Using your talent...

...for a greater purpose :)

MasyaAllah...let's take a 10 minute break from whatever we are doing to take a look at this.

My medicine today :)

Salam alayk brothers and sisters ^_^

Subhanallah, Allah led me to this video and I would really love to share it with you. May it be one of the things that cleans us, softens our hearts and give us calmness. Reminding us of things we may have forgotten. InsyaAllah~

'If things were easy to find, they wouldn't be worth finding'

Those words spoke to my heart...and for once after a long time...I managed to really cry.

Not just for any reason, but for the right one :)

Just as I've always believed, nothing beats crying for Allah. Nothing.

Salam alayk brothers and sisters ^_^

What has it been...3 months? I'm sorry. Hee... Writing a blog isn't just about writing for the sake of it. Wouldn't wanna go on posting without purpose right? InsyaAllah, that purpose has returned and here I am now in the last month of this year. I had a thought, in fact many thoughts rushed into my mind when I first heard those words in the title being said...but the one thing above them all in the midst of rushing memories...was Allah.

We all like simple things don't we? Easy stuff. Things that are not complicated (okay I'm just rewording everything here :P) but the fact is... life isn't just one simple thing. It's an orchestra of many things interrelated yet so beautifully created by Allah that it all makes sense to be intertwined with each other. Everything is so special...that generalizing just doesn't do justice to His creations, including you.

I think (and yes this is purely what I think) that it is important to not keep saying or implying that there is something wrong with a person just because he or she sees things or does things in a different way. Not to say that people do this or anything. It's just a mere thought. Something to reflect upon by myself first and foremost and all of you. One has to believe in oneself, in his or her own capability. Look for it and use it. The journey to Allah isn't the same for everyone. It's different, tailored in fact...to fit each of us in the way that suits us best.

Because like I keep saying, Allah knows best and He sure knows how to make life interesting.

This year has taught me a lot and one of the most important things is how to feel and really mean what I say. Words are not enough. Sure they sound nice, make you think etc...but they are not enough. They are merely words unless you do something about it. That's exactly it, you have to do something about it.

I have been looking for something for quite a long while now and I guess it disheartened me the fact that it was so difficult, the fact that it felt so unreachable...but now I know that whatever it is...insyaAllah, I cannot and will not stop trying...because I know with all my heart that it is worth finding.

I just have to have the guts to do it :P and patience above all.

Let us all keep praying for each other, coz surely...we all need it.

^_^

Koran by heart

Salam alayk :)

I found this at a sister's page today. Subhanallah it's wonderful. How Allah s.w.t is so great. Subhanallah...subhanallah...

Do watch :)

Koran by Heart from MuslimCommunityTV on Vimeo.

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

-Ibn Qayyim Al Jawziyyah-

I've heard someone say that loneliness is underrated...but then again if we talk about the void as being referred to by Ibn Qayyim, it isn't. Say what you want to make yourself feel better. It's underrated, it's not true, it can be coped with, it's no big deal etc..etc

But all you're doing is fool yourself...because that emptiness is real and has only one cure.

And that cure...is Allah~

The difficulty in breaking free

Salam alayk :)

It's a refreshing feeling when you take time to listen or I suppose in many more cases, read what others have to say. You'd realise how beautiful people are from within themselves. A beauty often overlooked nowadays. Often deemed to be unimportant.

There's no one really to blame for that. At least no one in particular. We live in a diseased world and I guess a truth that I didn't really wanna think of and believe is that in some ways, I've been deceived too. The way we think, give opinions...in the slightest of ways even may be off track without us realising because we were brought up in conditions exposing us to a certain frame of mind that seems to be the way we should think when in fact it is not.

Such subtle ways are we all fooled and see how it's worked. Of course it's working, we're all part of a long devised plan. One so elaborate and long term with people who work extremely hard behind them. I'm beginning to see now that's why it is so difficult for us to resist our old ways. To completely get rid of things we grew up with, what our parents grew up with too.

And one of the most powerful things clinging us on to what we should leave...are memories. Memories that are mostly good ones to us. Familiar happy feelings and how unfortunate it is for those memories to be so intertwined with jahiliyyah that we should want to leave. It's sad, but true...and I find myself in a confusing state when I'm back with the ones I love. I feel torn apart and helpless mostly but there's also a comfort that I honestly don't want to leave. Something I'm sure many others have felt too. The difficulty in breaking free.

There's so much more for me to learn...for us to learn. May Allah give us strength and patience in doing that and may He choose us to prevail. Aamiin~

Short yet so meaningful

What indeed can the one who has found Allah be said to have lost? -Sayyid Qutb-

Reading this, I can only throw a smile :)

How do we break our fast?

