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