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God


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Guest Posts

SCENTS FROM THE CRUSHED

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1. My Emptiness

I wait for an ayah.

My eyes,
Cleft-like glass louvres on dusty windows
Close on windy days.

I miss Him.
This God of suns.
His fire,
The pride of the accursed devil,
Sings warmth to an audience of muddy skin.

I call my spine to bend
And I become
What letters are to a poem,
Unwavering shapes dressed in ink and paper,
Waiting to be read
Only
By The Ever Conscious,
The Most Beautiful,
And become a bee
Wrapped and glistened
Inside the nectar of His gaze

I wait for an ayah.
A word.
A sound in the silence.
Each passing moment lives in lips
Yet to part for air.

Oh Allah
Will You speak of
Me?

My emptiness will only break in the song of Your voice.

2. Perfume

God only crushes petals and wings.

His palm,
A distance that dwarfs entire horizons,
Breaks
The flower.
Creases rush in zig zags across the face.
Skin and bone fold
And the body is compelled by fragile compassion
To shatter its form.

I am your poem

The body says.

You speak,
And I bend into the shape of the next letter you say.
I am a word that can only become
After your voice creates me first with thought and then with sound.
In between breaths, I long for you.
There is no minute unworthy of a heartbreaking lament
At how this distance dares keep me away from you.

You are beautiful.
This heart is worthy of your creation.

How can you make something so soft hold
So much
Of what it
Feels
About you?

You crush me

And I declare in joy
My wish
To be among the ranks of flowers that offer you
The strongest perfume
For when you declare my
Death
And bring me closer to you.

3. Entropy

en•tro•py

/ˈɛntrəpi/

entropy, the measure of a system’s thermal energy per unit temperature that is unavailable for doing useful work. Because work is obtained from ordered molecular motion, the amount of entropy is also a measure of the molecular disorder, or randomness, of a system.

  • .

What happened here?

He asked.
The wind raged on,
Sails and dunes turned faceless looks to one direction.

A collision course lay between the now and the tomorrow,
And all we hope to become
Breaks
Before all we have to bear.

Time happened

I say.

There was no one left anymore.
And so everything was left to stand still.
Unattended.
Untouched.
A planet turns
And the heart stayed on its back,
Unable to be seen again.

This is the nature of entropy.
Destruction
Is promised on everything.

4. Fragrance

Open the doors to your mind, little one.

See
beyond your glass heart.

you will observe
an orbit of worlds
locked
in a tidal embrace with the sun,
twirling like pagans
inside a storm of angered gods.

and do not let the night blind you.

every part of the shadow
bends
before both bonfire and stars.
and so this suffering is merely
the Hand
that crushes the flower
to make you a perfume.

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Poetry

INVOCATION I

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Photo by Idina Risk from Pexels

I beseech Your aid

Oh God

For my heart has become a graveyard

with withered flowers

and weeds of undesirability

I can no longer bear the weight

of the caskets carrying

the deadness of my emotions

My doom-laden pillars crumbling

at the height of my anxiety

and my tombstone

displaying engravings

of all the letters

of pain

***

I invoke you

Ya Allah

This desolation

has brought me to my knees

My hands raised high

to the sky

Save me, Oh God

For my mind has become

a battle field of abrupt wars

and hostile armies

Only this time

I am both the ally

and the enemy

Corpses of my thoughts

lie around like hungry fleas

sucking the life

out of me.

***

I beg for mercy

My Lord,

This affliction

is wrecking my soul

An air hunger seizing my lungs

amid a thunderstorm of craze

A heavy downpour of anguish

floods my entire being

while the strong winds howl

at the loss

of my sanity

***

I implore you

My Creator

For a miracle

When everything seems impossible

Let your

Light

Beam through this shadow

Turn the valley of my wounds

Into river beds

Where your Mercy

Can flow through

If my soul is in the shade that pleases you

Then I ask,

O Maker of suns,

To show me how to bloom.

I pray.

I pray.

I pray.

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Guest Posts

YOU ARE WORTHY

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You are worthy because Allah created you. Because you are one of His creatures.
Because He knows your name.

As human beings we sometimes struggle with our feelings of worthiness and perceptions of our own value.

We see someone who has ‘more’ than us and we feel less. We look at his big house, his four wheel drive and his gadgets and we feel less.
We see someone who has ‘accomplished’ more than us and we feel less.
We are awed by his multiple university degrees, or his lofty job title or the powerful people he knows and we feel less.

A lucrative career does not make someone worthier and neither do excellent grades or being multilingual or being “gorgeous.”

Just know that you are worthy just by being you.

Ladies, take note- you do not have to look a certain way or look like someone else or take off your hijab to be worthy.

You do not have to torture yourself with toxic chemicals because you desire to keep up with the Khateebs or the Alwis. You do not have to be a certain weight or a certain skin tone. You do not have to impress anyone to feel valuable.

You are priceless just the way you are.

Parents, take note….your child does not have to bring home straight A’s or win academic awards for you to be proud of him. He is deserving of it just the way he is. Your child does not have to bend over backwards or reinvent the wheel or come out at the top of his respective class for him to be worthy of your love. Put no conditions on your love.
Love him for who he is.

Young people take note. You do not have to smoke, do drugs, skip school to be worthy of your ‘friends’ or to fit in.

You deserve friends who will hang out with you for who you really are.
Gentlemen, take note. You do not have to compete with others to be worthy. You do not have to waste the precious hours of your life trying to prove that you can be more than , have more than or be just like that man you envy and admire.

You are worthy whatever salary you make, whatever you use for transportation, however old your electronics are and even if she is the only wife you have.
You are worthy.

For those of us who are so very abundantly blessed, you can have all that you are blessed to have without believing somebody else deserves it more.
You can learn to be grateful for Allah’s gifts and blessings on you without feeling guilty for having them.

Can you not see that in itself is disbelief and a lack of faith?
It might be a challenging feat learning and accepting that we are worthy. Allah loves us and blesses us in so many ways and that in itself should teach us that we are worthy.

Our worthiness is not defined by age or beauty or net worth or achievements. The more we place emphasis on these things the more people will fall into self loathing and a sense of not fitting in.

You are worthy, dear reader. You are worthy. You have been worthy since the day you were born and your father gave you your name. You are worthy.
You are worthy of all that is good and safe and blessed. You are worthy of great health and prosperity. You have no need to apologise for yourself or your uniqueness which the Almighty bestowed on you. You are worthy. You are worthy.

Say it with me. I AM WORTHY.

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Mental Health

RECOVERY IS BUT A CHOICE

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Photo Courtesy: https://kaylafae.files.wordpress.com

So I went to Port Reitz the other week and visited the mental unit. The place was so quiet and calm, with a neat, green compound. You can imagine my disappointment of not finding a lunatic running around with a doctor following him with a huge needle in his hand. That’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear of Port Reitz right? Well sorry to burst your bubble. Apparently the only time the place is as you picture it is when a maniac or violent patient is coming in for assessment for the first time. So yeah, as much as mental illness is often equated to madness, that’s just NOT the whole picture. Mental illness is depression and anxiety and OCD and all these other things we go through and brush away because well, who wants to admit they are mentally ill?

It is also at Port Reitz that I got to know that by a range of just 150/= to 300/= you could get to see a therapist. But because we’ve stereotyped mental illness and this place so much, we’d rather not even think about going to this place.

By now we already know that therapy is as expensive as it gets. So if only we kept aside our insecurities and decided to seek the desperate help we need, we would have made good use of these very affordable charges. Anyway, getting to my point now, do you realize that for you to get any better you need to get help?

It is rather sad that we would go to see a doctor for the smallest of physical aches yet choose to continuously ignore the pain within our souls. Each one of us is carrying a baggage, a painful story, things they’d rather not talk about because it is easier ignored than faced. But the reality is that, time is not necessarily going to heal you as the theory goes. We are very different human beings and we cope very differently to the challenges we face. For example, you could meet two victims who were involved in the West Gate attack and perhaps underwent the same scenario but you’d find that one was resilient enough after the attack was over. They quit the job they didn’t like, spent more time with family and started pursuing things they are passionate about. The other one however, was probably stuck in that messy moment for an entire month and still having nightmares about it. That’s just how different we are and it is OKAY to feel whichever way you feel.

To ensure that you remain sane and not entirely lose control of your being, here are a few steps to help you cope.

