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Deen (Religion)


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Deen (Religion)

ALHAMDULILAH FOR BASIC NECESSITIES #WEEK 1 CHALLENGE

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So…we agreed to have a weekly list of the things we are grateful for this Ramadhan. This first week was on basic necessities and the following is what I came up with.

DAY 1: This year is perhaps the toughest for many people. We lost so many of our friends, colleagues, relatives. Some died from Dengu fever while others died from Hepatitis. Some died in accidents while others had sudden deaths. This is my first year where I feared my own death more than any other. It is still my first time to see so many of my age mates go to Allah all of a sudden. It scared me that I wouldn’t live to see Ramadhan or even repent properly. It scared me to have to face Allah with so many faults still inscribed in my book. Today I look at this day as a gift from Allah. So many thought they would live to today. So many wished they witnessed another Ramadhan…but unfortunately they didn’t. How then can I not say alhamdulilah for breathing? For being alive? Alhamdulilah for the gift of life. It is only by Allah’s mercy that He granted me another chance to repent and get closer to Him.May Allah shower His mercy upon all those who left us and may He grant them and us too, His highest level of jannah. May He grant us many more Ramadhans in shaa Allah ?

DAY 2: As I sat on the table during iftar, I looked at my plate full of food. Not just food; a variety of it. From the sweet stuff to the salty to the main food. I looked at it and remembered how many years now so many Muslims in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libnan and many other countries have NOTHING to break their fast. Not even a morsel of bread. Not even a drop of water or a single date. As I keep filling my stomach each and every other day, these people do not even remember the smell of food let alone of it’s taste. Yet they still fast, yet they still wake up for suhoor; not to eat but to pray to Allah. Yet they still worship Allah day and night. The old amongst them and the children too. Ya Allah, thank you for the blessing of food that you give us in abundance.

DAY 3: I read a book on fatawas on Muslim women today. It was enlightening and I learnt some notable things. Being able to get education is another blessing of it’s own. Many wish they could understand the qur’an and the deen yet they lack the basic knowledge to do so. Alhamdulilah for this ne3ma. May He make us amongst those who seek His knowledge (of deen…and dunya too).

DAY 4: Swalatul Taraweh has it’s own wonderful feeling. The tranquility, the amazing recitation of the qur’an, seeing the many people in the masjid lined up all praying to one Lord. All this I can just watch at the comfort of my own home, under a nice shelter as I am seated on a comfortable coach. Alhamdulilah for our humble homes. Alhamdulilah for a roof that doesn’t leak, for a house that is filled with furniture to make us relax better. Alhamdulilah for all that we have that others don’t.

DAY 5: Alhamdulilah foe electricity. I consider electricity a basic necessity because the modern world depends on it a lot. I imagine how it would be like if we lived many years back; breaking the fast in total darkness or partial. Right now we have so much light everywhere alhamdulilah. On the streets, in our homes, in our neighbourhoods. We can eat peacefully and in a more comfortable way. We can pray taraweh and tahajjud using the speakers in the masjids and come back home safely. We can wake up for suhoor and eat without a problem. Alhamdulilah for this noor in our lives.

DAY 6: Mashallah as early as now, some people have already bought eid dresses and kanzus. I look into my wardrobe and I see abundance. I have what to wear today and tomorrow and the next day and the next next. Alhamdulilah. We are privileged. I am privileged and blessed for the variety of clothing for both warm and cold seasons. For eid and for weddings. For all kind of events. Alhamdulilah.

DAY 7: Alhamdulilah…it is already the end of the first week. Subhanallah how time flies. But I am grateful to have experienced the end of the first week. That I have my sight and my hearing that are guiding me to publish my #Alhamdulilah list right now. That I am healthy and all my body parts are functioning. Alhamdulilah for all my physical parts.

As we begin the second week I would like to remind you that it is not too late to write your own list. This following week in shaa Allah we are writing on: #Alhamdulilah For Family ties
I hope you will try and participate this time round. You don’t have to post it if you don’t wish to. You can as well thank Allah directly every single day for a different thing. Don’t miss out on this amazing mini-project! Till end of next week in shaa Allah, stay blessed ?

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WHY WE DESPERATELY NEED A MOON-SIGHTING SOLUTION IN KENYA

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Everything about Ramadhan in Kenya is beautiful except one thing: moon sighting. It is confusing and even more annoying how we allow it to cause divisions between us. Year in year out we have heard the SAME.ISSUES over and over again.
1. Someone sighted the moon but the kadhi’s phone was off
2. People sending pictures of the moon on their first day of fasting and saying that it is thicker than ‘yesterday’as a proof that it is indeed the first day
3. The kadhi is just following the government dates with the name ‘chief kazi’
4. The moon has been sighted in areas in Kenya but the kadhi wouldn’t agree to it.

This has been the same theory every beginning and end of Ramadhan. I am not about to take sides because I am among the people who are very saddened by these misunderstandings of sharia. I also want to eagerly learn shariah and a student of deen listens and not mocks.

