LIFE AND ITS STRESSORS

Asalamualakum Warahmatullah, 

Oh how I missed writing.

The amount of times I went to write something only to delete it and leave, have been too many. 

I forget how this is a platform for me to express myself and not really a place to worry about who is reading. 

Lately, I have dealing with a load of issues.

Ones that have made me realise who is really there for me and those who aren't. 

Alhamdullilah. 

This has also been a time where I have genuinely come to realise, not that I didn't before, but even more so, how my belief in Allah has helped me get through so much. 

It is the idea that I am actually never alone. I don't need people to make me whole, I don't need people to keep me happy.

My happiness comes from doing the right thing. Not to say that always happens, but stressors come as a result of fighting over what action should be taken next. 

Mufti Menk once said, "Remember that some of the closest people in your life aren't always the one's who love you most. You can't change them. Accept it & move on." 

The truth in that statement is so profound and I only think you come to realise it in times of difficulty. 

With regards to stress, one of the major factors for me personally is the fact that now I should be stressed about exams, but then I will find anything but exams to stress about instead, and for what?

The unnecessary agro is literally pointless. 

As I already heard but didn't know, people in life come and go, and it's the process of realising who should stay and should leave that is the hard part. Everything else comes easy. 

Things don't happen in a one way street, activity happens mutually. And it is only then, through those trials do you come to realise yourself and what is right.

I just have to keep reminding my self to just take things one step at a time, to breath, to realise its not that deep, to stay strong in the belief of tawwakul, and let everything pan out how its supposed to be.

Just one step at a time. 

TAKE A LOOK AT JAHANAM

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah, 

As a Muslim growing up I always was aware of Jannah and Jahanam (paradise and hell), and obviously would know that Jahanam is the worst thing ever and as a person I would never be able to cope and therefore to avoid it at all costs. 

However, I make mistakes, I fall back into habits that I promised myself that I wouldn't and i'm not perfect. 

So I did my research and wanted to remind myself and whoever else is interested, a little description of what Jahanam is like. This isn't all my own words, so if you want to see the video version visit: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAvi4-qZFiw 

"Jahanam: 

Allah says: That I swear by my honour, I will definitely fill Jahanam with the human kind, and I will fill Jahanam with the jinn kind.

Jahanam is where all types of punishment exists, from snakes, to scorpians, to extreme cold, to the fire of hell. 

This fire is like no fire within this universe! This fire is not orange or yellow like the dunya. No, its BLACK. 

The more you add fuel to fire, the hotter it becomes. The fire of Jahanam has been burning for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. 

Allah has been preparing this fire for the disobedience slaves of his on the day of judgement. Its 70-100 times hotter than any fire in the dunya. 

Jahanam will be bought on the plane of resurrection for mankind to see. 

The Prophet (saw) described that it will be bought with 70,000 ropes on every rein there will be 70,000 angels (remember that angels are STRONG), bringing jahanam, controlling jahanam on that day, jahanam will be angry like never before. 

That is because Jahanam will see that Allah is angry like never before. 

From when Jahanam takes a breath, from the first man, to the last man, he will fall flat into prostration and he will begin to beg for Allah's mercy and Allah protection. 

Subhanallah. "

We forget, as people that this world is temporary. We avoid the thought of death as though it is not reality even though we are well aware that it is. We avoid thinking about how many people are DYING. That they are actually experiencing the after world. Is that not scary? Is it not terrifying that we could at any moment drop and not be ready? Are we not worried about meeting our creator and trying to avoid haram. 

What will be enough to convince us of the reality? Are we really going to wait till the moment where we cannot ask Allah for forgiveness before we realise that our eternity is going to be either Jannah or Jahanam. 

We know that life is too short. Why are we playing with our futures. 

Its just hard to wrap our heads around it! But its even harder to find those who encourage us to do good. It is HARD to find people who are serious, who actually encourage you to be a better muslim. It is hard to find actual friends who encourage your imaan and strengthen it together. But then why should they? We are all going to fight our battles alone at the end of the day. 

This is just a reminder to myself and you. 

TIME COMES AND GOES

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah, 

How are you? 

