Friday, October 16, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Freedom
I remember listening to a Sheikh once, when I was younger, talking about how one needs to extract himself from all the shackles that hold him down to the ground so that "his spirit can soar into the sky and orbit the Throne"; the shackles of attachment to this world - anything in this world besides Allah SWT.
I remember how uncomfortable I felt when I heard that at that time.. I mean.. What?! How am I supposed to not love or get attached to anyone or anything?
My mum used to get quite frustrated when she explained that a muslim should love anyone or anything for Allah SWT, and hate anyone or anything for Allah SWT. And I didn't get it then.
I think the best explanation is one I heard from (subhanAllah) the very same shaikh just a couple of months ago where "the love of Allah fills your heart so completely there is no room for anyone or anything else" and "the fear of Allah fills your heart so completely there is no room for the fear of anything or anyone else".
I think that's really what monotheism is all about.. It's when your whole life is about Allah, for Allah..
Anyway talking about it is one thing but living it is a completely different thing. But when you embark on that journey you start seeing how painful it is when anything compromises that attachment.
A shaikh was describing how any love comes with pain, except love of Allah SWT. "Is it not true that even with the most successful relationships, the greatest pain we suffer is at the hands of our loved ones?"
The only pure love can be the love of God because He is Eternal and the source of all good..
It makes so much sense! Only then can you be free. Free from need of anyone or anything but Allah SWT
I remember how uncomfortable I felt when I heard that at that time.. I mean.. What?! How am I supposed to not love or get attached to anyone or anything?
My mum used to get quite frustrated when she explained that a muslim should love anyone or anything for Allah SWT, and hate anyone or anything for Allah SWT. And I didn't get it then.
I think the best explanation is one I heard from (subhanAllah) the very same shaikh just a couple of months ago where "the love of Allah fills your heart so completely there is no room for anyone or anything else" and "the fear of Allah fills your heart so completely there is no room for the fear of anything or anyone else".
I think that's really what monotheism is all about.. It's when your whole life is about Allah, for Allah..
Anyway talking about it is one thing but living it is a completely different thing. But when you embark on that journey you start seeing how painful it is when anything compromises that attachment.
A shaikh was describing how any love comes with pain, except love of Allah SWT. "Is it not true that even with the most successful relationships, the greatest pain we suffer is at the hands of our loved ones?"
The only pure love can be the love of God because He is Eternal and the source of all good..
It makes so much sense! Only then can you be free. Free from need of anyone or anything but Allah SWT
Thursday, October 8, 2009
A Very Serious Shock
Bismillah
This post is basically an experience of the Kuwaiti saying "kil man yara innas ib3ain 6ab3a".. which roughly translates to "everyone sees people with the eyes of their nature."
As in.. if you're evil, you think everyone else is evil - kind of thing.
I've been in New Zealand since December, and the more I get to know the people here, the more I become impressed with them and embarrassed of myself.
I can't tell you enough about how lovely the muslim community at my university is. For the first time in my life I've come across people my age that have such a sincere love for their religion. I go into the prayer room at Uni and there's almost always someone there. Girls praying, reading Qur'an, making du'aa (supplication). It's just so lovely. Girls coming in at 8 in the morning before class to read Qur'an. Girls with beautiful hijab. You know here, girls that aren't even religious pray! It's just.. amazing. MashaAllah.
Alright I have to go but I'll continue this later inshaAllah
This post is basically an experience of the Kuwaiti saying "kil man yara innas ib3ain 6ab3a".. which roughly translates to "everyone sees people with the eyes of their nature."
As in.. if you're evil, you think everyone else is evil - kind of thing.
I've been in New Zealand since December, and the more I get to know the people here, the more I become impressed with them and embarrassed of myself.
I can't tell you enough about how lovely the muslim community at my university is. For the first time in my life I've come across people my age that have such a sincere love for their religion. I go into the prayer room at Uni and there's almost always someone there. Girls praying, reading Qur'an, making du'aa (supplication). It's just so lovely. Girls coming in at 8 in the morning before class to read Qur'an. Girls with beautiful hijab. You know here, girls that aren't even religious pray! It's just.. amazing. MashaAllah.
Alright I have to go but I'll continue this later inshaAllah
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
It's All About God
You know when you're looking for something and you're so stressed out.. and then you realize it's been in your hand all along?
We're like that. Us humans. Except a lot of us, in fact according to the Qur'an, most of us die before looking down at our hands. And we die searching. Worst still, most of the time we don't even realise we're searching. We struggle against monsters and phantoms of our own creation and then we sink into sadness, depression, frustration, anger or despair. Perhaps that's a bit of a straw man.. We're not always like that. But our life as a whole is like.. Oh I get so angry. I get so angry when I see people just.. so disconnected from the truth about their lives. But of course I'm the same.. I just realized today that I'm fighting phantoms in my head so I'm not exempt. But still.. I can see it with so many people around me.. This disconnection from the Heavens..
Our whole life is a journey to God.. It's.. It's huge. You know?