My teachers in deen, majority of them follow the moon seen anywhere in the world. Yet whenever they taught about this issue they made it clear that although they follow the world, there are fatawas of different ulamaas all over the world including Ibn Uthaymeen who agreed that each country should follow their own moon. This includes the lajna (council) of Suudiya which also gave their fatwa that each country should follow their own country and not specifically follow them. As such we became a world divided thrice when it comes to moon sighting:
Those who follow the kadhi i.e. their own countries
Those who follow Suudiya
Those who follow the whole world
Of which the first and the third ideologies are the strongest since following Suudiya alone has been declared wrong by the sheikhs of there already.

Nonetheless it is very clear that this issue won’t be resolved anytime soon or ever at all. All we have to do is respect our different views but it would have been better if we had very serious moon sighting procedures. Those who claim to have called the kadhi every year and never find him, we need to really find out how that happens. How true is it? Perhaps we should have a lajna too such that other respectable people together alongside the regional kadhis and the chief kadhi can be contacted and not specifically him alone.

When it comes to sending photos of the moon after the end of the first day, when the moon was ‘seen’ the previous day where were all those smart phones and nikon cameras? Alhamdulilah Allah has blessed us with technology, if the Kadhi is not picking the phone then why not take the photos and show the proof on that same day instead of the next day?

To add on that the prophet peace be upon him never asked us to check the thickness of the moon but the sight of it. Be it here or anywhere else that you follow please do understand that the thickness of the moon can never be used as a justification that the moon has been seen. The moon is one the entire world but it is seen in some places and that is the hikma of Allah that some places the moon is covered by the clouds and unseen. Plus there are longitudinal differences for example We and Suudiya have the same time based on the longitudes but our prayer timings are different (based on lunar calendar). Even a closer example is how we in Mombasa can pray 10/15 minutes before Nairobi and when we go further on the longitude the later they pray than us. So the problem here is that we haven’t understood the lunar calendar and learnt its details and the hikmah of it. Imagine people in Europe who are fasting in summer it comes up to 18/19 hours of fasting. When Ramadhan falls on winter they fast for about 6 hours. So Ramadhan keeps rotating and they get to fast longer and shorter hours every year. That is the hikmah of Allah. Imagine if Ramadhan followed the solar calendar, it would be fixed seasons such that some fasted permanently on longer hours than others and some would not be able to fast at all. What about the North and South pole? They have 6 months of sunshine how would they be fasting continuously if it was based on solar timings? How unfair would that be?

So from that the hadith didn’t say about how big the moon is but fasting according to the sight of it.

Again what one of my teachers of deen said of how he used to follow the kadhi yet he changed to following the entire world after his further studies in Shariah. And every other sheikh has their own reasons for following whichever country they do but one thing they keep saying is that we shouldn’t fight in this holy month because of that. The kadhi does not make his decisions alone. This is a huge responsibility on his shoulders and it won’t be easy to just make reckless decisions as many assume. And whatever his decisions he very well knows that he takes full responsibility of the ummah. He is someone’s parent, brother and son so let’s stop abusing him.

What we desperately need right now is the ulamaas in Kenya to have a conference and come with a serious solution on how moon sighting should take place such that the Kenyans themselves can be satisfied with the procedures. This would involve the different regional kadhis as well and the scholars amongst us. Perhaps they should have more trusted people allocated in the interior areas as informants of the moon. I really dream of something like this to happen. How wonderful would it be if fatwas were given and we are all able to fast and break it together. We should borrow a leaf from Abu dhabi who used to follow Suudiya previously yet this time they decided to form their own council consisting of sheikhs and scholars of astronomy to record the sighting of the moon in their own area including the interior parts. Yesterday it wasn’t until 8 p.m after they confirmed that it has been sighted in their area is when they announced the beginning of Ramadhan.

The prophet peace be upon him said that divisions will be among the signs of qiyamah…so yes, they were bound to happen whether we want it or not. Let us just pray that Allah guides us into making the right decisions and forgiving us for taking wrong steps. For most of us who are arguing about it are not even in the least bit knowledgeable in matters of deen or even understand geography. Follow whichever country or sheikh you want but don’t get abusive. The arguments are becoming too lame now. Nothing new to talk about; same old claims always. No one is being threatened with a gun to follow anyone. Let us start the Ramadhan peacefully and end it in the same way in shaa Allah. Moon sighting should not be moon fighting. We are one people. Such differences should not be a reason for non Muslims to laugh or mock us for it. May Allah easen for us and grant us the ability to do lots of ibadah and have the knowledge of deen. May He accept our deeds and forgive us our misdeeds. Ameen.

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POWER OF PROSTRATION

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By: Lali Suleiman Lali

Photo Courtesy: http://www.ramazannezaman.com/

Sujood – Prostration Have you ever wondered when to talk out yourself to your Lord, The Creator of The Universe?
Well, we’re about to discuss that, but before we do, you should know what makes you want to talk to Allah. Allah says in the Holy Quran; “I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me. I seek no livelihood from them, nor do I ask that they should feed Me. Indeed Allah! He is that giveth livelihood, the Lord of Unbreakable Might.” (Surat Dhaariyat,Verse 56 – 58).

