Count His blessings @sahiradahrin - Tumblr Blog

yesterday was our 3 year anniversary, so some random thoughts:

- there is no stability and security like what you find within marriage. knowing that both of you are legally bound and emotionally committed to one another, it makes it so much easier to open your heart and be vulnerable because you know the other person can’t just walk away on a whim.

- marriage brings out the ugliest and most beautiful parts of you. fears you thought were deeply hidden, insecurities you’re defensive about, it all comes out with time and what really matters is how you learn to deal with that darkness within yourself and your partner.

- there are boring days, unforgettable days, happy moments, angry moments, and everything in between. creating those memories and nurturing the life you’re building together because you’re both mutually and equally invested in it, that’s the real joy.

- being married to a person who supports your dreams, helps you grow, and gives you complete freedom to be yourself, this heals even the deepest wounds.

- don’t give up on love. the right person is worth the effort.

thespilledquotes

A soulmate is someone who is willing to grow with you, who chooses to be with you until the end, and will love you through good and bad. It's not about sunshine and laughter, it's about mundane moments filled with unknowns.

— T.B. LaBerge

fuckyeahcomicsbaby

IT Workers Share the Most Idiotic Things Non-Techies Have Told Them

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Yup

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I feel this deeply

iheartallah

Are You a Muslim Who Doesn’t Pray? Read On.

You want to pray, but you just.. Can’t.

Perhaps you’ve always wanted to be one of those people who pray.. It seems so easy for some. They just get up and do it. Perhaps you were one of those people at one time, but now.. Not so much.

Something inside you is broken. Scratch that.. It’s not exactly broken.. More like, it feels hollow inside. Something is missing. You feel nothing.. Numb.

So how do we get from this to praying? The problem with most advice on salah is that it looks at things from a reactive point of view instead of a proactive point of view. Not praying? Well, just start. Or better yet, take one salah at a time and keep building until you reach five. Good advice, no?

No. It doesn’t address what leads a person towards salah to begin with.

For some one who feels that hollowness inside, ‘just praying’ does nothing to stir the soul. It doesn’t fill you up. And, in fact, it can deplete you even further. No, you need to start somewhere else.. You need to fill yourself up before your actions all follow suit.

We pray because of one simple reason: We love Allah. It’s the loving Allah part that makes it easy. It’s the loving Allah part that makes you stand up when you’re exhausted. Without that piece of the puzzle, nothing else will make salah stick.

When we look at the early Muslims, when Islam first came down, were there a lot of commandments? No, there weren’t. The early surahs are filled with lessons about Allah, about His Angels, His Messengers, His Books. The rules and regulations came later, after the foundation was built. So when we look at our own lives, why do we focus on the rules and regulations without paying attention to the foundation first?

If we want to be amongst those who pray.. Who pray regularly and easily.. Who jump up when the time for salah begins.. Then we need to begin first by building a love for Allah. And in order to do this, we need to KNOW Him.

I always tell people who aren’t praying to begin first with dhikr. Say SubhanAllah 100 times each day. And as you do so, reflect on our own weaknesses, and the Greatness of Allah. Reflect on how it is only with His Help that we are able to do anything. When you do this, you’ll start a habit of THINKING about Allah. You’re remembering Him.

And what happens when you remember Allah? It starts to soften your dead heart.. You start to have more peace.. And most importantly, He remembers YOU.

Ibn al-Qayyim stated, “In the heart there is hardness which can only be softened by remembrance of Allah. So the slave must treat the hardness of his heart with the remembrance of Allah.”

“Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.” (Qur’an, 13:28)

“I am to my servant as he expects of Me, I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in his heart, I remember him to Myself, and if he remembers me in an assembly, I mention him in an assembly better than his…” (Bukhari and Muslim)

Be MINDFUL of this as you sit each day doing some dhikr. Think to yourself, I am walking towards Allah.. As the last hadith goes on to say..

“… When he comes closer to Me by a handspan, I come closer to him an arm’s length. If he draws closer to Me by an arm’s length, I draw closer by a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him. If my servant comes to Me walking, I go to him running.” (Al-Bukhari)

You’re not praying (yet) but be mindful that you are getting closer. Allow yourself to be in a state where you know you aren’t doing what you’re supposed to, but you’re taking steps to get there. One of the tactics of Shaitan is that he leads you to believe that it’s all or nothing. Either you’re praying, or you’re sinfully not. So when we’re not, a dark cloud of guilt hovers over us, leaving us in darkness, unable to move forward.

Do you know the story of the man who killed 99 men?

Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Prophet of Allah (PBUH) said: “There was a man from among a nation before you who killed ninety-nine people and then made an inquiry about the most learned person on the earth. He was directed to a monk. He came to him and told him that he had killed ninety-nine people and asked him if there was any chance for his repentance to be accepted. He replied in the negative and the man killed him also completing one hundred. He then asked about the most learned man in the earth. He was directed to a scholar. He told him that he had killed one hundred people and asked him if there was any chance for his repentance to be accepted. He replied in the affirmative and asked, `Who stands between you and repentance? Go to such and such land; there (you will find) people devoted to prayer and worship of Allah, join them in worship, and do not come back to your land because it is an evil place.’ So he went away and hardly had he covered half the distance when death overtook him; and there was a dispute between the angels of mercy and the angels of torment. The angels of mercy pleaded, ‘This man has come with a repenting heart to Allah,’ and the angels of punishment argued, ‘He never did a virtuous deed in his life.’ Then there appeared another angel in the form of a human being and the contending angels agreed to make him arbiter between them. He said, `Measure the distance between the two lands. He will be considered belonging to the land to which he is nearer.’ They measured and found him closer to the land (land of piety) where he intended to go, and so the angels of mercy collected his soul”. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

In another version: “He was found to be nearer to the locality of the pious by a cubit and was thus included among them”. Another version says: “Allah commanded (the land which he wanted to leave) to move away and commanded the other land (his destination) to draw nearer and then He said: “Now measure the distance between them.’ It was found that he was nearer to his goal by a hand’s span and was thus forgiven”. It is also narrated that he drew closer by a slight movement on his chest.

What is awesome about this story is that he hadn’t dramatically changed in terms of his actions. He was just WALKING towards change. And that was enough for Allah. Allah is so patient that He watches us disobey Him. And He waits. Waiting for us to turn back to Him. SubhanAllah!

So begin by walking towards Him. And be mindful that when you do your dhikr, you are taking a step.

Another good step is to begin learning His Names. When you KNOW Him, really know Him, you can’t help but attach your heart onto Him. Knowing Allah’s Names will draw your heart closer to Him. And as it does so, you will remember Him more..

Over time, your desire to please Him and turn back to Him will increase.. And this, my friends, is what will fill you up. This is what will take away the hollowness.. THIS is what will make salah easy. THIS is where the advice, ‘take it one salah at a time’ will be beneficial. When you get to this place, it won’t be such a giant leap to contemplate standing up for one prayer. And slowly, one will become two.. And so on..

But before you begin building your prayers, take the time to build your foundations, just as they early Muslims did. Start with baby steps, like doing dhikr or learning His Names.

(Author: Saira Siddique - Source)

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Don’t share too much. Your goals need to be a mystery to many. They don’t need to know what you’re doing until it’s done.

julaibib

(This is the question about telling a story with marriage as topic) You can tell me any story, as long marriage/love is the topic. I can’t many of them in Islam, so that’s why I wanted you to maybe tell some. It can be between anyone! A prophet and their wife, a sahaba and theirs or someone else from Islam. Maybe an odd thing to ask someone to do, but I think people should learn more about marriage and relationships from the best of us, instead of media and celebrities.

Fatima was a woman of eighteen and full of energy and passion with a personality that matched her father more than anyone else. This did not go unnoticed and many men started to come forward to ask her hand in marriage. First came Abu Bakr, and he was kindly refused by the Prophet ﷺ. Then came Umar, who was also kindly refused by the Prophet ﷺ. Umar went to Ali and suggested that he ask for Fatima’s (RA) hand. Ali was very much in love with her. However, Ali did not think that the Prophet ﷺ would accept his proposal, as he was very poor, especially when he saw that the proposals of two Companions were rejected. Umar reminded him of his family relationship with the Prophet ﷺ and his position in Islam and Ali became convinced that he might have a shot.All Ali’s confidence melted away though when he finally got to the Prophet’s ﷺ house. He came inside, sat down and said nothing. “What is the matter, son of Abu Talib?” said the Prophet ﷺ. Ali was still too nervous to speak. The Prophet ﷺ asked again, “What is your mind, son of Abu Talib?” Again Ali said nothing. “You have come to ask for Fatima’s (RA) had in marriage, am I right?” Ali nodded. The Prophet ﷺ broke into a great smile and went and asked Fatima her opinion. When she approved, he told Ali that they accept his proposal. He then asked him if he had any dowry for her. Ali replied that he did not. “What about your shield?” asked the Prophet ﷺ? “It is worth barely more than 400 Dirhams,” said Ali. “I accept it as a dowry,” replied the Prophet ﷺ.And so Ali sold his shield for 400 Dirhams and with the dowry the Prophet ﷺtold Bilal to buy some perfume for Fatima (RA) and he told Um Salama to buy her some new dresses. On the day of their wedding, their zaffa included all the Companians- Anas Ibn Malik, Abu Bakr, Umar, Talhah, Zubair and other Ansar and migrant friends. The food was dates that were offered to the guests. The wedding zaffa took them from Madinah to the outskirts of the city where Ali had found a home, as he couldn’t afford a place in the city.