We're the privileged of the privileged. We're privileged to be humans - the ones God gave intelligence and a consciousness to have the ability to actually embark on a journey towards God.. The fact that we can contemplate and understand that concept. It's for that very reason (I believe) that Allah SWT made the angels prostrate to Adam PBUH (in respect).
And then we're privileged again to be of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH's nation.
God wants us. And we're .. chasing phantoms. Fighting Lochness monsters. Worrying about insignificant details of our existence.
And it's our loss. Because God doesn't need us. But God didn't create us so that He could put us in Hell. But many choose it. It's silly to think people choose Hell but actually they do. So many people know that the route to happiness, salvation, peace, prosperity and all good is a certain way - and they're still going about with their lives .. ignoring the Pink Elephant in the room.
And still I chase phantoms. Still I worry about things that aren't even there.
It's not about them. It's about God. And the minute my life stops being a constant fight against imaginary demons.. I will truly be free. But that's for another post, inshaAllah!
We're like that. Us humans. Except a lot of us, in fact according to the Qur'an, most of us die before looking down at our hands. And we die searching. Worst still, most of the time we don't even realise we're searching. We struggle against monsters and phantoms of our own creation and then we sink into sadness, depression, frustration, anger or despair. Perhaps that's a bit of a straw man.. We're not always like that. But our life as a whole is like.. Oh I get so angry. I get so angry when I see people just.. so disconnected from the truth about their lives. But of course I'm the same.. I just realized today that I'm fighting phantoms in my head so I'm not exempt. But still.. I can see it with so many people around me.. This disconnection from the Heavens..
Our whole life is a journey to God.. It's.. It's huge. You know?
We're the privileged of the privileged. We're privileged to be humans - the ones God gave intelligence and a consciousness to have the ability to actually embark on a journey towards God.. The fact that we can contemplate and understand that concept. It's for that very reason (I believe) that Allah SWT made the angels prostrate to Adam PBUH (in respect).
And then we're privileged again to be of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH's nation.
God wants us. And we're .. chasing phantoms. Fighting Lochness monsters. Worrying about insignificant details of our existence.
And it's our loss. Because God doesn't need us. But God didn't create us so that He could put us in Hell. But many choose it. It's silly to think people choose Hell but actually they do. So many people know that the route to happiness, salvation, peace, prosperity and all good is a certain way - and they're still going about with their lives .. ignoring the Pink Elephant in the room.
And still I chase phantoms. Still I worry about things that aren't even there.
It's not about them. It's about God. And the minute my life stops being a constant fight against imaginary demons.. I will truly be free. But that's for another post, inshaAllah!
Friday, October 2, 2009
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Friday, October 16, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Freedom
I remember listening to a Sheikh once, when I was younger, talking about how one needs to extract himself from all the shackles that hold him down to the ground so that "his spirit can soar into the sky and orbit the Throne"; the shackles of attachment to this world - anything in this world besides Allah SWT.
I remember how uncomfortable I felt when I heard that at that time.. I mean.. What?! How am I supposed to not love or get attached to anyone or anything?
My mum used to get quite frustrated when she explained that a muslim should love anyone or anything for Allah SWT, and hate anyone or anything for Allah SWT. And I didn't get it then.
I think the best explanation is one I heard from (subhanAllah) the very same shaikh just a couple of months ago where "the love of Allah fills your heart so completely there is no room for anyone or anything else" and "the fear of Allah fills your heart so completely there is no room for the fear of anything or anyone else".
I think that's really what monotheism is all about.. It's when your whole life is about Allah, for Allah..
Anyway talking about it is one thing but living it is a completely different thing. But when you embark on that journey you start seeing how painful it is when anything compromises that attachment.
A shaikh was describing how any love comes with pain, except love of Allah SWT. "Is it not true that even with the most successful relationships, the greatest pain we suffer is at the hands of our loved ones?"
The only pure love can be the love of God because He is Eternal and the source of all good..
It makes so much sense! Only then can you be free. Free from need of anyone or anything but Allah SWT
I remember how uncomfortable I felt when I heard that at that time.. I mean.. What?! How am I supposed to not love or get attached to anyone or anything?
My mum used to get quite frustrated when she explained that a muslim should love anyone or anything for Allah SWT, and hate anyone or anything for Allah SWT. And I didn't get it then.
I think the best explanation is one I heard from (subhanAllah) the very same shaikh just a couple of months ago where "the love of Allah fills your heart so completely there is no room for anyone or anything else" and "the fear of Allah fills your heart so completely there is no room for the fear of anything or anyone else".
I think that's really what monotheism is all about.. It's when your whole life is about Allah, for Allah..
Anyway talking about it is one thing but living it is a completely different thing. But when you embark on that journey you start seeing how painful it is when anything compromises that attachment.
A shaikh was describing how any love comes with pain, except love of Allah SWT. "Is it not true that even with the most successful relationships, the greatest pain we suffer is at the hands of our loved ones?"
The only pure love can be the love of God because He is Eternal and the source of all good..
It makes so much sense! Only then can you be free. Free from need of anyone or anything but Allah SWT
Thursday, October 8, 2009
A Very Serious Shock
Bismillah
This post is basically an experience of the Kuwaiti saying "kil man yara innas ib3ain 6ab3a".. which roughly translates to "everyone sees people with the eyes of their nature."
