BENEFITS OF GIVING CHARITY

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah, 

Charity is one of the most important and universally contributed acts of kindness around the world. 

In Islam, charity is one of the five pillars of our religion. What this means, is that it is a basic act that Islam necessitates as a benefit for others.

Giving to charity, however, does benefit the giver as well as the receiver. 

Here are some of the benefits of giving Charity:

1. Makes the wealth pure: Islam requires Muslims to earn a living in a halal manner, through a job that is not illegal or defies the rules of Islam. For example, selling alcohol. However, if someone were to give that money that they earn to charity it makes their wealth pure. 
2. Purifies man from his sins: Charity is one of the best ways to expiate past/ present sins. It allows an individual to replace any bad deed with good deeds by benefiting someone else also.
3. Giving charity increases blessings and provision: SubhanAllah, this in itself is a test that we can try it out ourselves. So many times, in giving charity, sooner or later you receive wealth. My mum used to always tell me that when you give and pray to Allah, you will receive wealth from sources you never expect from. 
4. In the day of judgment the givers of charity are given shade.
5. The scales of deeds will become heavy with good when you give charity. This will aid in your favour
6. Giving charity allows us to to pass the seerat (the thin bridge that will need to be crossed to reach Jannah).
7. Giving charity also raises an individuals place/ ranks in Jannah. 

Hopefully, these tips will motivate us to give charity and not be so resistant to giving charity willingly. 

THE NEED TO BE BETTER

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah,

As we grow older and our time becomes shorter and faster and far more precious, we have to create priorities in our lives to make it better and efficient. 

When we are young and free we take advantage of the fact that we can waste time, we can dream we can hope for the future. 

But once you actually reach the age that you so badly wished for when you were a child, dreams slow down as you begin to take in your surroundings one at a time. 

Obviously you don't completely stop planning for the future, but you begin to question where time went, and how you wish you made the most of your past. 

One of the positives about growing older is recognising important relationships from less important ones. 

It all boils down to making an effort. 

Once you have realised the people you want to keep in your life, the ones you want to maintain a relationship with, you have to physically go out of your way to nourish it and keep it growing.

Even if it is a relative, the way you behave towards them will affect the relationship in the long run. 

Its strange, how we, as religious people forget that our life has a purpose. A meaning. 

We forget that this life is not the one.

I recently heard a lecture where it was mentioned that we are naturally born to understand that we have an afterlife and we are looking for better things. This explains why we are making this life the jannah that we hope for, even though we are aware that one day we will pass away.

It is crazy that we know but we don't act. We understand but we don't change. We are stuck in our ignorant ways. 

We know that we wont be here forever, yet we don't work towards that afterlife that we know we are striving for.

We as humans rely so much on hope that we assume that the mercy of God will save us (which if God wills, is the case). 

However, we need to stop knowing information and not practicing it. Especially if that is what we claim to believe. 

We need to work towards an evident end. Create an aim to become better. 

An example of this is a brother who recently found that he had terminal cancer and was given a short amount of time left to live. Through this he realised the reality of how he will be left in his grave with nothing but his deeds, none of his material goods will be brought with him to the grave. 

This hit me. 

The idea that we waste time in arguments, in drama, in negativity, instead of knowing our religion inside and out and practicing it with purity, rather than getting lost in our materialistic goods. 

Ya Allah make us stronger. Make us better. 

Watch the video of the brother, it says it all there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJoId1f4f3M

PRAYERS FOR PARIS, SYRIA, PALESTINE, SOMALIA AND MORE.

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah,

Today, like every day, marks a tragic event whereby terrorist attacks were performed on the city of Paris. 

Such crimes are unforgivable anywhere and everywhere and it is so disheartening to hear.

I just want to address the injustice in the world when it comes to such events.

Its so very sad that people in this world can walk around so freely knowing that they will never ever have to be associated or blamed for actions of others unless they are related by blood.

