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

Let it Go!

We all know that Allah is the most merciful and all forgiving. But how hard is it for us as humans to forgive those who hurt or wrong us. I’m talking about people we care about, not generally. It is so difficult to forgive someone and move forward with our lives. Usually, the one that has been hurt only suffers. By holding on to this resentment and not letting go, it begins to take over their life. The one who has done the hurting usually doesn’t even realise what he/she has done and belittles their actions. On the other hand, the hurting one wastes so much time thinking about what happened and starts hating the other. I’ve learnt that to hate someone you have to first care about them. Such a strong emotion and feeling such as hate requires first to have cared and been deeply affected by their way of treating you or someone else. Therefore, if you hate then you still care! By having this hate in our hearts for anyone is not healthy and will poison our hearts and our minds and stop us from moving forward and forgiving them. It will also affect our relationships with others and how we treat those around us.

Everyone makes mistakes, it is part of the learning process and if we never do anything wrong then how can we better ourselves and those around us? The problem however with erring is when others are involved. When we do something that unintentionally hurts someone we never meant to. In many cases, we eventually realise and apologise and get forgiven. But a lot of times this doesn’t happen and someone has been hurt so badly that they can’t forgive. They spend the rest of their lives angry and so will never succeed. How can we be successful in this life and the hereafter when our hearts are full of hate?

We should learn to forgive whether that person deserves it or not, whether they have apologised or not. This is not for the benefit of them but only for our own advantage. So we can have peace, so we can live our lives fully and so we can meet our lord with a pure heart inshallah. It is not an easy task and requires a strong imaan and a trust in Allah. Ghandi wisely said, ‘The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong’.

We must remember that it is that part of our imaan is to believe in the divine will. That is whatever is going to happen to us has already been written. So the fact that we may have been hurt by someone we care about was meant to happen (that in no way excuses that persons behaviour) but we need to understand that we can’t blame anyone and start thinking ‘shoulda, woulda, coulda’. It’s done and in the past. In many occasions we may have got ourselves into situations which we shouldn’t have, which displeased Allah and was against Islam so maybe the pain was from Allah as a way of cleansing our sins or waking us up to our wrong. Other times Allah puts us through trials and someone hurts us without us doing anything. Here is where our character shows. How will we deal with these people… will we wish bad on them and do anything to hurt them back? Or will we still be kind to them, be the better person, forgive them and to move forward? It’s not easy, trust me I know but it is the route of a believer. The path that will take you closer to Allah. You can’t cool a fire with more fire. If you treat them back how they have treated you, they will never learn, and it will be a constant battle of ‘getting even’… and you will never be even. By adopting this frame of mind, it will begin to control and take over your life. It will distract you and stop you from excelling. We don’t want this, we want our life to be only for Allah and based on what he commands and we can’t do this with enmity in our hearts.

Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) went through more trials than any of us can imagine. His own brothers left him for dead at the age of six and due to this he became a slave and spent (about) 8 years in prison innocently. However this was all in the plan of Allah and eventually he got power and had the perfect opportunity for revenge over his brothers. But he didn’t even mention the past and he forgave them. He was thankful for everything because he accepted the divine will and knew it was all a test from Allah. Subhanallah how easily he forgave them and how long we hold onto the past!

So don’t let hate and anger control you. Forgiveness is the gift you give to yourself. We do it for no one but ourselves. As long as we are not forgiving them, the longer we are allowing them to control us. You will be constantly looking in the past and wanting explanations and reasons but more often than not, we don’t get the answers we want. We don’t get that closure and things aren’t sorted, so don’t wait for it. Don’t wait for them to apologise but forgive anyway. Don’t even tell them just take that first step in your heart with a pure intention. Forgiveness means you put that thing out of your mind, it’s gone and you can not bring it up again or remind that person of it. Ask Allah for the help and start moving forward. Don’t look back; the goal is in front of you. What’s done is done and nothing you could have done would have avoided it, because Allah willed it. The best thing you can do is learn form it.

The pain makes you stronger and wiser so embrace it. Life is only as tough as you let it be. The more rubbish you go through and the more the ones you care about let you down, the more you turn to your Lord and rely solely on him. The closer you get to him and the more you love him. When you get this feeling, you will see the blessing hidden in that pain and you will thank Allah for putting you through it and giving you the strength to endure it and the easier it will be for you to let go. Forgiveness is the key to freedom so don’t loose it.

