Pages

Monday 31 December 2012

On Beauty and Weddings

Sorry about the distinct lack of poetry here . I'm Asian and there was wedding going on ... so yeh. Note the use of the word 'Asian' , I'm still hoping that I get invited to a muslim wedding sometime soon because I'm beginning to lose hope in weddings altogether.

Part One

They were magazine cover people
Also known as uncovered with eyes
Lashes reaching ceilings and heels helping too
This pseudo segregation is disappointing
The cameraman is male go figure
Hugging clothes and egos
Who did not know which way
The Qiblah is,
They tried I suppose
Only really to accentuate
Waists and not words ,
Oh and waste they did the time
These ears complain that the person with the duff
Looks too middle aged and bearded to be a young girl
Confused yet, well you're not the only one
It is strange how my eyes say
This is the works, one hour late and beautiful
But my soul rejects, they are not
Even I am surprised at how ugly they really are

There is ugliness in the hypocrisy
Breaking of families , strategic seating
And false smiles,your almost politically
Planned greetings are ugly
It is written on your faces
So take it how you will
You are vile in a most unconventional way

Tuesday 25 December 2012

Desi

Her tears sting my eyes

This culture is rancid, vile
A few self righteous facades
After which anything is game
Unreturned greetings and sideway
Remarks while seating you away
From ears come tales of belittlement
A white child with big eyes
She had it all , no longer
Does it matter but to the world it does
These village people have wild ideas
Of keeping the marriage close
To protect or to fear excessively
They lie and they cheat but veiled
Meaninglessly
Its see through

To be muslim
Is all I ever needed
Asians and their cricket teams
Stereotypes broken true
We are so much more than
Squiggly lines drawn on maps
Why have we become the sum of
Made up rules , societal pressure
Leaves in its wake sleep deprived fools
I'm hitting a straight drive beyond faces who
Never knew but were always told

Is there any reward for good other than good?
Qur'an, 55/60

"O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female,
And made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other
(Not that ye despise each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight
of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well-acquainted (with all things)."

Quran 49:13



Monday 24 December 2012

Sorry

I'm sorry
I didn't realize how alone you became
Didn't know that everybody left one by one
That you had to hold on to this
Because it was all you had left

To prise open your palms and place
There were much better things I'd
Assumed you'd find somewhere down the line
I would have stayed but I was too afraid of
Sins staring blatantly shoving into the foreground
I was shaking at the thought of seeing
But you, all this time were living
This sin on repeat
I'm sorry

You have no idea what your doing to yourself. There are people who have been there and done that and told the world how awful it was. I know that one day you'll realize what I'm saying but by then, it will be too late. You would have felt the pain, the loss, the hurt. Despite that there is hope, a hope that I pray you will find in yourself too. A hope for greater things. A hope that will burst through on a Friday afternoon with the question 'what am I doing?'

The Story of a young man who spoke from his grave
Imam Ibn Askair al-Shafi`I [d.571A.H] narrates with the following chain of narration:
[Tarikh Damishq, Vol 45, p.450]

Abul Hasan Ali bin al Muslim from Abdul Aziz bin bin Ahmed from Abu Muhammed bin Abi Nasr from his father abu Ali from Abdul Wahab al Maydani from Abu Nasr bin al Jabban who said that he heard from Abu Suleiman bin Zabar from Abul Hasan Umar bin Jam’a bin amr al kufi from Imarn bin Musa al Tartusi from Abu Saleh from Yahya bin Ayyub al-Khazai that :
During the caliphate of Sayyedina Umar ibn Khattab ( radi Allah ‘anhu) there was a young man who used to spend his time worshiping and praying in masjid . Umar ( radi Allah ‘anhu) was very happy with him. The man used to perform isha (night) prayers and used to come back to his old father. On this way, there was a house of a woman who liked this young man. The woman used to stand on his way. One day the woman ensnared the young man and he followed her. When they both reached at the door of the woman’s house, the young man started remembering Allah .The following verses came out from his tongue: [Al Araf, 201; 7:201]
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا إِذَا مَسَّهُمْ طَائِفٌ مِّنَ الشَّيْطَانِ تَذَكَّرُوا فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْصِرُونَ

    Those who fear Allah when a thought of evil from satan assaults them bring Allah to remembrance when lo! they see (aright)! 
The young man became unconscious and fell down. The woman called her maid; they both lifted the young man and dropped him at his door. The family members of the young man lifted him and took him inside the house. At late night the man became conscious. When his father inquired him about the incidence, the young man narrated the entire incidence. The father asked him: O my son! Which verses ( ayat) did you recite? The man repeated the verse and again became unconscious and fell down. The family members tried to revoke his consciousness, but he was dead. They washed his dead body and buried him. In the morning when the news reached Umar ( radi Allah ‘anhu) he came to his father for condolence and asked as to why was he not informed ? The father told him that as it was night, they did not inform. Umar (radi Allah ‘anhu) said: “Take me to his grave”. Umar (radi Allah ‘anhu) and his companions reached at the grave of that young man.
Umar (radi Allah ‘amhu ) said: “ O young man!
ولمن خاف مقام ربه جنتان (Whosoever feared to stand in front of his Lord then there are two gardens for him,55:46) The man replied two times from his grave: O Umar! My Lord has given me two gardens, inside garden.

Sunday 23 December 2012

Read My Mind

I wrote you a letter in my mind
Imagining your face as I read it like
A voice over in some dramatic movie
My handwriting scrawled and loopy
What it was like for me just
So you could know my
Perspective
Oh how I wrote
Oh how I dream to speak

The Prophet stated, “The believer is like a mirror to other believers (in truthfulness).”
Abu Dawud

Saturday 22 December 2012

Top Ten Hijaabi Fashion Tips

Oh hijaab, the mother of all topics...

1) Don't wear bright red nail varnish . Nail varnish and hijaab is just not a good look . Perhaps go for more natural shades ( i.e your natural shade)  at least it won't mess with your wudhu and you won't have to be the last one to go and pray because you spent half an hour trying to remove it . Late, dazed, stinking of nail varnish remover isn't the kind of trend you want to set in the masajid

2)The maxi dress. Do go flowwy try a little colour but please stick the neon and the wild prints on your 'I'm going to try to wear hijaab properly' sign. Mind you some  of them are are really see through, wear something baggy underneath  otherwise its like you just walked out in tights.Or better yet an abaya or a khimar would really do the job properly

3) Undercaps are your friends . If your old school ( like me) you may risk going without it otherwise its staple hijaab wear. It keeps those strands of modesty tucked away neatly. Word of warning please, please don't tie it too tight your ears have a right on you too! Unless you like seeing clumps of hair fall out when you take your hijaab off

4) The chin pin - my old foe. Theres nothing like a safety pin sitting snugly beneath your chin right? Wrong. The chin pin is a wholly unnecessary irritant that brings the risk of neck scarring with it

5) The shoes. Even the shoes. Yes the shoes. Buy whatever shoes you like within reason but please factor in time taken to put shoes on and take them off especially on days when your tight squeezed to find time for salaah. Seriously those pair of boots could be the difference between khushoo and the two minute sprint saalah ( if we can call that salaah)

6) If there is anything that speaks louder than your clothing then its your mouth.Yes I know its a toughie may Allah give us all strength to rectify our condition. But we need to be weeding out those unnecessary conversations if you catch my drift.

7)Ears, hair,shoes and well of course it has to be necks. We're all told about covering your head and your body but the neck seems to get lost somewhere in between. Whether it's see through or deliberately draped its not particularly flattering to your hayaa  with scarfs that leave little to are too little. This is a small practical step that we can take to improving our hijaab. Remember a see through hijaab is permissible so long as the fold makes it opaque

8)Brooches, rings and sparkly things. As a women I have to say we need to stop behaving like magpies. There are actually rulings on this in terms of how many rings or bracelets you can wear or if you can wear them at all but I think in some( I emphasize some rare) circumstances you can deem what is appropriate. If you find that an undue proportion of men are staring at the mahoosive rock on your finger( or even if they aren't) it may be time to reconsider

9)Some of the best fashion statements are made by loud, confident individuals. We've seen the age of the bright red lipstick the bizarre haircuts and questionable clothing. Faith over fashion. Don't cower away in embarrassment because your wearing the dreaded hijaab you should exude confidence. A kind of natural confidence that pours forth because your comfortable in knowing that what you wear pleases the one who created you. It is a shy and retiring grace and a loud statement of faith it is ultimately a balance as with all things.

