It’s been a while….

It’s been a while since Ive written a blog, coz it’s been a while since Ive been inspired.

Inspiration is such a strange thing as it’s completely changed momentum or entirely disappeared at certain points in my life.
The last time I got inspired to write a blog post was before I became a mother.
Alhamdhulillahi Ive been blessed with a beautiful daughter this year, my first born, and with this blessing, it’s turned this unbelievably crap year into a wonderful dream. Hubbs and I have been floating on happy clouds since she was born and we can’t say Alhamdhulillahi enough.

Perhaps my daughter is the reason why I’ve suddenly been inspired to write this post, which ironically is about inspiration.
But I’m not yet quite sure what to do with this inspiration. Has anyone else felt this way as well?

So what can I do with it?
I used to run a small business with Hubbs and it was one of the best things we’ve done together. And I do feel an urge to re-ignite that fire to a certain level, yet, maybe, I’m just not inspired enough for that?

I used to be a student in recent years, and those were some of the best years of my life, and I have decided to walk down (or up) this lane again but, Im not quite sure if thats the entirety of my inspiration. Hmm.

While I was sitting and pondering over all this today, with a bit of apprehension about a gloom that may set in its place if I didn’t figure this out sooner, of all the days, I got a random watsapp message from an unknown number asking me if I had given tuition before.
Thats when I remembered that this too was something I enjoyed immensely so maybe I should focus all my inspiration there?
But of coz I wont have time to teach kids while balancing work and taking care of my daughter.

I’ve come across a couple of documentaries or other that Ive watched, where people have said that they’ve always felt like they’re meant to do something great in this world. Something meaningful.
Something impactful.

Haven’t most people, if not all, had this feeling at some point in their lives? Yet most of us go on to live ordinary lives woven around comfortable routines? I wonder just how many among those are happy with their lives, and how many are inspired to do things out of their ordinary.

Is it only me who’s found inspiration to be as much of a nuisance as it is positive, simply because I don’t exactly know where I should direct this inspiration.

Netflix is open in one tab, and on another, here I am writing this blog post, my eyes darting between both tabs. Despite this ball of compressed energy in my belly filled with glorious inspiration, it’ll take me a while to focus it on where it makes the most sense.

One thing that’s proven itself to be the most valuable lesson of all throughout my life is to not rush into things. Countless times, the best rewards have come from practicing patience and only patience. So, I’ll wait and let things take it’s natural course. In Sha Allah, clarity will come soon.

Till then however, it really does feels great to once again be back in my blog, writing the ramblings in my mind that will probably neither inspire me, nor any other reader. 

Do you love your Hijab?

To answer this question though, first we must understand why we wear it at all right?

The simple and only answer is, because it is what Allah SWT has instructed us to do.

True, in some parts of the world women wear hijab only because its part of their traditions and customs.
But for a Muslimah (Arabic word for Muslim women), the sole purpose of wearing a Hijab is because Allah has instructed us to cover ourselves.

Allah has revealed in Surah An-Noor (24:30):
“And say to the believing women that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts and do not display their ornaments except what appears thereof,
and let them wear their head-coverings over their bosoms,
and not display their ornaments..”

Since we understand that we are wearing our Hijabs to follow Allah’s commands, the question now is….why do you love your Hijab?

Living in these tropics, under a mostly parching sun, in extreme humidity, throwing on an additional layer of clothing over our heads and neck is anything but pleasant on some days.
The amount of sweat that continuously dries underneath our hijabs only to be replaced by more, and the annoying routine of how frequently we have to tie our freshly washed lovely hair in a damp bun to go about our day isn’t easy for any of us.
Nervous about our hair stinking up the place from under our hijabs and with most of us already developing chronic dandruff, a Hijab often becomes a bit of a nuisance.

But despite it all, we really do love our Hijabs dont we?
Ultimately at the end and throughout the day, our Hijabs were worth every bit of sweat, unpleasantness and stress we sacrificed for it, wasn’t it?
So why, do we love our Hijab so much then?

I think the simple truth is that, it’s because we are content with following God’s command.
❤

*End*

How do we become “qualified”?

I had a thought today…

Is it really a fact that no one can become qualified for anything without a Degree, a Masters and a PHD??

Or are these just pieces of papers that have us believe that only with these can we become “qualified” to become somebody in the modern society?
And are our minds, our hearts & our characteristics given zero consideration in terms of one’s qualification?

