Are You Ready?

This year's Ramadan would be a bigger challenge than last year's because it's coming up in July which means it would be the peak of summer season, roughly. Summers in North America are about wild thunderstorms, tornadoes, power outages (may Allah forbid!), and the heat waves. Graciously, it would be the schools holiday month so the school / college goers will have the ease of staying in the shade. For folks working outdoors, may Allah help you more, ameen!

It is not too early to be speaking of Ramadan because the more you prepare the merrier. Before you know it, two months would fly by and the Ramadan moon will be shinning in all its glory, calling upon Muslims all around the globe to commemorate 30 days of eternal peace, worship, and gaining huge merits, God Willing inshAllah.

I have been writing the Ramadan Diaries (a blogging series) for the past 2 years and in its wake, Sisterly Yours was born. This Ramadan would be the 3rd anniversary of Ramadan Diaries mashAllah. So I am rummaging through my brain and soul for a special theme. When I started in 2010, the first theme was Repentance, followed by Productivity in 2011. 2012 should be something different, obviously.

I am going to let Ramadan act like a 'spiritual fix' - I borrowed that word from Sh. Navaid Aziz's series - for me. I'd let the 30 blessed days cleanse the junk in my brain. There is a lot of negativity, phobias, delusions, and all sorts of nonsense piling up in there. I'd do a soul search this Ramadan, inshAllah, and everybody is welcome to join me on the adventure.

Stay tuned for more on Ramadan Diaries 2012.

Typing about this at nearly midnight is the most inappropriate, considering I haven't prayed my Ishaa prayers yet, but I just need to get this out.

Prophet Suleyman a.s. (Solomon)'s Dua'a

This morning during my Quran reading, I discovered a beautiful dua'a recited by Prophet Suleyman aleyhessalam (a.s.). It calls upon Allah, thanking Him for His gifts given to Prophet Suleyman (a.s.) which were the ability to communicate with and command armies of jinn and animals. He had been awarded a high rank and profound knowledge by Allah. He is also thanking Allah for the gifts that his parents were blessed with and is pleading to be included among the pious servants. 

Make good use of these words to thank your Creator for what He has gifted you and your parents with and seek His blessings to secure a good rank among the best of people, inshAllah.

May Allah forgive my sins and those of who repent whole-heartedly.

Ameen.

Surah Ash-Shu'ara (The Poets) Review

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Today at Fajr, I completed the reading of Surah Ash-Shu'ara with its translation, mashAllah. I couldn't figure out Allah's Wisdom behind naming the Surah "The Poets" until I got to the very end. Of course, the detailed meaning I will discover when I read the exegesis (Tafseer), inshAllah. The Surah was revealed to Prophet Mohammad, peace and blessings on him and his family (salAllahu alehy wa'aleyhi wasallam - saww) to command him that it is not his duty to grieve over the failure of the disbelievers to embrace the truth i.e. Allah's message and His Book - The Quran, because a prophet's work is only to voice Allah's command and make it clear to all who hear. Allah narrates the fate of various disbelieving nations who ignored the call of their Messengers, sent by Allah, and hence met severe doom.

Prophets Moses and Aaron, peace be upon them (aleyh'salaam - a.s.)

Allah reminds Prophet Mohammad (saww) about how Prophet Moses (a.s.) confronted difficulty in bringing up a revolution against the tyrant Pharaoh. He asked Allah for a brother who would aid his struggle and he was blessed with the companionship of Prophet Aaron (a.s.). A conversation between the arrogant Pharaoh and Prophet Moses (a.s.) follows which reflects how strong a believer needs to be when facing a disbeliever who claims to be God. Then comes the incidence of Prophet Moses' (a.s.) staff (asa'a) turning into a snake when all the magicians of the city were made to confront him with their spells. They all bore witness that it was a miracle of Allah - the One God Who had sent Moses (a.s.) and not the Pharaoh - the self-proclaimed god.