10) Wrap it. It is the over complication of hijaab which has been its downfall. We are wearing two , three or even more scarfs and yet our bodies are not covered. Be easy on yourself fellow sister just wrap your scarf draw your cloak , smile and be done with it.

General Advice
-Carry extra safety pins
- Secure your scarf properly on windy days
-Don't wear a scarf with a thousand tassels in a lab. In general scarves are not a fire hazard but tassels get stuck everywhere from zips to Bunsen burners
-You don't need to iron a crinkle scarf( you'd be surprised at the amount of people who don't know this)
- Don't over complicate things by making unnecessary lists (whoops, seems like I did it again)
- Don't be the sister who wears hijaab and sins publicly. Don't get me wrong we are still human and we do make mistakes but don't be the sister to publicly drink and smoke etc . Don't be the reason that other unhijaabed sisters say ' well why should I wear a hijaab at least I don't do xyz'

And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their khimār over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husband, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments.
Quran 24:31

Those who harass believing men and believing women undeservedly, bear (on themselves) a calumny and a grievous sin. O Prophet! Enjoin your wives, your daughters, and the wives of true believers that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): That is most convenient, that they may be distinguished and not be harassed. [...]
Quran 33:58–59

Oh and final note , if you're considering to wear hijaab but you don't see the point as in you're already a good person this is just a gentle reminder. Allow the goodness of your heart to pour into your actions and allow it to encompass your sitting, your talking, your waking, your sleeping, your eating, your clothing for the sake of the One who fashioned you.



Friday 21 December 2012

To Keep a Promise

Do not mistake these steps of haste for hate
This sadness in my eyes refuses to penetrate through
Facades built so readily
And our fake smiles and uncomfortable hellos
After months of nothingness would break me

Whenever your ready
I'll blot out this unfortunate history
And we'll begin anew
It's normally about now I remind
That I am still waiting for you
Because I promised no matter what
That I would

You were red faced and I was surprised at your reaction . My naivety about the situation most likely shining through in perplexed looks. You were quick to add that it is no longer, tripping over words and I , I had no reason not to believe you. So I reassured that it was fine and it was so easy for you to lie to me but thats beside the point.You kept going on about how its changed , about everything in grave detail and yet in none. I was bewildered. Could you really not comprehend that I didn't mind so long as improvement came surely and steadily , after all I was in a similar boat,we all were. You still continued, still red faced and I...

"It's not that big a deal sis. I mean like you said it was a long time ago and things have changed. I'm sorry I brought it up I didn't mean to embarrass you, you have to understand sis. You have to understand this one thing it doesn't matter what you do and I really mean it,no matter whatever you do I will still forgive you and I'll still be here. Thats the whole point , thats how it works we're sisters after all"

I spent a long time thinking after that.Grand ideas in books of bonds beyond the blood never seem so grand when I fail to put them into practice properly. Why could she not see that I was struggling too , that I needed support , that her trying would always be more than good enough for me, that she didn't need to hide, or be ashamed and that sisterhood transcends most anything. Now I look back and I wonder why she lied and how that would become the premise of all destruction that came and tearful eyes and wakeful nights.


Wednesday 19 December 2012

I don't

I don't want to talk about marriage
Half your deen with him but you
Carry half on your shoulders too
And there is no means
So where should I stem this dream
From empty pressures from you

To give up education though it is fardh*
To beautify unnecessarily
To give up a world for him when he
He is not my God
He is not the source of love
And I am amazed that you ask me to
Plan my life around someone who may never come
And yes this is the sunnah
We should aim to get married young
But its obligatory to fulfill the rights
My rights and his neither do I know
And to make marriage my goal, to make it
More than an institution to make it a home
In degrees it is fine but isn't it out of line
To expect of him but not yourself

This blanket of false security
That his beard will swish you into piety
Is overlooking responsibility
By all means get married
If you have the means
If you know what it means
If your priority is the deen
But don't imply to me that I should refrain
From all things worldly in attempt to regain some piety
Because apparently my focus is my career as
I have dared to apply to university

You don't know me or my circumstance. Neither do you care for me of my circumstance. And I write to advise others this unhealthy of obsession with becoming a trophy wife is just that unhealthy.