Previously in the Maldives, only the wealthy or those who made it to a scholarship could afford one of these Certificates or pieces of papers. Things have changed now and, almost anyone can get these papers at an affordable rate with easy loans and sponsorships.

However, though its just a piece of paper at the end of the day, getting this paper is not an easy feat for most. Depending on what you are studying, some have it easy while others do not. Some people have to go through years of strenuous study sessions and stress, at the very least. But for others their studying is a breeze.

How easy or tough one has it depends on the person studying, as well as the quality of the study programme and the level of programme they are in.

But whether it’s tough or not, everyone who does her/his Degree or Masters or PHD, have to spend years of commitment and time out of their lives just to get the certificate at the end. So after all this dedication, the price for the commitment comes in the form of a a certificate. Or a piece of paper.

This piece of paper proves the fact that at the end we do gain a lot of knowledge and skill in the study areas we had pursued. It also ensures that we are better equipped to pursue further career boosts.

But does it also mean that, because we have done a Degree or Masters or PHD, it has made us qualified as a person to handle which ever responsibility that may come?

And there is also the question of when will we be ultimately the most qualified?

A Degree is better than a Diploma.
A Masters is better than a Degree.
A Double Masters is better than a single Masters.
A PHD is better than any of it.
A PHD holder with 15 years experience is better than a PHD holder with 5 years experience.

And so on..

So when will we ever become the best equipped with our pieces of papers to handle the most responsibilities?

Does it also mean that without a Degree or Masters of PHD, we are incapable of handling any major responsibilities or holding a higher position in an office?

Prophet Muhammed (May peace and blessing be upon him and his family) was a simple man in his time, who couldn’t neither read nor write.

Yet, he was the most blessed, the most smartest, the most kindest, the most respected and the most capable man to ever walk on this Earth. Even his enemies were in awe of his conduct, integrity and capabilities.

It wasn’t that there weren’t people in his time who had the then equivalent of our Degrees and Masters and PHDs either.
There were a lot of respected poets and literates during that time too.

Yet, none of them even came close to having the keen wisdom, patience, knowledge and capability that Prophet Muhammed (May peace and blessings be upon him and his family), a non-literate man, had.

So why are our pieces of papers so precious to us now?

What started this notion that only Degree or Masters or PHD holders are the capable ones within a society?

Why do we judge those who do not have these pieces of papers, and yet, we come home to our parents or grandparents who some of them never even completed school or never even attended school, but we love them and respect them for their wisdom and strength which they gained from their years of experience of just living.

Our parents and grandparents have been giving us the best advice and guiding us in the best ways…yet we never asked or expected them to show a piece of paper to prove that they are smart or capable.

Life is funny that way.

Education is key to our success. I agree with it a 100%. And its hard to survive in this modern era without a Degree or Masters or PHD, simply because we can’t find better jobs without one.

However, I think the fact remains that those pieces of papers doesn’t really prove how smart or well equipped a person is to deal with their responsibilities in their professional and personal lives.

Sure it will help enhance the skills needed to complete the work we do, but a person’s intellect and capabilities comes from within themselves.

I think that whether we went to school or not, our strong minds and hearts are what makes us capable human beings.

*End*

Can a woman on her menses (or period) get the rewards of the day of Arafat?

We all know how blessed a day the Day of Arafat is.

The ninth day of Dhu’l-Hijjah (or Hajju mass as we locals call it) is the Day of ‘Arafat.
It is the day when pilgrims stand on the plain of ‘Arafat to pray.

On this day, Muslims all over the world who do not witness the annual Hajj should spend the day in fasting.

Why do we fast on this day?

Prophet Muhammed, upon whom be peace, said:

“Fasting on the Day of ‘Arafah absolves the sins for two years:
the previous year and the coming year.”

All sins of the past year and the year ahead will be forgiven on the Day of Arafah.

Any practicing and obedient Muslim would no doubt want these extraordinary blessings granted by the Mercy of Allah SWT.

So how can a woman on her menses or period gain these blessings?

While it is Haraam for a woman on her period to fast, there are a lot of things we can do despite our periods.

By doing these acts of worship with pute intentions, we can also hope to be granted the full blessings of the Day of Arafat.

Only Allah SWT knows and wills His mercy. And He is Most Merciful.

Things we can do:

1- Listen to the Quran Recitation.

