How to Cross the Ocean of Dunya Without Drowning by Yasmin Mogahed

(On a side note, just wished I had the guts to come up front to ask a question or two.)

Last Sunday on July 1st, I went to the Academy of Islamic Studies of University of Malaya (where I studied for my foundation programme) with my sister to attend a special talk by Yasmin Mogahed: How to cross the ocean of dunya without drowning. 

Mashaallah, it was amazing. She is a true gem. She is one of the most inspiring people I know and her articles and talks had touched so so many, I never thought I was blessed to meet her in my home country, alhamdulillah. Her every word was crafted so beautifully, mashaallah. Her passion was evident. She reveals such a beautiful spiritual path in worshipping Allah, in such a unique perspective. 

Some of the things I have learned are that of hardship and ease. In surah al-Insyirah, verse 6, which means “Verily, with hardship, there is ease,” she mentioned that most of us understood the verse wrong. We had thought the verse mean that AFTER hardship, there will be ease, when the verse actually mentions WITH. Because that is what life in this world is made up of. Hardship AND ease. 

Think about the happiest moments in your life. Was it truly 100% perfect? No, right? There’s always a bump or two in the road. What about the worst moments in your life? Was it 100% distraught? No, it wasn’t. There’s always something that lifts you up at the end of it. There’s always something that you could be grateful for. These are just samples of what we will experience in the Hereafter. They are like those little soft cardboard thingies of samples of perfume. The purpose of it is to make you want to buy the full bottle. 

Your happy moments in this life are just teeny tiny samples of what we’ll experience in Jannah (Paradise), inshaallah. Paradise is 100% bliss and wonder, and it is everlasting to boot. Your worst moments in this life are just teeny tiny samples of Hellfire, may Allah protect us from it. It’s 100% hell (so to speak) without the tiniest bit of ease. So, what is our choice? Will we do everything necessary to get there?

Think about all the things you want in your life. Whatever it is, it is always something that you want to last forever, and that it is perfect. It’s not wrong because it is in our nature, but what we did is wrong is trying to find it in this imperfect, temporary world. When our first and true home was Paradise: a land that is both perfect and eternal. Inshaallah.

Wallahu’alam.

Allah Will Provide - Hadith of Aisyah

"

A man entered the mosque when it was not the time for prayer, and he found a ten-year-old boy praying with proper focus and humility. He waited until the boy had finished praying, then he came, greeted him and said: “Whose son are you?” The boy lowered his head a tear rolled down his cheek, then he raised his head and said: “O’ uncle, I am an orphan who has no father or mother.” The man felt sorry for him and said: “Would you like to be my son?”

The boy said: “If I get hungry will you feed me?”

“Yes.”

“If I am naked will you clothe me?”

“Yes.”

“If I fall sick will you heal me?”

“I am not able to do that, my son.”

“If I die will you bring me back to life?”

“I am not able to do that.”

The boy said, “Then leave me, my uncle, to the One who created me for He will guide me and He is the one who gives me food and drink. If I fall sick He heals me and He is the One Who, I hope, will forgive me on the Day of Judgment.”

The man fell silent and went on his way, saying, “I believe in Allah, whoever puts his trust in Allah, Allah will suffice him.”

"

Adapted from Dr. A’id al-Qarni, “You Can Be the Happiest Woman in The World: A Treasure Chest of Reminders”.

Islam and Ego - Nouman Ali Khan

"Anas relates that, “We asked the Prophet ﷺ, ‘O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, shouldn’t we refrain from calling others to goodness if we don’t practice all good things ourselves, and shouldn’t we refrain from forbidding wrong things until we ourselves have abstained from all the bad?’ ‘No,’ he replied, ‘You should call others to goodness even if you don’t do all good, and you should forbid bad things even if you don’t abstain from all of them yourselves.’” (Al-Tabarani)"

1001 inventions and The Library Of Secrets - starring Ben Kingsley as al-Jazari

Nouman Ali Khan - Intellectual Humility - Quran Weekly

Submitted by imyourdarling. Jazakillah khair!

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh! 

How is everyone? Thank you so much for all the submissions and I’m sorry I haven’t been updating for a while and had to disable the askbox. There’s quite a lot going on as of late, and alhamdulillah I’m currently pursuing my studies in a local pre-university foundation programme (compulsory before pursuing your degree here in Malaysia) in the heart of the capital of Malaysia. It is an intensive 11-month programme, and I’m still adjusting to the idea of re-engaging myself into studying once more after 6 whole months. Not like I was really into it before though lol. It’s been a great experience and I met really great people who had reminded me time and time again about the real purpose of us searching for knowledge and alhamdulillah it’s been a refreshing experience so far except the homesickness part

Anyway, inshaallah I’ll find time to update every once in a while. Do pray for me to wade through this course in excellence inshaallah. Barakallah feek :)

- Amalina

P/S: Tumblr has a new dashboard?!

Submitted by Anonymous. Jazakallah khair!

Submitted by hakuna-mataataa. Jazakillah khair!

More on this. Submitted by b0ndsofl0ve. Jazakillah khair!