Fatima is a student of Arabic, Islamic Studies and is also pursuing her BA. (Yes, she’s an eager leaner!) She is a writer for AAT, and is passionate about Da’wah. She gave up on politics and now aspires to be a psychologist.
In this world of super stars and super heroes our youth commonly search for inspiration amongst them, often copying their lifestyle. Most of the time, they regret it at a later age, as lost time is never retractable. We the Muslim Ummah need inspirational people all around our society in order to provide enlightened inspiration to our youth and offer a guiding light in these confusing times.
Here are a few ways we can become an inspiration for others:
Be a good Muslim: Follow the Prophet Muhammad as he was the best of mankind, his behavior and all the things he did would surely make you a better human being and a good muslim.
Stay Positive at all times: Even if people criticize you, absorb it and maintain patience. Constructive criticism is always helpful but don’t overdo it, so spread the positive vibes by being empathetic and show that you care.
Provide inspiration with your thoughts and views: Always have views based on truths and facts and stand firm on them as indecisiveness often lures people away.
Be Ambitious: Set some goals and try to achieve them, as this will inspire others to also establish a goal oriented routine striving for success.
Present the best version of yourself: People will admire you if you walk, talk and also dress appropriately.
A month of blessings, from Allah to increase our taqwa and draw closer to Him has gone, gone too soon.
It was a month of training for us, easy training to do ibadah whilst the shaytaan was away. Ramadan gave us a routine of ibaadah; it prepared us for the months to come. Now we should establish goals, and maintain our schedule of ibaadah. Fair enough, many of us may be back to work, or school, but that doesn’t mean we should allow the training to go down the drain.
The condition of our good deeds the very next day after Ramadan; the castle of good deeds we had built comes crashing down, we see women adorning themselves, showing off and becoming a fitna and men not even offering obligatory prayers while enjoying themselves. Allahu Akbar.
Some useful tips to be consistent in our i’badah:
Quran:
Read little of Quran every day, at least 20 ayahs or 10, it won’t even take 10 minutes. Remember the Quran was revealed for guidance, not just to be read in Ramadan.
Night Prayer (Qiyam ul layl):
Now that you have made a habit of praying in the night just continue it, waking up 10 minutes before fajr and praying won’t disturb your sleep pattern.
Fasting:
The Prophet (SAW) said, “The evils caused for a man through his family, wealth, and neighbor are expiated by prayer, fasting and charity.” Moreover, you will be more likely to gain admittance to paradise through the gate of Al Rayyan.
Charity:
Give charity remembering that it doesn’t decrease your wealth, but Allah gives you more and with it you receive countless good deeds. Give little or more, but regularly.
Remember praying, giving charity, fasting little will eventually will form a river of good deeds. Insha Allah.
May Allah make us consistent in our i’badah! Ameen.
Summer is here and for some of us, it is not the most pleasant time of the year. With school breaks, the children are at home full-time, and the heat doesn’t do us any favors. It can be quite difficult to stay in control, especially when others can be quite inconsiderate and unreasonable at times.
Anger is like fire; if not extinguished can lead to regrettable behavior and words that cannot be unspoken.
TIPS AND TRICKS TO KEEP YOUR COOL
Understand That Anger is Not Strength
“The strong man is not the one who can wrestle, but it is the one who can control himself when he is angry.” (Bukhari)
Follow the Sunnah
Say “Audhu billahi min alshaytan ilrajim.”
We are advised to alter positions when angry. If you are standing, then you should sit. If the anger fails to subside, then you should lie down.
Remain silent and patient.
Make wudhu and pray two raka’as.
Be Empathetic
People may be going through a rough time, unknown to us. Always give the benefit of the doubt and offer kindness in return.
Take a Few Minutes to Think
Before blurting out words or rashly acting, think about the consequences to avoid later regret.
Lifestyle
Adequate sleep, proper diet and exercise will put you in a good mood.
Smile and Do Good Things
Doing good deeds and smiling will definitely have a positive effect on your mood.
I travel, I party, I netflix and I feel happiness, but at the end of the day why do I feel emptiness and feel bored even after all that?
We fill our stomachs everyday with nourishing food, so that our body keeps going and doesn’t fall sick, but we must remember we all have a soul and that soul needs nourishment too. Fun and enjoyment that is against Islamic practices will only act as drugs and junk food, eventually leaving you with a sick and diseased soul.
For purifying that diseased soul, we must seek a solution.
Let Islam guide you to a sense of fulfilment, true happiness and a healthy soul.
Allah says in the Glorious Quran:
“Only in the remembrance of Allah will your hearts find peace” (13:28)
Our souls are empty and we need to fill it with good, so that there remains no space for the desire to sin.
