...Yes, I have attachment issues too. Well, I am a human after all. But my attachment issue is not with humans (I love my parents, siblings, family friends) or animals (and I love cats and my Mano). My attachment is with my Allah-Ji whom I've been extremely close to since childhood. He's my bestest friend. When I was little, lying in the garden one summer afternoon, I looked up to the sky and was making shapes with the clouds. With one of them I made a castle. I said; 'That is Allah-Ji's Castle - His Home' and I imagined I was Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk and I planted some seeds and then a massive beanstalk shot up and became a ladder and I climbed up and went into the castle. I was only about 7, 8 or 9 then. I bug him 24/7 and tell Him everything. Actually, He already knows everything. But I still bug Him with my stories. This attachment is so intense that I can be without humans and seclude myself to worship Him and talk to Him. Only He understand me and my tears! It's a childhood thing. It's from Him. And i'm eternally grateful as this has allowed me to understand His creation, the human emotion and our ultimate purpose. By the way, just before you think it, i'm no where perfect and I don't have any intentions of trying to be perfect and I don't claim to be given a free ticket to Jannah. Non of us have been given that ticket. We have to work it. Jannah must be won! I invite you to learn more about Allah through His names and attributes. This well help you in your ibaadah - in your Salah and your Qur'an. Allah (swt) says: “Take one step towards me, I will take ten steps towards you. Walk towards me, I will run towards you.” Hadith Qudsi (partial). Attachment issues - especially those with humans - especially with a haraam relationship - are a way of saying that we have an unfulfilled need - which usually stems from childhood. Take a serious look at your life and see where this is coming up for you. To read more about this click here to read the post on 'All about Love'. God has created you for greatness and a higher purpose. Let's not waste our time on attachments and let's once and for all deal with them and heal our souls. We will be accountable for it on the Day of Judgement. Start your Monday on the right foot or on the right note (whichever you prefer) - if you were to die right now, are your ready to meet Allah? Are you ready to understand your relationships and tread wisely. The only one who can save us is Allah - yes even from our own destruction. Get motivated to re-connect with Allah right now. And for the ladies reading this register for my *FREE* Diamonds Masterclass. I reveal my top 3 secret on how i said enough is enough and started living my life on purpose again. You too can become close to Allah and attached to Him. He too can be your bestest friend - if only you allow Him to be. Will you give Him that permission now? He's waiting for you! :)
0 Comments
Love, love and love! It seems everyone is into love. Wants to be loved. Is in love. Is complete and fulfilled by love. Is broken by love. Is confused by love. And wants to be loved again. Me too! I’m all about love! Ok, well it’s not 14th February (Valentino’s Day – as I like to call it) and maybe I should save this post for then (I’ll repost it then!) but I really want to get into this topic today as it’s not just a Valentino’s day thing but an everyday thing. And in fact love is not actually or just about Valentino’s day – that’s just some crazy commercialised holiday – as are so many other holidays. Today I’m not here to talk about love as in spoucy type or when you get married etc, but I’m going to talk about everyday love, eternal love, internal love and that love that is simmering within us 24/7. This love is beyond marriage or children. It is much, much more. It’s basic stuff really. And in fact, it is practiced by each of us daily – albeit unconsciously at times. And you know what – this love is pure. It’s like the baby love – you know when a baby just wants to be loved by its parent and isn’t aware of anything other than pure mummy/daddy love. I want to talk to you about this love today – which is deep within us – because this love can actually make us or break us. And it does daily – depending on how we use it. And, no, it’s got nothing to do with the opposite gender at all! Confused? Keep reading. This post is about love in the context of personal and spiritual development of the individual. According to Maslow love and belonging are third on the level of human needs (after physiological and safety needs are fulfilled). Humans need to love and be loved and this need is particularly strong in childhood and any deficiency in it can affect us in our adult life. And any deficiency in adult life can lead to loneliness, anxiety and depression. God created us social being and to be part of a social network. The Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) teaches us many different aspects of our social life – how to interact and deal in different social settings and to create successful social spheres. Here’s the thing. This is all awesome and brilliant – and I totally agree with it. However, our childhood conditioning can lead us to seek love and focus on it more than doing anything else in life. What I mean by this is – and I speak from personal experience and in fact it is something I have to also work on a lot in my life – we always want to seek approval from those who we love when we want to take a step into whatever it is we want to do. This form of approval can be from anyone really. Mostly it is family. However if we have had childhood family issues then we seek it elsewhere. Some reading this may disagree – but in my personal coaching and mentoring capacity and getting to know many people from across the globe I have noticed that we tend to seek approval even if it is from our boss and even if we act all ‘nothing hurts me – business is business!’