I just wanted to quickly apologise, as I find myself doing more regularly with regards to my consistency on my blog. Recently I have had so much work to complete, and even now comes the exam period and so I cant guarantee my consistency. From now insha'Allah I want to make sure that I post at least once a weak but please bear with me. 

This year has been so strange when it comes to time. The way we approached the big milestones for this year has been crazy! 

I feel like things have come and gone so calmly that its hard to grasp how they happened and when they happened. 

The first assignments that we were set just came and went, our project for the year came and went, our assignment for that came and went. Meanwhile the dissertation was happened. When second semester began, we also had assignments to do, and one week where we had to hand in a good amount of assignments, which we thought was hectic, those came and went. We submitted our final assignment, we only had to complete the dissertation which was then given in yesterday. 

To me its so mind boggling that these times have simply come and gone. Im grateful for the ease in which they passed and I pray that the same thing happens when it comes to revision. 

It is just so crazy that things can happen in a matter of years and can change you as a person, make you grow and just leave you reflecting on how it had all happened. 

As much as I have reservations about moving forward, there is an element of excitement over what the future holds, which I have not felt in such a long time. It is the feeling on hope and aspiration and that there may be something out there for us after all. 

Sometimes things are supposed to aid you there for the moment, to be something that you look back on as a moment in your life for you to grow on and to use as a tool for realising your mistakes and just becoming better. 

One of the major surprises of my university experience so far has been my mother dear. 

Sometimes I cant comprehend how understanding she has been with me and how she has been open and patient. 

There were times when i'd wait for her to demand something from me but she hasn't, basically she silently put me back in my place haha! 

It has been nice to see our relationship grow better with distance and seem like it has become solid alhamdullilah. Just realising that at the end of the day, apart from Allah, your mother is the only one who actually is going to be there for you at the end of the day is a blessing.

Just, Alhamdullilah. 

HOW TO ORGANISE YOUR TIME

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah,

As we approach exam season, everything begins to become hectic, whether its because of revision, assignments, family or even leisure. 

 I am a keen promotor for the importance of organisation and planning.
There are the pros and cons from this in that if you take it too far, it can become difficult to accept spontaneity or last minute turn of events that were unexpected.
However, for me, if you are successful at organisation, you can re-organise the change of plans even though there is always an element of disappointment when plans have been altered.

Regardless of this, organisation is only necessary for when you have a busy schedule with multiple events occurring during similar times, and you need to prepare yourself so that you are not struggling later on.

In this blog, I will be giving 5 tips that I find significantly important for organisation during stressful times, especially for students:

Planning:  Knowing what it is you have coming up is extremely important for creating a plan that will provide equal amounts of time for each of your events. For example, if you have a presentation, an exam and an assignment due in days or weeks from each other, and you still have time to prepare, then it is important for you to organise your time in a way that will allow.

Timetable: Personally, I am more of a mental planner where I will spend time contemplating what I need to get done the next day, and how to fit it in. However, for things like exams, I prefer to see the days in order to know how the structure is going to be. This idea can be extended to daily plans, if you are someone who likes to carry a diary and fit it in, or the planners in your phones.

Leave Space: We don't live in a perfect world, where you can plan every little thing that happens, so it is important to not fill your days too much, otherwise you wont give yourself leeway for simple things, or changes of plan. You need to always be ready for your plan to not always go through the way you wanted.

Know Yourself: This is important, especially when applying it to work. If you know that you have a deadline coming up, and you work better with time and no pressure, then start early, know what it is you need to get done, plan your days in advance so that you get an equal amount of time for a hearty break, as well as being efficient in your work.

Be Realistic: This point is linked with the previous point. If you know that you are someone who gets distracted quickly, then you need to be realistic about your time. Plan in accordance to how often you take breaks. If you are doing an assignment, and need to use the internet, but also know that you will probably end up using it for something else, then plan to do spurts of work, where you work for half an hour, then equally have a break for half an hour. Then because you know that your break is coming up, you are more than likely to be practical within the half an hour dedicated for work. This way, you wont be disappointed in yourself by setting standards that you know you wont abide by, and be happier if you do manage to complete your project before its assigned time.

So here is a few quick time organising pointers. If these make sense and offer you some sort of guideline please let me know. If you know any other things that you find important, comment that as well!
 :D 

THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE MARRIAGE

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah, 

The hot topic of conversations lately = Marriage. 

