True Friendship

Anas reported that the
Prophet (PBUH), said,

"None of you can truly be said to believe
until he wants for his brother(in Islam) what he wants for himself." [Agreed upon]

Happiness Is Not Easy ?

In our culture, it is commonly believed that happiness is achieved when you become rich, powerful, or popular. The young want to be that popular pop idol, the old dream of winning the jackpot. We often seek happiness by removing all stress, sadness, and irritations. For some, happiness lies in mood-altering therapies. Eva Moskowitz, a historian, gives some idea of the American obsession with the gospel of therapy: “Today, this obsession knows no bounds…there are more than 260 [different kinds of] 12-step programs in America.”

One reason we have so much trouble attaining happiness is that we have no idea about what it is. Consequently, we make poor judgments in life. An Islamic tale illustrates the relationship of judgment with happiness.

“Oh, great sage, Nasrudin,” said
the eager student, “I must ask you a
very important question, the answer
to which we all seek: What is the
secret to attaining happiness?”

Nasrudin thought for a time,
then responded. “The secret of
happiness is good judgment.”

“Ah,” said the student. “But how
do we attain good judgment?

“From experience,” answered
Nasrudin.

“Yes,” said the student. “But how
do we attain experience?’

“Bad judgment.”

An example of our good judgment is knowing that materialistic comforts by themselves do not lead to lasting happiness. Having reached that conclusion by our good judgment, we do not retreat into our comforts. We continue to crave a happiness that seems out of reach.
We make more money thinking that is the way to become happy, and in the process neglect our family. Most big events we dream of yield less sustained happiness than we hoped for.

In addition to getting less happiness than we expected or hoped for, we frequently do not know exactly what we want, what will make us happy or how to get it. We misjudge.


Enduring happiness does not come from ‘making it.’ Imagine someone could snap their fingers and give you fame, fortune, and leisure. Would you be happy? You would be euphoric, but in the short run. Gradually you would adapt to your new circumstance and life would return to its normal mix of emotions. Studies show that big lottery winners after a few months are no happier than the average person! To recover the joy, you would now need an even higher high.

Consider, too, how we have “made it.” In 1957, our per-person income, expressed in today’s dollars, was less than $8,000. Today it is $16,000. With doubled incomes, we now have double the material goods that money can buy - including twice as many cars per person. We also have microwave ovens, color TVs, VCRs, answering machines, and $12 billion a year worth of brand-name athletic shoes.

So are we happier? No. In 1957, 35 percent of Americans told the National Opinion Research Center they were “very happy.” In 1991, only 31 percent said the same.Meanwhile, depression rates have soared.

God’s Prophet of Mercy said:

“True enrichment does not come through possessing a lot of wealth, but true enrichment is the enrichment of the soul.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

p/s : Briefly taken from 'Happiness in Islam'

Unanswered Calls

It is reported that Ibrahim b. Adham (d162H) – Allah have mercy on him – once passed through the market of Basrah. People gathered around him and asked:

O Abu Ishaq, Allah the Exalted says in his Book. ‘Call on me, I will answer your prayers’, but we have been calling on Him for a long time and He does not answer our prayers. [Ibrahim] replied, “O people of Basrah, your hearts have died in respect to ten things:

1- You know Allah but you do not give Him His rights;

2- You have read Allah’s Book but you do not act by it;

3- You claim to love Allah’s Messenger – Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – yet you abandon his Sunnah;

4- You claim to be enemies to Shaytan but you conform to [his ways];

5-You say you love Paradise yet you do not work for it;

6-You say you fear The Fire yet you put yourselves closer to it [by sinning];

7- You say death is true but you do not prepare for it;

8- You busy yourselves with the faults of others and disregard your own;

9-You consume the favors of your Lord but are not grateful for them; and

10- You bury your dead but take no lesson from them.”
Abû Nu’aym, Hilyah Al-Awliyâ’ 8: 15, 16.

P/s : Let's bury all these 10 mistakes and may our calls be answered by HIM.

God Works In Mysterious Ways

Cute Abaya

It's past midnight and I'm at my friends' room, staying overnight. Still not sleeping. For time passing, let's see some cute abaya that I got from browsing (which I still could not own. Lol).

Angelic and innocent.

Elegant.

Pretty

Simple yet trendy.

Wow, is this too much?he

Morning Tazkirah V

If we can learn to depend on Allah with due reliance, He will certainly give us provisions as He gives to the birds who leave their nests in the mornings and return with full bellies at dusk.

But what do we need in order to achieve this? We must have firm belief that only Allah can help and benefit us.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Whoever wishes to be strong should rely on Allah."

Allah the Almighty says: [Victory will be yours; but on Allah put your trust if you have faith.] (Al Maidah, 5:23 )

These words give us strength to face hardships and difficult people. But at the same time as depending on Allah, we must exert effort and use all the material resources provided by Allah. If we do so we will be obeying His orders. When we sincerely depend on Allah we feel tranquility in our hearts because we know that Allah is on our side. We should try to detach ourselves from always seeking material things and keep in mind that no harm or benefit comes to us without the permission of Allah.

Umar ibn Al-Khattab (peace be upon him) told us about the birds and how they wake up in the early morning, glorify Allah and go in search of food, (they exert effort) trust in Allah and find sustenance.

You may think it strange that birds glorify Allah but the Almighty says in the Qur'an:

[The seven heavens and the earth, and all beings therein, declare His glory: There is not a thing but celebrates His praise; and yet you understand not how they declare His glory! Verily, He is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Forgiving.] (Al-Isra', 17:44)

Even the prophets worked and so did the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but they all trusted in Allah in every aspect of life.

When Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was being thrown into the fire, the angel Jibreel (peace be upon him) asked him, 'Do you need anything?'

But Ibrahim answered, 'Nothing from you. Allah knows my condition (status)."

Another time, Ibrahim (peace be upon him) took his wife Hajar and his son Isma'il to a place near Makkah.

Allah the Almighty ordered Ibrahim to leave them in the desert, and when Hajar saw him leaving her she wanted to know if it was an order from Allah. Ibrahim answered, 'Yes'. So she put her trust in Allah and was sure that He would take care of them. Indeed, all help and power are from Allah. Trust in Him! His promise is true.

p/s : Taken from Islamonline.net.

Take Me To Heaven

Anas b. Malik reported:

The Paradise is surrounded by hardships and the Hell-Fire is surrounded by temptations.

{Book 040, Number 6778, Chapter 1: Sahih Muslim}