Wednesday, February 29, 2012

The Secret to True Beauty....

The Secret to True Beauty….

By Ummi Ammarah


Strange how much effort is put into improving our looks. Through cosmetic products..skin fairness creams for those with dark skin and tanning creams for those with fair skin. Blue eyes for those with brown and hazel eyes for those with green eyes. Hair straightening for those with curly hair and perms for those with straight hair…and the list goes on.

We are never satisfied with the way we have been moulded by Allah Ta'ala. The effort and search for the ultimate external transformation continues…yet the effort of improving what we have ability to change, our inner beauty i.e. our character and how we conduct ourselves with fellow humans seldom feature in our lives.

The Beloved Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is reported to have said: Among the heaviest deeds in weight on the day Qiyaamat will be good character. (Hadith: Tirmidhi)

Tragically so called "super models" that appear on the covers of glossy magazines have caused great harm to our society by making us focus too much on our exterior self and totally ignore our interior self.

Companions of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) all of them, whether it was dark skin Bilaal or red skin Suhaib Rumi. Whether it was rich Uthmaan or poor Ammaar, whether it was stern and tall Umar or soft Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with all of them) everyone of them made effort and devoted much time to building their Imaan and akhlaaq (character).

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said that "Indeed the most perfect believer in faith is one who has the best manners and is kindest to his family."(Hadith-Tirmidhi)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) also said" Undoubtedly amongst you, the most beloved and nearest to me on the Day of Resurrection, will be those having the most excellent conduct."

It is not that we have to ignore our external self. Beauty and cleanliness is important as Allah is beautiful and loves beauty. But our emphasis must not be on developing only the external self, but more time, energy and resources should be spent in developing our Imaan and character. This will be a source of happiness in this world and more important will lead to eternal happiness when we stand before Allah Ta'ala on the day of Qiyamah.

The Beloved Messenger of Allah Ta'ala (pbuh) has taught us the following dua (prayer): Allahumma anta hassanta khalqi fa hassin khuluqi." Oh Allah! You have beautified my appearance so beautify my character as well."

 

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Carry me in your arms....

Carry me in your arms....

 

Abu Hurairah narrated that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: "The believers who show the most perfect faith are those who have the best disposition and the best of you are those who are best to their wives."

 
 

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

 

When I got home that night as my wife Ameena served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.

 

Suddenly I didn't know how to say it. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. Ameena didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, Ismail why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She shouted at me, "you are not a man!"

That night, we didn't talk to each other. Ameena was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; I had lost my heart to a lovely girl called Mary Anne. I didn't love Ameena anymore. I just pitied her!

 

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house and the car. She glanced at it and then tore it to pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said, for I loved Mary Anne so dearly.

 

Finally Ameena cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me, her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

 

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell fast asleep because I was tired after an eventful day with Mary Anne. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did'nt care so I turned over and was asleep again.

 

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month, we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son Ahmed had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

 

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that everyday for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy.

 

Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request. I told Mary Anne about my wife's divorce conditions. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she has, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully. Ameena and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son Ahmed clapped behind us, daddy is holding mummy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly, don't tell Ahmed about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

  

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest.. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to Ameena.

 

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Mary Anne about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

 

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenly it hit me, .. she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart.

 

Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head. Our son Ahmed came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mum out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. Ameena gestured to our son to come close and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

 

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Ahmed had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy.

 

I drove to office... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind... I walked upstairs. Mary Anne opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Mary Anne, I do not want the divorce anymore.

 

She looked at me, astonished. Then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Mary Anne, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other any more. Now I realized that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until one of us departs this world.

 

Mary Anne seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The sales girl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote: I will carry you out every morning until one of us leaves this world!

 

The small details of our lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, the property, the bank balance that matters. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build a relationship.

 

Allah says in the Qur'an:"Men are the supporters of women, because Allah has stowed on the one more than the other, and for what they have to provide (for them) from their sources. So the righteous women are obedient and protect in the absence of their husbands that which God ordains to be protected."(Qur'an 4:34)
 
Allah says in the Qur'an:"And the believing men and the believing women, they are the friends of each other, they enjoin good and forbid evil, and establish prayers, and pay the alms, and obey God and His Messenger, these, upon them God will have mercy, indeed, God is almighty, All-wise." (Qur'an 9:71)
 

Prophet[p.b.u.h] said, "The best of you is he who is the best to his family, and I am the best to my family"

Thursday, February 16, 2012

OBJECT OF DESPAIR

 
Emma is a lawyer
And so is Aisha too
Colleagues going into court
At circa half past two

Its 1 O'Clock right now
Aisha prays before the trial
They grab a bite and chat about this and that
Conversing with a smile

Aisha is in full hijab
With a loose all over suit
Emma's in her business wear
With accessories taboot


Emma's really quite bemused
At Aisha's godly ways
She looks Aisha in the eyes
And very firmly says

You're a smart girl Aisha
Why do you wear that across your hair?
Subjugated by "man"-kind
An object of despair


Take it off my sister
Let your banner be unfurled
Don't blindly follow all around
DECLARE YOUR FREEDOM TO THE WORLD

Aisha is amazed
But not the least bit shy
She bravely puts her milkshake down
And gives Emma the reply


My dear sister Emma,
Why do you dress the way you do?
The skirt you're wearing round your waist,
Is it really you?

Now that we've sat down
I see you tug it across your thighs,
Do you feel ashamed?
Aware of prying eyes?


I see the way you're sitting,
Both legs joined at the knees,
Who forces you to sit like that?
Do you feel at ease?

I'll tell you who obliges you,
To dress the way you do,
Gucci, Klein, and St. Laurent
All have designs on you!


In the main, its men my friend,
Who dictate the whims of fashion,
Generating all the garb,
To incite the basest passion

"Sex Sells" there is no doubt
But who buys with such great haste,
The answer is likes like you,
Because they want to be embraced...


They want to be accepted,
On a level playing field
Sure, with brain and intellect
But with body parts revealed

Intelligence and reason
Are useful by and by
But if you want to make a mark
Stay appealing to the eye


You claim your skirt is office-like
A business dress of sorts
Would we not laugh at Mike?
If he turned up in shorts?

His could be the poshest of pants
Pinstripe from Saville Rowe
But walking round like that my friend
He'd really have to go


Why do you douse yourself in creams
To make your skin so milky?
Why do you rip off all your hair
To keep your body silky?

A simple shower's all you need
To stay respectable and clean
The time and money that you spend
Is really quite obscene


Why do you wake up at dawn,
To apply a firm foundation,
Topped with make up and the like,
In one chaotic combination?

And if you should have to leave the house
Devoid of this routine
Why do you feel insecure
That you should not be seen?


Be free my sister Emma
Escape from your deep mire
Don hijab today my friend
And all Islam's attire

Avoid all those sickly stares
Or whistles from afar
Walk down the street with dignity
Take pride in who you are


Strength lies in anonymity
Be a shadow in the crowd
Until you speak and interact
When your voice will carry loud

You're a smart girl Emma
Wear this across your hair
Don't be subjugated by "man"-kind
An object of despair


To use your very words my friend
Let your banner be unfurled
Don't blindly follow all around
DECLARE YOUR FREEDOM TO THE WORLD
 

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Muhammad (pbuh)

Muhammad (pbuh)

 
 
Muhammad [pbuh] was the greatest personality anyone has ever seen

The most honest, just and loving human being

 

He [pbuh] had the most beautiful, bright shiny smile

And the most highest ranking profile

 

No one could beat him in eloquence

Yet the mushrikeen said he [pbuh] was a bad influence

 

Everything he [pbuh] did was not for fame

But it was to help save us from the eternal flame

 

His humour was also great

Like when he [pbuh] told the old lady she won't enter through Jannahs gate

 

In Jaahiliyyah they would all in him place their trust

But when he [pbuh] came with the truth, they threw on him dust

 

His habeebatain were Aa'isha and Abu Bakr

Amoung his sahaabahs expedition was there Al-Ambar

 

He [pbuh] had given Khalid bin al-Waleed the title of Sayfullah

And his beloved uncle Hamzah was known as Asadullah

 

At Taa'if he [pbuh] had to endure such pain

But he [pbuh] made dua to Allah that through its progeny the Ummah should gain

 

At the Battle of Mu'tah was his cousin Ja'far slain

This too caused him a lot of pain

 

His sword was the Zulfiqaar

And he [pbuh] told us to seek forgiveness from Allah al-Ghaffaar

 

He [pbuh] prayed sincerely night and day

Just so that humanity may come on to the right way

 

In the Quraan he[pbuh] is known as an-Natheer

This was amoung the titles given to him by As-Samee'ul Baseer

 

His last illness proved to be severe

He [pbuh] knew he would not make it another year

 

While on his deathbed his cry was 'Ummati Ummati'

Knowing all the while that he [pbuh] was sinless, still he [pbuh] prayed to his Rabb, 'Ighfirlee' (forgive me)

 

Allahumma Salli wa Sallim ala Nabiyyil Ummi

Khairun Naasi min Arabiyyin wa Ajami


 
 


Thursday, February 9, 2012

The Red Heart...

By Abdurrahman Umar



It could have been the splash of red or the overabundance of hearts or the young man in a designer jeans that caught his eye, but Sheikh Hamaad stopped under the bold “Valentine’s day Specials” banner, set his shopping basket on the floor and watched the young man battling to select an appropriate gift from the heaps of hearts, teddy bears and chocolates. Like a busy humming bird he flitted from shelf to shelf struggling to choose.

Sheikh Hamaad approached him as he stood scratching his head, “Asalaamu Alaikum, young man, seems like you’re battling to make a choice.”

“Eish, Moulana, this is more difficult than I thought. And lucky I only have to choose for two of them,” he said, picking up another heart decorated teddy bear, examining the price and putting down with disappointment.

“For your sisters?” Sheikh asked, feigning innocence.

“Naah, just friends, you know how it is. You have to do these things” came the prompt reply.

Sheikh Hamaad remained silent and fixed his gentle gaze on the young man, something more than the loud Billabong T-shirt and hipster jeans told him that this young man had more than a spark of intelligence.

“Tell me, how many Valentine’s gifts do your sisters receive?”

“Hey, hey.... Moulana my sisters are not like that. They don’t do this boyfriend thing. My sisters...they are pure,” exclaimed the young man an angry frown crossing his face. “Just let the guy try and send my sisters one flower and I’ll make him eat it. You don’t know me!”

“Oh,” said Sheikh Hamaad without any apology, “And your mother, how many Valentine’s gifts does she get?”

The young man took a step back and glared at Sheikh Hamaad, “La howla wa....” his words swallowed by his anger, “how can you even say such things about my mother? My mother, she doesn’t do this stuff. She is like an angel. She is pure. How can you say this?”

Sheikh paused, waiting for the silence to absorb the boy’s anger, then said, tauntingly, “So they don’t receive any Valentine’s gifts or have boyfriend’s at all.”

“I told you, Moulana, my family is pure and they don’t do this junk stuff.”

Knowing the moment was right Sheikh but forward his reasoning, “So you really don’t like your sisters receiving these gifts or having boyfriends.”

“No ways,” came the emphatic reply, “not on my life”

“Then don’t you think,” Sheikh ventured, “that other people would also not like their sisters, mothers or aunts to receive such gifts. Just as you would like your sisters to remain pure, they would also like their sisters to be pure?”

The young man dropped his head and shifted his feet nervously, “You have a point, Moulana. Didn’t ever think of it like that. I don’t want to say...but you are right. I shouldn’t be polluting other people’s family if I don’t like my family to be polluted. This is all quite wrong isn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s quite wrong,” without a hint of reprimand in his voice, “this is not our way.”

“But,” he asked, trying to conceal his embarrassment, “It’s not like we doing anything serious. I mean it’s only a gift. Not like we doing something physical...so it should be ok, no?”

Without disturbing his calmness, Sheikh Hamaad replied, “Do you like to go fishing?”

“Now you talking my language. Not a Sunday, not one, that we not by the dam,” he replied his hands waving with excitement, “We sit the whole day me and my buddies. First we prime the place with milie bombs. Just so the fish know we there. And they come, Moulana. They come for the bait. The whole lot, man....carpe, bass, barbell, you name it. But what’s that go to do with buying gifts.”

