and you wonder why i love kitties.. i wonder why you dont!

 

 

 

hehehehehehe.. its indeed exam season!

=’| i miss It very much.. ya Allah.. accept It from me..

When Ibrahim (peace be upon him) completed the structure of the Ka’bah, Allah commanded him to call the people to Hajj. Ibrahim (peace be upon him) pleaded, "O Allah! How shall my voice reach all of those people?" Allah told him that his duty was only to give the call and it was up to Allah to make it reach the people.
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) then climbed Mount Arafat and called out in his loudest voice, "O People! Verily Allah has prescribed upon you Hajj, so perform Hajj."
Allah revealed in the Quran:
And proclaim the Hajj among mankind. They will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways.[Noble Quran 22:27]
To this very day millions upon millions of Muslims continue to answer the call of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Perhaps this year you shall be amongst those who answer the call.
‘Amr ibn Al-’Aas narrates, "When Islam entered my heart, I went to the Messenger of Allah and said, ‘Give me your hand so that I may pledge allegiance to you.’ The Prophet spread his hand, but I withdrew mine. He said, ‘What is wrong ‘Amr?’ I said, ‘I want to make a condition.’ ‘And what is that?’ he said. I said, ‘That Allah will forgive me.’ Then the Messenger of Allah said, ‘Did you not know that Islam wipes out what came before it, and that Hijrah wipes out what came before it and that Hajj wipes out what came before it!" (Sahih Muslim).
Hajj is the fifth pillar upon which Islam stands. Allah made it compulsory upon every able Muslim male and female to perform it, at least once in a lifetime. Allah revealed:
Hajj thereto is a duty mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the journey, but if any deny faith, Allah stands not in need of any of His creatures.[Noble Quran 3:97]
Performance of the Hajj washes away all sins. Abu Hurayrah narrates: I heard the Prophet say, "Whoever performs Hajj and does not commit any Rafath (obscenity) or Fusuq (transgression), he returns (free from sin) as the day his mother bore him" (Sahih Bukhari).
Hajj is one of the greatest deeds one can accomplish in his or her lifetime. Abu Hurayrah narrates: The Prophet was asked, "What deed is the best?" He said, "Iman in Allah and His Messenger." "Then what?" "Jihad in the sake of Allah." "Then what?" "Hajj Mabrur, a Hajj accepted by Allah."
Abu Sha’tha’ said, "I contemplated the good deeds that a person does. I found that Salah as well as fasting are a jihad of the body. And that Sadaqah is a jihad of someone’s wealth. But Hajj is a jihad of both body and wealth."
Hajj is the greatest jihad. Ayshah asked the Prophet (peace be upon him), "We find that jihad is the best deed, shouldn’t we (women) do jihad?" The Prophet replied, "Rather the best jihad is a Hajj Mabrur!" Ayshah later said, "I’ll never cease performing Hajj after I heard that from the prophet of Allah" (Agreed Upon).
The Du’a of the one in Hajj shall be accepted. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The soldier in the path of Allah and the one who performs Hajj and the one who performs ‘Umrah, all are the delegation of Allah! He called them and they answered. And they asked Him, and He shall grant them (what they ask for)!" (Authentic, narrated by Ibn Majah and Ibn Hibban).
In the Islamic history books it was narrated that on the day of Arafat, a man from Turkmenistan stood on the plains of Arafat in Hajj. To his left all he could see was Muslims crying and praying to Allah. To his right all he could see was Muslims crying and praying to Allah. Because of his native tongue, he could not imitate the lengthy prayers of the others. At this realization everything blurred in front of him. His face reddened, his eyes poured tears as he raised his hands, "O Allah! Grant me everything that they are asking for! Grant me everything that they are asking for!" And Allah accepted his Du’a.
There is not a single day that the sun has come up on more beloved to Allah than the Day of Arafat. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "There is no day on which Allah frees more of His slaves from Fire than the Day of Arafat, and He verily draws near, then boasts of them before the angles, saying: ‘What do they seek?’" (Sahih Muslim). And in another Hadith: "Verily Allah boasts of the people of Arafat before the people of Heaven (angels) saying: ‘Look to my servants who have come to Me disheveled and dusty.’"
Abdullah ibn Al-Mubarak narrates: I went to Sufyan ibn al-Uyaynah as the day of Arafat was setting. He sat on his knees, his hands raised to the Heavens, and tears moistened his cheeks and beard. He turned and looked at me, so I asked him, "Amongst the people who have gathered here for Hajj, who is in the worst state?" Sufyan ibn al-Uyaynah said, "He who thinks that Allah will not forgive him."
