Truthfulness Leads to Righteousness

Assalamu Alaykum - Peace be Upon you :D

Hello friends! As I was getting ready for the day I remembered a story that I once told my little brothers as a bedtime story. I wanted to read to them something beneficial so I picked a story from an Islamic stories app that was in my phone. I wanted to share this story with you as I thought that it would benefit us all greatly, and reminding each other of things that will bring us closer to Allah and raise our eman (faith) is something we should do as brothers and sisters in deen (religion) and humanity. So here it is:

An Emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one his assistants or his children, he decided something different. He called all the young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next Emperor. I have decided to choose one of you."

The kids were shocked! But the Emperor continued, "I am going to give each of you a seed today. One very special seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next Emperor!"

One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watched it carefully. Everyday he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. 

Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by- still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. 

Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow. 

A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But honest about what happened, Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful-in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kids laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try."

When the Emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "My what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the Emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!" All of a sudden, the Emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The Emperor know I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked him his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The Emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new Emperor! His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new Emperor? Then the Emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds that would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Emperor!"

The Prophet taught, "Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a truthful person. Falsehood leads to Al-Fajur (i.e. wickedness, evil-doing), and Al-Fajur (wickedness) leads to the (Hell) fire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is written before Allah, a liar." [Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 8:116] 

-Story from "Islamic Stories for Muslims" app, story title: "The Emperor and the Seed" 

Until next time, Assalamu Alaykum :)

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A Positive Perspective

Assalamu Alaykum - Peace be Upon you

Hello lovelies! I just wanted to share a quick message with you all. Being positive in all aspects of life is something really important and it is also a big part of being a Muslim. I remember my teacher telling me that one of the signs of a true believer was that no matter what situation he was in or what life threw at him, he would say "Alhamdullilah" - All praise and thanks is due to Allah (God). I realized that this was something really amazing because being thankful to Allah whether something good or bad happens to you makes you remember that whatever happens was written to happen to you, and nothing can change it from occurring. Qadr (Predestination)  is something we believe as Muslims, that Allah already planned everything before we were born. Being thankful for everything helps us to remember that everything that happens to us in our life happens for a reason, whether or not we understand at first because Allah is the best of planners. And don't forget that with every hardship comes ease.  So Inshallah-God willing I hope this message helps you see the positive aspect of everything and to always be constantly thankful to Allah, because you never know that someone, somewhere else in the world could be going through a worse situation. This is a reminder for myself self before you and until next time, Assalamu Alaykum :)

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Peace be on to you Oh Ramadan!

Assalamu Alyakum &
Welcome Lovlies,

The blessed and long awaited month of Ramadan is finally here Alhamdulilah-Praise be to God. And most of us are trying to make good habits and change for the better this month. Where I live we began fasting on Wednesday and so I'm writing to guys on Day 13. Inshallah I want to share some tips with you about Ramadan so that we can all receive our spiritual high together because who know's if we'll live to see another Ramadan. Personally I wanted to make the most of Ramadan and make as many good habits as I could and get used to doing things for the sake of Allah than I normally do. *These tips and info are first and foremost for myself and then all of you inshallah :D*

So lets get started!

1. What and when is Ramadan?
Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic Lunar Calender. During this month Muslims fast the entire month from sun up to sun down. Before dawn we eat a small meal called suhoor, and after sunset we break our fast with a meal (people typically eat the food of their culture) called iftaar.

2. Blessings of Ramandan.
There are a lot of blessings of Ramadan including that the Holy Quran was revealed during the month of Ramadan. The gates to hell are closed, and the gates to heaven are opened. The devils are locked up during this month making it easier to do good deeds. This is a month where we try to strengthen and better our relationship and connection with Allah. We should also, according to our own situation, increase our worship. This is a month of forgiveness and mercy and we should try to make the most of it.

3. Increase your amount of daily worship this month!
Now were all imperfect beings and some of us may pray and do 'ibaadah(worship) more than others. But you should increase it depending on how much worship you're already doing. For example if you're  person who only prays a few prayers a day, try your best to pray all five prayers this Ramadan and remember that you're getting rewarded for your efforts. Or we can all try to read as much Quran as we can this month and increase our Dhikr as well.

4. Lastly I have a mini Dua(supplications) plan that I made for myself and I want to share it with you!
                                   
RAMADAN 2013

  1. First 10 nights- Seek Allah's mercy.
      -Rab-bigh-fir war ham wa anta Khair ur-raahimeen. "My Lord forgive me and have mercy, for you are the best of those who show mercy"
      -Ya Rab Allahumma arhamni ya Arham- ar raahimeen.
      -Ya hayyu Ya qayyum Birahmatika asta ghee-tu

 2. Second 10 nights- Seeks Allah's forgiveness and Repent for sins
     - Allahum-magh-fir-li dhunoobi Ya Rabbal 'Aalameen.
     - Rabbana Fagh-fir-lana dhunoobana wa kaf-fir-'anna sayyi-aatina wa ta-waf-fana ma-'al abraar. (Surah Al-Imran:193)

Meaning: Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and remit from us our evil deeds, and make us die in the state of righteousness along with Al-Abrâr (those who are obedient to Allâh and follow strictly His Orders).

