Changing myself bi'idnillah

Bismillah, In the Name of Allah Subhana Wa ta'ala

Assalamu alaikum my dear readers, 

Jumuah Mubarak! Hope we all will be able to have a very productive Friday today. InshAllah I am going to Regents Park mosque with my youngest one to meet up with my very special friend Aisha. As you may know, I have started learning Quranic Arabic last year (November) through Arabicgems. Alhamdulillah I believe, I know more about Arabic grammar. Learnt some new words too, alhamdulillah. But I am still struggling with the exams. I am actually really bad when it comes to exams, I must admit. I love learning but I hate exams. Alhamdulillah our wonderful teacher/ ustadha has been very kind to me. She told me I should keep on learning and don't stress too much over the horrible marks :-(

Alhamdulillah my friend Aisha has offered her help to teach me Arabic inshAllah. She studied Arabic in Syria. Some of my friends who have learnt Arabic through Arabic in Middle eastern countries have told me that I must learn Arabic without the English grammar terms as it confuses the student and makes it too difficult to grasp the concepts. I am really looking forward to our meeting today, inshAllah. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala make this journey to learn Arabic ( to understand His Book & implement the lessons in my life, to please Him, only Him) easy and full of baraka (blessings) for me, ameen! May Allah subhana wa ta'ala reward my friend for her amazing support mashAllah. She is one in a million mashallah. I always feel very inspired by her. May Allah keep her blessed forever, ameeen! If you would like to benefit from her awesome writing, then visit her blog inshAllah. Like me, you will become an avid follower of her blog :-) 

Last couple of weeks have been very hectic and emotional for me. I feel like I am not doing enough hence not really achieving enough. I really need to change myself for better. My fear is what if I die without even trying to please Allah subhana wa ta'ala I always say to myself that I will be a better muslimah, a better wife, better mum, better daughter, better sister, better daughter-in-law, better writer and editor, better friend and the list goes on. But am I doing enough to reach my goal? Sometimes I feel really empty, I can't even describe in words how miserable I feel. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala make me a better muslimah and give me the ability to do the best to earn His Ridwaan (Pleasure), ameeeen! 

I have been listening to some talks on changing ourselves so that I can learn from our beloved sheikhs and ustadhs. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala reward them for their great efforts to serve the ummah, ameen! I hope I can follow the suggestions, bi'idnillah.

I hope by next year, I can say that I have become a better Muslimah, bi'idnillah. Nothing is impossible with Allah subhana wa ta'ala's help. I love Allah and I know He will never abandon me, ALHAMDULILLAH.

Making the changes - Sheikh Omar Suleiman

Making the changes - Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan

The story of the baker and Imam Ahmed is mind-blowing, subhanallah. This one story is enough for us to spend more time in zikr, remembrance of Allah subhana wa ta'ala.

Jumuah (Friday) reminder: Repentance, Reliance and Gratitude

Allah subhana wa ta'ala said (about what Nuh Alaihis Salam said to his people): 

"Ask forgiveness of your Lord; Verily He is Oft-Forgiving; He will send rain to you in abundance;and give you increase in wealth and children. and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers." [Qur'an 71:10-12]

"If you were to put your trust in Allah, the way that Allah deserves, then you would be provided 

for as the birds are; they leave (in search of food) at the beginning of the day famished, and 

they  return at the end of the day full." (tirmidhi)


"And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: "If you are thankful, I will give you more 

(of My blessings), but if you are thankless, then verily, My Punishment is indeed 

severe." [Qur'an 14:7]

