Reflections Of A Muslimah

Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāhi Wabarakath,

There are some verses in the Qu'ran which capture your heart and don't let go. :-)

Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāhi Wabarakath,

Lately I've been listening to Qari Tawfeeq As-Sayegh. :-) Masha'Allah, his recitation is touching and clear.

Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāhi Wabarakath,

As Muslims we sometimes have the thought that we're the chosen Ummah - the one which will ultimately gain success and then we sit back and fall into pits of laziness. However, if we look at the Qur'an, in numerous places it talks about how there were many nations before us which were destroyed and put in trials and tribulations because they left the path of Allah.

It says in Surat Al-An'am:

Have they not seen how many a generation before them We have destroyed whom We had established on the earth such as We have not established you? And We poured out on them rain from the sky in abundance, and made the rivers flow under them. Yet We destroyed them for their sins, and created after them other generations

If we look at the first five chapters of the Qur'an it mainly mentions the People of the Book [Jews & Christains], their straying from the path, how they disobeyed Allah and how ultimately Allah placed his curse upon them for doing Kufr against him. But as how everything in the Qur'an has balance - their good qualities are mentioned too. However, the general idea is that we reflect on their situations, the mistakes they did and try and not do the same things.

There is a verse in the Qur'an in Surat Al-Ma'idah which has a severe warning for the Muslims.

O you who believe! Whoever from among you turns back from his religion (Islam), Allah will bring a people whom He will love and they will love Him; humble towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers, fighting in the Way of Allah, and never afraid of the blame of the blamers. That is the Grace of Allah which He bestows on whom He wills. And Allah is All­Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All­Knower.

Allah SWT is not incapable of removing us and bringing another nation instead of us. He is not incapable of doing anything. Why is it then that we do not reflect & reform?

There was nations who in their times were the most developed and well to do, yet they were ultimately destroyed for not believing in Allah azza wa jal. The World is temporary and the benefit found in this world is temporary. Regardless of how educated and how wealthy you are, it does not mean anything if you are not following the path which Allah SWT has dictated.

So then, what are we to do?

If we look at the verse above, it mentions the Sifaat that we as Muslims should have and characteristics Allah wants in us.

They are:

• An Ummah he loved & those who love him back

If you love someone unconditionally, no doubt you obey them, you long to do all that they want just to make them happy and obtain their love in return. This means, that we need to adopt and have unconditional love for Allah subhanna wa ta'ala, to obey him in his commands and to strive to earn his pleasure and love.

• Humble towards the believers

In this there is a huge lesson to learn for us. If we look at the Muslim Ummah today, even though love exists amonts us, tribal, cultural and madhab[istic] divisions, [which don't actually promote love], are more.

• Stern towards the disbelievers

Ah... And what are we doing? Allying and helping the Kuffar against our own Brothers & Sisters in Islam.

• Fighting in the way of Allah

Now, the people who go out for Jihad, we ourselves, call them 'terrorists'. Our Ummah does not appreciate or encourage fighting for the sake of Allah anymore, and those who do are very few, although the station of those of fight for the sake of Allah is one of the most highest station.

• Never afraid of the blame of the blamers

This is something I too have to work on. How many of us don't do things because we are afraid of mockery and ridicule? How many Sisters don't wear Hijab & brothers don't keep beards because of what people say? This is just a small issue, the concept of 'not fearing the blame of the blamers' is a very large problem in our society. We are so afraid of people of what people will say and do, that we forget to fear Allah.

May Allah Subhanna wa ta'ala make us of those who he loves and those who love him! Ameen.

The verse of the throne has many benefits & narrations attached to it. It is the most beautiful and the most greatest verse of the Qurán. And the most greatest verse revealed to the Prophet Sallahu allayhi wasallam .

One such ahadith that pertain to Ayat Al-Kursi is that if anyone reads this verse after every prayer will be entered into Paradise.

It was narrated that Abu Umamah Al-Bahili (radiAllahu anhu) said:

The Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:

"Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi immediately after each prescribed Prayer, there will be nothing standing between him and his entering Paradise except death."

[an-Nasa'i, Ibn Hibban, ibn Sunni, at-Tabarani, ibn Hibban - Sahih]

Let's just say, things could've become much 'bloodier' last year.

WASHINGTON – President George W. Bush rejected a plea from Israel last year to help it raid Iran's main nuclear complex, opting instead to authorize a new U.S. covert action aimed at sabotaging Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program, The New York Times reported.

Israel's request was for specialized bunker-busting bombs that it wanted for an attack that tentatively involved flying over Iraq to reach Iran's major nuclear complex at Natanz, where the country's only known uranium enrichment plant is located, the Times reported Saturday in its online edition. The White House deflected requests for the bombs and flyover but said it would improve intelligence-sharing with Israel on covert U.S. efforts to sabotage Iran's nuclear program.

The covert efforts, which began in early 2008, involved plans to penetrate Iran's nuclear supply chain abroad and undermine electrical systems and other networks on which Iran relies, the Times said, citing interviews with current and former U.S. officials, outside experts and international nuclear inspectors who spoke on condition of anonymity. The covert program will be handed off to President-elect Barack Obama, who will deciding whether to continue it.

According to the Times, Bush decided against an overt attack based on input from top administration officials such as Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who believed that doing so would likely prove ineffective and could ignite a broader Middle East war.

Source - Read Full Article

For once, Bush took the right decision in his life - we do not need more innocents dead. Firstly, with his army spread between Iraq & Afghanistan they would be weak in man-power. Secondly, this would not sit well with other Countries. Also, Iran isn't exactly a weakling.

I had a feeling last year, either the US would ally with Israel to invade Iran or the US would ally with India to invade Pakistan. Maybe I was wrong, as alhamdulilah, it did not happen. But there is still this year and I hope Obama has a little more sense and sound wisdom compared to Bush to not go on a killing rampage. [Although so far he hasn't shown it when it comes to the Gaza crisis!]

Not to mention, both Iran and Pakistan are powerful Muslim Countries, with defense forces to be reckoned with and nuclear power. I could understand why they're both a threat to the US & Co. Pakistan holds the keys of Afghanistan. The resistance in Afghanistan recruits and trains in Pakistan, where also thousands of other Muslim fighters come in from all over the World for training. Iran represents a threat merely because it holds nuclear power, and implements Shariah within its lands.

I was listening to a lecture by Imam Anwar Al - Awlaki, and the Khilafah is something the West could not stand and therefore, strives to prevent it. What is a Caliphate? A Caliphate system is the uniting of Muslim Countries under one ruler with the implementation of Shariah law within ts lands. There are numerous reasons why the West would not like this idea, although Non-Muslim Countries would be left out of this. Financially, economically, strength-wise, a Caliphate system is a threat to the West.

In the end though;




May Allah SWT unite the Muslim Ummah and make us victorious over our enemies. Ameen.

Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāhi Wabarakath,

MashAllah, Shaykh Sa'ad Nu'mani has a beautiful recitation. Apparently this Shaykh, who is a direct descendant of Imam Abu Hanifa [R], has the ability to imitate various Qurra around the World. He was born in Karachi, Pakistan and shifted to Medina, Saudia Arabia where he grew up and studied ilm. He has led taraweeh prayers in the Holy city of Medina.

Here is his recitation of the end of Surah Maryam which I absolutely love: