Time-Out

Just letting you all know that I will not be posting anything for the next few weeks. Alhamdullillah with the mercy of Allah I will be going to Makkah and Madinah to perform umrah. So that means a Time-out for me, from blogging and everything else!

Please remember me in your prayers, and since I won't be around I hope that you all enjoy the rest of Ramadhaan and have a wonderful Eid.

May the Almighty Allah be with you and your families.

Stay well!

As-salaamu-alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

Making the best of the month of Ramadhaan

It comes once a year, and it always seems to pass so quickly. Yes, we are now in the second ten days of the month of Ramadhaan already and it seems that time is just passing too quickly. Before we know it this Blessed month will be over, and we will all be involved in Eid Celebrations. Some of us may be wondering whether we’ve made the best of the month or if we just ended up wasting very precious time. Besides the obvious ways to make the best of the month of Ramadhaan, like Fasting, reading Quraan Sharief and performing all our Salaah, there are other ways to make the best of this Holy month.

So, how can we do this?

Well, I was just thinking that the second ten days of Ramadhaan are the days of forgiveness and surely we are all hoping and praying for the Almighty Allah to forgive us, I mean, what would we do if Allah (SWT) was not so willing to forgive us, we would certainly be doomed. This made me reflect though, and I started thinking about how willing people are to forgive each other. Why does it seem like it’s so difficult for us to forgive someone who has done something to us. Yes, it hurts when someone does something to you, but if we depend on Allah’s mercy and forgiveness, and if Allah The Greatest forgives us even though we continuously transgress, then why can’t we be the better person and forgive others.

The only thing stopping us from forgiving and letting go is our own egos and pride. When we believe that we have a right to feel the way we do, then it becomes very difficult to forgive others. So let’s try to gain more blessings from this wonderful month by forgiving those that we have grudges against. Let us remember that if Allah Almighty can forgive us so very easily, when we do all sorts of wrong, who are we to believe that we can’t forgive others? Let’s make an earnest effort to let go of all the negative feelings we have towards others, because this too is in the spirit of Ramadhaan, and indeed this is how Muslims should be all of the time.

May Allah (SWT) forgive us all for all of our sins, known and unknown, those committed intentionally and those done unintentionally, those committed in the light of day and in the dark of night, and even those sins which we do not recognise and consider to be sins! May Allah have mercy on us all, and make it easy for us to forgive others!

Best wishes for the Great month of Ramadaan

May Allah accept all of our prayers and efforts and make easy all of our difficulties in this blessed month and may it be easy for us to continue with the good long after the month has passed!

Image 1 from: http://ummabdurrahman.wordpress.com/2007/09/13/personal-ramadan-wishes/
Image 2 from: http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=420538

Every day should be Woman’s Day

 Yesterday was National Women’s Day in South Africa. The country went all out to honour women, focus on their achievements and celebrate their uniqueness. Parades were held against the abuse of women, speeches were made talking about gender equality, women’s rights and the fair treatment of women were emphasized. All that is great, really, but I wonder if people have still remembered that today, or have people simply gone back to their normal everyday lives, thankful for the public holiday yesterday and have they already forgotten all about women and the issues they have to deal with?

I’m not saying that Women’s Day is unnecessary, but I think that Women’s Day should be celebrated every single day. There should be no need for a special day, because the celebration of women should be in everyday actions. The way women are treated, cared for, the work they have to do, the issues they have to deal with, the abuse they should not be suffering, these things should be dealt with everyday.

I’m busy reading a lovely book called “Enjoy Your Life”, and in this book the author talks about the type of person you should be and how you can foster positive relationships with others. He specifically uses examples from the Sunnah to illustrate his points. One chapter is dedicated to the treatment of women and it really is beautiful when you understand the true Islamic way of how women should be treated. In today’s times people have many things to say about women and how Islam “proposes” women should be treated. All this negativity is contrary to the teachings of Islam and with a proper understanding of the Quraan and Sunnah, one will easily understand that women are celebrated all of the time, when Islam is practiced properly.

Men are cautioned about respecting a woman’s feelings, they are warned that a woman’s ways cannot easily be changed, they are asked to have patience, and they are forbidden from causing bodily harm to a woman. In addition, it is their duty to care for women, and protect them physically and financially. Yes, these are the teachings of Islam, which is really much more comprehensive than this. In a nutshell though, when people practice Islam properly, then truly every day is Woman’s Day.

So while it’s great for the country to recognise the importance of women in society, it doesn’t help to have one special day dedicated to women, but the rest of the year women and their issues are forgotten. Indeed Women’s Day should be every day, and Islam shows us exactly how this is possible, if we only follow the true way in completion!

Image from: http://funkydoodledonkey.blogspot.com/2009/08/womens-day-in-south-africa.html

Self-degradation

Every day I see self-degradation,

Disguised as liberation,

People boldly displaying their bodies,

Sometimes to the extent of complete nakedness.

False beliefs of freedom,

People disiullusioned and deceived,

They look at us and they condemn,

Yet real truth and purity they have not perceived.

It seems to me that they’re the ones who are truly trapped,

I wonder if they have self-respect,

Deceived into believing in individual free will,

Yet dominated and driven in ways so subtle.

I’ll rather cover myself and maintain respect,

I do not ever want to be like them,

Let them look at us and dissect,

Trying to find ways to criticise and condemn.

Islam is my religion, my faith...my life,

It will never degrade me, it will only uplift,

Deception and illusion is clearly rife,

But Islam will continue to keep us adrift!