As it is a significant part of a persons life, we might as well get down into conversation about what is really important about marriage!

We can spend hours talking about what we want to look for in a guy etc. But are we only looking forward to marriage for the kids and the relationship? 

Its surely more than that. 

In a video that I watched recently, it described looking for a partner as similar to hunting for a needle in a haystack which is risky, because we could pick up part of the hay and think its the needle, which may not be the case. 

Whether you are religious or not, surely it is important to please yourself first, and make sure we are where we want to be as people before wanting to seek out someone to be with?

As Muslims we are taught in Islam to be the best wives, with the best characters, by reading the Quran, completing our prayers, fulfilling our duties which has been instructed upon us by Allah. 

By abiding by this philosophy, it generally makes more sense when we look at it from a different perspective. 

Imagine this: when you see someone who has good character, who doesn't come across like they have a hidden agenda, who is genuine and respects themselves, who don't feel as though they need to wear clothes that shape their body or wear make-up that changes the way they look. Or if you are a woman, you would probably like a man who takes care of himself but isn't self obsessed. This is known to lead to a happier life. 

An important point to remember, is IT IS NOT ABOUT AESTHETICS. 

This wont last. Just like everything, it is temporary, at the end of the day, if you choose someone over the way they look, there will always be someone who looks better. 

We need to respect ourselves so that others can respect us. Not be used and abused. 

There are some people who only show you what they want to show you, this doesn't mean that this is the real them. This goes from looks to character. 

When you spend enough time with someone, even a friend, you begin to see aspects of them that you may not particularly like, therefore you begin to question them. This is the same for every relationship. 

You can think you know someone and feel obliged to marry them straight away, only to later complain because you found out that they are not the same person. 

This is why it is important to place value on things that we know need to be valued.

This is why introduction processes should start the way they were intended - with respect. 

Through the awareness of those who look after us such as our parents, or brother. Those who can guide us before you fall in love before you genuinely know a person. 

Moving through the process in a way that wont hurt us in the long run. 

The decisions that we make now, could potentially reflect on the type of person we marry. Are we genuinely role models for our potential children?

My mother used to tell me, that the way you are will be how your child is. If you are secretive, you wont feel its hurt until you have had your child.

Similarly, the way you treat your mother, is how your child will treat you. But we dont think of these things. 

We need to be very conscious and very careful. 

DIFFICULTY

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah, 

Why is it that when we do bad, we are quick to repeat?

Why is it when we promise ourselves and god to never go back it only takes a few days to forget that passion that we had and repeat?

Why can we not hold onto our strength in one instance and take it to the next?

Why when faced with temptation, our faith is not strong enough to resist?

Why does it become difficult to make another promise after breaking one?

Why do we forget that Allah is all forgiving and Most Kind? 

We are ashamed of our actions but why does it make it more difficult to go back?

How does one gain motivation and consistency?

How does someone not break a promise?

How do we not fall back into temptation?

How do we fight our minds?

Why do we repent once, twice, trice, and never again?

Why can we not keep our word to ourselves and become better?

Why is it that sometimes we take two steps forward and five steps backwards?

How do we get out of this cycle? 

A MOTHER'S SACRIFICE - SPOKEN WORD.

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah, 

You think she's happy, 

But i've seen her cry, 

With every tear that drops, 

I swear I hate you more pops.

How can you love me so much, 

And shower me in gold,

While you have together grown old?

Why must I remind you that she is your wife, 

When all she has ever done is given you her life.

I still see her in the shop falling short on pennies, 

Never to buy, always to save and sacrifice.

This is my mother. 

If only you knew big brother, 

It kills me when you act like him, 

But he is her husband, and you are her son.

She prayed for you every night,

Hoping that one day you would be her light.

I am proud of this woman, 

Who has shown me strength and power,

A woman who is a warrior,

And yet such a gentle flower.

She has achieved things without your help,

Of which I am so proud, 

She held tight your arm when you were sick, 

And secretly cried when you were afar. 

But hey boys, 

What do you know?

You think she's happy, but i've seen her cry. 

By Mar'eee'ya

RESPECT - SPOKEN WORD.

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah, 

You tell me respect, 

I tell you listen, don't judge, just reflect

You tell me you are in pain, 

But tell that to the child that wont see her daddy again.