Their house was a humble small room. It had a bed, a pillow filled with date leaves, a plate, a glass, a leather water bag, and a grinding stone for grinding flour. On their wedding night, the Prophet ﷺ told Ali and Fatima to wait for him in their new house. After Isha prayer, the Prophet ﷺ went to their house and asked for some water, which he used to make wudu, supplication, and said, “ Oh Allah bless them and bless their offspring.” He addressed Ali as his brother and asked him to place his hand on Fatima’s (RA) head and repeat some duaas. He then placed Ali’s hand on Fatima’s hand and advised them how to honor each other as husband and wife. “Ali do not get angry, and if you do, sit down. Remember Allah’s power over His servants and His tolerance of their sins. If you are advised to fear Allah, abandon your anger and go back to your deliberateness.” After he had given them all the advice he was walking out the door when he turned and said to them that they should pray two rakkahs.So began the married life of Ali and Fatima (RA).

Fatima (RA) and Ali were very devoted to Islam and integrated Islamic principles in their daily lives. One day, they were breaking their fast, when there was a knock on the door. Ali asked who it was and the person replied “a poor, hungry man”. Ali and Fatima (RA) gave him all of their food and broke their fast with only bread and water. The next day, they were breaking their fast when there was another knock on the door. This time it was “an orphan who is homeless and starving.” Again Ali and Fatima (RA) gave him all their food and broke their fast with bread and water. On the third day, at the knock on the door there was “a captive.” Once again Ali and Fatima (RA) at only bread and water as they gave all their food to the man. It was said that these three people were all angel Jibreel who was sent to test the patience of Ali and Fatima (RA). It was also said that Jibreel told Prophet Mohammed ﷺ about this and informed him that Ali and Fatima (RA) will have a carriage of silver in Paradise. Some scholars believe that it was this incident that caused the revelation of this verse:{And they give food, in spite of their love for it [or the love of Him] to the needy, the orphan, and the captive [saying], ‘We feed you seeking Allah’s countenance only. We wish for no reward or thanks from you.} –Holy Quran, 76: 8-9

The story of Umm Sulaym and Abu Talhah

Among the great Muslim women who are known for their strength of character, lofty aspirations and far-sightedness in their choice of a husband is Umm Sulaym bint Milhan, who was one of the first Ansar women to embrace Islam.

She was married to Malik ibn Nadar, and bore him a son, Anas. When she embraced Islam, her husband Malik was angry with her, and left her, but she persisted in her Islam. Shortly afterwards, she heard the news of his death, and she was still in the flower of her youth. She bore it all with the hope of reward, for the sake of Allah (SWT), and devoted herself to taking care of her ten-year-old son Anas. She took him to the Prophet (PBUH), so that he could serve him (and learn from him).

One of the best young men of Madinah, one of the best-looking, richest and strongest, came to seek her hand in marriage. This was Abu Talhah – before he became Muslim. Many of the young women of Yathrib liked him because of his wealth, strength and youthful good looks, and he thought that Umm Sulaym would joyfully rush to accept his offer. But to his astonishment, she told him, “O Abu Talhah, do you not know that your god whom you worship is just a tree that grew in the ground and was carved into shape by the slave of Banu so-and-so.” He said, “Of course.” She said, “Do you not feel ashamed to prostrate yourself to a piece of wood that grew in the ground and was carved by the slave of Banu so-and-so?” Abu Talhah was stubborn, and hinted to her of an expensive dowry and luxurious lifestyle, but she persisted in her point of view, and told him frankly: “O Abu Talhah, a man like you could not be turned away, but you are a disbelieving man, and I am a Muslim woman. It is not permitted for me to marry you, but if you were to embrace Islam, that would be my dowry (mahr), and I would ask you for nothing more.” [Reported by al-Nisa’i with a sahih isnad, 6/114, Kitab al-nikah, bab al-tazwij ‘ala’l-Islam.]

He returned the following day to try to tempt her with a larger dowry and more generous gift, but she stood firm, and her persistance and maturity only enhanced her beauty in his eyes. She said to him, “O Abu Talhah, do you not know that your god whom you worship was carved by the carpenter slave of so-and-so? If you were to set it alight, it would burn.” Her words came as a shock to Abu Talhah, and he asked himself, Does the Lord burn? Then he uttered the words: “Ashhadu an la ilaha ill-Allah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasul-Allah.”

Then Umm Sulaym said to her son Anas, with joy flooding her entire being, “O Anas, marry me to Abu Talhah.” So Anas brought witnesses and the marriage was solemnized.

Abu Talhah was so happy that he was determined to put all his wealth at Umm Sulaym’s disposal, but hers was the attitude of the selfless, proud, sincere believing woman. She told him, “O Abu Talhah, I married you for the sake of Allah (SWT), and I will not take any other dowry.” She knew that when Abu Talhah embraced Islam, she did not only win herself a worthy husband, but she also earned a reward from Allah (SWT) that was better than owning red camels (the most highly-prized kind) in this world, as she had heard the Prophet (PBUH) say:“If Allah (SWT) were to guide one person to Islam through you, it is better for you than owning red camels.”[Fath al-Bari, 7/476, Kitab al-maghazi, bab ghazwat Khaybar.]

Such great Muslim women are examples worthy of emulation, from whom Muslim women may learn purity of faith, strength of character, soundness of belief and wisdom in choosing a husband.

Source Chapter 4: Ideal Muslimah Book