  1. Admit to yourself that you have a challenge that is pulling you down: You have to be honest to yourself without feeling any guilt or shame. You have to accept that this is how you feel right now and there shouldn’t be anyone or anything to make you less of a human being for feeling the way you do. Remember that your illness does not define you. Your strength and courage does…and if you want this nightmare to end, this step is very crucial.
  2. Talk to a confidant: Go talk to a person you trust and who will listen to you without judgements or with less regard as to how you feel. Be open and be yourself. Letting it out is an efficient way to feel better.
  3. Keep a journal: Writing down what you feel is proven to be really helpful for anyone undergoing stress or any other mental illness. You can be angry, emotional, detesting or whichever feeling you’ll be experiencing and you don’t have to worry about what your journal thinks about all that you are talking about. It gives you the chance to be free and yourself. Furthermore, it will be more helpful if you also have a gratitude journal whereby you write down what you are grateful for by the end of the day or maybe weekly.
  4. Pray: While experiencing very stressful situations, praying can be the hardest thing to do. You have so many questions for God and you are almost giving up. You lack the enthusiasm for life and you are just in this dark phase whereby you don’t know what to do. However difficult it is for you, pray. Because if there’s any time where you have to prove your faith in God, this is the period. This is your test and this is the time to trust blindly. Yes, blindly. You may not see the light ahead and you may not understand a thing but pray still. Trust His plan for you. Pray to Him. Cry to Him. Talk to Him. Tell Him about all these things only you and Him know about. Tell Him about your pain, your confusion, your anguish and struggle. He is listening. He is always listening.
  5. Seek help: This is an important step when things get overwhelming for you. Do not worry about what others will think about you or label you. Do not worry about what will happen next or how the therapist will judge you. Close your eyes and take the step. Seeking help doesn’t make you mad or crazy or weak. It makes you brave. It makes you strong and courageous. So go for it. Seek help while you still can. Seek help because you deserve a peaceful mind and a grateful soul. So go for it!

That said, here is good news for my dear ‘strokes of my pen’ family. To make it easier for all of you to seek help, Strokes of my pen and Taaluful Quloob have joined hands to assist you to access therapies at a special price.

Taaluful Quloob is a registered community based organization in Mombasa with a mission to proactively address family issues through a collaborative care, offering comprehensive package embodied with assorted services to help replenish homes. They offer services such as general guidance and counselling, Islamic marital counselling (pre-marital, marital and post marital) and match-making (Interesting huh?!). They also train community counsellors and organize workshops and seminars.

Coming back to the special price, Taaluful Quloob will be charging a small fee of 300/= plus a one-time registration fee of 100/= only, for general counselling for anyone who uses the code: Strokes of my pen. Please take note that this offer is only for the general counselling matters and not for marital counselling.

You can book your appointment via their number: 0708 964 809 or you can email them for further inquiries via: taallufulquloob@gmail.com

It is my hope that you will make use of this great offer and seek help. Please do while you can. Please be kind to your soul and allow it to heal.

P.S The offer is valid until December in shaa Allah.

One of the great therapists I know repeats this like it is the most important statement to live with: Mental Illness is NOT a choice but your RECOVERY is. I believe she is right.

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Deen (Religion)

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?

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‘Why is this happening to me’ is one of the very frequent questions we ask when we are in despair, when we are sad and in pain. Sometimes we are so angry with God, we don’t understand why we go through what we do. We demand for answers from anyone who seems pious or close to God. We ask ‘Why is there evil on earth?’ ‘Where is God? Why is He not answering my prayers?’ ‘I have been good all my life. I’ve been a consistent worshipper, I’ve been obedient to Him and to my parents and I haven’t harmed anyone, why did God give me this illness? Why am I struggling?’ At this point we have heard enough of ‘Be patient’, ‘Keep praying’ and all the other consolations we say to each other in difficult situations. We want to understand WHY.