As in.. if you're evil, you think everyone else is evil - kind of thing.
I've been in New Zealand since December, and the more I get to know the people here, the more I become impressed with them and embarrassed of myself.
I can't tell you enough about how lovely the muslim community at my university is. For the first time in my life I've come across people my age that have such a sincere love for their religion. I go into the prayer room at Uni and there's almost always someone there. Girls praying, reading Qur'an, making du'aa (supplication). It's just so lovely. Girls coming in at 8 in the morning before class to read Qur'an. Girls with beautiful hijab. You know here, girls that aren't even religious pray! It's just.. amazing. MashaAllah.
Alright I have to go but I'll continue this later inshaAllah
This post is basically an experience of the Kuwaiti saying "kil man yara innas ib3ain 6ab3a".. which roughly translates to "everyone sees people with the eyes of their nature."
As in.. if you're evil, you think everyone else is evil - kind of thing.
I've been in New Zealand since December, and the more I get to know the people here, the more I become impressed with them and embarrassed of myself.
I can't tell you enough about how lovely the muslim community at my university is. For the first time in my life I've come across people my age that have such a sincere love for their religion. I go into the prayer room at Uni and there's almost always someone there. Girls praying, reading Qur'an, making du'aa (supplication). It's just so lovely. Girls coming in at 8 in the morning before class to read Qur'an. Girls with beautiful hijab. You know here, girls that aren't even religious pray! It's just.. amazing. MashaAllah.
Alright I have to go but I'll continue this later inshaAllah
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
It's All About God
You know when you're looking for something and you're so stressed out.. and then you realize it's been in your hand all along?
We're like that. Us humans. Except a lot of us, in fact according to the Qur'an, most of us die before looking down at our hands. And we die searching. Worst still, most of the time we don't even realise we're searching. We struggle against monsters and phantoms of our own creation and then we sink into sadness, depression, frustration, anger or despair. Perhaps that's a bit of a straw man.. We're not always like that. But our life as a whole is like.. Oh I get so angry. I get so angry when I see people just.. so disconnected from the truth about their lives. But of course I'm the same.. I just realized today that I'm fighting phantoms in my head so I'm not exempt. But still.. I can see it with so many people around me.. This disconnection from the Heavens..
Our whole life is a journey to God.. It's.. It's huge. You know?
We're the privileged of the privileged. We're privileged to be humans - the ones God gave intelligence and a consciousness to have the ability to actually embark on a journey towards God.. The fact that we can contemplate and understand that concept. It's for that very reason (I believe) that Allah SWT made the angels prostrate to Adam PBUH (in respect).
And then we're privileged again to be of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH's nation.
God wants us. And we're .. chasing phantoms. Fighting Lochness monsters. Worrying about insignificant details of our existence.
And it's our loss. Because God doesn't need us. But God didn't create us so that He could put us in Hell. But many choose it. It's silly to think people choose Hell but actually they do. So many people know that the route to happiness, salvation, peace, prosperity and all good is a certain way - and they're still going about with their lives .. ignoring the Pink Elephant in the room.
And still I chase phantoms. Still I worry about things that aren't even there.
It's not about them. It's about God. And the minute my life stops being a constant fight against imaginary demons.. I will truly be free. But that's for another post, inshaAllah!
We're like that. Us humans. Except a lot of us, in fact according to the Qur'an, most of us die before looking down at our hands. And we die searching. Worst still, most of the time we don't even realise we're searching. We struggle against monsters and phantoms of our own creation and then we sink into sadness, depression, frustration, anger or despair. Perhaps that's a bit of a straw man.. We're not always like that. But our life as a whole is like.. Oh I get so angry. I get so angry when I see people just.. so disconnected from the truth about their lives. But of course I'm the same.. I just realized today that I'm fighting phantoms in my head so I'm not exempt. But still.. I can see it with so many people around me.. This disconnection from the Heavens..
Our whole life is a journey to God.. It's.. It's huge. You know?
We're the privileged of the privileged. We're privileged to be humans - the ones God gave intelligence and a consciousness to have the ability to actually embark on a journey towards God.. The fact that we can contemplate and understand that concept. It's for that very reason (I believe) that Allah SWT made the angels prostrate to Adam PBUH (in respect).
And then we're privileged again to be of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH's nation.
God wants us. And we're .. chasing phantoms. Fighting Lochness monsters. Worrying about insignificant details of our existence.
And it's our loss. Because God doesn't need us. But God didn't create us so that He could put us in Hell. But many choose it. It's silly to think people choose Hell but actually they do. So many people know that the route to happiness, salvation, peace, prosperity and all good is a certain way - and they're still going about with their lives .. ignoring the Pink Elephant in the room.
And still I chase phantoms. Still I worry about things that aren't even there.
It's not about them. It's about God. And the minute my life stops being a constant fight against imaginary demons.. I will truly be free. But that's for another post, inshaAllah!
Friday, October 2, 2009
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