The Bennifit of a good Halaqah

Saturday, the Beta Chapter hosted a halaqah at Masjid Muhammad. It was a wonderful experience. Brother Muhammad Sideeq presented the talk. I am sharing what we discussed.

Topic: The Ease of Islam

Allah created the trees to do what they do. They root themselves in the ground, grow fruit and leaves, shed leaves in the fall and sway in the wind. That is the character of the tree. The tree does what it is designed to do and has no choice in the matter. When Allah created humans, we were given the choice to move and do as we see fit. Allah created everything in balance and proportion. Man was created to serve Allah, and when we fight what Allah creates for us that is where we see the difficulty with living.

Arabic Vocabulary Words-

Yaasurah- easy , lenient, prosperous, facilitate, gentle, multiply

Issurah- burden

Ahad- One Wahad- One, only used when referring Allah

Samad- Absolute

When given a choice between something difficult and something easy The Prophet (salahi wa alaihi was salaam)chose the easy way. There is nothing wrong with keeping the deen simple. The Prophet Muhammad (salahi wa alaihi was salaam) was soft hearten, and as a result Islam spread by guidance and the good character of Muslims.

In Sahih Bukhari
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
A Bedouin came and passed urine in one corner of the mosque. The people shouted at him but the Prophet stopped them till he finished urinating. The Prophet ordered them to spill a bucket of water over that place and they did so.

The brothers that witnessed this event wanted to go fist to cuff with this brother but the Prophet(salahi wa alaihi was salaam) instructed them to cover it, and then teach the brother that this was not something correct to do. If the brothers were allowed to do what they wanted to do this man would have never become Muslim.

Here is some simple things...

There is only ONE (1) God-

He is one, Ahad/Wahad/Samad

Man lives a life of struggle but believers find the struggles as a test. Look at our lives compared to the lives of the Prophet (salahi wa alaihi was salaam) and his companions. The Prophet (salahi wa alaihi was salaam) and his companions had to walk and ride camels to get to where they were going. They went miles at a time, walking and riding. We can simply hop on a bus or get in our cars.

When you over indulge one appetites the other appetites grow out of proportion and balance.

Ground yourself in the deen. Allah's creations find ease when the submit to the will of Allah.

We read the follow Surah's and Ayats

سورة الأعلى Sura #87 Al-Ala

1 Glorify the name of thy Guardian-Lord Most High,
2 Who hath created, and further, given order and proportion;
3 Who hath ordained laws. And granted guidance;
4 And Who bringeth out the (green and luscious) pasture,
5 And then doth make it (but) swarthy stubble.
6 By degrees shall We teach thee to declare (the Message), so thou shalt not forget,
7 Except as Allah wills: For He knoweth what is manifest and what is hidden.
8 And We will make it easy for thee (to follow) the simple (Path).
9 Therefore give admonition in case the admonition profits (the he"

10 The admonition will be received by those who fear ((Allah)):
11 But it will be avoided by those most unfortunate ones,
12 Who will enter the Great Fire,
13 In which they will then neither die nor live.
14 But those will prosper who purify themselves,
15 And glorify the name of their Guardian-Lord, and (lift their hearts) in prayer.
16 Nay (behold), ye prefer the life of this world;
17 But the Hereafter is better and more enduring.
18 And this is in the Books of the earliest (Revelation),-
19 The Books of Abraham and Moses.

Ash-Shams Sura #91سورة الشمس

1 By the Sun and his (glorious) splendour;
2 By the Moon as she follows him;
3 By the Day as it shows up (the Sun's) glory;
4 By the Night as it conceals it;
5 By the Firmament and its (wonderful) structure;
6 By the Earth and its (wide) expanse:
7 By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it;
8 And its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right;-
9 Truly he succeeds that purifies it,
10 And he fails that corrupts it!
11 The Thamud (people) rejected (their prophet) through their inordinate wrong-doing,
12 Behold, the most wicked man among them was deputed (for impiety).
13 But the Messenger of Allah said to them: 'It is a She-camel of Allah. And (bar her not from) having her drink!'"