. Deep down inside we have a craving – we need to fulfill it – we need to belong! We are seeking love and trying to fill the ‘void’ within us. Now when we seek constant approval from those we love and we don’t get it we start to self-sabotage our own dreams and life. We don’t even realize that we do it – it seems so normal. I want you to focus back on you today. I want you to start loving yourself today. I always say love and respect yourself if you want to be loved! Love doesn’t cost a thing! You don’t have to go out there and purchase a magic pill to love yourself. It’s free! And think about it for a moment – the love that you’re craving – whoever you’re craving it from – they are also craving it too! Did you even know that? Like wow! So, I mean, here we are being selfish and wanting to be loved yet how much do we love the one we want to be loved by? Unconditionally? This is no manipulation game! This is no; ‘If you love me and I will love you’ or ‘If you’re there for me I will be there for you’. No! This is the pure love that comes from within. It’s natural. You just love – because you do. No expectations. Read that again. NO EXPECTATAIONS. The reason we are stuck where we are is because we are yearning to be loved and accepted and we want to hear it in words or feel it with love or tangible objects. But that is not necessary at all. Yes, it’s part of it. But not the main part. You know I have a very close relationship with my parents and siblings since childhood. Whenever anyone asked me; ‘Do you love Abu more or Ami more’ I used to get confused and say both. ‘No, you have to choose one’, they used to say. And me? I used to start crying! As I got older things changed. Life changed. Its’ supposed to – it’s natural! And all I ever wanted was to ‘feel’ that love as I felt it as a child. Every time I asked my parents; ‘What shall I study/work/do?’ they always replied with; ‘Do what you want and feel happy with!’. Ok, which kid does not want to hear this and do what they feel, right? But me? I thought they didn’t love me anymore. I thought they were too busy for me. But they weren’t. They were always there for me – but had a different way of expressing it. You know if my parents never said; ‘Do what you want and feel happy with’ then today I wouldn’t be who I am – at all! Honestly! But the crazy part is – I stopped loving myself! I hated ME! My own soul! Like, what?! Yes, I hated me – because I thought the ones I loved didn’t love me! You feel me on this? Ah man! How wrong was I?! And because of this, I didn’t take the steps I needed to in life. I was never confident. Actually, everyone thought I was confident. But I wasn’t! I faked it. There – I confessed! (But, it worked!). It’s like I had to start from square one and love myself again. Love myself enough to believe in me. Love myself enough to love others without attachment. They pure type – for the sake of Allah type. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “None of you truly believes (in Allah and in His religion) until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself” [Bukhari and Muslim] It doesn’t cost anything to love your sister and brother in Islam or humanity. How could we want bad things to happen to them? We don’t wish bad on ourselves. If we follow this Hadith correctly then there would be no hatred in the world and we wouldn’t need to search for love here and there and we wouldn’t have attachment issues. And in fact the only one we need to be attached to and ask of is our creator – our Allah. “And yet there are some people, who replace Allah with rivals, loving them as Allah is loved. But the believers love Allah more intensely” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:165) When you develop deep love for Allah then you will love everyone unconditionally and you will be good to them and wish good for them without attachments. You won’t need to worry about attachments or fall into them. You will see that your family mean well and your siblings mean well. You will see that those around you mean well. Obviously I’m not talking about someone who has taken your rights off you and has deliberately hurt you physically or emotionally or those oppressive tyrants across the globe. I’m praying that my tribe of followers have more knowledge and wisdom to think I’m condoning all that! But what I am trying to say is that we need to move away from; ‘Oh I was attached again and he/she hurt me again’. That is victim mentality – and no one wants to be there. The only one allowing yourself to fall into that trap is you. You’re scared of being alone, rejected, not wanted. I know! I’ve been exactly there! Understand who YOU are! Understand why YOU feel the need to be loved and then fall into this scenario. Mine was straight up – I was looking for that ‘support’ from my parents and when I didn’t get it (or understand their way of giving it) I looked elsewhere! Wrong move! Now – it’s all good. Now I understand. Now I know that everyone who comes into my life is for a reason. Allah has sent them for a reason. And if they have to go – Allah said so! You don’t become bitter. You don’t hate. You just…be. Love doesn’t cost a thing! You don’t have to be selfish with it. You don’t have to ‘astagferullah’ about it. It is who we are and there’s plenty to go around the world. Allah is the one we need to turn to at each point. He (swt) is the one who helps us, guides us and heals us. Don’t hate any one. Everyone is on their journey. You’re not the only one in this world and the world doesn’t owe you anything. When you realise this you can actually start to heal your wounds. You can close previous chapters. You can forgive and leave them to God and move on. You are much stronger than you’re giving yourself credit. And this is not the time and place to be getting all humble and modest. Think about it – others have moved on and getting on in life – so what about you? Get to know yourself again. Get to know God again. This is deep stuff – I know – it doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s a start right? Once you become aware of this and focus on the purpose why Allah created you and how limited your life truly is then you won’t waste it. Attachments are all about a need which was not fulfilled and most likely from childhood. Seriously. Think about it and dig deep. Where in your life does this issue come up and with whom? I’m not talking about today – trust me – I’ve given you a direct example of my own life. Once you realise this – work on it and understand the context then you’ll be able to move forward. When it happened with me I went through this process also - with Allah. I talked to Him (swt) and asked