Jumuah (Friday) reminder

Assalamu alaikum my precious readers and fellow bloggers,
Jumuah Mubarak!
Alhamdulillah Allah subhana wa ta'ala has blessed us with another Friday. This is a great opportunity to reconnect with His book to please Him.
Reciting and reflecting upon Suran Kahf is highly recommended during Friday for Muslims. I remember when I first recited the surah , it took me one and a half hour to complete the recitation. I thought it is going to be a very daunting task for me to recite the surah every Friday! But alhamdulillah I carried on and I must tell you, trust me, if we try and our intention is pure ( just to please Him) Allah subhana wa ta'ala makes it very easy for us. He is indeed very Gentle and Kind to us. Now a days, it takes me almost 45 minutes reciting the whole surah, given kids are not in need of my attention :-) alhamdulillah. When you start reciting the Qur'an, first make as much intention as possible, so that you can get more ajr (reward) bi'idnillah. For example, intentions can be to please Allah subhana wa ta'ala, following the sunnah of our beloved Rasulullah  Sallallahu Alahi Wa Sallam, being a role-model for our children ( if they get into a habit of seeing us reciting the Qur'an on a regular basis, they will hopefully pick up the habit, in future, bi'idnillah), getting baraka, practicing our tajweed, memorizing the ayat and list goes on and on...
Having said that, I think it's very important for us to also read the meaning and if possible, the explanation of the surah too. Because the whole point of reciting the Book is to reflect and to implement the lessons in our daily life, bi'idnillah. If you are not able to read the meaning and the explanation, then listen to talks based on surah Kahf. Do we really have any valid excuse not to understand the Qur'an, given all the excellent resources available to us, thanks to the internet ? 

Even if we are struggling to recite the surah Kahf, we can listen to some wonderful videos to help us get into recitation mode, bi'idnillah. Try listening to Sheikh Mishary Al-afasy's recitation of Suran Kahf.  It's very beautiful mashAllah. I like the way, his tone changes according to the verse he is reciting. 

For understanding the surah , listen to the great video below:

Surah Kahf Better than a 3D movie by Sheikh Aslam AbuIsmaeel

MashAllah a beautiful explanation. Most of us are kind of obsessed with movies. The way he compares the story of the surah with modern day movies is brilliant. And listening to this talk, you will be able to relate to the surah. I also love Sheikh Aslam's accent :-) 

I hope you all have a lovely and very productive Jumuah today. Please keep us in your precious duas. Jumuah Mubarak :-)

Wisdom is the refinding of innocence

Songs of innocence is a beautiful nasheed done by Talib Al-Habib. This one is one of my favourite nasheeds. Mashallah he has done a great job. It is essentially the dua of a parent sung for and to their children as they lie asleep, and incorporates nasiha (sincere counselling) such as, 'remember this: wisdom is the refinding of innocence.' The 'songs of innocence' refer to the dhikr, sung as a lullaby.


Songs of Innocence

chorus

Allahu Allahu La ilaha illa Hu

And I sing my songs of innocence

To you my precious child as you lay on your bed

With your sleepy eyes and your heavy head

Rest and dream in peace till morning comes again

I will sing my songs of innocence

I will sing my songs of innocence

And I sing my songs of innocence

As I watch you sleep, think what may lie ahead.

So many the roads that before you spread

Take the way, my child, to the Beloved Friend

Lead a life of truth and innocence

The way of sunnah, the path of the Prophet

Let your words be echoes of his sentences

Let your deeds be shadows of his radiance.

And though the world outside seems cold and hard

And you may feel like you are wandering alone

Do not fear, do not grieve, in Allah place your belief

In his remembrance your heart will find its peace

And I gaze at you in wonderment

How your heart is filled with innocence.

You'll never know the joy you bring to me

How your touch and smile dispel my every grief

May you never lose your innocence

With life's bittersweet experience

And when the time comes, remember this:

Wisdom is the refinding of innocence.

Now you're breathing easy, I must call an end

I have sung my song of innocence

And if our paths should never cross again

May God's peace and mercy upon you descend

We will meet at the gathering of innocence

At al-Kauthar, the fount of abundance

By the Prophet's hand may our thirst be quenched

We will be with him, and we will be content

Salallahu `alayhi wa alihi

Peace and blessings on him and his family

And all who follow in his blessed way

You and I, my child, may we among them be

You and I, my child, may we among them be

Will you help me learn of innocence?

Sing a song of love and innocence

Will you help me find my way back home?

Will you fill my heart with innocence?

May I come to you an innocent?

Let me sing my song of innocence.