Ayshah would see the Prophet (peace be upon him) standing in prayer at night so much so that his feet would crack. She would ask him, "Why do you do this when Allah has forgiven all your sins, the past and anything you may do in the future?" And he would reply, "Shouldn’t I be a thankful slave?"
With this example of the Prophet (peace be upon him), what should our attitude be when we hear of Paradise and forgiveness of sin for those who perform Hajj? Does it mean that after Hajj we fall back into all the disobedience that we went to Hajj with? Does it mean that we are promised Jannah no matter what sin we do after Hajj? Many people think this to be the case and it is a very dangerous presumption.
You will find in many of the Hadith regarding the virtue of Hajj the term Hajj Mabrur. Do you know what Mabrur means? It means an accepted Hajj. A Mabrur Hajj is one in which Allah is not disobeyed during or after. Others have said that a Hajj Mabrur is one that is accepted, and the sign of its acceptance is that a person will go back in a better state then when he came, and that he will discontinue the sins that were between him and Allah.
I once saw a group of Hajjis with all of their paraphernalia. Plastered on their t-shirts and hats was ‘Hajj Mabrur 1997!’ I remembered then when Ibn Umar was on his deathbed and his son reminded him of all the good deeds that he did with the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the companions. He told him, "Quiet! Don’t you know whom Allah accepts from? Verily Allah only accepts from the God-Fearing (Al-Muttaqun)."
When Ali ibn Al-Husayn wore his Ihram towels and sat upright on his camel in preparation for the journey to Mecca, his face changed color, his skin shivered and he cried, unable to say the Talbiyah, Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk. Someone asked him, "What’s wrong?" And he replied, "I’m afraid that when I say it, it shall be replied, ‘La Labbayka wa La Sa’dayk’ (May you never have come and may you not have happiness)."
With that spirit, let us march forward in the search of the Mercy of Allah and His forgiveness, to the first house of Allah on earth, to Hajj.
In the Hajj of 1996 you may have heard of the Jamarat crowd in which 600 people died. It was Dhuhr time that it happened and I had been sitting there from the early morning waiting for noon to throw my pebbles. About 30 minutes before Dhuhr a wave of people, like dominoes, toppled over us. I had said to myself earlier that if I were ever in an emergency situation I would jump up on a bus or anything high to escape the crowd. Now, I saw people doing just that and I knew this was the situation that I had feared. My friend said, "What shall we do?" With a glance over the sea of people I knew there was no way we could walk opposite of the crowd and so I replied, "Go and throw our Jamarat."
People died that day. Ambulance sirens were blaring and helicopters were thundering above. In the pain and exhaustion, losing my friend, I sat leaning, my back on a sister and her back on me. We did not even realize what we were doing. I tasted what the Prophet (peace be upon him) meant when he said that on the Day of Judgment people would be naked and Ayshah asked him, "Won’t the men and women look at each other?" And he replied, "Ayshah, the issue is more severe than that."
I saw 3 men looking anxiously for their friend and I just sat staring at them. All of a sudden their faces exploded in happiness, "Ahmad! Ahmad!" they called, and one of them could not handle the happiness and he cried and cried.
Limping back to the Ka’bah I found a place with shady trees and a carpeted patio leading to a villa. The owner, an older man, stood watching as all the people walked by. And I sat watching him.
People would come up to him and beg for a glass of water. He would jump and bring them the coldest water he had. They would pray from the bottom of their hearts for him. I knew what kind of Du’a that was, because I was feeling the same thirst that they all felt. Whenever he saw someone sick, he would spring out to the road and invite them in, giving them a bed and food to relax them.
I was shy at first, but the thirst overcame me and I asked him for water. I had been on that patio for some time and when I asked him, he realized he had not offered me anything. He ran inside, and in addition to the water, he brought me packets of fruit juice. I thought about this man as I made my way back to the Ka’bah. If a human was so merciful to these people who had come for Hajj, these people who had come for no other reason than to say ‘La ilaha illa Allah’, how merciful was Allah going to be to these Hajjis?
Indeed, the Prophet said, "And there is no reward for an accepted Hajj…except Jannah!"

and He s.a.w. loved women.

There is a hadith.. where Rasullullah s.a.w. said that he s.a.w. was made to love three things, and one of these three things is women. some of the ulama have said with respect to this hadith is that rasullullah s.a.w. loved women because of how soft their hearts naturally were.. and how it was generally easier for them to give and to sacrifice themselves for the sake of other people.. how easy it was for their hearts to be moved and to cry for others.. and how easy it was for them to love others.. much more than they love themselves.

this is why women were made to be mothers. you need these qualities for you to be a mother.. for children need compassion, they need unconditional love, and they need people to go beyond their means to help them. and only a mother would do that without hesitation, without question. children are delicate – physically, mentally and emotionally. That’s why Allah gave women such qualities of softness because they are the ones who will nurture children.

i met a mother recently. masyaAllah.. what a mother! i felt compelled to meet her because of how she felt about something i did 2 yrs ago. when i heard that she felt that way, back then, i actually immediately felt an attachment to her. she has been blessed with such a soft heart, that she could even feel for people who arent her children. my meeting with her was one that i will always remember. its not those kind of superficial meetings that people tend to have with acquaintances. nor is it even like those kind of meetings that you have with old friends just to catch up.. it was different. i was actually initially nervous to meet her alone because i have never really spoken to her before and i was afraid it might be awkward because we wouldnt have anything to talk abt. but all i knew was tt i had this feeling in me that i had to go see her.

and subhanallah.. im so glad i did. the moment we sat down, i felt completely at ease with her.. like there was an immediate attachment in my heart. i actually cant really rmbr what we spoke abt exactly.. but throughout the conversation, i cld jus feel that there is smth really special abt this woman.. u jus have to sit in her presence and you jus know she is an incredible woman.. u know there are some ppl who you jus have to look at their faces, or look into their eyes and you can tell the nature of this person. her face was one that had a sort of light in it.. really pleasant to look at.. some sort of serenity. and from the way she speaks, u cld jus feel tt she is a person with a really good heart.. a person who cries easily and is easily moved by matters to do with the religion. masyaAllah.. she is really blessed.. perhaps bc she is an incredible mother that Allah blesses her to that extent. it was pretty overwhelming. =)

she had such a great impact on me.. she is really, truly one of those mothers i aspire to be when i become a mother in the future insyaAllah.

i sometimes wonder how working women feel like.. esp those with children and they leave their infant child with someone else to be looked after. dont their hearts ache? dont they worry while they are at work? women out there need to rethink their priorities in life.. to develop your children, or to develop your career. how can you even compare these two?

i think motherhood is the epitome of womanhood.

May Allah bless us women to be incredible mothers… in every aspect of motherhood.. insyaAllah, amin! =)

to you. [=)

always, without fail.

alhamdullillah.

“i love her.. and i will love whoever loves her” – rasullullah s.a.w.

loving everyone who loves the person you love. masyaAllah.

love upon love. how beautiful it is to love. =)

i love your mother, and i love you.

awesomeness

Miss Simonova, 24, drew a series of pictures on an illuminated sand table showing how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War II.

masyaAllah.. Allah gives gifts to whomever He wills. its jus incredible.