Him to show me the way. You need to do this for yourself and do it now. If not you’ll always be stuck. You’ll misunderstand love. Love is an emotion deep within. Allah put it there. Don’t fight it! Don’t be bitter against love. That’s wrong. Will you hate everyone and everthing? That’s what we end up doing really! And if it does go down the haraam road then trust me it’s something you need to look into your life. Wait till Allah makes it halaal for you! Why is it that we become so attached to s/he and our parents become our enemies? Where is this coming up in your life? Work on it and heal it. Maybe you’ve never seen it this way before. I hope it truly helps. As even when you’re married your love for Allah will be more – as you know that He is the one who gives and takes and He is our Creator. He (swt) is not here to hurt us. We hurt ourselves. Love yourself again if you want others to love you. Love Allah even more and watch the doors of goodness He (swt) opens up for you. There are numerous verses in the Qur’an about love – and I could just quote them. All things start with us – even going to brush our teeth! If you want to make the most of this one life Allah has given you then now is the time. I invite you to a world of love and happiness – which is already awaiting you now. Action Points: 1. Reflect on your life and your relationships – where can you improve and what needs to be resolved. Get on to it. 2. Learn about Allah and our purpose. Learn about RasoolAllah and his mission. 3. What do you want from your life now and whose approval are you waiting for? Be real – to yourself – and now you know what steps to take insha’Allah. Leave me a comment and let me know what you thought about this article. ...Today I was going to give up and quit it all - all of it! I cried - a lot. Sometimes it gets really overwhelming and just too much for one soul. I made a dua in the early hours and asked Allah to show me the way. I've never been more serious about quitting than today. Today is also the Day of Arafah. Millions of people are right now on the plains of Arafah begging for Allah's mercy and forgiveness. A day when many are guaranteed salvation from the Hell-Fire and those who return from Hajj return as a new born - sinless - a Hajj Mabroor. I remember it clearly - like it was just today. It was 5th March 2001 - I was on the plains of Arafah with my parents and millions of other Hujjaj. A childhood dream come true and one of the youngest from my clan to do my Hajj. I was just 20 years old (actually, two weeks after I returned I was to turn 21 and I was in my final semester of my final year of my law degree at University). So many dreams in the eyes of a young 20 year old. I'm childhood ambitious. I have grand dreams. Not just for myself though - i'm not that selfish. I have grand dreams for our Ummah and for the entire humanity. I have grand dreams which involve YOU - yes YOU reading this now. I want to see YOU succeed in all areas of your life - in this world and the next. I walk the talk and expect 150% ExCel Mode from myself. That is what I operate at. You might say i'm too harsh on myself - or that I expect too much of myself. You're right - I do! I only have one life here - just one chance to work for that one vision Jannah al-Firdaus. It all starts here though - right here - in my front room, by the fire. It all starts in this world. How else will you and I achieve our ultimate vision of Jannah al-Firdaus if we don't work it here. Jannah has to be won - it won't be given to us on a plate. On a day like Arafah when gazillions are begging for Allah's mercy and forgiveness - here I was ready to quit - today 2013. I'm extremely sensitive. Only my very close souls know this. Everyone else see's the confident me. But my close one's know how deep I am and how sensitive I am and how I take things to heart. I don't cry in front of anyone - not my family, not my friends. Just with Allah - and Mano (my cat). I'm not overly emotional - like I don't burst out crying if you don't like me. Not me! I may have my shy and sensitive girly side - but i'm very much tom-boyish also. I have zero-tolerance on women and men who just cry over tiny things! I'm the; 'Yes we can! Let's do it now' type. So, for me to even be sharing a piece of my heart with the entire universe is deep. This is the vulnerable me - one which you might not see again - or might see on a very rare occasion - like today. I'm willing to give you a glimpse into my heart and soul - and be vulnerable like this whilst I have tears in my eyes. I share with you as you may be going through your own journey, trying to find who you are and what you want to be or supposed to be doing. You may feel lost and confused. You're trying and trying and yet nothing is working. No one is supporting you - like you thought they would! Just like me you may be ready to give up. I went to sleep crying with my dua of guidance. And then I woke up to a message from a sister who made dua for me and said; "...jazakAllahu khair for your posts they really are inspiring and I just wanted to say never give up what your doing mashaAllah. May Allah grant you a long and productive life sis and remove all your sins ameen. Don't let others negativity affect you. I know its hard but you touch more hearts than u know inshaAllah. Allah chose u for this - I don't see anyone else doing what u do and that is your calling so keep close to Allah and don't get knocked backed wen the road is so tough. Ur work is inspiring and an encouragement to others". I think I'm gona cry again! This one message has taught me so much instantaneously and touched my core. And the weird part is that this sister had no idea what i was feeling. She is someone i met a year ago and we have the usual facebook and whatsapp contact. This was deep. Read her message again - it's from me to you now. I'm ready to redirect my intention and focus. I'm here til Allah decides my time is up. For now - i'm staying :) Bismillah-ExCel! Begin the day and the week on the 'Right Intention'. In Islam actions come from intentions and each person will have what s/he intended (That is a hadith which i just summarised in my own quick words). Here's the thing though. In the West we have become accustomed to living in a Matrix. We go to work all week and then