Amatulla

A Christian Girl with Spunk

2009-08-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

This young woman in Texas has himmah! Beautiful story of how hijab has strengthened her own faith.

Got a Stiff Neck?

2009-06-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

Bukhari 4.491:

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "During your sleep, Satan knots three knots at the back of the head of each of you, and he breathes the following words at each knot, 'The night is, long, so keep on sleeping,' If that person wakes up and celebrates the praises of Allah, then one knot is undone, and when he performs ablution the second knot is undone, and when he prays, all the knots are undone, and he gets up in the morning lively and gay, otherwise he gets up dull and gloomy."

The Six Healing Ayat

2009-06-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

"He will heal the breast of the believing." 9:14

"And when I become sick, He heals me." 26:80

"Mankind there has come unto you a guidance from your Lord, a healing for that which is in your breasts, a guidance and mercy for the believers." 10:57

"And We reveal of the Qur'an that which is a healing and a mercy for the believers..." 17:82

"It is a guidance and a healing for those who believe." 41:44

"There comes forth from their bellies a drink of diverse hues [bee honey] wherein is healing for mankind." 16:69

Life of the Heart.

2009-05-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

"Ibn ul-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

'The keys to the life of the life of the heart lie in reflecting upon the Qur'an, being humble before Allah in secret, and leaving sins.' (Hadiyyul-Arwah ila Biladil-Afrah p.45)

Allah, the Most High, said:

'A Book which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its verses, and that those of understanding may take heed.' (Qur'an 38:29)

So Allah informed us that He send down this Great Qur'an, blessed in its wording, meaning, commands, prohibitions and regulations. Amongst its blessings is that the one who recites even one word of it then he has a reward, and this reward is increased tenfold, as mentioned in the hadith reported by at-Tirmidhi [and ibn Mas'ud], and at-Tirmidhi said that it is hasan sahih. Also amongst its blessings is that the one who reads it and acts upon it shall not be misguided in this world, nor fall into distress and misery in the Hereafter as stated by Ibn 'Abbas (radiyaAllahu 'anhu) in the commentary to the verse,

'...whoever follows My guidance shall neither go astray nor fall into distress and misery.' (Qur'an 20:123)

Amongst its blessings is that the one who learns it and teaches it is from the best of people as occurs in the hadith reported by al-Bukhari,

'The best of you is the one who learns the Qur'an and then teaches it.' (6/501 #545)"

From Disease of the Hearts & Their Cures, by Ibn Taymiyyah, compiler's introduction, translated by Abu Rumaysah

Call on Him, He will answer you.

2009-05-24T03:28:00.000-07:00

Allah (swt) has said, "Call on Me, and I will answer you" (40:60), and "Most beautiful are My Names, so call upon me by them" (7:180)

I wanted to share some good that happened to me this morning. The People of the Book (the Christians) would call it a "praise report". I woke up this morning with a sharp seering pain in my wrist from my Rheumatoid Arthritis. It was so sharp that it caught my breath. All I could think to say was 'Ya Shafi!' (Oh Healer!). And suddenly, the above ayat (verses) came to memory. My pain left me. I tried to bend my wrist. It moved smoothly and without the least pain at all.

My pain does not always leave this way, pain of body or pain of heart. Sometimes it blesses me in other ways, but alhamdulillah, this morning was a special reminder that the words of Ar-Raheem (the Merciful) can often be very literal and immediate to even our simple understanding. Whether it is immediate or not, in a way we understand or not, Al-Haqq (the Truth) promises to answer. "...and Allah swt will not fail in His promise." (39:20)

Ya Rabb

2009-05-24T03:12:00.000-07:00

And your Lord has said: Pray unto me and I will answer your prayer...Surah al-Mu'min 40:60

Our Lord! Bestow on us endurance and make our foothold sure and give us help against those who reject faith. (2:250)

Our Lord! Take us not to task if we forget or fall into error. (2:286)

Our Lord! Lay not upon us such a burden as You did lay upon those before us.

Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear, grant us forgiveness and have mercy on us. You are our Protector. Help us against those who deny the truth. (2:286)

Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate from the truth after You have guided us, and bestow upon us mercy from Your grace. Verily You are the Giver of bounties without measure. (3:8)

Our Lord! Behold we have heard a voice calling us unto faith : "Believe in your Lord" and we have believed. (3:193)

Our Lord! We have sinned against ourselves, and unless You grant us forgiveness and bestow Your mercy upon us, we shall most certainly be lost! (7:23)

Our Lord! Place us not among the people who have been guilty of evildoing. (7:47)

Our Lord! Lay open the truth between us and our people, for You are the best of all to lay open the truth. (7:89)

Our Lord! Pour out on us patience and constancy, and make us when we die as those who have surrendered themselves unto You. (7:126)

Our Lord! Make us not a trial for the evildoing folk, and save as by Your mercy from people who deny the truth. (10:85-86)

Our Lord! You truly know all that we may hide [in our hearts] as well as all that we bring into the open, for nothing whatever, be it on earth or in heaven, remains hidden from Allah. (14:38)

Our Lord! Bestow on us mercy from Your presence and dispose of our affairs for us in the right way. (18:10)

Our Lord! Grant that our spouses and our offspring be a comfort to our eyes, and give us the grace to lead those who are conscious of You. (25:74)

Our Lord! Make them enter the Garden which You have promised to them, and to the righteous from among their fathers, their wives and their offspring, for verily You are alone the Almighty and the truly Wise. (40:8)

Our Lord! Relieve us of torment, for we do really believe. (44:12)

Our Lord! Forgive us our sins as well as those of our brethren who proceeded us in faith and let not our hearts entertain any unworthy thoughts or feelings against [any of] those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed full of kindness and Most Merciful. (59:10)

Our Lord! In You we have placed our trust, and to You do we turn in repentance, for unto You is the end of all journeys. (60:4)

Our Lord! Perfect our light for us and forgive us our sins, for verily You have power over all things. (66:8)

Plant Trees.

2009-05-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

Image copyright Getty Images.

A story told by Dr. Saleh as-Saleh, Audio file available at AbdurRahman.org:
http://abdurrahman.org/audio/SalehAsSaleh/Seerah_-_Stories_of_Muslims/

"Bismilaahi Rahmaani Raheem. This story took place here about hundred years ago and it was also broadcasted on the radio stations. It is about a man call Ibn Jad'aan. He (Ibn Jad'aan) said how during Spring times he used to go out. He would see good and healthy fat camels and their udders filled to the extent of almost exploding. Whenever the little offspring (i.e. the calf) came close to the mother camel, her milk would pour forth because of the great abundance of blessings and abundance of goodness.

So I (Ibn Jad'aan) looked at one of my she camels with her calf and I remembered my poor neighbour who had seven young daughters. So I said to myself, by Allah I will give this camel and her calf as Sadaqah (charity) to my neighbour - and he recited the Ayah where Allah said in (Surah Al-imraan: 92):

"By no means Shall you Attain piety righteousness unless you spend in Allah's cause of which that you love"

And the most beloved from amongst my cattle, to me, is this she-camel. So I took her along with her calf and knocked on the door of my neighbour. I told him to accept it as a gift from me. I saw his face glowing with happiness and he was unable to utter anything in response.

So he benefited from its milk and used to load wood on its back, awaiting for its offspring to grow up in order to sell them. Subsequently, he gained great good from this camel.

After the spring had passed, the dry summer came with its drought, and so the Bedouins began looking for water and grass. We gathered our belongings and left our places looking for water and the duhool (plural of duhul) or 'holes' in the earth, situated underground leading to water traps underneath the ground. Their openings are on top of the ground, as the Bedouins know of very well.

I (i.e. Ibn Jad'aan) entered into one of these holes so as to bring some water to drink...

Dr Saleh continued: "and his (Ibn Jad'aan's) three sons were waiting for him outside the hole. However he did not return. His three sons waited for him for one, two and three days and finally became hopeless.

They said maybe he was stung by a snake and died or he was lost under the earth and destroyed. They (and we seek refuge in Allah from this) waited for his destruction. Why? Due to greed in order to distribute his inheritance.

So they returned home and divided what he had left, amongst themselves. Then they remembered that their father (Ibn Jad'aan) gave a she-camel to their poor neighbour. They went to their neighbour and told him that it is better that he give them back the she-camel and take another camel in replace of it, otherwise they will take it by force and he will be left with nothing.

The neighbour complained that he would report them to their father. So they informed him that he had died. He inquired as to how and where Ibn Jad'aan had died, and why they hadn't told him. They then explained how he entered into one of these holes underground in the desert and did not come out.

The neighbour said: " By Allah take me to this place and take your she-camel and do whatever you do with it and I don't want your camel in return!"

They took him and when he saw the place, he went and brought a rope, lit a candle, tied it outside the duhul (the hole) and then stepped into it crawling on his back until he reached the places whereby he could crawl and roll. Eventually the smell of moisture became closer and then all of sudden he heard the sound of a man by the water groaning and moaning.

He went closer and closer towards this sound in the darkness putting his hand out all over until his hand fell onto the man (Ibn Jad'aan). He checked his breath and he was still breathing after one week! He pulled him out covering his eyes so as to protect him from the sunlight. He took with him some dates, moistened them in water and gave it to him to drink.

He then carried him on his back and took him to his house and life gradually return to this man whilst his sons didn't know. He then asked him: "Tell me, by Allah, one week while you were underground and you didn't die?!"

"I will tell you something strange..." Ibn Jidaan explained: "...when I went down there I got lost and waves took me from all directions and I said to myself I'd better stay close to this water that I have reached. So I started to drink from it, but hunger had no mercy and water does not suffice. Then after three days hunger intensified on me and took me from all parts. While I was lying on my back I surrendered myself to Allah and put all my affairs in his hands and all of the sudden I felt the warmth of milk pouring onto my mouth. So I sat in the midst of the darkness and I saw a pot coming closer to my mouth. I drank from it until I took from what is sufficient and then it would go! This occurred three times in the day but the last two days it stopped and I didn't know what happened."

His neighbour then informed him:

"If you know the reason you will be amazed! Your sons thought you had died and they came to me and took away the she-camel which Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta'Aala) was giving you from its milk!"

The Muslim is in the shade of his Sadaqah (Charity). Allah stated in (Surah At-Talaaq: 2,3): "...and whoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to him, he will make a way for him to get out (from every difficult)" and "...and he will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And who ever puts his trust in Allah, then he will suffice him".

The True meaning of Life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

One God.

2009-03-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

It's 3:12 am and my sleep-laden, dry eyes pop open suddenly. This has happened for the past month since I've been home from the hospital. Initially, in my mind it was a moment that burst with anxiety, worry, fear. Anxiety. That has been an unrecognized feature in my life for as long as I remember. One day I recognized, and I remembered.

Recognizing and remembering has helped me. First, I recognized that I regularly felt anxiety. A year later I recognized La illahah illallah. Al-Wahid. Bismillah, Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem. There is no deity worthy of worship except God. The One, Absolute, without partners. In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

This week, this night. My eyes flew open to the quiet darkness of my room. Sounds of quietness. The Qur'an plays gently from my cell phone next to my bed, the words are whispers floating, surrounding. The heat vent blows warm air into my house and room on a winter night. My son breaths softly beside me, peacefully asleep. I rise for wudu, walking quietly through the night darkness to a porceline sink, cool and smooth. My face, neck, and the ends of my sleeves still wet with cool water, I walk back to my room and stand for niyyah to pray.

Then, my thoughts roll. Through the motions and words of prayer, my thoughts roll. Employment. Illness. Family. Bills. A grocery list. Irritated, I go back, and back again, to the meaning of my prayer. My thoughts roll again. At tahiyatu lillahi wa As Salawatu Wa At Tayibatu. All prayer and worship through words, action, sanctity, are for God alone. My mind still races. Astaghfirallah. Then,

La illaha illallahu, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluh... There is no God, but God. Muhammed (peace be upon him) is His messenger.

One God. Many prophets, One Message.

My mind clears of all, but that.

One Worship.

2009-03-13T20:23:00.000-07:00

Allah swt, the Exalted, says:

"Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding. Those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth.'' (3:190,191)

The People of the Book, the Christians, say to "Pray without ceasing" 1 Thes. 5:7. What is a ceaseless prayer?

Some say that by our very creation, we worship. Because Allah swt made us to worship, and we cannot help but be slaves to Him, perhaps we may find the ability to worship, to praise Him, in whatever we do and whatever we encounter.