If you ask me i’d tell you, this life is a test. Thousands of years before we came to existence, it was already ordained for us that we’d come to this earth and we’d have to work with sweat and blood to earn Jannah. But you probably have heard enough of that already. You want satisfactory answers. But part of the test is that you won’t have all the answers. There is no one who will ever come to you and say, ‘So, on this date, when you were 25 years old you committed injustice to so and so…that’s why you became bankrupt today.’ Or that you missed your only chance to get a scholarship because two years later, another better chance will be there for you. We don’t and won’t have the privilege that nabii Musa aleyhi salaam got by learning the wisdom behind tragic events from Al Khidhr. No. Nothing like that will ever happen. Sometimes, maybe months or years later you come to appreciate what happened to you because now you can see the wisdom behind God’s plans. And sometimes, you won’t understand one bit of what is going on and you will never get the closure you need, but will you still believe?? Will you still have faith that God is the best of Planners and wants what is best for you? Will we learn to trust as from the stories of our prophets and the pious people that came before us?

In a hadith in sahih Bukhari, the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “Allah the Most High said, ‘I am as My servant thinks (expects) I am. I am with him when he mentions Me. If he mentions Me to himself, I mention him to Myself; and if he mentions Me in an assembly, I mention him in an assembly greater than it. If he draws near to Me a hand’s length, I draw near to him an arm’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.’” Some of the commentaries of this hadith is this: Imam Nawawi (may Allah have Mercy upon him) also said: “al-Qadi ‘Iyad said that this means He will forgive him if he seeks such, will accept his repentance if he repents, will answer him if he supplicates, and will suffice him if he asks for something. It is also said that it refers to having hope and longing for relief, and this is more correct.”

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have Mercy upon him) said: “Most people – in fact, all of them except those protected by Allah – assume other than the truth, and assume the worst. Most people believe that they are deprived of their rights, have bad luck, deserve more than what Allah gave them, and it is as if they are saying: ‘My Lord has wronged me and deprived me of what I deserve,’ and his soul bears witness to this while his tongue denies it and refuses to openly state this. And whoever digs into his soul and comes to know its ins and outs will see this in it like fire in a triggered explosion…And if you dig into anyone’s soul, you will see that he blames fate and would rather have something else happen to him than what actually did, and that things should be this way or that…So, dig into your own self: are you protected from this? If you are safe from this, you have been protected from something great. Otherwise, I do not see that you have been saved.” [Zad al-Ma’ad]

There is a very thin line between belief and disbelief and questioning, is one of those things that can drastically push you to the other end of the line. Many people have found God due to questioning, researching and contemplating life while many other pious people ended up falling into disbelief because of constant questioning which ended up in wrong conclusions. This is why we need to be careful on what we say and how we say it, the intention behind it. One of the main reason atheists don’t believe in God is because they question how and why there is evil on this earth if there is a Just and All-knowing God.

In a hadith in sahih Bukhari [Volume 2, Book 24, Number 555:], the prophet p.b.u.h talks about this:

Narrated Ash-sha`bi:

The clerk of Al-Mughira bin Shu’ba (radiallaahu `anhu) narrated, “Mu`awiya (radiallaahu `anhu) wrote to Al-Mughira bin Shu’ba (radiallaahu `anhu): Write to me something which you have heard from the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) .” So Al-Mughira (radiallaahu `anhu) wrote: I heard the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) saying, “Allah has hated for you three things:

1. Vain talks, (useless talk) that you talk too much or about others.

2. Wasting of wealth (by extravagance)

3. And asking too many questions (in disputed religious matters) or asking others for something (except in great need).

All I mean is, sometimes we just have to trust God’s plan and His process. Sometimes we just need to have this undoubted faith that God knows your pain and will surely take care of you.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have Mercy upon him) also said: “The more you have good expectations of your Lord and hope in Him, the more you will rely on and trust in Him. This is why some explained true reliance and trust to be having good expectations of Allah. In reality, having good expectations of Him leads to relying on and trusting in Him, as it is unthinkable that one can trust in someone that he has bad expectations of or no hope in, and Allah Knows best.”

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, thinking well about Allah is a part of the excellent worship of Allah.”

There is this quote by Ibn al-Qayyim rahimahu Llah that is too beautiful. He said:“Had Allah lifted the veil for his slave and shown him how He handles his affairs for him, and how Allah is more keen for the benefit of the slave than his own self, his heart would have melted out of the love for Allah and would have been torn to pieces out of thankfulness to Allah. Therefore if the pains of this world tire you do not grieve. For it may be that Allah wishes to hear your voice by way of duaa. So pour out your desires in prostration and forget about it and know; that verily Allah does not forget it.”