Allah created us on a purpose that we worship Him and supplicate to Him only so that He provides the necessities of the life.He has granted us. Allah (SW) also highlights that demanding us to worship Him doesn’t at any level make Him inferior or needy of any favors from His creation, in fact, He possesses undefeatable powers over everything we’ve ever and never known. We find here that we are in need of Allah’s mercy and provision of livelihood and so we ought to find a perfect way to beg for His acceptance. Prostration (Sujood) is the only perfect position to talk to Allah on several points from which we’ll outline a few herewith.

First and foremost, it’s the closest place you can ever be to Allah, wherever you are. This has been approved by a prophetic hadith; Narrated by Abu Hurayra (RA) that the Prophet (SAW) said, “The closest a slave can get to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so increase supplications”.

Secondly, considering that we all need to supplicate (beg) to Allah, Sujood is the lowest, weakest and most submissive level a slave could drop for His Master. This affirms we’ve surrendered to Allah’s power and it purifies our intentions on what we beg from Him. Allah describes the reaction of several Prophets and Messengers he earlier mentioned in Surat Maryam; “…….When the revelations of the Beneficent were recited unto them, they fell down, adoring and weeping.” (Surat Maryam, End of Verse 58).

Sujood, being the closest and most submissive point, it therefore strengthens the relationship between us and Allah hence Allah is more likely to grant guidance, forgiveness, mercy and finally Jannah (May Allah make us among people of Jannah). A hadith narrated by Thawbaan (A freed slave of the Messenger of Allah) “You frequently need to prostrate to Allah, for you’ll not make one prostration to Allah but He raises you by degrees and erases sins from you” So brothers and sisters, what makes us hasten our Sujood? We seem to prioritize our worldly affairs over our relationship with Allah. The businesses that you run after in this world are doomed if Allah doesn’t bless them for you and all that comes from the Sujood itself. For every Rakaa you make in your prayers, you have two opportunities to talk to your Lord and ask whatever it is you wish you had (Subhaanallah) yet we hasten to make the conversation between us and Allah as short as possible. There is this common act most of us are used to; we arrive at the Masjid and find the Imam on prostration and we’re like, “Oh! That Rakaa’s gone; I’ll wait for the Imam to rise again” How about the Sujood? If you prostrate with the Imam in that Rakaa that you’ve missed, you get rewarded for the Sujood you’ll make and you still get a bonus chance to make supplications to Allah. (This doesn’t certify missing rakaas so you go for bonus Sujood). Why would you miss Takbeerat-ul-Ihram after all? What I’m trying to elucidate is “Never miss a chance to get close to Allah”

Sujood mainly comprises praising and glorifying Allah. Several body parts are involved in it including forehead, nose, both hands, knees and all toes embracing the ground. In Sujood, allow yourself to be mostly present and cognizant about what you are actually doing and what it is that you should be saying. Realize that you are at your lowest state in front of your Lord, The Most High when saying; ﺳﺒﺤﺎﻥ ﺭﺑﻲ ﺍﻷﻋﻠﻰ (preferably three 3 times or more, one time is obligatory). It has been approved by scholars that it’s best to add; ﺳﺒﺤﺎﻧﻚ ﺍﻟﻠﻬﻢ ﺭﺑﻨﺎ ﻭﺑﺤﻤﺪﻙ ، ﺍﻟﻠﻬﻢ ﺍﻏﻔﺮ ﻟﻲ (Subhaanak Allahumma Wa Bihamdik, Allahumma Ghfir Liy) “Glory and Praise be to You Oh Allah, our Lord, Oh Allah forgive me. Then make as many supplications (Dua) as possible knowing that Allah listens to each one of them.

Before I end this, please don’t forget your parents in your supplications. A hadith by Abu Hurayra (RA) that the Messenger of Allah said; “A person is raised by degrees in Jannah and he asks, ‘What is this for?’ and he will be told, ‘This is from forgiveness asked for you by your child’ Authenticated by Al Albani. So whenever in Sujood, Ask Allah to forgive our parents by making this supplication; ﺍﻟﻠَّﻬُﻢَّ ﺍﻏْﻔِﺮْﻟِﻲ ﻭَﻟِﻮَﺍﻟِﺪَﻱَّ ، ﺭَﺏِّ ﺍﺭْﺣَﻤْﻬُﻤَﺎ ﻛَﻤَﺎ ﺭَﺑَّﻴَﺎﻧِﻲ ﺻَﻐِﻴﺮًﺍ (Allahumma Ghfir Liy Wa Liwaalidayya, Rabbi Irhamhuma Kamaa Rabbayaani Sagheera) -Oh Allah grant me forgiveness and to my parents, my Lord have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small.) “Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Majesty, from that which they (evilly) attribute (unto Him), and peace be unto those sent (Messengers), and praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!” (Surat Saaffaat, Verses 180 – 182)

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TEACHING; THE BEST PROFESSION FOR MUSLIMAHS

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By: Maliha Karama

Photo Courtesy: islamic-art-and-quotes.tumblr.com

بسم الّله الرّحمان الرّحيم.

