BISMILLAH HIRAHMAN NIRRAHIM

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL

Keeping the Faith

Assalamuilaikum. Wow its been a while. A LOT of things have happened over the past months, but I wanted to share something unique and maybe even beneficial.  I always come across moments when I sit and contemplate over certain issues. Sometimes I find ways to note all my thoughts down. So in this post, I wish to share a moment when I began to think about the power of faith and how one's soul can be completely tuned to the servitude of God. Being worry-free and keeping trust in Allah allows one to stay focused and humbly follow his or her acts of worship. So read on and you will find how a present problem for many Muslims in America can be solved . . . Of course Allah is All-Knowing . . .

A young Muslim comes across many instances when he or she has to decide whether he or she should walk the walk or not walk at all. Nowadays, the culture of Islam has been so bombarded and corrupted by the inappropriate acts of various “Muslim” groups, that it has become difficult to publicly portray Islamic principles. These groups who portray themselves as Muslims from the outside, with long beards and kufis, inwardly disrupt the very notion of what true Islam really is. Some may carry around a rifle and wear a bandana that reads La illaha illallah (There is no God but the God) in front of a camera viewed by people everywhere. Some may also harass their precious wives by beating them or even placing them in the trunk of their car. They have forgotten the true words of God are and have set up their own way thinking.  

Some Muslims in America become intimidated and feel uneasy when they have to practice the guidelines of an obedient servant in a social environment. Young men with beards feel uncomfortable when laying out a sheet on the crisp dry pavement and standing for prayer. They feel as though their symbolic beard may bother the surrounding people and therefore cause a scene of discrimination. Even young women who wear hijab feel as though walking through the high school or college halls is a difficult journey. They feel as though a quick glance at them may cause hatred and erupt a gesture of dismay. However, with complete faith and trust in God one should not feel awkward due to the way he or she looks when practicing the religion of Islam sincerely. A young Muslim should feel secure and protected with such ornaments. They should feel connected with God and know that He wouldn’t let anything that is harmful happen. Islam may have been corrupted by certain individuals who possess the outer characteristics of a Muslim, but withholding such symbols by a true believer should not steer away the urgency to practice Islam with sincerity. God knows what is in the hearts of all His servants. So a young Muslim’s best bet is to follow his or her heart and know that God is always there.

BISMILLAH HIRAHMAN NIRRAHIM

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL

Sudden Hit

Assalamuilaikum. I hope this reaches whoever is reading this in the best of iman and health. The past week has been very dramatic for me. Allah has been placing before me warnings and signs which I can only but take in as awakenings. During the beginning of the week, the fathers of two of my friends both past away a day right after the other. The emotional string of waves it involved caused me to post up the previous entry which was entitled "Death Toll." Yesterday, I myself was a part of a death causing situation. I was involved in a sudden collision, a sudden hit that tore up the front left outer body of my vehicle and sparked a shock to my restful heart. Today I wish to share my experience and hope that it provides a sense of awakening for others as well.

It happened so unexpectedly, when everything seemed to be going ok. I glanced at my tires, placed my fingers on the body's paint, and took part in my usual job of picking up my brother from school, except today, a friend also needed a ride home. I drove my car through the wet pavement and remained in control at every moment. The splashing of water on my windshield surrounded my vision and I kept my eyes on the road. Driving down a tricky street at the speed limit of 45 I noticed cars stopped at a traffic light and I pressed against my brake. All I could feel was the sliding of my tires on the pavement like the feet of a child sliding down an ice rink. I pressed against my brakes harder, but the car kept sliding. The car began to reach the end of a car quickly. So I kept my feet on the brake and at the same time tried to steer to the right, but my steering remained stiff and hard to turn. I franctically tried to force my car to swerve out of the way, but instead it collided with the right rear of a Taurus. My car's hood crunched up like an accordian, my headlight shattered like glass, and the left front bumper ripped like paper through a shredder. My heart went through a quick shock, but without any movement or jerk! I remained in the seat calmly watching the collision before my eyes. SubhanAllah! My brother and our friend in the back remained still and calm, but shocked at the scene that unveiled. I stepped out of the car and noticed the mess my car made to the Taurus in front, the bumper hung loose on top of the rear wheel and the backlight was broken. The rain simmered down and we stood at the side watching our cars get towed after the police arrived and took down the necessary information. 

I kept steady, but envisioned in my head every moment of that dramatic experience. I noticed the way Allah worked His Plan for me. It was a day when I was just chilling and didn't have too much to do. I was in nowhere of control of my car; no matter what I did, that car was bound to hit! Allah wanted it to happen and made it happen deciding to keep me still alive. All I could do was remain grateful. The impact of the accident wasn't big enough to bring me close to death, but it brought me near to the realization of experiencing that sudden moment, that sudden hit that can change so much so fast. We never know whats going to happen and when. When everything seems to be going ok, Allah decides to change things around. All we need to do is keep trust in Allah and know that He is there to protect us. I really felt like He did that day. He kept me protected in that car as the front shattered to pieces. There are moments in our lives which we look back at and understand their reasons for occuring. May Allah protect us all and keep us next to Him in every situation at every moment. There's no one else that can help us except Him when things happen suddenly. They happen way too quick for anyone else to help. Its all in His Hands and He does what He pleases.

BISMILLAH HIRAHMAN NIRRAHIM

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL

Death Toll

Assalamuilaikum everybody. Yeah it's been a while since I posted up a beneficial entry. InshAllah I will do my best to make this entry a reminder to all of us through the heart clenching experiences I recently had. Death will come to all of us, there's no doubt in that. "To Allah we belong and to Allah we will return." But its the experience of death before our eyes that really hits us and really makes us wonder about our very death. This week has been surprising and unbelievable . . . the fathers of two of my friends past away, one only a day after the other.

I recieved a text Tuesday morning about Janaza prayer for my friend's father and my eyes jus stared. Knowing the kind of person my friend was, I could only wonder what he was going through. I reached the masjid finding it difficult to look for a parking spot becuase of the large number of people that came to attend the prayer. Row after row of people prayed salatul Zuhr and then stood behind a restful coffin as the imam shared a few words. My friend's father was a consistent visitor of the masjid and left this world as a visitor of the masjid. . . subhanAllah. After prayer people rushed to carry the coffin to the weeping women in the back. Tears after tears filled the musalla and frowns among frowns gazed upon one another. I hugged my friend letting him know everything was going to be ok. The coffin was then taken to the car and people made their way out to the gravesite.  I had to take care of something else and drove home, but the picture of the many sorrowful faces clinged to my head. I just told myself, this was all done for the better. A man would rather be in a blissful place called Paradise then remain drenched in this dispicable world. So i remained content.

Wenesday night, i recieved another text from my own friend about his very father and how his Janaza prayer was being held at the same masjid. My mind couldn't conceive it. The same friend that stood before the coffin of my other friend's father had to stand before the coffin of his own father. Knowing this friend of mine, I had a feeling he would be ok. So I drove to the masjid a bit earlier the next day with my friend to find a sufficient parking spot. People sat waiting for the iqama for salatul Zuhr and I glanced at my friend who sat motionless in the front row. The iqama was called and the frowning faces approached the musallas. After, people gathered behind the coffin for salatul Janaza and I could feel the transfer of emotional downpour. My heart clenched some more as we began prayer. The coffin was then taken to another crowd of weeping women and I got a glimpse of my friend's father's peaceful face. My friends and I drove to the gravesite and watched the coffin lay in the depths of the earth. We gathered dirt and gently threw it down upon his coffin. The bulldozer piled up the remaining dirt and everyone's faces stared with freight. "What will happen when it's our time to lay in the dirt?" "Will we be ready?" I stood next to my friend and hugged him after the burial. He kept a smile and that's how I knew he would be ok. . . subhanAllah. 

Before we left I stood over the grave of my uncle and remembered the moments we spent with him and all the moments he missed . . . his son's wedding and our trip to Florida. But I knew that he was in a better place and that we would meet him in Paradise anyway. So with that in mind I walked past the other graves with my friends and tried to remain content. These were all blessed souls, believing souls, who feared Allah one way or the other. Either that or had fearing souls who made dua for their betterment in the Afterlife. It was a blissful experience and an alarming one as well. Death can happen at any time, at any moment, to anyone. It can happen quickly in vast numbers, or slowly with quick deaths. We just have to be ready for it and know that our time can be anytime. With that, we have to keep on praying and ask Allah to prepare us . . .