So the next time you are asking yourself ‘why is this happening to me’ or someone asks you the same, tell yourself this ayah:
‘Do the people think that they will be left to say, “We believe” and they will not be tried?’ Surat Ankabut: Verse 2.

May Allah grant us the patience and great faith in whatever He plans for us. Ameen.

P.S Our next creative writing training is set for next month in shaa Allah. Kindly check the details in the poster for registration. Please share!!

 

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Creative Fiction

HE IS LISTENING

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You are standing by the window, watching the raindrops hit your windowpane before touching the ground. The rain is rhythmic; you love its predictability, unlike your life. Your life needs a Sherlock Holmes to solve the unending mystery. Every other day, you seem to have a surprise stored for you. It makes you wonder whether you are a guinea pig of a social experiment. Perhaps some scientists just want to find out how much can a human being handle when in distress. You can almost hear their voices on the opposite side of the windowpane. They are using a lot of scientific jargon and psychological terms as they scrutinize you. You don’t really understand what they are saying but you know you are the subject of interest. Perhaps if this experiment and the theory works, you’ll become rich from what they’ll pay you. A happy guinea pig. You smile then sigh.

From afar, you hear your neighbour sobbing. There is a lot of commotion and shouting going on. Her husband is beating her up. Your heart aches a little more. Then you sigh again. Life is miserable, you think. They had been married for ten years; happy and blessed with six children. Then he re-married and boom! everything shattered. It wasn’t the re-marrying that brought the problems per se, it was the attitude towards his family. Life is scary like that. People change, love fades off, evil is real and the world is yet to end. Or you are the one who can’t wait for your own end.

Your father left your mother while you were two months old and she was critically ill. You are lucky to be here. There was a time you almost became homeless, you almost dropped out of school, you almost became malnourished, your mother almost died, YOU almost died; twice in fact. You look at the marks of the razor that went through your hand skin. You look at the scars skillfully and very carefully hidden under the famous Kenyan flag bracelet. You are lucky to be alive, with your mother and under a roof. You seem to have the nine lives of a cat or is it just life that loves you? Perhaps it is the scientists, pumping oxygen forcefully into you. They can’t lose their guinea pig.

‘I don’t want to be part of this social experiment anymore,’ you whisper to the virtual scientists. They look at you like you’re crazy. Like they want to shout on your face, ‘Do you know how much we’ve spent on you?! On this experiment?!’

You feel the burning sensation in your eyes. You force back the tears. ‘Wanaume hawalii’ (Men don’t cry) they say. You ask who? People. In the streets, the wazee in their barazas, youth on their Facebook posts. Real men don’t cry. You are tempted to ask how much tears can a man shed before he is regarded as ‘a useless man’ or even told, ‘You are no different from a woman’ Like a woman is a bad person. But you can’t ask because then, they’ll doubt your manhood.

You hear your mother groan in pain inside. It turns out she has leukemia. You’ve been jobless for the past five months. She’s been strong all along but strength at this point isn’t enough without the ridiculously expensive treatment she needs.

‘God? Can you hear me?’ You look up to the sky and gaze at it. Like you are waiting for a response from God. You and God, you have a strange relationship. Some nights, you stay up throughout, kneeling, begging, praying, crying in silence and talking to Him one on one. And sometimes, some days pass without saying a word to Him. Those days when you feel like He has abandoned you. When you feel like He doesn’t care about you. You get angry and ignore Him like a disappointed lover.

‘God, can you hear me?’ This time, you let the tears flow. It is night, no one will see your tears anyway. Your eyes have now become the Niagara falls. You had missed this. Talking to Him.

You remember this old man in your neighbourhood, he once told you, ‘Snap out of it; the self-pity. God is always there for everyone and anyone who calls out to Him.’ You slowly wipe the tears as you remember his most famous story that he narrates to you: ‘Job (Nabii Ayub A.S) didn’t die despite his severe illness. Abraham (Nabii Ibrahim) didn’t die despite being thrown into the fire.  Jonah (Nabii Yunus) didn’t die despite being swallowed by the whale. Joseph (Nabii Yusuf) didn’t die despite being thrown into the well. Jacob (Nabii Ya’qub) survived despite losing his son and his sight. And Ishmael (Nabii Ismael) survived despite the order that he is to be slaughtered. Whatever the test and turmoil you are in right now, God has a plan for you. Don’t give up on His mercy.’