However, people remain inconsiderate of the fact that Muslim people are now forced into a situation in which they feel the need to show their condolences towards such actions, as though to make sure that people don't start assuming that it is the whole of the muslim population who are linked with such affairs.   

Every day without fail, something happens to the people of Syria and Palestine and many more countries which are not even acknowledged let alone considered human enough to morn. 

People in the public eye such as Benedict Cumberbatch who have the DECENCY to even mention such events to the media, are then questioned for the potential BACKLASH that they MAY receive as a result of SUPPORTING people who are said, Syrians, who are escaping their countries to make sure their families survive. As though they are not humans?! 

Where is the common sense. 

Where is the humanity.

Suddenly, there has become this idea that when countries that are not in the west are attacked, it doesn't matter, like they don't exist. 

No-one deserves to be attacked, period. 

Muslims should NOT have to walk around fearing for their lives after the behaviour of some RANDOM people, who may or may not be mentally stable, who may be using the name of Islam to justify their actions. 

Yet people are still ignorant enough to act on ignorance, rather than even attempting to understand Islam and ACKNOWLEDGE the fact that Islam does NOT recommend such actions ANYWHERE. 

This world is not fair. 

There is always a double standard.

People ought to get their facts straight. 

We all ought to focus our attention on the victims, and catching the culprits, rather than looking to blame. 

Wallah these are the signs of the times.

I am the first to say that I need to fix up.

I see that all the minor signs are happening, let alone the major signs.

I need to feel. I need to prepare.

We need to do the best. 

MONEY IS THE BANE OF LIFE.

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah, 

Money.

Money is one of those things that we can all relate to as being a struggle or a focus in life.

I hold my hands up first to say I am so guilty of this. 

I would like to use the fact that I am a student who is on a limited budget as an excuse but that is not enough. 

There are times when the struggle is so real you don't know what to do. The days when you are in a position of having to hold yourself back with the lack of freedom, but even when you do have some sort of money it still isn't enough. 

However, is that still a big enough excuse to not to donate to charity? 

No, I don't think so. When you look at the story of Abu Bakr (AS) who gave up his wealth and left his family in the hand of Allah, that truly shows faith and belief. 

He was never left poor. He was always wealthy in more ways than one. 

In Islam, Charity is so important that it is part of the five pillars. 

It has to be a constant reminder in our minds.

My mother always brought us up to understand that when you give, Allah gives you more than you ever gave to anyone. 

There is a saying: 

"When You Show Mercy, the Most-Merciful Will Not Let Your Mercy Exceed His."

I will not dwell on this topic too much, Instead I will direct you to a video that encapsulates everything and anything that I would like to write on this blog, it truly is an inspiration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zETZHjL0VWk&list=WL&index=3

May Allah make our life easier and us more willing to give without thinking twice about it. 

NUDITY OR MODESTY

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah,

We often forget how exposed we are to nudity.

It is so normal for us to see adverts showing women half naked that we no longer double take.

But have you noticed its always women who are objectified this way?

Not that we want to deal with naked men as well as an issue.

Its odd to think that the more women are fighting for equal rights and feminism is becoming popular, the more women are used as sex objects and advertising material for music, shampoo, clothing and more. 

Its odd to think that people have the audacity to question the hijab, to say that it is restricting, to say that we are oppressed. 

What is oppression anyway?

Sheikh Google/ Wiki says that oppression is: 

"Prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or exercise of authority"

So tell me this, how is liberating yourself by covering up, being able to wear lose clothing, being judged by your mind and your actions, being able to be taken seriously a form of cruel or unjust treatment, OVER wearing no clothes, or wearing tight clothes, showing the shape of your figure, allowing yourself to be wolf whistled at, and commented on by the shape of YOUR body,  being put in a situation where you are without shame told whether you are other peoples idea of hot or not, being accepted or not accepted into a job because of what you are wearing.

Where in all of that is freedom?

Even us muslim girls conform to this ideology. We have a hijab on our heads but still we show off our bodies by wearing short or tight clothing, wanting certain parts of our body to be on show?