You play with drugs, knives and guns, 

Yet i'm raising your kids, while you are on the run.

You promised me 'till death do us part, 

Yet you broke my heart from the start.

Tell me what i'm supposed to tell your mother, 

Who prays for her son to come back.

I swear dear husband, 

You have lost your track. 

Did you ever want a wife or a slave? 

Because if that's what you want i'm ready to cave, 

Because i'm no longer brave. 

I would say that I love you, but,

You want respect

But I tell you, 

Don't judge, 

Just reflect. 

By Mar'eee'ya

ZUBEDA - MY BEST FRIEND.

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah, 

This blog is going to be a special one, dedicated to my homey and best friend for lifey. 

Our story began on September the 16th, 2013 on a Sunday morning/ afternoon. 

I was in such a state that morning, having just moved in to university halls, after moving far from home. My family had travelled back home, and I thought that my university room's light could only give dim lighting, so I had set up a lamp. I wasn't particularly ready to start unpacking everything so I thought that I'd quickly pop down to sainsburys that I had seen on the drive in, just to get a few bits so I could feel somewhat settled. 

On my way back to the flat, as I opened the door, coming down the stairs, I saw a hijabi girl going into the kitchen. 

Pretty desperately if I may say so now, I was like: omg are you staying here?!!?!?!?

She was like yeah, and I went on to ask what she's studying and where she's from and all the common questions you ask when you first meet someone. 

Can you believe that: 

1. We literally were living in the same building, and next door neighbours, in that she was the room next to me.
2. She was from a predominantly white area, exactly like me. 
3. She was a muslim hijabi girl 
4. STUDYING PSYCHOLOGY AT THE SAME UNIVERSITY JUST LIKE ME. 
5. Her family consists of 3 boys and 1 girl, mine is 3 girls and 1 boy. 

There are a number of things that I could say that we found out we were similar in that day. 

From that day forward, alhamdullilah its become like family. Imagine spending almost three years of your life consistently with someone, you begin to know then very well.  

Its funny because you never really know what friendship is until you find someone who is different to the rest and you realise that it finally fits. 

Who we call friends now makes us realise that people who we called friends when we were younger were nothing because it lacked mutuality. 

To watch someone grow and for them to see you grow, whether its going through your tough times or your best times makes you understand and appreciate someone that little bit more. 

With any relationship or friendship comes its struggles or difficulties, but thats what taking time to recognise them and deal with them is there for. 

All we can really say is alhamdullilah for technology that allows us to create memories and preserve them. For the moments where we truly feel at peace, and for the experiences that you gain, and for the people who you spend them with. 

As I do with my sisters, you begin to care for your best friends as you do for you sisters. You begin to wish the best for the best for them, get inquisitive when you feel they are not making the right decision, get over-protective when there are unfamiliar vibes, and probably time apart makes you miss each other. 

As with anything, thinking of what you may not have in under a year begins to fill your heart as you come to realise that this is not forever. Being accessible to each-other in terms of visiting one another will become difficult as it wont just be a knock on the door. Becoming busy with life and careers and family will become more often. I had definitely taken advantage of the safety net of university that allowed me to look forward to the start of the year, not for the education but for my buddy. 

However, with friends you know. You know that effort needs to be made. More so with your best friend. 

Alhamdullilah - you know something was planned for you when the events fit like a jigsaw puzzle. 

MOST COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS OF MUSLIMS

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah,

First I would like to apologise for the lack of blogs the last week or so. 

I feel like I lost inspiration for a little while and also had packed weeks but that is no excuse.

In todays blog I thought I would write about the most common misconceptions of muslims. 

Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and people often ask why, as it is also one of the most negatively viewed religions as a result of the portrayal on social media. 

What people don't realise is that muslims are people and not evil beings, instead the whole islamic concept is opposite to what is shown. 

If people dug a little deeper, looked beyond social media, the things they think they know will be long forgotten because it doesn't even make a dent in who muslims are. 

Here are some of the most common misconceptions that people have of muslims: 

1. Women are oppressed --> They assume that women are forced to wear the hijab, when in reality, this is not the case. Women have more freedom in Islam. Hijab is there to hide beauty, not because of negative reasons, rather to show its value. 

