End of this Road

Followers of this blog may have noticed that Ive been slacking off on my posts for a while... Somehow this blog thing has just become a bit of a routine, and I've found myself enjoying it less and less... added to that is a busy schedule that just doesn't afford me the time.

So, it is with that in mind that I bring this blog to a close. It truly has been a pleasure, blogging with all you fine people, and it has been an experience I wont soon forget.

I can only hope that somehow at least some of my words haven't fallen on deaf ears.. and I'll still be sure to continue following you all...

Email me at silver6has@gmail.com

Peace and best wishes for all of you! :)

Things I've recently realized

Okay...so I'm back after a long hiatus and I'm ready to blog again!
So I thought I'd share a few things that I recently realized.

• Ive realized that there's nothing like a good chat session with a genuine friend, to put things into perspective.
• Ive realized that though we all go through phases in life we all still remain stuck with our inner core ideals, and those ideals never change... instead we just grow more into it.
• Ive realized that you can never judge someone just by looking at them. Human beings are far too complex for that!
• Ive realized that though things seem to be going on forever, they can come to an end in an instant, and then you will miss it all so terribly. So the best thing to do is to try and appreciate every moment while you can.
• Ive further realized that human beings can be ugly... but that they can also be so beautiful! And that if we spend some extra time looking for that beauty- we might just find it!
• and lastly Ive realized that no lesson is too small to learn and if it can improve us, it is a worthy lesson indeed!

Happy Blogging! Hope you all enjoyed the break!

Modesty

I was at my niece's end of year show the other day when I began contemplating a serious matter. The school, an Islamic school, had proudly set up a number of items that glorified South Africa's honour in hosting the world cup. These items included a number of dance routines.

Now sure, many people would say that its alright for kids in grade 1 or 2 to be dancing because they are still small. In fact that seems to be the mindset of almost everybody these days. But as I sat there, watching these little girls gleefully moving and swaying their hips, I could sense the sheer satisfaction and enjoyment that they were getting. Why, I wondered, would we want to make our children enjoy dancing? Why would we allow them, especially from such a young age, to believe that there is some sort of glory in dancing, shaking and moving about in front of a bunch of strangers? And in a  despicable world of molestation and child rape, why on earth would we ever want to expose our children to all of this.

This got me seriously thinking. Modesty and Haya is such an integral part of our Islamic womanhood. Yet in the modern world they teach us the opposite. They tell us to 'flaunt it' if we've 'got it'! What kind opposing ideals are we forced to ingest? On the one hand our beautiful deen encourages us to be shy and modest and to conceal instead of reveal. The world, on the other hand, opposes these ideals and makes them seem strange and other. For a young girl, these conflicting ideals cannot be very easy to handle.

I'm sure you've noticed it too. People, even Muslims, are always praising the children who are outspoken and bold; the ones who wont mind singing and dancing in front of others. The other children, the shy children, well they are simply brushed off and comments like 'she needs to come out of her shell' can even be heard.

We may even be guilty of it ourselves. We may look proudly at the well spoken ones who easily charms others, while silently hoping that our 'shy' children could be just like them. Sometimes we may not even question it.

What we all need to realize, however, is that modesty begins from small. We have to teach our children to maintain their natural instincts of shame and modesty. We have to try not to push them to do things that will take that modesty away. Because once modesty is lost, its very difficult to get it back.

So call on Allah

Blessing in disguise

Sometimes things happen in life, and we're so busy complaining about it that we forget to notice all that we were actually saved from.

Like the time a guy drove into my sister and I. We were so busy fuming and complaining about the driving skills of the guy (and yes, it really was his fault) that we failed to sit and ponder over what would have happened to us if his car had been driving just a little faster. In this instance we walked away unhurt and unscathed... wasn't that a blessing?

There are so many instances where seemingly bad things happen, yet when we ponder over its consequences a while later we can see so many blessings that it actually brought about. This tells me that when things happen in my life, I should patiently try to forbear it- since I cannot know what blessings might emerge.

It reminds me of a story I once read. Its pretty long, but well worth the read:

A farmer in Anatolia had a wife and adolescent son. His wife always complained that they were poor, their house needed a new roof, the barn was broken down, and they had no horse to help with the plowing. Early one morning the man and his son looked towards the field and besides a large oak tree stood the most beautiful thing they had ever seen.
It was a large white horse with perfect proportions. They tied and fed the horse. They were happy. His wife came out and said: "Look for markings, it is a rich man's horse." There were no markings.
"We can sell the horse", the wife said, "and with the money we can fix the roof, buy a wagon, rebuild the barn and have something left over for our old age."
"I will not sell the horse," said the man.
"If you don't, I will leave you," said the wife, and went into the house.

Now let me tell you a little about the man. The townspeople and his wife thought he was becoming senile. Whenever something occurred, good or bad, he would say: "Maybe its a blessing, maybe its a curse, only Allah knows." whatever befell him, that's what he would say. That's what he said when the townspeople gathered on his land to see the horse and told him what good fortune he had. And that's what he said to his wife when she told him he should sell or she would leave.

The next morning he began building a corral for the horse. His wife became angry. She went to her sister down the road. The man shrugged his shoulders and said: "Maybe its a blessing, maybe a curse, only Allah knows."
The story of the beautiful horse travelled from village to village, town to town, and finally to the capital city where the Sultan, a lover of horses, heard it. He called his lieutenant and told him to go to the farmer and offer him a bag of gold for the horse.
"What if he won't sell?" asked the lieutenant.
"Of course he will", said the Sultan. "He is poor, this is a fortune."
"But" the lieutenant insisted, "What if he won't sell?"
"Then kill him" said the Sultan, "and bring me the horse."

The Sultan's soldiers arrived at the farmer's house. The horse was as beautiful as they had been told, and the lieutenant offered the farmer the bag of gold for the horse.
"Thank you" said the farmer, "but I don't want to sell."
The lieutenant asked the farmer to walk with him. He liked the old man, who reminded him of his father.
"Please take the money," the lieutenant said
"No" said the farmer.
"My orders are to kill you and take the horse if you refuse to sell it."
"The horse is not for sale"
"Please, this will be your death."
"Maybe it's a blessing, maybe its a curse, only Allah knows."
The lieutenant said he had an errand to run in another village but would return in a few days. He begged the farmer to reconsider.

The townspeople gathered and started to argue with the farmer.
"You will be rich!"
"Maybe its a blessing, maybe a curse, only Allah knows" he replied calmly.
"If you don't sell the horse, the soldiers will kill you and you will lose the horse anyway."
"Maybe its a blessing, maybe its a curse, only Allah knows."

The next day the farmer's son decided to ride the horse. He felt wonderful riding it until the horse stepped into a hole, throwing the boy high into the air. The boy broke both his legs.

"You didn't listen to us" the townspeople said to his father. "If you had sold the horse, then this wouldn't have happened".The farmer replied: "Maybe its a blessing, maybe its a curse, only Allah knows.

The next morning the farmer looked outside and saw nothing, the horse was gone.
The townspeople said: "You could have sold him for money and you didn't. So your son went riding and hurt himself. Now you don't even have the horse."
The farmer said: "Maybe its a blessing, maybe its a curse, only Allah knows."
"The soldiers will return" said the townspeople. "They wont believe you when you say that the horse has gone. They'll torture and kill you."
"Maybe its a blessing, maybe its a curse, only Allah knows." the farmer replied.

The soldiers didn't return. War had broken out. All the young men were called into the army except the farmer's son who was still injured.

"You're lucky" said the townspeople. "We will never see our sons again. You will have someone to care for you in your old age, but we will be alone."

"I've told you before" said the farmer. "Don't you understand? Maybe its a blessing, maybe its a curse, only Allah knows!"

story taken from: When you hear hoofbeats think of a zebra by Shems Friedlander

So here's hoping we can all be wise enough to brave the storms of life, accept adversities with patience, and remain steadfast enough to be able to see the blessings later. Insha Allah Ameen.

Inspirations

Will the lessons ever stop!!!?

Yesterday happened to be one of those days...

I did one of those stupid things that give women a bad name (though I'm sure men do it to!)