Following the idea that only the brave believers are aided by Allah's miracle, the Surah progresses to revise the incidence of Prophet Moses (a.s.) making an escape from Pharoah's land with his band of followers of the religion of Allah. When confronted by the Red Sea (as historians say) Prophet Moses (a.s.) was commanded by Allah to go ahead and the sea divides into two ... allowing the believers a safe passage while Pharaoh and his men are drowned!

Prophet Abraham (a.s.)'s Story and Signs For Disbelievers

The next that follows is a conversation between Prophet Abraham (a.s.) and the idol-worshipers against whom he was inspired by Allah to revolt. The prophet reasons with the ignorant ones about their foolishness in worshiping statues that could neither harm nor benefit and the people respond with the most illogical of reasoning. 

Prophet Noah (a.s.)'s Story

There is a mention of the story of Prophet Noah (a.s.) and how he, too, as a believer was mocked at and threatened of being stoned when he invited people to the Word of Allah. Once again, Allah wrote doom for the disbelievers and the great flood wiped off their existence, becoming a sign for all who disbelieve to remember.

Story of Prophet Hud (a.s.) and the Disbelievers of Aad

The People of Aad were a prosperous nation. Giant-like they built huge fortresses and lived like tyrants, cruel attackers. They had been blessed by abundant foods and water and thrived prosperously. However, they did the ultimate sin of Shirk as they built idols for worship. Prophet Hud (a.s.), like other prophets, warned these ignorant fools of their folly but to no avail. Ultimately, Allah narrates how He sent a mighty storm to destroy them.

The People of Thamud (Samood), Prophet Saleh (a.s.) and the Earthquake

The People of Thamud are mentioned next. They were those who carved homes and structures in mountains and enjoyed prosperous lives. But they did not follow the Commands of Allah and followed the wrongdoers. Prophet Saleh (a.s.) tried to reason with them and deliver Allah's message but they gave him a deaf ear. Ultimately, they met a terrible end as Allah sent a terrible earthquake that buried them under stone and rock. They were discovered thousands of year later by archaeologists ... as if it was Allah's Will to preserve them for the world to see.

The People of Lut, Prophet Lut (a.s.), and the Deadly Rain

The People of Lut had adopted homosexuality instead of the lawful life partners that Allah had given them. Prophet Lut (a.s.) was another trusted Messenger who tried to beat some sense into them but to no use. Their deadly end was a storm that rained down stones on them, wiping them from the face of the earth. 

Prophet Shuya'ab's People

There is also a mention of the wrongdoers towards whom Prophet Shuya'ab (a.s.) was sent. I have yet to read in detail about the people of Prophet Shuay'ab, but the crux of what I read in the Surah is that they were unjust in their financial and routine transactions. They wronged people with abuse and with corruption. Prophet Shuya'ab (a.s.) forewarned them but like all other prophets he too received a deaf ear. Eventually, they too were destroyed by Allah's wrath.

Conclusion

Allah speaks to Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) in this Surah and commands him not to grieve about the fate of the people once he has delivered the true message to them. The Quran is the whole truth, the complete word. If disbelievers turn deaf, dumb, and blind then they should be left to suffer the punishment that Allah has designed for them.

One Atom is All It Takes To Bring You Down

Model of an atom - The basic particle of all creation

So what is the size of an atom, again? A scientific figure with too many decimal points, but in simple comparative language, there are millions of atoms in each grain of sand. Do you get the picture of how mega-tiny microscopic I'm talking about? That's the size, of exactly one atom, of pride that pushes you far away from even smelling the scent of Paradise. That's not me talking. In the words of Prophet Mohammad, Messenger of Allah, RasoolAllah Sal'Allahu alehe wa'alehi wasallam, "No one who has an atom's weight of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise," (Muslim, 91). 

Let's put pride under our own Islamic electron microscope today and study it in light of Quran and Hadith.

