Halawatul Fikr

Training for the 'real life'

2012-02-08T00:32:00.002Z

“The difference between school and life? In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson." - Tom Bodett

"This life is going to look, sound and feel, very, very real. At times, it's going to scare us. At times, it's going to make us cry. At times it's going to make us flee to illusions for shelter. But this life and everything in it is only a test. And just like the test of the emergency broadcast system, it is simply meant to see how we respond and to train us for the part that is real. This life is a training for the 'Real life' beyond it!" - Yasmin Mogahed.

It was nicely put! Life is short dear friends. We seem to think that we'll live forever and we spend time and money as though we'll always be here. This message is about the urgency of living life now. You'll either go through life the way you want it or let it happen to you meaninglessly. Life is to be experienced and enjoyed accordingly and live a meaningful life based on what Allah has already taught us in Al-Qur'an. InsyaAllah this will lead us to the real happiness and all the hurdles and struggles that we've faced throughout life will be part of the 'real life' training.

"How do you deny Allah and you were dead and He gave you life? Again He will cause you to die and again bring you to life: then you shall be brought back to Him." (2:28)

"Therefore let those fight in the way of Allah, who sell this world's life for the hereafter; and whoever fights in the way of Allah, then be he slain or he victorious, We shall grant him a mighty reward." (4:74)

"Every soul shall taste death, and you shall only be paid fully your reward on the resurrection day; then whoever is removed far away from the fire and is made to enter the garden he indeed has attained the object; and the life of this world is nothing but a provision of vanities." (3:185)

Love life, live well and let's do good! ^_^

it's 2012..

2012-01-22T14:48:00.003Z

Assalamu'alaykum wrt..may peace be upon you!

I have not posted in my little poor blog for ages. It has been almost a month since the last post but I feel it was like a few days ago.

I cant believe it's almost February 2012 in a couple of week's time. How time flies! I never seem to manage to finish my work, the time just flies like Doraemon's time machine or something. Winter is almost over now and the temperatures are slowly climbing again, which will be a good news for all the trees and flowers. Can't wait to see them blossoming beautifully!

Why is time passing by so quickly?

Have you ever thought about it?

How soon time seems to fly?

Do you feel older just because another year has come?

Days become weeks and weeks become months and before you know it's a new year! It reminds me of a saying of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) about time passing quickly when the end of the world is nearing, it was said that a year will be like a month, a month will be like a week, a week will be like a day, a day will be like an hour, an hour will be like a minute, a minute will be like a split second!

Both Al-Qur'an and Sunnah encourage Muslims to be conscious of time. We are reminded that life in this world is nothing but temporary and enjoyment of delusion (refer surah al-hadid:20). We never really know when death has been appointed for us but everyone shall taste death. Hence, we must value time for the satisfaction of Allah the Almighty. Ibnu Abbas narrated that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said that there are 2 blessings which many people loss: health and free time for doing good (Bukhari 8/421).

We displease Allah when we abuse time. Remember that time must be spent to fulfill our very purpose of life that is to worship Allah throughout our lives as mentioned in Al-Qur'an: I have only created Jinns and Men, that they may serve Me. No sustenance do I require of them, nor do I require that they should feed Me. For Allah is He who gives all Sustenance, Lord of Power, Steadfast forever (51:56-58).

So, as a reminder for me and you: verily, time is very important for our success both in this temporary world and the eternal world to come. Treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more as you're sharing it with your loved ones, and remember that time awaits for no one. May Allah protect us from being lazy and wasting time and may He forgive us and give guidance to value our lives and value the importance of time insyaAllah.

Time - use it, do not abuse it! ^_^

Wallahu'alam.

a reminder..

2011-12-25T14:54:00.001Z

nothing in this life will last..
animals will perish..
beautiful flowers will die..
green leaves will wither..
over time nobody will look the same..
as the youth will grow old..
beauty won't lasts forever..
this worldly life is nothing but a deceiving enjoyment..
fear the dunya, don't let it fool us..
and never let the devil fool us about the Lord..
let's not forget the reality of this world..
everything will perish except Allah..
and everyone shall taste death..
let us look towards our actions..
bring ourselves to account before we're brought to account..
and weigh our deeds before our deeds are weighed..
may Allah guide us all insyaAllah..

wallahu'alam

aku ingin mencintaiMu..

2011-11-29T22:53:00.001Z

Tuhan betapa aku malu
Atas semua yang Kau beri

Padahal diriku terlalu sering membuatMu kecewa
Entah mungkin karna ku terlena

Sementara Engkau beri aku kesempatan berulang kali
Agar aku kembali
Dalam fitrahku sebagai manusia

Untuk menghambakanMU
Betapa tak ada apa-apanya aku dihadapanMU

Aku ingin mencintaiMU setulusnya,

Sebenar-benar aku cinta
Dalam do`a

Dalam ucapan

Dalam setiap langkahku
Aku ingin mendekatiMU selamanya
Sehina apapun diriku
Kuberharap untuk bertemu denganMU ya Rabbi

dear me..

2011-11-28T15:21:00.001Z

Here are some motivational birthday notes! ^_^

Turn the challenges you face into opportunities, consider the weaknesses you have as a motivation to improve, and polish your strengths into your uniqueness. May you always make your own best way, as you walk through this journey, called life.

Under and behind and inside, everything you ever take for granted, always remember that something horrible is been growing. Never turn a blind eye towards your responsibilities, and you will always walk on the happy lanes of life. May God bless you with faith and courage.

With every passing day, comes a change. A change alone, however, is not good enough because, a change can be either good or bad. Change is an obligation that comes with life, so always make good change. Since, only a good change is called an improvement, the rest is only an illusion of improvement.

I wish you a very happy birthday, and wish to tell you the secret to success on your special day. People achieve only what they deserve, and deserve only what they achieve. Always remember, your success depends on you and you alone. Enjoy your day dear!

On your Birthday, I wish you a year full of success and glory. With faith, courage and dedication, no dream is too big. Keep up with your efforts, staying oblivious to the results and you will certainly get what you desire. I wish you a very Happy Birthday.

Salaam Ma'al Hijrah

2011-11-27T13:53:00.001Z

Assalamu'alaikum dear readers! ^_^

I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Hijra year of 1433H.
Hopefully each of us will get the chance to reflect how our past years had gone by and what improvements we could make for the coming years insyaAllah to better ourselves.

Any goals to achieve? Let's do a simple list of them in order to guide us through the year and strive to make it possible. Perhaps we would like to improve our daily amal ibadah to Him through zikrullah and reciting al-qur'an every single day. Also strengthen our bonds with our family and friends, do good to them and spread the love and care to them and other people.

Let's pray together for Allah has given us so many things throughout this beautiful journey of life, as Muslims we've to be grateful for being given the greatest gift or nikmah of all which is eeman and Islam as well as a good life to live on. Let's also pray for Allah to forgive us for our misdeeds and any wrongdoings, and accept whatever little good deeds we do for the sake of Him be it in the past and future.

Indeed, we are nothing in the Hereafter without His acceptance and redha. May this new hijrah year brings better prospects, rizq and all the good things for all of us and the whole Mankind insyaAllah Taala! And should we are beckoned to return to Him, may we return in the best manner possible. Ameen ya Rabb.

hush don't cry

2011-11-18T12:13:00.000Z

Dear self,

"People cry, not because they’re weak. It’s because they’ve been strong for too long."
Don’t count tears of weakness as crying, it’s just the water leakage of the eyes...

But tears that come from someone finally being open after remaining strong for far longer than they were supposed to, those tears are truly TEARS. And those tears should be comforted for in them is not weakness, but unbelievable strength!

Apparently, many people have had this kind of feeling. People went through some difficult times and have tried their best to stay strong and not to surrender and give up hopes. However, at one particular moment, all of a sudden, they can't really control themselves anymore. All the stress, sadness, frustrations, worries etc that have been suppressed for months or years suddenly erupt to the surface in a split second. They can't hold their fort of emotions any longer and so tears burst from their eyes.

In our daily life, we will tend to hide our inner stress and unhappiness in our dealings with other people. So, when we look around, at most we will see many expressionless faces, but we rarely see many sorrowful eyes. Let us remember that some of the people around us may be going through a difficult time at home, or even struggling with enormous stress at work or in their studies. We may not be able to offer them any concrete help, but let us take every opportunity to show a little compassion towards others by throwing them some friendly smiles, saying kind words, or patiently listening to their unhappy stories. That's the least we can do to alleviate their sorrows and hopefully will also cheer up our hearts as well.

Even with very small gestures, we can all help to make the world a slightly warmer place to live for everybody. Love and peace for all! ^_^

"We can do no great things; only small things, with great love and care."

Truly yours..

Ya Allah..

2011-10-31T15:08:00.001Z

Ya Allah, please forgive me for the wrong I've done
Ya Allah, give me another chance to prove that I can pass
Please guide me and protect me along the straight path
And I know that I can make it, one day I'll be in heaven with you

Brother, brother, (let me tell you) you ain't acting cool
Lower your gaze, don't go astray, cuz you're looking like a fool
We all know (human nature) makes us ignorant sometimes
Making us do some things we know just ain't right

What's the moral of the story fellaz?

You better watch your back
Stay on the right track
Don't try to act all wack
Cuz it will all come back to you

And all you can say is

Ya Allah, please forgive me for the wrong I've done
Ya Allah, give me another chance to prove that I can pass
Please guide me and protect me along the straight path
And I know that I can make it, one day I'll be in heaven with you
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/0-9/786/ya_allah.html ]
Sister, don't your dare cry
Cuz girl you know we all fall short sometimes
Dust yourself off, stand tall, don't let it get you down
Open your eyes to Allah, you'll see the beauty of
All the things that are going your way
Hold your head up high, it'll be okay

Allah is merciful, the most forgiving
Pray five times a day, and never stop giving
You gotta keep on Qur'an, keep Iman strong
And one day, insh'Allah, you'll be among the stars

For now you better pray girl

Ya Allah, please forgive me for the wrong I've done
Ya Allah, give me another chance to prove that I can pass
Please guide me and protect me along the straight path
And I know that I can make it, one day I'll be in heaven with you

What's happening brother, I've got a message for you
There's a little something that I need you to do
See, you've been causing problems since you came my way
And I'm not trying to have that, ain't the way I play
I don't need no influence like you in my world
I'm just trying to live my life - simple and pure
You've been avoiding the Iman, don't even make salat
It's time to beg for some forgiveness from ya Allah

Everybody sing it now

Ya Allah, please forgive me for the wrong I've done
Ya Allah, give me another chance to prove that I can pass
Please guide me and protect me along the straight path
And I know that I can make it, one day I'll be in heaven with you

syukur dan sabar

2011-10-06T22:14:00.001+01:00

Assalamu'alaikum duhai sahabat semua

Moga sehat2 selalu di bawah limpahan kaseh sayang Allah Taala insyaAllah. Terlalu banyak anugerah yang Allah berikan untuk kita semua yang hakikatnya hanyalah pinjaman sementara sahaja di dunia yang fana ini. Pancaindera yang sempurna untuk mentadabur alam, kesihatan fizikal dan rohani untuk menjalani kehidupan seharian, rezeki yang baik untuk dinikmati dan dikongsi bersama, makan minum cukup pakai semuanya alhamdulillah dan pelbagai lagi nikmat yang Allah berikan hingga tak terhitung oleh akal manusia. Selalulah bersyukur dengan segala nikmat kurniaanNya yang telah kita semua nikmati, yang sedang kita kecapi dan yang akan kita miliki walau apa jua keadaan kita di masa lampau, sekarang maupun akan datang.

Hayatilah bait2 puisi hasil cetusan hati yang penuh cinta padaNya, ayuh menyikapi ujian dengan kesabaran dan penuh kesyukuran.

Kiranya diri diuji dengan pelbagai mehnah duniawi
mahupun dugaan yang dirasakan tidak tertanggung oleh diri,
percayalah bahwa ia didatangkan khas buat diri
yang mampu menghadapi segala onak duri (insyaAllah!)

Bersyukurlah dikau masih diuji
tanda Allah masih sayang pada diri
tidak dibiar hanya membuta tuli
Asbab ujian sebagai motivasi
meningkat darjat di mata Ilahi.

Lalu bersangka baiklah dan lunakkan hati
Berdoalah dengan penuh perasaan dan penghayatan
umpama ia adalah hajat terakhir yang Allah makbulkan
Berdoalah dengan rasa percaya dan yakin pada Yang Esa
Berdoalah dengan penuh rasa keimanan dan ketaqwaan
Menangislah sepuasnya dan mengadulah pada Sang Pencipta
Nescaya Allah berikan nikmat ketenangan dalam jiwa..

insyaAllah Taala! ♥

Hidup itu satu perjuangan, mati suatu kepastian!

love

2011-09-28T00:05:00.001+01:00

"No matter what I say to explain and elucidate Love,
shame overcomes me when I come to Love itself.
Love cannot be contained within our speaking or listening;
Love is an ocean whose depths cannot be plumbed.
Would you try to count the drops of the sea?
Before that Ocean, the seven seas are nothing.
Love cannot be found in erudition and science, books and pages.
Whatever is discussed by people - that is not the way of lovers.
Whatever you have said or heard is the shell:
The kernel of Love is a mystery that cannot be divulged.
Enough! How long will you cling to these words of the tongue?
Love has many expositions beyond speech.
Silence! Silence! For the allusions of Love are reversed:
The meanings become hidden from much speaking.
Somone asked, "What is Love?"
I replied, "Ask not about these meanings.
When you become like me, then you will know.
When He calls you, you will recite its tale."
Oh you who have listened to talk of Love, behold Love!
What are words in the ears compared to vision in the eyes?"

This poem was written by Mevlana Rumi, so deep and touching that can't help penetrating the heart. May Allah Almighty granted us His divine love. Only God's love can wash our sorrows off!

"One of the supplications of Prophet David (PBUH) was: 'God, I beg of You Your love, the love of those who love You, and such conduct as should lead me to Your love. God, make Your love dearer to me than my soul and my family, and dearer than cold water.'" (At-Tirmidhi)

Istikhara

2011-09-27T06:00:00.001+01:00

"Istikhara" means to seek goodness from Allah (Exalted is He), meaning when one intends to do an important task they do istikhara before the task. The one who does the istikhara is as if they request Allah Almighty that, O the Knower of Unseen (Exalted is He) guide me if this task is better for me or not?

According to Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 21, Number 263:
Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah : The Prophet (Sallal Laho Alaihi Wasallam) used to teach us the way of doing Istikhara, in all matters as he taught us the Suras of the Quran. He said, "If anyone of you thinks of doing any job he should offer a two Rakat prayer other than the compulsory ones and recite duaa after the prayer.

How to perform istikhara?
First pray Two Cycles (raka') of ritual Prayer (nafil) such that in the first raka' after Surah Fatiha recite Surah al-Kafirun (Chapter 109) and in the second raka' after Fatiha recite Surah al-Ikhlas (Chapter 112). After finishing prayer recite this duaa/supplication:

"O Allah! I seek goodness from Your Knowledge and with Your Power (and Might) I seek strength, and I ask from You Your Great Blessings, because You have the Power and I do not have the power. You Know everything and I do not know, and You have knowledge of the unseen. Oh Allah! If in Your Knowledge this action ------------ (which I intend to do) is better for my religion and faith, for my life and end [death], for here [in this world] and the hereafter then make it destined for me and make it easy for me and then add blessings [baraka'] in it, for me. O Allah! In Your Knowledge if this action is bad for me, bad for my religion and faith, for my life and end [death], for here [in this world] and the hereafter then turn it away from me and turn me away from it and whatever is better for me, ordain [destine] that for me and then make me satisfied with it."

How many times to do istikhara?
It depends really, sometimes it takes only once to get the answer and sometimes it takes longer. It is better to do istakhara seven (7) times. If you have received an answer as explained in the section below, stop doing istikhara. You do not have to continue to do isitkhara for 7 days. It is better that right after reciting the supplication, given above, sleep with ablution (people who cannot keep the ablution for longer times due to health problems do not have to worry about ablution before falling asleep) facing the direction of the Qibla (facing the Qibla is not required but it is a Sunnat of our beloved Prophet Peace Be Upon Him). It is better to recite salutations (durood/ salawat) on the Prophet Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him before and after the above Dua (supplication).

What's the answer?
If in the dream one sees whiteness (means any thing white in color, for example: milk, white paper, white sky, white clothes, white light etc.) or greenness (means any thing green in color, for example: grass, plants, trees, green clothes, green light etc.) then understand that this task is better and if one sees redness (means any thing red in color, for example: blood, red clothing, red fruit, red light etc.) or blackness (means any thing black in color, for example: black water, black light, black clothings, black sky, black wall etc. ) then understand it is bad and avoid it.

If do not remember any dream or do not see any colors then follow your heart. Whatever intention grows stronger in your heart regarding your targated work follow it after seven days of Istikhara.

source: http://www.islamicacademy.org/html/Dua/How_to_do_Istakhara.htm

do it anyway

2011-09-23T14:00:00.004+01:00

Between you and God - a poignant wisdom.

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people may cheat you; Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you've got and it may never be enough; Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;

It was never between you and them anyway

This was written by Mother Teresa and is engraved on the wall of her home for children.

remember Him

2011-09-20T23:21:00.002+01:00

Sometimes Allah breaks our spirit to save our soul

Sometimes He breaks our heart to make us whole

Sometimes Allah allows pain so we can be stronger

Sometimes Allah sends us failure so we can be humble

Sometimes Allah allows illness so we can take better care of ourselves

Sometimes Allah takes everything away from us so we can value everything He gives us

That's why we have to always remember Him..

It is impossible for things to remain the same

The days and years rotate, the future is unseen

and everyday Allah has matters to bring forth

We know it not, but it may be that Allah will

afterwards bring some new things to pass

And verily, with hardship there is a relief

Hence, glad tidings to those who strive for the sake of Allah!

InsyaAllah Taala.

"The greatest reward comes with the greatest trial. When Allah loves a people, He tests them. Whoever accepts that, wins His pleasure but whoever is discontent with that, earns His wrath." (Saheeh al-Tirmidzi)

Abu Hurairah RA reported that the Prophet SAW said; "A strong believer is better and dearer to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone, but cherish what gives you benefit in the Hereafter and seek help from Allah and do not lose heart, and if anything (in the form of trouble) comes to you, don't simply say: 'If I had not done that, such and such thing wouldn't have happened', but say: 'Allah has ordained it so, and whatever He pleases He does', because 'ifs' and 'buts' open the door for Satan." (Muslim)

Remember Allah always! (",)

Happy Eid!

2011-09-19T22:00:00.002+01:00

Assalamu'alaikum to all my dear sisters and brothers.

I'm aware that this is very much overdue but it's better late than never, since it has been quite hectic for me since the last few weeks with the starting of the new academic term, eid celebrations, new juniors coming, home spring clean etc etc.

Alhamdulillah...Ramadhan that has passed has taught me so many lessons. Things that I initially presumed would be difficult turned out to be rather tolerable and Allah has made it easy for me alhamdulillah. For instance, I thought I would barely survive the long hour of fasting during summer time plus with the studies and revision as well as the stress and pressure that I had to cope to sit for exams in mid August. It's not been perfect for I haven't been anywhere near perfect but I'm delighted and motivated to fast and do good things during last Ramadhan. So I must say it has been a great Ramadhan for me this year despite all the unpleasant things happened around me.

I tend to have mixed feelings at the end of Ramadhan, sad that I had to bid adieu Ramadhan..the month full of mercy by Allah, but at the same time happy for the reward to celebrate Eid with family and friends, and had passed the trial month.

Anyways, Happy Eid to all Muslims around the world! ^_^ Don't forget to do the complementary ibadah: fast 6 days in Syawal!

"He who fasts in the month of Ramadhan followed by 6 days in Syawal, it is as if he has fasted for a year." (Hadeeth Muslim)

the night of power!

2011-08-27T11:14:00.004+01:00

The signs by which Laylat al-Qadr is known

The first sign: it was reported in Sahih Muslim from the hadith of Ubayy ibn Ka'b that the Prophet (peace be upon him) announced that one of its signs was that when the sun rose on the following morning, it had no (visible) rays. [Muslim 762]

The second sign: it was reported from the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas narrated by Ibn Khuzaimah, and by al-Tayalisi in his Musnad, with a Sahih isnad, that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Laylat al-Qadr is a pleasant night, neither hot nor cold, and the following day the sun rises red and weak." [Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, 2912; Musnad al-Tayalisi]

The third sign: it was reported by al-Tabarani with a hasan isnad from the hadith of Wathilah ibn al-Asqa' that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Laylat al-Qadr is a bright night, neither hot nor cold, in which no meteors are seen." [Narrated by al-Tabarani in al-Kabir. See Majma’ al-Zawa’id, 3/179; Musnad Ahmad]

These three Sahih ahadith explain the signs which indicate Laylat al-Qadr.

It is not essential for the one who "catches" Laylat al-Qadr to know that he has "caught" it. The point is to strive hard and to be sincere in worship, whether or not one knows that one has "caught" it. It may be that some of those who do not know that may be better with Allah and higher in status than those who did know which night it was, because the former strove hard.

We ask Allah to accept our fasting and our prayer at night, and to help us to remember Him and to thank Him and to worship Him properly. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

http://www.fastramadan.com/last_10_nights.php

ramadhan kareem

2011-08-22T12:39:00.002+01:00

A test of endurance

A time of patience

controlling emotions, needs and desires

A mean of appreciation

and give thanks for pleasures

A perfect time to engage in introspection

take a closer look at our feelings, thoughts and actions

Giving up bad habits:

smoking, wasting time, oversleeping

And indulge in good habits:

help the needy and give charity

hold iftar for others

dress appropriately

be considerate

respect those who fast

do good unto others

watch our words

read al-Qur'an

pray and make duaa from Allah

to better ourselves insyaAllah..

Let's soak up the spirit of ramadhan! ^_^

may Allah accept all our tawbahs, duaas, fasting and good deeds insyaAllah...

may He surrounds us with light and happiness, and put light into our hearts and every vessel through our body..ameen.

Ramadhan Al-Mubarak

2011-07-31T21:40:00.001+01:00

salam alaik dear muslims,

Happy Ramadhan to all of you!:)
May all of us successfully graduate from university of Ramadhan with TAQWA at the end of the month!inshaAllah ameen3!
And dont forget to set your targets for this ramadhan and strive for it because it might be your last Ramadhan. (only Allah knows) so, appreciate it while it is still here!=)

Asif Jiddan if there is any mistakes done by this small abduLLAH directly or indirectly to anyone in this world.
i pray that all of you will be under His blessings in everything you do!
take care!

wassalam

titik ajaib

2011-07-29T06:21:00.002+01:00

Berjalan Tanpa Henti

2011-07-12T17:30:00.001+01:00

Dedikasi khas buat H5..
Jangan pernah putus asa wahai sahabatku kerana Allah sgt menyayangimu!:) <3<3<3<3<3<3

Album : Berjalan Tanpa Henti
Munsyid : Devotees
http://liriknasyid.com

Bagaikan jauh jalan yang kutempuh
Langkah demi langkah akan kugagah
Hari demi hari berjalan tanpa henti
Yakinku ada sinar yang menentu
Kalau dah bertemu arah
Yakin penuh pasrah
PadaNya Yang Kuasa dikau berserah
Jika kau rebah jika kau kalah
Bersaksilah rahmatNya akan terserlah
Segala kepahitan segala keperitan
Terima bagai penghapus dosa
Malang yang menimpa duka yang melara
Mungkin di baliknya ada bahagia
Jangan jangan berputus asa
Dari rahmat Yang Maha Esa
Jangan jangan kita lupa

Ujian lumrahnya dunia

hope

2011-07-11T22:15:00.000+01:00

aspire..

believe..

desire..

long for..

optimism..

eager..

wish..