May Allah give me and all my brothers and sisters the strength to forgive and forgive us if we have wronged anyone.

Your Sister in Islam x

That Which Doesn't Kill You...

...Can make you or break you. Depending on your character, it doesn’t necessarily make you stronger. There are two types of people. Those who face a problem head on and make the most out of it, trying to learn from it and become a better person. This is very rare and most people are the other type who sit around and wonder what they did to deserve this and complain until the problem goes away.

I’m not saying it’s easy to be the first kind of person and we are all human and naturally respond to situations without thinking. But as Muslims we must think. We must work hard to have a strong character.
Always be in a state of self-analysing and self-evaluation. Whenever something happens to us that we don’t like or that is not according to what we expected then we need to step back and think. Look at the situation through the outside. Think about your actions, your speech and how you have treated those around you. Most importantly analyse your imaan. Have you done something that may have angered Allah? It says in the Quran:

‘All good is from Allah but any misfortune that befalls you is from what your own hands have earned’ (4:79)

Therefore, if you are going through a hard time then it is most likely that you have done something to bring that about. This however is a great blessing from Allah and shows his love for you because when we go through rough times the human instinct is to turn to the heavens and beg Allah for a way out because he knows no being could possibly help him. His whole conduct changes and his worship increases. So Allah, through putting mankind through hardship is a way of calling to them. Giving them the opportunity to turn to him and to analyse there lives and to ask him for forgiveness. Therefore, don’t waste these opportunities that Allah gives you. See the pain as a blessing because through the pain Allah, the most merciful, cleanses our sins. Don’t complain and definitely don’t ask why this and why that. Allah doesn’t burden anyone greater than they have the strength to bear so He knows you’re strong enough and through his love and protection for us he keeps sending us messages and signs to give us the opportunity to cleanse our sins and get closer to Him. Subhanallah!

This religion is easy when you see the beauty in it and when you understand that all good and all bad in your life is a blessing. Then isn’t the pain worth it? Allah never gives up on us so don’t give up on yourself. He wants the best for us but we have to want that for ourselves. How we can expect good from anyone when we don’t even try. If you don’t want to change them no one can help you and those who care about you will eventually give up on you but Allah never will. No matter how many mistakes you have made and how much you have sinned Allah promises his forgiveness. He will send you signs in the most amazing ways but if we have no imaan and have our eyes closed then we will miss them, then who knows if we will get another chance at getting closer to him?

Allah the Almighty has said: “O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as its.”

Amazing...gives me chills! Remember the devil, he despaired of Allah’s mercy when he sinned he was too arrogant to ask for forgiveness so is cursed for eternity. Many people today have this same attitude. They think it is too late to ask for forgiveness when Allah keeps reminding us that he is the most forgiving. He forgave a man who had killed 100 people! Have we done more sin than that! Ensure you don’t adopt this satanic arrogance and ask now because we don’t know when our time will be up. Dua is the weapon of the believer. Nothing you may have done or are doing is beyond Allah’s mercy inshallah. Acknowledgment is the key! However, we have to repent sincerely and can’t keep making the same mistakes and expect forgiveness, because that is wrong. We have to repent and do our utmost to leave that sin.

Don’t let anyone make you feel bad about your past, they have no right, and if they do then forget them. If Allah forgives all sins then who are we to hold people to their mistakes once they have asked for forgiveness. The last thing we need in our lives are people around us who constantly bring up the past and judge us because of it. Keep the company who will remind you of the good in you and encourage you in your Deen. These people are your true friends as they take you closer to Allah and not further from him. The three characteristics of a good friend are one who:

• When you see them, they remind you of Allah
• Their way of life will guide you the right path
• Their speech will increase your imaan
  [Great description from Sheikh Alaa Elsayed ;-)]

Two people who will be under the shade of Allah on the day where there is no shade are two people who loved each other purely for Allah’s sake. Our imaan fluctuates but with this true friend, you will remind them when they are weak and they will remind you when you are weak! Inshallah we all love someone for that reason alone and if we don’t then inshallah we find someone who we can, so we can help each other get closer to our lord and live eternally in peace in the hereafter.

So if you are going through hardship analyse your life think of what you have done to bring this about I guarantee you will find something, we sin day and night without even realising. Allah is opening a way for you so don’t close it or let it pass you by.

Your Sister in Islam x

'I'd Prefer a Broken Neck to Another Broken Heart'

Amazing and heart moving poem by Amir Sulaiman

The Real Diamond

If you had a beautiful, shiny diamond, how would you take care of it? Would you run around the street showing it off to everyone or flaunt it about? Only if you were crazy right? The sane person would take great care of his expensive stone and make sure no one got their hands on it. Making sure it was safe and protected at all times and if he had to take it out from its haven, he would wrap it up tight and hide it from everyone, because we see how people fight over wealth.

In Islam women are seen like these valuable, precious and rare stones. And our hijab is our protection and cover from society. You would only show your diamond to those you loved and trusted dearly and this is how Muslim sisters are. We are only to be seen by those dear to us, those who we trust and know won’t hurt us. This is all in Allah’s love and mercy for us. No matter how independent a woman may be, she still loves to be taken care of and cherished and that is an innate feeling, and how Allah has created us. So who better than our creator to ensure we get this love and are not mistreated? He has set these guidelines in place, not to oppress or make things difficult for us but for our own benefit and to make things easier for us. If we follow these guidelines and understand the wisdom behind the hijab then we will be protected. We will not have to deal with being hurt or abused by men. We won’t get into relationships where we are unappreciated or treated disrespectfully. And we will never be in a situation where we are left with a baby and an unknown father or one who doesn’t care.

The hijab is liberation and independence. Freedom of speech and freedom of choice is spoken about freely when it comes to every other matter but when a Muslim woman wants to cover, we can’t even defend ourselves. If a woman can walk around virtually naked or dressed in the punk fashion or any other fashion, she ‘is free’. A nun can walk around covered and no one would dare speak up but when a Muslim woman wants to cover and dress modestly, everyone has a say and she is ‘oppressed’. Where is the sense in that? Most non-Muslims don’t understand the role and liberation of women in Islam. Before this perfect religion, women had no rights. They were mistreated by society and sold into slavery and prostitution. However, Allah removed all this real oppression and gave women roles and rights in society. The right to work, to have an education, to own property, and the right to her own wealth (which is solely hers). She also has the right to a husband to provide for her and the freedom to choose him. However, these things are forgotten and in many cases, it is our own fault, as we don’t know the history of our religion and the beauty and perfection within it. But worst of all we don’t defend it. Is it that we are ashamed or just don’t know?

There is nothing to be ashamed. Allah has completed this Deen for us for our sake. For our benefit and for our protection. He knows women are fragile and emotional and therefore he has also ensured that this is not abused by anyone. Just as non-Muslim women can dress how they want so should we. The hijab is our identity and our protection and most of all our freedom of choice. And by the way which Muslim actually finds the cross offensive? This is rubbish that they make up themselves so that they can attack our religion and things that represent it. If I want to freely practice my religion then so should everyone else! Islam teaches respect for others and opposite to the misguided belief, Islam does promote peace. Anyone who is not doing this is going against the teaching of Islam and will be accountable.

So if you wear Hijab remember why. We are only hear to worship and please Allah, if we correct our intention we will be rewarded every time we put it on inshallah. If you are a girl who wears hijab but dresses immodestly, remember the reason of the hijab. It is here to hide our beauty from those who may harm us and to protect us so wear it properly inshallah, we are diamonds so care for yourself as you would your diamond. And if you are a sister who doesn’t wear hijab then may Allah increase you imaan and give you the strength to follow this command inshallah.

Your Sister in Islam x

Dirty Money

Imagine this... You wake up and go to work, you have an easy job and you’re out all day working. At the end of the day, you get paid, but instead of just money, you also get a filthy swine. It follows you home and it runs around your house with you. Then when its time to eat you put it on the table and let all your family eat from it. You do this day after day. Anything you buy, from foods to clothes comes with another filthy swine that follows you 24/7 and whenever you are hungry you eat it! Disgusting right? I feel sick writing about it but it needs to be addressed so that’s what I’m going to do.
You would never work in a job that caused this repulsive effect nor would you want a member of your family to work in this kind of job because it would still affect your life. I know its gross but it is no way extreme. It is just a metaphor to describe the earning of a haram (forbidden and unlawful) income. There are so many people out there and around us getting quick and easy money in this way. Sadly, it is very common with our own Muslim brothers in our own community. Some examples of haram income include any money derived from:

· selling drugs or alcohol
· selling stolen goods
· fraud and cheating
· gambling
· claiming benefits through lying

The first one is too widespread and comes hand in hand with a life of crime. They know it is wrong, yet they shrug it off and make up sorry excuses about how hard life is and how it’s the only way. Balls to your excuses! Be a man…this life is a test and wealth is a test. Some people are given a lot of money and that is a test to see how they will spend it; others are not given as much to see if they are patient or if they will become weak and resort to haram means of income. Many people can’t find a job so give up easily and are caught up in this lifestyle. How are you going to use these lame excuses in front of your Lord? He gives us so much so how are we so ungrateful and how can we complain. Make dua; work hard no matter what job it is just make sure your money is halal. Only then will you see blessing in your wealth. Look at the quality, not the quantity. A man who works hard all day to provide for his family will have his past sins forgiven. A pound made honestly is blessed and worthy on the scale. We will not be judged by our worldly possessions.

There is no blessing in haram money only an abundance of sin that makes your whole life haram. Even if you are earning part halal, the haram money you earn causes the whole batch to be poisoned. Any food you eat that has been brought with this is then haram for you. Imagine, the swine! We wouldn’t eat a hamburger and we check ingredients for gelatine and the ‘V’ sign militantly but so easily do these people buy food and provisions for themselves and even worse their families! No prayers accepted, no acts of worship accepted. Then they have the nerve to complain about their lives and become angry. Always analyse your behaviour, Allah may be sending you a message or a reminder.

Do you wonder why these people go back repeatedly to this lifestyle? It is because their lives are empty. Their purpose of life is forgotten and they are only interested in pleasing people and selfishly thinking about themselves and this life. Although many will tell you they love Allah, some even pray but they use Him as a way of making them feel settled and balanced about their way of life. Allah doesn’t need our worship, we need the obedience for our own benefit.

Know your only purpose as a Muslim; to worship Allah, Lord of the universe. If you turn to him completely and sincerely and ask for his support and protection, he WILL help you. Purify your goal; having money is only a search for materialistic things, for worldly benefits. Just think of our own beloved prophet (s). He married his own daughter to the poorest man in the city! Because of his imaan. Do these people think they are better than him! Allah says even if you are poor, still get married and he will provide for you. It is sinful not to have children because of fear of poverty. Allah says he will provide for us. Alhamdulillah! How can we complain? This world will end and then you will have nothing unless you have thought about your hereafter and sent good deeds ahead. We all know its coming, don’t shake it off and never forget. Your goal should be Paradise, not a Bentley! An eternity of peace and harmony. Just sit back and think about Jannah. Close your eyes and really try to picture it (Although it will still be so much more beautiful than your mind can comprehend). Subhanallah! Allah has made it easy. If you are suffering or going through hardship and you are patient, Allah will reward you and expiate your sins through your pain.

‘Verily after hardship comes ease’

Do not forget this and don’t let your brothers forget this because even one pound of haram will ruin you. If you are involved in this life or know someone who is, then remind them and explain this to them. Look at what you have and remember we are blessed compared to millions of our Muslims suffering in the third world. Allah knows what you conceal and what you reveal so don’t think you can fool Him and don’t think any excuse you may be making will be worthy on that day. Ask sincerely for repentance and guidance. Don’t despair because Allah forgives all sins. Don’t fear people because they will never care about you no matter how much you do for them. Fear Allah alone and you will be successful in both this life and the next Inshallah.

May Allah guide our youth so that they may understand and come away from this life and may he bless us with halal provisions.

Your Sister in Islam x

The Purest Love

How long could you love someone if you gave them so much, even without them asking, if you gave them chance after chance but they never fulfilled your wishes or listened to you, if they only came to you when they were desperate and never thanked you or appreciated you?
We would never be able to love someone who treated us like this! To love someone truly you have to feel appreciated and be able to take rather than be giving all the time.

But think about your Lord, about Allah, the most compassionate, the most merciful. Even though the majority of us are like this, He still gives us so much every day! He gives us another day, food and water, safety, health and so many other blessing yet we walk around without giving it thought. We think we are self-sufficient and that we have made it through today because of our own doings. Think again!