I locked the keys in the car!!! I know, I know.... but these things happen ever so often right!? Anyway, from that silly incident I happened to learn some profound lessons, and so I thought I'd share them with you:

People are essentially kind: As I sat and waited for my bro to bring the spare keys, so many people stopped to help. From the shopping centre security guys to the ordinary passer by- all of them tried, in their own way, to help me (an absolutely complete stranger!!!). Now I know we can sometimes tend to get this negative view of people... but well, yesterday restored my faith in people. The world is not as crazy and sick as the news makes it seem... there are actually decent people out there!!!

Time is never wasted: In the time I waited I made valuable use of my time by reciting durood. Then how can we ever be at a loss right??? I sat there thinking that it didn't matter how long I had to wait... with durood on my tongue my seemingly wasted time could be transformed into a beautiful act that I wouldn't have otherwise done! Its all about perspective, right???

We need to walk a mile in others shoes: One of the guys who stopped to help was a sweet oldish guy. he chatted about how he was into cars (and the motor industry) in his younger days. He was the friendliest guy of all. And then, when he explained it, it all made perfect sense! He said that he was stranded one day for hours... and nobody came to his aid. He waited for soo long and nobody even bothered to offer him a ride home. That's when I realised that he was trying to offer so much help, simply because he knew how it felt! And that's when I realised that the world would be soo much better if we just walked a mile in each others shoes!!!

Only Allah can help you: As I sat there waiting I realised that it is only Allah (swt) who can help save you from inconveniences of life. How many times do we simply just get into our cars, without realizing that anything could go wrong? How many things do we take for granted each day? We get into this thinking mode where we assume that life just goes on, and all is generally supposed to be normal- so we forget to appreciate when things go smoothly!
Yet how many time were we locked out of the car or house? How many times did we get into accidents? How many times were we delayed in cues? How many times did we just have a really crappy day?
So as I sat there I thought, when all goes smoothly and well, we really mustn't forget to thank Allah (who has willed it so!) Alhamdulillah.

No one can save you: added to that too is the fact that nothing can save you. No matter how rich you are, how beautiful, how famous- nobody (except Allah) can save you from these minor inconveniences, form these little time consuming things that can really kill your day!

So well, I guess we should remember this and begin each day by asking Allah (swt) for blessings for our time, and our day!

And lastly, I my suspicions were confirmed once again... It is all about the attitude! When things go wrong you have two options: you can either make a fuss or cry, or you can have a good laugh and kick your problem in its face! Either way, your attitude determines everything!!!

So here's hoping you all have a wonderful issue-free Jumu'ah Day! (Ameen)

Peace in the midst of chaos

Well the other day my sisters and I had our first book launch. Alhamdulillah, we managed to complete an ongoing project that now culminated in an all around, chaos induced, launch.
Now you can imagine how insanely busy we had all been- running around like crazy people trying to get everything done. There were invites to send, things to buy, presentations to be prepared and hall decor to be setup. We had a hundred and one things to do, not to mention that we were seriously short-handed!!!

The day of the launch, well... it was just plain down crazy. Apart from the fact that I was tired (and walking around like a zombie), there were so many last minute arrangements that still needed to be made that my mind was reeling at it all. I have to admit, I was stressing out! I kept freaking out about the crowds who had arrived earlier than expected, at the food that looked as if it was just too much, at the presentations we had to give and how unprepared we were... well, one can only imagine.

In the midst of it all, however, the time for Zohr salaah approached and I decided to leave whatever I was doing to first finish my salaah.

Let me tell you... that was all I really needed!!!

As I put my head down in sajdah, I allowed the inner peace to wash over me. Performing my salaah like this, in the midst of all the chaos, gave me such a feeling of satisfaction and contentment, that all the previous feelings of stress disappeared immediately.

Suddenly I was a whole new person. I made a dua to Allah (s.w.t) for ease and success and I simply stopped worrying. (worrying never helps anyway, does it?)

I left that room with a whole new outlook, with a sense of peace and calm. I was resigned to remain calm at the face of whatever may now come. Simply put, my salaah helped me to 'chill out!'