Ooh Our Ummah, Our Boat is sinking!!!
We all need to Motivate Women to learn, The Society lacks Female Muslims Teachers Its So Sad & Such A Shame??
Its very disappointing today hearing about such issues, Like out of 1000 Teachers only 10 are Muslims and less than 3 are Female, Out of 700 Students only 1 is A Female muslim, Sub’haanALLAH Its So Heartbreaking?

The Ummah The Ummah Where are we heading to??!
I.R.E being taught by Non-Muslims? Shocked ryt??! Well that’s the Bitter truth!!!

We sit and start complaining about our muslims children values Their Negative thoughts, Negative behaviour & So on…
Bt lets Face The truth The Reality, What do we expect when even Islamic Subjects are being taught by Non-Muslims Teachers?!!

Ooh Our Ummah Lets Save ourselvs!!!
In Islaam The First 5 verses which were revealed to our Beloved Prophet Muhammad 3alayhi Sswalaatu wa Ssalaam was about Learning ;
قال الّله تعالى: {اِقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ* خَلَقَ اْلإِنْسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ* اِ قْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ اْلأَكْرَمُ* الَّذِى عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ* عَلَّمَ اْلإِنْسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ}

This proves importance of Learning & if it wasn’t so then ALLAH Sub’haanahu wa Ta3aala could have started this deen with something else.
Through Learning we know our GOD, We know how To Worship ALLAH, We know about The whole Islaam & how to be Humans.

Ooh Our Ummah is in A Dangerous Position!!!?
Please Spread The Message, We must learn nd also Teach our Ummah in Madrasa nd Schools. We need Female Muslims Teachers Especially in Girls Schools!
Lets not point fingers at each other but Be United?? and think about our Ummah!!!
Spread The message all out there…

Lets Learn Teaching skills and have our own rules as Muslim Society nd have our own Islamic Programs.
Well AlhamduliLLAH We Already have our own Academic Programs of Teaching skills at Madrasatul Munawwarah (DIPLOMA & DEGREE IN TEACHER TRAINING) Don’t be late again Spread The Message and lets all benefit from each other.

Ooh Our Ummah!!! We need to Wake up now ITS NEVER TOO LATE!
Its A duty to seek knowledge upon Every Muslim Male or Female.
قال صلّى الّله عليه وسلّم: (طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ) قال الشّيخ الألباني رحمه الّله: [حديث صحيح].
Be it Ur Daughter, Sister or Wife, Plzzz let her join The AL-MUNAWWARAH COLLEGE Of Teaching Training.
The Teaching Profession is A Noble one, Infact Its The job of All Prophets including Our Beloved Prophet Muhammad 3alayhi Sswalaatu wa Ssalaam who was The Best Teacher Ever!!!
A Teacher Is A Role model whom we all look upto, A Teacher is A Person who is always Respected by The Society, Even Students Pray for you, How Sweet ❤

Women Should know their roles nd take their part in The Society
وصدق من قال: “اَلْمَرْأَةُ قَلْبُ الْمُجْتَمَع إِذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الْمُجْتَمَعُ كُلَّهُ وَإِذَا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الْمُجْتَمَعُ كُلَّهُ”
A Woman plays an Important role in Ummah, She can make or break The Society So she needs to learn in order to Make, Improve & Build up The Better Ummah Bi IdhniLLAH
يقول الشّاعر الكبير حافظ إبراهيم رحمه الّله:
اَلأُمُّ مَدْرَسَةٌ إِذَا أَعْدَدتَهَا* أَعْدَدْتَ شَعْبًا طَيِّبَ الأَعْرَاقِ.
ِ

Ooh Our Ummah is losing control, Side by side lets all come together, Help one another nd Never ever discourage each other!!!
Its not always about money (High Salary) NO WAY❌ But its about Salary of Aakhera (The Reward) Its about Getting Positive Results
Its all about saving Our Ummah!!!
Just think if u teach something to someone about deen & he or she practise it does something good nd teaches someone else, nd this continues then ur Rewards will be endless cz u get rewards for all those whom will practise what u taught. The Rewards will be there even after ur dead, Its like Swadaqatul Jaariyah Sub’haanALLAH How Great is this… Jst think about it?
قال صلّى الّله عليه وسلّم: (إِذَا مَاتَ الْعَبْدُ اِنْقَطَعَ عَنْهُ عَمَلُهُ إِلاّ مِنْ ثَلاَثٍ، صَدَقَةٍ جَارِيَةٍ، أَوْ عِلْمٍ يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ، أَوْ وَلَدٍ صَالِحٍ يَدْعُوا لَهُ) قال الشّيخ الألباني: [حديث صحيح]. َ

Ooh Our Ummah, Our Ummah is losing Focus!!! Lets jst not sit keep watching all this doing nothing, infact Lets Save, Protect our Ummah & Guide each other through all our Lives!
Lets be Serious nd not take this issue A Lightly matter
Remember We are all RESPONSIBLE cz for Surely We will all be asked by ALLAH 1 DAY nd We will Have to Answer!!!
What Answers will we give❓
Which reasons will we bring❓❗
How will we Defend Ourselvs❓❗❗

Our Ummah Our Ummah..!!!
Nway As they say “Better Late than Never”
Lets take Action & Save Our Ummah‼‼‼
Through Learning and Practising We’ll Create A Difference!!!