2- Read the thafseer (details) and translation/meaning of the Quran.

3- Do excessive Dhikr night and day.

Some examples of dhikr:

○Asthaghfirullah

○Subhaanallah

○Alhamdulillah

○Allahu Akbar

○Laa ilaaha illallah

○La hawla wa la quwwatha illa billahi-hil aliyyil adheem

4- Make dua and make repentance.

5- Learn Islamic knowledge.

Read a couple of books or watch a few videos about something you didn’t know before on Islam. And teach your kids or family or friends about it. Pass along the torch and gain blessings in return.

6- Love and help your parents.

7- Show the best manners, character and conduct on this blessed day.

8- Give to charity.

Spend in the way of Allah as much as you can for charity extinguishes sins save one from the fire.

So there you go ladies. Dont be sad that you’re missing out on the fast of the Arafath Day. There’s a lot we can do and Our creator is the Most Merciful 🙂

May Allah grant us women, the men, our loved ones and the Muslim Ummah the full blessings of the Day of Arafath.
Aameen

❤

*End*

Conversation with my taxi driver last night

As soon as I got in the cab and he started driving, my taxi driver started talking.

“Kokko aiyy negeema mi huttee.
Aslu dhen nimmaalaafa baavvan mi dhanee kaaru.
Dhen aiyy negeema huttaalee.
Ekamu mihen bunyas adhi geyah dhevey iru vedhaane ithuru gadi ireh.
Ehaa undhagoo park kuran. Nufennaane hama park kuraane thaneh!
Reygaves ehenve naaran car dhuvvaakah.”

* Pause here – (Kommes kamakaaa hihh hama nujehigen reyga kaarah neyri vaahaka Beybe bunee.
I didn’t quite catch what had happened…but it definitely had something to do with him not finding a space to park his car).

*He continued:

“Avahah faiban ulhunas nuvey.
Park kuraane thankolheh nulibigen.”

* He suddenly pointed out a Cyke on the side parked selfishly in the middle of a parking zone taking up a lot of space:

“Meeneenun balaala!
Balaala Cyke baindhaafa inn goiyy!
Eyga aiyylan dhen kereyne? Nukereyne mashakah.
Eyga aiyylan kerunu meehakah dhen ethaa park kureveynee.
Anekka aiyy liyas nimunee ey!”

*He pointed out an empty bit of another parking zone:

“Anhaa balaala!
Eyndhee thankolheh. Varah heyo varu hama.
Ekahala thankolheh ves hama nulibeyne!
Magakah vadhejjeyaaves hunnan jehenee nikumeveyne baa ey hithah araafa.
Mihiree echehi dhuvvaa varu.
Aslu Kokko aiyy negeema mi huttee. Ehen noon nama mihaaru ulheynee park kuran”

*He went on and on about cramped roads and limited parking, and after a while the car turned down my road.

I told him: “Beybe adhi kureega eyndhee ge.”

And he went:

“Aan dhen kuriyakah nun mihira dhevenee.
Kuriyah thaa dhen dhaanee.
Eyru aslu e fenunu thankolhu eh ee hama ge kairi ey.
Kokko aiyy negeema huttee. Ehen noon nama ethankolhu libunees.
Dhen dhaanee libeytho balan kokko laafa.”

*He stopped the car infront of my house.

I gave him the fare and told him: “Varah bodah Shukuriyya Beybe.”

He turned around to me with a smile and said:

“Aan Shukuriyya.

Alhamdhulillahi.”

I felt so bad for this sweet old man who was worrying over parking spaces everyday, but was persisting at his job to earn the moneys.

Last night he even had to give up the empty parking spot which he had spotted too late, because he wanted to help me out and give one last ride before the tedious parking spot hunt that would delay his going home even further!

I was so sure that by the end of the trip he would be completely annoyed with me for causing him the additional delays, yet, despite all his frustrations, the last words he said to me were “Alhamdhulillahi” , and that was absolutely beautiful to witness!!

Thank u Beybe, for reminding me of how to be grateful for not only all the good, but also for all the frustrations in life as well. And to take it all with a smile! 🙂

❤

*End*

How to complete the recitation of the Quran in Ramadan

The Quran has 600 pages, 114 Surahs and 30 Juz’s.
Now if you think about those numbers only, completing the recitation of the entire Quran in Ramadan would seem like a seriously difficult task.