So next time you're feeling stressed out and unsure about yourself, just make wudhu and go perform your salaah. Really, if you let it, it can make a world of difference.

Communication these days!!!

Has anybody else ever found the urge to scream in frustration at your computer when you realize how ineffective they can actually be? (Probably not!)

Think about emails. You send someone an email with a certain tone, mood and message that you're trying to convey. But when they read it (unless they actually 'read' into the present situation) its all just words. How do they know what you're trying to communicate? You know what I mean?

So you wanna send a nice friendly message to a friend who you just fought with. You're write that you're sorry and that next time you wont do it (whatever you did) again. Your friend (who is still angry at you) assumes that you are angry at her, and when she reads your email she reads it with hostility. Her tone (in reading it) is hostile, and so she assumes that your tone (of the email) is hostile too. She takes your apology for sarcasm and anger towards her. Even though you really were sorry- she just didn't pick up on that!!!

Its really strange that despite the progress of communications technology, relationships and interpersonal skills have gotten so much worse! So you can chat for hours to a person- discussing anything at all, but if you see them tomorrow, you wont know how to talk to them... crazy right???
And what about all our virtual friends that we make. We don't even really know them do we? If we had to meet them tomorrow, would we have any idea what to say? (Though I suppose if it wasn't for virtual communication- then we wouldn't even know that person to begin with! I guess that in the absence of real relationships, virtual ones are the next best thing!)

Just discussing this reminds me of something my friend said the other day. She was feeling really bad for not realizing earlier that a guy liked her. See, he was emailing and chatting with her and was obviously throwing around hints that he liked her but she never even noticed. It was only a while after everything, when she was re-reading her old chats (for some strange reason) that she actually really 'read' all that was written and realized all he 'said'. That same guy now avoids her (I guess now she finally understands why!)
It makes you wonder doesn't it, how many things, feelings, moods, frustrations and problems are we missing out on with all of our virtual communication?
The world may be getting smaller, but I sometimes think that the distances between people are only getting bigger.

Oh, and I've come up with a crazy way of expressing my feelings when emailing. If I'm saying something important with a tone that's open to interpretation, i think I should include the following tag line: mood, tone, expression and outlook.
So my tag line for this post would look something like this:

Mood: happy yet reeling at the irony of communication today.

Tone: incredulous yet peppy.

Expression: slight smile.

Outlook: for communications in conjunctions with relationships- awfully bleak!!!

Have a great day folks!!!

No fairytale

Yesterday we all celebrated my parents 35th wedding anniversary...

35 years... wow...that's a really long time right???

My family and I leisurely spent the morning at the Zoo Lake. With kids running around, adults sitting around and everybody having a great old time, I wondered whether my parents could ever have imagined all of this 35 years ago. Seriously, I doubt it...

Often when we hear of people who stay together, we assume that their marriage must have been some kind of bed of roses, right? The truth is, and I've seen this with my parents, marriage is a real big struggle.

I've seen them argue over silly things, argue over bigger things, smile, laugh, cry, get annoyed with each other, happy sad, frustrated, calm. I've seen them having difficulties, and then Ive seen how easy things can be. What I learnt from them, however, is that marriage is no fairytale.

We often believe that the struggle comes when trying to find 'Mr Right'. Then, we assume, everything else will go smoothly from there on out. The truth, however, is that Mr Right is just as flawed as every other human out there. By the way, so is Mrs Right! So if you think you getting married to some perfect person who won't sometimes drive you up the wall... THINK AGAIN!

My parents' marriage has taught me that marriage is something that needs to be worked at. At times you will be forced to swallow your words (which so desperately threaten to escape). At times you will be forced to give in. Always you'll have to have loads and loads of patience. That's life. That's marriage...right?

Nothing in life is a fairytale and the sooner we get that silly notion out of our heads, the sooner reality can move in. Then when we're fortunate enough to sit joyfully, 35 years from now, with our spouses... we can look back at the road we travelled on and smile at all the bumps and detours that we once had to deal with. Believe me, it'll all make for many interesting stories for all the kids and grandkids!

So Inspired!