May ALLAH Forgive us, Guide us all and Protect Our Ummah (Ameeen Yaa Rabb)
وصلّى الّله وسلّم على سيّدنا محمّد وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدّين.

Wassalamu 3alaykum WarahmatuLLAHI Wabarakaatuh.

Shukran.
©M.K.

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NO ONE IS ACTUALLY SAFE

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Photo Courtesy: www.ayeina.com

Angel? Pious? Sheikh with the longest beard? Muslimah with the longest jilbab? Innocent? Too holy? Sweetheart, no one is actually safe from hellfire. NO ONE; not even that sheikh you really admire or that lady who is the kindest on earth. We are all to live in that kind of suspense till the end of times so the question here is, are we ready?

One thing you should keep in mind is that you are no more pious than anyone else. I’ve met people who barely know what deen really requires from them yet they have best of manners, pure souls and very kind to humanity. However still, i’ve met people with so much knowledge of deen such that if you drank from their wells of knowledge it is like a drop of the ocean subhanaAllah, you can never get their full cup yet when you look at their character, you will wish you never knew about them.

We all do mistakes and we sin and we cry to Allah for mercy and He forgives us then we sin again. The cycle of sinning goes on like that. That is why we are called ‘insaan’ for we keep forgetting that without Allah’s mercy upon us we would all perish. Imagine how life would be if we are to be punished for all our mistakes including the slip of the tongue…and the punishment comes immediately. If you look at the wrong thing Allah takes away your sight right there and then. If you go to a wrong place, you lose your legs. Just imagine if it were so…would any one of us be alive still? All of us would have lost all our body parts and at the very end lose our hearts too except the prophets that is. But Allah Subhanahu wataala is Merciful that’s why He has given us countless chances to cry and repent to Him.

We live in this world yet we don’t know what will be the reason for us to go to jannah or even hellfire. It could be the duas of that lady you helped during hardship that will make Allah to send you to jannah yet it could be that with all the deen you have, go to hellfire because of someone you wronged and never forgave you.

Who are we to be arrogant over others really? What guarantee does any of us have of where their place will be? And sadly, we have several pious men and women who think so highly of themselves such that when they see you they already judge you and stigmatize you because ‘you are not one of them’. You know them right? They consider themselves ahlul jannah…so they look at you, size you up and just decide, ‘this is a jahannam material.’ Seriously?? How does someone ever have such confidence on such issues? Haven’t we seen so pious people dying at kuffr while so evil people turning tables and being so close to Allah?? Shaitan’s example is the best whereby he used to be very pious such that they used to call him ‘abu ssajda’ due to his frequent sujuud yet he ended up being the greatest enemy of Islam because of his arrogance when he refused to make sujuud for our father Adam Aleyhi ssalam. So how do you rise your nose with arrogance yet none of us knows how our end will be? Allah S.W. says in the qur’an: ‘So ascribe not purity to yourselves. He knows best him who fears Allah and keep his duty to Him (Surah An-najm: 32)

Hear what we are told of the hellfire: In a hadith (saying of the Prophet) the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) said that the heat of the Hellfire is multiplied 70 times compared to the fire of this world (Saheeh Bukhari). If right now we are complaining of the sun heat and can barely touch the stove flame, aren’t we scared of this inferno? The food of the people of Hell will be from the tree of Zaqqum, which will boil the intestines like scalding water. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ mentioned that if a drop of Zaqqum would have fallen on this Earth, it would ruin every provision on earth. Now, how about those who will have to eat from it? The drink of the inhabitants of hell will be boiling water, and a disgusting boiling fluid made of pus and blood. Allah S.W. says: ”O you who believe! Save yourselves and your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded.” (Qur’an 66:6)

The descriptions of hellfire go on and on and subhanaLlah how can we even be comfortable with our lives when all we do is point fingers at who is not as pious as we consider ourselves?? Again, NO ONE is safe dear brother and sister. Not me, not you. We are all under the mercy of Allah who has the choice of forgiving us or sending us to hellfire. May Allah guide us Ya Rab. May He guide us always and may he grant us his jannah and protect us from hellfire in shaa Allah!

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HIJABAES <3

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Photo Courtesy: Arafat Abdulrehman

If I told you the ladies above are Christians would you believe me? Do they look anything close to ‘oppressed’ or ‘denied their freedom’? Do they look unhappy or even near discomfort?? You’ve got the answer! 🙂

On Monday the 29th of February, the Muslim union of MTTI university (Mombasa Technical Training Institute) held an amazing project that involved calling non Muslims to come try out the Hijab and give their opinion of it. Mashallah around 17 ladies appeared and they seemed excited in the hijab. The project manager; Rayhan Suleiman in co-ordination with the chairman; Ahmed Abubakar, Photographer; Arafat Abdulrehman and several other Muslims appeared at the event to offer support and to tie the non Muslims the hijabs.

Don’t ask me the level of excitement. It’s all in their faces and their comments were just beautiful:

“I believe that Muslim ladies are really disciplined for most of them have beautiful hair yet they decide to wear it and cover themselves…and that, really requires discipline.”

“I really feel comfortable in the hijab and i feel beautiful”

“The hijab is a cover that Muslim ladies cover their hair with and they look decent in it which is why I admire it.”

“I feel comfy in the hijab”

“I want to take this hijab with me, is it possible??”

“The hijab makes me feel fully covered.”

“The hijab is usually worn by Muslims to show their dignity.”

If you heard all the comments then you’d really want to hug each one of them and tell them, “Sweetheart, THIS, is Islam!” All the Christians left with the hijabs and they left the Muslims with nothing than the big smiles for a job well done.

Who said to do daa’wah you have to a scholar in deen? All you have to own is the Islamic identity and have a soul that can attract others to Islam.

Mashallah for the nice performance by the Muslim Union of MTTI especially this being their very first Islamic project! May Allah bless all those who took their time and energy to be present and offer support. As for these pretty hijabaes over here, may Allah guide you to Islam and may you discover the real beauty of being in hijab. Ameen!

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WHICH OF YOUR LORD’S FAVOURS WILL YOU DENY??

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While some people are born in the luxury of a rich family someone else is born in the streets.
While some people are lucky enough to have been breastfed by their mothers, some don’t know their mothers’ names. While some people are born to a fancy life of bread, cheese and butter, some are born with Kwashiorkor and Marasmus.
While some are born to immediately learn the world of internet, cartoons and play station, some are born to learn the world of drought, hunger and poverty.
While some people’s biggest problem is not knowing what latest car model they should buy, some people can’t even define in words which is their biggest problem.

We tend to take so many things in our lives for granted; like how much Allah has blessed us. Not just blessed us but REALLY blessed us. We complain and whine over the small tests sent to us yet we forget about the people less advantaged than us. However hard your battle is, do know there are millions of people facing harder problems than you are. Keep reminding yourself of the people in Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Yemen; people who have never seen fireworks in their lives except the fire from bombs and grenades. Remind yourself of people in drought areas, people living in what they call a ‘house’ yet all rain pours in. Remind yourself of the homeless and the ones fighting for their lives in hospitals.

Indeed we are ungrateful beings SubhanaLlah. Who are we to even think about complaining let alone speak it out? We keep denying God’s favours and once we succeed, we walk tall forgetting by whose grace we are where we are. We forget where we came from; where we started. We forget to help those more unfortunate than we are; we forget that this world is nothing but a number of days. We forget that Allah never charged us for His air, for our hearing or our sight.

While you get really annoyed because you couldn’t get the dinner you wanted, or your payment is late do remember that many wish they could have anything to eat or even money to wait for. Do know you ARE indeed lucky; luckier than those who consider themselves lucky. And ironically, the people suffering mostly are the ones appreciating the smallest of things in their lives; treasuring the fact that they are alive, that they have their limbs or that they have their parents with them. Because for them, they very well understand that this is a test from Allah and that they will be paid for their patience. They remain strong and have faith in Allah and all their tongues utter is ‘alhamdulilah ala kul hal’. While those of us with greater blessings, we forget everything at the smallest test we get into.

May Allah guide us and grant us patient hearts and souls that help others more and more. May He easen all our troubles and for all mankind who are going through more difficult times than we are.

Parting shot: Which of your Lord’s favours will you deny??

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NIKAH VS ZINAA: WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO THE RELIGION?

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In this era, a wedding’s expenses could cost you a life time debt and maybe even after you die, your children coming after you will still have to continue with the payment. Just the preparation of the bride could take around a hundred thousand Kenyan Shillings; her gown, her shoes, the henna, the make-up, the hair stylist, the new clothes, the jewellery and so much more. Then comes the dowry whereby a lady or maybe the family could demand for another three to five hundred thousand and some demand for as much as a million; maybe she sweats udd who knows? lol After that comes the walimah itself and we have the lunch event, the night event with so glorified names that if you have never attended such, you would be curious to attend one. When it comes to the feeding celebrations, now that is where no one wants to be left behind. Everyone wants their wedding to be the one to be talked about forever. They will decorate the hall excessively; forgetting that it is just some countable hours’ event. They will ensure there is a variety of food that may remain till the end of the week and even feed a whole ummah from it. Well I am sure even as reading this, some people would be cursing me inside and saying, ‘it’s the biggest day for a lady and it just happens once. She deserves it.’ But hey! we are forgetting a very important thing here; what is the impact of such big events and demands for high dowry? What does it do to the other youth watching what is happening?
 