But there’s a super easy way to complete the Quran.
1- Make the intention to complete reciting the Quran.

2- Target to complete ONE Juz’ per day.

3- Divide the Juz’ some more, to distribute the recitation throughout the day.

4- So if u want to complete 1 recitation of the Quran this month, recite only 4 pages after every Salah in a day.

5- If u wanna complete 2 recitations, recite 4 pages before and after every Salah in a day. And so on.

Pretty easy now right?

If u get too overwhelmed, recall and remember your intention to complete the Quran and get motivation from these hadiths.

Prophet Muhammed Sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam said:
“The best of you is he who learns the Quran and teaches it to others.”
[Bukhaari]
He, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, also said:
“Recite the Quran, because on the Day of Resurrection, it will come as an intercessor for those who recite it.[Muslim]

So lets get started people.

For the first Day of Ramadan– The first Juz’ is Juz’ 1:

From Surah Al-Faathiha verse 1 to Surah Al-Baqarah verse 141.

May Allah guide us and make this task easy for us.
Aameen.

-End-

Gender segregation and Islam?

During the time of our beloved Prophet Muhammed ﷺ , women would attend the mosques just like the men and, both genders would mix freely in the mosques during sermons or khuthbas delivered by the Prophet pbuh. 

During khuthbas, women had every right to ask the Prophet ﷺ  all the questions they wanted to just like the men.

Of coz all the questioning, hanging out at the mosques and worship was done while maintaining a level of respect, obedience and modesty that many of us today cant even measure up to.

But the bottom line is that there was NO gender segregation in the mosques during the time of Prophet Muhammed ﷺ .

Nowadays, I have to depend on Hubby dear to come and tell me the details of all the interesting lectures he can participate in at the mosques.

I mean forget sermons, nowadays us women cant even see the Imam DURING the prayers ! We are completely separated from the Imam and the men’s congregation by ceiling high walls as if trapping us women inside the tinier half of the mosque. 

During the time of the Prophet ﷺ, there was no gender segregation during or after prayers either. I mean of coz women stood in line for prayer behind the men…but there were no walls separating both genders.

So why is there segregation now??

I mean what’s up Maldives mosques? Seriously!

*End*

“Assalaamu Alaikum”

How would the residents of Paradise greet one another?

When the believers enter paradise they will be greeted by the words “Assalaamu Alaikum” meaning May Peace be upon you.
And this is the greeting the dwellers of Paradise will stick to .

Allah has revealed:
“And those who believed (in the Oneness of God and His Messengers and whatever they brought) 
and did righteous deeds, 
will be made to enter Gardens
under which rivers flow,
– to dwell therein forever,
with the Permission of their Lord.
Their greeting therein will be, ‘Salaam’ !”
(Quran 14:23)

*End*

The silent miracles you didn’t know about!

Did you also know that it’s not only scientific miracles that are found in the Quran???

The Quran is a miracle!
In it, are heartwarming words of wisdom, of guidance, of warnings, of instructions.
In it, are also signs of our Creator’s magnificence and wonder.

We read about or hear about the mind boggling scientific miracles mentioned in the Quran which have strangers to Islam wonder about HOW a person (Prophet Muhammed pbuh) from more than 1400 years ago, could have known to pass on a message about such a miracle. Often these scientific miracles are proved by scientists only in recent years once the technology was invented.

So what other kind of miracles exist in the Quran?

I’m talking about something so fascinating that it will surprise you that you never knew about this before, although you may not understand it in full comprehension…especially if you don’t know the language of the Quran…Arabic.

Yup! I’m talking about the linguistic miracles found in the Quran.

The Quran also has in it, absolutely mindboggling words, phrases and sentences of Arabic, that only a linguistic expert can fully appreciate the miracle of it. Just like how a scientist can fully understand a scientific miracle.

Here’s an example of one such miracle:

From the verse 3 of Surah Al-Mudhaththir;

وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ

(And your Lord do glorify) -74:3

Note: The “وَ “ at the beginning of the verse means “And” and it is used here to begin the sentence. So, what I am talking about is the next bit of the verse (رَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ).

Pause here. Do you know what a palindrome is?

A palindrome is a word, phrase, number or other sequence of characters which reads the same backward as forward.
A word like “Madam” or “racecar” is a palindrome. It’s spelled the same backwards and forwards, therefore it can be read from any direction without losing the pronunciation.