Some of my most trying times in life, I look back and see something good that came from them. 'A diamond in the rough', a hidden treasure, 'beauty for ashes'. Something that makes me, in the end and distanced from the pain of the trial, thankful that I encountered the trial and walked through it. After a time of reflecting on this, I realized the true worship for me is to thank Al-Khaliq, my Creator, in the midst of trial. Without even knowing what may come of it, but knowing that He has good for me, I need only praise Him.

"There is nothing (in the form of trouble) that comes to a believer even if it is the pricking of a thorn that there is decreed good for him by Allah or his sins are obliterated." Muslim 32:6241

"It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces towards the East or West; but it is righteousness to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfill the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing." Qur'an 2:177

And this has become my way through. And so, insha'Allah, I worship.

Women of Beauty.

2009-03-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

The full article in Arabic is here: http://www.ibnothaimeen.com/all/books/article_16994.shtml

الفصل الرابع
في صفة المرأة التي ينبغي نكاحها

النكاح يراد للاستمتاع و تكوين أسرة صالحة و مجتمع سليم كما قلنا فيما سبق. و على هذا فالمراة التي ينبغي نكاحها هي التي يتحقق فيها استكمال هذين الغرضين و هي التي اتصفت بالجمال الحسي و المعنوي.

فالجمال الحسي: كمال الخِلقة لان المرأة كلما كانت جميلة المنظر عذبة المنطق قرت العين بالنظر إليها و أصغت الأذن إلى منطقها فينفتح لها القلب و ينشرح لها الصدر و تسكن إليها النفس و يتحقق فيها قوله تعالى: (( ومن آياته أن خلق لكم من أنفسكم أزواجا لتسكنوا إليها و جعل بينكم مودة و رحمة))-( الروم-21).

والجمال المعنوي: كمال الدين و الخٌلق فكلما كانت المرأة أدين و أكمل خُلُقا كانت أحب إلى النفس و أسلم عاقبة فالمراة ذات الدين قائمة بأمر الله حافظة لحقوق زوجها و فراشه و أولاده و ماله، معينه له على طاعة الله تعالى، إن نسي ذكرته و أن تثاقل نشّطته و أن غضب أرضته و المرأة الأديبة تتودد إلى زوجها و تحترمه و لا تتأخر عن شئ يحب أن تتقدم فيه و لا تتقدم في شئ يحب أن تتأخر فيه و لقد سئل النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أي النساء خير؟ قال: (( التي تسرّه إذا نظر و تطيعه إذا أمر و لا تخالفه في نفسها و لا ماله بما يكره)) وقال صلى الله عليه وسلم: (( تزوجوا الودود الولود فاني مكاثر بكم الأنبياء، أو قال: الأمم)) فان أمكن تحصيل امرأة يتحقق فيها جمال الظاهر و جمال الباطن فهذا هو الكمال و السعادة بتوفيق الله

MARRIAGE is for enjoyment and building a righteous family and a sound society. One should, therefore, marry a woman through whom these two goals can be fulfilled; a woman adorned with both physical (outer beauty) and abstract (inner) beauty.

The outer beauty is the perfection of physical characteristics because a woman who is beautiful and has a soft voice will give tranquility to the eyes that look at her and the ears that listen to her speech and the heart becomes receptive to her.

Allah said: "And among His Signs is that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy." (Qur'an, 30:21)

As for the inner beauty, it is the completeness in religion and manners. The more a woman is religious and perfect in her manners, the more beloved she will be and hence is a more suitable choice.

A religious woman will fulfill the commands of Allah, protect the rights of her husband, children and money. She will support him in the obedience to Allah. If the husband forgets, she reminds him. If he slackens, she invigorates him, and if he gets angry she pleases him. The well-mannered woman endears herself to her husband and respects him; she does not delay anything that he likes to be done quickly, and she does not hasten anything he likes to be delayed.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked: "Which of the women are best?" He replied, "If he (husband) looks at her, she pleases him, and she obeys him when he commands, and she does not deny him regarding herself, or his wealth in what he hates." (Ahmad, An-Nasa'i)

If it is possible to find a woman who has inner and outer beauty, then this is perfection and bliss granted by Allah.

~*~*~
All the believing women are beautiful inside and out because we are in the qadr of Allah swt, insha'Allah. Sister, you are beautiful, masha'Allah.