weekend we party and then we have Monday Blues. Who created this Monday Blues concept? Each day we wake alive is another day for us to ask for Allah's forgiveness. His mercy and His help. We ask Him (swt) in each prayer; 'Guide us to the straight path' yet we have Monday Blues? We as Muslims need to snap out of this! And yes we can. Monday is also a Sunnah fast day - so fast. Surround yourself with good friends, books, articles - all things which will uplift your soul and help you - especially if you have an emaan low. This doesn't mean that we don't think about others who are being oppressed in the world - however, honestly, how can we help them if we need help? I mean if we are low on emaan or if we are negative then how can we help our Ummah. Helping those oppressed is not just through monetary means but also by being strong Muslims. Eats well. Sleep well. Read well. Be well. If you are well then insha'Allah you can help others also. And then if you are down others can help you also. That's the way it works. So no more Monday Blues - let's make our moments count as each moment is our only moment - and this should be a sufficient reminder for us. Have a blessed week ahead and let me know what you've got planned! :) If you're a sister reading this and you missed the 'Diamonds Masterclass' - then click here to register to the class right now! :) Live: Thursday 26th September 2013 9-10pm GMT Replay: Available til end of October - register below! This is a *FREE* online Masterclass for Diamonds who have had enough of being stuck in a psychological rut and have said 'enough is enough already!' Come and learn some of my top secrets on how I stopped self-sabotaging my soul and decided to live a life on purpose with purpose. Bring pen and paper (and some coloured pens) to take notes as we'll get creative in this class and i'll help you start making those positive changes in your life to live upon the deen and prepare for your best akhirah insha'Allah. That's right. Come and join like minded sisters, bring your family and friends with you and be ready for a transformation. It's time to unleash your diamond within! Ready? Say bismillah and sign up/register for this *FREE* class right here :) I reveal my TOP 3 SECRETS!!! ****************************************************************************** Here is what one sister said after attending the class: "I have taken away a lot but most importantly the concept of 'permission'. If you don't allow yourself time to do the right things in life, other things will take over and your ultimate goal will remain unachieved. Since Thursday night I constantly reflected back. I wake up at 5 am every morning. After Fajr prayer my hubby spends an hour reading the Quran and learning Arabic whilst I make breakfast and pack lunch for everyone. Similarly, when I come home after work I get busy in the kitchen preparing dinner and doing things for my family's comfort. But when is comes to prayers, I am always rushing! Allah will not change the condition of those who do not change what is within themselves." Sr S.C My passion in life is to creatively help you find your unique purpose in life and to align it with our ultimate purpose of worshiping God. This is my unique purpose! :) [We were in the company of the Prophet in a funeral procession at Baqi Al-Gharqad. He said, "There is none of you but has his place written for him in Paradise or in the Hell- Fire." They said, "O Allah's Apostle! Shall we depend (on this fact and give up work)?" He said, "Carry on doing (good deeds), for everybody will find it easy to do (what will lead him to his destined place)." Then he recited "As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah, and believes in the Best reward from Allah (i.e. Allah will compensate him for what he will spend in Allah's way). So, We will make smooth for him the path of ease. But he who is a greedy miser...for him, the path for evil." (92.5-10)] I want to take this opportunity to say jazaakAllah khair and thank you for being part of the We Be Inspired family. I hope and pray these posts inspire and motivate you in your every day life and help you to get closer to Allah. As the title of this post goes; 'Here to Serve You!' Now is your chance to get interactive and let me know what YOU want from We Be Inspired. We Be Inspired is all about Islamic Personal and Spiritual development. So this is YOUR time . I'm here to serve you - so tell me what services and products I can create that will serve you, help you in your every day life and will help you find your unique purpose in life (and if you have found it then strengthen it) and to align it with our ultimate purpose of worshiping Allah. What issues keep you up at night and what solutions do you want. We Be Inspired is not exclusive to women only - it is also for men (unless we have a specific workshop of class for sisters only). We Be Inspired also invites non-Muslims to come and be inspired and learn something that will help them in their life insha'Allah. So go ahead now and comment on this post (if you have noticed this is not your normal type of weekly blog post) - but masha'Allah since loads of you always read these posts, comment and message me i thought it's the best platform to engage you all. Waiting for your comments so i can get back into my home workshop and start creating all those services and products for you insha'Allah. Go ahead and leave me your comments now :) Nadia x This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah” {Qur’an; 2:2} As another Ramadan draws to an end we may suddenly fall into the ‘Post-Ramadan-Blues’. We have barely broken our final fast that we start to moan and ‘Oh I feel sad and upset’. But isn’t Eid a gift from Allah? And should we not be grateful to Allah for this Day? And should we not look forward to the celebration? We seem to give more weight and precedence to other celebrations in our lives – whether that is a birthday, wedding, new born, graduation, new job, new house [insert the special moment you like to celebrate] and yet as soon as maghrib adhan is called on the final fast we seem to get the ‘Blues’. Our religion Islam is not about getting the blues or being in a negative state! Yes, things happen, we fall, cry, make up, break up and cry a little more – but does life end here? Maybe you have been through some of the above so you can relate – because I sure have been through a good few of those myself. You may be feeling blue because you feel you didn't do enough – and you feel you should have done more. Listen, you did as much as you could in your circumstance and honestly instead of worrying how little you did now – as Ramadan is over – make continuous dua that the little you did Allah accepts it. I pray that Allah accepts it from you and me. You may be wondering how I can sound so cold or be so direct about it. You may be thinking ‘Does she think she is better than the rest and all her deeds are accepted’ and the answer to your wonderings is ‘Absolutely NO!’