Eid Mubarak!

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah Dear readers,

A dear student of mine sent me this beautiful poem as well as her summation of what we had attempted to learn in our Character Building and Soul Searching Class.

Anything that is good is from Allah, anything deficient is from my own self. It just reminds me of what my own teacher says : "The teacher is simply the traffic cop making sure the traffic is going in the right direction -- into the presence of Allah."

As for my part all I can do is echo what Moulana Rumi said " Don't look at my face but take what's in my hand."

BismillahiRahman-nirRaheem

A Guiding Light  

I was lost and I found you

I was hopeless and you showed me how to find hope through dua

I was weak and you showed me strength through Tahajjud

I was blinded in darkness and you showed me light through seeking knowledge

I said my loved ones are ailing; you said the cure is in sadaqa

I was running off the track and you showed me how to get back on track

I said my children are in pain you said heal them, protect them through sadaqa

I came to you crying and you showed me the place to cry was in front of Almighty ALLAH

I came to you in a panic you said panic makes the calamity worse

I came to you wounded and you said it was temporary

I was looking for a shortcut in life and you said find it in the long rakahs of Tahajjud

I was tangled in this dunya you showed me how to be free

I said my duas need to be heard, you said dollar – a - day sadaqa or what you can afford -
 – and neither your sadaqa nor your dua will be rejected by The MOST HIGH

I was running and you asked me to slow it down

I would be confused and you said WHY??

I had doubts and you provided clarity

I was hurt and you said I would heal

After 6 days of a marathon I used to stop at your tafsir to breathe – now where do I go?
After defeat where do I go?
When I panic where do I go?
When I am lost where do I go to?
When I am wounded where do I go?
When I need you where do I go?

This poem is written as a farewell for Iffath Hasan (Iffath Aunty) for her relentless service to the community character building, soul searching class for 21years. Please free to share.

By: Nusrat Ahmed student 07/22/2014
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Summation

1. I am forgetting I said, cure is in reading a Juz a day, cure for Alzheimer’s she proclaimed

2.Migraine my head is splitting I said Read it daily she said, believe in it, blow on it, for any illness, aches or pains….41 times Surah Fatiha, 41 times Ya Salaamu, 100 time Lahaoula Wala Khuwwata Illa Billahil Aliyul Azeem, of course before and after 7 times Darood she proclaimed

3. I would like to control my Nafs (lower self) I said, follow the Sunnah Fast on Monday and Thursday she proclaimed

4. My Duas need to be fulfilled I said, do it through Sadaqa Dollar a Day or what you can afford but consistency is the key she proclaimed.  ALLAH SWT does not reject Sadaqa and nor your Dua she proclaimed
5. I am afraid of long term illness I said, read Surah Tagabun she proclaimed

6. I need to strengthen my Eimaan develop my sincerity, read Surah Ikhlas 100 times daily she proclaimed

7. I need to protect my loved ones I said, Hisaar (protection through) – Surah Fateha, Ayatalkursi and the 4 khulonce, before and after Darood she proclaimed

8. Haya, modesty I said, avoid mixed gatherings – Do it for ALLAH she proclaimed

9. The purpose of life I said, follow the Sunnah she proclaimed

10. Through her smile, calm voice, persistent on the same issues, same topics, same people, she said it again and again.

11. If you have attained one lesson it is this she proclaimed – use your time wisely

12. Do not buy anything you do NOT need.

14. Treat him (your husband) like a king -- he will treat you like a queen she proclaimed

15. Last but not the least learn to forgive, be relentless in your journey to forgive, be good to everyone especially to your enemies, your foes, people that you have conflict with she proclaimed.

16. Control your tongue the root cause of all evil is not YOU it is your tongue she proclaimed!

This narrative is written as a farewell for Iffath Hasan (Iffath Aunty) to capture some of the essence from her teachings. Please free to share.

By: Nusrat Ahmed student 07/22/2014
Bullet points by Nusrath Ahmed, capturing some of the essence of Iffath Hasan's teachings.

A strong person / A person of strength....

1. A strong person works out everyday to keep his/her body in shape.... but a person of strength kneels in prayer to keep his/her soul in shape.

2. A strong person isn't afraid of anything .... but a person of strength shows courage in the midst of his/her fear.

3. A strong person won't let anyone get the best of his/her..... but a person of strength gives the best of his/her to everyone.

4. A strong person makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future .... but a person of strength realizes life's mistakes can also be God's blessings and capitalizes on them.

5. A strong person walks sure footedly .... but a person of strength knows God will catch him/her when he/she falls.

6. A strong person wears the look of confidence in his/her face .... but a person of strength wears grace.

7. A strong person has faith that he/she is strong enough for the journey .... but a person of strength has faith that it is in the journey that he/she will become strong.

Resolve to improve life this Ramadan.....

POINTS ON HOW TO IMPROVE LIFE

1. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey
is all about.

2. Don't have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest
your energy in the positive present moment.

3. Don't take yourself so seriously; no one else does.

4. Don't waste your precious energy and time on gossip.

5. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

6. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind people of their mistakes
of the past. That will ruin their present happiness.

7. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

8. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

9. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.
Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away
but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

10. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

11. Each day give something good to others.

13. Forgive everyone for everything -- hoping to be forgiven by Allah.

14. What other people think of you is none of your business,
just do the right things.

15. Put Allah first in anything and everything that you think, say and do.

16. The best is yet to come -- Paradise!-- strive for it.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. If you know Allah you will always be happy. So, know Him and be happy.

19. The hardship of obedience disappears and its reward remains.

20. The pleasure of sins disappears and its punishment remains.

Lesson of the Day 1357

Ayahs of the day:
If God willed, God would remove you, humankind, and bring forth, others. And God is able to do that. [4: 133]

Hadith of the day:
Indeed charity extinguishes the wrath of the Lord and it protects against the evil death. [Tirmidhi]

Wise quote of the day:
There can be no good in excess, just as there is no excess in good. [Imam Abu Hanifah]

Guidance of the day:
It is most important for he who is about to set out for the pilgrimage to do his utmost to make his provision halal and his expenses from licit source, for he who uses illicit money for the pilgrimage will not be accepted.

Let the pilgrim feel pleased when he spends his money in the course of his journey, for these are expenditures that he will be compensated for and the consequence of which will be goodness, benedictions, ease, and affluence. It has been transmitted that that which is spent on pilgrimage is similar to that spent on Jihad, the reward for every Dirham will be seven hundred. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
Their is no instinct like that of the heart. The head learns new things, but the heart forever more practices old experiences. Wealth and want equally harden the human heart. Two things are bad for the heart -- running up stairs and running down people.

Beauty of a woman.....

1. The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries,
or the way she combs her hair.

2. The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

3. The beauty of a woman is not in her facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.

4. It is the caring, that she lovingly gives, the passion she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years will only grow.

5. She is not made to be the admiration of all, but the happiness of one.

6. Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother -- the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.