Vile women are for vile men, and vile men for vile women. Good women are for good men, and good men for good women; such are innocent of that which people say: For them is pardon and a bountiful provision.
Surah An nur

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "When a person gets married he has completed half of his religion, so let him fear Allah with regard to the remaining half."
authenticated by Al-Albani

We were with the Prophet while we were young and had no wealth whatever. So Allah's Apostle said, "O young people! Whoever among you can marry, should marry, because it helps him lower his gaze and guard his modesty (i.e. his private parts from committing illegal sexual intercourse etc.), and whoever is not able to marry, should fast, as fasting diminishes his sexual power."

Hadith - Sahih Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62, Number 4, Narrated 'Abdullah

"The seeking of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim."
Al-Tirmidhi

NB *Marriage shouldn't be delayed for education as married life should not interfere with education as such. I was merely pointing out a trend in stopping education prematurely with the vague hope of getting married despite having no proposal/means to get married

For all Things Happy

There is beautiful poetry and happiness in here
In my attempts to express I have not done justice
To it or myself
Who am I to say Islam is beautiful?
Who am I to describe that final breath when reading Quran?
Who am I to tell the tales of a journey in sujood?
Perhaps a thousand poems later I could find
Within myself the qualities to make me worthy
Until then I can only write about life
Without grasping this way fully
About shortcomings, failures , silent prayers to improve
And testify to the melancholy that drifts along
When you have forgotten God and now
You are forgotten too


And whoever turns away from My remembrance - indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind."He will say, "My Lord, why have you raised me blind while I was [once] seeing?"[ Allah ] will say, "Thus did Our signs come to you, and you forgot them; and thus will you this Day be forgotten."And thus do We recompense he who transgressed and did not believe in the signs of his Lord. And the punishment of the Hereafter is more severe and more enduring.

Then, has it not become clear to them how many generations We destroyed before them as they walk among their dwellings? Indeed in that are signs for those of intelligence.And if not for a word that preceded from your Lord, punishment would have been an obligation [due immediately], and [if not for] a specified term [decreed].

So be patient over what they say and exalt [ Allah ] with praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting; and during periods of the night [exalt Him] and at the ends of the day, that you may be satisfied.And do not extend your eyes toward that by which We have given enjoyment to [some] categories of them, [its being but] the splendor of worldly life by which We test them.And the provision of your Lord is better and more enduring.And enjoin prayer upon your family [and people] and be steadfast therein. We ask you not for provision; We provide for you, and the [best] outcome is for [those of] righteousness.

And they say, "Why does he not bring us a sign from his Lord?" Has there not come to them evidence of what was in the former scriptures?And if We had destroyed them with a punishment before him, they would have said, "Our Lord, why did You not send to us a messenger so we could have followed Your verses before we were humiliated and disgraced?"Say, "Each [of us] is waiting; so wait. For you will know who are the companions of the sound path and who is guided."
Surah Ta Ha

Tuesday 18 December 2012

Time to Sin

I walk briskly past all of my problems
She has awoken early for her sin today
I am not surprised

We make time and space for
Shortcomings coming along too far
His qiyamul layl was outside a cinema
He abstains, fasting away from all good people
She is shy hiding all things from parents but not God
We sure have come along scheduling in our sins
This time is from me and only me
As if the creation of you was cheap
Idle minds idolize all things false
I am lost for words

