Abraha Al-Ashram

In the year that Muhammed (SAW) was born, Abraha Al-Ashram, a Yemeni king, , came to destroy the Ka'bah that Ibrahim (AS) and Ismail (AS) had built . Abraha had built a great church in Yemen. He wanted the Arabs, who did Hajj to the Ka’bah every year, to change their pilgrimage destination to his church. When this didn’t happen, he swore he would tear down the Ka’bah. Abraha came with an army of elephants to Makkah. Some say there were 20 elephants, some 200, and some 1000. The biggest of them was Mahmoud, whom Abraha was riding. 

Mahmoud was simply an animal, a great animal yes, but an animal none the less. Yet this simple creation of Allah even had fear in its heart for Allah. Whenever Abraha tried to lead Mahmoud into Makkah, the elephant would refuse. He would stop and just turn away. Subhana'Allah!

Eventually however, Abraha forced Mahmoud to go in.

 Abraha had also taken some of Abdul Mutallib’s camels. When Abdul Mutallib asked for the return of them, Abraha asked him would he not protect the Ka’bah that Abraha had come to destroy. Abdul Mutallib replied that the Ka’bah belonged to Allah (SWT), and He would take care of it. The camels were Abdul Mutallib’s and as such, their care was his responsibility.

As Abdul Mutallib had said, Allah (SWT) would take care of His Ka’bah. So when Abraha went to destroy it, Allah (SWT) sent flocks of birds, the Abaabeel. Each bird had three stones of baked clay, one in their beak, and one in each of their red feet. As Abraha’s army came in, the birds pelted their stones down at them. The stones burned through the people destroying them till only a husk was left. All except Abraha, who was given the punishment of NOT dying, but feeling such pain throughout his return back to Yemen that his heart came out of his body. And so the Kah’bah was saved. 

Subhan'Allah! 

This story  is related in the Surah Al-Fil.

Mom?

Mom...she's supposed to be the one I love most in the world. And I DO...I really do...but sometimes its so easy...too easy to forget. 

I was reading a book today. This new one that I've been waiting for FOREVER to read. I was in the best part when all of a sudden my Mom comes and yells at me because my door is closed. She tells me to get out of my room and do some work. It seems she always finds the worst time to come in and give me some type of chore. And seriously...sometimes I think she actually looks for something that she can have me do...just to give me work. And no matter how well I do it..something always seems to be wrong. 

I was actually talking about this with a friend the other day..how no matter what we do...it's never good enough for our Moms. Crocheting? Took too long. Sewing? Left a thread hanging. Cooking? Too much salt (or not enough). Painting, writing, or drawing? A waste of time -_-

And dressing up...I dunno about you people...but I love dressing up (total girly girl here ;)). But my mom? Man! Of course she never says I look good... rather she tells me all the things  that look bad. And then someone else sees me, and they compliment...I'm left thinking "umm...Mom?"

But then sometimes when I  think of all the things that she has done for me...I'm left...ashamed. I was annoyed because she disturbed me in the middle of a conversation??? Or a book? A book??? How many times was she not able to do something because of me?

And every time she has criticized me...they were honest. She knows I can do better. And every one of those critics I remember..and make sure not to do next time. She was teaching me all those times. And I was angry?

Abdullah Ibn 'Umar saw a Yemeni man performing Tawâf (circumambulating the Ka'bah) while carrying his mother on his back. This man said to Abdullah Ibn 'Umar, "I am like a tame camel for her! I have carried her more than she carried me.

Do you think I have paid her back, O Ibn 'Umar?" He replied,

"No, not even one contraction!!"

Bukhari

 

My mom always says, if I don't learn all the stuff she makes me do now, what will I do when I get my own house? It always makes me embarrassed (sharmana ;)) as to what it implies (does she have to mention that?)...but Man! it is so totally relevant. I know people who were a mess when it came to running their own household because their mom coddled them so much. My sister...she always tells me, "You might really not like Mom now...but someday watch....you wont be able to thank her enough for all that she taught you". 

O big sister dear what wise words :D

I have no doubt she's right.

Moms...they are the people who knew us before anyone else knew we even existed. Who stayed up countless night...cooked a million meals...kissed thousands of booboos. They are willing to do anything for us....what are we willing to do for them? There was a time when our lives revolved around our mother....now do we give them even a few minutes from our day? Now when it's out turn to care for them...do we take up that task?

Mom...she's the one who gave her life up for me, her time, her efforts in bringing me up...but often I forget...its so easy..too easy to forget.

Du'a Time

As kids, Dad used to always take us shopping. It was the thing we used to do together as a family. We'd all pile into the car..Dad would tell us to recite Dua wherein my sister and I would compete as to who said it the fastest :P
This one time though, Dad was saying how shopping was such a materialistic Dunyabi...worldly thing to do (despite being Oh Soo Very Fun :P). Why not make this a way to get some reward? So he taught us this Dua, and said that we had to memorize it by the time we got to the store. The Dua was this:

 Allah is free from imperfection and I begin with His praise, as many times as the number of His creatures, in accordance with His Good Pleasure, equal to the weight of His Throne and equal to the ink that may be used in recording the words (for His Praise).

