Alhamdulillah! It's Jumuah

Preparation for Ramadan

Asalam Alaykum Wa rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu. This is one of my first attempts:))) in video making. Insha'Allah you will find the preparation tips of benefit. In the meantime I will endeavour to improve my video making techniques !!! Wa Salaam

"Collecting Pearls"

Asalam Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu

“Satan rejoiced when Adam (peace be upon him) came out of Paradise,

but he did not know that when a diver sinks into the sea, he collects pearls and then rises again.”

~ Ibn al-Qayyim

A Friday Hadith

Narrated AbuHurayrah:

The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said:

The best day on which the sun has risen is friday; on it Adam was created, on it he was expelled (from Paradise), on it his contrition was accepted, on it he died, and on it the Last Hour will take place. On friday every beast is on the lookout from dawn to sunrise in fear of the Last Hour, but not jinn and men, and it contains a time at which no Muslim prays and asks anything from Allah but He will give it to him.

Ka'b said: That is one day every year. So I said: It is on every friday. Ka'b read the Torah and said: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) has spoken the truth.

AbuHurayrah said: I met Abdullah ibn Salam and told him of my meeting with Ka'b. Abdullah ibn Salam said: I know what time it is. AbuHurayrah said: I asked him to tell me about it. Abdullah ibn Salam said: It is at the very end of friday. I asked: How can it be when the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) has said: "No Muslim finds it while he is praying...." and this is the moment when no prayer is offered.?

Abdullah ibn Salam said: Has the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) not said: "If anyone is seated waiting for the prayer, he is engaged in the prayer until he observes it." I said: Yes, it is so.

Bukhari (Book #3, Hadith #1041)

Alhamdulillah! It is Jumuah!

Alhamdulillah! It's Jumuah-10 Facts about the Day of Jumu’ah

One of the blessings with which the Muslim nation has been endowed is the day of Jumu’ah, or Friday. 

The Messenger of Allaah, , said:

“The best day the sun rises over is Friday; on it Allaah created Aadam. On it, he was made to enter paradise, on it he was expelled from it, and the Last Hour will take place on no other day than Friday.”[

Ahmad and At-At-Tirmithi].

Imaam Ibn Katheer,  said, ”It was named Jumu’ah because it is derived from the word Al-Jam’ in Arabic which means to gather, as Muslims gather on this day every week, and Allaah has commanded the believers to gather for His worship, as He says that which means:{“O you who believe! When the call is proclaimed for Jumu`ah (Friday prayer), come fast to the remembrance of Allaah”}[Quran, 62: 9] meaning be keen to go and attend it.”

Here are some other virtues and facts about the Day of Jumu’ah:

It includes the congregational Jumu’ah prayer, which is one of the obligatory acts in Islam and one of the great gatherings of the Muslims. Allah The Almighty will seal the heart of whoever abandons and slights this, according to the Prophet , in a Hadeeth (narration) in the book ofImaam Muslim .

The day of Jumu’ah includes an hour during which all supplications are accepted. Abu Hurayrah,  narrated that the Messenger of Allaah , said: “On (the day of) Jumu’ah is an hour during which Allaah gives to a Muslim servant standing in prayer whatever he asks for.”[Al-Bukhaari and Muslim].

·              Giving in charity during this day is more virtuous than any other day. Ka’b,  narrated that the Messenger, , said: ”Charity given during the day of Jumu’ah is greater (in reward) than any other day.”

·              The believers will see their Lord from Paradise on that day. Anas ibn Maalik, said regarding the saying of Allaah The Almighty (which means): {“And We have more (i.e. a glance at the All-Mighty)”}[Quran, 50: 35] ”Allaah will appear to them on the day of Jumu’ah.”

·              It is an ‘Eed, i.e., a recurrent holiday and celebration. Ibn ‘Abbaas,  narrated that the Messenger of Allaah  said: “Jumu’ah is a day of celebration, so whoever attends it should perform Ghusl (bathing) beforehand.” [Ibn Maajah].