“When Shaytaan wants to trap someone,” Sheikh replied serenely, “he first puts some bait. Innocent stuff like gifts, the odd sms, just a hello and then when the time is right ....he will strike and how you say...you fall hook, line and sinker. Then he’s got you and it’s not long before he reels you in. So it starts with just a little bait. Just like the little gift that seems so innocent – it’s the bait.”

The young man beamed with this new found revelation and couldn’t wait to ask, “You are so right! And you have an amazing way of getting a point across Moulana, you didn’t just lecture me but you showed me how it is wrong. Thanks a mil. You must have learnt from a great teacher?”

“No doubt, I learnt from the best of all teachers,” Sheikh answered, “In fact, the best of all mankind...The Noblest Messenger of Allah- Rasulallah sallahu alaihi wa salam”

For more info on Valentine's Day: http://eislaminfo.blogspot.com/2012/02/valentines-day.html

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day
The Ummah is Bleeding,can We be Celebrating???
Roses are Red, Violets are Blue

Valentines Day is definitely not for YOU!!!


"And whoever seeks a religion[a way of life] other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers" [Quran-Aal 'Imraan 3:85]

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told us that groups of his ummah would follow the enemies of Allah in some of their rituals and customs. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "You will certainly follow the ways of those who came before you, span by span, cubit by cubit, until even if they were to enter a lizard's hole, you would follow them." We said, "O Messenger of Allah(pbuh), (do you mean) the Jews and Christians?" He said, "Who else? !" (Hadith-al-Bukhaari )

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever imitates a people is one of them." (narrated by Ahmad)

History: Who was Valentine? Why is this day observed? Valentine's Day began as a pagan ritual started by Romans in the 4th century BCE to celebrate "Feast of the Wolf" on February 15, also known as the Feast of Lupercalius to honor the god Lupercus.The main attraction of this ritual was a lottery held to distribute young women to young men for "entertainment & pleasure"-until the next year's lottery. Christianity tried, without success, to stop the evil celebration of Lupercalia. The only success it had was in changing the name from Lupercalia to St. Valentine's Day. It was done in CE 496 by Pope Gelasius, in honor of some Saint Valentine. There are as many as 50 different Valentines in Christian legends.

How can anyone in the Ummah really enjoy this Haraam Occasion when there is so much brutality and suffering going on in the world today. The rivers of blood flow freely from the veins of our brothers and sisters from across the Muslim world. Celebrating unislamic occassions like Valentines Day , New year, Christmas and shouting the names of musical heroes and watching Bollywood & Hollywood Movies drown out the screams coming from the dungeons of Uzbekistan where brothers and sisters are boiled alive in vats of water. How many will take out valuable time and spend it for the upliftment of Islam? How many will sacrifice for our kin in Gaza , Kashmir, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Palestine, and Iraq? There are many more killing fields as well across the Asian and Arab world. Will you climb on theatre chairs and express your rage over Guantanamo Bay and other gulags where our brothers and sisters are being tortured, raped, sodomized, beaten, and burned? Or will you just switch off and enjoy with the Kuffar in celebrating this evil custom?

Oh,Muslims,wake up! The Ummah is not bleeding; it is haemorrhaging.

Anas Bin Malik (ra) said; "When the Messenger of Allah Muhammad(pbuh) came to Medina, the people had two holidays from the days of Jahiliyyah(ignorance). He (pbuh) said, "When I came to you, you had two holidays you used to celebrate in jahiliyyah. Allah has replaced them for you with better days, the day of Fitr and the day of slaughter (Adha)."

VALENTINES DAY IS AN UNILSAMIC CUSTOM THAT HAS NO BASIS IN ISLAM AND IS PRESENTLY BEING PROMOTED BY CAPITALIST FOR COMMERCIAL REASONS....Listen to the pain of your global family! The enemies of Allah are destroying Islam and we are following in their footsteps!
Be pro active and DO NOT- ENGAGE, SUPPORT OR ENCOURAGE THIS EVIL....!!!

If you were intending to engage in this haraam practice and Now changed your mind, then do a noble deed by donating the money to an ISLAMIC CHARITABLE CAUSE which will make you the BELOVED of ALLAH and will earn you an immense reward in the everlasting life of the hereafter!