Packing your 'Determination Suitcase'

Bism Illah wa assalaamu alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

So you have a goal, like pleasing Allah, for example. How are you going to reach that goal? Foremost, you need determination to reach any goal. Do not mistakenly think that if you want to please Allah, it is simply a matter of asking Allah to be pleased with you and not making an effort that requires determination. Allah clearly tells us that He does not change the condition of a people until they change themselves. You need to pull out your determination suitcase and make sure it is packed with all the necessary things to enable you to reach your goal. This is what I envisage the determination suitcase to contain:

Sincere desire to reach your goal - One of the conditions for any act to accepted by a Muslim is ikhlaas -  sincerely doing it for the pleasure of Allah, Alone.

Education - The second condition for any act to be accepted by a Muslim is that it conforms with what Allah has legislated in the Qur'aan and the Sunnah.

Strength of character - People may try to get in your way, dissuade you, or persuade you to follow your whims and desires rather that stick to your plan. Even worse, they may try to get you to follow their whims and desires, because they find you less "fun." You need to be strong enough to say, "No. I have a goal and I'm determined, with the Help and Permission of Allah, to reach it."


Energy - It requires energy: physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional to do the necessary things to reach your goal.

Ability - You must be able to do the thing. After all, if I want to go for Hajj, but I have no mahrem, no funds, or cannot get a visa, then I don't have the ability to meet that goal at that time.

Discipline - If you don't have discipline, then you may not educate yourself in a timely and effective manner or execute your plan.

Patience - Things don't happen overnight and it often takes considerable time and assiduous work to make notable progress.

Perseverance - You have to keep on trying, because pitfalls, hiccups, and set backs usually arise along the way and you just have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep on trucking.

It is important to ensure that we have all those critical components, and if some are missing, to work on them, develop and nurture them. Truly if one of the components is missing, we may not reach our goal...and pleasing Allah is the ONLY worthwhile goal of our lifetime.

Do Your Part

Bism Illah wa assalaamu alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

You know, by now, that I am always advising you to make Allah your first, second, and third port of call when trouble strikes and when blessings come. However, there is something very important to remember when calling upon Allah for Help and Guidance for the good. You must eliminate any barriers that may prevent Allah from answering your du'a.

There are things that prevent our du'a from being answered, and while many of you know them, it is always good to be reminded. So, make sure if you are asking Allah, that you are firmly upon at-tawheed, worshiping Allah alone. Ensure that you are not associating partners with Him in any way, as this is something many people get sucked into by shaytaan and don't realize they are doing. Make sure you are obeying him to your best ability, that your income is halal, and that you are not committing sins. Then think of the attributes of Allah that you particularly need in relation to what you are asking Him, and call on Him by those Names.

Just as in any relationship, there are two sides - there is give and take. Du'a is a two way street, so do your part!

Come on; lay it on me!

''Whoever shows you your faults, he is your friend. Those that pay you lip service in praise are your executioners.'' 

- Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (radhi Allahu anh)

I know I lack patience, especially when facing disobedience to Allah. I also know I am inefficient in managing my time these past few months. This has been the case since having the baby and changing the system so that I sit down for a few hours a day for Islamic studies with the children and also sit with them for their homeschooling. I may try to read Qur'an for a while or get some other reading, computer work, etc. done, but between a squirmingj crawling, and cruising baby and checking work, answering questions, etc. it can be very unproductive, often. Outside of those times, I am cooking - preparing breakfast, lunch, dinner and things that will particularly please my husband. I still haven't found a regular time slot for doing the laundry (by hand) , and when a moment presents itself, it often gets filled with breastfeeding or changing a nappy/diaper and keeping the baby in a safe, happy place. Keeping up communications with friends is almost non-existent amongst all the daily rush to keep my head above water.

Even though I know some of my faults, there will  always be some I don't realize or notice. I don't want them to slip though the cracks, I want someone who loves me for the sake of Allah to tell me. Pobody's nerfect, and we all need true friends who can recognize our faults, inform us of them, and help us correct them. That's why, when it comes to my faults, I say to my true friends, "Come on, lay it on me!"

My Ultimate Spa Day

Rode the VIP bus in cool, spacious comfort to the spa and ate an organic blueberry and cream cheese breakfast pastry. On arrival at the dazzlingly beautiful spa, I had a great workout where I let my thoughts go to all my blessings, those beloved to me, and our needs. Then, hot from the workout and a sauna, I had a cool, refreshing drink filled with benefit. Feeling rejuvenated, I had my hair trimmed and then sat and had a decaf cappuccino with an old and dear friend. I stayed in a hotel where I had a nice dinner, a hot shower, and could sleep knowing that the prayers done from dhuhr onwards had the reward of 100,000 each bi idhn Illah ta'ala.

A beautiful umrah, my ultimate spa day! Alhamdul'Illahi Rabb il aal ameen!

Fast forward two and a half months

Bism Illah wa as salaamu alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

Al hamdul'Illah, I am back after 13 weeks or more of absence. It has truly been a summer of experiences, learning, growth, connections, and affirmations. So often we don't know what we need, but Allah Knows.
 

Blue skies dabbed and brushed with clouds

This summer was spent connecting real time with a sister of like mind and heart, embarking on our first experiences setting up our homestead in New Mexico, being busy with daily pioneering life, fasting and keeping up with Ramadhaan studies, and being offline and out of touch (except for a phone) most of the time. For those who were looking forward to the answers to last year's Qur'aan challenge questions, my apologies. I was not able to post the answers because the solar generator we had for our energy needs had to be replaced due to a damaged connector and I was unable to use my laptop, where everything is stored. I will work on posting the answers in the coming weeks anyway, so they are finally there for you all inshaa Allah.While I am posting details of our summer progress and pioneering experience on the Healing Earth blog, my personal growth I will share with you here.

Fajr time

A double rainbow...one of several we saw

This summer I spent every day seeing the sky against a backdrop of rolling green hills. There was no obstruction, as I was outside the majority of the time and could see the sky through all its different phases of the day and night. I saw amazing sunrises, sunsets, cloud formations against blue skies, grey storms rolling in, rainbows - sometimes two at a time, electrical storms, absolutely picture perfect night skies with every constellation clearly visible, and multiple shooting stars, maashaa Allah. Every clear night, I looked up at Orion's Belt and the Big Dipper and wondered about all the other constellations I was seeing but couldn't identify. Every time I looked at that sky, I had a greater realization of the absolutely unfathomable power of Allah, subhaana wa taala. He paints a different sky for us every second of every day...and every sky is amazingly beautiful. How is it possible to have 60 different pictures of the sky to look at in each minute, 3600 different skies in each hour, 86,400 different skies in each day...for everyone all over this planet? This is just a tiny thing in the scope of Allah's Abilities, but something magnificent to witness.

Sunset before a storm

Sunset after a storm

I also looked forward to the tawakkal that such a life brings, and most certainly it was something that had a profound effect on my emaan and taqwa, al hamdul'Illah. Imagine arriving at land that was bought sight unseen and having to start a life from scratch. It requires a great deal of planning and work, but most of all a great deal of reliance on Allah's blessings, mercy, provision, and sustenance. Everything feels immediately connected to your actions, the purity of your intentions,and your acknowledgement of Allah's Power and Might. We felt the depth and weight of saying "bism Illah" when planting 24 fruit trees, 12 fruit bushes, 4 grape vines, bamboo, and a small vegetable patch. We understood, to the very pit of our stomachs, that not one of those plants we needed for our own sustenance would live and thrive without Allah's Will. We made dua' acknowledging that only Allah grows things, so please grow our things and we made istighfar far more than we would normally have remembered to. Al hamdul'Illah.