·              It is a day on which sins are forgiven, as narrated by Salmaan who narrated that the Prophet,   said: “Any man who performs Ghusl on Friday, perfumes himself if he has perfume, wears the best of his clothes, then goes to the mosque and offers as many prayers as he wishes while not harming anybody, then listens quietly while the Imaam speaks until he offers the prayer, will have all his sins between that Friday and the next forgiven.” [Al-Bukhaari].

·              When walking to attend the Friday sermon, a Muslim gets the reward of both praying Qiyaam (i.e., the night prayer) and fasting a full year. Aws ibn Aws  narrated that the Prophet, , said: “Whoever performs Ghusl on Friday after having sexual intercourse with his wife, then goes early to the mosque and attends from the beginning of the Khutbah and draws near to the Imaam and listens to him attentively, Allaah will give him the full reward of fasting all the days of a year and observing night-vigil on each of its nights for every step that he took towards the mosque.”[Ibn Khuzaymah, Ahmad].

·              Hell is fired-up during every day of the week except Friday, as a mark of honour and respect for the day of Friday.

·              Dying on Friday, during the day or night, is a sign of a good end, for the one who dies on that day will be protected from the trial of the grave (i.e., Allaah The Almighty will enable such a person to be steadfast during it). The Prophet,  said: “Any Muslim who dies during the day or night of Friday will be protected by Allaah from the trial of the grave.” [At-Tirmithi and Ahmad]

Source: Islamweb

Appearances

Appearances

Now days big emphasis is put on the way we look and less importance is given in our inner condition.

You only have to spend little time watching TV and you get flooded with ads about hair products, slimming products, cosmetics, and other gadgets and methods of achieving eternal youth and beauty.

However less or no importance is given to the content of the object because this is how we are treated and approached (as packages/objects with no other purpose except to be sold the products and the foolish dream of remaining eternally young and beautiful).

In Islam we have to take care of appearance, health, cleanliness, neatness but we also  have to look  and pay even more attention to our inner beauty and well being…

In the very end we are not here to impress anybody . We are here to worship and obey Allah and gain our entrance to the eternal garden, Jannah, where beauty and perfection will be given as a reward by Allah(swt).

I love Islam as it is a Great Religion of Balance…

Xenia

Loving the skin you are in...

By Sarah Jawaid

Associate Editor of Altmuslimah

Source of this post

Looking into the mirror, I stare at the reflection of my chai-colored forehead; I pause and consider the shades of color slowly descend down my face. Peeking through the brown, a soft pink highlights my cheekbones and the dimples around my crooked smile. The protected skin around my eyelids is the much coveted milky cream color that incites the unwelcome thought of discontent at the shade of my skin.

I squint, then blink away the thought of conforming my skin color to the expectations of others. I no longer want to be a woman who compares her image to unrealistic advertisements and the South Asian obsession with fair skin. As I began to deconstruct my concept of beauty, I realize saying beauty is in the eye of the beholder is an oversimplified cliché and rarely accounts for the societal forces that impact the lens through which the beholder sees beauty.

What's Beauty?

Growing up in my household, conversations on beauty were almost always centered on the fairness of skin color – a commonly held perspective amongst South Asians, perhaps due to historical colonial dominance or its association with purity, high class and wealth. The more troubling effect is the environment this misguided idea creates for the beauty industry, which capitalizes on this obsession and perpetuates it by inundating markets with whitening creams often containing harmful ingredients.

Not exclusive to the South Asian experience, parents in many ethnic communities tell their children to stay out of the sun for fear of becoming undesirable. Why are we fighting against the skin we’re in? We are caught up in this illusion that for six billion people, fair skin is the gold standard, altering ourselves drastically to fit this unrealistic drive for conformity.

Peeling back the layers to understand why we’re hung up on the obsession with fair skin, it is important to note the role society, community and most directly family has on an individual’s concept of beauty. Society's membrane saves what the collective decides as commonly accepted stories, including concepts of beauty.

One of these storytellers, the mainstream media propped up by the advertising industry, broadcasts images of beauty that pay for advertising slots in TV shows and magazines. The individual is then forced to constantly compare his/her reflection with the image the media has amplified, rather than realizing this is a fabrication of reality.

