My [AWIS] Kids

A teacher is a little girl who had a bit more time to grow up than everybody.  One of her greatest assets is her knowledge and her experience - she has learned from her personal observations and her mistakes. A small boy knows he can bring his troubles to his teacher and she'll understand. She will help him plan and make his dreams a reality. She will never expect the boy to be perfect the way his parents sometimes do, but grace him to become better each day. A little girl knows no one can tell better stories than her. Troubles fade in her arms. Anything is possible when she is there. And she can always be counted on to take the underdog's part. Lucky, indeed, is a kid who can carry a good teacher image into the long hard years ahead - Asfiya 

For a teacher, her students are her biggest gift. They are like her own children; a part of her. She views each one of them is like beautiful shells; unique and vibrant. She notices and enhances their thoughts and manners. She awakens their Fitrah. She gives them positive image Muslims, and mends their broken ideas about Islam. She rekindles their enthusiasm for Paradise. She stands at the crossroads of the past and present, sculpturing her children for the future. She fashions their minds with care, Darussalam books and Da'wah experiences. With a guiding hand and gentle loving heart, she is there day after day to deft, polish and smooth them. She decorates them with love of Allah, His Book and His Messenger (s.a.w). She moulds them into good deeds. She works and aches so they can succeed.

Dear AWIS Kids ... I miss all of you everyday. I cannot express my sadness over parting from you. You were a marvelous bunch, all ninety-nine of you. We shared a kind of rapport that is only felt between close family members and friends. I remember Hazim, Hasan and Shaheer playing soccer with an eraser in the hallway. Farwah's jokes, Afra's beautiful handwriting and Hadia dropping cake crumbs on the table. I remember Fatima's speeches, Hafsa K's drawing and Sumaiya's serious smile. Huzaifa's funny car stories, Nabeeha's answers and Ahsan's cap. I never imagined how a few weekends together will change all of us. Insensibly, so many Qur'an verses and hadith stories intertwined, embedded their lessons in each of us. If I could change anything, I would teach you everyday, share with you my lunch and watch your presentations still. I would stick around to answer your questions and take you to conferences, museums and parks. We would do homework together and play football...You will remain an unforgettable part of my life. May Allah bless you and protect you all aameen.

   

God Exists

An expectant mother goes to the doctor for an ultrasound.

In the meantime, her two embryos are talking to each other.

Embryo 1: Do you believe in Mom? Do you believe in life after birth?

Embryo 2: No, I am an atheist!

Source: Brother Hamza Tzortzis
We may not be able to see God but He exists. All sciences and signs point inevitably toward His direction. When we reflect upon our own existence we will come to realize, that at some point in time, we began to exist. We had a "birth" day. Since we were once non-existent and are now in existence, it follows that we must have had a beginning. In light of this, we can make some interesting points: we did not come out of nothing because from nothing, nothing comes; we obviously did not create ourselves so there must be a cause or Creator of our existence.


Because the universe had a beginning...
The second law of thermodynamics strongly suggests that the universe had a beginning. Entropy was introduced to explain the direction of various processes that occur in the natural world. Entropy is a measure of how evenly energy is distributed in a system. For example, heat always flows from a body of a higher temperature to one of a lower temperature. In a closed system,  energy is always seeking equilibrium. Applying the second law of thermodynamics to the universe we will conclude that with enough time the universe will suffer a heat death or thermodynamic equilibrium. This is because entropy only increases over time. Therefore, as the universe continues to expand it will eventually become cold and dead. If the universe was infinite, it would have already reached equilibrium. But the fact that it hasn't, indicates that the universe is finite and it is gradually moving towards heat death, i.e. global warming has made North America a much warmer continent and Eastern regions of the world are increasingly cooler (snow in many Middle Eastern cities).
Some philosophers like Bertrand Russell argue that the universe is infinite, meaning it has no beginning and it will never end. However if we think about this we will conclude that this position is irrational. Does "infinite" even possible in the real world? If this blog article had an infinite number of paragraphs and I deleted 2 paragraphs, how many paragraphs will there be? Infinite or infinity minus 2? If it is infinity minus 2 then it isn't infinity is it - because I can count it! So the concept of infinity cannot be export to real life examples because it leads to contradictions and it doesn't make any sense. German mathematician David Hilbert said, "The infinite is nowhere to be found in reality. It neither exists in nature nor provides a legitimate basis for rational thought…the role that remains for the infinite to play is solely that of an idea."  Similarly the ancient Greek Philosopher Aristotle explained, "…the infinite is potential, never actual." So the idea that the universe is a infinite does not make any sense because the universe is not an idea, it is series of real life calculable events.


The universe began with the Big Bang. Edwin Hubble, an American Astronomer formulated through a series of observations while trying to understand the size of the universe. He observed that the Cepheid Variables (stars) were further away than initially anticipated, and that their colour was changing to red (red-shift). From this we were able to conclude the universe is effectively expanding. As time moves on the universe will continue to expand, but if time was reversed, the theory is that the universe will shrink, it will collapse and come together. Instead of the Big Bang, we'll have a Big Crunch.  In other words the universe began at a cataclysmic event which created space, time, energy and matter all at once. John Gribbin, an astrophysicist at Cambridge University, commenting on the importance of the ‘Big Bang’ said “…it is the discovery of the century, in cosmology at least, was without doubt the dramatic discovery made by Hubble, and confirmed by Einstein’s equations, that the Universe is not eternal, static, and unchanging.” This follows C.W. Davies question, “What caused the big bang? . . . One might consider some supernatural force, some agency beyond space and time as being responsible for the big bang.... It seems to me that we don’t have too much choice. It must be…something outside of the physical world….”

Because the universe did not create itself...
This nicely segues into my next point, what caused the Big Bang? Is it something really supernatural and outside the physical world? Or did the universe create itself? Everything happened on its no, there is no cause to the universe? We know the universe could not have come out of nothing, because out of nothing, nothing comes! This is an undeniable philosophical principle, as P. J. Zwart said, "If there is anything we find inconceivable it is that something could arise from nothing." But some physicists argue that the universe came out of the quantum vacuum. But the quantum vacuum is not nothing, it is actually something; a sea of fluctuating energy, which is part of the universe. The quantum vacuum does not pre-exist the universe, it came into existence along with and at the same time as the universe. So philosophically, the universe could not have created itself because that would imply a paradox. It would mean that the universe can exist and not exist at the same time. It is like saying your mother gave birth to herself. Thats absurd and self-refuting isn't it? So how can the universe create itself? How can it exist before it existed?


Since the universe had a beginning and it did not come out of nothing or create itself, the best explanation is that the universe must have been created or brought into existence by an uncaused entity. This cause or Creator must be uncaused due to the absurdity of an infinite regress. To illustrate this better, if the cause of the universe had a cause and that cause had a cause ad infinitum, then there wouldn’t be a universe to talk about in the first place. For example, imagine if a Stock Trader on a trading floor at the Stock Exchange was not able to buy or sell his stocks or bonds before asking permission from the investor, and then this investor had to check with his, and this went on forever, would the Stock Trader every buy or sell his stocks or bonds? The answer is no. Or imagine you are a soldier ready to fire a gun, but before you shoot you have to ask permission for the soldier behind you, but he has to do the same, and it goes on for infinity. Will you ever shoot? No you wouldn’t. In similar light if we apply this to the universe we would have to posit an uncaused cause due to this rational necessity. The Qur'an confirms that the Creator of the universe is uncaused. “He neither begets nor is born.” (112:3)


Because the universe was created by a cause....
The cause or Creator for the universe must be a single cause for several reasons. Occam’s razor enjoins that we do not multiply entities beyond necessity. In other words, we should stick to explanations that do not create more questions than it answers. In the context of the cause for the universe we have no evidence to claim multiplicity, in other words more than one. The Qur’an affirms the Oneness of the Creator, “Say: He is God, [who is] One.”  (112:1)
The cause or Creator must be non contingent meaning that its existence is dependent on nothing but itself. The Qur’an verifies this, “God is Independent of (all) creatures.” (112:2) He is free of need, Self-Sustaining. He gives life to and supports the universe.
The cause or Creator must also be transcendent, this means that the cause of the universe must exist outside of and apart from the universe. This is confirmed in the Qur’an, “There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing” (42:11) and  "Indeed, your Lord is Allāh, who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne. He covers the night with the day, [another night] chasing it rapidly; and [He created] the sun, the moon, and the stars, subjected by His command. Unquestionably, His is the creation and the command; blessed is Allāh, Lord of the worlds." (7:54)
This cause must have the power to create the universe. The Qur’an testifies to the Creator’s power, "Blessed is He in Whose Hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent - [He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving" (67:1-2)