Pride - The Devil's Trait

The first incidence of the display of pride and arrogance is known to all. It was Iblees, the leader of angels, who stood arrogantly before Allah and refused to bow before Prophet Adam (a.s.). "I am better than him," he boasted, "You created me from fire, and him You created from clay." So think again whose footsteps are you following, what status he has been demoted to, and what would be the fate of his followers.

Another proud being was the Pharaoh (Firaun) the ruler of Egypt in the days of Prophet Moses (a.s.). He was boastful of his stature, riches, and lands so much that he rejected the truth i.e. the Oneness of Allah. He rejected Prophet Moses (a.s.) as Allah's prophet and put him to tests and trials in combat with magicians. We all know what happened to him.

Types of Pride
1. Pride of being more knowledgeable or better off
There is a lot of this kind of pride going around these days simply because people are gaining more religious, academic, and professional knowledge. Degrees, diplomas, and certifications at times do more than just pinning a badge of qualification on a person. They also pin a badge of pride. A doctor, having passed through a tenure of several years of hard studies to get to where he or she is, may talk down everyone else who has a medical opinion. A company's chief executive officer may think everyone else is an underachiever. A person who has completed a religious course may look down upon everyone else as a sinner or somebody less in stature than them.
2. Pride of one's ancestors
Another common pride is that which one feels for his or her ancestoral heritage. Some may be proud about belonging to an influential tribe and others may have royal or noble roots. Some may be from a generation of aristocrats and others may have ancestors from a popular township. 

3. Pride of being more beautiful and/or rich
Being rich and beautiful is a blessing that requires utmost offering of gratitude to Allah and service and politeness to His Creation. 
Influences of media have created a major social dysfunction of praising "plastic beauty" and disgracing the rest. Men and women are not comfortable in their own skins because others who have inherited "artificial, make-believe skins" are proud to put themselves up for display.  The rich and famous parade the streets with pompous displays of wealth reflecting from their clothes, the vehicles they drive, and even the food they eat.
Prophet Mohammad (saww) said, "Whilst a man was walking, dragging his garment with pride, with his hair nicely combed, Allah caused the earth to swallow him and he will go on sinking until the Day of Resurrection." (Al-Bukhari, 3297)
This does not imply that one should not dress and look beautiful. Prophet Mohammad (saww) said, "Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty. Arrogance means rejecting the truth and looking down on people." (Muslim, 91)
Modesty is a trait that is required of a Muslim as essentially as that of his or her devotion to Allah.

The Right Kind of Pride

Being a Muslim is a matter of pride because you are following the best theological philosophy of One Creator. This pride is the right kind of pride and qualifies as a self-esteem booster, however, if expressed in a wrong way it would again be disqualified as a forbidden aspect of personality. Prophet Mohammad (saww) prescribed various ways to express this pride in one's Creator. He asked the people to exalt Allah and proclaim that there is no God but Him. The chants of Allahu Akbar (Allah is Great) and Laa ilaha illAllah (There is no God but Allah) are expressions of Islamic pride and of rising in honor. Unfortunately, they've been misused so much by hostile elements that they've become restricted in meaning only as war cries. That is not true. 

Don't Nuke Your Destiny
Paradise is our destiny and one atom of pride is enough to become that atom bomb which can nuke our destiny. In simple words, don't blow it up out of sheer arrogance.

Seeking Refuge from Suggestions of Evil Ones

Devils (Shayateen) surround us and they whisper all sorts of evils in our ears and poison our minds. They may be ideas of committing new sins, doubts against other people, evil schemes, and even innovation (bidaah). I found a supplication in Chapter "The Believers" (Surah Al- Mu'minoon) that is a great way to call upon Allah to protect us from such poisons. 

Remember me in your prayers, 

Sisterly Yours.

Al-Kahf recitation by Mishary Rashid for Habibi Halaqas

I hope you enjoy watching this beautiful compilation of gorgeous caves from around the world, mashAllah, that I compiled for Habibi Halaqas for their Surah Al-Kahf video. More videos to come, inshAllah. Mishary, indeed, has a mesmerizing style of recitation.