Salam alayk dear brothers & sisters,

How is your Ramadhan? I hope each day gets better for us all insyaAllah and may we all alert ourselves to the constant tarbiyyah Allah gives us. After all, fasting is solely for Him and He will be the One to reward it.

Anyway look what I found today. A familiar phenomena I'd say :P Let's watch!



So, which one are we? Hee ^_^

Pain of the unforgiving

I don't know for sure but that surely is the indication I'm getting. That I'm not forgiven. It made me look back at my old post 2 years ago, the Sweetness of Forgiveness. Now that we're in the second phase of Ramadhan, all the more reason to talk about this.

The phase of forgiveness.

I was listening to a talk by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and what he said really caught my attention.

'The soul can only be brought back to life by recognizing why it was created and then setting out and striving to achieve that goal. Recognizing that we will have shortcomings. That we will make mistakes. That those mistakes are part of our humanity. That Allah s.w.t. knows those mistakes because He created us to make those mistakes so that we would turn to Him and He could in turn, turn to us and forgive us. And this is why we are created. We were created to respond to Allah and the only way a slave feels its servitude to Allah is in its abject nature. It is in its subjugation to Allah that occurs by doing wrong and then desiring atonement. Desiring to reconnect with ones true nature.'

And Allah being Most Gracious of all...is always waiting for us to reconnect.

I'm ashamed of myself really. This past month I have been sick. Being sick this month got me cranky somehow and I failed to see the hikmah behind my sickness. Failed to attain as much benefit from it as a muslim should. For sickness can dispose sins. I was blinded by pain & discomfort and it was all I could think about causing me to sigh a lot, fret...and forget how one should act in such situations. And incidentally those close to me had to hear all this from me everyday. Had to get such a negative vibe from me. Had to bear with me being complicated and hard to understand.

I didn't want to be this way and now with pain as pressure I'm desperately pulling myself together. I guess sometimes we just need to learn things the hard way coz then only will there be effect. I realize that every one of us has limits to their patience. I'm sorry I crossed that line for you. I don't know why it's bothering me so much and now I don't even have you to tell this to. You still won't speak to me.

It's odd isn't it? How forgiveness from man, when not given...aches so much you can even literally feel it in your chest. But forgiveness from Allah, whom we wrong everyday of our lives, whom we never quite deservingly love...doesn't quite give us such bother. Astaghfirullah... :'(

Waiting...for an answer to whether or not you've forgiven me is agonizing...but the One I've really wronged is Allah and not you. May you find it in your heart to empathize, to forgive, to see your own mistakes, own up to them and to cherish those who cherish you.

Have mercy my brothers & sisters for you seek mercy too.

The sheltering cloud

Salam alayk :)

Okay enough with being gloomy (note to self XD), time to take action and smile! Have you heard of this story before? The sheltering cloud. Let's do some reading cay? Watch this video ^_^



Subhanallah...what do you think? A simple story yet it holds such deep meaning. The state of the heart is really something we need to take notice. Something we must always look after because it changes everything. It changes who we are. People may not notice but know that our hearts never escape the knowledge of Allah s.w.t.

No more thinking about what people think. Put Allah first, ALLAH! And He'll handle the people we're so worried about before. He will because He knows best as opposed to us who get confused when given options.

Let's solve this fundamental problem together and together heal our hearts. It's gonna be a lot of work but it's a cause worth fighting for.

Step 1: In the name of Allah, get rid of unnecessary pride and arrogance.
Don't look down on others! Look in the mirror and see our own blemishes that need fixing. Remember the sheltering cloud :)

Simple? Childish? It's okay. We've got to start somewhere :) insyaAllah.

My fear

A hypocrite with an eloquent tongue, one who is ignorant of Allah but knows the rules of Allah, one who destroys himself...

Ya Allah, ya Allah...protect us from turning into that. From falling out of the path to You. From forgetting ourselves. From deceiving ourselves. Save us with Your grace and light. Help us. Give us strength.

Please protect me from my fear ya Rabb...Aamiin~

My silence...

...was what I needed and now the awkward start begins.

I'm different now. Not so perhaps to those who know me. Much so to those who think they know me. I meant no harm. Honest...I just did what I had to do. No more pretending. No more resenting.

It wasn't all a lie. No...I genuinely had moments where my heart felt so at peace. Moments I reached out...bursting with honesty & truth trying to make sense of it all. Trying to connect. But I feel there is something missing, something I still don't understand causing me to be this way. There was something wrong with me and to ignore it any longer would only do more harm than good.

Words don't suffice to explain what's going on with me, forgive me for that. I want to start over...this time insyaAllah with the right foot forward, with my heart in place. I took a risk and it wasn't easy.

So please...let me~

‎"Kita perlu akrab dengan manusia untuk mengetahui masalahnya, namun yang lebih utama, adalah kita perlu akrab dengan Allah agar kita dapat mengetahui cara untuk menyelesaikan sesuatu masalah dengan sebaiknya."

