I could say that I’m swamped with work, but that would be inaccurate. Describing my situation as such could imply that the workload is aversive and unpleasant for me. That’s where the inaccuracy arises. I have 3 courseworks due around mid January, but I also have exams early January. I’m having a proper-proper holiday for about 2 weeks in December, and it’s already roughly the 3rd week of November. With all that in mind, that doesn’t really leave me with a lot of time to complete all 3 assignments AND do my revision for January’s exams. Yes, this realisation only occured to me over the weekend. So I had to frantically print out a Nov-Dec 2008 calender from word and plan out the rest of my weeks. Planning, setting goals and WRITING them down helps a lot for me. It’s just so easy to lose focus when there are other competing demands. I’ve digressed. What I’m meaning to say is that, despite the amount of work and the time pressure, I am actually excited to get things done. Weird, I know. I think, doing something that you actually enjoy makes a whole lot of difference to your attitude towards all the work.

That’s secret no.1.

Now, there’s a secret no.2 on how to develop a positive attitude towards work. Checking the niyyah for doing the work helps a lot. A lot, a lot, A LOT! It makes studying, learning and doing work a thousand times more enjoyable. I seek knowledge because Allah and His Messenger S.A.W. has made it obligatory for me. I want to use the acquired skills and training to help my ummah and people in need, as commanded by my Lord. The efforts I put into my work is not for me, but for the sake of Allah. So that whatever I learn could help me in fulfilling my duty as a Muslimah, and bring me closer to Allah. Insya Allah. There is nothing more motivating form me than that. Trully. Alhamdulilah.

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When we love something, it’s hard not to talk about it. Our minds and hearts become so preoccupied with it that sometimes we’d feel we’d explode! The same thing with Islam. When we’ve reached that stage where Islam turns from a common idea, to a common practice, and then into passion, you just can’t help but just spreaaaaaad the loveeeeeeee. So this is where da’wah comes in.

Say (O Muhammad SAW): “This is my way; I invite unto Allah with sure knowledge, I and whosoever follows me (also must invite others to Allah) with sure knowledge…” (Yusuf : 108)

Thus, we all have the responsibility to spread Islam. We don’t have to go knocking everybody’s door, or stand around at the city and preach to the shoppers. For instance, the time after the peace treaty of al-Hubaidiyah. People came to Islam because they were amazed with the Muslim’s way of life.  Hence, all we have to do is become Muslims - as simple as that. Be like the flower and the bees will come to you. So what’s stopping us?

1. “I don’t know enough.”

The Prophet Muhammad S.A.W urged us to relay knowledge from the Quran and the sunnah even if it’s just one ayat, or one word. Surely there’s at least one thing that we know about Islam, if not more than one. So we should relay this knowledge to others, and thus it will become our da’wah.

2. “I’ll do da’wah when I become a perfect Muslim.”

Dearest brothers and sisters, we will NEVER be perfect. Allah has created us human with all humanly attributes who make mistakes, occassionaly forgetful, have desires, etc. Even the state of our qalb (heart) isn’t stable. So we’re going to wait until we’re perfet Muslims, we’ll never come round to doing da’wah.

3. “I can’t get rid of my own sins.”

Hadhrat Anas r.a. relates: “We inquired of the Holy Prophet SAW: “O Prophet of Allah, is it right that we should not enjoin virtue unless we practise all the virtues ourselves, and should not forbit the wrongs unless we ourselves completely abstain from them all? ‘Nay,’ said the Prophet SAW, ‘do enjoin others to practise good deeds even though you do not practise all of them, and do forbid evil actions even though you do not abstain from them all.’”

The shame of not doing something when others are doing it or doing it better, or the shame of practicing what one doesn’t preach might eventually hit us. It could be one of the first things that could turn us into better muslims.

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Our iman wears out the same way our clothes does (hadith), hence there’s a need for us to jump-start it now and again. One of the ways of renewing our faith is through muhasabah (self criticism). I think most of us are well aware of this, but sometimes we just don’t know how to begin. Well, we can always start by…

1. in the morning, ask ourselves, “What am I NOT going to do?”

2. at night, ask ourselves, “What did I do WRONG today?”

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I had two things in my life that was like a yo-yo:

1) my hijaab, and

2) my weight.

Alhamdulilah, my yo-yo hijab days are long and gone. I even try my best to wear it properly, i.e. letting the hijaab cover my chest, not removing it even at home if there are non-mahrams, etc. So now, the only yo-yo-ing aspect of my life is my weight. Why, oh why can I not control my eating during “those” times?

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It saddens me to see those who I love not caring about what’s halal or haram…not trying to live their lives for the sake of Allah…unmoved by the words of Allah and the lessons behind them. Sometimes I wish I could do something, anything, just to make them realise how much we should always love, hope and fear Allah… or make them realise how the rememberence of Allah satisfies the souls of the children of Adam.

…your hearts hardened and became like rocks, or even harder: for behold, there are rocks from which streams gush forth; and, behold, there are some from which, when they are cleft, water issues; and, behold, there are some that fall down for awe of Allah, and Allah is not unmindful of what you do! (Al Baqarah: 74).

 There is hope. There is hope for even those whose hearts have hardened to the the words of Allah, and the beauty of Islam. Let us all give dua to all our muslim brothers and sisters so that Allah would give them His hidayah. We should also play an active part, no matter how small, in helping the rest of our brothers and sisters in reviving Islam in their lives. insya Allah

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In reference to the hadith below:

The Prophet S.A.W. said: “All of my Ummah will be forgiven except those who expose (their sins). Exposing means that a man commits a sin at night and then - after Allah conceals his sin - in the morning, he tells people that he had done such and such a thing at night. He spent the night while His Lord covered his sin and then he wakes up in the morning revealing the curtain of His Lord.” (Al Bukhari & Muslim)

Does that mean that I should not have posts such as  this, this and this? Anybody?

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