. I too am sad that Ramadan is leaving and I too wish I could do more – however when we get into this type of negative rhetorical we fall downwards and downwards. We just got blessed with such a beautiful month and we are already being ungrateful for that by being blue? I mean we can at least read some voluntary nafl for gratefulness right? Or even some voluntary nafl to ask Allah to accept our deeds and allow us to continue right? Here’s the thing. Well, two things. Firstly we get hooked up on to the blues. We listen to and read about what everyone else is saying [think social media – the F word!] and then we may feel we have to feel the same way – so we put ourselves into that state and we become blue and start talking blue. It’s all in the mind we are the ones who are thinking what we are thinking. The Lord of Ramadan is still our Lord outside of Ramadan and how many more opportunities does He (swt) bless us with throughout the year which also have extra reward? Exactly! [Get pen and paper and list them please]. Secondly once we get ourselves onto the blue-downward-ride we seem to go round and round. We keep thinking we didn’t do enough – we keep thinking we should have done more – we keep thinking everything is over. But here’s the deal (halaal deal) – it’s not over! It’s not over until we are 9 feet under! So do yourselves a favour right now and snap out of it! I’ll be right here when you’re ready to continue and please only 5 minutes ok? Good! ……….waiting Back? Awesome! “I am as My servant’s opinion of Me.” (Bukhari) Think good of Allah as He is our Creator and He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Seriously, if we think negative – negative will happen. We need to watch what we say to ourselves. We need to purify our intention and sincerity. Energy flows where intention goes. Think positive of Allah – there is no need whatsoever to think negative of Him. I mean, this is a whole topic in and of itself however just for now know that if you are reading this then #1 you are alive, #2 you are more blessed that those in places such as Syria and Palestine right now and #3 There is ALWAYS hope – ALWAYS! So take a deep breath in – hold – release and say ‘THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE’. And now, let me ask you – and this is purely reflectional for you as it is for me – if Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an then how much did you and I read, recite and study the tafsir? And before you slip to the blues again – think RED – (it’s my favourite colour) You know by now that I’m all about self-help (i.e. as Allah says He will not change our condition until we first take that step, right) and I’m a personal development junkie. And if you’re reading this right now then that means you are someone who wants to make positive changes in your life starting right now and prepare for your best akhirah insha’Allah. See Ramadan may have left us but we shouldn't leave it or our ibaadah – worship – from this month. *Re-read that sentence and reflect on it for a moment* This is what the blues does to us – it makes us lose hope! Did you know that the Qur’an and the Bible are known to be the #1 self-help books? Shocked? And you thought that the dude or dudess who got onto the New York #1 bestseller list had all the answers for you. Nope! And just before I continue, yes do read self-help and personal development books, because I do and I write on personal development. However if you have noticed then you would have noticed that my message is primarily based upon firstly the Qur’an and Sunnah and then everyday life. Now what this means for us is that Ramadan may have left us for another year – and may Allah bless us with another Ramadan insha’Allah [kul – ameen!] however it has left you and I with a gift – the gift that it came to remind us about – the gift that we've already got on our shelf – the Qur’an. If you are someone who wants to live a life upon the deen and prepare for your best akhirah then right now know that Ramadan came to remind you of a gift you already have which you may not connect with too often around the year. Now, dearest soul, is the time to hold on tightly to this gift! Do not fall into the shaytaan trap of the blues. Listen – it is ok to miss Ramadan and the unity it brings and the tarawih prayers and the sisterhood/brotherhood – I get it. But don’t let it leave now. It leaves when we hit the downward. So grab your Qur’an and be thankful to Allah that you have the best and #1 self-help book right with you. In fact it is your ULTIMATE self-help book and with it in your life you can never go wrong. We make a dua in Surah Fatiha where we ask Allah (swt) to guide us on the ‘Straight Path’ and subhan’Allah – look at the power of our dua – Allah (swt) answers it instantaneously in the next following Surah where He (swt) says that THIS BOOK (the Qur’an) is a GUIDANCE for those who are conscious of Allah – aware of Him – fear Him – love Him – want His forgiveness and mercy – this book has the answers! I invite you to embrace it and promise to read, study and live by it insha’Allah. I’ll show you how in the tips and action points below. But just before I get there I want to say a big phat EID MABROOK to you and your family from me and my family – taqabbal Allahu minna wa minkum - may Allah accept it from you and us – [ameen!] You may not understand everything the Qur’an is saying at the moment – but that is ok because that will change – remember ‘Hope’. Also the thing is that because we are so accustomed to getting advice and help from elsewhere (friends, social media, etc) we can’t seem