Tuesday, March 31, 2009

The more you give the more you Gain


بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Domestic abuse and violence transcends ethnicity, race and culture. Our society as a whole needs to come together and acknowledge what is happening behind close doors. There are women who remain silent and I ask that you be there voice. On February 12, 2009 Sr. Aasiya Hassan in Buffalo, New York was gruesomely killed. She fell victim to domestic violence in it's worst form. Personally it was an eye opener and for many other's. Our outrage and our shock will not change that in the US alone that every 9 seconds a woman reports being abused. I ask that we direct our emotions into actions. We see this happen and we ask what can we do? Well here's our opportunity to support those courageous women who left the abusive situation they were in and sought help. Muslimat Al-Nisaa is a nonprofit organization, it’s relatively new and they need all the help they can get. What happened was nothing short of a tragedy but may this shed light on the seriousness of this matter. Open up your heart and mind, it really does feed the soul to do good. By just giving a couple dollars could go along way. Give what you can and if its not money let it be your energy. Get involved, volunteer and give women and children an opportunity for a better life. It can prevent another death and give comfort to those who were afflicted by this. Also by this tragedy being exploited by the media it puts Muslims under the wrong limelight. It adds to the misconceptions of Islam. I would like to clarify that there isn’t a religion that condones abuse in any shape or form. As a Muslim I feel it is my obligation to bring awareness and as a human I feel it is my duty to help those who are in need.


Please donate generously http://www.mnisaa.org/

Who is he that will lend to Allah a goodly loan so that He may multiply it to him many times? And it is Allah that decreases or increases (your provisions), and unto Him you shall return. The Noble Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:245


"The Prophet said: 'Charity is a necessity for every Muslim. ' He was asked: 'What if a person has nothing?' The Prophet replied: 'He should work with his own hands for his benefit and then give something out of such earnings in charity.' The Companions asked: 'What if he is not able to work?' The Prophet said: 'He should help poor and needy persons.' The Companions further asked 'What if he cannot do even that?' The Prophet said 'He should urge others to do good.' The Companions said 'What if he lacks that also?' The Prophet said 'He should check himself from doing evil. That is also charity."

The heart racing feeling while you pray


Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim

I was thinking after Fajr, really contemplating about my experience with praying. Truly it’s a experience everytime you humble yourself in front of Allah. When you’re performing it the right away, Allah enlightens your heart. You might start assuming I’m talking about the Sunnah prayers and the etiquette of it. That’s a big part of it but that’s not whats really important. There’s something beyond that which holds a far greater weight with Allah. It’s being mindful of Subhana wa Tala, devoting those 5-10 minutes of salaat completely to Allah. In Arabic the term is Khushuu. Not allowing any distractions and being consciously aware. It's the presence of the heart during and act of Ibadah. When a persons heart is fully occupied with what he say or hears, is the true state of Khushuu.
Indeed, The believers, who have Khushuu in their Salaat, are the winners."
Holy Quran (23:1-2)
Being overwhelmed with the eloquent and beautiful words of the Quran. A power so exhilarating it runs thick through your veins. When your eyes began to flow with tears with joy. This sensation filled with so much emotion I couldn’t put it into words if I sat here for a million years trying to.

Coming to this realization it struck fear in my heart. How many times do we have this great awakening experience? Once in a while, at Friday Prayer after a Khutbah about death? Here and there when we really feel up to it. Just stop and think really ask yourself how often does this happen to you? Are we people that are constantly mindless in our prayers. We go through the motions without taking anything in. It’s as if its pure recitation without reflection, what benefit is that to us? Allah describes these people as hypocrites;

Indeed, the hypocrites [think to] deceive Allah, but He is deceiving them. And when they stand for prayer, they stand lazily, showing [themselves to] the people and not remembering Allah except a little, The Holy Quran Chapter 4, Verse 142


Some people go there whole entire life praying and there’s not a ounce of sincerity in it. They didn’t get anything from it besides a good exercise. You think if you just go through the Rakahs without really remembering Allah you’ll be able to feel this? As a Muslim we should always strive to gain the pleasures of Allah. Living the Quran, perfecting our Salaah and following the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS).