Know the Signs

When we sin how do we feel? Do we feel anything? Do we feel any regret, do we keep thinking about it, worrying if we will be forgiven hoping that we will have enough time to repent and do enough good deeds to wipe it out before we meet Allah? Do we feel sick to our stomachs out of remorse for what we did?! Or do we casually shrug it off belittling our sins thinking that Allah will forgive us regardless?

When we knowingly do something wrong or something to anger Allah we sometimes get a negative outcome which makes us form a link between the event and the initial sin we did. For example we go somewhere which is haram or where haram things are happening, maybe a club, we know but we still go and the next day we fall really ill. A Muslim with taqwa will make the association and know that this could be happening as a punishment and warning from Allah because of the night before. Or we lie about being ill to get time off work so we can go out and then we actually get ill and can’t go out anyway! The fact that we get this warning from Allah and get a response through our actions is actually a blessing. Allah cares for us and if he is making us think through our actions which have displeased him then he is actually giving us a chance to repent and turn to him. We should be constantly analysing our actions and their consequences and never complain of pain we are going through. Through pain in this life we are cleansed of sins so we are saved in the hereafter inshallah.

See some people sin and feel nothing, nothing happens to them and they go on in their ignorance with no message from Allah that he is displeased. Therefore they just continue on in the sin thinking nothing of it. Muslims sometimes look at the disbelievers or Muslims who are sinning and wonder why they are not punished, why they have everything, why nothing happens to them and why they go on living a great life with all the power and wealth then look at themselves and at the Muslims who are suffering and don’t understand. We think because these people are ‘getting away’ with their sins in this life that Allah is not angry with them. However this is not the case. The worst punishment that Allah can give in this life is misguidance. The feeling of no love for Allah or his messenger (s) and no passion for Islam. Not wanting to pray or worship Allah, not wanting to please him. Just being caught up in this life and not thinking about the hereafter. Not being able to cry for the sake of Allah or humbling themselves before Him. What greater punishment could there be? Because with misguidance we have nothing, we are nothing and in the hereafter we will get nothing! (May Allah guide us and keep us guided)
People who sin and think they are getting away with it think they are fooling Allah and that there must be nothing wrong with their actions because Allah would give them a sign. They think they are fooling Allah but in fact Allah is fooling them.

‘Allah mocks with them and extends them in their tyranny, they wander blindly’ (2:15)

When someone displeases Allah and feels the regret and gets that sign or something bad happens then he has the opportunity to redeem himself and will stop or change his actions. Through the punishment in this life we are cleansed and saved from the punishment in the hereafter. On the other hand when we do something to anger Allah and no outcome occurs then this is showing Allah’s anger in the greatest form as he doesn’t even want to warn us or for us to repent and so keep on sinning so we meet him with a mountain of sins! Astagfirulla! For example we all know gambling is haram but a Muslim may still do the lottery and then win millions of dollars. Does this mean that Allah is actually rewarding him or that the gambling is not a major sin? No of course not! Now this persons has millions of pounds of haram money that he cannot do anything Islamic with. So he will either see this winning as I mentioned or he can see it as a test and great burden placed on him by Allah. Unfortunately the average man will take the money and feed his desires with material things until he is so engrossed in this life that Allah is a distant memory. May Allah save us all!

"When Allah gives a person whatever he loves of the worldly benefits despite his disobedience, then that is a gradual enticement." (Ahmad)

This punishment is not confined to people who were already in ignorance. Even people who are guided, who pray 5 times a day and live their life for Allah, can be destroyed by the simplest of sinful actions and fall into misguidance and loose all that mercy that Allah had on them. The more we increase in imaan the greater the tests become. Don’t let the devil play games with you. Allah only tests the people he loves so if you are not being tested then fear Allah and seek him. There is a story of a woman at the time of the prophet (s). She got married and after just a few days she said she wanted a divorce, her husband did not understand why so they headed to the prophet (s). On the way her husband tripped and fell, his wife helped him up and said she no longer wanted a divorce, when the husband asked why, she said that they had been married for a few days and she had never seen Allah test him so she thought Allah didn’t love him but when she saw him trip she knew that He did. Subhanallah see how she analysed her husband’s life how worried she was that Allah did not love him and we want peaceful test free lives! A little test in our lives and rather than turning to Allah, we turn away and question him! Through his tests Allah is only cleansing you or wanting more from you. He will not let us walk easily into paradise without us showing him we are for real, that we want it more than anything and are not going to fall into the traps of shaytaan and the luxuries of this world. Remember that ‘This life is a prison for the believers and paradise for the disbelievers’ (Muslim)

Allah gives us chance after chance to stop doing things which anger him and to turn to him he cannot talk to us directly but shows us signs through our destiny, don’t ignore them. Analyse everything that happens to you, even the smallest prick on our finger is a cleansing of sins. We sin day and night without even realising, and Allah forgives so many of our sins without us even asking so don’t build up on the major sins. Ask for guidance with sincerity, analyse your life, see the signs and know what Allah wants from you. We are only here to worship Allah. We will have to go through pain and test after test but our reward is immense inshallah. An eternity of peace, no worries, no problems just eternal bliss beyond what we can imagine or comprehend, Subhanallah!
The best dua we can make is a dua for guidance. If you don’t feel love for Allah and Islam beg Allah to grant it you if you have turned away beg Allah for forgiveness and to be guided again. The time is now while we are still living!

Truly, the life of this world is nothing but a (quick passing) enjoyment, and verily, the Hereafter that is the home that will remain forever." (40:39)

Your Sister in Islam x

The Real Deal

So you want to dress me up and stick me on your arm?
Well I've got a wake up call for you…
I am not a Rolex watch or a platinum chain
I am not a designer jacket or those brand new jeans
I am not a pair of shades or a pair of fresh high tops
I am not the latest mobile phone or I-pod or Laptop
I am not the wheels you drive in or the console you got installed

I am not your prize possession, I am no way a material prop, that you can show off to your boys, and their boys or anyone you pass.

My beauty is for one alone coz I am a Muslimah
I cover up my hair and body from all who are not close
Why should this special gift I have be shared with everyone?
I worship Allah alone and not the ground you walk on
I obey Him and the messenger and not the world around me
I don’t care what anyone thinks of me as I’m living for my Deen

But if you still want me:

I will always respect and honour you
I will support and encourage you
Loyalty is not a question as I will never deceive you
I will guard your possessions as I guard my life
I will keep you secrets locked up tight with mine
I will satisfy your every need and never hold a fight
I will listen to your problems and comfort you when you’re down
You will always have my shoulder when no one else can see you cry
I will smile with you through the good and stick by you through the bad
I will pray with joy behind you and listen to you recite
I will learn and grow besides you as we head for paradise
I will raise your children in the Deen as soldiers of Allah
I will take your hand in my hand and never let you down

I can be your superwoman; I’ll be all you ever need
But if that is not enough for you, then do not spend your time on me
Allah made me sensitive and my heart is not a toy
I can never be enough for one who doesn’t fear his Lord

All these things Allah commands of me, providing you treat me right
I can never be your trophy, only your committed wife

Time to Re-evaluate

What do you want? Where are you going? What are your goals? Who are you living for? Yourself…someone you love…Allah? Do you ever stop? Stop and think! Contemplate about the deeper meaning of your existence and answer the above questions. Not generally but deeply. Enter you emotions and really analyse the answers. Do you know the answers clearly? Are they vague or do you just not care. Many people just live for nothing. We get so caught up in school, university, work or family and we never stop and think about our ultimate purpose. The days roll into weeks and those roll into months and then a year or more has passed and we didn’t stop once. That time is gone and we can never get it back. Did we do something useful, save something for the future or was it just a wasted pointless year that was spent with no focus or goal in mind? We don’t know what the future holds or where we will be in a few years time, but that doesn’t mean we don’t make plans and preparations and just face the days blindly.
‘Those who fail to plan, plan to fail!’ We as Muslims cannot face life blindly, we have a clear set goal and that should ultimately be paradise. An ever lasting life of peace and happiness. If this is not our goal then we will fail. If our goal is only a degree, a career and a family and other worldly gains then success will be limited in the realms of this universe. There is a point to it all. There is a reason for the pain and suffering, there is wisdom behind the trials and there are blessings for those who reflect. This is not the end unless you make it, this is the beginning starting now you have a decision to make. Is your goal limited to this life? To a big house in the country, a bunch of children, a good salary and a fancy car! Or do you want more. Do you want more than what they tell you is ‘the life’ and do you want to be more that who they tell you is a ‘successful person’. THEY don’t know because there goals are limited to this life. They only see as far the material possessions and limitations in this world. Even if you had all the riches in the world it doesn’t even come near to what awaits the believers in the hereafter.

But this is not an easy goal, it requires work just as anything you want in this life. No one will just hand you a Phd and call you a doctor for sitting on you backside or because your dad is a doctor. In the same way Allah will not hand you paradise for doing nothing. Therefore, just as you would have to work sooo hard to be a doctor, make sacrifices with your time and money and social life similarly you have to do the same and more if you want paradise. We have to work hard for it, we have to strive for it we will have to give up things or even people we love and care for. We have to fight and struggle with ourselves, with the shaytaan and with those who may try to push us down. But if you have a true goal which is achievable and you have a strong imaan and trust in Allah then none of these trials will ever make you give up. A little suffering now will be compensated for an abundance of treasures in paradise.

Don’t live for yourself or for today or even this year. Stop, take some time, think about where your life is now. What is good in it? What needs to improve and what needs to be changed. No one is perfect or will ever be, we all get pushed down in our lives but that doesn’t mean you give, it doesn’t mean you should just stay down because you fell or someone knocked you down. Deal with it! Are you going to let one thing destroy you? One mistake you made or some pain you went through determine the rest of your life. There was wisdom behind it even if you can’t see it. Get up, clear your mind and purify your heart. Amend your goals, have the ultimate goal of paradise, of loving nothing more than Allah and the messenger (S). Want something, don’t sit and wait for things to start happening for you, do what you got to do to get what you want. And be sure of it, be head strong because when you set out to get your goal people will try and stop you and obstacles will arise undoubtedly but if you are focused nothing will distract you an you will get it inshallah with a lot of sacrifice and a lot of determination you will find peace.

This life is a journey, a journey to Allah. The sooner we face it and the more we think of it, the easier it will be. The less we will be distracted by the hustle and bustle of this world and the more we will embrace the journey and the more we can’t wait to meet our lord.

Your Sister in Islam x

The Devil's Speech

Sitting, standing, walking, running, sleeping, eating! Where can’t we listen to music? It is just too easy to incorporate it into every daily activity. Why are people so addicted to music and trust me, it is an addiction. You can only last a short while without listening to it and then you have to put it on. You get bored and that’s the source of entertainment. What we fail to realise though that by constantly listening to this music it becomes our source of information and guidance. You turn to a particular song or genre depending on your mood or your situation. If you are sad you put on a slow jam if you are happy, it’s pop if you are angry it’s rock or hip hop. There is something for everyone and to suit every occasion. Music, without us realising, messes with the brain and more importantly, with the heart. It distorts your way of thinking and takes you away from reality. It is like a drug because it provides a quick and temporary enjoyment and feeling of happiness. Put on a song you love and forget about life, forget about your problem and enter someone else’s life.

Why do we have to turn to music for this feeling? Nowadays there are so many distractions around that we are not given the opportunity to face our problems. We want to be constantly entertained and distracted so we don’t have to even think about our lives and what we are doing with it. We can’t bare the silence because that leads to thought which leads to reality. Everything is so robotic – Wake up, eat, go to work/ school, come home, eat, watch TV, sleep. And all the while the beat is in our ears and if it is not directly, it is still in our head, humming the tune, whispering the lyrics. And when a song sticks in your head you can never get it out, the time for prayer comes and the song is still in your head. The Arabic flows so parrot fashined that we don’t even realise and the prayer is over and all we have really been thinking about is the number 1 song of the week! What kind of prayer is this? Do we think that this will be accepted?