I hate it when people say life is rubbish and who moan all the time about their situation. What can we expect when our relationship with our creator is like that mentioned above? Whatever you are going through is due to your own doings. Evaluate your life, your worship and your closeness to Allah. Are you doing the things that he has commanded us to do? Are we praying and being kind to our parents? If we are not doing these basic things then how can we expect true happiness and peace in our lives? Allah will keep on giving; the doors of forgiveness are always open and he will never give up on you so don’t give up on yourselves. Love him, talk to him. He is the only one who you can trust, who will truly understand you and lift you out of dark times. When we have this relationship with our Lord then we will be able to tackle anything.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Allah, the Exalted, has said: `I will declare war against him who treats with hostility a pious worshipper of Mine. And the most beloved thing with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him (obligatory acions); and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) until I love him, (so much so that) I become his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me something, I will surely give him, and if he seeks My Protection, I will surely protect him".[Al-Bukhari]

Subhanallah! Who wouldn’t want this? A true friend who won’t let you down. But this is a relationship and we have to meet our end of the covenant to see the benefits inshallah. We are here to worship Allah so fulfil your purpose and enjoy the blessings he has given you. Don’t just say you love him because talk is cheap, actions are what will show this love and make it real. You wouldn’t appreciate or believe it if someone pronounced their love for you but did nothing to please you, or if they had your name all over their house and only ever angered you!

Life is full of ups and downs but if you have this love for your Lord you will realise that these hard times only bring you closer to Allah because he is only testing you, cleansing you of your sins and giving you the opportunity to draw closer to him and ask him for help. He never places a burden on anyone greater than they have the strength to bear and he promises that after hardship comes ease. Never forget that this life is just the journey towards our eternity and in the hereafter we will be with those who we love, so make sure we love the right one.

I have only realised this amazing blessing through Allah’s tests and guidance for me. All praise is due to him and there is no one worthy of worship or sacrifice but Him. So don’t waste your time pleasing those around you and turn to Him completely. Remember we need him to love us but he is not in need of anything.

Your Sister in Islam x

Where have all the brothers gone?

Seriously it’s like the brothers just get stuck in boy world and can’t enter manhood!
An inspirational speaker once said this and it has stuck with me:

‘The warrior has to be built long before the fight begins’

I don’t mean this in the literal sense but in the way that they need to be trained from a young age to face the fight and struggle that we all know life is. The majority of boys are not brought up to be warriors. They are wrapped in cotton wool and mothered into their twenties. Then when arrives the responsibility of becoming a man and eventually get married, they can’t handle it. They run away like small children and close their eyes hoping it will all go away. It’s a sad and worrying problem for all society and especially for me and my Muslim sisters out there!
Our beloved prophet (s) was a great warrior. Even the Quraysh would say that he was the most merciful and trustworthy man ever but when he had to, he would defend his people and defend Islam. He was no coward and most definitely not weak.

What I see around me is a lack of responsibility and courage. They are strong when it comes to gang fights but when faced with a real problem this strength turns into cowardliness. These are Muslim boys, who are supposed to be the leaders of our families and more importantly the Ummah. However, all they are interested in is the street and having that ‘reputation’. Education is pushed aside and its all about having the best-looking car, the shiniest chain, the biggest biceps and the most money (whether this is halal or not). It’s fake and immature and won’t get them anywhere! Some claim to be ‘stuck’ and ‘this is the only way’. Pfffff, sorry but this life is a choice. Be a man and deal with it because no one feels sorry for you but yourself. If you can get yourself in you can get yourself out. Do what it takes, you only have Allah to fear. But sadly the religion is far from their hearts and practicing is something saved for old age.
Love is a disease and marriage is just kids.

See if we brought up our sons and youth to be warriors we wouldn’t have this problem. If we engraved the Deen into their hearts as it should be, if we made the prayer part of their life and if they truly feared Allah all mighty then they would be ready for life. They would be ready for the fight and on the way to success in this life and the hereafter inshallah. They should emulate the Prophet (s), only then will they have the courage to enter manhood. They say boys don’t mature until later but why is this? It’s because of their upbringing, because we are not building warriors. The prophet (s) was 20 when he married Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her)! Times change but this is one thing that has definitely changed for the worse and needs to be amended.

If you have sons, small brothers and cousins then start training them now. Give them responsibilities, teach them discipline, make them love education and learning and most importantly make them love Islam and fear Allah. Make them leaders and get them ready for their future of hardships and responsibilities!

I’m not generalising all men. Alhamdulillah we have many brothers who are on the right path but it is not enough and the majority of our brothers are far from it and need a kick in the right direction!

