Dear mother,

I can’t forget the day my little sister came to me, crying and asking me will mommy die from cancer, I looked confused not knowing what she was saying. However, when I looked at you mom holding your cigar I then knew what she meant. Mother, look in the eye of my little sister, look at the fear that is eating her, the fear of losing you due to the consequences of smoking.

 Many people around you who suffer from cancer wish to be as healthy as you, wish to be breathing normally, and wish to stop taking chemotherapy. Yet here you are holding the cigarette selling your life at a cheap price in order to satisfy the urge of feeling calm and cool. Mother, haven’t you thought of how much pain you will go through once you get cancer? Haven’t you thought of the pain that we’ll go through when we lose you? Haven’t you thought of how much you are affecting our health? Mother, sister and I don’t want to be raised by our father only; we need you by our side. We want your love, care and tender. Mom, a mother’s love is irreplaceable and it is very valuable so please don’t take it away from us, don’t let your urge for something that will do you no good be the reason for us to lose a loving mother. So mother please, stop smoking. Please stop.

Ramadan isn’t all about watching TV, eating as much as you can, shopping until the midnight or smoking sheesha. It is about Purifying your soul and increasing your faith in Allah. Before Ramadan by several weeks, you find TV channels start to advertise about the series that they will be putting. However, did you see them encouraging us to donate and prepare ourselves for Ramadan spiritually, mentally and physically?

            People should benefit from Ramadan and should focus on improving their behaviors and getting closer to Allah, rather than getting away from Islam. It is a time where you can realize why you have been misbehaving in the other months, a time where you can question yourself and search for answers by getting closer and closer to Allah.

Sitting in front of the TV, smoking Sheesha and eating until your stomach aches isn’t the solution to how to purify your soul, but is a way to neglect the real meaning of Ramadan.

            Don’t waste your precious times in Ramadan. Work harder to overcome your sins and to build a castle in Paradise.

May Allah increase our Iman

I looked at him as he entered the place; his body was supported by a crutch. His body and skin were all wrinkly and his beard was as white as a snow. The look in his eyes and his weak body brought tears to my eyes, but I had to stay strong and not show him that I felt so broken hearted. It took him some time to reach to me and it really broke my heart to see such a person walk all on his own. The old man came all by himself to the hospital for an appointment he had taken. He had walk for a long distance to reach the ward for his appointment. It made me wonder where is his family, His children, His nephews and His grandchildren? Is it possible that no one was able to bring him here? 

You wonder nowadays, where did the social support disappear? It was widely spread in our Muslim society but now it is weakening by time. You find the elderly on their own and when you ask them about their children, they would tell you that they don’t get in contact with them anymore. 

SubhanAllah. How life is changing. 

I believe that this training of mine will teach me a lot of lessons in life, lessons that may open my eyes to life and realize what’s really going on in our muslim society. 

The last thing a person would want in life, is to be on his own. Specially after spending almost all your life raising your children, providing them with the best education and when its their turn to take care of you, they turn around and give you their backs,, 

I really hope that I would be obedient to my parents; I hope I don’t put them in such a situation where they would feel so lonely and unwanted. 

May Allah strengthen our Iman.. 

Ameen 

Lately, everything and everyone around us seem weird. The people we talk to, their behaviors and their thoughts. SubhanAllah, the Prophet- Peace Be Upon Him – himself has told us that a time will come where people whom speak the truth shall not be trusted. 

I don’t know why it is so hard for people to believe us when we speak the truth, yet when we lie they get so frustrated and say that they won’t trust us anymore. They put us in a situation where you don’t know whether you should speak the truth or easily lie to escape the punishment. I can’t tolerate it when we speak the truth and people look at us or talk to us as if all what is coming out of our mouths are lies that are built upon lies. Even though, at times, our nafs asks us to lie so that we would stay out of trouble but we fight back because we know that getting punished is better than lying, however even when we speak the truth they think we are lying. 

The whole thing reminds me of the story we’ve known during our childhood about the little boy and the wolf, the boy who always used to lie about the wolf and when the wolf actually came and he cried out for help, no one believed him. What we are going through is similar to this story except that we are having a different version, that even if we have been telling the truth since the start, people will still not believe us. They probably won’t believe us until they see, by themselves, the wolf eating us alive. Our environment is encouraging us to do the opposite, to lie rather than speak the truth because we know that in both cases you shall be punished and not believed. 

Still, we shouldn’t be vulnerable and let our nafs control us and simply lie. All what we should do is accept the finger pointing, criticism and looks we get and remember that Allah will, inshaAllah, reward us for telling the truth. 

May Allah strengthen our Iman Ameen 

Each person has his/her own way in defining things, for example boring to me means sitting in my room and doing nothing, whereas to others boring means going to the mall and buying nothing. It all depends on how people view things. When it comes to weddings, people come to you and tell you that the wedding they went to was “extremely fun”, at that moment you start thinking, fun in what way?
People, sadly, have in mind that a “fun” wedding should be a wedding with loud music, dancing and a lot of craziness. Unfortunately, this definition has not been heard from a person or two but from a huge number of people.
However, a “fun” wedding can be fun without doing anything that Allah has forbidden, it can be fun without music, it can be fun without dancing and it can be fun by doing many creative things. It all depends on how innovative you are, and how clever you are to do great things in a way that Allah has permitted.
I have heard people talk about weddings that have many dancing shows for ex.  Indian dance, then the Iranian and then the Arabian dance and they talk about it as if they have seen an Alien. I really don’t find that entertaining but I find it a waste of time because a wedding isn’t about having fun and being loud but is about inviting people to dinner and to see the bride FULL STOP!. People, however, made the wedding seem very complicated and hard by trying to do things to entertain their guests so that it would be “FUN” when they are actually disobeying Allah and throwing away their money on things Allah has forbidden.
All what people should do is have fun but in the right way and right path.
 I really advice people to RE-define the word “FUN” in a correct way, so that they would remain on the right track.
May Allah forgive all Muslims.
Ameen