WHY? Take a moment to truly think about this. 

Actually think about whether we are just literally contradicting ourselves. 

Are we literally in this to please people in this world for a short period of time, over pleasing our Lord who holds our eternity?

I read a beautiful saying by Ustadtha Yasmin Moughad where she basically said that everyone is yearning for a paradise, and what ends up happening is we make this world our paradise, when it is not. Paradise is a beautiful place with no negativity, just beauty, happiness and eternity. Yet we are all very aware that this life is not that, yet we continue to force it into our own form of paradise.

It doesnt work like that. 

We need to be a team, we need to think about our behaviour, we are not animals who get to do what we want, when we want and how we want. 

We are creatures with a conscious, with the ability to have a choice and be held accountable for that choice. 

We are weak but we can be strong.

We just need to work on ourselves. 

I JUST DONT KNOW

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah,

Firstly, I'd like to apologise for my inconsistency in uploading my blogs. 

For some reason, inspiration has fled and I am left feeling as though what I have to say is not as interesting as I think it could be.

However, I realised that I started this blog as a way for me to express my thoughts and feelings and if any readers are interested then they are more than welcome to read it.

Recently, I have felt like I have had so much negativity in my life. Not necessarily directed towards me, but just around me. 

I feel like I cant handle it, but I am forced to deal with it. 

This summer so much happened that was emotionally straining that when I began my year of education again, I automatically released any stress that I was feeling, so much so that I feel like I have almost lost the energy to feel.

I have lost the energy to be angry, to be sad, to be happy. 

Its not good, not good at all.

Events that occur around me, that I have been involved in for a while, have now come to light, its as though everyone is becoming involved and therefore I want to become less involved. 

I feel like I just want to do what is best for me and leave anything that is not good for me. I feel like I want to be there for everyone and anyone but at the same time I want to avoid everyone. 

I feel like I want to release myself from certain shackles and completely do as I please, but habit and consistency keep me locked down. 

I worry that all of this will at some point come to an end, during an inappropriate moment. 

I often wonder if there are people there for me as much as I am there for them.

I wonder whether people are appreciative to me as I am for them.

I wonder if I am seen as a last resort, as a means to accomplish another's need to fulfil their dreams alongside some form of company. 

I wonder.

I feel like I need to let emotion out. 

They say that sometimes it is good to cry, to let it out. There is no shame about it. 

The more I think about it, recently I feel like anything could happen and I will become a broken tap.

I just need something to trigger it. 

I just need.. 

FIX UP

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah,

Its strange.

Its strange to see those close to you go through hard times.

Its strange when you are going through a tough time that when you compare it to others, your problem seems so good that you become grateful.

Sometimes it is so hard to see the reality of a situation. Especially if you have convinced yourself otherwise.

Its hard to see things on a large scale, to see how wrong or right they really are.

We always give ourselves excuses. We always say 'it could be worse'. But could it really?

Wouldn't it make sense that when we know we are doing something wrong we should change. It should mean so much to us that we never repeat our mistake.

Something minor in your eyes is not minor on the day of judgement. 

Our actions can be the difference between jannah or jahanam. Why cant we see that?

Why is that not big enough in our eyes!

People throw around the words 'spiritually lost' like its nothing.

It is NOT nothing. 

When you experience being spiritually lost, you will know it. You will understand it. And it will no longer be minor. 

When you are spiritually lost you will not repeat what you have done wrong. Not for a very long while. You will feel it! 

People always want to appear good in the eyes of others. 

But why is our aim not to appear good in Allah's eyes?

Its so easy to see the wrongness of others and not say anything.

Its so hard to see your own mistakes on a large scale.

How are we supposed to become better?

People always say 'oh what I did is minor in comparison to..."

But just because you didnt do something on such a large scale, doesnt mean that something 'minor' like modesty or intention should be brushed to the side. 

At the end of the day, things that are minor build up to be majors. 

We need to stop disregarding our own actions and learn to fix them.