Every act of worship requires both body and soul to participate. We all pray Salah, sometimes only by bodily actions whereas it should be accompanied by actions of the soul i.e.; devotion, humility, and submission to Allah in full sincerity. We all fast, but in this hadith we come to know that worship requires both body and soul to work simultaneously:
The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Whoever does not leave off false speech and evil deeds, then Allah has no need of his leaving off his food and drink.” [Sahih Al Bukhari)]
Our bodies without the soul are a mere corpse; if the soul departs from it, it becomes a wasted husk. Our Iman is food for our souls, so remember Allah and Allah will remember you.
Fill your souls with the right food and your soul will never starve again.
Traveling around the world is a very spiritual experience, as we get to witness the beauty of Earth and the people in it. Allah has created our incredible Earth for us to appreciate and learn from it.
“And the earth We have spread it out, and set thereon mountains standing firm, and have produced therein every kind of lovely pairs (of plants).” Qur’an (50:7)
The little stones and the soil that we walk on have their own beauty, if only we took a few minutes to observe. The birds, even the crows and pigeons in the cities are beautiful, we only need to look at them with some love.
“Do they not see the birds controlled in the atmosphere of the sky? None holds them up except Allah. Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe.” Qur’an (16:79)
Beauty has a different meaning for each one of us, and if we look close enough, everything has its own beauty.
“And we have certainly beautified the nearest heaven with stars.” Qur’an (67: 5)
The people around us are alluring in their own unique way. Someone’s voice and someone’s natural smell might be beautiful if not their face or hair.
Also Allah has created everything with a purpose and that little worm, which we trampled on this the morning must have served some purpose in balancing our ecosystem. Every human is important, even the cruellest of them; without them we wouldn’t know that we shouldn’t be like them and should work to be better persons.
We are interlinked and interconnected with every living creature on this earth, and so we should take time to appreciate the beauty and be thankful for every single thing that Allah has bestowed upon us.
So travel, explore and observe, even if you only get to see outside your window, remember Allah in whatever you see. Remember Allah and Allah will remember you.
Beauty is all around us in nature and in the people around us, we just need to learn to appreciate them and be thankful.
Justice is truth in action; the world has been striving for justice for ages. In this world where money is power and power is justice and birth rights dominate every sphere, people take in all the injustices done to them, patiently waiting for someone to come and give them their rights.
Injustice can be defined as deviation from justice and violation of the truth. Justice is the most essential of human rights from which all other rights are derived. ‘Adl or Justice is to put something in its correct place.
Islam brought justice to the victims of injustice. Islam secured rights for each division of society, whether rich or poor, young or old.
In Islam there are three types of injustices:
To be unjust toward Allah:
One is unjust to Allah by associating partners in worship with Him i.e; Shirk. As Allah says in the Qur’an,
And [mention, O Muhammad], when Luqman said to his son while he was instructing him, ‘O my son, do not associate [anything] with Allah. Indeed, association [with Him] is great injustice.(Qur’an 31:1)
To be unjust towards other people:
This takes on many forms; verbal abuse, physical abuse, mental torture, and any type of malignment. Allah says in the Qur’an,
And the recompense of an evil deed is an evil deed the like of it; yet whoever is clement and acts righteously, then his reward is up to Allah. Surely, He does not love the unjust.(Qur’an 42:40)
To be unjust towards oneself:
To do injustice to oneself, is to engage in evil practices knowing that they will harm the body, and eventually incur the punishment of Allah.
Allah Says:
Then we caused to inherit the Book those We have chosen of Our servants; and among them is he who wrongs himself.(Qur’an 35:32)
Every one of us wants to be treated justly, we despise injustice yet sometimes we fall as oppressors and many a times we fail to empathize with the victims of injustice.
Some specific forms of injustice include negligence towards the family. For example, it occurs when the head of the family neglects to guide to the true Islamic education, overlooking to guide them to virtue, using excessive severity and violence, and prevents them from having the necessities of good livelihood. Negligence in one’s responsibilities towards his family is an injustice. This is how injustice is done towards the people around us including our neighbors, relatives, friends, orphans etc. Also, injustice towards society occurs when the rights of individuals are neglected, dignities are disrespected and interests are disregarded. Such behaviors cause social corruption.
Be just, even if it is against your narrowly defined self-interest or of those very close to you. Ignorant people think they are protecting their self-interest by being unjust to others. Real faith in Allah elevates one beyond that narrow-mindedness.
It was narrated on the authority of Huthayfah may Allah be pleased with him that the Prophet (may Allah exalt his mention), said:
Do not be blind followers and say: ‘If people do good, we do good, and if people do injustice, we do injustice.’ Adjust yourselves; when people do good, do good, and when they wrong, do not do injustice.At-Tirmithi
In conclusion when rights are not given to the people who are their rightful owners then injustice occurs. And so we should try to know our surrounding people and what their rights are. Verily every deed of injustice will be punished and every deed of justice be rewarded.
My younger brother was studying for his exams, but suddenly started throwing a tantrum as soon as he reached a part about a Greek God who sends down rain and how great he was. Knowing it was shirk and only Allah has the power to send down rain, he wanted to skip that part, but I insisted he learn it as this was probably the easiest lesson. Similar incidents happened over the years as non-Muslim beliefs are entwined in our education system. Petty grades were dearer and more valuable to me than Iman.