14 Then they rejected him (as a false prophet), and they hamstrung her. So their Lord, on account of their crime, obliterated their traces and made them equal (in destruction, high and low)!

15 And for Him is no fear of its consequences."


سورة الأعراف Sura #7 Al-Araf
42 But those who believe and work righteousness,- no burden do We place on any soul, but that which it can bear,- they will be Companions of the Garden, therein to dwell (for ever).
43 And We shall remove from their hearts any lurking sense of injury;- beneath them will be rivers flowing;- and they shall say: 'Praise be to Allah, who hath guided us to this (felicity): never could we have found guidance, had it not been for the guidance of Allah. indeed it was the truth, that the apostles of our Lord brought unto us.' And they shall hear the cry: 'Behold! the garden before you! Ye have been made its inheritors, for your deeds (of righteousness).'"

157

"Those who follow the apostle, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures),- in the law and the Gospel;- for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honour him, help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him,- it is they who will prosper."

سورة الحديد Sura #57 Al-Hadid

27

Then, in their wake, We followed them up with (others of) Our apostles: We sent after them Jesus the son of Mary, and bestowed on him the Gospel; and We ordained in the hearts of those who followed him Compassion and Mercy. But the Monasticism which they invented for themselves, We did not prescribe for them: (We commanded) only the seeking for the Good Pleasure of Allah. but that they did not foster as they should have done. Yet We bestowed, on those among them who believed, their (due) reward, but many of them are rebellious transgressors.

سورة الليل Sura #92 Al-Lail

1 By the Night as it conceals (the light);
2 By the Day as it appears in glory;
3 By (the mystery of) the creation of male and female;-
4 Verily, (the ends) ye strive for are diverse.
5 So he who gives (in charity) and fears ((Allah)),
6 And (in all sincerity) testifies to the best,-
7 We will indeed make smooth for him the path to Bliss.
8 But he who is a greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient,
9 And gives the lie to the best,-
10 We will indeed make smooth for him the path to Misery;
11 Nor will his wealth profit him when he falls headlong (into the Pit).
12 Verily We take upon Ourselves to guide,
13 And verily unto Us (belong) the End and the Beginning.
14 Therefore do I warn you of a Fire blazing fiercely;
15 None shall reach it but those most unfortunate ones
16 Who give the lie to Truth and turn their backs.
17 But those most devoted to Allah shall be removed far from it,-
18 Those who spend their wealth for increase in self-purification,
19 And have in their minds no favour from anyone for which a reward is expected in return,
20 But only the desire to seek for the Countenance of their"
Lord Most High;
21 And soon will they attain (complete) satisfaction.

سورة الضحى Sura #93 Ad-Dhuha

1 By the Glorious Morning Light,
2 And by the Night when it is still,-
3 Thy Guardian-Lord hath not forsaken thee, nor is He displeased.
4 And verily the Hereafter will be better for thee than the present.
5 And soon will thy Guardian-Lord give thee (that wherewith) thou shalt be well-pleased.
6 Did He not find thee an orphan and give thee shelter (and care)?
7 And He found thee wandering, and He gave thee guidance.
8 And He found thee in need, and made thee independent.
9 Therefore, treat not the orphan with harshness,
10 Nor repulse the petitioner (unheard);
11 But the bounty of the Lord - rehearse and proclaim!"

سورة الشرح Sura #94 Al-Inshirah

1 Have We not expanded thee thy breast?-
2 And removed from thee thy burden
3 The which did gall thy back?-
4 And raised high the esteem (in which) thou (art held)?
5 So, verily, with every difficulty, there is relief:
6 Verily, with every difficulty there is relief.
7 Therefore, when thou art free (from thine immediate task), still labour hard,
8 And to thy Lord turn (all) thy attention."

You never know...