Mahabbah

got this from one of the truly admirable people ive met.

subhanAllah..

yearning..

rasullullah s.a.w. life story.

i think ive read his s.a.w sirah several times.. usually by different authors..  nvr get sick of it.. bc each time i gain new things. some ppl say that there is no use in reading the sirah over and over.. but for me..  it helps in obedience. insyaAllah.

it jus tt it creates love.. and obedience get easier as love gets stronger insyaAllah.

there is this part that i particularly love.. towards de end.. abt him s.a.w. comforting the ansars on who they are to him s.a.w. … its very touching. =’)

it was after the conquest of mekkah.. after the battle of hunayn, rasullullah s.a.w. was seen to be giving all de new converted muslims in mekkah a lot of booty.. like he gave abu sufyan 100 camels.. ppl who were his worst enemies before he conquered mekkah.. and were now all new muslims.. he gave them a lot of the wealth (of course there is hikmah behind this “apparent unfairness”). den he hardly gave the ansars anything. then the hypocrites amgst the madinites started whispering that rasullullah s.a.w., at the core of it, is still a makkan and he will always favour his own clan above them, despite what they have done for him (astaughfirullah! the hypocrites.. how can they say that??).. they said, “what is this, he (rasullullah s.a.w.) is giving the quraysh and our swords are still wet with their blood?” but the whisperings grew and got into the hearts of the true ansars who were real believers and loved rasullullah s.a.w… and it made them sad tt started to believe they were second class to the makkaans in rasullullah s.a.w.’s heart. (this part i feel like crying alr.. so sad tt they felt tt way..=( ..)

den rasullullah s.a.w. heard abt these whisperings.. and the grief the ansars felt. so what he did.. was jus amaxing.. he gathered all of them.. just the ansars.. there were no muhajirin in the gathering, not even abu bakr r.a. or umar r.a. then he told them that he has heard that its been going around that he has been unfair to them.. and that they feel that they are less impt to him than the mekkans. den the ansars were quiet.

then he s.a.w. said.. “oh ansars.. what is this talk that has reached me from you? what is this anguish that you feel in your hearts?

did i not find you astray and Allah guided you through me? you were disunited and enemies of one another. did Allah not unite your hearts through me? you were needy, did Allah not enrich you through me? “

the ansars began to feel remorse for how they felt.. with each question the ansars replied, “Allah and His apostle are bountiful!”

then rasullullah s.a.w. said “why don’t you answer me, oh ansar?” several times.

and each time they said “Allah and His apostle are bountiful!”

then finally, when he s.a.w. asked again, why dont you answer me, oh ansar?

they said, what should be the reply, oh rasullullah?

and he s.a.w. said (and he had tears in his eyes when he said this.. i love this part where he beautifully turned the situation around)

“oh ansar, you could have said truthfully, and i would have testified that it is truth, if you had said: ya rasullullah (s.a.w.), you came to us rejected and slandered by your people, and we accepted you.you came to us helpless, and we helped you. you were a fugitive and we took you in.. you came to us poor, and we comforted you..”

then he s.a.w continued “the quraysh have just been defeated, and i wanted them to feel better. oh ansar, are you going to get angry about some things in this world that i am using to bind them and bring them together so that they become muslim? and i leave you, trusting your islam that is so firm, and nothing can waver it?

arent you content, oh people of the ansar, that these people go home with goats and camels, and you go home with the messenger of Allah s.a.w.? By Allah, had there been no hijrah, I would have been one of the Ansar. and if everybody went down a path, and the ansar went down another path, i would go with the ansar.

ya Allah have mercy on the ansar, and on the children of the ansar “

and by this time, there was not a dry eye in the gathering

and the ansar said, “we are content with the messenger of Allah as a portion of the booty that we get”

powerful.

this part is one of the last lectures in this series….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oriIxBw2Nuk&feature=related

masyaAllah.. abu bakr.. insyaAllah we will go visit these places, and the resting place of these men s.a.w., r.a.