to connect to the concept that the Qur’an has all the answers for us. But all we need to do is look at the Seerah of Rasool Allah and we will come to know that yes the Qur’an does have all the answers for me as Aisha (RA) said that Rasool Allah was the ‘walking Qur’an’ – as he was the Qur’an translated into action. Tips and Action Points: 1. Believe! - Believe in Allah’s mercy, in His forgiveness – believe that when you ask Him to guide you and straighten your affairs He (swt) will. Nothing is more powerful in life than belief – and nothing is more powerful than believing that Allah (swt) will make it alright and He (swt) will show you the way. - If you’re having the doubts then firstly know it is waswasa from shaytaan and his job is to lead us off course and secondly think of all the times that Allah helped you (specifically where something major was happening and you called out to Him – we’ve all had that moment in our lives). - Purify your intention and sincerity – these two are really important for us in all that we do – so let’s make it a habit to purify them at each step insha’Allah. 2. Make a Qur’an Plan - Just like a ‘To-Do’ list or scheduling your diary make a plan for your Qur’an. So in this plan you will write how much you will recite each day, what times, for how long and when will you study the tafsir, attend Qur’an courses (including hifz and tajweed) and what resources you will use. Some of the resources you could use are online YouTube videos (Like Qur’an Weekly Ramadan Gems - if you haven’t already then I highly recommend you watch them all – 30 short 5 to 10 min videos) books, getting teachers (maybe private teachers). There are a lot of resources available to us – you have to be curious enough to do your own research – that is your study part – you can’t expect anyone to do it for you. Also in this plan you could include Family Qur’an Time – especially if you have younger siblings or children – this is the best self-help start you can give your family insha’Allah. 3. Your Dream Team - Who is in your world? I.e. who are your friends? Time for a friend check-up! - You want a team who will help you realize not only your potential as a human and what you’re capable of achieving but also a team who loves Qur’an just as you do – for there is nothing worse than having those in your life who don’t share the same passions and who don’t love and appreciate the Qur’an and its message! - In this dream team you have your supporters, mentors and coaches. And you would be the same in someone else's dream team. We all need A* players in our world - on our side. Allah created us social beings and it is in social settings we thrive and excel. This dream team will be there to support you through all your ups and downs and will encourage you to excel. This special team is called ‘Qur’an Dream Team’. Go create yours right now insha’Allah. The Qur’an creates a special kind of connection with our Rabb Allah – He is speaking to us through the Qur’an and we need to make it our #1 Book in our life insha’Allah. I do hope and pray that this post today does help you in some way or another. Please leave me your comments and let me know what three things you will do right now to keep the Ramadan spirit alive and connecting with your very own #1 self-help book – the Qur’an! :)
(Image www.islamic-paradise.com/)
"Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: 'When there comes the month of Ramadan, the gates of mercy are opened, and the gates of Hell are locked and the devils are chained.'" (Hadith Muslim) Dearest beloved Soul... "O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqûn (God-Conscious)" {Qur'an; 2:183} ***Ramadan Mabrook!!!*** "The month of Ramadân in which was revealed the Qur'ân, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong). So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadân i.e. is present at his home), he must observe Saum (fasts) that month, and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number [of days which one did not observe Saum (fasts) must be made up] from other days. Allâh intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you. (He wants that you) must complete the same number (of days), and that you must magnify Allâh [i.e. to say Takbîr (Allâhu-Akbar; Allâh is the Most Great) on seeing the crescent of the months of Ramadân and Shawwâl] for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him." {Qur'an; 2:185} My dua for you and your loved ones is that may this month of mercy bring you forgiveness, goodness and abundant barakas. May ALL your duas be answered and ALL your deeds and ibaadah accepted. Please keep me and my family in your duas :) Tips and Action Points: 1. Grab your *Free* and ultimate Ramadan eBook right here right now 'Last 10 Inspirations' 2. Go through the eBook and start making your Ramadan Plan, if you haven't already. And if you have then insha'Allah this eBook will help you further. 3. Share this post with ALL your loved ones and contacts so they can all grab their free copy of this Ramadan eBook as well. 4. Take this opportunity to comment below and share with all our readers/community how you will be spending Ramadan, what three things you will do. This is not about bragging or showing off - its about inspiring and motivating each other insha'Allah. 5. Keep your eyes open for a special announcement! ;) ...And, its Ramadan y'all - just go do it! :) "I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious." Albert Einstein I'm a bit like AE; 'Passionately Curious'. But you and I would agree that AE was talented indeed! You know, we're ALL talented and God has blessed us all with unique gifts. When we were little we believed in ourselves. We believed we were superheroes, created to save the world - here to make a difference - we believed we could fly and would prove it by jumping off the sofa, arms spread like wings and in our minds we were flying over mountains and hills and even tall buildings. We had hopes and wishes and dreams. 