Ramadan Reflections: Day 2

Bismillahir rahmaneer Raheem. In the name of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind

Alhamdulillah we just completed our second fast. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept our deeds! Just the other day Ramadan started and now we have already done two. How quickly time passes! Every year during this time, I remember my beloved friend and mentor Ferzanah. She was an amazing sister in faith. Couple of years ago , she was diagnosed with cancer during Ramadan. She went through the difficult treatment with patience. Her brother was her donor. But her body rejected it and she died in 2008. She left her three children and husband and her parents and siblings. She is buried in Garden of peace in London. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala grant her with Jannatul Ferdous, ameen!

I also remember Najma Ghani. She left us last year after suffering for years with cancer. She was an amazing sister with so much passion mashAllah. I am sure all her family and friends miss her. 

I miss another lovely sister named Aasia, who also was suffering from cancer and died almost 2 years ago, leaving her three children and husband behind. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant them both Jannatul Ferdous!

Last year, during Ramadan my grandma died. It was a very emotional time for us especially for my poor dad. He hasn't seen his mum for years and I am sure he really missed her. Because of his circumstances he couldn't really travel. I have so many lovely memories of my grandma. She was a soft-spoken lady. It feels so odd thinking she is not going be there when I go to Bangladesh. It is with real sadness, I say that I wish I spent more time with her. I never thought she will leave us that soon. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless my dadi with Jannatul Ferdous, ameen! Maintaining relationship can be quite a daunting task but we should try our best to keep the relations going, bi'idnillahi ta'ala.

All these deaths, remind us that our time is numbered. One day it will be our turn to leave this ephemeral world. The way we live in this world seems like we are here to stay! Have you seen anyone who is travelling, trying to settle in the airport, behaving as if it's his home? We are indeed travellers and this world is our airport. Our destination is Jannah, bi'idnillah! But, unfortunately the hectic life on this earth has deluded us in thinking that we have time. We think we are too young to die yet. Please just visit any cemetery and you will see so many people in their 20/30s who have already left this world. Who are we kidding!? 

Ramadan is a great time to remind each other this very truth. Whether we believe it or not, it is the fact and we will face the consequence of our choices. Ramadan is the time when we can work on our faith and prepare for the best inshAllah. Everything depends on intention so let us make sincere intention to please only our Rabb, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. 

There is a beautiful word of wisdom, I really love keep reading alhamdulillah.

Imam Al-Ghazali (Rahimullah) said: "You should structure your time, arrange your regular devotion (awraad) and assign to each function a set period of time during which it is given first priority but which it does not overstep. For if you abandon yourself to neglect and purposelessness, as the cattle do and just do anything that may occur to you at any time it happens to occur to you, most of your time will be wasted. Your time is life and your life is your capital; it is the basis of your transaction with Allah, and the means to attain to everlasting felicity, in the proximity of Allah the Exalted. Each of your breaths is a priceless (because irreplaceable) jewel and when it passes away it never returns." [The Book of Assistance]

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give us the ability to utilise our time properly and gain His Ridwaan, ameen!

Ramadan 1434 Day 1

Alhamdulillah today was the first day of Ramadan. I was worried thinking it must be really difficult to fast for 18 hours given it's quite hot in London. Yes, I know it's very rare to see the Sun shining on us, the Londoners, alhamdulillah! Please enjoy every moment of it. I try to take my kids to the local park so that we can soak up some sun-lights. Trust me, we are always in need of vitamin D, especially us, the Muhajabas! Don't let this amazing blessing of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala go wasted.

But Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala always makes everything easy for us. In the Qur'an Allah says, just after the verse of Ramadan , "Allah desire for you, ease; He desire not hardship for you ; and He desires that you should complete the period (of the fast), and that you should magnify Allah for having guided you, and that perhaps you may be thankful." 2: 185

Subhanallah this verse is just one amazing verse! He loves us so much and never wants us to go through any hardship. If we do face any hardship, it's due to our own faults. Or the hardship is a form of test to see how we are going to react. Sometimes people ask how do we know that any difficulty we face is a form of punishment or a test. If we feel bad and angry then it is a punishment. But if we have patience, it becomes a mean to gain closeness to our Lord. 

As it's kind of a hot summer Ramadan, try to take a power nap ( half an hour) after zuhr prayer. I try to sleep around 3/4 pm if my extra-hyper children allow me :-) For me it really works alhamdulillah. After iftar, I feel quite okay to carry on being awake till 12 or 1 am. I am trying to do my best inshAllah and do whatever my situation permits.

As a mum if you feel that you are not able to do a lot of worship such as praying extra salah, reciting and studying the Qur'an, please don't feel guilty. We are mothers for a reason. Allah subhana wa ta'ala has blessed us with a very important role. Be a good mum and make a sincere intention to please only Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala by being a good mum and that will be a great form of worship, bi'idnillah. 

This Ramadan, my goal is to do my best to be a great mum to my children, bi'idnillah. And to do so we have started detoxing ourselves from TV as I believe this is one of the biggest killer of time and productivity. Kids are allowed to watch TV for maximum of 15 minutes. I myself don't really like to watch TV apart from Ramadan TV (Sky 192) which I try to watch after the kids gone to sleep, with the intention of seeking knowledge bi'idnillah. Kids love watching the Little Explorers show around 5 pm. Alhamdulillah we are reading books together and basically enjoying the holiday. They will start full time school from September inshallah so I really want to use these last couple of months to bond with them and create some beautiful memories to cherish forever, inshAllah. May Allah subahana wa ta'ala enable us to do our best in this beautiful month and gain taqwa, ameen! 

Ramadan 1434

Bismillahir Rahmaneer Raheem. Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Aa'lameen. I am really looking forward to this year's Ramadan inshAllah. I hope and make dua that I can do my best to connect to my Rabb and get closer to Him ( Subhana Wa Ta'ala) bi'idnillah. Nothing is possible without His Help.

This year has been quite a hectic one for me. Last year, I enrolled to an online Qur'anic Arabic course. It's been quite an intensive one for me. I believe being pregnant for the last couple of years has left me with very few brain sells :-( I am also learning to drive! I know, I left it too late but I have to learn as soon as possible inshAllah as I can't bare the pain of using the public transport with my three children. Also looking after three little kids and running an online magazine have been quite difficult. Sometimes, I feel too overwhelmed with life and its enormous responsibilities. Motherhood is really tough  and there is no break from it. I really don't want to neglect my job as a mum. I have been thinking about my life a lot and sometimes feel quite lost! I love my kids and my soul-mate and never want to let them down, bi'idnillah. But I believe I got too much to cope with :-( I really need to sort out my life inshAllah. I am hoping that during this sacred month of Ramadan, I can find a solution to my difficulties and hopefully find some inner peace bi'idnillah. I am really excited that Ramadan is here to rescue me Alhamdulillah :-) This is definitely one of the biggest pleasure of being a muslimah Alhamdulillah. Whenever I am in any difficulty, I know who I can turn to, alhamdulillah. Raditu Billahi Rabban, Wa Bil Islami deenan wa bi Muhammadin Sallallahu Alaihe wa sallam Nabiaan. 

I hope that this Ramadan will be a month of REAL CHANGE for me and my beautiful family. Allah subhana  wa ta'ala will never change my situation, until I myself take the plunge to change my situation.  May Allah subhana wa ta'ala give us the ability to do our best and gain His Ridwaan, ameen!

So to prepare myself for the change, I have been listening and attending some great talks alhamdulillah.I hope to write everyday during this Ramadan so that I can keep a diary of my journey and share my story with you, inshAllah. Please do share your suggestions inshAllah. 

Please do listen to the recent talk by Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan. MashAllah he has given some very useful tips on what sort of action plan we should have during Ramadan. 

RAMADAN ACTION PLAN  I wish you all a very productive Ramadan, inshAllah.

So for us the UK Muslims, Ramadan starts inshAllah on this Wednesday! Just 24 hours till the doors of Paradise are wide open and the doors of Jahannam are shut! And Satan, our greatest enemy is locked up! May Allah subhana wa ta'ala bless us with the most spiritually uplifting Ramadhan and make this years the best ever insha'Allah! Ameen!

Please keep me and my family in your precious duas and please forgive me for anything I may have done or said knowingly, unknowingly, intentionally or unintentionally. Love you all feesabilillah. JazakumAllahu Khairan 

Warming up for Ramadan inshAllah

I have been listening and re-listening some excellent talks to get me into Ramadan mode bi'idnillah. I hope to share some of the talks through my blog. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala give us the tawfique to do our best, ameen!

Ramadan, A gift for Muslims - Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan

So what did I learn?

In this talk, Ustadh went through the verses of the Qur'an which deals with Ramadan. 

Ramadan is referred to in verse (2:185) of chapter (2) sūrat l-baqarah (The Cow):

The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. 
So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. 
Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.