Well what can i say? How can I effectively communicate to you the feelings and emotions that my recent Umrah trip has left. I've been back in S.A for little more than a week yet my heart yearns to return to the blessed cities. I hope, I yearn, I cry, I dream. Yet life returns and must still continue. And well... so it all carries on...!

Yet I find an overwhelming sense of joy for the wonderful gift of Islam that we all have been privileged enough to receive. Coz though my Umrah trip is now in the past, though my feet cries to walk once more on blessed land- my heart rejoices that despite it all, I am still a Muslim.

I believe in Allah! I love the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w)! I fast! I perform salaah! I try to enjoin good and forbid evil! I fear Allah! I love Allah! I am a Muslim! Alhamdulillah!

And the best part is that no matter where I may be in the world, none of the above will ever change! (Insha Allah)

We are so blessed, you and I, to be a part of this wonderful deen...!
So I thought I'd take this time to share these thoughts with you, in the hope that you too can feel my great sense of appreciation and utter a simple " Alhamdulillah!"

Important message

Assalamu Alaikum fellow bloggers and blog lovers.

This blog is officially on leave, due to its author being gone for Umrah.
Stick around, read the older posts and be sure to return for newer ones in a few weeks time. Insha Allah

Take care all...
Assalamu Alaikum

Ramadan Daze...

Pheew! The day is finally over...

Today my sometimes-peace was interrupted when we decided to invite all the kids (my nieces and nephews) over for Iftaar (breaking fast). What joy they all had when they saw their plates stacked with all the little treats, and filled their tummies with all the little goodies. Aah, children are so easy to please... :)

I dont know if its like this for all families, but somehow the month of Ramadan always comes along with a side dish of nostalgia. Somehow in this month, you miss all your loved ones so much more. Somehow you yearn for the deceased so much more, and somehow you find yourself reminiscing over all those fond childhood Ramadan memories.

The month of Ramadan seems to put everyone in a special kind of daze, a Ramadan Daze. All around you you see hijaabis. (much more than usual); neighbours are extra kind- sharing wonderful home made treats, and children are patiently counting down the minutes and hours. Best of all, however, is the sudden importance that everybody pays to the most beautiful and Noble Quraan. Now, whereas it has stood unopened throughout the year, everybody tries so hard to complete it at least one time. Nobody is shy to proclaim that they are too busy to do other (less important) things due to their recitation of the Noble Quraan. Aah, if only every month were like this...

This is Ramadan. This is the wonderful month that unites us all as muslims. This is the wonderful month that exalts us, that urges us to become better muslims and better people. This is the wonderful month that was fortunate enough to receive the honour in being the month in which the Noble Quraan was revealed. And so im left, awe- inspired and fascinated at the effect that this month has on us all; and on the Ramadan daze that we all inevitable go through...

Its here!

It's past 10 pm and the first night of Tarweeh is over... yip... Ramadan is officially here!

A few hours ago we stood in the lounge checking out the moon. I had just finished reading Magrib salaah when my Aunty phoned. "Did you see the moon?" she said, squealing with delight. So I quickly went to see for myself. And there, in the dusky night sky was the new moon!  My mother and aunty proceeded to make duas about Allah giving us the best of this month, and then my Aunty said something that still resonates in my mind. She said "Aren't we just so blessed to be Muslims?"  Well, we really really are! Aren't we?

The fact that we've lived for yet another year, and are so fortunate to be witnessing another Ramdaan, well thats just a favour from Allah (SWT). Had we not been around now, we wouldn't be able to take all the benefits from this truly special month. And each year that we live to see yet another Ramadan... well that's just blessings upon blessings... insha Allah!

May Allah (SWT) enable us to make the very best use of this month, and further enable us to use it in seeking to get closer to Him, the Most High.

Insha Allah Ameen...

Now go get some sleep... sehri is just a few hours away!!!

Can you feel it...?

Can you feel it?

shh....

can you hear it?

I can sense it

Its in the air

It's everywhere...

The time is near

Its almost here...

So can you feel it?

The Difference between Girls and Boys

This morning, while picking my niece up from school, My sister and I were discussing the differences between boys and girls.