2. Muslims are terrorists --> Its funny because when you look closely there are more killers who are not muslim than those who are, yet we overlook people who do murder because it doesn't seem as serious than if someone happened to be muslim, or now its become an excuse. Its like if someone was to murder someone and they were told that they were muslim, people would be like 'oh i see',

But nowhere in islam does it state the killing of innocent people! 

People misuse the word 'jihad' which is meant more for the inner struggle that we face, such as resisting temptation than any other jihad that people think. 

3. Forced Marriage is the only way muslims get married --> There is a significant difference between forced and arranged marriage. Forced is not having a choice, arranged is someone finds you someone and gives your the option to see whether that person is right for you. Islam in no way, shape or form allows forced marriage to take place. It is ultimately the choice of the individuals getting married whether they want to go ahead or not.

4. Muslims don't believe Jesus exists --> Whats funny about this one is that if you ask a muslim to name 5 prophets of the religion, Jesus would most definitely be there. We believe Jesus exists just as much as anyone else as he was mentioned in the Quran. Despite this, we do not however believe that Jesus is the son of god because he isn't. To us, Allah has no relation, no son, no daughter, no mother or father. God is one and only, the first and the last. We dont associate partners with him or those who we feel he is 'like' that is what is forbidden.

If there are any more misconceptions that are commonly stated, please comment down below. It would be interesting to have a read! Thank you. 

WHAT MAKES A FRIEND?

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah, 

In today's blog I wanted to talk about friendship and the importance of distinguishing between time-wasters and true friends. 

It is a lot easier said then done, because we are always going to find faults in others that we don't particularly like, but the important part about it is overcoming that negative because a positive aspect overrides the negative. 

The transition between school and university has given me a stronger understanding and recognition who my long term friends are in comparison to people who were temporary and for the moment. 

There are numerous 'types' of friends that can be distinguished throughout life. 

But there are moments where you can feel the friendship and the effort that people put into your relationship which makes them worthwhile. 

I was always the type of person who had friends from different groups, so it wasn't like all my friends hung out together, rather I was close to individuals who were part of different crowds. 

For me personally, I can maintain contact with people even if I don't see them regularly, however, that is usually to people who are willing to do the same. If there is no mutual effort put in then there's no point really..

There are friends who you have known since you can remember. These are the people that you first met when you went to a school, or moved to a particular area. For me, there is one girl who I have known since I can remember, probably one of the first friends I had. Alhamdullilah for them, because even if you don't see them on a regular basis, when you do see them you bounce back as though there was no chunk of time missing between when you met last and now. 

After having left secondary school, you assume that you are going to be in contact with those friends forever, however, that is not the case. You may keep in contact with some of them on and off or when you go out or when you are both in the same location, but can you really tell those people everything? So the people that you are still in contact with are the ones you cherish, purely because there is a mutual effort to stay in contact, even if it through silly means such as snapchat. There is just constant communication.

When I first went to university, I took my time when it came to friends. I wasn't in a healthy head space, and I went to uni in the worst possible state. I found that I forgot how to talk to people and make conversation but Alhamdullilah one of my best friends now was there which helped me get better. Our class for some reason was supportive with each-other but it felt like there was always an element of competition between some people that made you just not want to talk about how your grades were doing etc. But there are also really great people at uni who you meet and have a conversation with. Again, the friends that I made were scattered and not part of one group, and I became closer with individuals. 

You learn to appreciate people and I think when it comes to approaching the end of university experience, you really just want to make sure that you are on the same level as the friends you have made in terms of staying close and making plans to visit one another. 

Its one of those things where in the moment you consider everyone as your friends but when you are put in a situation that challenges friendship thats when your real friends begin to show.

But Alhamdullilah. 

Allah has given us people, close or not, and those who help us become better people are the ones who we should keep. 

MY MUSLIMAH TAG

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah,

Today I thought I would do a Muslim Tag just to highlight a few personal preferences. 

I hope you enjoy! 

1) What is your favourite hijab?

I don't have a particular hijab that I love, but I do enjoy wearing plain colours like grey, blue, brown and beige. My ideal scarf that I would want to try is a proper jersey style hijab that is big enough to cover everything. 

2) What is your go-to Islamic Outfit?

I don't have a go to Islamic outfit. Im not really that adventurous when it comes to style as it's not something that interests me in anyway. But I usually pick between an abaya with pockets or without depending if i'm going to wear a cardigan or jacket with pockets. 

I iz da plain jane. 

3). What part of the Quran speaks directly to your heart?

Every time I hear the verse in Surah Ar-Rahman: 

‘Then which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?’ [Surah Rahman 55:13]

I think it just brings me back to reality. It makes me conscious of my wrongdoings. It makes me think that I need to make extra effort not to be hypocritical and unappreciative. There's a deeper meaning of the ayah depending on what it means to you. 

4). What part of Islam do you find most difficult?

I don't find Islam difficult. I do find seeing myself and other muslims doing certain things difficult. I just wish some people took Islam more seriously than they are because this like is ultimately nothing in comparison to what we will have to face. But at the end of the day, you can help guide yourself and others but its up to us individually to make the right decisions. 

5). Who is your favourite lecturer/scholar in Islam?

My two favourite lecturers are: Mufti Menk and Nouman Ali Khan. There's something about these two that just seems non-judgmental and just right. Some people I cant listen to because they might inflict their personal teachings. But I feel like they provide personal examples and they just want the best for everyone and they always tell the most compelling stories. 

6). Where do you find inspiration when things seem difficult?

It might seem dark but the idea of death inspires me. I dont want to die in the wrong, and that scares me. And also, I feel like I need to remind myself that I would much rather be in my position than in a worse situation. 

7). If you could change something about your Mosque to make it better what would it be?

To be more open and understanding towards younger people and let them take the lead. 

8). What does your prayer rug look like?

Its purple and goldy colour. 

9). How did you tie your hijab today? 

The usual up and around and pin 

10). What are the islamic websites that you go to most frequently?

I enjoy visiting IslamQA once in a while if I want to know the teaching of something. Its a rather handy website alhamdullilah. 

11). What kind of accessories do you wear with your hijab?

A pin and a brooche. The brooche adds a little something something to my usually plain outfit choices. 

12). Have you ever been discriminated against because you are Muslim?

Yes but thats because I lived in an area where there were hardly any muslims anyways. 

13). Best advice anyone has ever given you?

If you are ever still annoyed or angry towards someone and it blocks you from doing something good then don't think about doing it for that person, rather do it for the sake of Allah and it takes away the initial difficulty of doing good. - My Mother.

I hope you enjoyed this little tag. If theres anything else you would like for me to blog about please leave a comment so that I can entertain the crowd haha. 

IT'S JUST UPHILL FROM HERE.

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah, 

I feel like lately I have just been filled with an emotional whirlwind where I want to enjoy myself but I feel like other people are stopping me from doing so. 

I receive advice such as 'just enjoy yourself' or 'do something fun' yet they are the people who contradict their own saying by making me feel bad if I do do something.  

People think they can bring you down purely because they are going through troubles or they are not having a good day and they are fully aware of this, yet they still don't change. 

I hate it with passion when others are not aware of how they make you feel. Own up to yourself. Take charge of your own behaviour. 

I don't care how close people are, they should still look out for others and make sure that your behaviour is not hurting others. LET ME BE FREE. 

Just so much hypocrisy. 

So much selfishness. 

The ease of which people turn my calmness and happy days into bad days with a click of their fingers. 

But that is not going to happen anymore. 

I will enjoy myself. 

I will live everyday.

I will do as I please. 

I will better myself.

I will be happy for myself and for you.

But I wont let others think they can control me. 

All I want is to do what I enjoy. 

Go out with friends and family, enjoy new experiences, new days.

But also enjoy home days, relaxing and having a laugh.

Why is that too much to ask for? 

INSPIRED BY A REVERT?

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah, 

It is often a phrase thrown about where 'reverts are better muslims than born muslims.'

The only issue with this is that it is so unfairly generalised that it doesn't make sense.

I would definitely agree with reverts being inspiring though.

Masha'Allah, I have a friend who recently reverted to Islam.

When I was talking to her, I was taken aback by how someone can be so sure in something, so certain that they are doing the right thing.