So the Creator for the universe exists, He is one, All powerful, uncaused and immaterial.
Stop for a moment and observe your surroundings. "Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, and the [great] ships which sail through the sea with that which benefits people, and what Allāh has sent down from the heavens of rain, giving life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and dispersing therein every [kind of] moving creature, and [His] directing of the winds and the clouds controlled between the heaven and the earth are signs for a people who use reason." (2:164) What causes the alternation of night and day? Who made the sun and the moon? Why does the wind blow? How does it rain? Where does life come from? What is the origin and source of this phenomena? Lets reflect upon our own being. Descartes said, ‘I think, therefore I am…’ But who is this ‘I’? Where did 'I' come from? Who 'caused' me? Allah, the cause and Creator of the universe says, He "made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, and made the clot into a lump [of flesh], and ... made [from] the lump, bones, and ... covered the bones with flesh; then... developed him into another creation. So blessed is Allāh, the best of creators." (23:14) 


I am a Believer =) alhamdulillah

Convey

They are only words, don't be afraid to convey them.
Words are important but sometimes we don't realize just how important until after its too late, like an opportunity is lost or someone whom we have neglected in life has passed away. In the memory of his loving wife, Thomas Carlyle wrote, "Oh, that I had you yet for five minutes by my side, that I might tell you all." Isn't this the saddest thing? In the 20 or 30 years of your life, never having told your mom you loved her. Or after a full year of getting extra help from your TAs, and treatment from your doctor, and payment from your boss, not telling them about Islam. Is that cold and selfish or what?

C.S. Lewis in Reflections on the Psalms wrote, "It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling on another how beautiful they are. The delight is incomplete till it is expressed. It is frustrating to have discovered a new author and not be able to tell anyone how good he is, to come suddenly at the turn of the road upon someone mountain valley of unexpected grandeur and then have to keep silent because the people with you care for it no more than for a tin can in the ditch, to hear a good joke and find no one to share it with."

Or having Islam, the natural religion of all human beings but not telling anyone? A poet once said that those who do not show their love do not love. I am not certain if thats completely accurate, but I know there are many Muslims who do not speak about Islam. In most cases, our friends and acquaintances may know us as individuals but be really confused about Islam as a religion. So the Muslims will protest that they are not very good at expressing themselves and that they show their Islam in other ways, i.e. by smiling or being polite in public. While every act and evidence of following the Qur'an and Sunnah are important, our peers need a verbal (a blog or magazine article is pretty good too) invitation and introduction of Islam on a regular basis. It may only takes a few moments from your day to say that a Creator for the universe exists, that He is One, has a Will, is Powerful, Uncaused, Immaterial and Eternal. قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ 

In most cases, Muslims do not convey the message of Islam, do explain the misconceptions unless we want to protest against Qur'an burning of Niqab ban. This causes the public to feel opposed and dissented, as if we are challenging and refusing them. So from fearing the Muslims out of ignorance, the public moves to hating the Muslims.
For those of us who do not verbalize very well, I would like to remind us that apparently we verbalize well enough before we persuaded our boss to give us a job or wrote an essay that earned us an A or talked with our friend or neighbour about Messi bagging a hat-tric or Jennifer Lopez's hair in Monster-in-law. This indicates that our ability to communicate is not the problem. Our lack of interest or even unwillingness to communicate is the major problem.

The sad truth is, many of us do not talk about Islam even after years of studying and consciously practicing it. It is not because we are stingy with information. We will tell others everything from how to change car oil to how to clean kitty litter. But we do not bring Islam into our conversations because (a) we feel shy and afraid of losing our friendship (or whatever relation we have) with others. (b) We had a bad experience before (with the same person or someone else) so we avoid putting ourselves and others in an awkward position.
(a) Every person is born on fitrah, a natural disposition to worship Allah. It is sealed, stamped, printed and impressed upon our soul to submit to the One Who Created us.  Every person is Muslim by birth. Therefore, Islam resonates with everyone with a clear conscious. No one can actually resist the profound logic, undeniable scientific proofs and moral virtues of the highest caliber of Islam. They may assassinate the character of Muslims, i..e call us terrorists towel heads, camel lovers etc but they cannot intellectually and morally reject arguments in favour of Islam. 
(b) If you are shy like me then I recommend conveying Islam through writing or art. Create a blog, work for an Islamic newspaper or magazine, paint or put together a website about Islam. This will give you the advantage of being able to carefully and less emotionally talk about Islam with others without fear of losing your friendship or being put in an awkward position. Written communication also offers many other benefits, i.e. you can write about anything you like, at any length and in anyway. Make comic strips or posters, write a short fictional story, create a youtube video, publish pamphlets .... whatever, sky is the limit. You know how there are all these hundreds of trashy magazines at every cashier in every mall and grocery store imaginable? Well, become so prolific that you can replace their immodest junk with our Islamic jewels. You know how the Jehovah witnesses go around giving free Bibles and flyers about their religion to like everyone on this planet? Lets beat them at this and print our own Islam Calm Read Fanzines? - How is that for a title? ;)
As for public speaking, I recommend classes like iERA's Call of Duty and How to give Shahada in 10 minutes . Or get involved with Mercy Mission . Or go to Journey of Faith Conference or Ryerson MSA , inshaAllah there will be plenty of opportunities to learn how to give Da'wah. It can be done, when there is a will there is a way. You will receive your own how-to Dawah manuals along with many days of training and even opportunity to hone out your newly acquired skills.