For every problem we face, we can find a song with the right lyrics to get us through. You here of people saying Britney Spears or so and so got me through this! What kind of bull is this? Even if you don’t say it you know deep down that you do, and I did it too. Every problem was solved by an artist. They reassured me telling me that it will get better and it is normal and what to do about it. Think about what you listen to, what are these people talking about? Don’t just listen; hear the message of the song. They relate to us and our problems and give us a solution. And we foolishly buy into it and we listen to it over and over thinking that it is not affecting us. How it is not affecting our emotions and giving us a false image of life and love and what is cool and what is not and what to wear and how to attract the opposite sex by telling us what they want and don’t want.

Is this the advice we want, the entertainment we need? Those of a non-believer, who probably mocks at the Muslims or even worse are Muslim, yet rap about sex and drugs? For example I heard Akon and T-pain are Muslims, but what do there lyrics consist of? Total obscenity ‘I wanna F*** you and I’m in love with a stripper’! Not only rude topics but this horrible language is persistent, especially amongst rap artists. Our speech should be beautiful therefore so should what we hear! We love these songs, we are so drawn in to it all, dreaming of and aspiring to be like them. To have all the fame, money, cars and women/men. It’s all fake and it’s all materialistic and so far away from reality. But most importantly, being so caught up in the music makes us forget about Allah and what we are really here for. This life is not made for our enjoyment; we are not here to be entertained. We have deeper more profound meaning and if all we want is to be entertained then we can’t fulfil this purpose and if we can’t do this then we can’t get the eternal enjoyment of the hereafter.

‘The material things which you are given are but the conveniences of this life and the glitter of it; but that which is with Allah is better and more enduring. Will you not then be wise?’ (28:60)

I heard a Sheikh say that you can’t have love of music and love of the Quran in one place i.e. the heart. He also said that music is the Quran of the Shaytaan. When I deeply though about this, it makes so much sense. If all we are listening to is music then that is our source of guidance so we love that because of the feeling it gives us. However the Quran should be our only source of guidance and we should love that more than anything. When I used to listen to music I found this exact issue to be true. I couldn’t sit and listen to Quran recitation for long periods of time because I was too addicted to the music so just needed that entertainment. However Alhamdulillah since I have stopped listening to music I can now listen to the Quran but not only that, I love the sound and it moves me and I can sit and contemplate on the meaning. Life is clearer when you face reality, when you use the Quran as is it purpose, for guidance. For every problem, Allah has the solution. When you realise and adopt this you hear how you have never heard things and you see how you have never seen things.

You know, when the Dijaal comes he will attract people to him with the most amazing music. If we love music so much then we will be drawn to him. I’m not going to go into music being haram because there are differences of opinions but we can all agree that the music being produced is definitely haram , because all they do is promote haram, from unlawful relationships to more extreme things. This is not the life of a Muslim so we don’t need to be listening to this. We should hate that lifestyle so we should also hate those who talk about it. Not only the lyrics but the music videos are so disgusting now and they show these freely for our children to watch any time of the day. It is haram for even a woman to see certain parts of another woman (shoulders down to knees) so how can a male watch a music video where most of the time women are dressed like this and dancing provocatively.
To have true imaan we have to submit out life to Allah. He has given us our hearing and sight as a blessing so we have to listen to that which he wants to hear and see that which He wants us to see. And we should love what He loves and hate what He hates.

"Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement, a show and boasting among yourselves, a quest for greater riches and more children. Its similarity is that of vegetation that flourish after rain: the growth of which delights the farmers, then it withers and you see it turn yellow, soon it becomes dry and crumbles away. In the hereafter there will be either severe punishment or forgiveness from Allah and His good pleasure. The life of this world is nothing but an illusion." (57:20)

Don’t get caught up in this life. Don’t seek the pleasures of this world because they are just an illusion and time pass. We are all travelling back to Allah whether we like it or not so don’t waste time because time is all we have. The pleasures of this world are only temporary and the hereafters pleasures are better and forever. Leave this addiction, turn to Allah and enter Islam fully.