Those are the synonyms for HOPE.

Trouble is brewing, but we are convinced it can all turn out well. We believe with all the depths of our being that things will get better. We have hope; and we are doing things to improve our future. We are fearing the worst but expecting the best at the same time. Hope is the antidote to the hopelessness of despair. Hope moves us forward!

What's hope really means?

The possibility that things will get better..

The chance for improvement..

A positive stance on the future..

Anticipation of a future desirable event or outcome..

Pleased about a prospective desirable event..

Beautiful hope

Hope fuels the human spirit

drives us forward,

encourages us to overcome obstacles,

keeps us focused

achieving worthwhile goals.

It encourages wild imaginations

and risk-taking

leading to positive transformations.

Hope is the power

helping people

become more resilient,

prone to overcome

difficulties and problems.

With hope,

be more optimistic today,

with the promise of a better tomorrow.

So what is your hope?

Certainly no one despairs of Allah’s Mercy, except the people who disbelieve. (Qur’an 12: 87)

why me?

2011-07-08T13:33:00.002+01:00

People often ask WHY again and again if they have had something unpredictable happen to them which is usually bad or negative and most probably inevitable.

why I'm the chosen one?

why is it me who have to face this?

why must it me who have to do this?

why am I 'lucky' enough to have gone through this?

why me??

We tend to question what God has planned for us especially when something happens that deeply touches us and so we are quick to judge the event as bad or good. We did plan our life but The Best Planner of All has already planned it well before us and everything has been stated in lauh mahfuz. Some always say that maybe there's a light at the end of the tunnel; truly there are other great plans in store for us insyaAllah and so it is worth to diminish this feeling of sadness and losing hope.

O Allah, I have a dream, I like to go through a beautiful journey, yet I do not find anything in my life, all of a sudden, I find this journey is emptiness. In the beginning, when I was first coming here to further my studies, I thought this would be a new beginning of my life, but I find it today is emptiness, as if nothing is enlightening me...O Allah please help me!

So when Allaah Subhaanahu wa Taala , in His Infinite Wisdom, tests us with a situation that we think is difficult or takes away something that in our mind was good for us, we need to remember that perhaps it may not be so. Perhaps if we had continued in our way, it might have been harmful for us and whatever Allah decreed for us is actually better for us, for He is All-Wise and All-Knowing.

“…and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allaah knows but you do not know.” (Surah Baqarah: 216)

Al-Hasan al-Basri said: “Do not resent the calamities that come and the disasters that occur, for perhaps in something that you dislike will be your salvation, and perhaps in something that you prefer will be your doom.”

And if life has been difficult, worries surround you and calamities after calamities befall you, hear the good news from the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam): “Trials will continue to befall the believing man and woman, with regard to themselves, their children and their wealth, until they meet Allaah with no sin on them.”

“And when someone puts all his trust in Allah, He will be enough for him.” (Surah at-Talaaq:3)

The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:

“If you put your trust completely in Allah, He will arrange for your sustenance in the same way as He provides for the birds. They go out in the morning with their stomachs empty and return filled in the evening.” (Tirmidhi-saheeh)

aku muslimah

2011-07-04T13:48:00.005+01:00

credit to: http://jsny.blogspot.com/2011/06/saya-tak-nak-hot-di-dunia-sebab-saya.html

Aku tidak ingin dipandang cantik oleh lelaki. Biarlah aku hanya cantik dimatamu. Apa gunanya aku menjadi perhatian lelaki andai murka Allah ada di situ.

Apalah gunanya aku menjadi idaman banyak lelaki sedangkan aku hanya bisa menjadi milikmu seorang.

Aku tidak merasa bangga menjadi rebutan lelaki bahkan aku merasa terhina diperlakukan sebegitu seolah-olah aku ini barang yang bisa dimiliki sesuka hati.

Aku juga tidak mau menjadi penyebab kejatuhan seorang lelaki yang dikecewakan lantaran terlalu mengharapkan sesuatu yang tidak dapat aku berikan.

Bagaimana akan ku jawab di hadapan Allah kelak andai ditanya?

Adakah itu sumbanganku kepada manusia selama hidup di muka bumi?

Kalau aku tidak ingin kau memandang perempuan lain, aku dululah yang perlu menundukkan pandanganku.

Aku harus memperbaiki dan menghias peribadiku kerana itulah yang dituntut oleh Allah.

Kalau aku ingin lelaki yang baik menjadi suamiku, aku juga perlu menjadi perempuan yang baik. Bukankah Allah telah menjanjikan perempuan yang baik itu untuk lelaki yang baik?

Tidak kunafikan sebagai remaja, aku memiliki perasaan untuk menyayangi dan disayangi. Namun setiap kali perasaan itu datang, setiap kali itulah akumengingatkan diriku bahwa aku perlu menjaga perasaan itu kerana ia semata-mata untukmu.

Allah telah memuliakan seorang lelaki yang bakal menjadi suamiku untuk menerima hati dan perasaanku yang suci. Bukan hati yang menjadi labuhan lelaki lain. Engkau berhak mendapat kasih yang tulen.

Diriku yang memang lemah ini telah diuji oleh Allah saat seorang lelaki ingin berkenalan denganku. Aku dengan tegas menolak, berbagai macam dalil aku kemukakan, tetapi dia tetap tidak berputus asa.

Aku merasa seolah-olah kehidupanku yang tenang ini telah dirampas dariku. Aku bertanya-tanya adakah aku berada di tebing kebinasaan? Aku beristighfar memohon ampunan-Nya. Aku juga berdoa agar Pemilik Segala Rasa Cinta melindungi diriku dari kejahatan.

Kehadirannya membuatku banyak memikirkan tentang dirimu. Kau kurasakan seolah-olah wujud bersamaku.

Di mana saja aku berada, akal sadarku membuat perhitungan denganmu. Aku tahu lelaki yang menggodaku itu bukan dirimu. Malah aku yakin pada gerak hatiku yang mengatakan lelaki itu bukan teman hidupku kelak.

Aku bukanlah seorang gadis yang cerewet dalam memilih pasangan hidup. Siapalah diriku untuk memilih permata sedangkan aku hanyalah sebutir pasir yang wujud di mana-mana.

Tetapi aku juga punya keinginan seperti wanita yang lain, dilamar lelaki yang bakal memimpinku ke arah tujuan yang satu.

Tidak perlu kau memiliki wajah setampan Nabi Yusuf Alaihisalam, juga hartaseluas perbendaharaan Nabi Sulaiman Alaihisalam, atau kekuasaan seluas kerajaan Nabi Muhammad Shallallahu 'Alaihi Wassalam, yang mampu mendebarkan hati jutaan gadis untuk membuat aku terpikat.

Andainya kaulah jodohku yang tertulis di Lauh Mahfuz, Allah pasti akan menanamkan rasa kasih dalam hatiku juga hatimu. Itu janji Allah.

Akan tetapi, selagi kita tidak diikat dengan ikatan yang sah, selagi itu jangan dibazirkan perasaan itu kerana kita masih tidak mempunyai hak untuk membuat begitu.

Juga jangan melampaui batas yang telah Allah tetapkan. Aku takut perbuatan-perbuatan seperti itu akan memberi kesan yang tidak baik dalam kehidupan kita kelak.

Permintaanku tidak banyak. Cukuplah engkau menyerahkan seluruh dirimu pada mencari redha Illahi.

Aku akan merasa amat bernilai andai dapat menjadi tiang penyangga ataupun sandaran perjuanganmu.

Bahkan aku amat bersyukur pada Illahi kiranya akulah yang ditakdirkan meniup semangat juangmu, mengulurkan tanganku untukmu berpaut sewaktu rebah atau tersungkur di medan yang dijanjikan Allah dengan kemenangan atau syahid itu.

Akan kukeringkan darah dari lukamu dengan tanganku sendiri. Itu impianku. Aku pasti berendam airmata darah, andainya engkau menyerahkan seluruh cintamu kepadaku.

Cukuplah kau mencintai Allah dengan sepenuh hatimu kerana dengan mencintai Allah, kau akan mencintaiku keranaNya.

Cinta itu lebih abadi daripada cinta biasa. Moga cinta itu juga yang akan mempertemukan kita kembali di syurga.

Seorang gadis yang membiarkan dirinya dikerumuni, didekati, diakrabi oleh lelaki yang bukan muhrimnya, cukuplah dengan itu hilang harga dirinya di hadapan Allah. Di hadapan Allah. Di hadapan Allah kelak.

Yang dicari walau bukan putera Raja, biarlah putera Agama.

Yang diimpi, biarlah tak punya rupa, asal sedap dipandang mata.

Yang dinilai, bukan sempurna sifat jasmani, asalkan sihat rohani dan hati.

Yang diharap, bukan jihad pada semangat, asal perjuangannya ada matlamat.

Yang datang, tak perlu rijal yang gemilang, kerana diri ini serikandi dengan silam yang kelam.

Yang dinanti, bukan lamaran dengan permata, cukuplah akad dan janji setia.

Dan yg akan terjadi, andai tak sama dgn kehendak hati, insyaAllah ku redha ketetapan Illahi..

Wahai wanita, ku ingatkan diriku dan dirimu, peliharalah diri dan jagalah kesucian.. semoga redha Allah akan sentiasa mengiringi dan memberkati perjalanan hidup ini.

Insyaallah.. =)

Heart of a Muslim

2011-07-03T00:00:00.002+01:00

By Zain Bhikha

Looking up at the sky, searching for Allah most High
He rejected the way of worshipping Gods of clay
Prophet Ebrahim knew that Allah was near
And that the heart of a Muslim is sincere

Under the hot burning sun, he declared God is one
Though with stones on his chest, his Imaan would not rest
The Muadhin knew that right would conquer wrong
And the heart of a Muslim must be strong

It’s the heart of a Muslim through the guidance of Islam
That makes you fair and kind and helpful to your fellow man
So living as a Muslim means that you must play a part
Allah looks not at how you look, but what is in your heart

In our poor meager state, little food on our plate
Mother said she was glad, always sharing what we had
When I asked how can we share what’s not enough
She said the heart of a Muslim’s filled with love

He said its time you should know, you will learn as you grow
That some people around will do what’s bad to bring you down
Father said to be a star that’s shining bright
For the heart of a Muslim does what’s right

So whatever you are, make sure your words are true

Honesty is the best, because life is a test

Even if it hurts so much you want to cry

For the heart of a Muslim does not lie

be strong with all your heart!

2011-07-02T17:46:00.004+01:00

Truly, we can never learn to be strong but we can decide to be strong! And staying strong is another chapter that must be decided too. Some can be physically strong yet still be weak in the absolute sense. Generally, human is weak except when one has decided to be strong and then be it! It may take a while to be strong and it's harder than we may think but it's not impossible.

Whatever you want to achieve you can achieve - if you made up your mind very clearly and if you are sure YOU want to achieve a particular goal. It is not too late to change your inner attitude at any point of your life. Always remember that Allah loves Muslims which are stronger in the sense of their inner-self. May Allah ease us insyaAllah.

Be strong against all odds of life!

Be strong against the devils to fulfill our tasks as a believer!

Be strong in facing any obstacles brought up against us!

Be strong to withstand all pressures!

Be strong against all powerful negative forces we may encounter!

So dear me, be strong girl! ^_^

please stop playing weak to attract pity.

guest who?