Guys, boys, males -_-

*sorta harsh topic, but it needs to be talked about...I've seen way too many people make mistakes

         Guys, boys, men...there's a reason why Islam prohibits boy-girl relationships...they are way too complicated. I live in a mostly all-Christian population...and I've seen enough broken relationships to last a life time. I'm talking about teenagers, young kids who decide they are totally completely in love, and all of a sudden they can't live without this person. They have this happy phase where everything is going good...and then just a few months later it falls apart and they barely know each other.

      And it breaks my heart when I see my young Muslim sisters making the same mistakes, doing the same things.

        Truth is, there are two things: crushing, and loving, and as young kids we mistake crushing for love. I don't even know what love is, but I do know what a crush feels like. In today's world, its kinda hard to avoid a crush...it happens...I think so anyway. We can't exactly prevent ourselves from liking someone... that's near impossible. What we can do is remember that WE are Muslimahs, and as Muslimahs, we should always coincide what we do with what we want in the Aa'khirah. 

So I might like this guy, but is he really worth my Aa'khirah? 

         I think if a guy is really worth it, I wouldn't have to worry about my Aa'khirah being jeopardized because he would worry about that. If a guy really loved me, how could he ask me to do something that Allah (SWT) has forbidden? How could he doom me to the punishment of the Aa'khirah? 

         If a guy was really worth it, I wouldn't have to hide him, and there would be no need to defend him. 

It is related on the authority of Abu Haraira (Rahimahullaah) that the Holy Prophet(salAllahu `alaihi wa sallam) said,"Seven people will be shaded by Allah under His shade on the day when there will be no shade except His. They are: 

1) The judge who is just;

2) The man who devotes his life in the worship of God even in his youth;

3) The man who eagerly awaits the call to prayer to go to the Mosque and worship God;

4) The two companions, who love each other for the sake of Allah, when they meet they meet for the sake of Allah, when they separate they separate for the sake of Allah;

5) The man who resists the temptation of a woman who is beautiful and comes of a respectable family and tries to incline him towards her for evil purposes;

6) The man who gives alms with his right hand but conceals it from the left;

7) The man when alone, meditates on God, and his eyes become filled with tears."

(Bukhari)

            I don't know about anyone else but I want to be among those under Allah (SWT)'s shade. If a guy is leading me away from Allah (SWT) instead of toward him, how could he EVER be worth it???? 

He isn't.

May Allah (SWT) protect us from all of those things that lead us away from Him....Ameen

Lovin' Y'all For the Sake of Allah :)

Hijabless and Hot

So we see those girls every day, girls who don't wear hijab. Not necessarily Muslim girls...just girls in general....and man some of them look So pretty and nice...and from a male point of view....sizzlin hot... especially if shes dressed "provocatively" ;)
Unfortunately another thing also described as hot...rather extremely hot is Jahannam, Hell.

And then there is us..Hijabi and Proud :)...no one describes us as hot...even if we are lookin as perfect as we are gonna get...hot...just isn't heard for us....it's almost derogatory. No...we get Beautiful :)
And you know the placed that's described as the Most beautiful place ever created?....you guessed it (or didn't): Jannah, Heaven. Subhan'Allah!
So then there's the question: Girl you wanna be hijabless and hellishly hot? ..or hijabi and heavenly beautiful?


OK so that's a bit harsh (but perfectly dramatic enough to sound good ;)). Wearing the hijab shouldn't be something that's forced, it should be something one chooses to do, be it because they love Allah (SWT), or they fear Him.

Personally...I wouldn't know what do if someone called me hot...it just sounds sorta wrong...as if that person is seeing just a body and thinking bad thoughts. Beautiful on the other hand...just sounds so nice *dreamy*
And there are no implications or intentions behind that word...just a well deserved compliment :D 

Dreams

"You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

You're on your own.

And you know what you know.

You are the guy who'll decide where to go."

~Dr. Seuss

I'm sure most of have atleast once in our lives had those moments when we had somthing new to look to---a new motivation...a new dream. I know I've had lots of them. Scenarios as little as what will happen when someone comes over...to as big as what my life will be like should I make one of those momentous decisions like a career path or ...say a guy ;)

 The first days of those dreams are like a drug. Your constantly dreaming of what might happen..what might be... Unfortunately though..those dreams stay dreams if you don't have the determination to make them last. The thing with dreams is that they're easy to imagine.. almost too easy. So when you get your head out of the clouds and actually come back to reality..you realize how hard it may be..and then that motivation you first had starts to lag..and then dim..then completely fade away...

Truth is, chasing something worthwhile is always hard. You cant expect to have all you want handed to you...you gotta break out the sweat :P

"Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion.  You must set yourself on fire."

  ~Arnold H. Glasow

So heres to not just dreaming..but actually doing. To sharing those ideas..so that not only YOU motivate yourself, but have others to remind you also. To the support of our parents, family and friends, and the big sister with whom to share our fears :D To believing  in our selves and all that we CAN do. And MOST of all, to knowing that Allah is Always there, and remembering to remember him when all we feel is despair... :)

Proud Hijabi :)

I was lookin through my old files when I came across this poem about hijab..thought i'd share it :)

Baby It's All Good!

Author unknown

What do you see when you look at me
Do you see someone limited, or someone free
All some people can do is just look and stare
Simply because they can't see my hair
Others think I am controlled and uneducated
They think that I am limited and un-liberated
They are so thankful that they are not me
Because they would like to remain 'free' 

Well free isn't exactly the word I would've used
Describing women who are cheated on and abused
They think that I do not have opinions or voice
They think that being hooded isn't my choice
They think that the hood makes me look caged
That my husband or dad are totally outraged
All they can do is look at me in fear
And in my eye there is a tear

Not because I have been stared at or made fun of
But because people are ignoring the One up above
On the day of judgment they will be the fools
Because they were too ashamed to play by their own rules
Maybe the guys won't think I am a cutie
But at least I am filled with more inner beauty
See I have declined from being a guy's toy
Because I won't let myself be controlled by a boy

Real men are able to appreciate my mind
And aren't busy looking at my behind
Hooded girls are the ones really helping the Muslim cause
The role that we play definitely deserves applause
I will be recognized because I am smart and bright
And because some people are inspired by my sight
The smart ones are attracted by my tranquility
In the back of their mind they wish they were me

We have the strength to do what we think is right
Even if it means putting up a life long fight
You see we are not controlled by a mini skirt and tight shirt
We are given only respect, and never treated like dirt
So you see, we are the ones that are free and liberated
We are not the ones that are sexually terrorized and violated
We are the ones that are free and pure
We're free of STD's that have no cure 

So when people ask you how you feel about the hood
Just sum it up by saying, 'Baby its all good'

Sometimes even I wonder, what do all these people see when they look at me? A weak, meek little girl who doesn’t know that this is a “free country”, or a mature girl who is proud of where she comes from and who she is, and has the freedom to be whoever she wants to be?  I’ve been stared at, and whispered about, but I don’t think I have ever been degraded in any way, and it’s my hijab that gave me that. The hijab gives me a sense of security that  you just can’t get from anything else. It gives you respect, and you truly are never treated with anything below that respect. It gives you a sense of fulfillment, a sense of pride that you have the strength to wear it . One thing I have to say is good about this “free country”, is that it give me the freedom to wear my hijab freely and proudly. So now, you wanna know about the hood? Well baby, it’s all good!!!

Assalamu Alaikum, Salams, WAKAS, wsalams

I'm doing an Islamic course through an online program. The classes are conducted through a virtual room. It's really very good, we have awesome teachers with whom we ponder about how easy Arabic is (not).....and about the weirdest scenarios of every Fiqh-y Masa'il :)


So anyway...last night we were waiting for our teacher to come to class, and my friend brought up the question as to whether simply typing "salam" in reply to a Salam in enough. When we type it, are we really intending to? Or are we just typing it out of habit? Do we actually SAY it? And so before class we had this all out debate as to whether just writing it gives us that reward that saying it does...because when you type it, no one really hears it..but then again, if you say it, the person your are replying to doesn't hear it....what a dilemma... :P

 One brother replied that when you type it, you may not say it out loud, but you ARE making that intention to reply to the Salam, and every action is based on intention right? <--- that BTW is in Sahih Bukhari... I officially learned that in my classes too ;)


Ever since then (which isn't too long), I make a point now to SAY Assalamu Alaikum or Wa'Alaikum Assalam as I'm writing it. After all, when you actually look at the words, and the meaning of the greeting, it's a pretty deep D'ua you're making for that person. Are you Actually actually making that D'ua as you greet someone? Or has it just become habit now?

If someone is saying those words to me, I hope they reallyyy mean it, because sometimes I need that peace,  and I Alwayss need that Rahma from Allah (SWT) :) 


Loving you all for the sake of ALLah (SWT)  :D

        Assalamu Alaikum!!!

Hey y'all!

So..I have no idea how this will end, but everything starts from a first step right?..or in this case a first word..or letter..or whatever..
So your wondering why you should come back to this blog tomorrow...well I can't really help you there...I just hope u read a few other posts and make your own decision as to whether reading my stuff is worth it and beneficial :P
 I'm a small town mountain girl living in the Middle of Nowhere, USA. I grew up here, I'm an American..and also a full blown Desi...I'm not FOB..but I still have those moments :D....Most of all I'm a Muslim....people might call me an ABCD.. American Born Confused Desi....I mighta been that...but having Islam sets it all straight :D

till next time....