One of my niece's girlfriends was crying because some girls didn't want to be her friend. It was while giving her some tips and lessons on dealing with friends, that i remarked about how soft the heart of a girl is.
Think about it, how easy is it for us to cry when we are hurting or even worried? How quickly can we feel sympathy for others? How soon do we feel guilty when we hurt others? Allah (SWT) in His infinite mercy has created us this way. And women truly are a different species from men.

Now I know some men are more in touch with their feelings than others. And I know that other men are unnecessarily harsh, but I also know that the heart of a woman is unlike anything imaginable.

I cannot fully comprehend why it is that we live in a society in which being soft and emotional is a bad thing! Why is it that the fact that we can cry so willingly is seen as a form of weakness? I don't think it's a weakness, I think that its a strength really. I mean, imagine a woman who couldn't cry. Imagine a woman that wasnt soft and emotional. Imagine a home devoid of  the loving touch of a woman. Imagine a world filled with only men.

Men and women were created differently. They compliment each other in the most wonderful ways. What the woman can pride herself on, the man may be lacking. And man's natural Allah- given abilities are not found in women. This is the true beauty of all our differences... that together, two separates, two counterparts, make a unified whole.

Truly, Allah Most High is certainly the Most Wise and All Knowing! Alhamdulillah.

Life and Death

I was sitting at a funeral house, 2 days after the funeral, when a realisation suddenly came over me: 'Life goes on!'

The grandfather of the house (an old family friend) had suffered from a stroke and passed away. The Funeral was on Thursday. This day, the day I came to this obvious but striking realisation, was Saturday. My family had been invited to read Quraan and eat supper, along with enough guests to fill the very big house.

Now I've never really suffered a big loss. My parents both came from broken homes and my grandparents were never really a big part of my life (well, the deceased ones anyway). I guess because of this, I dont really understand the conflicting feelings that the bereaved have to deal with. What I expected was to find the family somber and tearful, instead I was greeted with a very different sight. Seriously, it just did not look like a funeral house. Now im sure that the family were all just putting on brave faces for all their guests; and I do not doubt that they really truly were grieving, but listening to all the chattering conversations, and staring at all the smiling faces, well I guess it just brought me to that all important realisation- that life truly does go on!

I realized the reality of the fact that each man is born alone, and will die truly alone. And once you down there- six feet under- nobody knows what you're going through. So why is it that we tend to spend so much time living for this life, and so little time preparing for our final abode? How come all we care about is our relationship with others, and we forget to care about our relationship with Allah. After all, isn't Allah (SWT) the only Being who is always with us???

Back to this event though. The eldest granddaughter just received a proposal, and all the talks with the 2 families are currently going on. So there I was sitting and listening to them discuss this soon to be son-in-law and I couldn't help thinking further about how life so easily carries on without you. Soon this family will be holding a different type of event, a wedding (insha Allah), and their lives will begin to head in a very different direction (one filled with new spouses and new births). And though the grandfather will live on in their hearts and minds, their lives will most assuredly continue.

Ok, so I know you're thinking 'yeah- this is obvious', well you're right it is all obvious. After all nobody expects life to stand still after the death of a loved one right? Its just that sometimes we get so stuck working and toiling for this life, that it comes as a shocker when you actually witness how quickly life can just continue. Im starting to ramble, so I better wrap this up!

I guess my point is that we all need to spend a little more time improving our relationship with Allah. And while we must, no doubt, have good relationships with others, we must still realize that, without us around, life inevitably goes on... that should bring us down a notch or two dont you think...?

image from: http://stavangerphotobytanty.blogspot.com/2007/05/muslim-graveyard.html

Blog Awards

Wow! Thanks fellow sister bloggers for the 2 generous awards that I've received.

The first one that I got was from Blue Pearl... thanks sis!

The second one (the sunshine award) was from Khadijah... appreciate it!

It's so nice to be part of a blogging community, with sisters extending their hands to other sisters- supporting and encouraging them! Thanks to all of those sisters who have enriched my blogging experience with support and comments. And as for all those sisters without blogs... I wanna be the first to follow you all, so c'mon what are you waiting for???

Now, according to the rules of the first award, I have to post about where I see myself in ten years time. Hmm... this got me thinking!