You never know who you will meet. The other day I took the bust to Georgetown to meet some friends. I saw a lady who sat across from me and she was staring...so I was a little irritated. Then the lady asked me where I got my hijab. I guess I had a strange look because she then informed me that she was in the process of reverting to Islam and needed to get hijabs that were nice so she could wear them to work. So what do you say to that? I gave her my card and wrote Sister Jennah's website on the back. Then I shared my reversion story and told her to call me whenever she wanted to chat or have a jummah prayer buddy.

Who'd a thunk it...You never know when your smile might be encouragement for a new Muslim or an invitation to the deen...

Relections in A Minor

So...with my schedule so hectic I never find the time to really get into a quality blog cycle, LOL, But here goes my attempt. Lately I have been rather melancholy and I think it is due to me getting to be older and wiser or, I am slowly dying from "the lack of sleep" disease since school started. I was watching "August Rush" today and yesterday I watched "The Happening". They were both excellent thought provoking movies. It is amazing how we human beings are so self-centered and are very rarely humbled by the unexplained phenomenon of life. Not many people think the unexplained is an act of mercy from the higher power, and I am curious to know why?

God created us to serve and worship him. I believe part of that worship is to take care of his creations, all of them. I can be very crude, harsh and direct sometimes but I have never willingly taken advantage of someone or been a blatant destroyer of things. In "The Happening" the common theme was to take care of the earth or it will destroy you. In "August Rush" the common theme was to have faith and all things will fall in place. Here is my question. Where are all of these feel good people and why don't I encounter them very often?

Daily I am encountered by people who's favorite topic is themselves. I am not that interested in them so why am I forced to discuss you and your issues- ALL THE TIME. I have things I like to discuss, mostly not about myself. I enjoy an occasional genuine, what are you feeling conversation.

The entire theme of energy in "The Happening" is so deep(seriously). I can be in a wonderful mood and someone with nasty energy can come in and it takes me a good 10 minutes to shake that bad vibration. I am currently in an industry that will not allow me to have negative thoughts while I am working on clients. I think that is why they like my services. I think that since I am thinking of positive thoughts and feelings I am passing along these vibes to my clients and I like the way we both feel in the end.

Maybe, someone else needs to rent those movies and tell me if I am crazy for feeling personally effected by them.

Do people really think they can say anything to others....Really?!?!?!?

So....I have been incognito due to school...work...and other family issues that really should put me on one those moods that I would feel compelled to share my misery around the world. Over the last 2 weeks I have noticed all types of shenanigans going on in my environment, almost like Shayton (Then Devil) is attempting to trap me into some corner so I can come out swinging. I have chosen to take the high road, however my patience has run thin. Lets begin with these strange antics...

***Someone stole my son's torn, ripped and basically destroyed Spiderman Bookbag from school ( I am not paranoid, it was stolen because all of his things were thrown in the bottom of the cubby)... So my mother (The devout Catholic who sprays random people in the face with holy water while cursing) goes in to the school and performs and all I said was, "Maybe the other person needed that bag more than he did.." She shot me a look and then I knew just to keep my opinion to myself. He got another bookbag on Monday and she makes sure it comes home every day.

***On the way into the driveway one weekend afternoon, I pulled my car over, with my right turn signal on and then followed that signal with blinkers. This crazy white woman in this hillbilly pick-up was right on my tail and almost hit me in the back, which automatically makes HER wrong...so she drives around me after laying on her horn and then gives ME the finger...So the entire time I am like, what just happened here and how did I deserve that? I guess I would have been wrong if I decided to follow her down the street and return the favor...so I took the high road.