Your Sister in Islam x

Why Don't You Speak?

Doing dawah is an obligation upon every Muslim whether he knows or not or whether he accepts it or not. If we see something happening in front of us that is wrong then we have to tell that person. If we just sit there while it happens we also get the sin for that aswell but if we tell them we will get rewarded whether they listen or not.

"When you see an evil act you have to stop it with your hand. If you can't, then at least speak out against it with your tongue. If you can't, then at least you have to hate it with all your heart. And this is the weakest of faith." (Muslim)

It is not for us to decide who will be guided and who won’t, Allah guides whom he wills. However, we still have to inform others. Who knows that one thing you tell them could be the reason for them opening their eyes. But we don’t speak up, we sit there and watch while corruption occurs before our eyes, while our family and friends are sinning around us. What are we scared of? Rejection? Isolation? Being called a fanatic? Why do we care so much about what people will think of us? Why are we ashamed of practicing our religion freely and encouraging others to do so? We shouldn’t fear people because that makes them a barrier on our journey to Allah. As you grow, you learn (hopefully), your love for the Deen purifies, and increases and you realise that if you only fear Allah all your problem in this life become minor. Most of the time those you tell didn’t know that what they were doing was wrong and want to know more. There is a way of telling people. No one wants to be lectured or shouted at all the time and most people who preach like this get no positive outcome and the audience goes away resenting the religion. Therefore, you have to think before you speak and inform. Think about who it is you are talking to. If they are already practicing they will welcome your advice but if they are not then you need to approach differently. Enjoin the good THEN forbid the evil. Don’t straight up tell that person that this and that is wrong and haram because you wont get their attention. Invite them to the peace of Islam to Allah and to Paradise. Once you have their attention, they are engaged then slowly, calmly, and using examples EXPLAIN why what they are doing is dislike by Allah. Don’t tell, ask questions, and use metaphors to suit their lifestyle and their situation. Make them understand the guidelines. Everything that Allah forbids is for our own benefit and there is wisdom behind it. Never let them loose hope in this Deen, never let them think there is not a way out and never let them walk away from you confused.

For most of us when we are young our parents only tell us to pray and read Quran and don’t swear or steal etc. but we are very rarely told us why we do this and that. We were never told in detail about the good, about paradise so it never felt real. Everything was haram and a sin and would take us to hell. When you are a child, you want to know why and even now if you don’t understand something you are less likely to follow it. No wonder we never listened to them and were not motivated to learn about Islam. If we were told properly about how loving Allah was and how amazing this Deen was maybe the youth would be more focused now. Maybe they would love this Deen as they should and realise the blessing they have. Most of the time our parents didn’t and still don’t really understand the concept of Islam and many have come from different countries so had different upbringings. But times are very changed now, growing up here with the distractions around, the way they were taught about religion won’t necessarily work for us and it isn’t. Culture played more of a role back then and children asked fewer questions and just accepted more. However if you look at how the Prophet (s) told people about Deen, it was beautiful and we can all learn from it. Here is one occasion:

Abu Umamah reported that a young man came to Messenger of Allah and said,"O Messenger of Allah, give me permission to commit zina (illegal intercourse)." The people shouted and the Prophet said, "Stop it!" The Messenger of Allah said, "Let him calm down. Come here." He came and sat in front of Allah’s Messenger who said to him, "Would you like it for your mother?" He said, "No." He said, "Likewise, people do not like it for their mothers. Would you like it for your daughter?" He replied, "No." He said, "Likewise, people do not like it for their daughters (And Rasulullah asked the same question but regarding sisters and aunts in which the person answered no for each questions). Then Allah's Messenger put his hand on his chest and said, "O Allah, forgive his sins, purify his heart and make him chaste."