'What will you be when you grow up?' Would ask the adults and we would never hesitate to say 'An Astronaut' or 'A Teacher' or ['Insert what you said here']. And this was all when we were age 10 and under. So, what happened? How did our imagination suddenly go into early retirement and when did we start not believing in our dreams? I believe this starts happening when we start secondary school at age 11 (UK system) and we get focused on school studies. Play is only at gym time and its pretty controlled. I mean you can't run around the gym hall pretending you're a superhero and that you can fly - you'd instantaneously be outcasted and declared the official class weirdo! But I like weird - and I think I'm pretty weird and NO I didn't run around gym hall thinking I was a superhero! I went to school too AND I guess I was conditioned in the whole schooling system to stop believing in my dreams. By the way - this post is NOT to undermine our schooling system - I shall leave that for some academic paper lol! What happens when we stop believing in ourselves? We don't achieve and start to live a mediocre life. But you know something - if you've hit a certain stage and age in life (late 20's onwards) then I would strongly suggest that NOW is the time to stop and quit the excuses and to start believing again. And believe me - I had to do that again! It was PAINFUL! And if you're in your early years then please DO NOT give up on your dreams! The thing is - Islam teaches us to have faith and hope and believe in ourselves. I mean Allah (swt) does say in the Qur'an that He most certainly will help us IF we take that all important step in helping ourselves. You know, our pious predecessors achieved so much with so little and today you and I have so much but we waste it all - and usually on social media! (Yeah facebook). They believed and had hope and faith! And guess what? They achieved! The thing is we are all talk and no action and our actions are little and we believe we can't achieve. When a fellow being believes and tries to achieve, we call them arrogant - not realising that in fact they are actually being assertive AND proactive. We don't support each other! We need to change that right now - you and I and start to believe again. Yes, there will be the down days - I have them too - but we have to pull ourselves out of that rut. I Am! This is your new mantra from today onwards. I Am! And with that add all the positive things you are and want to be. Even if it sounds fake - do it now - its just your subconscious which is trying to keep you stuck in a rut - and trust me - you don't gotta be in that rut no more. By declaring 'I Am!' You are being assertive - not arrogant nor haughty. No, you are simply claiming back your rights of being positive again and believing in your dreams again. Just the way we believe and have hope in God - we need to believe and have hope in all the skills, abilities and talents He (swt) has blessed us with. Look what the Qur'an tells us and what we need to aspire towards. "The truthful men and the truthful women, the patient men and the patient women, the humble men and the humble women, the charitable men and the charitable women, the fasting men and the fasting women, the men who guard their chastity and the women who guard their chastity, the men who remember Allah much and the women who remember Allah much - for all these Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward." {Qur'an 33:35} Subhan'Allah! Amazing or what?! And before you say; 'Oh but...' No Buts!!! We are a working progress and each day we work towards achieving and becoming this female or male. You can be a King or Queen and still be spiritual and upon the deen. Its all about balance. You're a King and Queen of your world, of your families, of your lives. You're worth it! God created you for greatness, so isn't it time YOU stepped into YOUR greatness? I mean, didn't you grow up looking up to your parents and believing that they were your superheroes? And didn't you secretly wish you could be just like them when you grew up? And what if you have younger siblings or children? Don't you want to set the best example for them? Is it going to be you they look up to or the next teen pop sensation? Exactly! You decide right now. Abdullah bin Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "Every one of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. The leader of the people is a guardian and is responsible for his subjects: a man is the guardian of his family and is responsible for his subjects, a woman is the guardian of her husband's home and of his children and is responsible for them, and the slave of a man is a guardian of his master's property and is responsible for it. Surely, everyone of you is a shepherd and responsible for his flock." [Bukhari & Muslim] But I also have a feeling deep within that you did want positive role models in your life and you do want to be a role model for someone else in your life. So, right now, I invite you to give yourself permission to be the best role model for yourself. Become the better version of you. Learn from your mistakes. In fact our mistakes are life lessons for us, full of wisdom. Say; 'I Am!' Take this verse as an inspiration and motivation to act now. "The servants of the Beneficent (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in humility." {Qur'an; partial; 25:63} You too can walk on this Earth in humility and excel in your field. You are created for greatness. You too can dream and achieve. Check out today's tips and action points on how to 'Unleash the I Am within YOU!' Tips and Action Points: 1. Grab pen and paper and write all your achievements to date. I don't care how long ago it was or what it was write it down right now. - Reflect on your achievements, give shukr to Allah as He (swt) helped you achieve and think of what you want to achieve now insha'Allah. Make a plan. 2. Create a 'Dream Team!' - This is your own personal team of all A* players ie supporters - who will support you in your dreams and ambitions. - Become part of someone else's active 'Dream Team' and support them to achieve. 3. Forward this post to at least one person in your life right now - trust me, this one act will have a ripple effect and you might just save a soul today! :) And finally, here's some inspiration for you to help you believe in you again. Leave me a comment and let me know how YOU will 'Unleash the 'I Am!' within YOU!' :) George Bernard Shaw was asked on his deathbed "What would you do if you could live your life again?" He reflected and replied with a deep sigh "I'd be the person I could have been but never was." ...So you start to learn something new - enrolling on to a new course maybe, grab a new book perhaps or finally decided; 'Enough is enough - I'm going to live my best life and help others live their best life too'. And so you excitedly go and tell your loved ones (parents, friends, spouse - cat maybe) and they turn around and say; 'Why are you studying so many courses? Why you gona do that for?' *Ouch!