May Allah guide all our brothers who love money more than the Deen and make them into warriors :)

Your sister in Islam x

What Happened to Unity?

The spirit and belief that Islam thrives on has left the peoples hearts. The blessings that Allah has bestowed on us are not appreciated or used to our advantage. Everyone wants instant results and success in this life but how often do we think about the hereafter.

We are living in this country, Alhamdulillah be thankful for what we have been blessed with:

• free education
• free healthcare
• jobs
• houses
• And most importantly the freedom to practice Islam!

However, instead of using these to our advantage and using the tools that we have been provided with in order to increase our worldly and Islamic knowledge and to spread Islam. Instead we have people who create division and conflict amongst the society. We are living in a time where Islam is given many disheartening and false stereotypes and the last thing this Ummah needs is groups promoting this type of behaviour and encouraging the non-Muslims to speak of all Muslims as terrorists and extremists. Instead of reviving the spirit of Islam and informing the non-Muslims of the truth of Islam, these groups of people are causing further problems for the Ummah.

In no way am I implying that Islam is not a complete way of life as it most definitely is. It tells us everything from how to welcome a newborn to how to deal with the criminal court and financial systems. Living under Islamic jurisdiction is every believers hope Inshallah. However, there is a methodology to bringing this about and the methods being used in our communities today are not promoting Islam but only thinking about the big picture and pushing the actual faith aside.

We have been put in a society by the grace of Allah where we can spread the light of imaan and easily let every single non-Muslim know that Islam is a religion of peace and spread the truth. Every person has this right, to know the truth but we don’t see this happening. We want to cause enmity with the rulers and waste this opportunity for dawah and the revival of Islam.

“Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves”

''Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea because of what peoples hands have earned, so He (Allah) may let them taste part of the consequence of what they did, that perhaps they will return to the right path'' (30:41)

Have we ever stopped to think that this is why the ummah is opressed and why there are muslims suffering? We have brought it on ourselves. Very few know about the deen, very few muslims actually obey allah and the messenger, so how can we expect mercy from Allah when our brothers and sisters have no taqwa?
All the Ummah do is blame their society and the government but it is a sorry excuse that is just not good enough!

The non-Muslims already know that the Muslims are a strong Ummah and will undoubtedly defend the religion just as we did when they made the blasphemes cartoons about our beloved prophet (s). Together we boycotted Danish goods, which hugely affected their economy. That unity should be constant. We are all calling for different things. We need to go back to basics and remember the true meaning of Islam, which is complete submission to Allah. And this is what we should be promoting first and foremost and all together. If our Ummah truly feared Allah and knew of the beauties of paradise and the eternity of tranquillity that awaits the believers, then they would definitely sacrifice this world and enter Islam fully.

If we really want to help our oppressed brothers and sisters, shouldn’t we be working with the government to utilise the resources to our advantage instead of creating further conflict? Shouldn’t we be trying to revive the Ummah and analyse our families and ourselves? Shouldn’t we be teaching our children, the youth, the elders and our neighbours about the truth of Islam?
They say that there is no point doing dawah because people are weak and are drawn into the society. But isn’t that the test? How can we reject the commandment of Allah because people may not obey? Did any of the messengers have this attitude?

“But if they turn away (Oh Muhammad). We have not sent you as a protector over them. Your duty is to convey the message” (42:48)

My dear brothers and sisters, know your Deen. Go back to basics. Perfect your imaan and convey the message of Islam. It is our duty as Muslims. Reverting everyone is not out goal, Allah guides whom he will. We are only here to convey and make sure everyone understands that Islam is a religion of peace. If we really want to live under an Islamic law then let us go back. Let us unite and get our brothers and sisters off the streets. Let us be the best of people like the Muslims once were and let us show the world this Islamic character. And inshallah when the non-Muslims see this character and the brotherhood of the Muslims they will run to the Deen and defend it with us.

Stop blaming the environment, stop blaming the non-Muslims, take responsibility for your actions and take control over your life. Do not wait for the world to get better and the Muslims to lead because we don’t know when we will have to return to Allah. We wont succeed until we change our hearts. Revive your Imaan and turn to Allah in sincere repentance. Use the resources that He has given you and spread the only true word. Only then, will Allah help the Muslims and make us world leaders once more.

Your Sister in Islam x