You stare at the clear sky. It has stopped raining now and once again you call out, ‘God?’ Suddenly, you see a star, it twinkles. With tears in your eyes, you smile.

‘He is listening. God is listening!’

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Deen (Religion)

GO BACK HOME, DARLING.

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Photo Courtesy: https://www.pinterest.com

God and I, we used to be such good friends. God, don’t I miss that friendship! There was no rush of leaving the prayer mat after praying. I’d stay there and just talk to Him, you know? Maybe because I was lonely. And it was such a comfortable safe space to slide into. I could cry, laugh and say all I wanted to say that my anxiety wouldn’t otherwise let me. Or maybe because of the way people judged me a little too harshly. I had always been recognized as the religious one. Why? I didn’t shake hands with men. Or maybe because I did all my sunnahs like they were compulsory. Or my sujoods were noticeably longer. And I wasn’t even trying. That was my comfortable zone. I remember leaving school earlier on Fridays just so I could go to a distant mosque where nobody recognized me so I could have alone time with God. It was beautiful.

Update 1: I prefer hugs to handshakes now 🙁
Update 2: Where did y’all religious friends go?
Update 3: I’m doing compulsories like they’re sunnahs now.
Update 4: Refer to update 3

Thing with friendships though, you don’t realize when they’re breaking. It’s so gradual and smooth before you know it you’re the friend that people are coming to for good music. The religious friends are spending less and less time with you. You’re spending your nights in clubs. And then one day after so many days you’ll find yourself in a dirty pitch in your room or on your way to work wondering, “How? How did I become this person? How did I get here? I just want to go home.”

So yeah, I’m not in a very good place with God now. And that hurts me. I’d be in Jamia mosque praying and look at people who look so engrossed in their own prayers and duas with Allah and i’ll feel so much envy and pain and a

“That used to be you” Must be the devil hat whispers with his tongue out.

Like there was this girl in a red Hijab once. She was at the very first line. Flawless skin and such a beautiful hearty and warm smile. I imagined she woke up in the depths of the night to pray. The way I used to. The way I want to.

Sometimes, I’m reminded of God in the most bizarre and unexpected way or place. Take for example this friend. Said friend isn’t Muslim. Said friend asks me, “How are you and God, love?”
That has stuck with me for so long since it happened. I wish we had such honest conversations more often. Or this time I’m watching a play, in the form of contemporary dance, about a group of people escaping their homeland because of war, and so they’re fleeing to safer grounds. I remember sitting there alone, telling myself, it’s time to start that journey. Go back home, darling.

Thing is, it’s such a big place. When you’re being pressured into stuff, you can not remember anything like peer pressure. You’re not even doing it to be cool for anyone. You tell yourself that you’re doing it in the spirit of being ‘adventurous’. And really, maybe you are. Because, the world our parents think we live in and the world we actually live in, it’s mars and venus. Two totally different realities. And people are busy. Everyone is going on with their business and here you are, taking whatever path you deem right. Which to be honest, I don’t really have a problem with. Only thing is, ‘Is there room for my faith and God in this?’ Most times that answer is no. And almost all those times, you’ll go ahead with whatever it is.

I haven’t been to a club. I haven’t taken alcohol. Alhamdullillah. But I have seen how weak I can get, and I don’t know when that day will come. I have close friends that I have seen traverse the ‘halal-strict-hijabi’ life to the party all night, ‘take buibui off in the corner close to home’ life. And yes, they are STILL my friends. Because a part of me gets them. A very big part of me gets them. And then there’s this part that’s hanging on to whatever trail that’s left of my friendship with God. That i’m holding on to with my dear life.

There’s that voice again.
“Go back home, darling.”