What works for me is not to bringing out a laundry list of perceived ills or problems with the world. Its not my place to patronize. My job is to lovingly and factually introduce my Creator to the listeners. I am careful not to attack anyone. Instead, I address my Islamic beliefs, the way I perceive them as accurately and sincerely as possible from the Qur'an and hadith.  I do not pretend to be a scholar or a diplomat. I use everyday language and examples to get my message across. I try not to speak with emotion but wisdom. And thats pretty much it. Try it with the first person you see, happy conveying :)

Missing a really good friend

I am the type of person who likes everyone. I genuinely like listening to other people, learning from them, helping them with whatever they need.  It fascinates me to know what other people think, what their lives are like, what they go through. It makes me happy sit with them and make a little difference in their day. Its hard but its worth it. We look at a person's skin colour, dress, height, weight, number of freckles on their face and quickly sort them out to interesting or something else. The problem, of course, is that people are much more than just those numbers. Yes, my niqab defines me but it is more than a piece of cloth, its belief, a lifestyle and a destiny. 
Aisha (r.a) narrated, "Men would pass by us when we accompanied the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) while we were in the state of ihram. When they came by us, every one of us would let down their Hijab over their face, and when they had passed on, we would uncover our face." In Islam, everything in a woman is considered an 'awrah that has to be concealed in the presence of men; nothing of a woman's body is permissible to be exposed in the presence of men. Shaykh Salih Fawzan is of the opinion that even during Salah and in Ihram if there are men around, a Muslim woman should cover her face. The Prophet (s.a.w) once told a companion (r.a) that "Allah is more entitled to be shown shyness and modesty than people" - Abu Dawood. So I wear the niqab, foremost, out of love for Allah because He wants me to cover and He loves decency, bashfulnes, humility and shyness in His servants. Secondly, I wear the niqab because the best women of Islam (the wives, daughters and female companions of the Prophet s.a.w) wore niqab. But a lot of people, and many times even Muslims, don't get that about me. I am more than a person with a cloth on her face just as everyone is more than the external clothing they wear everyday. 

I guess Islam has returned to being something strange. I am not sad though. Allah is Rabb of mankind, Sovereign of mankind and Deity of mankind (Qur'an, 114:1-3) He creates, He feeds, He heals. I am His slave and He is my Master and God. I have no shame in saying that I love Him, trust Him and obey Him. To think or feel any differently is سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ foolish. Its absurd, insane..completely diabolical. It is the sunnah of our father, Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) to أَسْلَمْتُ submit to Allah wholeheartedly, with utmost conviction and contentment. When he was dying, he (a.s) said to his children, إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَىٰ لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ "indeed Allah has chosen for you this religion so do not die except that you are Muslims." Thereafter, on his deathbed, Ishaq (a.s) made his children testify, نَعْبُدُ إِلَـٰهَكَ وَإِلَـٰهَ آبَائِكَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِلَـٰهًا وَاحِدًا وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ "We will worship your Deity and the Deity of your fathers, Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac - one God. And we are Muslims to Him" - Qur'an, 2:132-133. So I live for Allah. Even if my actions are deficient, in principle, my heart, limbs, prayers and prostrations sincerely belong to Him. This is why I wear the niqab and pray and eat halal food etc. 