2011-06-29T12:26:00.004+01:00

Last weekend, I'd a wonderful person stayed at my place for a few days. We had such a great time alhamdulillah though the weather was truly unpredictable, from light shower with hot sunny intervals to gloomy cloudy days. She was the best guest ever! (She must be proud if she read this ahaks) Easygoing, up for anything and just happy to be hanging out together. Thank you Allah for this lovely ukhuwwah, hope you're doing good now that you don't have to walk (nor run) miles and miles just to catch the bus! ^_^

We saw beautiful landscapes of sea coast, lakes and lush greenery nature; enjoyed rowboat on the lake, window-shopped till drop, played frisbee until tired, stayed up late for comfy pillow-talk, cycled to the bay and the most important bits of all would be captured hundreds of professional-like pictures. Thanks for the memories! I'm a happy bunny =)

I remember that our great Prophet teaches us to be generous and how to entertain guests. He wants a Muslim to show gratitude. The Messenger of Allah further guides us by saying: "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should be hospitable with his or her guests." Hence, we must tend our guest the best as we can.

We deduce from both the Prophet’s verbal declarations and practices that it is a very important moral principle for Muslims to entertain guests and to treat them well. In the Holy Quran Allah has mentioned about Hazrat Ibrahim’s treatment of guests. When guests came he sent a message home to have a meal prepared. He didn’t wait to see if they had come from far, whether they were hungry, or whether they had already eaten. He immediately had food prepared for them. This is how Allah’s chosen ones honour their guests. Our Holy Prophet Muhammad set such high standards of hospitality that cannot be seen anywhere else.

There's even a hadith says:

“A guest comes with his bounties and becomes a means for the sins of the hosts to be forgiven before he leaves.” InsyaAllah. This shows the importance of following the sunnah of the Honorable Messenger (pbuh). May Allah give us the capability to look after our guests to our best capacity so they suffer no hardship. Ameen.

Change

2011-06-21T14:44:00.005+01:00

Want VS Need. Which 1 is more important??

Of course the latter is crucial. What we want is not necessary what we need and likewise we often feel that what we need is not what we really want. My dear brothers and sisters, as Muslims, we have to distinguish the priorities in life and make sure we do positive changes in the name of Allah be it in changing our own habits, characteristics and personalities to the way we think and act. Thus, always identify what we need and want to change to better ourselves or in other words we do self-reflections (muhasabah) lillahi ta'ala.

Be the change you want and need!

There are a few tips to change which I'm inspired by the excellent talk by Mufti Ismail Menk during the Fosis Conference 2011 last week.

1) We need to know that every single person has the potential to change. It is our very own nature instinct that leads to positive changes which comes from within and will happen somewhere in life be it now or later.

2) The changes must be based on something solid which will not be affected by any other elements. Say a guy really want to stop smoking, it can't simply because of his girlfriend or parents, but he did it for the sake of Allah.

3) Never lose hope in Allah as He will help His servants who strive to obtain mardhatillah fi dunya wal akhirah (Allah's approval and pleasure in this world and the hereafter). Always pray and ask sincerely from Him, The Almighty.

4) Always have somebody to look upon to aka role models - and of course the best of all mankind would be our beloved Prophet's Muhammad SAW. Role models can be anyone really, those having the great qualities that we also want to instill in ourselves.

5) Never ever underestimate own self. We could never walk properly when we used to be toddlers trying to walk on our own if we don't trust ourselves and believe that we can do like others did. So if we keep on being so negative and pessimist, the desired changes we want and need wouldn't happen.

6) Clear aim and targets. Have long-term and short-term goals in hand. We have to decide on how we're living this life by the will's of Allah - good or bad.

7) Be the people of good characteristics! Don't follow the wrong examples and we must distinguish between the person and their habits - it's the bad habits or mislead actions of the people that we hate, not the people themselves. Train ourselves to be husnuzhon (positive thinking) insyaAllah.

Let's change for the better..don't just cocoon ourselves in our own dark shallow world. Explore life to the fullest, seek knowledge and experiences as much as we can.

May Allah ease us. InsyaAllah ^_^

faith

2011-06-17T13:09:00.004+01:00

Faith is trust. Faith is hope. Faith is belief.

All in the goodness or trustworthiness of a person, concept or entity.

"Believing in Islam is like believing in the sun rising. Not because we can see it, but because by it, we can see everything."

Allah withheld the gift of faith from some of the closest relatives of His Messengers like Muhammad's uncle, Ibrahim's father, and Noah's son. Yet He blesses us with the most valuable gift ever since our very first breath. and that is Islam! Hence, let us safeguard it and renew our faith all the time, before we meet our Lord sooner or later in the state of the purest soul insyaAllah Taala...

We may not always understand why Allah allows certain things to happen, but we can be certain that Allah is not making any mistakes! For instance, when Allah subjects us to adversity, He is opening our eyes to reality. Allah is allowing us to change our bad habits in order to appreciate life to the fullest, to give us the opportunity to repent for past sins and correct our future actions, eventually to raise our status in the hereafter insyaAllah ameen ya Rabb.

May He always guide us and give us strength to go on with life and be blessed by Allah.

halwa telinga

2011-06-16T21:57:00.002+01:00

New contemporary Malaysian nasyeed songs..enjoy! ^_^

duhai diri

2011-06-05T19:09:00.003+01:00

Bila kau letih dan hilang semangat,

Allah tahu betapa kau telah mencuba sedaya upaya...

Bila tangisanmu berpanjangan dan hatimu kedukaan,

Allah telah mengira titisan air matamu...

Bila kau rasa ketinggalan dan masa meninggalkanmu,

Allah sentiasa ada di sisimu...

Bila kau telah mencuba segalanya tapi tidak pasti arah tujuan,

Allah ada jalan penyelesaiannya...

Bila tiada lagi yang beerti buatmu, keliru dan kecewa,

Allah adalah jawapannya...

Jadi mohonlah padaNya agar dikembalikan semangat untuk mencari ilmuNya.

Sabarlah wahai diri...

moga ada sinar gemerlapan di penghujungnya...

insyaAllah Taala!

5th June 2011 ~h5

Q&A

2011-06-04T23:43:00.003+01:00

We always ask abundance of questions in life and Al-Qur'an had answered it yet we still haven't realised most of it, worst of all we even refuse it. Do take time to ponder these few frequently asked questions and their respective answers!

1) WE ALWAYS ASK : Why was I tested?

AL-QURAN ANSWERS:

“Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, "We believe", and that they will not be tested? We did test those before them, and Allah will certainly know those who are true from those who are false.” Surah Al-Ankabut (29:2-3)

2) WE ALWAYS ASK : Why I never get what I wanted?

AL-QURAN ANSWERS:

“It is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and that you love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knows, while you know not.” Surah Al-Baqarah (2:216)

3) WE ALWAYS ASK : Why was I burdened this way?

AL-QURAN ANSWERS:

"Allah does not place a burden to a soul greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns.” Surah Al-Baqarah (2:286)

“So, verily, with every difficulty, there is relief: (repeated) Verily, with every difficulty there is relief.” Surah Al-Insyirah (94:5-6)

4) WE ASK : Why am I losing hope?

AL-QURAN ANSWERS:

“So lose not heart, nor fall into despair: For you will be superior if you are true in Faith.” Surah Al-Imran (3:139)

5) WE ALWAYS ASK : How can I face it?

AL-QURAN ANSWERS:

“O you who have believed! Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance; strengthen each other; and fear Allah that you may prosper.” Surah Al-Imraan (3:200)

“And seek (Allah's) help with patient perseverance and prayer: It is indeed hard, except to those who bring a humbly submissive (to Allah).” Surah Al-Baqarah ayat (2:45)

6) WE ALWAYS ASK : What do I get from all these?

AL-QURAN ANSWERS:

“Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and properties (in exchange) for that they will have the garden (of Paradise)...” Surah At-Taubah (9:111)

7) WE ALWAYS ASK : To whom could I depend?

AL-QURAN ANSWERS:

“(Allah) suffice me: there is no god but He: On Him is my trust,- He the Lord of the Throne (of Glory) Supreme.” Surah At-Taubah (9:129)

8) But..I can't take it anymore!

AL-QURAN ANSWERS :

“...and never give up hope of Allah's Soothing Mercy; truly No one despairs of Allah's Soothing Mercy, except Those who have no faith.” Surah Yusuf (9:87)

“Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives All sins for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” Surah A-Zumar (39:53)

test

2011-06-03T00:16:00.000+01:00

There are so many tests:

written test. verbal test.

driving test. quality test.

Yet life is the real test.

and Islam is the best!

Akhirat is for rest.

World is only dust.

If Qur'an is in the chest,

nothing needed next.

So obey Allah first,

and success will be next!

InsyaAllah ameen.

everything begins with tarbiyah

2011-05-31T10:41:00.000+01:00

the pencil

2011-05-15T15:31:00.001+01:00

All the best! ^_^

2011-05-08T15:51:00.005+01:00

To everyone including catarina_ross and me myself...

Good luck for today

May success come your way

Good luck for tomorrow

May it hinders your sorrow

Good luck and good fortune

Good luck with your dreams

Good luck with your future

I wish you all the best in all that you do

and good luck in all that you live.

All the best in whatever you do, and for most of us exams are looming ever closer. May Allah ease us in every difficult thing, with His special favour and Kindness, for it is easy for Him to make every difficult thing easy. O Allah! There is nothing easy except what You make easy, and You make the difficult easy if it be Your Will. [Ibn Hibban]

اللَّهُمَّ إنِّي أعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَ الْحَزَنِ ، وَ الْعَجْزِ وَ الْكَسَلِ ، وَ الْبُخْلِ وَ الْجُبْنِ ، وَ ضَلَعِ الدِّيْنِ وَ غَلَبَةِ الرِّجَالِ

O Allah! I seek refuge in You from grief and sadness, from weakness and from laziness, from miserliness and from cowardice, from being overcome by debt and from being overpowered by men (other people) [Sahih al-Bukhari]

InsyaAllah..May Allah grant us every happiness and success in our academic endeavors, for us to fulfil our aspirations and achieve our goals. Ameen.

al-indhibat

2011-04-28T11:38:00.001+01:00

Al-indhibat means discipline. Discipline is not entirely restricting, in turn; ironically, it releases and enhances our ability to be creative and at the same time being efficient. It helps us to finish our task in time and that allow us more time to do more things that we can ever think of. Be disciplined and definitely we'll find that we're having more time to do things than before.

Being discipline is to endure and finish off given task no matter how much we hate it. Being discipline is not an emotion-based decision, it is a rational-based decision. Meaning that one day we might not be feeling to be discipline, but we chose to be discipline. There would be tough times in life, time that we would have to dig deep and overcome it with a rational-based decision, to be discipline, to be persistent to overcome the situation. So be discipline, and remember discipline does not restrict or stop us from being creative, but it enhances our creativity and turn them into enormous ability!

Some would say that "Discipline is doing what you don't want to do when you don't want to do it!" - this is so true in my case now, where I should have started my revision long before I could realise that I've been fooling around and burnt the whole week for nothing. oh my, where's my senses gone ouchh. The exams are getting closer than ever and the time passes so swiftly that you can't really tell and it's Friday again. Ok have to do my work now! Buckle up the shoes and buck up!

Before I end, it is important that we're not only be discipline in our academic work, but to include together our spiritual life in the picture as well. There are ways in which a Muslim can discipline himself as follows:

1- Worshipping Allaah, keeping in contact with Him and submitting to Him.

That is done by paying attention to doing obligatory acts of worship well, and cleansing your heart of any attachment to anything other than Allaah.

2- Reading Qur’aan a great deal, pondering its meanings and seeking to understand it. Remember that the Qur'an is a great healing tool!

3- Reading useful religious books that describe the ways of treating and cleansing the heart, reading the biographies of the salaf and learning about their attitude and behaviour.

4- Attending educational programs such as classes and lectures.

5- Making good use of your time and using it to do things that will be of benefit in both worldly and spiritual terms.

6- Not indulging too much in permissible things and not paying too much attention to them.

7- Keeping company with righteous people and looking for righteous companions, who can help you to do good. Those who live alone will miss out on a lot of the characteristics of a good brother such as preferring others to oneself and being patient.

8- Trying to act on what you learn and put it into practice.

9- Checking closely on yourself. Muhasabah! Always spare time to reflect ourselves.

10-Having confidence in yourself – whilst relying on Allaah – because the one who has no confidence cannot act.

11-Despising yourself for not doing enough for the sake of Allaah.

This does not contradict the things mentioned above. Man has to strive hard whilst still thinking that his efforts are not enough.

12-Practising withdrawal or isolation as prescribed in sharee’ah.

You should not mix with people all the time, rather you must have some time which you spend alone, in worship as prescribed in Islam.

We ask Allaah to help us and you to discipline ourselves and submit to that which Allaah loves and is pleased with. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and companions.

Self-discipline is the key to success! ^_^

to heal

2011-04-26T11:29:00.001+01:00

All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His aid and ask for His forgiveness. We seek Allah's refuge from the evils of ourselves and from the evil of our actions. Whomsoever Allah guides none can lead astray, and whomsoever Allah leads astray none can guide. I testify that none has the right to be worshiped but Allah alone, having no partners, and I testify that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

The Qur'an is the complete healing for all mental, spiritual and physical diseases, all diseases of this world and the hereafter. However, not everyone is guided to use it for the purpose of healing. If the sick person uses the Qur'an for healing in the proper way, and applies it to his disease with sincerity, faith, complete acceptance and firm conviction, fulfilling all its conditions, then no disease can resist it.

"O mankind! There has come to you a good advice from your Lord (ie the Qur'an, enjoining all that is good and forbidding all that is evil), and a healing for that which is in your hearts." (Surah Yunus 10:57)

Allah says again,

"And we send down of the Qur'an that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe."

The Qur'an contains the treatment for hearts and souls, and as such it is a means of expelling all sicknesses from the body. In this regard, the Qur'an is a healing and remedy for many diseases including grief, sorrows, stress, anxiety, depression etc insyaAllah. Hence, let's stay close to Qur'an; always read, learn it and reflect upon what we read.

of repentance

2011-04-15T00:20:00.002+01:00

Alhamdullah! Allah (Subhana Wa Ta'ala) has given us a specific Criterion (or formula, or algorithm) when it comes to everything. Allah has made our lives easier once more by telling us how we should repent!

Here are some of the benefits of sincere repentance (tawbah).

Imaam Ibn Qayyim rahmatullahi alaih mentions certain benefits:

1. Repentance is the most noble and beloved form of obedience in the eyes of Allah Ta'ala. He loves those who repent and it is because of His love for His creation that He tests them with sins so that He may shower His blessings and favours upon them after they repent.

2. Repentance has a status that no other form of worship has. This is why Allah is extremely happy when a servant repents just as a traveler is happy when he finds his lost mount in the desert. This pleasure (of Allah) has a great impact on the heart of the one repenting. Hence, the repenting person reaches the status of being amongst the beloved through his repentance.

3. Repentance brings about humbleness and a sense of helplessness that is not easily acquired through other forms of worship.

4. Allah’s statement, "Except those who repent, have faith and good deeds, those Allah will charge their sins for good deeds. Certainly Allah is most forgiving and merciful." (Qur'aan 25:70) This is a greatest glad tiding for those who repent and combine their repentance with faith and good deeds.

Repentance breeds good deeds, whilst sinning (without repentance) can cause deprivation of obedience altogether. It has been said that committing sins regularly will darken and harden the heart. It may even lead a person to reject Allah completely (Allah forbid) or lead him to commit a bigger sin. There is no recourse for a sinner except to ask Allah for forgiveness and to feel great regret for his actions.

Repentance is to repent from the heart, to train the heart into obedience and to make a firm resolution never to commit the sin again.

We should remember these three facts to repent:

1. The grave consequence of sins.

2. The painful punishment for sins and

3. The helplessness of the servant with regards to these two things.

Once you realize this, you are half-way there (on the road to repentance). Remember that this is "the most noble and beloved form of obedience in the eyes of Allah" (Subhana Wa Ta'ala)

Next, comes the act of actually repenting of the sin. Allah has even went so far as to tell His servants, through His prophet Muhammad (), how to repent and restore themselves in the eyes of Himself!

1) Perform a perfect ablution (Wudu):

Wash both hands up to the wrists 3 times
Rinse the mouth and sniff water in and out the nostrils of the nose 3 times
Wash both forearms (from the wrist to the elbow is the forearm) up to the elbow 3 times
Wash the face 3 times
Wipe water over the hair
Wash the feet (including in between the toes) 3 times.

Turn off the water and say "I testify that there is no God but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger (Ash-Hadu An La Ilaha IllAllah, Wa Ash-Hadu Anna Muhammadan Abduhu Wa Rasulallah

After that, say this Du'a - Oh Allah! All praise You and may You send peace and blessings upon Your prophet Muhammad and his family just as You've done with your prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his family! I come to You humbly in repentance asking You for forgiveness of my sins. Ameen.

2) To perform a 2 raka'at (unit) prayer

Attempt to do it as perfect as you can (no human is perfect, so try your best). Don't talk to yourself (mentally or out loud) during this prayer and be humble.

3) Ask Allah for forgiveness by telling each sin you commited to Allah (ie don't just say "Forgive me my sins" but rather "Forgive me for lying, and forgive me for [insert what sin you did here]" Here's what we could say:

"Oh Allah! All praise be to You and may You send peace and blessings upon Your prophet Muhammad and his family just as You have done with You're prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his family. I come to You in humble repentance (which means "I come to you feeling sorry for what I did) and beg for your forgiveness. Forgive me for doing [insert names of sins you did here]".

wallahu'alam

Freedom

2011-03-28T16:55:00.004+01:00

Maher Zain new song called freedom was inspired from our brothers and sisters which fight for freedom in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and all other countries.

Freedom ( Official Lyric )

Gathered here with my family

My neighbours and my friends
Standing firm together against oppression holding hands
It doesn't matter where you're from
Or if you're young, old, women or man
We're here for the same reason; we want to take back our land

Oh God thank you
For giving us the strength to hold on
And now we're here together

Calling you for freedom, freedom
We know you can hear our call ooh
We're calling for freedom, fighting for freedom
We know you won’t let us fall ooh
We know you're here with us

No more being prisoners in our homes
No more being afraid to talk
Our dream is just to be free, just to be free
Now when we've taking our first step
Towards a life of complete freedom
We can see our dream getting closer and closer, we're almost there

Oh God thank you
For giving us the strength to hold on
And now we're here together

Calling you for freedom, freedom
We know you can hear our call ooh
We're calling for freedom, fighting for freedom
We know you won’t let us fall ooh
We know you're here with us

I can feel the pride in the air
And it makes me strong to see everyone
Standing together holding hands in unity
Shouting out load demanding their right for freedom
This is it and we're not backing of
Oh God we know you hear our call

And we're calling you for freedom, freedom
We know you can hear our call ooh
We're calling for freedom, calling for freedom
We know you won’t let us fall oh
We know you're here with us

Dedicated to all the people struggling for freedom and dignity in the world.

Maher's Zain new music video, inspired by the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and across the Arab world.

Concert footage from Maher Zain's concerts in Malaysia at the Malawati Stadium, Shah Alam, on the 25th and 26th of February 2011

I hate myself!

2011-03-26T23:00:00.001Z

I really hate myself

I hate myself for keep screwing up making silly mistakes

I hate myself for not saying the right words

I hate myself for being so socially awkward

I hate myself when I'm being horribly judgemental

I hate myself for being heavily teary-eyed

I hate myself for always hurting myself a lot

I hate myself for not being the right person

And trust me the list goes on

I just hate myself for hating so much of me.

Ergo, I went for a quest

searching for someone

who would love me more than I could ever love myself

cheer me up through thick and thin

and through that someone

I would eventually learn to love myself.

I looked everywhere high and low

I searched for days and months and years

I almost lose hope for it

Until one day, I found that someone.

It took me a long time to realise that that someone has been there all this while

That someone showed true compassion

Taught me patience and endurance

Calm and gentle to me

And above all showed me love

That someone is Allah.

For He is the only one capable of making me happy

For He is the only one always there to comfort my sorrow

For He is the only one out there always protecting me

For He is the only one capable of healing my wounds

And above all, for He is the One who loves me more than I love myself

Praise be to the Most Merciful for all these blessings

For this life, this family, these friends, this love

There is nothing more I could ask for

His love is sufficient enough

Thank you Allah!

I love you Allah.

I really do.

^_^

~h5~

Allah knows best!

2011-03-09T22:42:00.002Z

ALLAH knows what is best for us

So why should we complain

We always want the sunshine

But He knows there must be rain.

We always want laughter

and the merriment of cheer

but our heart will lose

their tenderness

If we never shed a tear.

ALLAH tests us often

with suffering and sorrow

He tests us not to punish us

but to help us meet tomorrow.

For growing trees are strengthened

if they can withstand the storm

and the sharpness of the chisel

gave the marble its grace and form.

ALLAH tests us often

and for every pain He gives us

provided we are patient

is followed by rich gain.

So whenever we feel that

everything is going wrong

It is just ALLAH'S way

to make our spirit strong.

Be strong dear! Allah knows best! ^_^

You'll do great my love..InsyaAllah..

Productivity Lessons from the Gaming World!

2011-02-26T23:56:00.000Z

Believe it or not, there was a time when Mr. ProductiveMuslim, wasn’t that productive! My biggest weakness was video games – I was insanely addicted to them, and alhamdulillah I managed to rid myself of them when I went to university and had to live without them for 4-5 years.

There was an addictive quality about games which I didn’t understand; I knew they were fun, and an “escape” from reality, but there was more. I recently came across a TED.com talk in which the speaker deciphered the addictive qualities of games and how gamers are essentially ‘productive’ in their own weird way.

So I thought: what lessons can we learn from gamers and gaming to help us be productive in our daily activity? If you think about it, gamers are actually ‘productive’ in what they are doing – they are very ‘focused’, ‘hard-working’, and ‘determined’ in achieving their virtual goals. It makes you wonder sometimes what could be achieved if the gamers around the world redirected their concentration, efforts, and persistence to real and positive works.

This is not a call for us to jump to the next console, but rather to extract lessons from the gaming world that will insha’Allah help us reach “blissful productivity” (i.e. productivity that is so enjoyable we don’t want to stop!).

Gaming is addictive due to 3 main ingredients:

1. Purpose/Meaning
Games give purpose and meaning to the player – they have ‘missions’ to complete and ‘levels’ to ascend. This sense of purpose keeps gamers going for hours, repeating levels again, and again, and again, and rarely giving up. If you look at the best games, they are the ones that have the most compelling story with the strongest purpose! (Call of Duty anyone?)

2. Social Network
Before the advent of the Internet, console games and even simple board games were a social event. Families and friends gathered to have a good time. Now the gaming social network has ‘evolved’ with the Massive Multi-Player Online Games; millions of people around the world, connect, meet, talk, fight, run, jump, and battle together! The social bond between the gamers sometimes is at the expense of familial ties, either weakening them or completely ruining them.

3. Epic Wins
Games provide epic victories! Which gamer in the world doesn’t love that final momentous blow to the evil boss? It’s a sense of achievement. On the other hand, and I know this personally, which gamer doesn’t hate that black screen of death with the annoying text: Game over! These epic wins are strongly connected to a gamer’s pride, causing a gamer to spend hours until he/she achieves that ego boost! And the ‘Game over!’ screen is strongly connected to a gamer’s negative feelings, so that he/she will fight so hard (with their fingers) to save themselves from that ‘disgrace and disappointment’!

So purpose, social interaction, and epic wins/losses are the three key ingredients that make games so addictive and their players to be so ‘productive’ and ‘hard-working’ in their virtual words. Now, let’s apply these three ingredients in the real world and see if it can make us productive:

1. Have a Purpose/Meaning for whatever you do
It’s amazing how we go about life with little or no purposeful intent in anything we do. We have no purpose behind our studies, no purpose behind our work, no purpose behind our fun time. If you want to have a productive and enjoyable life, have a strong purpose! Alhamdulillah, as Muslims, we were given the biggest and best purpose in life; a purpose not just confined to this temporary life, but for both the dunya (temporary world) and for the eternal Hereafter (akhirah); and that purpose is to worship Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). But how many of us truly connect to this purpose?

2. Build a Social Network around what you do
If you want to be productive in what you’re doing, involve others! I can tell you from personal experience how my productivity doubles when I’m working on a project with others, compared to when I’m working on a project alone. When we work with others, we commit to work together and don’t want to look bad, so we try hard to keep our promises. But when we work alone, we often lose self-accountability and motivation. SubhanaAllah, this made me think how Islam is such a “community religion” – if you look at most of the rituals in Islam, they are done in “Jama’a” – congregation. Salah, Hajj, Fasting Ramadan (you fast with your community and break fast with them), etc.

3. Imagine your Epic Wins/Losses
Make sure whatever you do, you can imagine it’s ‘epic moment of victory’ to which you can positively and excitedly connect. Make sure you imagine the ‘epic moment of loss’ as well so you deter yourself from slacking and being unproductive. Let’s look at the example of studying for exams: your joyous moment would be passing your exams, seeing your parents smile for your achievement, receiving your certificate; by contrast, your moment of loss is failing your exams, seeing the disappointment on your parents face, and/or repeating the whole year again, while your classmates move on to the next year! We can apply this further, to our entire lives; our epic win is…Jannah! Connect with Jannah through the descriptions given to us in The Quran, and you’d really not want to lose it! And also learn about the epic loss, Jahanam so you deter yourself from anything Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) dislikes.

Dear Gamers…

Now before I end, I want to make a small address to our dear gamers. The number of hours that gamers spend playing video games is shocking. One study estimates that gamers around the world collectively spend 3 billion hours per week, playing games! Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajoun! I want my dear Muslim brothers and sisters who are addicted to gaming (just like I was) to wake up and be productive with their life, and find better hobbies or sources of relaxation.

Here are some steps for how gamers can “wake up” from their unproductive lifestyle:

1. Purpose/Meaning
Honestly, do you think reaching that extra level or slaying that villain will add any true valuable meaning to your life? Really, ask yourself? Reflect on Surat Al-Asr (#103), because indeed we are not losing time but also wasting it.

2. Social Network
Is the random stranger behind some computer using a female avatar to hide his identity really your friend? Is this unknown person closer to you and more valuable than your parents who have taken care of you their whole lives and done a lot to keep you happy (whether you know and notice it or not)?

3. Epic win/epic loss
I remember that after the euphoric win in a game or finishing the last level, I would find myself feeling empty inside. I wasn’t truly happy; my happiness was a fleeting moment and distraction. Most gamers resolve this by going and buying a new game, but then what? When does the cycle end?

So a sincere call to my dear Muslim brothers and sisters, from your brother who has been there, to get out of this addiction and wake up to the real world.

The real world is so much more beautiful, so much more satisfying, and it needs you, each one of you, to save it and achieve the ultimate epic win, Jannah and the pleasure of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala)!

source: http://www.productivemuslim.com/productivity-lessons-from-the-gaming-world/

Good mood ^_^

2011-02-24T21:34:00.004Z

Every normal person feels depressed at times but it's definitely not a good idea to dwell on those negative thoughts and wallow in bad feelings. Feeling sorry for yourself, heartbroken and self pity are some examples of unhealthy moody atmospheres. On the other hand, good mood starts with a good attitude. It will somehow keeps our days upbeat and positive. Good moods are awesome! - though sometimes it can be quite hard to maintain those moods. Still, we can do something to preserve this good healthy vibrant in our lives! Let's get yourself back to one! =)

Put on something nice and good - not just pretty or expensive clothes but comfortable enough that give us the sense of feeling good. Often, the way we dress reflects our emotions. Messy clothing will only reinforces the negative aura.

Remember your loved ones - Simply name five people that you love and take a few minutes to keep in touch with each of them. Use all sorts of techno, just a simple 'hello' and 'i miss u' will do. Emails, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo! you name it.

Reward yourself! - this is the best part of all! Have a reward each time you manage to finish up a task or two. Take a stroll to the beautiful garden nearby or just go on chatting with an old friend. But be careful not to overindulge in it!

Do something that you love - this is it, this is when the time you want to go for shopping, indulge in scrumptious food, immerse in breathtaking views, go for nice summer holidays and the list goes on and on. Ok..I believe this particular point would be overlapped with the point 'reward yourself' as you're doing what you would love to do ideally after you've done something decent and worthy to be rewarded. Let's make it simple then, for instance I love to cook and bake but haven't got enough time to do it so let's wait until I've finished my revision task. Get it?

Do something nice for someone else - how ironic it is when we're doing something to make others happy, we can also feel positive and happy. The act of giving is amazing which can alleviate the depression and give some relief to the heart. It's not necessary have to be something big or fancy, just something that the person will appreciate.

Always count your blessings - the most crucial one! There are so many things that we tend to take for granted as simple as good health, nice food, living in peace, beautiful sceneries, abundance of love and care etc etc. Alhamdulillah, praise be to Allah The Almighty for giving us the chance to have all those things even if it's just for a second. Alhamdulillah!

Keep your positive mug forward! Oopss i mean MOOD!

Ok I'm feeling good now! ^_^ Hope you too then!

cups of courage

2011-02-23T16:14:00.006Z

well, I don't literally mean this.

It takes a great deal of courage to stand firm or fight for something but sometimes it takes even greater courage to let go of or walk away and leave something. Indeed, courage is the basic virtue for everyone so long as he continues to grow, to move ahead.

Muslims must know that we are all living on borrowed time and space courtesy of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala! It is only to Him who we must submit ourselves. If we are true Muslims, then we must surely recall this Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam :

"When any one of you sees anything that is disapproved (of by Allah), let him change it with his hand. If he is not able to do so, then let him change it with his tongue. And if he is not able to do so, then let him change it with his heart, though that is the weakest (kind of) faith." [Hadith related by Muslim]

Amar ma’aruf nahi mungkar; simply means to enjoin good and to abhor bad, which is first and foremost should be applied to one’s own self.

For instance, don’t just talk about the good that needs to be done. Just do it! And like talking about feeding the poor and helping the orphans. Don’t just talk for nothing. Just feed and help them. Also, no need to forbid others from doing wrong. Restrain yourself first from that very wrong, that's way much better. Don't just keep blaming others and talk about unity and just where at the same time you're being a racist. While saying to others how to be good and noble but you're obviously not. Just be! (I know, I sounded a bit harsh here but this entry is purely for my own sake to motivate myself. Pardon me for my words.)

Ultimately, it's up to us who have to decide what's best to lead the life in order to gain Allah's Pleasure with the help of Him definitely. Let's always pray to Allah and ask Him for guidance and courage. Let's walk the talk people!

“Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and have disputations with them in the best manner; surely your Lord best knows those who go astray from His path, and He knows best those who follow the right way” (Surah 16 verse 125 of the Holy Qur’an)

*Oh, I so need lots of cups of courage!

Love in Islam

2011-02-20T17:12:00.003Z

Praise be to Allah. We bear witness that there is only one god who has no partners beside Him, and we bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.

The Prophet (pbuh) once told his dear companion, Muazh Ibn Jabal, “ Muazh, I do love you! ” Muazh replied, “ And I love you, Messenger of Allah, more dearly than my own father and mother! ” The Prophet then instructed Muazh, “ Do not end a prayer without asking Allah to help you remember Him, to be thankful to Him, and to serve Him in the best of ways. ”

In the Quran Allah promises us,

“Remember Me, I shall remember you.” (2

:152) *Oh, how sweet! ^_^

Our remembrance of Allah is His remembrance of us. Our call to Him is His answer to us. Remembrance is the way of intimacy with Allah.

Also, Allah even says, “ I am as my worshipper thinks I am. I am with him when he remembers Me … if he seeks closeness to Me by as little as an inch, I come closer to him by a yard. And if he seeks closeness to Me by a yard, I come closer to him by a mile. And if he comes to Me walking, I come to him running! ” *Subhanallah!

Hence, Allah's grace multiplies with our sincere efforts and honest intention to come closer to Him. Whatever we give to Him comes back manifold to us. In this way, little by little, our love for Allah grows and develops and it transforms us into loving, noble human beings...InsyaAllah.

We get close to Allah by serving Him, by being for His sake, by learning to make our intentions purely for Him, by learning to become a little less selfish and a lot more giving.

I believe that's the greatest love in Islam!

May Allah bless us with His merciful guidance to His straight path. May He bless us with His love. Allah we seek refuge in You from hearts that are not humble, and egos that are never satisfied, and eyes that do not weep, and prayers that are not answered, and works that are not elevated.

Allah, bless us with wholesome hearts, grateful tongues, and obedient bodies. Do not let us forget You. Do not deny us loving You. Allah, preserve us and protect us. Be merciful with us. Increase our blessings and support us. O You who has ability over all things...Ameen Ya Rabb.

source: www.sufism.com

The Chosen One!

2011-02-15T09:17:00.002Z

In a time of darkness and greed
It is your light that we need
You came to teach us how to live
Muhammad Ya Rasool Allah

You were so caring and kind
Your soul was full of light
You are the best of mankind
Muhammad Khaira Khalqillah

Sallu ‘ala Rasulillah, Habib Al Mustafa
Peace be upon The Messenger
The Chosen One

From luxury you turned away
And all night you would pray
Truthful in every word you say
Muhammad Ya Rasul Allah

Your face was brighter than the sun
Your beauty equaled by none
You are Allah’s Chosen One
Muhammad Khaira Khalqillah
Sallu ‘ala Rasulillah, Habib Al Mustafa
Peace be upon The Messenger
The Chosen One

I will try to follow your way
And do my best to live my life
As you taught me
I pray to be close to you
On that day and see you smile
When you see me
Sallu ‘ala Rasulillah, Habibil Mustafa
Peace be upon The Messenger
The Chosen One

Sallu ‘ala Rasulillah, Habibi Mustafa
Peace be upon The Messenger
The Chosen One

Subhanallah! What a beautiful song!

Let's Think like a Muslim, act like a Muslim and love Allah (SWT) and Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) like a true Muslim. may ALLAH protect us from the evil whispers of the syaitaan and may ALLAH bless our prophet and his umaah. AMEEN.

Salaam Maulidurrasul.

12 Rabi'ul Awal 1432H.

home is where my heart is

2011-02-09T22:54:00.004Z

UK is probably a wonderful place to visit and live in but living here obviously requires a great deal of understanding about its various locations, streets, and their regional importance. Indeed finding a suitable place to live in which resembles almost like 'home' that I will always miss deep down inside my heart, is quite daunting. The property rates and rents might be higher in certain areas so the property value depends on the importance of the locality really and will vary hugely from one location to another. A proper research of the property market, its trends and different rents in different localities need to be looked upon before going for the property for rent while selecting the suitable ones matching the budget. Why is it so difficult to find a house then?? (of course laa klu nk yg cantik n murah je mmg susah nk dpt cik kak oi) hohoohh but for me, as simple as..because there's no place like home! ^_^

ohh I so miss my lovely home...

let me go home~

*mode: still looking for a house*

InsyaAllah

2011-02-04T08:03:00.002Z

(Malay Version)

Andainya kau rasa tak berupaya
Hidup sendirian, tiada pembela
Segalanya suram, bagai malam yang kelam
Tiada bantuan tiada tujuan
Janganlah berputus asa
Kerana Allah bersamamu

(Korus)
Insya Allah... Insya Allah... Insya Allah...
Ada jalannya
Insya Allah... Insya Allah... Insya Allah...
Ada jalannya

Andainya dosamu berulang lagi
Bagai tiada ruang untuk kembali
Dikau keliru atas kesilapan lalu
Membelenggu hati dan fikiranmu
Janganlah berputus asa
Kerana Allah bersamamu

(Ulang korus)

Kembalilah
Kepada Yang Esa
Yakin padaNya
Panjatkanlah doa
Oh Ya Allah
Pimpinlah daku dari tersasar
Tunjukkan daku ke jalan yang benar
Jalan yang benar
Jalan yang benar
Jalan yang benar...