I could have barged in there and said
" You have time for this ,
You can awake for this
Do you not value yourself
Sold for hell and a few cheap moments
Witnessed and repeated on the wide screen
Quality better than HD
For all humanity, and where is yours
Show some mercy on yourself
Find your place and place yourself
There with such certainty
Don't falter for words not rooted
In commitment , do all plants grow
But not all light is the sun
Some blinds and some burns one
Till he forgets what it felt to be alive
Don't look at me with those eyes
Harshness vs leniency
You have strengthened my moral fibers
And sharpened the righteousness in these bones
And you should know that you were wrong
You were wrong , you did lie and I did know
Gosh this game is getting old "
But I didn't

Because she was sitting next to him
And that was all , they were strangers
To strangers eyes but I
Was too caught up to believe
To stand in the middle of a corridor and dream

For every predictable sinner,
You are monochrome
And I would love for a surprise
What kind of hero is your soul
Mess with the plot line from time to time

Your souls are precious and can only be equal to the price of Paradise, therefore sell them only at that price
- Ali ibn abu-Talib (radiAllahu anhu)

God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His Light is like a niche wherein is a lamp; the lamp is in a crystal, and the crystal, shining as if a pearl-like radiant star, lit from the oil of a blessed olive tree that is neither of the east nor of the west. The oil would almost give light of itself though no fire touches it. Light upon light! God guides to His Light whom He wills. God strikes parables for people. God has full knowledge of all things
Surah An-Nur


Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say,
Allah stated: O son of Adam! I will forgive your sins no matter how many you have committed irrespective of their greatness as long as you pray to me and you expect forgiveness from me. O son of Adam! I will forgive you even if your sins are so many as to fill the skies if you ask forgiveness from me. O son of Adam! If you come to me with so many sins as to fill the earth, I will welcome you with so much mercy as to fill the earth if you have not associated partners with me.”

Tirmidhi

Friday 14 December 2012

Little Pieces of Paradise

Books sit at jaunty angles
Drinking cups of warmth by
Windows opening up to the sea
We have worn the knuckles with work
Of money and false pretenses
We have tried to buy time
By dealing in time to gather wealth
We have tried to store smiles
In albums idle awaiting lonely fingertips
Our friendships are bought with cheap hellos
And minutes killed
Because everything dies right
We work lifetimes for little pieces of paradise
This SAT-NAV is of no use
Face it you know where this is heading
The earthy pursuit of eternity is in fact
Complete futility
As the world is toil and tears
Your flight leaves at terminal death
Gather your supplies and lets go
Because your soul in never inclined
To smidgens of a lie
All counterfeit fakes in custody
Our destination is perfection
Like we never knew before.

And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort of the eye (satisfaction) as reward for what they used to do
As-Sajdah 32/17

Everyone that is thereon will pass away;There remaineth but the countenance of thy Lord of Might and Glory.
Surah Rehman

Competition in [worldly] increase diverts you
Until you visit the graveyards.
No! You are going to know.
Then no! You are going to know.
No! If you only knew with knowledge of certainty...
You will surely see the Hellfire.
Then you will surely see it with the eye of certainty.
Then you will surely be asked that Day about pleasure.

Surah At-Takathaur

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: I heard the Prophet saying, "If the son of Adam (the human being) had two valley of money, he would wish for a third, for nothing can fill the belly of Adam's son except dust, and Allah forgives him who repents to Him."  
Sahih Bukhari

Thursday 13 December 2012

See the Words

To rip the skin off these palms to
Feel to bleed, smeared across
The walls and honesty reaches deep
She can no longer breathe because
They clawed air from her chest
She has waited deflated into
Silent strands of nothingness

They have set me alight
Heat reaching bones and stones
We've gone too far, too quick
And life, well this is it

My soul is ill trained ,savage
Taking all pain because it won't dare to let go
And familiarity is a curse
And whats worse is our bodies are numb
So stupid, so young
Holding on we'll let go
When the end has come
So I'll burn , slow and steadily
Till your eyes will see the
Small pile of ash by your feet

Wednesday 12 December 2012

A Story Inscribed

Dedicated to the 'rock chick hijaabi'

Your life is a story inscribed
Into books as you speak
And the complexity of the characters you meet
Are simplified into you don't understand me
They are plotlines that are sidelined because you have deadlines
And the faces they fade into characters unreal
Who fail to feel
But your life is a story inscribed
By you the narrator who must find
There is a hero and soul
And there are places you must go
The people you will know
And the lies that they show
Because your soul is a hero
And your life is story inscribed


