1. Other people may complicate our lives, but life without them would be
unbearably desolate.
2. We shouldn't just do what we feel like doing; instead we need to do
what the Lord asks of us.
3. Who is wealthy? He who is content with what he has.
4. The fear of God may indeed be the beginning of wisdom and the corner
stone of proper living.
5. When we have learned how to live, life itself is a reward.
6. It is only when we are no longer afraid to die that we can say that we
are truly alive.
7. It is a sign of maturity when we stop asking -- what does life have in
store for me? And start asking -- what am I doing with my life?
8. There is no way to prevent dying. But the cure for the fear of death is to
make sure that we have lived according to the commandments of the Lord Almighty.
9. Having an impact on another person, shaping his or her life in some small
but vital way, is one of the most enduring satisfactions we will know.
10. Life, if you will, is a work of art, and if we paid loving attention to its details,
we will be able to take pride in the finished product.
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Saturday, December 24, 2016
Reflections: Chasing the feeling of love....
With tears in her eyes, an elderly woman’s gaze falls upon the majestic Ka’ba for the first time. Taken by surprise at its unique splendor, she immediately stops and stares upwards in awe at the grandness of the Ka’ba. Her eyes quickly trace the patterns of fine gold thread intricately weaved into its black robe. In her moment of reflection, she silently watches beating hearts encircle its structure in total unison, clusters of individual souls who meet together for the same purpose – to beseech their Creator with their endless needs. Tongues chant what hearts speak and feet move forward motivated by pure hope. Overwhelmed by her new found treasure, she utters in a low whisper, “It’s beautiful.” After living many decades of hardship and heartbreak, she finally found a focal point for perpetual love.
Surely, it is during these intimate moments with the Divine that souls discover the true meaning of life and they are fueled to change, give back to others, and grow. When human hearts are sincerely tied to their Creator, they are deeply inspired to be the love that they crave to feel and to manifest the love that they long to show. The centuries sought ‘fountain of life’ that grants people eternal fulfilment, empowerment, and clarity isn’t an imaginary fairytale, but it is a reality that is only found when a person cultivates a strong relationship with Allah Most High. Indeed, the quality of a person’s life is often measured by the quality of their personal connection with their Creator.
When we first married our husbands, maybe we thought differently; we felt like we hit the jackpot, and that ‘feeling’ of being in love compelled us to behave differently and to perform with great potential. The ‘high’ encouraged us to act in noble ways or to say loving words without much thought or effort. Yet, for almost everyone on the face of this planet, that fantasy wave eventually crashes, and our hearts are stranded upon the lonely shore of real life once again.
However, in this beached moment, we still have a choice of where we will direct our marooned hearts. Undoubtedly, when we convince ourselves that we’re missing something, we will inevitably start searching for what will make us feel that ‘feeling’ once more. Some may get divorced and decide to look for the ‘feeling’ elsewhere. Some may stay in their marriages but devote their attention to their children, hoping to gain the ‘feeling’ through them. Some may hang onto their spouses, riding a rollercoaster of the ‘feeling’ on and off their time together. Whatever the option may be, when we chase the ‘feeling’ of love, our hearts will ultimately settle in the same place that we desperately try to avoid being in: the rock-bottom feeling of emptiness.
Instead of chasing the temporary, we must seek what is permanent and everlasting. Namely, we need to revive our marriages with a higher purpose – to make our marriages worship with Allah and not based on a bunch of feelings.
Allah says: Say, [O Muhammad], “If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (3:31)
The only way to truly make a Muslim marriage survive and transform into an everlasting bond is to focus our hearts on following the way of the Prophet ﷺ. How did he ﷺ act within times of disappointment? How did he ﷺ respond when challenged? How did he ﷺconsistently treat those in his household?
If our love batteries are dead, then we need to recharge them, but our power source must be the Divine.
Those who are enthused to act, speak, and live for Allah’s sake will always find something different in their marriages, and the love felt between each other’s hearts easily intensify and solidify inshaAllah. So don’t gauge the quality of your relationship by the strength of the ‘feeling’ because feelings come and go. Rather, base your marriage on something permanently substantial. Ask yourself if the way that you are in your marriage is pleasing to Allah Most High. Let this guiding principle be what regulates your love meter because Allah will place His blessing in it inshaAllah. Whenever you see it is at a low, find your focal point, turn to the Ka’ba, and reconnect with the Divine.
© TayyibaatWives, 2016.
Surely, it is during these intimate moments with the Divine that souls discover the true meaning of life and they are fueled to change, give back to others, and grow. When human hearts are sincerely tied to their Creator, they are deeply inspired to be the love that they crave to feel and to manifest the love that they long to show. The centuries sought ‘fountain of life’ that grants people eternal fulfilment, empowerment, and clarity isn’t an imaginary fairytale, but it is a reality that is only found when a person cultivates a strong relationship with Allah Most High. Indeed, the quality of a person’s life is often measured by the quality of their personal connection with their Creator.