A velvet backdrop of night sky

After a Ramadhaan that was far more busy and distracted than my previous couple of years, I found that my appreciation of and connection with Allah was greater on other levels. I found myself realizing how true it was that Allah is the provider of EVERY need. We needed water, Allah provided. We needed rain, Allah provided. We needed sunshine to cook and for the plants, Allah provided. We needed wind to dry the clothes and keep the temperatures cool, Allah provided. We needed support and assistance to get things accomplished, Allah provided. Not a stone unturned, not a need left without response.

Setting sun and our family in shadows

SO, I ask Allah to bless you all and reward you for your patience with me. I'm glad to be back, al hamdul'Illah.

This and that before I walk out the door...

Bism Illah wa as salaamu alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

Yes, I know I've missed May posting and I'm late posting for June...sorry, sorry, sorry! Life is on spin cycle and I'm dizzy from it all,  al hamdul'Illah.

We are preparing for our summer, and it is BIG preparation maashaa Allah. We are flying early tomorrow (June 14th) morning from Madinah to Kansas City, Missouri to attend the conference, Teaching our Children Tawheed, sponsored by Masjid Anas bin Malik inshaa Allah. If anyone is near enough to attend or is already planning to attend, we look forward to meeting you there.


We will be going to our land, Healing Earth, to spend two months developing it. On the list of thongs to do:
- get a well drilled
- plant thousands of seeds for privacy borders, trees, food forests, and landscaping
- build a cob oven
- build wooden toilet and shower facilities
- establish the foundation for the masjid
- build a playground for the children
- and anything else we can manage to get done, bi ithn Illah.

We will be spending Ramadhaan in large, all-weather, canvas tents, eating futoors of stew cooked in cast iron pots on campfires or rocket stoves. It is a very exciting prospect for us, maashaa Allah. Look for photos and progress reports in the coming weeks over on the Healing Earth blog inshaa Allah.

Now, on to a few things I want to share with you all before I fly off.

What's in your teardrop?

Sometimes watching others cry can trigger little revelations in my mind. I found myself considering what is in teardrops. Not the technical composition of NA and H2O - salt and water,  but what emotions, reasons, causes, and ultimately what benefits are in a person's teardrops.

Because I don't have time, I will refer you to the post "Laughter and Tears," where I explored the reasons for my tears...and I pray that Allah blesses us all with the insight and emaan to make our tears solely for Him - ameen.

Rectification:

Found this and have been reflecting on it's simplicity and accuracy ever since. May Allah rectify us all in this life, before it is too late - ameen!

Al-Hakeem al-Tirmidhi said:

صلاح خمسة في خمسة صلاح الصبي في المكتب وصلاح الفتى في العلم وصلاح الكهل في المسجد وصلاح المرأة في البيت وصلاح المؤذي في السجن

The rectitude of five lie in five: The rectitude of a child lies in the study-room. The rectitude of a youth lies in (seeking and acquiring) knowledge. The rectitude of the mature, middle-aged man lies in the masjid. The rectitude of a woman is in her house. And the rectitude of one who harms others is in the prison.

Al-Siyar of al-Dhahabi (13/441).

Source: http://www.salaf.com/s/news/2011/08/in-what-lies-the-rectitude-of-the-child-the-youth-the-middle-aged-the-woman-and-the-one-who-harms-others.cfm

Cyberfocus:

If you are looking for homeschooling resources that aren't just like watching TV, then we have found these to be excellent. www.aaamath.com, www.aaaspell.com. From these two sites you will see other links for some excellent vocabulary lessons and basic US geography. It has a complete math curriculum by grade, maashaa Allah.

www.aaamath.com
www.aaaspell.com

I have just one and a half hours before we fly, so I will leave it at that...please forgive me for my shortcomings and inshaa Allah, look out for posts over the summer. I will try to post the answers to the Ramadhaan questions I gave last year, so perhaps you can take up the challenge again?

Barak Allahu feekum!




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