tahrim:6]

Masha Allah, tabarakallah! When someone told my fellow sisters and moi of this (the ayah above), I have goosebumps all over. This is not easy. Yet, we were also given a beautiful advice that the key to this is ikhlas, its oil is as-sabr (patience) and its engine istiqamah. However, note that according to the hadeeth qudsi, ikhlas is a secret of Allah's secret that will only be granted to those whom He love. Whereas, patience is one of the 70 branches of iman and the responsibility of being istiqamah will make your hair turns white. Nonetheless, fret not, Allah also says in the Quran - la yukallifullahu nafsan illa wus'aha (you will not be tested with what you cannot bear) in surah al-Baqarah verse 286. Subhanallahi wabihamdih, subhanallahil azheem, rejoice with the rizq and the nikmah that Allah has bestowed to us, so lets share it with others. Alhamdulillah.

Allahumma ya muqqalibal qulub, thabbits qulubana 'ala deenik
O' Holder of the heart, make our heart stay firm in Your path

Insya Allah, brothers and sisters, continue to make du'a for me, yourselves and also the ummah (I am wondering how's our mujahideen in Chechen, Ghazzah, Afghanistan and in other countries are doing? How's our brother and sisters condition in war-torn countries - Palestine, Grozny etc.) Please Allah, forgive us for all our sins and our heedlessness. May Allah grant us his divine blessings and forgiveness that He bestowed to the mukhlisin. Insya Allah.

iLOVEu for the sake of Allah
May Allah let us meet, if not here, in jannah
Insya Allah

Wallahua'lam
Segala puji hanya bagi Allah, Tuhan sekalian alam

Have You Heard II?

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem

Assalammualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

Speechless beyond words
Please, forgive us Allah


60 years and counting

Astaghfirullah hal azheem
Allahumma a'udzubika min shururihim

Innalillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiuun! My sisters and I went weak in the knees when we heard of the deaths and injuries that befalls our brothers and sisters in the Mavi Marmara ship that was bringing aids to the Palestinians in Ghazzah.

Bringing hope, aids and brotherhood

Oh, if you are still wondering what am I talking about, please read on. Insya Allah, may Allah guide us to the straight path. Allahumma ameen.

Betty Hunter, General Secretary of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: 'Israel's actions today amount to piracy. What kind of country murders unarmed civilians in order to stop humanitarian supplies reaching a starving population? The British government failed to defend its citizens on board the flotilla, but now its silence must end, and it must condemn Israel in the strongest terms. Its moral and political obligations lie with those who peacefully attempt to deliver aid, not with a country which repeatedly violates international law, and has now murdered innocent and unarmed carriers of aid.

[Taken from Plymouth Palestine Solidarity Campaign]

One wonders why the Israelis are so apprehensive of a few boats bringing aids for a war-torn country

Israeli soldiers stormed the six ships (click for video) in international waters about 65km off the Gaza coast. The ships with about 700 pro-Palestinian activists were carrying 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid for Gaza, the coastal territory under a crippling Israeli siege.

Israel insisted that its troops had acted in self-defence after being attacked by those on board.

But Al Jazeera's Jamal Elshayyal, onboard the lead ship Mavi Marmara, said troops opened fire even after passengers had raised a white flag. Israeli troops have taken the ships to the port of Ashdod after seizing them. Activists who were injured are being treated in hospitals while 480 others are been detained and subjected to interrogations. Another 48 activists have been deported to their respective countries.

Al Jazeera's Elshayyal is reportedly being held at a detention facility at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport, together with two of his colleagues.

Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from Ashdod, said: "We are still trying to get information in terms of the condition of the passengers...An identification and interrogation process has gotten under way, to identify the individuals and then provide them with the option of being deported immediately or sent to prison here," he said.

[Taken from al-Jazeera]

Allah had grant this to happen (Ya Qawiyy, Ya Azeez) and there must be a reason for this to happen, may we continue to purify our hearts, learn the knowledge of the hereafter, strive to improve ourselves and practice patience at all times. At the same time, lets practice jihad fi sabilillah and never forget our brothers and sisters all over the world - especially Palestine, Chechen, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and everywhere. Insya Allah. May Allah grant us the blessings of being one of the muttaqeen, mukhlisin, muhsinin, mutawakkilin and the sabireen. Insya Allah.

Allahumma ya munzilal kitaab, wa ya mujriyas-sahaab, wa ya hazimal ahzaab, ihzimhum wansurna 'alayhim. Ya Rahman, Ya Raheem, Ya Qahhar, Ya Jabbar, Ya Allah, Ya Allah, Ya Allah, Ya Allah.

Wallahua'lam
Segala puji hanya bagi Allah, Tuhan sekalian alam