Innovation

She is counting beads while she speaks
No it's a tasbih that needs to be rubbed on the face
Mid conversation at that
You have created your own means
And yes some leeway for permissibility
But don't claim to love a prophet whose sunnah you don't do
Where is the concentration , reaching numbers made by a few

Their innovation breaks me
They recite poetry about love and desires
It drowns out the Quran they never read
His voice raises to the tune of the drums
Of songs, rocking back and forth
And strange attributions to man of God
They stand when they should sit
And they spin when they should stand
And this is a holy man they claim
I don't need priests I need peace
Was is not our history of men who sought
Truth and evidence
You feel so you do , you sit
One hundred times " Allahu "
This is not love
This is the mannerism of the lost

I needed them to be religious
I needed an infrastructure, a means
But they are too busy
Inventing worship to do
To God and men just the same
And I , I am strange because I ask for a hadith
Is it sahih?- Now I'm extreme-
In moderation
Your admiration is fake
Concepts, actions and creed
Don't listen to the person listen to the Deen

Narrated by Ibn Waddaah in Al-Bid’ wa’l-Nahy ‘anhaa from al-Salt ibn Bahraam, who said: ‘Ibn Mas’ood passed by a woman who had a [masbahah] with which she was making tasbeeh, and he broke it and threw it aside, then he passed by a man who was making tasbeeh with pebbles, and he kicked him then said, “You think you are better than the Sahaabah, but you are following unjustified bid’ah! You think you have more knowledge than the Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)!”’ Its isnaad is saheeh to al-Salt, who is one of the trustworthy (thiqah) followers of the Taabi’een

Prohibited to you are dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah , and [those animals] killed by strangling or by a violent blow or by a head-long fall or by the goring of horns, and those from which a wild animal has eaten, except what you [are able to] slaughter [before its death], and those which are sacrificed on stone altars, and [prohibited is] that you seek decision through divining arrows. That is grave disobedience. This day those who disbelieve have despaired of [defeating] your religion; so fear them not, but fear Me. This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion. But whoever is forced by severe hunger with no inclination to sin - then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
5:3

Every innovation is a misguidance and every misguidance goes to Hell fire.
Sahih Muslim

http://islamqa.info/en/ref/34497

Tuesday 11 December 2012

Breaking our Prayers

She is guided in a moment without intervention from
human beings who fall short too often
Her change of heart is miraculous not probable
But by God it is always possible

She is my sister too and I smile but
my heart remains with another just the same
Been the same for so long I wait
And the weight takes its tole
She will be saved on a day untold

My sister waits in agony of dreams unfulfilled
Lives that she cannot bring herself to live
Lies that have built around her of stone
Of bones crushed by the weight of sujood
Of so much ,so little done for you

I am fundamentally flawed
Perhaps my prayers lack sincerity
They cannot reach the place they need to be
Intentions, apprehensions , compulsion to ask
Please do not take me to task for
I love, I really do , I seek I am a seeker true
I forget miserably but turn back to you

We all hang on for dear life to
Driftwood rotting beneath the palms
These eyes could look a little lower
This tongue could speak a little less
This body could find modesty in its dress
These hands could stop the shaking
This smile could find its place
These feet could run to prayer
This heart could become straight

Suffiyan At-Thawri answering the question "why does Allah not answer my prayer"
1- You know Allah(swt) YET you disobey Him.
2- You recite the Quran YET you dont act according to it.
3- You know shaitan YET you have agreed with him.
4- You proclaim your love of the messenger(saw) of Allah(swt) YET you abandon his Sunnah.
5- You proclain your love for Paradise YET you do not act to gain it.
6- You proclaim your fear of the Fire YET you do not prevent yourselves from sins.
7- You say indeed death is true YET you have not done anything to prepare for it.
8- You point out the faults of others YET you do not look at your own faults.
9- You eat of that which Allah(swt) has provided for you YET you do not thank Him(swt).
10- You bury your dead YET you do not take a lesson from it.