(Ulang korus)

Melodi: Maher Zain
Lirik: Maher Zain & Bara Kherigi
Susunan Muzik: Maher Zain & Hamza Namira
Lirik Melayu: Frizdan

purpose of life

2011-01-30T00:42:00.004Z

Have you ever thought about it?

The purpose of human life is something that too many people throughout history have been

challenged by. Possibly, some are struggling with understanding the purpose of life. Why are we here? What does it all mean?

Truly, it is something for us to ponder...

My dental care checklist

2011-01-29T19:32:00.004Z

A must-read before going to bed! =)

I've set my hp alarm clock, put on my polka-dots pyjama, pat my favourite pillows and ready to dive into my cozy slumber-land...But hey wait, NO! I'm definitely not ready for bed yet. oopss I haven't done anything good to my teeth. I obviously know that a lot of things will happen in my oral cavity while I'm sleeping; reduced salivary flow will somehow give way to more bacteria accumulation which then leads to excessive damage to my teeth.

So here's my oral care checklist, let's check it out!

Did I eat right today?

Balanced diet helps our body (including our mouth) to stay healthy and build a strong system for our growth, health maintenance, defense against illness, body repair etc. As the old adage goes, you are what you eat! Thus, proper nutrition is important for good health! Limiting the amount of food and beverages that are high in sugar can greatly help to maintain good dental health. Let's eat more fruits and veggies! =)

Did I brush my teeth today?

When we brush our teeth properly, at least twice a day and 3 minutes per session, we are removing the plaque (the soft and sticky substance that accumulates on the teeth from the food debris and bacteria) that eventually causes cavities. We'll not only brushing our teeth but also massaging the gums. Hence, always go for the soft or extra soft bristle toothbrush and fluoridated toothpaste to clean our teeth unless our dentist recommends another type for some specific purposes.

Did I floss today?

Flossing will remove plaque that stuck in between the teeth where the toothbrush can't reach. Removing plaque from our teeth will also helps to prevent gum disease. Make sure to adopt the correct technique of flossing as improper way will only cause further damage to our teeth and gums. It may take us quite a long time to stand in front of mirror for the first couple of times flossing but once we get the hang of it, we'll find it to be a relatively easy exercise.

Have I ever thought of using a mouthwash?

Actually, it is not necessary to use mouthwash if the basic maintenance of oral health like brushing and flossing has been done because these activities are good enough to keep our teeth and gum healthy. Nevertheless, mouthwash still can be used in conjunction to brushing and flossing as it is useful to keep freshen up our breathe and reduce the risk of having plaque.

Keeping our smile healthy and looking good is not the most difficult thing in the world after all. It just need some amount of dedication and love towards our own body (remember: mouth and teeth are parts of our body as well!). Ultimately, we have to take good care of our oral hygiene in order to keep our smile healthy! ^_^ and of course, in essence, cleanliness is an important part of Islam that aspires the health and strength of Muslims. The holy prophet (saw) has said: “Cleanliness is the sign of Imaan (faith)” and according to another riwayah, “Cleanliness is half of Imaan (faith)”.

Wallahu'alam.

Ok now I can really go to sleep in peace...

Goodnyte dear!

Don't eat your emotions

2011-01-26T19:52:00.004Z

Have you ever find yourself in the middle of having a bar of chocolates or a bag of crisps and suddenly wonder how you got there? Do you still go to the kitchen and take the habit of opening the fridge even after you've already had your dinner? Or do you tend to crave for more food that you've already had a while ago? Oh no..this is serious!

"Emotional eating is eating to make ourselves feel better," says an expert.

Many of us eat not only when we're hungry but also when we're bored, restless, guilty, hopeless or lonely and we eat even more whenever we're stress and moody. We smother our feelings with food and believing that eating comforts us. Somehow it helps to take the mind off our feelings. True! I too sometimes indulge in the binge-eating when I feel so stressful. hohoh. Anyway, I believe all of us sometimes eat for emotional reasons. So now it made me think; are we really eat to live or we live to eat then.

Still looking for some more food, honey?

*dok ita food lagihh..hehe =P

who can't resist such delicious food?? I'll crave for more for sure..

Indeed, food is very easy to get these days, it's always there and instant! But..the downside of emotional eating will eventually triggers guilt because it usually involves too much quantity, bad food choices and feel lack of self-control leading to ill health, weight gain and thus generates more guilt and stress, and so the vicious cycle continues.

There are few tips to conquer emotional eating, here goes:

Identify your triggers; is it really hunger or just anger? Emotional hunger usually comes suddenly and strongly whereas physical hunger appears slowly and increases gradually. (note to myself: emotional hunger can strike at anytime even just after a full meal, so please stop the habit of opening the fridge and looking for what's next to eat!)
Be alert when you eat to prevent munching without realising (that's why don't eat in front of the telly/lappy dear me!)
Seek out food which require longer chewing time (note: chewing can release tension while exploiting those mastication muscles and make your jaw stronger! haha the latter part is just for fun).
Pick up a healthy snacking habit! (eg fruits, yogurt, cereals, peanuts etc)
Brush your teeth once you're done eating (especially before going to bed) to signal to your mind that your stomach is full. It works for me really! =)

Oh yes, another important point is we must slowly train ourselves to differentiate between the emotional hunger and physical hunger. Hence, the awareness is crucial and should be the first step to change. So the journey towards better health begins! ^_^

Love your body and starts eating healthily!

Teka-teki

2011-01-22T20:48:00.002Z

Suatu hari, Imam Al-Ghazali berkumpul dengan murid-muridnya lalu beliau bertanya..

Imam Ghazali = ” Apakah yang paling dekat dengan diri kita didunia ini?”
Murid 1 = ” Orang tua ”
Murid 2 = ” Guru
Murid 3 = ” Teman ”
Murid 4 = ” Kaum kerabat
Imam Ghazali = ” Semua jawapan itu benar. Tetapi yang paling dekat dengan kita ialah MATI. Sebab itu janji Allah bahwa setiap yang bernyawa pasti akan mati ( Surah Ali-Imran :185).”

Imam Ghazali = ” Apa yang paling jauh dari kita di dunia ini?”
Murid 1 = ” Negeri Cina ”
Murid 2 = ” Bulan”
Murid 3 = ” Matahari ”
Murid 4 = ” Bintang-bintang ”
Iman Ghazali = ” Semua jawapan itu benar. Tetapi yang paling benar adalah MASA LALU. Bagaimanapun kita, apapun kenderaan kita, tetap kita tidak akan dapat kembali ke masa yang lalu. Oleh sebab itu kita harus menjaga hari ini, hari esok dan hari-hari yang akan datang dengan perbuatan yang sesuai dengan ajaran Agama”.

Iman Ghazali = ” Apa yang paling besar didunia ini ?”
Murid 1 = ” Gunung ”
Murid 2 ” Matahari ”
Murid 3 = ” Bumi ”
Imam Ghazali = ” Semua jawapan itu benar, tapi yang besar sekali adalah HAWA NAFSU (Surah Al A’raf: 179). Maka kita harus hati-hati dengan nafsu kita,jangan sampai nafsu kita membawa ke neraka.”

Imam Ghazali = ” Apa yang paling berat didunia?”
Murid 1 = ” Baja”
Murid 2 = ” Besi”
Murid 3 = ” Gajah ”
Imam Ghazali = ” Semua itu benar, tapi yang paling berat adalah
MEMEGANG AMANAH (Surah Al-Azab : 72 ). Tumbuh-tumbuhan, binatang,gunung, dan malaikat semua tidak mampu ketika Allah SWT meminta mereka menjadi khalifah(pemimpin) di dunia ini. Tetapi manusia dengan sombongnya berebut-rebut menyanggupi permintaan Allah SWT sehingga banyak manusia masuk ke neraka kerana gagal memegang amanah”.

Imam Ghazali = ” Apa yang paling ringan di dunia ini ?”
Murid 1 = ” Kapas”
Murid 2 = ” Angin ”
Murid 3 = ” Debu ”
Murid 4 = ” Daun-daun”
Imam Ghazali = ” Semua jawaban kamu itu benar, tapi yang paling ringan sekali didunia ini adalah MENINGGALKAN SOLAT. Gara-gara pekerjaan kita atau urusan dunia, kita tinggalkan solat “

Imam Ghazali = ” Apa yang paling tajam sekali didunia ini?”
Murid- Murid dengan serentak menjawab = “Pedang ”
Imam Ghazali = ” Itu benar, tapi yang paling tajam sekali didunia ini adalah LIDAH MANUSIA. Kerana melalui lidah, manusia dengan mudahnya menyakiti hati dan melukai perasaan saudaranya sendiri “

Sedikit renungan semoga membuat kita akan selalu ingat kesalahan-kesalahan yang pernah kita lakukan, dan semoga dengan kesalahan itu kita akan belajar melakukan kebaikan.

Wallahu'alam.

a new me

2011-01-18T07:00:00.001Z

I want to start afresh! If only life's so simple like when we're playing games, we want to restart from the beginning of the level 1 because we've messed up the game or we simply had a 'game over', or even when we typed something wrongly in pc we can simply click backspace to erase the word or sentences or just delete the whole paragraph.

Anyhow, all of the above would never be possible and it's just a fantasy. Let's be real now, face everything that's lie in front of us with more positive attitudes. Yes, we couldn't simply delete nor completely erase our bad memories but we can just let go and learn from it, then move forward and let peace enter our life.

Every single day presents us with an opportunity to start afresh again. Some may say it's just another boring day or even it is difficult to start all over again especially when you're feeling so down that you can no longer stand on your own feet and lose hope as if lots of bricks falling all over you that you can't run for your life. For me, it is always never too late to turn over a new leaf. Yesterday has gone and the entire past has gone. This is all there is - now! Today to be exact – this very moment. Time to make a start people! Say hello to the new you! =)

Frankly speaking, I have made a mess of my life. I'll turn over a new leaf and hope to do better insyaAllah from now on. Why now you ask me? And why so sudden? Is there any special occasion? Of course it's not my birthday today nor any of my family members and obviously the new year has gone by really fast. Perhaps this is because of my best friend's birthday..ahakss she must be proud then. Naahh..I'll tell you the real reason: I just want to start behaving in a better way insyaAllah. Lillahi ta'ala..may Allah help me insyaAllah. With the new spirit, new good habits, improved positive attitudes, new clothes (bought last weekend =P), new haircut, new styles; say hello to the new me! =) No more oversleeping and wasting time! haitt!

I found this cool mind map on the related topic which may help us to turn over a new leaf!

Why don't you turn over a new leaf and surprise everyone with your good characteristics? Try it! All the best! ^_^

to my best friend!

2011-01-17T00:01:00.003Z

What can a friend do for me, and what must I do myself?

My Best Friend!

I can't give solutions to all of life's problems, doubts, or fears.

But I can listen to you, and together we will search for answers.

I can't change your past with all it's heartache and pain, nor the future with its untold stories. But I can be there now when you need me to care.

I can't keep your feet from stumbling.

I can only offer my hand that you may grasp it and not fall.