(sorry for the long entry, but hey i can't help it!)

BISMILLAH HIRAHMAN NIRRAHIM

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL

Sami Yusuf Live in Chitown!

MAS Youth presents Praising Voices, Hearts of Gratitude Featuring Sami Yusuf and Native Deen with Guests Poet Amir Sulaiman and Sheikh Sohaib Webb hosted by Comedian Mohammed Amer     Saturday, August 5 Chicago, Illinois Charter One Pavilion "Let there be of you who invite to what is good, enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong: they are the ones to attain felicity." [Quran 3:104] Let us gain this felicity through praising Allah and submitting our hearts at "Praising Voices, Hearts of Gratitude." MAS Youth invites you to an evening of light-hearted entertainment, an event for young men and women who strive to learn, understand, apply spread and advocate Islam and its values, solutions and systems for the common good.   Buy tickets now at www.maspraisingvoices.com or call 877-MAS-UMMA for more info

It's gonna be off the hook!!!

BISMILLAH HIRAHMAN NIRRAHIM

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL

Living with Nothing

NO lights
   NO refrigeration
    NO food
   NO cooking
    NO baking
    NO cooling fans
    NO water (pumped by electricity)
    NO Drinking WATER (pumped by electricity)
    NO sewage (pumped by electricity)
    NO communication IN or OUT
    NO radio
    NO Internet
    NO email
    NO gasoline
    NO cooking oil
    NO work

Most critical of all is NO DRINKING WATER.   Sitting ducks for 6 months minimum - what will people of Gaza do?

In the shambles, Palestinians may be observing one bitter pill of compensation: vicious angling by Fatah to reclaim control of Palestinian national politics and its rivalry with Hamas are now rendered obsolete. Even the dogged international community cannot maintain its dogged pretense that the PA is actually capable of any governance at all. The demise of the disastrous Oslo model, Israel's device to ensure its final dismemberment of Palestinian land and its fatal cooptation of the Palestinian national movement, may finally be at hand. Perhaps Palestinian unity again has a chance.

But no one knows what will replace the PA. It is therefore not surprising that this transformed diplomatic landscape is absorbing the principal attention of an anxious international community.

Nevertheless, politics should not be the greatest international concern. For over in Gaza, one appalling act must now eclipse all thoughts of "road maps" or "mutual gestures": on Wednesday, Israeli war planes repeatedly bombed and utterly demolished Gaza's only power plant. About 700,000 of Gaza's 1.3 million people now have no electricity, and word is that power cannot be restored for six months.

It is not the immediate human conditions created by this strike that are monumental. Those conditions are, of course, bad enough. No lights, no refrigerators, no fans through the suffocating Gaza summer heat. No going outside for air, due to ongoing bombing and Israel's impending military assault. In the hot darkness, massive explosions shake the cities, close and far, while repeated sonic booms are doubtless wreaking the havoc they have wrought before: smashing windows, sending children screaming into the arms of terrified adults, old people collapsing with heart failure, pregnant women collapsing with spontaneous abortions. Mass terror, despair, desperate hoarding of food and water. And no radios, television, cell phones, or laptops (for the few who have them), and so no way to get news of how long this nightmare might go on.

Israel has done many things argued to be war crimes: mass house demolitions, closing whole cities for weeks, indefinite "preventative" detentions, massive land confiscation, the razing of thousands of square miles of Palestinian olive groves and agriculture, systematic physical and mental torture of prisoners, extrajudicial killings, aerial bombardment of civilian areas, collective punishment of every description in defiance of the Geneva Conventions--not to mention the general humiliation and ruin of the indigenous people under its military control. But destroying the only power source for a trapped and defenseless civilian population is an unprecedented step toward barbarity. It reeks, ironically, of the Warsaw Ghetto. As we flutter our hands about tectonic political change, we must take pause: in the eyes of history, what is happening in Gaza may come to eclipse them all.

May Allah save them all  . . .