* You know...I've been there too and oh boy did that hurt! (In my heart) :( You think that the ones who love you the most will be your biggest support. Nah ah, Not always. There's a lot of reasons behind their unsupportive gesture. It could be because they had goals, dreams and wishes for life but were unable to fulfil them because, well, life got in the way. Or maybe because now they think they won't see or hear so much of you again. Or that they are just not interested in the same thing as you. Or maybe they are just jealous! Too many maybes, I know! But it usually is one of these and I've had my fair share of ALL of these! Sad - I know! But the thing it really boils down to is 'fear!' Fear is such a nincompoop that it stops us from reaching new heights (in all areas of our life). I should know - because all I did was listen to others negativity and just let it eat me through. I mean, I'm highly ambitious - since childhood - I wrote my first book; 'The Lovely Cake' at age 10 (dedicated to my love of chocolate cakes) and was scheming and planning (yes actually writing these plans down and physically preparing) for running a library business at age 9 for kids on my road (I had a big book collection)! But I got caught up in everyone else's negativity. And it wasn't until late 2010 at age 30 as I was recovering from an illness and some other personal and family issues that I officially decided and said; 'Nadia - Enough is Enough!' That was it! From this point on I was going to turn things around. And masha'Allah I was already succeeding (two undergrad degrees, two post-grads, masters degree, a successful blog and first business) but I let others negativity eat me up. I realised that THEIR reality was NOT my reality! And THAT was a powerful breakthrough moment for me! Allah says: "But say: "O my Lord! Increase me in knowledge". I got into super focused 150% ExCel Mode and wrote down all that I wanted to achieve - no holds barred! They all wanted to stay stuck in the negativity loop then so be it - but not me - no more. If they were afraid to move on or experience new things - then I couldn't do anything for them. Don't get me wrong - I've tried where I could - but some just don't want to know. I guess they just don't believe in me. But there's many who do - and alhamdulilah for being blessed with them - and it usually takes just one person to believe in us for miracles to happen. So my question to you is; 'Do you want to achieve greatness in your life?' And; 'What's stopping you?' It could be your own negative beliefs and thought patters or it could be others or a combination of both. However, both are very detrimental. But as Jim Rohn responded to people who said why achieve so much he said; 'What else you going to do with your life? You got to stay here til you go! And he's right. So what do you want to do with YOUR life? There's many ways of learning new things - formal education and life education and experience. We all have access to a public library and borrowing books is free. Take a stroll through the library this week insha'Allah. We can all buy the translation of the Qur'an and hadith books - as well as many Islamic literature and masha'Allah many dawah organisations give them to you for free. It was related by Anas b. Malik that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim." [Sunan Ibn Mâjah (224) and others] Let's not take this lightly. We need to delve into all sciences from law to medicine to poetry to cosmology to Islam to you name it - you choose - you decide! :) We need to become 'Jack of Multiple Trades and Master of All' - just like our Pious Predecessors who achieved greatness in ALL fields. Read about their lives - they have been inspiring and motivating me since age 14! It was the Muslim world who took the Europeans out of the Dark Ages with their inventions and medical/scientific breakthroughs. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever seeks a way to acquire knowledge Allah will make easy his way to Paradise." [Sahîh Muslim (2699)] And we ALL want paradise! :) Isn't it time you started living your best life and become fearless of what others think? Don't let anybody stop you or tell you that you can't, ok? Right now is the time to take that first step towards positive change and learn from cradle to grave. I invite you to check out today's quick tips and action points and let the learning journey begin - bismillah :) "If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability." Henry Ford Tips and Action Points: 1. Grab pen and paper or your journal. - Write down all your dreams and wishes and all that you want to achieve before you die. - Don't hold back - this is YOUR time to dream! - Choose three things you can start on immediately. 2. Start to read...NOW! - Reading is powerful. Allah says in the Qur'an; 'Read, and your Lord is the most Generous' - Find books that you need to read in the three chosen fields in point 1 above and choose books in other fields that interest you. - Schedule a book-shop and library visit this week in your diaries now. 3. Get online on YouTube and check for 'Personal Development'. - Sign up to those who interest you and listen to their work. I do, every day. - Start developing your own daily personal development. - Make and meet friends who are into making positive changes in their lives. As for those who don't support you - spend less time with them. And finally, remember daily five prayer, daily Qur'an reciting, dua, dhikr - and at each dua ask Allah to purify your ikhlaas (sincerity) and niyyah (intention) and bless you in your time! (That's a gem from my dua session!) :) So your turn now. Comment below and let me know what you're going to do and what's steps you're going to take. Let's inspire and motivate each other on this journey from Cradle to Grave to Jannah and beyond! |
AuthorNadia Leona Yunis Archive
|