This doesn't mean that I am full of doubts. But I was so surprised that someone who hasn't grown up, nor been surrounded by people who are Muslims is so sure of what she is doing despite the hardship around her.
It makes me so emotional to talk about, only because sometimes we have to remind ourselves why we are here.
I spend time wanting to improve but not focused enough to do so.
I find myself wanting to better myself in certain areas of my life but being lazy to do so.

Seeing someone who hasn't even had any coaching since childhood, drop everything to start a new life and be so happy was so refreshing.
I feel ashamed.

We have the most rewarding, the most beautiful religion in our hands. We are those people. Yet we let this world, this dunya override the hereafter, the akhira.

We are blessed to have this religion in our hands, whilst others out there do not have Islam, yet we toss our religion to the side.

We have been given the easiest religion to follow, the uplifting and powerful religion, the religion that contains everything that others ultimately want, yet we CHOOSE to ignore it and listen to our temptation.

Our hijab is there to protect us.
Our prayer is there to protect us,
The Quran is there to uplift and guide us,
Our smiles are there to give charity,
Our steps are there to lead us.

Yet we still take this ease and turn it into hardship.

We forget that as big as our sins are, Allah's mercy is even bigger.

We forget to repent and ask forgiveness, we choose to ignore our wrongdoings.

Ya Allah guide us, Ya Allah give us strong, Ya Allah purify our souls and intentions.

Ya Allah grant us Janatul Firdous. 

WORRIED FOR FUTURE CHILDREN

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah,

Today's blog is going to be something that I think about regularly. Not in depth, but regularly. 

As time is moving, things are changing, particularly in recent years. 

Some of the biggest changes in society have occurred which will continue to impact future generations. 

Not only will they grow up in a world where they have not experienced 'how it used to be' but they will grow up in an environment that may potentially contradict any teachings that parents may give their children.

Not only this, but we are becoming materialistic people, and therefore we already experience watching little children knowing how to use and iPad before they reach the age of 5. We have 6 year olds demanding to have the newest phones on the market. We have 7 year olds wearing make-up like they're some kind of adult. We have 8-9 year olds giving attitude. We have 10-11 year olds no longer interested in education.

The list goes on.  

We complain that time is rushing by, yet we allow the children of today and tomorrow to engage in activities that a few years ago, belonged only to the adults. 

What happened to playing in the mud and building mud pies. 

What happened to splashing money on a new swing set. 

What happened to wrapping warm and going outside to play tag or badminton or hide and seek. 

It is only when you think back that you realise those were the times when you are truly happy. 

A friend and I were playing a very small game of tag yesterday and it was then that I realised I was laughing like an excited child that I was like - if it can still have an affect on me now, imagine how ecstatic you would be as a child! 

On the contrary, kids are obsessed with their technology, and I don't blame them, but its the very fact that they're exposed to it and parents no longer have a lot of time for their children that its the quickest route to keeping them quiet. 

Because of this, obesity is on the rise, laziness is on the rise, materialistic gain is on the rise. 

I just pray that as we age, some things move forward, but the right things move back.

At the end of the day only the simple things in life are what fill our souls, not the complex, obsessive, materialistic things. 

Oh how we change ...

MY HIJAB STORY

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah, 

For todays blog, I thought I would write about my story of how I began wearing the hijab and what I faced as a result of that. 

Hijab is a veil that is worn by muslim women to cover their head and their chest area. Hijab also represents modesty and is linked with loose clothing that does not show the figure of the body, and it also should not draw the attraction of others. 

One speaker mentioned, that some people are using the hijab as a tease, where the way the hijab is now worn in a way that contradicts the meaning of the hijab.

 Rather, we are supposed to aim in order to progress to better the way we wear the hijab - which is to ultimately protect our bodies by covering them, and not give anyone the right to wonder what our bodies would look like. 

One of the most common questions regarding hijab is who gets to see the hair of a hijabi?

The people who are allowed to see the hair of a woman who wears the hijab are those we call "mahram". 

They include: father, brother, uncle, grandfather, son, grandson, father-in-law...

Basically anyone who we cant marry. 

Growing up, I lived in a majority white area where there were no muslims to look up to and no hijab that you would see except my mother unless we were to go to a mosque or an auntys house. 

But for some reason, I always wanted to wear the hijab because my mum wore it. 

