Don't Turn Around

Bismillah wa assalaamu alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

Something happened in summer 2015 that changed my thinking and behavior, maashaa Allah. We were in England visiting my parents and my husband and I were walking out of a shopping center when we saw a tall man of likely African descent with a long, brightly colored gown and an 18-24" high, furry, black, beehive hat on his head. My first instinct was to turn around and take another look at his outfit. However, the most overwhelming clarity came over me, maashaa Allah, and I kept my eyes focused straight ahead. I realised that it did not concern me; there was no valid reason for me to look at that man again. I told my husband the thought process I'd just been through and felt like I had moved to a new level of understanding of the hadith on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (radhi Allahu anh) who said: The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

"Part of the perfection of one's Islam is his leaving that which does not concern him."[Tirmidhi]

After that incident, not only did I find myself doing split second analyses of situations and stopping myself from many reactions that were not my concern, but I realised something else. If I had turned around, I'd have been no different from those people who turn back and stare at me and my daughters in our hijab and niqaab. So next time you pass someone dressed differently or unusual in some way, live the hadith and don't turn around.

Lessons from a bag of potatoes

Bismillah wa assalaamu alaykum.

The other day I took a bag of potatoes in order to prepare breakfast  and found that there was a bad potato that had made the potatoes near it start going bad. Yet again there was a powerful message from Allah in that bag of potatoes. One bad potato will eventually turn the whole bag bad.

Consider how Allah  tells us to only keep good companions and that we are on the Deen of our companions. He doesn't tell us to have mostly good companions and a few bad are okay. Neither does He say that if there are many good companions then it's okay to have just one bad one amongst them.

Now, obviously, we need to deal with the bad potato. We might cut off the bad part and use the remainder, but, most surely, we separate it from the good potatoes. This is much like life, where we do our best to handle bad people well and bring out the good, but do damage control and keep our distance.

Subhaanak Allahumma wa bihamdik, laa illaaha illaa ant, astaghfiruka wa atoobu ilayk.

Dirty Laundry? Clean Attitude!

BismIllah wa assalaamu alaykum.

Time to do laundry; I left it a couple of days to see if it would gain independence and wash itself. Obviously, due to love for me, it decided to stay inert so I could get the reward. Gotta love that laundry!

Just know...

BismIllah wa assalaamu alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

I wanted to share this perspective with you. It can bring forth gratitude and calm in the greatest adversity.

Just know, that

every test,
every trial,
every hurt,
every rejection,
every bad name you are called,
every misinterpretation,
every evil assumption,
every disrespect,
every backbite,
every lie told about you,
every cut,
every pain,
every sickness
and every other struggle you face...

you needed it.

When you stand before your Creator and face your account, you will benefit from all those unpleasant things in the dunya (worldly life). They will be the things to help erase your sins, add to your good deeds, tip your scales, or elevate your level in Jennah.

 Now, doesn't that warrant a big "alhamdulillah?"