There he was, after all those years, he came to me. It was hard for me to tell that whether he was happy to see me or whether he was so desperate to be by my side. I stood there standing still, I couldn’t move a muscle. I felt paralyzed for some time. Was it from excitement, joy, Or from fear from being around that person.
I looked him in the eye and remembered the previous years when he was a little child, how he always used to stick around me, how he always depended on me and how he always obeyed me. But then, it came back, the memory of his bad behavior, of when he brought us nothing but shame!!
He came to me, bowed down on his knees and kissed me on my head.
“I’m sorry mother, I’m sorry for not being an obedient son”
Nowadays, unfortunately when you, as a parent, would advise your child they would think that you want to take away their freedom and joy where in reality you are looking for their own good. As soon as they realize that you scarified almost everything to protect them, it would be too late for them to erase their mistakes so at that time they should accept the consequences. Just like the story I mentioned above, when a mother advises a child, they advise them because they wouldn’t want to see their children in trouble or see them in shame, but unfortunately children nowadays treat their foe’s as their family and friends, and treat their families and friends as foe’s.
            I don’t understand how at times, a girl would hit her mother or a son would send his father to an elderly shelter. I wonder how cruel they are and how harsh their heart is when I hear of such incidence. After all those years of raising you to become a good Muslim, you repay them by mistreating them and disobeying them?
            Read What the Quran has to say about the parents:
[23] Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour.
[24] And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: “My Lord! bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.”  [al-isra’a]
            So please, if you find your self harsh to your parents then try to be more lenient, because as we know what goes around comes around and a day will come when your child will treat you just like how you treated your parents

I’m sure you have all heard about the hurricane Gonu that has destroyed a lot of houses, cars and lands in Oman and some places in UAE. SubhanAllah, many years ago, we believed that the Middle East was a safe region. We were free from earthquakes, free from hurricanes and free from many things. Unfortunately now after many events we realized that we are no longer safe and this is one of the signs of the hours. 

We should learn from the catastrophe’s that are occurring in the Middle East, because all this could be a warning from Allah. Yet, unfortunately not all people learn, some people consider it as an “enjoyment” or an “opportunity” to live such event. 

Those people who have been hurt, dead or lost their homes don’t find this entertaining. Instead they suffer from great loss. We should take this catastrophe as a warning sign and should strive harder to win a higher rank in Paradise. 

We don’t know whether Gonu was a blessing from Allah or was a punishment, for Allah himself knows. But all what we can do is consider it as a notification that life will end shortly… but when will it end, Allah himself knows. 

May Allah have mercy on those who suffered from the hurricane. 

It was mentioned in the news, a couple of weeks ago, that the amount of unmarried women have exceeded 50% of the female population in my country.. To be honest, this is a HIGH percentage.. When you read such news you get really shocked specially when you know that there is a large number of men out there that are looking for a wife.. I wonder where the 50% came from?
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only thing that astonished me.. What really astonishes me is when I hear men say “they aren’t ready to get married” or when I hear female’s say “why should I get married when I have freedom now”… 
I don’t know where they got these thoughts from but all what I know is that marriage doesn’t constrain you from anything. Yes, marriage is a great responsibility but it’s not like your giving up your soul when you get married.  People should not be pessimistic about this issue, they should look at the bright side, they should remember that our Prophet – Peace Be Upon Him – has encouraged the men whom are able to get married to GET MARRIED..
When you approach a man and tell him why haven’t you got married, he’d simply reply “I haven’t lived my life yet, I will get married when I’m 30” this man, who said this exact sentence, haven’t he thought that he may DIE before he actually “Lives his life”
Or when you tell a female “why aren’t you married yet, no one proposed” she would simply say “why constrain myself, I work, I go out and I’m free.. so why take it away”
Haven’t this female ever thought that while “working, being free and living her life” she may get fired from work, or be disabled and be stuck at home and have no one to support her emotionally or psychologically?
Marriage isn’t the way people visualize it, if a man and a wife get along properly they will be able to live and enjoy life while they’re married. You don’t have to be single in order to enjoy life..
            Please Read These:

‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud’s Hadith, may Allah be pleased with him.
‘Alqamah related: While I was going along with ‘Abdullah (May Allah be pleased with him) in Mina, ‘Uthman (May Allah be pleased with him) happened to meet him. So he walked and talked with him. Then ‘Uthman asked him: Abu ‘Abdul-Rahman, should we not marry you to a virgin girl that your past may be recalled to your mind? ‘Abdullah said: If you say so, Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to us: O young men, those among you who can support a wife should marry, for it restrains eyes (from casting evil glances) and preserves one from immorality; but he who cannot afford it should observe Fast, for it is a means of controlling the sexual desire.

Hadith number in Sahih Muslim [Arabic only]: 2485

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Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported:
Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: A woman may be married for four reasons: for her property, her status, her beauty and her religion; so try to get one who is religious, may your hand be besmeared with dust (may you enjoy welfare).

Hadith number in Sahih Muslim [Arabic only]: 2661