 

A young lad could think: I have my beautiful girlfriend; a lady and a half. All it could ever cost me to take her to bed is a candle night dinner and a romantic film or probably just a walk to the movies with our popcorn and after that she is all mine or for some, it just costs him giving her some money to go do her hair, manicure and pedicure…oh! my world is complete! If this lad does this every week or even once in a month or whatever time, he is by no far a husband to the lady. You hear people calling their girlfriends ‘wifey’ or the lady calling him ‘hubby’ and people find it so amusing; ‘aww they are so cute’. And for the parents and elders they will be cursing them; but what do we expect from young people when you have clearly shown them that being in a relationship is the short cut to everything? ‘I get the girl with no much expense, no stress of having to stay with her all the time, no big threat of getting children and to top it up is that I have my freedom!’ Isn’t that what most people want? And we are the ones playing a bigger role in making them play the ‘hubby and wifey game’.

So what have we done to the religion of Allah? Haven’t we made zinaa the easier way out by the day? If a guy loves some girl then he will see, ‘why should i bother marry her; have to get loans for the dowry and wedding expenses, plus there will be much bigger responsibilities to come, when I can have her right now for some pennies?’ Isn’t this probably the reason why the prophet peace be upon him said that the most blessed nikah is the one with the least expenses?

To all the mothers. fathers and guardians out there; save your children from zinaa by making the dowry and nikah expenses low. Don’t scare off young men with large amounts that could give them heart attacks by the end of it. I hear some parents go to the extent of listing down how much they spent on their daughter’s education throughout her life and that ends up being her dowry amount. Parents, what you forget is, this young man can easily convince your daughter to sleep around with her with no much effort if they were in love. So if this young man has respected her to date and he was a gentleman enough to come for her officially don’t turn them away for dowry purposes. For sure, you wouldn’t want your daughter’s dignity to be killed just for some popcorn and a movie.

#Food for thought

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WISE LESSONS FROM LUQMAN (A.S)

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Photo Courtesy: Salem_Beliegraphy

I am by no chance a scholar in deen as much as I wish I could be one and maybe one day by Allah’s will I will be able to be but nonetheless, I was listening to what Luqman (A.S) was telling his son as mentioned in the qur’an and it got me thinking; perhaps we would be living better lives if we followed what wise men of olden times and even of the present said to us. And maybe, things would be at their best, if parents would sit down with their children and give them serious lessons on life and morals.

In the qur’an, surat Luqman as from the ayah 13-19, we get to learn from the wise Luqman the most basic advice for mankind in his life. Below I will state the lessons as derived from the ayas and perhaps in shaa Allah we can learn from it.

1. Do not worship anything apart from Allah nor join others in worship with Allah.

2. Man should be dutiful and good to his parents for they have raised him in hardship upon hardship.

3. Always give thanks to Allah and to your parents as well.

4. If your parents drive you against Allah or that you join others in worship with Him then don’t follow them BUT still treat them with kindness.

5. Allah is able to bring forth anything however hard it may seem to you…(so have faith in Him).

6. Do perform prayer

7. Enjoin on people all that is good.

8. Forbid people from all that is evil and bad.

9. Do not turn your face from men with pride.

10. Do not walk with insolence or arrogance.

11. Be moderate in your walking.

12. Lower your voice when speaking.

Imagine how life would be if we followed these simple lessons; how we would avoid so many problems if we could keep our voices low even when we are angry or when someone is confronting us, if we treated our parents with utmost respect, if we had total faith in Allah, if we could all correct each other when we go wrong and support others in good deeds, if we could be humble instead of being arrogant or insolent. Just picture the world like that, wouldn’t the world be such an amazing place to live in?? Change starts with me and you, be modest, humble and polite and see how you will be able to spread love and peace even without you knowing 😉

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WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO ASK YOU AS A RESERVED MUSLIM LADY

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So we were in a workshop in one of the hotels in Nyali the other day and we were having lunch when one of my mates in the table I was seated in asked me, “Do you remember the three ladies that were seated by the pool yesterday, dancing so provocatively and smoking?” Yeah…I did very well remember the ladies because who forgets pretty ladies in short dresses above the knees, with long hair, grinding and dancing provocatively in broad day light? Then he tells me, “turn around…can you believe those are the same three ladies?” I turned around to see the same ladies in buibuis and in very well tied hijab. I stared speechless for a long while and I kept glancing at them till the last moment they left the hotel.

“Are you sure they are the same ladies?” I asked for the a hundredth time.

“Yes they are…they invited me to their room yesterday evening,” another European mate answers.

“Out of curiosity, what did you answer them?”

“I told them I am sorry, I am married and I really like her (my wife)”

“That’s why I don’t trust women in buibui. They hide so much inside. It’s a shocker,” the other mate says.

So they go on and talk about how pretentious Muslim women are and I am left there totally speechless because I can’t even justify anything. It’s the truth…and we all know it. And there came the topic of Somali ladies and how different they are; talking of the ones from North Eastern and the ones from Nairobi and Mombasa. All this while I hear them talk about this and I am just as helpless. I walk away to go wash my hands when I am called to another table of my other mates of the project. The table has four other people and they welcome me to sit with them and that they wanted to question me.