***Yesterday, after our class plans for the day had been turned upside down by some of the other instructors we were cleaning up the classroom. One of my class mates starts saying, "I don't have time to clean up I need to go home to my child" (This girl came into class with an attitude...) So the other classmates chime in on how they have this and that... and I am sitting there thinking...these chain of events is getting old and I am getting irritated by selfish people who are self centered, rude and childish. I started to think about the fact that I have not spent a night alone with my husband in months, my son is acting out in school because he refuses to go to bed before I get home, I have a mother with cancer who helps me but I think at the end of the day I her more, I have to figure out how to pay my bills and help with my families bills on a part-time salary, I do not think I have slept a full 6 hours since the start of 2009...I can go on and on.... So I say "We are all stressed, we need the upcoming break to regroup." Then this Woman in Child's behavior says "Nothing ever bothers you, you must not have any feelings."

SO...My face frowned, and my mind was saying remember that you said this year you would attempt to do a better job of thinking through what you say... So I said "No, things bother me, I just know that if I moan and groan it doesn't help, I have other things that I need to do with my time and I put on my BIG GIRL DRAWS on and get busy...So maybe you should change OUT OF YOUR DORA PULL UP and stop crying all the damn time and maybe you will be blessed with some reprieve...and you should really mind what you say to people because maybe you will prove how simple minded and selfish you are instead of them assuming that is the way you are...."

It felt good even if it may have been wrong to say...however it was needed...

I spent the morning watching rude people on the metro. Is this what this world is coming to...people who travel in their own worlds who do not realize that we are all connected and a few moments of common courtesy and human decency would take you farther than your behavior right now. I am so moving to my private island sooner than later....

Ok, I am claiming temporary insanity...Does that give me the right to say what I want?

Over the last few days, I have been irritated because I have had to stifle myself..But yesterday I think Allah blessed me to have a series of events that took place over the day that had me saying to myself "Welcome Back Sister Girl-I have missed you!!!" So sit back and enjoy the series of ridiculous events.

Event 1- So...I was riding the Metro, it was cold as a polar bear's tail(*word substitution*) and crowded. I had to stand for the duration of the ride. I get on 4 stops from the beginning of the line and by the time we got to downtown D.C. the train was pulsating with the crowd of people that had stuffed themselves on this one train like it was the last to come before the end of the world. There were many very nicely dressed professionals in their designer best acting like children in Headstart... pushing, shoving, complaining, and acting simply retarded. I finally get to my stop and the doors open and to my dismay people began to attempt to board the already crowded train while we were trying to get off. Then there was a slight break in the pushing and shoving...and I was wondering what the hold up was..then I saw. An older lady had fallen outside of the train doors and people were stumbling as they steped over and on her as they went on their way...Something in my head snapped and then I said..."Hold it a minute, you people act like farm animals!"..and I helped the lady up, mind you her beautiful winter white coat was saturated with footprints and smudged stains. Only then did some of these selfish people act like they had a bit of concern.

Event 2- So at dinner time I decided I wanted to go to get a burrito bowl. As I waited to order, I noticed a lady in there...clearly homeless and hungry with another well dressed woman. Everything the well dressed woman ordered the homeless woman ordered the same thing. As we got ready to pay, she had a side order of rice and beans, chips and salsa, her burrito with extra everything, an Izzie soda, a large bottle of water and a cup of ice. I watched the well dressed woman pull out her American Express Card and pay for the meal. My class mate and I saw the pair again at the back of the resturant where the well dressed woman asked the homeless woman, "Did you get everything you needed for your meal?" and the other woman responded "You know what, I want some white rice from the chinese store down the street..." The nice lady said back, "I do not have any cash, you have rice with your dinner from here, don't you remember?" Then the exchange went on back and forth for a few minutes and then the nice lady said to the homeless woman, "I am sorry you are not happy with your meal, I do not have anymore money. You should sit down inside the resturant and eat so you can stay warm. It's cold out tonight" THIS UNGRATEFUL NASTY WOMAN SAYS BACK, "Don't tell me what to do, you bought me dinner and thats all..." I was PISSED OFF as I heard this conversation. As we all walked out together, the nice lady was clearly upset about the entire event. I said to her, "That was very nice, and it was clear you were not doing a good thing for public recognition. Even if she is not happy with her meal, you have added a good deed to your life and God always remembers when his servants give of what they have." She smiled and said thank you and went on down the street... People who are truly hungry would kill for a customized fresh hot meal, not complain...

