Legally Veiled

Should you be wondering whether my blog name was inspired by the Hollywood production ‘Legally Blonde’, yes, yes it was. Now that that is out of the way – my name is Safiyah; bathroom philosopher, law student and Muslim woman.         Hereby expect to find a miscellaneous collective of photographs and personal ramblings.           

[legallyveiled]

Teachers

Everyone you meet in this life is a teacher. As cheesy as it may sound, I’ve come to learn how true this statement is. It’s incredible how some people cross over, they come into your life for the better or even for the worse and it changes you from that point on. Be the change small or big. It still changes you.

  There are a lot of people I’ve learnt from, directly and indirectly. Perhaps they didn’t come into my life with that intention, but regardless they’ve done so.

  With some I’ve crossed paths for a few minutes and with others I’ve spent years. And with every relationship, miniscule and lengthy, I learnt new lessons.

  Recently, someone left my life…for the better? Allah-u Aalem.

But from that individual I’d learnt a lot. I’m pretty sure they had no intention of teaching me anything. Actually they were pretty oblivious to the effect they had on me but still their presence in my life for that period of time has changed me forever. It was a relationship that lingered on for far too long, but (by way of tumblr) I’ve become familiarized with the saying that nothing ever goes away until it teaches you what you need to know. Indeed it has taught me a lot. I’m much more certain about what I want in life, and reassured me of the things I never wanted. 

  But its not only that one individual from whom I’ve learned and grown as a person. There are people who continue to be part of my life and with every interaction I am more enriched. As well as understanding other human beings, I discover parts of myself that were once foreign to me.

  Perhaps it’s a little deep for tumblr, but I am so grateful for every little interaction, every person that has crossed my life, and every being that continue to put up with me tolerating and accepting my many shortcomings. Thank you guys. 

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the state of the world in a nutshell

[legallyveiled]

Solar 2015 has been my most challenging year yet. I began teaching. Fell in love with it. And then fell out of love with it. I experienced unemployment. Fell into a routine of nothingness. So I began writing. I wrote my heart out. I even got published. I started a bookclub. I got myself a diary. Started learning tajweed. And through it all I realized the beauty of hardship. How it forcefully pushes you inwards. Only so that you can clean out the cobwebs of your heart. I met some soul-mates. Learnt the importance of good friendships. I began co-hosting on a podcast series. I learned to live simply. I realized that I could not control everything. But I could certainly control how I reacted to everything. So I learnt to let go and let God. And along the way, I witnessed the power of supplication. The miraculous nature of erecting my feet during the last third of the night. I learnt that patience reaps beautiful fruit. But boy is patience hard. I learnt not to beat myself up so much. To fuel my disappointments into motivation and not discouragement. Because we are growing with every minute of every day. Stop saying that you’ll change tomorrow, because quite frankly you should have started yesterday. But here’s to another day.

[islamic-art-and-quotes]

The wise don’t ask for pleasure or pain. They both fade and die. The wise ask for sufficiency and contentment.

Yasmin Mogahed

[bronsonsnelling]

[love-personal]

[observando]

by tiago

[legallyveiled]

Do you listen to music? If not, how do you keep yourself entertained when you're travelling long distances?

No, Alhamdulillah, I don’t actively listento music.

You know long journeys were one of thehardest things for me when I decided to stop listening to music.

Before, long distance trips would beaccompanied by my fav tunes. Music has a quality to create ambiance andatmosphere to a journey. But when I realised that with every song, my spiritualheart was suffering and with every tune, my love for this world increased andmy neglect of the hereafter grew a little stronger – I knew the ambiance andthe atmosphere were just not worth it.

So now, I use my journeys not to block out– but to breathe in. To reflect on my life. To re-focus. To plan. To be at onewith my thoughts. Sometimes I write whilst travelling. Sometimes I daydream.Sometimes I listen to Quran (which is so calming and ethereal). I listen topodcasts or lectures. Audiobooks come in pretty handy too. So yeah – there arequite a few alternatives to music I’ve found.

Purify your intentions and give them a go.

I pray Allah makes the journey easy foryou.  

[a-joyfuljourney]

Mandi Nelson

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[legallyveiled]

Selam, how would you advice one to practice modesty in behaviour and manner? JazakAllah.

Wa’alaikum usselaam,

Your question struck a few cords inmy heart, I had to reflect quite a bit before being able to give you a decentanswer. Hence the late response, please forgive me.

This is something I too strugglewith. So in my continual plight,here are some things that I’ve learnt along the way:

In the name of The Knower of AllHearts,

1)    Something I’ve learnt rather recently is that being praised byothers is not the best thing for your soul. Modesty can be tarnished whenpeople praise you, because after some time - we begin to attach our actions tothe validation of people. We may begin to do things with the expectation ofacknowledgment. Which can eventually lead to an inclination to show off.  

1.    But show off more to Allah, and less to people. Do more whenit’s just you and Him. In acts of worship – increase your quality and quantity.Seek to impress Allah. Not so much people.

2)   In everything you do, see yourself as a servant. For a servantfulfills their duties without the expectation of anything. If he/she isrewarded/acknowledged for their service, they are pleased. But if not, they’re notfazed.

3)   Speak less. Listen more.

4)   Do not underestimate the power of small acts of kindness. Doingthings selflessly for those who cannot do anything for you – it helps build youin humility.

5)   Which brings me onto this - spend time with those lessfortunate. It enables you to realise your powerlessness – it allows you to seethat you are in this blessed postion by Allah’s grace alone. It diminishes arrogance. It allows you to grow in gratitude towards The One Who Bestows. It humblesyou. It softens the heart. A soft heart is a modest heart.  

6)   So take it back to the heart – boycott the diseases of theheart. Fight against arrogance, pride, envy, fight against illegitimate desiresand sins that can harden your heart.

When you take care of yourspiritual heart and guard it against all that which seeks to destroy it, youwill become invincible bi’ithnillah! With a soft heart comes modesty in actionand conduct – the beauty of your inward state will reflect in your outward conduct.

Thank you for sending in yourquestion. It helped me remind myself first and foremost.

I pray Allah blesses you with thegoodness that you seek. 

[legallyveiled]

Note to self: Don't say Allah is silent when your Quran is closed.

[lover-of-ar-rahmaan]

A kind deed you do for a person is kindness done towards yourself, and with which you decorate your own honour. So, do not seek thanks from someone else for what you have done for yourself.

Imam ‘Ali (as), Tuhaf al-‘Uqul, p. 287

[lingly]

[letsmakehappiness]

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Your silent prayers uttered on tearstained pillows were heard before they were said. Your deepest questions were answered before they were asked.

93/365 reasons to pray | Max Lucado