My mum used to let me wear it out here and there, before the age of 6. I remember the summer before year 3 my mum asking if I would like to wear it, and I said yes. So the beginning of year 3 I wore it to school. I vaguely remember crying so  much when I reached school, maybe I was developing cold feet. 

The thing is, it didn't make me take it off eventually I got used to it and carried on wearing it. 

I remember at first, there was a boy who asked me if I was bald and I became really upset because I thought that was an insult. Oh the innocence of childhood! 

I don't know if it was because of my hijab that some girls in the year weren't too keen to keep me in the friendship group or because of something else but there was trouble in the girl department of things. 

In year 7 when we had to change schools to go to a secondary school, it was okay initially. There used to be comments such as rag head and so on, but I used to shake those comments off. 

I remember one instance where I had to do a speech in assembly, and then afterwards everyone seemed nice about it, but then this boy in my year was going around with a jumper on his head saying that he was me lool which made me really angry. 

Anyways, as time went on, the beginning of GCSE really, hijab was no longer something that people saw me as. Rather, people just saw me as me and school was enjoyable. There was something satisfying about people literally liking you for you and not just seeing this strange thing on your head and focusing solely on that. 

Hijab became something that I was proud of. Not in a 'i'm cool because i'm wearing the hijab' kind of way, but a 'actually I am stronger than I think' and if I went through certain situations, I am now way past the idea of taking it off, so insha'Allah no-one can influence me to take it off. 

I do believe that wearing the hijab earlier has probably made my life easier, in that I cant remember what its like to leave without the hijab on. Its like a protection in a way that I wouldn't know what to do without. When you are older however, there are more things that come into play, such as wanting to be sure, wanting to be ready, wanting to make sure they are up to date with the latest trends. 

Hijab is something that we should prioritise before anything. If we want to know more about it then thats fine, but if we are avoiding it for the materialistic reasons, then what are we here for?

MY FAVOURITE BOOK SERIES TO DATE

Asalamualaykum Warahmatullah,

Today I thought I would write about something a little bit more light hearted, such as my favourite books! 

I like to think of myself as a bookworm and a passionate reader. 

I would like to, however, dedicate this blog post to the author of my favourite series: Robert Muchamore. 

(I used to love his last name so much I used to sing it). 

The series that I am talking about is CHERUB :D

My Old Collection

I loved the books so much that I still remember how I got into them. 

We were on holiday in Dubai, and my mum had bought the books for my brother - who by the way doesn't ever touch books let alone read them - and he had taken the book "divine madness" with him. 

I just remember being on the bunk bed that we had and seeing the book, and reading the blurb, then decided to start reading. 

I was so nervous that my brother would be annoyed at me that I was literally lying on my front hanging off the bed that if he were to walk into the room I could quickly throw it under the bed and he would have no idea. 

No joke, I was so involved in the book that I finished it that night. 

I casually asked my brother if that was the only book he had as it wasn't the first book, he was like no I have a set. I could not wait to go home! 

When we did I literally went to his room, removed all the books and sat and read them all. 

It was so good! 

The first two books made me literally want to be in the books (imagine this as a 12 year old girl) 

The poor books are so worn lool

The best thing about these books is they start from the very beginning, of the character James life - how he ended up joining cherub and the missions he went on. 

The reason I loved/ love these books is that they are soooo realistic. They are based in London, James is so normal, living in a normal neighbourhood/ council home, took part in rebellious activities, went to a normal school etc. 

This book changed the dynamic of everything

I remember sitting in english class when we got the opportunity to read and I was reading Cherub and the boy sitting next to me also had the same book and I was so happy that I had to start asking questions about how he felt about them and we had to discuss it! 

Its weird though, I read these books recently, and as I have passed the age that the characters are at, it felt weird reading it seeing it from another perspective! For example, when James was 12, I was 12, when he was 14 I was 14. But when the books stopped, the ages went by and now you are still looking at the 14 year old James when you are like 20. But nevertheless, I still adore them.

I feel like they will continue on to be the best books, so relatable, so engaging that I have yet to find a book that I cant put down. 

Ah the good old days.

Anyways, if you have any books that you would like to recommend me that would be awesome! I need some inspiration because I never really know what the best books are to read. 

Thank youu!