Benar kan? Kerana penyelesaian itu perlu berlandaskan kepada apa yang diredhaiNya dan bukanlah sekadar pendapat peribadi kita. Kerana yang Haq itu bukanlah menurut ketetapan kita tetapi menurut ketetapan Allah.

Kadang-kadang begitu mudah sekali kita lupa kan? Astaghfirullah...

One that leads to the other

Salam alayk :)

Did some reading today & I came across this saying by Ibn Qayyim Al Jawziyyah~

'Repel the thought, for if you don't, it becomes an idea. So repel the idea, for if you don't it will become a desire. So fight against that (desire), for if you don't, it will become a determination and a passion. And if you don't repel that, it will become action. And if you don't replace it with it's opposite, it will become a constant habit. So at that point, it will be difficult for you to change it.'

I find this to be so true. Sometimes we let ourselves slip from one to the other ever so quickly that a simple thought becomes a habit in a blink of an eye. And at that point it seems we're in trouble of getting out of it even if we want to.

But the key I would say is the word 'difficult'...not impossible...only difficult. Which means one way or another you can do it. You've just got to be willing to face it and stop holding back.

It's troubling sometimes...being curious...but insyaAllah whatever it is that has passed, I pray may Allah help to keep me from having regrets. I wish not to have any.

Besides Allah knows best after all. ^_^

Old company

Salam alayk :)

The company I'm referring to isn't one that is being run by corporations but rather the presence and being around people. In this case, the company of those who are more familiar to me than others.

It is sort of different because as you grow and meet other people you change in subtle ways in which you might not even realise. But then again, with certain company, what's fundamental remains. And to me, that offers comfort that I need.

Growing up together although miles apart. You know who you are. Hope to meet up soon!

There are other things that are more important than the fear we feel.

Salam alayk :)

Yes, i know...this is the longest I've been without a scrap of news but today I decided to change that. This is not the end at all. I'm still writing and will keep doing so insyaAllah.

My previous post left quite a mark on me. An issue I think I still can't conquer but even so it should not have stopped me on my tracks, my steps to Him. I can't just stay here like this, I need to walk again. :)

It's nice how your own writings come back to teach you. When Allah chooses you to read them again and gain from it. Look at it in a different point of view. Coz what's more important is what's being said rather than the person saying it. And you find yourself who was in the past consoling the you today. Giving the you today strength and hope that you can still turn things around. To make you believe you can.

So I'm gonna finish this post with what I jotted down from the video below if I'm not mistaken. May we all never get tired of trying to be who we are destined to be :)

'If you sincerely ask for guidance, be ready for what you get. It may not be something you like, you may have to give up your desires for it because you are not the one in position in making demands. He is the one who places the demands, you accept them. Don't look at religion as 'why is God not telling me what I wanna hear?' 'Why don't I get to do what I wanna do?' It's not about you. You already acknowledge that you owe Him gratitude. He doesn't owe you anything. So be sincere and submissive in your search. When you find the truth, you submit to it, you put your ego before it. You put it on the ground basically, and you give in to the Lord of the worlds.'

There are other things that are more important than the fear we feel. Have courage... for the sake of Allah.

Sincerity

Salam alayk :)

Here's a video that I'd like to share with all of you. First off let me just say a few things. You know how people tend to get so worked up about other people not being honest with them? Not being able to trust due to the lack of honesty in people? Yeah well, I've seen a lot of that and I feel that way too. Without honesty, trust is hard to come by. Now let me think of it in a different way. How about honesty to one's ownself? Forget about other people for a minute and think this over. Let's ask ourselves this, 'Have I been honest with myself? Or have I been inclined to follow my desires rather than admit truth?'

Can I trust myself? That I think is an important fact to set straight. Why? Because if we can't be honest with ourselves, how will we ever see the truth?

So the key here is to be honest with yourself first to find the truth. There's no use lying, you should know yourself. And knowing yourself is the path in knowing your Creator ^_^

Okay then, let's watch this :)

Note to self.

'Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.'

Yup, that's right. In times like this, I would remember this saying I heard years ago. A quote I feel is etched in me and better understood as I grow. There are many other things that are more important than the fear you feel. If you could take a moment to realise that the world is not just about you, you'd see why your fear of taking that step is less important than the fact that you must take that step.

It takes courage to get up. It takes courage to pick yourself up and start running again. To run faster than you ever thought you could.

You do have courage don't you? I know you do. So, what are you waiting for?
Get up.

You must.

A silence that speaks

Salam alayk my brothers & sisters ^_^

Last night I came accross this video. It struck me hard. Hard because I could relate to it so much. Those times when witnessing can penetrate you rather than listening and through this story I visualised a truth that cannot be denied.



MasyaAllah, such art in da'wa ^_^