Now, composing a palindrome is a difficult thing.
Quick! Think of a palindrome in your own language. If you’re thinking of a 3 letter word, think of a 4 letter palindrome. How about 5? 6? Or 7?….Not the easiest task eh?

Now that you know what a palindrome is….getting back to the verse  “رَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ “, believe it or not, this verse is not a palindrome word, but it’s actually a palindrome SENTENCE!

Yup! The whole sentence is a palindrome. It can be spelled and read the same backwards and forward!

رَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ

The letters are arranged as ر ب ب ك ف ك ب ب ر

Notice the Palindrome??!!

(The ب is repeated twice side by side, therefore as per Arabic grammar the two ب are merged when pronouncing the words which gives a small jump to it or a Shaddhah or “thashjeedhu”)

Our Prophet pbuh was not a literate. He could neither read nor write. He was born into an Arabic community that had no rules of governance or education. Social rules were heavily restricted to mere family ties which resulted in a people who prided their kinship and tribe’s honour above anything else.
Education and development were the least of their worries. Although they spoke a form of Arabic, it was by no means even close to being fine and eloquent or adequate.
Composing poetry and stories by those who did have a knack for it fell short of creating perfect literature.

Because the people stemmed from such backward roots, they were in shock and awe of the illiterate, yet brilliant and gifted Prophet pbuh and His message from God.

Both his enemies and followers had nothing but admiration for him.

When they first heard the Quran it had such a powerful impact on them, because they had NEVER heard anything like it before.
Those who opposed him attacked with vehemence and fear. They called him a magician and all sorts of names, yet all the while vary of these beautiful verses he was reciting.
Those who followed him had their hearts melting and they listened in wonder and love for our Creator for giving such a beautiful gift as the Quran to mankind.

So imagine the wondrous grip the Quran would have had on their hearts when they heard this palindrome!!
A palindrome! To a people almost barbaric! Which came to them from a person among them!
And this isn’t the only palindrome in the Quran!
And neither is a palindrome the only linguistic miracle in the Quran!

Truly it’s no wonder that Islam spread so fast and so wide and so suddenly then, even defying the efforts of the then mighty Romans and Persians!

Fast forward to today, and since the appearance of the perfect Arabic in the Quran, the Arabic spoken language have been refined and taught responsibly to the passing generations.

However, even though we have really talented and learned scholars of the Arabic Language and Arabic poetry today, NONE of them can even come close to composing even a single sentence as that of one in the Quran. NO other language can compose anything so amazing either.
They are simply baffled by the Quran. And those of Islamic faith, well this helps to affirm their faith even more.

The Quran is simply perfect!

Even with my very, very basic knowledge of the language, I myself get blown away by how easy on the ears and heartwarming and beautiful it sounds when reciting or studying it.

The eloquence of the Arabic sentences and phrases in the Quran obviously supersedes anything in the world today.

This is why God has challenged mankind:

“Say: ‘If all mankind and the jinn would come together to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce its like even though they exerted all and their strength in aiding one another.’” (Quran 17:88)

“Or do they say that he has invented it? Say (to them), ‘Bring ten invented chapters like it, and call (for help) on whomever you can besides God, if you are truthful.” (Quran 11:13)

“And if you all are in doubt about what I have revealed to My servant, bring a single chapter like it, and call your witnesses besides God if you are truthful.” (Quran 2:23)

 *End*

 

 

Oh how we long for Paradise!

“[To the righteous it will be said], “O reassured soul,

 

Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to Him],

 

And enter among My [righteous] servants

 

And enter My Paradise.”

Quran, Surah Al-Fajr – 89:27 to 30

The last verse of this Surah always makes me break down in tears.

Have you ever heard a more beautiful phrase?

What would you give to enter into Paradise for the first and last time until eternity (which we cannot even comprehend)?

 

How blessed and full of hope is this verse!

 

How simply magnificent!

 

Can u even imagine the day when your Creator, the Lord of all that is created, would address you and give permission to enter Paradise?

 

I cant even comprehend what that would feel like.

I can only understand the longing.

 

Oh how I long.

Oh how we long for Paradise!!

 

The answer lies in faith and worship.

Just a few years on this earth, and if we remain faithful with repentance, it’s Paradise that shall be granted.

 

Oh how we long! ❤️❤️❤️

*End*