So they ask me, “did you see the ladies?”

Yeah. I saw the ‘famous’ women.

“What do you have to say about it?”

I keep quiet for a while. “It’s sad” That’s all I could say. That’s the best that my mind could produce at the moment.

“Those three ladies came to me yesterday. I didn’t get a room in this hotel so they invited me to spend the night with them, in their room. And do you know where they asked me that? Right there at the reception, right in front of all those people at the front desk, in broad daylight. And now I see them in buibuis I am shocked! Considering what they were wearing yesterday and what they were doing, is this what women in buibuis hide underneath?”

“That’s just the wrong display of the attire. The wrong judgement.”

“So if I wear a kanzu, is there a way that I should behave in it?”

“Yes…that’s an identity to us. The buibui and the kanzu is our identity; and that’s just a misuse of it.”

“So if I want to hold your hand, how should I do it?”

“Don’t do it.”

“But I meant how should I hold it such that it doesn’t offend you?”

“JUST DON’T DO IT.”

So they started questioning the wisdom behind not shaking hands, about clubbing and having fun. And of course, they referred back to their Muslim friends whom they go clubbing with and drink with, whom they hug and have fun with. And one went one to explain that actually, it is Muslims that are best to have such kind of fun with and of course, without the mention that some have dated Muslim ladies.

For a moment I felt intimidated and greatly challenged, because I was one against two while the other two just listened. So they went on, “So you don’t go clubbing, you don’t shake hands, you don’t go dancing…what do you do for fun?! You read?”

I knew that was meant as a sarcasm but I still said “Yes, I read.”

They stared at me and I asked, “why are you staring like I am from another world?”

“Because you are from another world.”

“And are you planning to stay like this till you get married?”

“I pray so.”

The other laughs and says, “you are the kind that will one day break all the rules and maybe even run away from home…”

Well, the conversation didn’t end there but  I felt I was being interrogated and intimidated because not only do people want to understand why Muslim ladies don’t act as expected; a jewel covered in a veil, but they also want to understand WHY in capital letters you are different. I will not judge the ladies nor all the others who do the same because in the end of the day, we all trip and lose our way at some point in life instead we should pray for them and including ourselves. Anyway, this isn’t about them or even what happened it is about how impunity has become so common to us and within us to a great extent that we no longer are surprised about it. We see it as normal, especially in Mombasa right?? Well, this SHOULD NOT be normal. It should haunt us and worry us and irritate us and pain us because declaring this normal shows that we gave in to Shaitan.

From my own experience in several places of work, this topic keeps coming again and again. They will try to provoke you and make you feel like you are missing out on the world. That you are not living life to the fullest and they will always compare you to the other Muslim ladies who do everything that you don’t.

They will want to understand what makes the difference and why shouldn’t a lady go for just what she wants. And probably this is one of the biggest challenge of a Muslim lady especially in a work place or in universities. These conversations keep freaking me out because the more they talk about it, the more I am made to feel that at some point I am going to fall short as well. Yes. They totally get into your open door in your mind and poke your deepest weaknesses because they very well know we, the Muslim career ladies, are never really prepared to answer these same questions.

Maybe we really need to think about it deeply; get intelligent answers that will make them understand. One thing though, is that we can’t really blame these people. We can’t. Because we have brought this to ourselves. I can’t blame them for asking all that they asked me at the lunch or the so many times before because even if I were in their place, I’d be curious to know what is the real story about the Muslim ladies in buibuis. I can’t blame them for all the times they asked why some do this and some do that. None of us can really.

However, the commonly asked questions are:

1. Why don’t you shake hands?

2. How comes others do and even hug?

3. Are you a racist?

4. I’ve dated Muslim ladies, gone clubbing with many of them, drink alcohol with them why won’t you?

5. Is it because I am a Christian?

6. Would you accept a Christian if they converted?

7. Why do some wear very tight fitting buibuis?

8. Why are Muslim ladies so pretentious?

9. At work place are you also going to refuse the boss’ hand? Or someone like the president?

10. What is wrong with dating?

The questions go on and on but even without being judgmental, I’m hoping that one day the Muslim ladies that are portraying the wrong impression of Islam would understand how the same non Muslims that they go out with and have ‘fun’ with use them as examples all the time and not just as examples; but as bad examples; portraying Muslim women as very cheap. And this is not just for the ladies but also for our Muslim brothers who do the same actions which are regarded as inappropriate in Islam and still expect to get good wives. How do you drag other people’s sisters to the clubs and ruin their dignity and still want to have a chaste woman?

I’m hoping that they realize how much the Muslim ladies are being talked about like a dirty toilet rug that should be stepped on. I’m hoping that we can be more responsible on how we portray our identity as Muslims.I’m hoping because I realize the challenges out there especially when you are a lady of both principles and dreams. I’m hoping because I fear for my own self. I’m hoping as much as I am praying that God guides us all. Ameen.

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