When we first married our husbands, maybe we thought differently; we felt like we hit the jackpot, and that ‘feeling’ of being in love compelled us to behave differently and to perform with great potential. The ‘high’ encouraged us to act in noble ways or to say loving words without much thought or effort. Yet, for almost everyone on the face of this planet, that fantasy wave eventually crashes, and our hearts are stranded upon the lonely shore of real life once again.
However, in this beached moment, we still have a choice of where we will direct our marooned hearts. Undoubtedly, when we convince ourselves that we’re missing something, we will inevitably start searching for what will make us feel that ‘feeling’ once more. Some may get divorced and decide to look for the ‘feeling’ elsewhere. Some may stay in their marriages but devote their attention to their children, hoping to gain the ‘feeling’ through them. Some may hang onto their spouses, riding a rollercoaster of the ‘feeling’ on and off their time together. Whatever the option may be, when we chase the ‘feeling’ of love, our hearts will ultimately settle in the same place that we desperately try to avoid being in: the rock-bottom feeling of emptiness.
Instead of chasing the temporary, we must seek what is permanent and everlasting. Namely, we need to revive our marriages with a higher purpose – to make our marriages worship with Allah and not based on a bunch of feelings.
Allah says: Say, [O Muhammad], “If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (3:31)
The only way to truly make a Muslim marriage survive and transform into an everlasting bond is to focus our hearts on following the way of the Prophet ﷺ. How did he ﷺ act within times of disappointment? How did he ﷺ respond when challenged? How did he ﷺconsistently treat those in his household?
If our love batteries are dead, then we need to recharge them, but our power source must be the Divine.
Those who are enthused to act, speak, and live for Allah’s sake will always find something different in their marriages, and the love felt between each other’s hearts easily intensify and solidify inshaAllah. So don’t gauge the quality of your relationship by the strength of the ‘feeling’ because feelings come and go. Rather, base your marriage on something permanently substantial. Ask yourself if the way that you are in your marriage is pleasing to Allah Most High. Let this guiding principle be what regulates your love meter because Allah will place His blessing in it inshaAllah. Whenever you see it is at a low, find your focal point, turn to the Ka’ba, and reconnect with the Divine.
© TayyibaatWives, 2016.
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Lesson of the day 1407
Ayahs of the Day:
Who can be better than one who submits his whole self to Allah, does good, and follows the
way of Abraham the upright in faith? Allah (Himself) chose Abraham for a friend. To Allah
belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth. It is Allah that encompasses all things.
[4: 125,126]
Hadith of the Day:
Charity does not diminish the wealth; Allah enhances the honor of one who forgives, and
one who humbles himself for the sake of Allah, Allah exalts him in rank. [Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
When you find yourself slipping, remember Allah and the Last Day. If you died this very
moment, is this a state you would want to die in? [Shaykh Faraz Rabbani]
Guidance of the Day:
The treatment for miserliness is realizing that those who achieve wealth usually do so only
after exhausting themselves over long periods of time, working for it day and night. Meanwhile
life passes on, and the time runs out. The culture of wanting more for the sake of more can
literally occupy a person for life.
Reflect long and hard on the fact that just as people climb the heights of affluence and start to
achieve what they have worn themselves out for, then death assails them without invitation.
When death takes us and moves us on, our wealth stays behind for others to wrangle over
and spend.
One must also realize the level of disdain shown to misers. Nobody likes a miser. Even misers
loathe each other. Realizing the hatred people have for misers is enough to turn one away
from their disease. [Purification of the Heart]
Food for Thought:
The best thing to give your enemy is forgiveness, to an opponent tolerance, to a friend your heart,
to your child good example, to your father deference, to your mother a conduct that will make her
proud of you, to yourself respect and to all men charity.
Who can be better than one who submits his whole self to Allah, does good, and follows the
way of Abraham the upright in faith? Allah (Himself) chose Abraham for a friend. To Allah
belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth. It is Allah that encompasses all things.
[4: 125,126]
Hadith of the Day:
Charity does not diminish the wealth; Allah enhances the honor of one who forgives, and
one who humbles himself for the sake of Allah, Allah exalts him in rank. [Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
When you find yourself slipping, remember Allah and the Last Day. If you died this very
moment, is this a state you would want to die in? [Shaykh Faraz Rabbani]
Guidance of the Day:
The treatment for miserliness is realizing that those who achieve wealth usually do so only
after exhausting themselves over long periods of time, working for it day and night. Meanwhile
life passes on, and the time runs out. The culture of wanting more for the sake of more can
literally occupy a person for life.
Reflect long and hard on the fact that just as people climb the heights of affluence and start to
achieve what they have worn themselves out for, then death assails them without invitation.
When death takes us and moves us on, our wealth stays behind for others to wrangle over
and spend.
One must also realize the level of disdain shown to misers. Nobody likes a miser. Even misers
loathe each other. Realizing the hatred people have for misers is enough to turn one away
from their disease. [Purification of the Heart]
Food for Thought:
The best thing to give your enemy is forgiveness, to an opponent tolerance, to a friend your heart,
to your child good example, to your father deference, to your mother a conduct that will make her
proud of you, to yourself respect and to all men charity.