The verse is in Surah Baqara and the topic is mentioned only once through our the Qur'an. Ramadan is a month of celebration as a new nation. Allah subhana wa ta'ala changed the direction of prayer (kibla) for Muslims from Jerusalem to Makkah. The Jews of Madina were furious. There are so many lessons to learn from the children of Israel. Allah subhana ta'ala has mentioned about them several times in the Qur'an. The Qur'an is sent as guidance for the humanity, not like other previous, divine scriptures revealed to their respective communities. 

With any profession which involves risk, regular training is very crucial for the employees. Ramadan is the training for us as Muslims. This is a very important time to re-connect to our Lord. And to do so, fasting is a must for every healthy and able Muslim. And reciting and studying the Qur'an is highly recommended. 

O Allah , make the month of Rajab and Sha'ban blessed for us and let us reach the month of Ramadan ( so that we can gain blessings from it), ameen! 

Aaila 2nd anniversary alhamdulillah :-)

Bismillah... In the name of Allah the Most Merciful

I am so glad to tell you that the 12th issue of Aaila is online now, alhamdulillah. This is our 2nd anniversary issue, alhamdulillah. We couldn't have created this beautiful Ramadan issue without the help of our amazing writers. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala reward them for their efforts, ameen!

I remember when Aaila was just a dream I cherished. In 2007, Allah subhana wa ta'ala blessed us with our first child, Imran. I felt so blessed to be his mum, alhamdulillah. But at the same time, I was overwhelmed with this great responsibility Allah subhana wa ta'ala has entrusted me with. During my pregnancy I used to read any pregnancy magazine I can get hold of and loved reading the articles with lots of practical tips for expecting as well as new mums. I remember the free magazines I used to get from the antenatal clinic as well as the baby shows. Only one thing was missing and that was the spiritual side of being a mum. For me as a Muslim woman, spirituality is the core of being a human being. I loved ( and still love) reading SISTERS magazine since my university time (2003/2005) MashAllah sister Na'ima is doing a great job and she has indeed inspired me with her amazing work mashallah. But I wanted something more as a mum. I wanted a magazine for women like me who is eager to learn more about being a good mum, good wife, good family member and most importantly a good , devout Muslim woman who strives to raise good and devout Muslim children so that we can again create a strong and glorious Ummah we can be proud of, bi'idnillah.

When we first started in April 2010, there wasn't that many writers available. We didn't even have a clue how to create a website. I remember opening a weebly account, lol! It didn't look professional at all but it was the start alhamdulillah! And that's what is very crucial with any dream we have. We need to start somewhere and keep working and rely on Allah subhana wa ta'ala. The journey is very long and very bumpy but keep on trying. Never give up bi'idnillah. Only Allah knows what we can achieve. I met some amazing people along the way, alhamdulillah. Without their help and encouragement, Aaila would have been just a dream. I am truly blessed to have these amazing people around me, alhamdulillah. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala reward them, ameen! ameen! ameen! 

I have a big dream. InshAllah I hope Aaila as a Muslim family magazine will reach every Muslim household and help significantly in creating a good, balanced global Muslim community, bi'idnillah. Our motto is A better upbringing, A better life! May Allah subhana wa ta'ala accept our efforts and make it a successful magazine, ameen!

I hope our readers will benefit from this issue and prepare properly for the great month of Ramadan, bi'idnillah. 

May Allah subhana wa ta'ala bless us in this month of Sha'baan and let us reach the sacred month of Ramadan, ameen! Please do share the Aaila link with family and friends. If you would like to write for us and contribute in any way, you can contact us at aailamagazine@gmail.com. We are always eager to hear from you, inshAllah. Please do keep us in your precious duas. Happy reading! 

Beautiful, much-needed poem

Let time pass by, and do as it wishes;

Be strong when the decreed is delivered to you.

Wail not for your afflictions in the night

For, worldly miseries are not everlasting

When calamity strikes, face up like a man

And let your traits be that of forgiveness and fidelity

If your flaws are plenty and are manifest

And your wish is that they be concealed Know, that Forgiveness hides every fault

And how many flaws are veiled by generosity!

Neither does agony abide, nor happiness

And neither bad-times nor times of joy and comfort

Never should you seek to humiliate your enemies

Because the desire to disgrace them is in itself a malady

Do not expect forgiveness from a miser,

The parched do not quench their thirst from fire

Your sustenance will not diminish by neglect,

And it will not increase by exertion or by more toil

When you have a heart that is satisfied, content -

You will be like the one who owns the whole world

And those who have entered the sphere of death

The earth cannot hide them nor heavens

Surely, the land of Allāh is vast, but -

When misfortune strikes, the air becomes stifling

Let the world betray and deceive every moment -

No matter what; there is no escape from death.

Dīwān ash-Shāfiýī p.111; Khazānatu’l Adab 2/426; Jawāhiru’l Adab p.665
Courtesy of : https://www.facebook.com/AllhumdulilahForEverything

Trip to Regents Park masjid (mosque)

Alhamdulillah this Friday I went to Regents Park masjid to meet my friend Aisha. We talked about my Arabic study. I am really glad to know that I am actually doing good alhamdulillah. Her remarks made my day, alhamdulillah! I think learning a language is difficult but with determination and the support of friends and family, the path to learning gets easier. InshAllah from next week, we will study the Qur'an with the tafseer (explanations). I really don't want to master Arabic grammar for the sake of grammar itself. I find grammar quite dry. I do feel that now a days, when I read Qur'an, it's more about finding out what sort of sentence a sentence is, finding subjects, objects, predicates, participles etc. I really want to concentrate on the spiritual aspects of the Qur'an. At the end of the day, I want to understand the Qur'an to boost my imaan and connect to my Creator, Allah subhana wa ta'ala. I also want to teach my children the Qur'an myself. I am hoping this Ramadan will be an amazing Ramadan for me, given I am learning the Qur'anic Arabic, bi'idnillah.

I bought couple of books from the bookshop at the mosque. For myself, I bought Tafsir Al-Qurtubi: Classical commentary of the Holy Qur'an Volume 1 Translated by Aisha Bewley. It got 787 pages so quite a mammoth task for me to complete. The book covers the tafseer of Surah al-Baqara! This surah is the biggest surah (chapter) of Qur'an. I really love the way every verse has been explained. I hope I will benefit a lot from this book, bi'idnillah. It cost me £40 but I think the price is nothing in comparison to what I will be learning from this huge book, bi'idnillah. I will be sharing the gems through my blog inshAllah. Please do share your comments if you have read the book.

I bought some books for my kids as they have been demanding prophets stories for a long time. As I am a lazy mum, I just do the stories from my head during bedtime. But they really want to learn more. Imran is 5 now and Ayesha is 4 and both of them are quite avid listeners mashAllah. So to quench their thirst, I bought some books on stories of the prophets. InshAllah I hope to talk about them in future posts.

We had lunch at the masjid canteen. We had palau rice, kebabs and spinach cooked with potatoes. I had spinach with chicken before but never had it with potatoes. It was yummy. I will give a try soon inshAllah.
Aisha had to leave so I went to the basement to pray zuhr. I met one of the very special aunt from hajj time. I went to hajj in January 2006 with my dad. Alhamdulillah I met the aunt there. She is originally from India. She was quite old but she used to help others a lot. We had hundred and six people in our hajj group. Usually around lunch and dinner time, we the young ones from the group, would help serving the food. But aunt used to help us too, mashAllah. I was so glad to see her. MashAllah she is an inspiration. I hope if I am alive when I am old, I can be like her, always in service of others, bi'idnillah.

Alhamdulillah, there was another very generous lady in the masjid, who gave Yusuf a love toy car as a gift. I feel really touched when I receive a gift from a complete stranger. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala reward her for her generosity, ameen! She was busy reciting the Qur'an. I am glad that Yusuf (2) had a good time. I want to take my children to the masjid on a regular basis. I want them to love going to masjid.

Unfortunately our trips to the masjids haven't been all that rosy. Sometimes we get some aunts, especially recruited by the mosque authorities (So that parents can think twice before bringing their kids again to the mosque) , who keep complaining about the children ( for children behaving as children!) and staring at their poor (already quite stressed-out) mothers. Sometimes, I get really annoyed and frustrated. Most of the masjids don't really have any facilities for the children. No wonder, most of the kids don't really look forward to go to the mosque. InshAllah when I become a millionaire, I want to open a very family-friendly mosque just like the mosque of our beloved prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. We talk about raising our kids as good Muslims, but if we don't provide them with proper  environment, how on earth we can achieve this goal! May Allah subhana wa ta'ala give us the ability to understand His deen and follow His Guidance with sincerity, ameen!

I found this site New Muslim Kids while searching for an image of children and masjid. MashAllah they have some lovely collection of images to colour in. Do have a look inshAllah . My children will like colouring them, inshAllah.