Thinking about life, I had only one goal; to be a successful independent woman, no matter what the cost. I wanted to be someone who doesn’t depend on anyone, as they wouldn’t be with us forever. If something guaranteed me success, a bit of compromise in religion didn’t really matter.
Allah says:
And it is He who created the heavens and earth in truth. And the day He says, “Be,” and it is, His word is the truth. And His is the dominion [on] the Day the Horn is blown. [He is] Knower of the unseen and the witnessed; and He is the Wise, the Acquainted.(6:73)
Discovering this ayah made me think that I was being deceived! Satan deceived me. How could I undermine Allah’s power over everything? A career isn’t going to lead me anywhere if Allah doesn’t will it to be. Neither you, nor I need compromises in the religion which Allah sent down upon us because Allah says:
Call on me; I will answer you(40:60)
His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, “Be,” and it is(36:82)
I was wrong. I learnt; there is a need to getting to know Allah more. That was me, a year ago. Now I have realized; when we read the Qur’an and get to know Allah; worldly matters are exposed as just play and deception. These ayahs explain the greatness of Allah and how Allah has created everything; we need to believe that He will do the best for us. I have come to realize Allah is Al Razzaaq – The Provider and no matter what, I will gain what is decreed for me. We don’t need people or any other thing to attain what Allah has written for us. Of course, we need to strive, but strive in the way of Allah. We need to look at the signs and miracles of Allah, strengthening our belief in Him each passing minute. Allah has sent the Qur’an which is a miracle, the story of the Prophet is a miracle and so is the fact that Allah has made me a breathing piece of flesh with so many complicated things inside me that scientists have yet to discover is another miracle. When we think about this, nothing is impossible for Allah to do. We need to have strong iman; conviction in Him and strive in worshipping Him alone.
Allah has revealed Islam as the perfect way of life for us and if we start making compromises in that, then surely we are the ones in loss. Allah says in the Quran:
Those to whom We have given the Book recite it with its true recital. They [are the ones who] believe in it. And whoever disbelieves in it – it is they who are the losers(2:121)
Hence, Satan is truly a liar.
I would like to conclude saying, that Allah is never blind to our tears, never deaf to our prayer and never silent to our pain. He sees, He hears, He is never too far…
The first word revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was, “Read!” SubhanAllah, what more do we require to appreciate the importance of Knowledge in our beautiful religion?
An incident that happened not too long ago, compelled me to bring to light the importance of knowledge to every Muslim.
I met a Danish Christian woman currently living in Dubai. After formal greetings, she almost immediately asked me why a young girl, would be covered in hijab. She found it very odd and peculiar for a teen, not to show her beauty. The norm in today’s society is to parade beauty, to be the centre of attraction. I seized the opportunity to tell her about Islam. I explained to her the many benefits the hijab serves and she even agreed to them.
Mistakes are our greatest teachers. Personally, I didn’t appreciate the importance of knowing the current state of Muslims and I didn’t know the right approach to da’wah either. After the incident, I consoled myself thinking I was young and therefore was in no knowledgeable position, but that was just an excuse; one of the excuses many of us make to shy away from the obligation of seeking knowledge.
I realised, da’wah begins with Tawheed. Introducing someone to the concept of Tawheed is the only correct way; otherwise they will not be able to comprehend the teachings of Islam, nor why so many Muslims practice Islam at different levels.
Additionally, I learnt that Muslims are too in need of education; myself included. We need to learn and understand the foundations, fundamentals and rulings of our deen. When we are ignorant of Islam’s teachings, it’s easy to find ourselves treading down the wrong path quite quickly.
Allah says in the Holy Quran:
“Read! In the name of your Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) Who created— created man, out of a leech-like clot: Read! And your Rabb is Most Bountiful Who has taught (the use of) pen. He has taught man that which he knew not.”(Qur’an, 96:1-5)
Allah unceasingly reminds us, humankind, of his infinite mercy, and until our last breath we are blessed to have endless opportunities to learn from our mistakes and work to be better Muslims than we were the day before. Knowledge, in essence, is nourishment for our souls, a means of helping us get closer to Allah.
“Those to whom We have given the Book (the Qur’an) study it as it should be studied: they are the ones that believe therein: those who reject faith therein the loss is their own.”(Qur’an, 2:121)
A summary of the knowledge obligatory for Muslims is:
The knowledge of our deen; Islam.
The current affairs of the Muslim world.
A basic overview and understanding of other religions and faiths.
Lastly, know this:“If Allah wants to do good to a person, he makes him comprehend the religion and of course knowledge is attained by learning.” (Bukhari 1/67)
I hope that all our Muslim brothers and sisters will aspire and remain steadfast in their seeking of knowledge.
Destination Jeddah
Destination Riyadh
Destination Sharqiya
Destination Listing
The people around us are alluring in their own unique way. Someone’s voice and someone’s natural smell might be beautiful if not their face or hair.