Yours truly,
Your Favourite Stranger 🙂

P.S: You can read more of her pieces on her blog: https://www.favouritestranger.com/

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Deen (Religion)

SOMEONE KNOWS WHAT YOU DID LAST NIGHT

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Photo Courtesy: https://2.bp.blogspot.com/

Dear brother

Remember what you did last night?? Remember??? Well someone does remember. Allah does remember. Allah does remember how you picked up that girl from her house. How you took her for dinner. How you made her smile and laugh. How you took her to a lodge and spent the night with her. Allah knows how much you enjoyed. He knows how much joy you had. He also knows that that girl is not legally yours. He also knows that that girl has a father who has trust on her. He knows that that girl has a brother who loves her. He knows that that girl has a mother that would die for her. He knows that you are ruining the chance of her parents going to jannah. He knows that you are ruining the chance of her father owning a palace in jannah. He knows you are ruining the dignity she holds for her family. He knows…He knows what you did last night…

Hey pretty girl

I bet you are so head over heals about this guy yea? Last night was awesome right? You will never forget how he held you how he kissed you how much fun you had am I right? You’ve been daydreaming the entire day. You want a repeat of the night. You were looking so hot last night in that red exposing dress…and the makeup? Oh! Just looked spectacular!! You think he loves you yea? You think he will be there for you forever yea? He even calls you my wife! How interesting. Well bad news is someone knows what you did last night. Yes Allah knows. He watched every step you took from when he picked you up. He knows…He knows..

You both don’t care one lil bit that He knows right. You are still too young to worry about God yea? ‘You Only Live Once’ yea??? You still believe that you are too young to die??

Well…I hope the time you break up you remember this particular post. You can live as you want but this just a reminder that someone is Watching. And that one person is none other than GOD! If you have even the slightest bit of imaan left then please repent. Its never too late for Allah’s mercy. Don’

t be shaytan’s slave. Regret your actions sincerely, cry out for Allah’s forgiveness and if you are sincere enough Then for sure He will give you another chance…

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Creative Non-Fiction

WHY YOU SHOULD MAINTAIN YOUR RAPPORT WITH YOUR GOD

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WHY YOU SHOULD MAINTAIN YOUR RAPPORT WITH YOUR GOD

 By Lubnah Abdulhalim
Photo Courtesy: Salem_Beliegraphy

 

Most of the times we have a parasitic relationship with God but that’s just because we have an ego and we tend to forget that God doesn’t need anything from us or any part of us. Many of us have heard the words ‘keep God first’ that they became a cliche’ to us. We then started taking the words for granted. But just take a deeper look at these words. Sink in them and you will find true tranquility and truth in them. Maybe that’s why all successful people keep repeating these words to us in their advice. Maybe they discovered the truth in these words that we haven’t yet. Here is why you should maintain a good relationship with Him.

1. You need Him. He doesn’t.

However hard headed or arrogant or proud you are, you are nothing but a servant before Him. He has millions of creatures bowing down for Him and one less doesn’t change one little bit of anything in this world.  But for me and you, we need Him whether you choose to go towards only when in need or always..need is permanent. When we get what we want for now, sooner or later we’ll still need something else which no one else can grant us expect God.

2. He is in control. You are not.

If you were suddenly attacked by a gangster and he is holding his gun right in his hand you would tremble. You would cry. You would beg. You would ask for a chance to live. Why? Because he can easily end your life. He can decide to burn your house as well. He may decide to steal what you worked for all your life. Yet still he may decide to let go of you without harming you in any way. God can do all that only that He is no gangster. All your life is in His hands..but the other difference between Him and the gangster is that you don’t see him but He sees you which makes the whole affair complex yet so simple. The gangster is in control of you at that moment but God is always in control of your life since you take your first breath to the last. However wealthy or healthy you may be then you are indebted to God for letting you have what you have.

3. He is permanent.  Everything else is not.

You may have the entire world’s happiness, wealth, health or maybe a factory of chocolates but still in a blink you may wake up with totally NOTHING. Family may die, friends may betray you, wealth and health may depart you but God will always be there for you; in both good and bad times. Everything comes to an end only God doesn’t.

4. He is flexible.

In all religions in the world, we believe in a God that has wrath and great anger on those who disobey Him. We are told of how we will be punished once we die and pay for our sins but yet still we are told of His great mercy alot lot more times more than his wrath. We are easily forgiven by making it up with small good deeds. We earn rewards for little compassion like that of helping an old man crossing the road. What more proof do we need than that of the man who killed 99 people and was told that he will never be forgiven and killed that person making it 100 and yet he was still forgiven.