3. Last 10 nights- The last 10 nights of Ramadan are to seek Refuge in Allah from the hell-fire. And most importantly the blessed Night of Laylatul Qadr occurs in one the last 10 days of the glorious month. So make as much dua as you can these last 10 days. Here are a few duas:

     -Allahuma Ajirna min-an-naar. "Oh Allah, protect us from the fire".

     - Allahumma innaka 'affuwan tuhibul 'afwa fa 'fu 'anni. "Oh Allah, you are the most forgiving, and you love forqiveness, so forgive me"

Thanks for reading, (Sorry I didn't get all the meanings, Inshallah if I find them I'll put them up!)

Ramadan Mubarak :D

     

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She Might Be Better Than You! #Reminder

Assalamu Alaykum
&Welcome Lovelies,

Today me and my sister were talking about judging people and how you never know everything about a person, and she told me a beautiful reminder given to us by the wonderful and amazing Mufti Ismail Menk. So I thought I'd share it with you! Inshallah (God Willing) this is a reminder first and foremost for myself. Enjoy :) 





Feel free to comment and share!

Salam :)

SecretLifeOfANiqabiDoctor :P

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I Am A Muslim Women

Assalamu Aleykum-Peace be Upon you
& Welcome,

I am a Muslim women. I do not conform to society and I believe that we (women) are individual beings, not objects for the pleasure of men. We live in a society today where everywhere you look women are being used as sex symbols. I don't let myself be controlled by  men who make clothes that fit with the criteria of their desires; booty shorts, crop tops, skinny jeans, mini skirts and dresses that barely cover your butt........and yet I'M oppressed? Now what kind of logic is that?

And NO I'm not forced to cover myself by MEN. Yes, some women are oppressed by men, but does that mean they represent us as a whole? Does that mean ISLAM allows that? Just because Hitler annihilated thousands of Jews, does that mean Christianity is a Religion of Blood and Massacre? No, because you don't judge a religion by a certain group of its people, rather you judge a religion for the belief religion its self. So how what does Islam say about women?

Islam means "submission to God" and I submit and humble myself only to my Creator. "Men" do NOT tell us to cover. God honors us and protects us by telling us to cover our beauty so that we may be known as chaste, intelligent, dignified, honorable women. So that men cannot take advantage of us and control us for their desires. When you walk out that door, who should you dress to please rather than your Creator who created you with beauty. Your beauty is meant for those who are close to you, your family. And those who God has made permissible to see which are females, children, and only male RELATIVES, not STRANGERS down the street. My religion gives me my rights, my GOD given rights, and no one can take them away from me. My religion elevates me so much so that an entire chapter in the Quran is dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus, peace and blessings of God be upon her, how she was the most chaste and honorable women of her time. Peace and blessings of God be upon her. My religion tells me to be strict to the obedience of the mother, so be good and be sure to love her. My religion does NOT oppress me. It LIBERATES me from the shackle's of society.

I am NOT a commodity for sale! I do not give into western ideals that women should dress less to be "free" and "liberated". I do not believe that "If you got it, flaunt it".

I control what YOU see. I am judged for my INTELLECT and PERSONALITY not my LOOKS. When I dress modestly and conceal my beauty from unwanted eyes, I am letting you know that my beauty has nothing to do with personality, and that I am a human being, not an object to be toyed with.

The veil is my liberation. Modest clothing is my Freedom. I do not expose my self for the PLEASURE  of others. Letting go of my dignity and values,walking half nude and feeling proud. Are you truly proud? Are you representing your liberation or getting rid of who you truly are, and letting society judge you as an object; rather than a human being, with rights, thoughts, values, and most importantly SELF RESPECT.

My dear sister in humanity, let me leave you with some advice, take it or leave it, its up to you. Don't conform to the standards in society. You know deep down inside who truly are, all that makeup and outfits, no one gives a second glance. But your personality, attitude, intelligence, and values; let yourself be represented by those because they are the few things in life that will never desert you.

And lastly, let me leave you with the wonderful words of God, the Exalted, the Almighty,

24:31

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And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.

33:59

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O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.

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My Entrance Into the World of Blogging

Assalamu Alaykum-Peace be upon you :)

& Hello and Welcome!   

 This is going be my first post into the world of blogging and I'm really excited! Haha anyway, I thought that as my first blog post, I would kind of introduce myself and tell you (or whoever is going to be reading this) the reason why I've started to blog! So let's get started shall we?

My name is Faiza Abraham. I'm a typical teenager girl who happens to love reading, writing, baking, good moments, traveling, seeking knowledge, and most of all pleasing my Creator. The creator of everything from the heavens to the earth and who created us as human beings. It is He who created us with characteristics such as eating and drinking, loving and grieving. How could we not thank him for all our blessings????

So with that being said, I created this blog because being a reader of blogs myself, I felt I had a lot to share with the world and what better place to do that than with a blog? Yeah I know, fantastic right?!!!! So I will be posting entries about different topics (literally different) and hopefully they'll be great :) I also like to think of this blog as a public diary/journal! 

I would love to answer all of your questions as well. I will also entertain you, or not, with other entries about other topics.

Until next time

Faiza Abraham 

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