"When my servants ask you concerning me, (tell them) I am indeed close (to them). I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on me."
 [Quran 2:186] 

 “When the son of Adam gets up in the morning, all the limbs humble themselves before the tongue and say: “Fear Allah for our sake because we are with you: (i.e., we will be rewarded or punished as a result of
what you do) if you are straight, we will be straight; and if you are crooked, we will become crooked.”

 Reported by Abu Said Al Khudri (r.a.) Hadith 1521 At-Tirmidhi 

“O Turner of the hearts, make my heart steadfast in adhering to Your religion.”
At-Tirmidhi


Saturday 8 December 2012

Jannah

Tomorrow part II

Beneath the sea bed we will sleep
A slumber amidst purity
And these gems will weigh us down
So that no longer will we hear the seagulls screech
There will be no thirst
And there will be no hurt
The promise is true
Beneath the seabed on top of worlds
Under shade will the eyes gaze
Through the shine of the gem will reflect
Who we were
And where we are
Let the boat sink
Al-hamdulillah

Tomorrow part one here 

Friday Snow

The grit beneath this shoes grips
We are but footprints in the snow
They cannot recognize us from afar
So they seek that same paths as ours
They have seen our impressions but not
Our faces frostbitten and blue
Blood and living slow
They survive those whose
Finger tips moved to exercise the soul
The heart all blood but never bleeds
Remember me, remember me
The snow nearly always melts except
At poles where only the righteous dare to go
So we have left the world with little
We are water dripping into drains
If our belief varies like the seasons
Christmas cheer, Ramadan nights of hope and fear
Oh we believe, we believe
Yet we slip on our words
We have been forgotten
And forgotten ourselves too

Who were we trying to please?

It was said in Haashiyat al-Tahtaawi: “It is correct that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to count the tasbeeh on his right hand. It was reported that he said: ‘Count with your finger tips, for they will be asked and they will be made to speak.’ Ibn Hijr said: Counting the tasbeeh with the fingertips is better than using the subhah (prayer-beads or “rosary”).

 The hypocrite men and hypocrite women are of one another. They enjoin what is wrong and forbid what is right and close their hands. They have forgotten Allah , so He has forgotten them [accordingly]. Indeed, the hypocrites - it is they who are the defiantly disobedient.
Surah Tawbah

And the Day whereon We shall gather them all together, then We shall say to those who did set partners in worship with Us: "Stop at your place! You and your partners (whom you had worshipped in the worldly life)." then We shall separate them, and their (Allah's so-called) partners shall say: "It was not us that you used to worship."
Surah Yunus

Friday 7 December 2012

Project: Muslim

This life is their life

She is clever, top of the class
Its all temporal if she
had it all but its wasn't enough
The world was tough love
But her, she rose above with degrees
Cheap paper fades , its all just dead trees
Her ups and downs come with roller coasters
Smoking out the joint , to forget
All the things she needs to remember
There is no end point defined
Life continues till death
It is inevitable but is never said
Ripping back the surface she
Is in need without knowing
Infants crying for something they
Lost but cannot recall

Would it be so much for me
To tug the earphones out and ask
Her to listen
Suggest to her to believe
Before me?

Where is our conviction
If our belief was true
We would write and publicize
Our facts justified by the divine
We have every trick up our sleeves
They had quran in their thobes because
Don't you forget our heroes
Went from black to white
Because a soul wanted to fulfill his duty right
You were all chosen to know
That you were born with a goal
You were made, you were shaped
You will return to him who gave

So remind, surely you are a reminder.
Ghashiyah 88:21

“To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.”
Surah Al Baqarah 2:156

Side Note: The first generation of muslims they were all essentially as we would define them today as reverts .It really blows your mind when you think about it.

Thursday 6 December 2012

The Love Delusion

So you've found someone and they are amazing is every single way. Humorous, fun to be around , intelligent and your only regret is not finding them earlier. It is so easy to spend hours with them daily, so easy to text them when you get home, so easy to dedicate your whole being to them .