I've started on a road of self discovery and connection... trying to discover and enhance my character, and connect with the One who has created me. In 10 years time I hope to have walked further along that road... Insha Allah!

In ten years time I also hope to be helping others; to be a wiser muslimah; to learn more about the life of my beloved Prophet (S.A.W) and the lives of his companions; to be more forgiving, patient, and generous. Insha Allah Ameen!

On a lighter note, in ten years I see myself teaching, hopping, skipping, playing, dancing and jumping around with all my nieces and nephews (by then there'll probably be enough for 2 soccer teams! insha Allah!); having petty (but loud) arguments with my sisters; being irritated by my brothers; and pitying the heads of my exceedingly crazy family- my parents! :)

I hope to sit back, 10 years from now, that much wiser and better, and look back to the past 10 years with no worries and no regrets. Insha Allah Ameen.

............................................................................................

Ok, so now I'm supposed to pass the awards on to others, who are then supposed to pass it on to others... pay it forward and all of that! So since I'm passing it on to blogs that I like and follow, I decided to just pass along both awards at the same time... So if you get any of these awards for the second or third time, well... just take it as a compliment k!

Here's a list of others that im passing it along to: (in alphabetical order)

1. Changing my world @  http://randommuslima.blogspot.com/
2. Fee qalbee @ http://feeqalbee.wordpress.com/
3. Hijab diaries @ http://hijab-diaries.blogspot.com/ 
4. How to deal @ http://how-2-deal.blogspot.com/
5. Reviving the Sunnah @ http://revivingthesunnah.blogspot.com/ 
6. Sisters who blog @ http://sisterswhoblog.ning.com/
7. Spotlight on Islam @ http://spotlight-on-islam.blogspot.com/
8. Wiser, miss tweet blue pearl @ http://bluepearlfun.blogspot.com/ (passing it back on)


For those of you who would like to pass it on and actually follow all the rules of it, here they are listed below:
Sunshine Blog Award:
Put the logo on your blog in your post.
Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.
Link the nominees within your post.
Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blogs.
Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

The 'you're going places' award:
Pass it on to 10 other bloggers
tell all where you see yourself in 10 years time.

Weekly Wise Words: The sometimes nature of man

Only Allah's will

Yesterday, after coming from a funeral, my sister got mugged. She was in the car with her husband when they stopped at a red robot. Suddenly a few guys approached the car, pointed a gun at them and demanded their phone and wallet. Shocking right? Well, here's another shocker... My brothers and I drove on that exact same road (maybe even stopped at that exact robot) only a few minutes later. (We all live in the same neighbourhood and were all driving home in separate cars after the funeral). So what's the difference then I wonder. How come they didn't stop us? Well the obvious conclusion is that it just wasn't the will of Allah, right?

It's like the difference between two patients. They lie side by side in the hospital. Both of them have the same sickness, both of them get the same treatment, yet only one of them gets cured. Why? Well obviously its just Allah's will.Nobody knows why Allah wills things a certain way. Allah (SWT) is the Most Wise and All Knowing. So we can't even begin to fathom the ways in which Allah (SWT) works.

The frustrating thing is that even though we realize this, we are so quick to give recognition to others when things occur. So when that doctor cures that first patient- everybody will rejoice and marvel at the doctor's brilliant skills and his awesome intelligence. At times like that we forget to realize that the patient was only cured by Allah's will. Sure the doctor treated him. But the treatment only worked because Allah willed it to work. Sometimes we tend to forget this, and we give all the recognition to the doctor and the hospital, and fail to recognize the True Healer whose will always comes to pass.

But back to my story now... My sister is all well and fine (maybe just a little shaken up) and Alhamdulillah (again, only by Allah's will) the guys just got away with a cell phone and a wallet (which, let's face it- is much less valuable than human life). Why Allah wills things this way, only Allah knows. Why some of us have to hit a few roadblocks every now and again, only Allah knows. Why Allah prevents the same things from happening to others, again only Allah knows. One thing I know for sure is that Allah (SWT) truly is sufficient as a Helper for us all and definitely the only One that we ever need to turn to.