Bottom line I learned my lesson---Say what you think...immediatly, especially when you are watching people act like colons.

More to come-

Listening to Your Breathing

It seems like I am full of words of wisdom when the "Poop" hits the fan- (substitution for a more colorful phrase). I am continuing to reflect on my choices and what I am doing in my life right now that is effecting an outcome of some sort. It is amazingly easy to say "Give in and let GOD do his work"...but the actual action is a hard thing to do. I have come to the section of my journey where I must really look to Allah for guidance and acceptance.

My instincts right now are telling me to go back home and get in the bed and try it again another day, but I have to stretch myself past that and move on, get up get out and do something. Nothing seems to come easy to me, and the things I plan always fail if I do not have the proper perspective and guidance. I have know for years that in order to make a wise decision you need to make isthakar (prayer asking for direction). I can honestly say, I have not done that in years. I have been writing my own script without the directors blessings and it is now starting set a series of events to come to clean up my mess.

It is amazing how much Allah loves us and how much he cleans our messes and forces us to do whatever it is that we need to do to grow and change. As I make more lemonaide out of my lemons I can really appreciate and hear part of the message. I think the message is to be still and breathe in the sites, use the gifts that Allah has given me and be still. Shut my mouth and listen to the sound of my breathing and the sounds around me. But here is the tip...How do you become still? I have thoughts racing and plans being planned in my mind as I sleep, day dream and even when I am really not trying to- You know what they say "You are not crazy if you talk to yourself, you are only crazy when you answer too..." So I am shutting my mouth...

It is amazing what the mind has to say when you actually listen...so I am listening to the sound of my breathing.

Random Thoughts

As I sit at my desk and contemplate the way my life is evolving and revolving, I reflect on all the things I thought I would be doing at 31- and it was NOT THIS! Where did the turn happen? I am currently listening to one of my favorite songs from the 80's. I remember one day I waited on the phone with WPGC 95.5 to request that Al B. D play Girlfriend by Peebles, I was a pre-teen at the time (I am dating myself).

Here is what I envisioned my life to look like...I was going to be a famous artist of some sort, painting and drawing to my heart's content. I was going to look fabulous in my designer clothes and I would be living in my fancy loft style apartment. Instead, I am a mother of 2 small children, now a student again, living at home with my parents and my family because my mother has cancer, and a wife of a husband who is clearly unhappy with the entire situation. This is so not the Sex in the City Lifestyle I had planned.

But, I am not the planner. Allah ta ala is the best of planners and what he plans for me I will accept, even if I grumble a little, I am only human. I do what I am supposed to do, I got married, had children, raise them with morals and values, work hard and earn what I have, but there is always more month than money. I look at what others have and I think how easy it was for them to have what I should have. My kids deserve to live in a spacious home with their family, I deserve to have a safe and new car, my kids deserve to go to the best schools, I deserve to have the best of whatever. But then I remember that when you are on the straight path, that is when things are thrown in your way. When you are on the path to dispare on your own it is a very easy road.

Please do not get me wrong, I am not misrable but I am thinking of what I wanted before I had children, a family and responsibilities. It is amazing to see how I have changed directions over the years. I have not given up my dreams and asperations, I have just changed directions and fine tuned dreams. I am a realist, and it is hard for me to dream and desire things that are far from reality, but I am working on it.

When I change perspectives my life seems to be a little different...I have a car that is paid for and works fine, I am able to take care of my parents the way they took care of me, my children are growing up truly knowing and learning from their grandparents, when the world is cold outside my famliy is at home together to warm each other. I am able to go back to school and work on things with my families support. Yeah we could have more but when you think about it...It is not so bad afterall. I would like to have a better car, LOL.

I know there is a lesson in this, and I am really attempting to get the lesson to learn from it...I just wish the school bell would ring and I could move on to bigger and better things. I guess I am ungreatful for what I have...