Subhanallah how loving was the Prophet (s) in his speech and way of doing dawah. Today the imams firstly don’t offer this approachability and would kick this person out of the mosque and he would probably go and do the sin aswell as leave Islam. So the method of informing is crucial. Be calm, use explanations, don’t scare people away from Islam. If after all that the still don’t listen then that is not your concern. You have done your duty and so wont be accountable and that person cant blame you for not telling them. At least you have given them something to think about. Don’t give up on people too easily. Keep inviting them to the good, you never know one day they may change. Don’t keep telling them that that one thing is wrong, once you have told them three times that’s it but keep talking about Islam with them. It is only reward on your part and if they start doing a good deed because of your words then you will also be rewarded everytime they do the deed. Don’t be embarrassed of spreading the truth, it is not your own laws you are imposing it is the laws of the Lord of the worlds and we have to fear him above everyone. So if He has told us to convey then we have to do that.

When it comes to your family we cant give up on them we have to keep telling them. with friends however it may be a bit different. First i am not condoning male and female relationships so doing dawah to the opposite sex needs to be carefully considered. Make sure you’re not alone and keep it halal. Even better refer them to a brother if you are a sister and to a sister if you are a brother. Don’t let the devil make you think that it is OK because you are talking about Deen so you can meet alone or talk on the phone because it’s not! (May Allah forgive us)…So if you think your friends are going to take you away from Islam and you have told them to stop doing what they are doing then you need to keep away from these people. But if you have a friend who shows interest and you are confident by still associating with that person you can help them become better then inshallah stay with them and keep doing your dawah. However don’t stay with people who will be a negative influence on you, have those people around you who will remind you of Allah and encourage you.

Fear Allah alone and work to please Him alone, only then will you be totally free.

Your Sister in Islam x

The Physical Awakening

Why are there high rates of diabetes and heart disease amongst the Asians? Why do we think we can eat what we want and not exercise? Our bodies are a trust and a loan upon us and health is a blessing from Allah. If you loaned someone something how would you expect to get it back? In the exact same condition and if it wasn’t we would be very angry. In the same way, Allah has given us our bodies as a loan and we all know we have to return to Him. Our bodies have a right upon us so we have to look after them. However, unfortunately we see the Muslim’s not thinking twice about what they eat and thinking they don’t have to look after themselves. You get the brothers eating out three or four times a day and the sisters eating nothing all day! Both ways are wrong and very unhealthy. Take out food is full of saturated fat and salt, which has harmful effects on the body. On the other hand, our bodies need fuel for energy and this comes from our food so we have to eat something!

Diet and exercise is crucial and this is something we should not ignore for Islamic reasons. Our health is not something we should take as granted just as with our wealth because in the blink of an eye it could all be gone. These are blessings from Allah and we have to take care of them, it is our responsibility.

The prophet (s) said ‘do not cause harm to yourself or others’. Aswell as this being evidence that smoking is haram it also applies to diet for the same reason. There is enough evidence out there to show the harm that a poor diet and a lack of exercise causes. Therefore, we need to watch what we eat in terms of the amount and the ingredients. A balanced diet is the key where you get a bit of everything in small amounts. Too much of anything is bad for you. The main cause of these diseases is too many high sugar and fatty foods. These include biscuits, cakes, chocolate, crisps and ice cream. These foods should not be eaten every day and we should make an effort to cut down on them. No-one is saying don’t eat them just don’t be extreme. And if you think about it, these foods are all recent to our diet, at the time of the prophet (s) these foods were probably unheard of. What we eat in our youth will affect us in the long-run although we may be healthy now that doesn’t guarantee anything for our old age. Just because you can’t see the harm it doesn’t mean it’s not building up inside us. Small lifestyle changes now could affect our health in the future inshallah. And at the end it is all upto Allah, but that doesn’t mean we sit back and do nothing. We have to do all we can to prevent something bad or make something good happen and only after we have done all we can we leave it upto the will of Allah. That way we cant be blamed or blame ourselves for what happens after that. The following hadith explains with concept simply

One day Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) noticed a Bedouin leaving his camel without tying it and he asked the Bedouin, "Why don't you tie down your camel?" The Bedouin answered, "I put my trust in Allah." The Prophet then said, "Tie your camel first, then put your trust in Allah" (At-Tirmidhi).