So let's strip back the surface if we may . Hypothetically speaking ( because I fear any other type of speaking would hurt too much) what if they were a little different. Yes there character is the same but let's say they don't like the same music as you , can't stand your favourite song, can't bare to eat that sushi , not obsessed with Japanese culture, not really that into all your little quirks. They cannot begin to discuss the classics with you finding it all misogynistic and sexist. From their support to the 'wrong ' political party to their dislike of the hobby you've dedicated your life to they are fundamentally different.

Where are you headed with this? Obviously if they're are a completely different person I wouldn't love them I could have told you that without that pointless paragraph above.

Well no , you see they still have the same character and that is what defines a person. They still cook you dinner when you've had a long day at work, they still open doors for you , smile,hug and greet you. Yes they still go to extensive measures to materialize their love for you in their generosity. They are still kind and caring and loving. But like you said you don't love them.

The truth is you were never in love with them . There I said it. The truth is all the superfluous things about them brought you comfort and familiarity. It was familiar only to yourself. You have simply engrossed yourself in the pursuit of somebody whose external outline was a mirror image of yourself. When it came to the person , when all the superficiality was thrown away , perhaps the person was of good character perhaps not but is irrelevant the fact is you couldn't love them any more.  You have been deluded and it is actually rather sad, you have loved your ego and worshiped your nafs.

Dont surround yourself with people who accept you for who you are. Surround yourself with people who make you better.
Omar Suleiman

Tuesday 4 December 2012

The Bench

The running back and forth for winter prayers
He is in my field of vision
Alone and I am filled with disparate sympathy
This prayer is that of unity
But missed opportunities wait
On wooden benches

He is still sitting there after prayer
Oblivious to what he's missed
My words back in the rows
I cannot hate you
I never could

This soul is filled with sadness
You do not know the joys of
Quran in an empty room , the sujood
Of the masses, of salaams
Of upturned palms

You are so confused, it hurts
But we pray, oh how we pray
For bench ridden bystanders who
Don't know which way to go

Guide us to the straight path 
Surah Fatiha

Monday 3 December 2012

The Musa within You

I have filed you away for rainy days
The compartmentalization of pain
These tears have drained into earth
And I will still wait ,still amazed if anything grows

They say to pray

I pray for miracles
I have learnt that
through a power greater than you or I
People can be miraculous

So I wonder if you're wandering through
Restless days and strange phases
Not quite finding your place
With this adopted family of yours
Whose friendship flickers the passing light

Your shoes are still on
The rack is empty
Crammed against the wall this Friday
There is plenty of room for one more
I will always make room for one more
And it turns out,
I do not need the rain to cry

And has there come to you the story of Musa (Moses)?When he saw a fire, he said to his family: "Wait! Verily, I have seen a fire, perhaps I can bring you some burning brand therefrom, or find some guidance at the fire."
And when he came to it (the fire), he was called by name: "O Musa (Moses)!
"Verily! I am your Lord! So take off your shoes, you are in the sacred valley, Tuwa.And I have chosen you. So listen to that which is inspired to you.Verily! I am Allah! La ilaha illa Ana (none has the right to be worshipped but I), so worship Me, and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) for My Remembrance.Verily, the Hour is coming and My Will is to keep it hidden that every person may be rewarded for that which he strives.Therefore, let not the one who believes not therein (i.e. in the Day of Resurrection, Reckoning, Paradise and Hell, etc.), but follows his own lusts, divert you therefrom, lest you perish.
And what is that in your right hand, O Musa (Moses)?"
He said: "This is my stick, whereon I lean, and wherewith I beat down branches for my sheep, and wherein I find other uses."
(Allah) said: "Cast it down, O Musa (Moses)!"He cast it down, and behold! It was a snake, moving quickly.Allah said:"Grasp it, and fear not, We shall return it to its former state,And press your (right) hand to your (left) side, it will come forth white (and shining), without any disease as another sign,That We may show you (some) of Our Greater Signs.
Surah Taha


O you who have believed, when you are told, "Space yourselves" in assemblies, then make space; Allah will make space for you. And when you are told, "Arise," then arise; Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do.
58:11

...nor has He made your adopted sons your real sons. That is but your saying with your mouths. But Allah says the truth, and He guides to the (Right) Way.

Surah Al-Ahzab