and the sahabah said, they have never gone through any musibah, no grief or test or hurt, all the jihad and suffering were nothing compared to having to go through the death of the messenger of Allah s.a.w

Say, oh Prophet (s.a.w.): If you love Allah, follow me.. Allah will love you and forgive your sins.

masyaAllah.. =’).. the ulama are the inheritors of the prophet s.a.w. … already we love looking at their faces.. masyaAllah.. so much nuur.. and so much sakiinah.. can you imagine rasullullah s.a.w. hiimself facing you in person.. like the man in the story? ya Allah! let us learn more about this great man s.a.w. and follow his s.a.w. sunnah more closely and more sincerely.

things ana needs to keep in mind.

(these are some stuff tt i picked up from several lectures..)

know when to shut your mouth, especially when agitated. it is better for your tongue to selawat than to argue.

truly in the heart there is a sadness that cannot be removed except with the joy of knowing Allah, being close to Him and being truly obedient to Him.

And in the heart is an emptiness that cannot be filled except with Love for Him and by turning to Him and always remembering Him

seek knowledge not so as to teach. seek knowledge so as to practice and obey.

And when you pray, you stand with full realisation that you are facing Allah.. imagine heaven on your right, and hell on your left, the angel of death is behind you and you are on the bridge of siratal mustaqim.  

To repent. to regret sins committed. to not be obsessed with the world. to not wish for praise. to leave pride. to leave treachery and deception. and to leave jealousy.

Rasullullah s.a.w. said “My Love (or love for me) does not mix with any one of you until Allah makes the fire of hell for him.” Maula ya solli wa sallim daiman abada ala habibika khairi khalqi kulli himmi! =)

Allah has placed human beings first. Rasullullah s.a.w. has placed us, his ummah, first. Where do we place them in our lives? prioritize! rise up to being a slave of The Creator of the Worlds and the follower of the Best of Creation s.a.w.

Looking at such favours Allah has given you.. pondering over the sacrifices of Rasullullah s.a.w. … how can you not feel compelled to do more??

hijab encompasses both the outer covering as well as restricted relations.

“Whoever increase in knowledge, yet his hidayah (amal) does not increase, then he has only increased his distance from the Mercy of Allah” – abu mansor

اللَّهُمَّ أَني أعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ قَلْبِ لا يَخْشَع و مِنْ نَفْسِ لا تَشْبَع و عِلْمِ لا يَنْفَع و دَعْوَةِ لا يُسْتَجَاب لها

Oh Allah, surely i seek refuge with You from a heart that is not humble, a soul that is not satisfied, knowledge that is not beneficial, and a supplication that is not answered

Imam Ibnul Qayyim said that the cause for Mahabbah (Love for Allah) to develop are ten:

1. Reciting the Quran, reflecting upon it and understanding its meanings

2. Drawing closer to Allah through the performance of optional deeds, after fulfilling the obligatory deeds

3. Being continuous in the dhikir of Allah in all circumstances, with the tongue, the heart and the limbs. the more constant the dhikir, the more the mahabbah intensifies.

4. Giving precedence to what Allah loves when being overcome with your own personal desires

5. causing the heart to contemplate over the Names and Attributes of Allah, being a witness to what they necessitate and causing the heart to be enlightened in the garden of this realisation

6. witnessing the blessing and the favours of Allah, the apparent and the hidden

7. subduing the heart and humbling it before Allah, causing it to be in awe of Him

8. being in seclusion during the time in which Allah decends to the lowest heaven (last third of the night), reciting the quran and finishing this recitation with seeking Allah’s forgiveness and sincerely repenting to Him.

9. Sitting in gatherings of the sincere and true lovers of Allah, reaping the benefits of their teachings and not speaking except when you know there is benefit in doing so and that such speech will increase you in good and benefit others as well

10. keeping clear of all those matters which cause the heart to distance itself from Allah, the Mighty the Majestic.