5. Best of business deals are with Him.

So many philosophers talk of how giving is receiving. The more you give the more you see bounty flowing into your life. You give a coin and get ten more plus a generous bonus of eternal happiness and joy. You smile and you get multiple of smiles back so where would you ever get such unbelievably generous contracts anywhere?

If you had a boss as wealthy as God, as generous as God, as firm as God, as loving as God wouldn’t you be addressing him with such respect never seen before? Wouldn’t you always want to be associated with him? Wouldn’t you be calling him always? Wouldn’t you want to make a best friend out of him? Wouldn’t you want to share with him both your sorrows and joy? Wouldn’t you want to never annoy him and always be in the safe side with him? Wouldn’t you want to speak very cautiously with him? If you had a boss who had written down all his plans on your work; when he will raise your salary, when he will give you a higher post, when he will demote you or when he will fire you, wouldn’t you work extra hard to please him, wouldnt you sweet talk him to change his plan of demoting or firing you? Wouldn’t you ensure a very good relationship with him so that he can raise you more and give you better opportunities? But there will never be such a boss because such great qualities can only be all found at once in God. Moreover, we all make plans each and every day but how many times do they eventually turn out impossible? That’s because your boss has a supreme boss; God, who makes other plans for us while we create our own. So make sure you have a good rapport with Him. Make sure you are in His good books so that He can always remember you. Make sure you love Him as much He loves you.

So just for a moment kneel down and say a sincere prayer to God. Even if you alright. Even if you have everything at the moment. And even if you have so many troubles or too busy…just take this moment to sincerely thank God for what you had, what you have right now and whatever plans He has for your future, for His plans for you are always perfect. So talk to Him from the deepest part of your heart. Talk to Him and He will silently listen. Do that often; all successful people do.

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Deen (Religion)

FASTING; A PERSONAL AFFAIR WITH GOD

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Photo Courtesy: https://victorianmuslimah.files.wordpress.com/

It is rather sad, I must say, that there are people who show the world that they have fasted and someone would think no one could fast better than this person. It is all over their facebook account, twitter, instagram, whatsapp and all other applications we may know of, that they have really fasted. They would post of how tough the fast is and complain everywhere possible. They would make a fuss out of it even at the work place just to show that they are weak and can’t possibly work well. We have probably met such individuals who keep whining about the fast to the extent of irritating others. One would think they would pass out and die just the next moment.Fasting is more of a one to one thing between mankind and His God. It is rather a personal affair that only God can reward for. It is a sacrifice that really needs a believing heart to strictly follow. Even the Christians who fast will agree with me on this. There are acts that people tend to do just as a trend or like a ritual to them but that shouldn’t be the case with fasting because fasting really shows your extent of willingness to submit to your God.

 

Others are those that claim to have fasted and then eat secretly in unknown places and the question remains; whom are we cheating if not ourselves? Telling the world that you have fasted while you haven’t doesn’t really add or deduct anything from any other person’s life. This is a matter of personal relationship with your God. How you handle it just depends on your faith and dedication. This is not meant to be a punishment but rather a wise and beneficial program to make us feel the pangs of hunger the less fortunate feel everyday. It is to make us as human beings remember the poor and needy through charity and appreciate the bounties we have.

 

A food for thought for all of us is that, if some few countable days of not eating for mere twelve hours make us complain and whine and sleep all day, maybe we should imagine how these poor people really survive without eating for three or more consecutive days and nights plus with tough work to do. Smaller children are actually fasting at their own choice and playing around without complaining about it so why should we? Let us not be lazy and act too delicate to the extent that people have to say ‘sorry’ to us for fasting! I have previously heard this saying quite many times whereby the others who are not fasting feel sorry for us. This just shows how wrongly we portray ourselves in fasting. As I said it before, fasting is not meant to be a punishment and should never be.

 

Let us stop complaining and creating too much chaos about it on social media but rather appreciate the bounties we take for granted all through out the year. No one out there wants to know or really cares if you have fasted or not, because in the end of the day, no one knows the value of the sacrifice you’ve done except you and your Lord. Keep it real!

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