Our lives shouldn’t revolve around food it is just the means of survival and not reason. Most Asian households have the wife in the kitchen all day cooking preparing a large feast for her husband and family. They eat it all in 5 minutes and then who cares? An hour later, they’re routing through the cupboards again. So much time is spent cooking that the salah has to be squeezed in while the rice is boiling and the chicken is roasting! This not how a woman’s lifestyle should be and men should definitely not put these duties on his wife. A woman will be rewarded obviously for cooking for the family but it should not be her priority task every day. It is fine to enjoy food, Allah has given us these amazing foods and we should use them but don’t make your life revolve around eating. Our day should revolve around the prayer and worshipping Allah. Moderation is the key. Cook but cook moderately. There is no need to make four curries a day plus rice and three desserts! ‘Eat to live don’t live to eat.’

Further to diet, exercise is crucial. Physical activity of any type strengthens the muscles and the bones and so prevent many diseases and illnesses. We have to make some sacrifices for the sake of our health and for our religion. Being thin doesn’t mean you are healthy as doesn’t being overweight. Exercise is necessary for everyone. At the time of the prophet (s) they would do loads of horse riding and military training as part of their daily routine. They were very active, but now all we do is sit around all day. Most jobs don’t even involve any physical labour so where is any activity occurring. There is not only a physical strengthening gained it is a mental discipline where we have to train our bodies and our minds, increase coordination, stamina and flexibility. Physical activity also reduces stress and anxiety. The prophet (s) said ‘Teach your children swimming, horse riding and archery’, but we don’t encourage our children to become physically fit. The rates of obesity are increasing and this is because of our own mistakes. This is something that CAN be prevented. We should undoubtedly get our children and youth to take part in exercise and be concerned for their health. That is both males and females. Sometimes the boys are pushed and girls are held back when it come to sports. Why? Obviously, make sure it is in a female only environment and go for it! This may be slightly harder for girls with hijab, but there is a lot more now and if not there are plenty of exercises you can do in the house and just walking more will improve fitness. Boys, you have no excuse for being overweight or unfit!

So don’t take your health for granted, remember our bodies are a trust upon us so look after them properly and encourage others to do so aswell. Just by doing something so simple can make a big difference of you having a healthy old age or an immobile one. We all want to be able to move around and look after ourselves as we get older and what we do now will affect that. Any worldly act can become an act of worship! Subhanallah just by changing our intentions. Purify your reasons for making a change and you will be rewarded inshallah.

Your Sister in Islam x

The Best Amongst You

If you look Asian you’re Pakistani
If you’re Pakistani then you’re a Muslim…
This is the British mentality and I also find myself applying these same generalisations so what can we expect from anyone who isn’t Asian?

Islam is a perfect religion but the Muslims are far from perfect and no one will ever be perfect but we should strive for excellence. Say you had a fine, highly respected and high standard business. You would only hire the best workers to represent your company. You would expect them to carry your name well whether at work or not as a lack of expertise in their appearance and character would ruin the reputation of your business. And if any one of them did disgrace your name you would probably fire them. It’s sad but that’s how the world works, we generalise and we associate people to their group, their career, their family, their culture and their religion. In reality this is not the case and we all know that, because we all hate being generalised and some even try to hide certain things for this reason.
So because we all know this and because Islam is perfect then shouldn’t we be doing our utmost to represent and show it’s perfection all the time?

It’s bad enough that people deny that they are Muslims but its even worse when people openly admit to be a Muslim but give Islam such a bad name by not acting like a Muslim at all. We have Muslims in the clubs dancing and drinking, dressed like the non-muslims, using bad language, lying and cheating others and showing and overall lack of character. How can you say you love Allah and the prophet (s), joined every group showing it on Facebook and then go out acting nothing like a Muslim? A Muslim is not just a name and just because you have been born into the religion it does not give you any higher status or right to paradise than anyone else. We are definitely blessed if we are born into Islam and have a head start but that doesn’t mean we don’t have to do anything. It doesn’t mean we can just say the shahadah once in our life, fast in Ramadan, read jummah on a Friday and say inshallah we will enter paradise! It’s amazing how you hear that reverts are jealous of those born Muslims and we don’t even realise the treasure we have been given.

Islam is a way of life and being a Muslim comes with responsibilities and a character to uphold. We all need to work on this and should be continuously striving to better ourselves. If we are calling ourselves a Muslim then we need to show it in our character AND in our appearance. They go together because appearance is what lets others know we are Muslim and with a beautiful character to match and association is formed. A minor sign of the day of judgement is that females will be wearing clothes but will appear to be naked; this is because of the tightness of the clothes. So how can we allow ourselves or our sisters and wives to be part of this sign? I hear of brothers who want their wife to cover the hair but wear western clothing! its insane Muslims wives are not trophy wives. The beauty is for the husband alone so why do brothers want everyone to look at their wives? What do they want to prove? Hijab is not just the head covering it is a body covering so this doesn’t mean just because we are covering our hair that we can wear leggings and a skintight top! The hijab is our identity, just by looking at a woman in hijab everyone can see that she is a Muslim, and by seeing a man with a beard (a proper one not one with lines in it) you can see he is a Muslim. But no, our brothers want the stylish zig zag beard and the low jeans! What is all that about? The sagging jeans fashion came from the prisons. The inmates would unintentionally have their pants sagging because they weren’t allowed to have belts for security reasons. Another theory is that the gay inmates would have their pants sagging to let others know! Either way why would you want to emulate these people? The Prophet (s) should be the male role model and whom our brothers aspires to be like… Not Tupac or even worse Tony Montana! As much as a great film that was, he died a loser, his own family rejected him and he was left all alone. And for what? wealth! The money controlled him and he ended up pushing everyone away who cared for him… and then he was killed! Not even an honourable death. Where was the good of it all then?

Another problem that people lightly shake off is bad language. Usually in high school you pick up this horrible language and it becomes an everyday part of your vocabulary. I hate walking outside and seeing a young group of Muslim boys or girls using the ‘f’ word so loud and freely. It sounds disgusting and it gives a bad name to Muslims. Our speech should be beautiful because it mirrors our character. Our tongue will testify for or against us; every word we utter is being recorded so keep it clean!

We should have the best character. The people would accept Islam because of the prophet’s (s) character. But today we and allowing people to run away from Islam because of how we portray it. Because we lie, are rude and bad mannered, gossip and backbite or because we are in the clubs half-naked or selling weed in the park. What if you were to die in that place? How could you face Allah, not mentioning the shame and disgrace you would bring on your parents. And while we are on the topic of parents, just because they allow you to dress and do as you please that does not make it right and they are then sinful for allowing you. They are not an excuse so don’t use them, we are all accountable for ourselves so take control. In the same way, just because your parents may be praying and obeying Allah, that does not give you a free entry into Jannah. The prophet (s) told his own children that he could not save them on the day of judgment and its only their deeds that will help them so how can we expect our religious parents to help us? If you don’t know find out and if you do know don’t try to make yourself feel better by slandering others who do worse than you do. In Deen, you look to those who are better than you are, not worse.

We need to better ourselves as Muslims. People should be running to Islam, as they did in the time of our messenger (s) because of their character. We especially need it now because of the negativity Islam is getting in the media. Don’t just get angry and cuss them, do something, prove and show them the beauty of the religion through your appearance and character. A smile is charity so stop walking around with a frown and giving people dirt looks. Smile at others, it will make you and those around you feel better. Don’t hide your identity show the world that you are a Muslim and let them see it without asking. Be the window to the perfection.

"Shall I tell you about who among you I love the most and the one who will be seated closest to me on the Day of Rising?" The people were silent, so he repeated that two or three times. Then the people said, "Yes, Messenger of Allah." He said, "The one among you with the best character." (Al-Bukhari)

Your Sister in Islam x