Your joys, triumphs, successes, and happiness are not mine;

Yet I can share in your laughter.

Your decisions in life are not mine to make, nor to judge;

I can only support you, encourage you, and help you when you ask.

I can't prevent you from falling away from friendship, from your values, even from me.

I can only pray for you, talk to you and wait for you.

I can't give you boundaries which I have determined for you,

But I can give you the room to change, room to grow, room to be yourself.

I can't keep your heart from breaking and hurting,

But I can cry with you and help you pick up the pieces and put them back in place.

I can't tell you who you are.

I can only love you and be your friend!

May Allah bless you with happiness and success insyaAllah!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAR BEST FRIEND! (u know who u are! ) ^_^

Forgive me when I whine...

2011-01-16T21:59:00.002Z

O Allah..

The Most Merciful

The Most High

forgive me when I whine..

My dear brothers and sisters..

We must always count our blessings..

There are so many wonderful nikmahs we already had and we will be..

Be grateful and Allah will give you more insyaAllah..

Thanks Allah night and day! ^_^

A mukmin will never fail to worship Allah. Being grateful to Allah is strongly emphasised as an attribute in the Holy Qur’an. Allah, who promises to reward those who appreciate his favors, says, “We will reward the grateful.” In the Qur’an (3:145), furthermore, He, Sub’hanahu Wa ta’ala, assures his servants that gratefulness begets more favors. Allah says, “if you are grateful, I will surely increase you (in favor) Qur’an (14:7).

Prophet Mohammad would spend the whole night in worship and supplications to Allah so much that his feet would swell and bleed. Aisha asked him, messenger of Allah, why do you undertake so much hardship when all your previous and prospective sins have been forgiven by Almighty Allah? The prophet replied. “Shouldn’t I be a grateful servant to Allah?” (Bukhari and Muslim).

Subhanallah!

What about us??

... ... ...

Let's muhasabah..

Here's a link to a great talk by Syaikh Bilal Asad on the topic.

http://www.kalamullah.com/Bilal%20Assad/Forgive%20me%20when%20I%20whine.mp3

Forgive me when I whine by Zain Bikha

Today, upon a bus I saw a girl with golden hair,
And in my heart I wished that I was just as fair
When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle.
She had one leg and wore a crutch, but as she passed, a smile.
Oh Allah, Oh Allah, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 legs to walk upon and the world is mine.

I stopped to buy some candy; met a boy who had such charm.
We talked, he seemed so happy, if I were late, it do no harm.
And as I left, he said to me, 'Thank you, you've been so kind.
It's nice to talk with folks like you. You see,' he said, 'I'm blind.'
Oh Allah, Oh Allah, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 eyes to see the world and the world is mine.

Later that day on my way, I saw a boy with eyes of blue.
He watched the other children play; he did not know what to do.
I stopped a moment, then I said, 'Why don't you join the others, dear?'
He kept on looking straight ahead and then I knew he could not hear
Oh Allah, Oh Allah, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 ears to hear the world and world is mine.

With legs to take me where I'd go.
With eyes to see the sunset glow.
With ears to hear what I'd know
Oh the world is mine

I stopped for a moment, just look how much I have
Everywhere, in all our lives, these are His signs

Oh Allah, Oh Allah, forgive me when I whine.
I have been blessed indeed, and the world is mine
Oh Allah, Oh Allah, forgive me when I whine.
I have been blessed indeed, and the world is mine

amigos para siempre

2011-01-15T16:23:00.005Z

If you want to stay best friends, this is a recipe for success.

Friends For Life

by Angelica N. Brissett

We are Friends
I got your back
You got mine,
I'll help you out
Anytime!

To see you hurt
To see you cry
Makes me weep
And wanna die
And if you agree
To never fight
It wouldn't matter
Who’s wrong or right
If a broken heart
Needs a mend
I'll be right there
Till the end
If your cheeks are wet
From drops of tears
Don't worry
Let go of your fears
Hand in hand
Love is sent,
We'll be friends
Till the end!!!!

Andalucia en mi corazón

2011-01-06T08:12:00.010Z

Alhamdulillah..praise be to Him for our jaulah 2010 to Andalucia went well.

6 days in Spain with our beautiful love stories in Andalucia and more understanding on islamic history behind it was priceless. Andalucia: un sitio imprescindible para visitar!~

Nuestro viaje comienza! ~Malaga --> Granada --> Cordoba --> Seville~

Que nuestro ukhuwwah flores para siempre..insyaAllah.

Me gustaría poder vivir aquí en este hermoso palacio.

Llovía en España por unos días. (Pic: Plaza de espana, Seville)

El arte islámico magnífica..Subhanallah!

El espectacular Alhambra de Granada.

faltan: patio de los leones (en los trabajos de restauración)

La esplendorosa ciudad de Medina Azzahara, Cordova.

Las naranjas están en todas partes en España!

we came..
we saw..
we explored..
we learned..
we shared..
we took the lesson..

May Allah bless us insyaAllah..

one thing to ponder:

“What's important is the patience. Why once Islam fell? It is because their faith to Allah has loosen. We must build faith inside us."

A Prayer For You, is a Prayer For Me

2011-01-04T19:32:00.003Z

Adapted from a hadith per day keeps the syaitaan away.

Abud-Darda' (radi Allahu anhu) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) saying, "Whenever a Muslim supplicates for his (Muslim) brother in his absence, the angels say: `May the same be for you too'.'' [Muslim].

Commentary: This Hadith makes it evident that one who prays for someone in his absence also stands to benefit from it because the angel appointed for the task of praying for those who pray for others will pray for him, saying, "O Allah! Grant him also the same which he has asked for others.''

Abud-Darda' (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "The supplication of a Muslim for his (Muslim) brother in his absence will certainly be answered. Every time he makes a supplication for good for his brother, the angel appointed for this particular task says: `Ameen! May it be for you, too'.'' [Muslim]

Commentary: So the advantage of praying for the iman, safety, health, prosperity, or any good, for another Muslim, is that we have an angel make the same du'a for us. When a person thinks selfishly, they are selfish even in their prayers; why pray for someone instead of for ourselves only, why pray for a Muslim in some remote part of the world? This hadith provides incentive even for a selfish person to make du'a for all Muslim brothers and sisters.

so sweet isn't it? let's be caring and always pray for our parents, family, sahabahs and others insyaAllah may Allah help us in everything we do.

Allah, the Exalted, says:
"And those who came after them say: `Our Rubb! Forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in Faith.''' (59:10)

"And ask forgiveness for your sin, and also for (the sin of) believing men and believing women''. (47:19)

"Our Rubb! Forgive me and my parents, and (all) the believers on the Day when the reckoning will be established.'' (14: 41)

Yassir Fazaga – Self-Image Psychology:

http://www.halaltube.com/yassir-fazaga-self-image-psychology

New Year's Resolution

2011-01-01T19:25:00.001Z

Adapted from a hadith per day keeps the syaitaan away.

Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "Between a man and disbelief and paganism is the abandonment of Salat (prayer).'' [Muslim]

Also, Buraidah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "That which differentiates us from the disbelievers and hypocrites is our performance of Salat. He who abandons it, becomes a disbeliever.'' [At-Tirmidhi]

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “The covenant between us and them consists of the prayer: whoever leaves it has disbelieved.” [Tirmidhi]

Commentary: In other words, the distinguishing characteristic of a Muslim is his praying the five daily prayers (Salah) in their prescribed times.

If a policeman never shows up for duty, or a teacher never comes to class to teach, or a firefighter never shows up to put out a fire, can he/she still be called a policeman, teacher or firefighter? Then what about a Muslim who never shows up for the Salah?

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) told us that the deal confirming a person as a Muslim is his promise to pray. If the person stops praying, he has gone back on his promise and rebelled against Islam. It is up to Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) to decide his case.

This new year, make it your resolution to be strict in your salah and make it your priority to pray all the daily prayers. Today is 1/1/11, the beginning of a new year where people vow to change, so start it off right with being steadfast in being the best Muslim and performing your salah on time.

Abu Usamah – The Major Sins Series: 05 – Missing Salah/Prayer:http://www.halaltube.com/abu-usamah-the-major-sins-series-05-missing-salahprayer

Abdul Nasir Jangda – Salah in Focus:http://www.halaltube.com/abdul-nasir-jangda-salah-in-focus

Yaser Birjas – The Weight of Salah on The Day of Judgment:http://www.halaltube.com/yaser-birjas-the-weight-of-salah-on-the-day-of-judgement

Nag Allah with ur duas!

2010-12-11T19:23:00.000Z

Fighting h5!!;)

2010-12-09T17:26:00.000Z

bittaufiq wannajah fil imtihan ukhti!=) iA moga Allah berikan kecemerlangan dunia akhirat buat kita & sahabat2 yg lain..amin!

as for me, 3down and 4more to go!!!berusaha!!>_<
Ya Allah permudahkanlah..

oh btw, my wish to u h5. selingan skjp!=D

ok h5, Fighting!!!Chaiyo!!!Gambatte!!Jihad!!!^_^

mari berdoa!

2010-12-06T22:09:00.003Z

Assalamu'alaikum...

Harap sihat2 semua dan berada dalam

kemanisan iman & amal
di samping study tu ya ;).

Tahukah anda berapa haribulankah hari ini?

Maksud saya, dalam kalendar Islam?

[Ternyata pemansuhan cara hidup dan perundangan Islam
secara besar-besaran oleh
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk memang berkesan, kan! ]

Tahun Baru!

Beginikah cara menyambutnya?

Atau begini ya?

Saya pernah mendengar berkenaan khilaf doa awal dan akhir tahun ini.

Walau bagaimana pun ingin saya mengajak kita semua utk bersama

memanjatkan doa ke hadrat Ilahi supaya

tahun yang mendatang ini jauh lebih baik

drpd tahun sebelumnya, dan

dosa yang terdahulu diampunkan Tuhan dan

tidak akan diulangi lagi, insyaAllah.

Sama2 saling ingat-memperingatkan.

Syukur kepada Allah yang telah menghidupkan kita sehingga ke
1 Muharam 1432 H, insyaAllah.

Wallahu'alam.

Credit to PPIMG

hadiah

2010-11-28T11:00:00.002Z

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Awak...

tahu tak apa hadiah terbesar dalam hidup saya?

hidayah.

yang menjadi titik tolak untuk saya memahami erti Islam

yang memberi saya peluang merasai nikmat iman

dan yang menjadikan saya rasa dekat dengan Allah SWT

Awak...

Saya tak nak kehilangannya.

Dan saya harap...

awak pun sama.

Moga hidup awak dilimpahi cahayaNya...

selamanya...

InsyaAllah.

Love,

28/11/2010

happy snowy birthday!

2010-11-28T02:59:00.001Z

Salam fi yaumul milad ukhti h5!^_^ or shall i say happy snowy birthday?hehe..=)

In this post i have pictures of cakes for u since i wont be able to make them due to our distance and they seem quite complicated for me and will definitely consume lots of time and so i suggest u just order them from Dapur Suri okeh!easy!hehe =P ooh btw for ur birthday present, i'm afraid u'll have to wait till dec and please do remind me to bring it during christmas holiday or else u might need to wait till summer!=P

Enjoy the cakes!*wink*

a version of princess h5??oh no!=P

ur dream castle with future husband?=D

definitely not ur birthday cake!its gonna be ur wedding cake SOON?=P

aww..this one is a sweet &lovely birthday cake specially for u!=)

Now the rest of the pictures will be my duas for u =)

Ya Allah let her graduate with flying colours,

grant her a soleh husband,

with beautiful soleh & solehah kids =)

give her happiness in this world & in the hereafter,

and bless our ukhuwah till Jannah!

ameen ya Rabbal alamin..=)

hope u have a wonderful birthday this year!=)

u'r not just a year older but inshaAllah a year wiser!^_^

take care ya!