Patience in all circumstances

Asalam Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu

Please click on the picture!

A beautiful hadith

Here is the Link for the Image: L I N K

It's all about trust...

Does the picture above remind you of anything? 

Well, it reminds me of how trusting I was. I trusted my parents to throw me up in the air and not drop me. This is a familiar picture for most of us.

 But what happened since then? Would I trust anyone now, not to "drop" me? I am afraid not.

When we are growing up we look up to our parents and feel secure and confident that they will always tell us the truth, protect us and shelter us. We Trust Them.

 When my children were growing up, I trusted them and I still do, to tell me the truth of where they are and who with, I never searched through their personal possessions, I never lied and back bitten and was never  a hypocrite by pretending to be someone I never was  and Alhamdulillah I have been rewarded with children who trust me enough to tell me the truth. ( sometimes more than I need to know...lol).I always tell them that I appreciate them telling me the truth. This strengthens the bond of trust we have. 

However   ..........................

In the outside world ,we encounter a different scenario.People we meet in our daily lives, have no hesitation in betraying our trust. I often marvel at how far people go..., " reasons" unknown and  possibly dark.

In Islam we read the Hadith of The prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) which clearly warns us:

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "The signs of a hypocrite are three: 1. Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie. 2. Whenever he promises, he always breaks it (his promise ). 3. If you trust him, he proves to be dishonest. (If you keep something as a trust with him, he will not return it.)"  Bukhari (Book 2, Hadith 32).

Here are some tips for building trust:

  

• Never tell a lie, always tell the truth. And, say it kindly and tactfully.
• Be real; do not act like somebody you are not.
• Do not gossip about other people's life. The one you are talking to may think you are gossiping her at her back. The worst scene is - she even pass what you said to other people too.
• Never betray a confidence. Do not tell the secrets confided to you.
• Keep all the promises you made. If you cannot keep a promise, better not to promise at all.
• When you borrow something, always return it as soon as possible on time.

Trust yourself First. Then Trust others. Always search for the good in others.Lead by example .

D O N' T   F O R G E T to also put all your trust in Allah, The Most High.

"O Allah, our Lord! All the praises are for You; You are the Keeper (Establisher or the One Who looks after) of the Heavens and the Earth. All the Praises are for You; You are the Light of the Heavens and the Earth and whatever is therein. You are the Truth, and Your saying is the Truth, and Your promise is the Truth, and the meeting with You is the Truth, and Paradise is the Truth, and the (Hell) Fire is the Truth. O Allah! I surrender myself to You, and believe in You, and I put my trust in You (solely depend upon). And to You I complain of my opponents and with Your Evidence I argue. So please forgive the sins which I have done in the past or I will do in the future, and also those (sins) which I did in secret or in public, and that which You know better than I. None has the right to be worshipped but You."

 Bukhari  (Book 93, Hadith 534)

When envy takes hold...

Free Photo. Com Photographer Ian Britton

Asalamu Alaykum

There is a rampant phenomenon in our days that destroys lives.
It damages relationships and causes damage to the person  who has the problem to start with.
What is this nemesis? Over competitiveness and envy .This need to be the best and have the best. 
It can start as a little weed growing and before you know it it overtakes the garden of our hearts killing all the beauty and destroying the fragrant  flowers of love, compatibility, tolerance, support, appreciation, to name but a few.
It even rears its ugly head within the folds of marriages, sibling relationships, friendships.
It usually stems from our own depths of insecurities firmly rooted in out hearts since times unknown. It feels a little like sibling rivalry, competing for this extra love ( from  parents) and needing to prove that we deserve the love constantly. It is a self destructing feeling as well as a relationship "killer" We can not stand to see anybody better than us..
The person is under constant stress, striving for approval , acceptance and never feeling at peace and comfortable in their own situation.I often see this in work related situations when people often compete for the the management's approval and stopping at nothing to gain this approval and the "rewards" it brings.
I usually step back form this kind of situation, keep calm and let it wash over me.It has taken me years of living and of course Islam to get to this stage. Alhamdulillah.
As Muslims we know what  is important and what is not worth to loose sleep over.
The only time we should worry is:
Narrated Ibn Masud: I heard the Prophet saying, "There is no envy except in two: a person whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it in the right way, and a person whom Allah has given wisdom (i.e. religious knowledge) and he gives his decisions accordingly and teaches it to the others."  (Book #24, Hadith #490).


If we have ever experienced this negative feelings we must work on ourselves to distance them from our hearts, and ask Allah's help to make it easy for us.


Jazakallah for reading

Walking barefoot!!!

Walking barefoot

Asalamu Alaykum

Indoors I often walk barefoot. I enjoy it. I feel the stress floating off my feet.

The  Society for barefoot living says in their homepage:

“Going barefoot is the gentlest way of walking and can symbolise a way of living — being authentic, vulnerable, sensitive to our surroundings. It’s the feeling of enjoying warm sand beneath our toes, or carefully making our way over sharp rocks in the darkness. It’s a way of living that has the lightest impact, removing the barrier between us and nature.” — Adele Coombs, “Barefoot Dreaming”

In the Book “Take off your shoes and walk ” podiatrist Dr. Wikler advocated going barefoot for better foot health (especially for children). He also explained how shoes often deform and distort our feet.

We have made a fair-use extract of this wonderful, but long out-of-print book published in 1961 by Devin-Adair. Parents! . . . If anyone gives you any grief about allowing your child to be barefoot, having this overview on hand should be very helpful. Additional material by other researchers can be found here.

Now lets read this:

Narrated Fudalah ibn Ubayd: Abdullah ibn Buraydah said:

A man from the companions of the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) travelled to Fudalah ibn Ubayd when he was in Egypt. He came to him and said:

“I have not come to you to visit you. But you and I heard a tradition from the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him). I hope you may have some knowledge of it.”

He asked:

“What is it?

He replied:

“So and so”.

He said:

“Why do I see you dishevelled when you are the ruler of this land?”

He said:

“The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) has forbidden us to indulge much in luxury.”

He said:

“Why do I see you unshod? “

He replied:

“The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) used to command us to go barefoot at times”.

Sunan of Abu Dawud (Book #33, Hadith #4148)

How did Prophet Muhammad (saw) know the benefits of walking without shoes,  over 1400 years ago? This is just one more proof  that Prophet Muhammad is genuine and he is the Messenger of Allah(swt).

So now if we walk barefoot, lets do it not only for the pleasure and freedom it brings us but lets do it to revive a forgotten Sunnah!

Xenia