Beyond society, an individual’s extended social network shape concepts of beauty. For example, in certain ethnic groups voluptuous women are more appreciated than thinner women, perhaps representing aristocracy.

Once change happens within, we can begin to cultivate strength, sustaining us to go from the internal to the external.

Furthermore, at the center of it all is the family unit, which acts as a clearinghouse for what values are to be encouraged in growing adults. When parents get hung up on their child’s skin color, they create an environment that inhibits a child from accepting who he/she is naturally. And as these children enter into the world, they seek approval and validation of their burgeoning identities from peers who probably had similar experiences, creating a generation chasing after beauty ideals that reject the natural and authentic in favor of the façade.

Once change happens within, we can begin to cultivate strength, sustaining us to go from the internal to the external.

Stick to What You Are 

In essence, we’ve lost control of our image, allowing others to define us by unrealistic standards instead of appreciating our diversity like other communities have done in the past. In the 1960s, the Black is Beautiful movement emerged amongst the African American community to confront racism and self-hatred by creating a culture that promoted allegiance and affection.

Similarly, the Chicano Movement worked towards ‘social liberation,’ using the slogan Brown is Beautiful to embrace Indian-Mestizo physical features. Perhaps we are pacified, financially secure, and not facing blatant identity assault that we do not feel compelled to take charge of our image in the same way. Granted, these movements occurred under the auspices of the Civil Rights Movement so it may be hard to relate but, notably these movements created a shared history incorporating an appreciation of physical characteristics.

Even with the creation of a shared history and community support, it is still difficult to unlearn the language of self-hate, leaving the only real power to change with the individual. We have the greatest agency to identify, reflect and deconstruct concepts of beauty in hopes of finding our authentic selves.

Going further, we can detach ourselves from the negative thoughts perpetuated by our tribe, including our parents and our culture by replacing self-defeating beliefs with thoughts of self-appreciation and love.

Once change happens within, we can begin to cultivate strength, sustaining us to go from the internal to the external. And we can begin to have those difficult conversations with parents, friends, and community members, demanding an appraisal of our shared values and a creation of beauty ideals that appreciate the diversity that we have in common with rest of creation.

I close my eyes, tired of staring into the mirror, and an image of my mother and father enters my thoughts: him with his warm dimples and her with that crooked smile. Shortly after, as if in one continuum, I am reminded of my grandparents’ beautiful brown skin, the shell that carried them through the tumultuous passage from India to Pakistan in 1947.

Overcome with emotion, tears open my eyes, flowing down my cheek from the same place that shed tears over an ill-family member, the birth of my sister and a broken heart, like so many before me in similar and perhaps, disparate experiences. There is so much history here, how could I have ever wanted to erase it?

Quick remedies for low Eeman

Asalam Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu

From time to time we all get those days when our Eeman is at low levels. We feel disappointed, guilty, desperate, and spiritually failed. This includes myself.

In days like these, I feel that nothing I do or say is right, I feel that I am drifting away from Allah (swt) and I heading towards a helpless and hopeless end. Astagfirullah

For me, low eeman is a condition more severe than a medical condition. And I treat it as such.

When I feel like this, I seek an urgent remedy just as I would  seek a treatment/ remedy if I was ill.

A lot has been written and said about ways to revive and increase our eeman.

But as it is and as  in the case of us self treating our physical ailments I will list a summary of personally tried,quick and effective ways for a quick recovery from spiritual impairment...

In the Book of Allah, the Qur’an, we read that So we already have been given the prescription for the condition of a lowering eeman

“..When his verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith”… straight afterwards the Qur’an mentions acts of obedience, like the prayer, and giving alms..

Following is a summarised list:

1) Read, recite, listen to the Qur’an and contemplate in its meanings

2) Increase acts of obedience

In addition,

3) Stay away from sins

4) Dua- Ask Allah(sw) t0 to strengthen you

5) Take a look of the beautiful nature, marvel at the beautiful creation of Allah, be grateful, feel His Power and Wisdom and feel your own helplessness and Allah’s Greatness.

May Allah (swt) keep you and me in the best of Eeman

Remember me in your duas

Xenia