Saturday, December 03, 2016
Social Media...
Seeking attention on social media
The main goal of social media sharing is to gain the attention of the people while boasting and taking pride in halal and haram activities that are posted. Here are some matters through which people attract attention on social media:
1. Marital life
We may be living with the person in the same house, but it has become a trend (or an essential!) to post birthday wishes, anniversary wishes or grand declarations of love on networking sites. Gestures of love that should be personal and special between the husband and wife are uploaded for the whole world to see. This is as unpleasant as living in a house with glass walls all around, with all private on-goings made public for all to witness.
Quick tip: Instead of posting a romantic status, say these words to your spouse directly and watch how the love between you two grows.
2. Luxuries and food
It has become normal to see posts such as “I just checked into this swanky hotel!” and “here I’m with my brand new phone/laptop/car.” This gives validation to the individual as we show the whole world the material things that Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He) blessed us with.
Quick tip: Instead of posting a picture of your latest gadget, make du’a to Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He) that it will benefit you in this world and the Hereafter.
3. Beauty
“Looking awesome, bro!” “Hey, you look beautiful!” These comments are like drugs for some and they just cannot live without them. They get into the habit of dressing up and posting pictures with deep quotes and then, chase those posts all day long to see how many likes and comments they get. In an age of advanced photo-editing, men and women are desperate to attain an unrealistic body image, with constant selfies to try and build up their self-worth.
Quick tip: Next time you want to post a selfie, post a picture of beautiful scenery or nature instead and ponder over Allah’s subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He) creation, so that we learn to detach from our ego. Believe that Allah is ‘Al-Musawwir’ (The Fashioner), Who fashioned you in the best shape – you do not need to display and get approval of from the world.
4. Agonies
It is not just the happy moments, people also go on to share their agonies and painful moments with the whole world, be it a failed love story, a broken marriage or an ailment they may be suffering from.
Quick tip: In order to be successful, we are required to be patient during trials. Complaining to people contributes to being ungrateful towards the Lord and hence, should be avoided. We also end up exposing our weaknesses to friends and foes. So expose your problems only to Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He)and seek His help.
5. Religious duties
The sad reality is that the attention seeking behavior has crossed the boundaries and infiltrated our religious duties as well. More of worshippers are found busy filming themselves in Haramain rather than concentrating on worshipping Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He).
Quick tip: Keep your ibadah a secret!
Click to read more: http://productivemuslim.com/like-o-maniac/#ixzz4RnxZlWNi
The main goal of social media sharing is to gain the attention of the people while boasting and taking pride in halal and haram activities that are posted. Here are some matters through which people attract attention on social media:
1. Marital life
We may be living with the person in the same house, but it has become a trend (or an essential!) to post birthday wishes, anniversary wishes or grand declarations of love on networking sites. Gestures of love that should be personal and special between the husband and wife are uploaded for the whole world to see. This is as unpleasant as living in a house with glass walls all around, with all private on-goings made public for all to witness.
Quick tip: Instead of posting a romantic status, say these words to your spouse directly and watch how the love between you two grows.
2. Luxuries and food
It has become normal to see posts such as “I just checked into this swanky hotel!” and “here I’m with my brand new phone/laptop/car.” This gives validation to the individual as we show the whole world the material things that Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He) blessed us with.
Quick tip: Instead of posting a picture of your latest gadget, make du’a to Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He) that it will benefit you in this world and the Hereafter.
3. Beauty
“Looking awesome, bro!” “Hey, you look beautiful!” These comments are like drugs for some and they just cannot live without them. They get into the habit of dressing up and posting pictures with deep quotes and then, chase those posts all day long to see how many likes and comments they get. In an age of advanced photo-editing, men and women are desperate to attain an unrealistic body image, with constant selfies to try and build up their self-worth.
Quick tip: Next time you want to post a selfie, post a picture of beautiful scenery or nature instead and ponder over Allah’s subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He) creation, so that we learn to detach from our ego. Believe that Allah is ‘Al-Musawwir’ (The Fashioner), Who fashioned you in the best shape – you do not need to display and get approval of from the world.
4. Agonies
It is not just the happy moments, people also go on to share their agonies and painful moments with the whole world, be it a failed love story, a broken marriage or an ailment they may be suffering from.
Quick tip: In order to be successful, we are required to be patient during trials. Complaining to people contributes to being ungrateful towards the Lord and hence, should be avoided. We also end up exposing our weaknesses to friends and foes. So expose your problems only to Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He)and seek His help.
5. Religious duties
The sad reality is that the attention seeking behavior has crossed the boundaries and infiltrated our religious duties as well. More of worshippers are found busy filming themselves in Haramain rather than concentrating on worshipping Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He).
Quick tip: Keep your ibadah a secret!
Click to read more: http://productivemuslim.com/like-o-maniac/#ixzz4RnxZlWNi
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)