I don't know why some Muslims try to hide their Islam. They want to give up all physical and spiritual aspects of Islam to sort of look like everyone else. The fasting and football documentary just came out. I have to tell you, I love football like a fat kid loves cake. I take football with me everywhere, even Islamic conferences. If you see a football flying cross the hall in break time, its probably mine. So when I first saw the trailer to this movie I was thrilled but then I was confused. Were the Fordson players, Muslims? They surely didn't look or act like Muslims. Then the movie director on CNN was like he wanted to show that Muslims are just like anybody else. Then one of the players on the team is shown during the interview saying, "When its time for football, it don't matter what religion you are." Again, I love football, I was in my school football team for crying out loud  but I strongly disagree with this documentary - I am NOT like everyone else. I am different, I am Muslim! My religion DOES matter to me - on and off the field.
There is a hadith in Ahmed, the Prophet (s.a.w) said, "Verily Allah looked at the earth with disdain, the arabs and non arabs except for some of the remnants of the People of the Book". You see, Allah does not like looking at anyone on earth except the People of the Book. The remnants of Book are the individuals lives are made up of the teachings of the Qur'an. A little bit of the Qur'an reflects in everything that they do and who they are. They are reminder of the Qur'an to the people around them. Alas, they are strangers in this world but Allah loves looking at them. You know what else Allah loves? The recitation of the Qur'an. Abu Hurairah (r.a) narrated, the Prophet (s.a.w) said, "Allah does not listen so attentively to anything as He listens to the recitation of the Qur'an by a Prophet who recites well with a melodious and audible voice" - Bukhair and Muslim. Allah listens with acceptance and approval when we recite the Qur'an with tajweed. Who amongst us would want to deliberately miss the chance of getting Allah's attention and approval? You know I wonder, on the Day of Judgment, will Allah only see and speak to the people who He looked at and heard in the world by the virtue of their attachment to the Qur'an? Just a thought - we will reap on the Day of Judgment, the rewards of the actions we perform now. So inshaAllah the people of Qur'an can anticipate the best rewards from Allah. لَّهُمَّ اجْعَلُ حُبَّكَ اَحَبُّ اِلَيَّ مَنْ نَفْسِيْ وَمَالِيْ وَاهْلِيْ وَ مَنْ الَماءِ البَارِدِ - O Allah make me love You more than I love myself, my wealth/possessions, my family and cold water (Tirmidhi) اَلَّهُمَّ اِنِّي اَسْءَلكَ لَذَّةَ النَّظْرِ اِلَي وَجْهِكَ وَالشَّوْقَ اِلَي لِقَاءِكَ فِيْ غِيْرِ ضَرَّاءَ مُضِرَّةٍ وَلَا فِتْنَةٍ مُضِلَّةٍ - O Allah I ask you for the pleasure/delight of seeing Your Face and the yearning to meet You without any difficulty that will cause loss/harm or any fitnah that leads astray (Tirmidhi) - aameen. 

Whats my point in writing all of this? Yes, I am selfish, this article is for me, not you =( I am missing a really good friend so I need to vent out somewhere. Who is a friend? Or what makes a person a really good friend? If you ask me, I would say someone who appreciates my religion and cares to follow every aspect of it in private and public. Someone who is a reminisce of the Qur'an; someone who reminds me of Allah. Someone whose genius mind and kind heart attached to Allah. An embodiment of Tawheed and Taqwa; eloquence, grace and generosity. Someone who raises my fascination, faith and fervour in Allah. Someone who brings out the best qualities in me and wants me to seek the best path in life. Yes =) I am missing a really good friend who is mashaAllah tabarakAllah all this and much more. 


We are our company. If we hang with Muslims who remember Allah then inshaAllah their company will uplift our imaan. But if our crew is made up of disbelievers and hypocrites then the smut of their sins will stink up our Deen. Allah advised the Prophet (s.a.w), "O Prophet, fear Allah and do not obey the disbelievers and hypocrites. Indeed, Allah is ever Knowing and Wise. And follow that which is revealed to you from your Lord. Indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted. And rely upon Allah; and be sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs" - Qur'an, 33:1-3 So Allah comes before everyone else. Anyone who weakens our commitments with Allah is a big no no. Its better to be friends with the Qur'an and spend time with Allah through it, than chill with disbelievers and hypocrites and obey their lusts. Put your full trust and faith in Allah and rest assured He will take care of you now and the Hereafter. Just read Surah Mutaffifeen. Allah promises, "Indeed, the righteous will be in pleasure. On adorned couches, observing. You will recognize in their faces the radiance of pleasure. They will be given to drink [pure] wine [which was] sealed. The last of it is musk. So for this let the competitors compete. And its mixture is of Tasneem, A spring from which those near [to Allāh] drink." - Qur'an, 83:22-36. 

May Allah make my friend righteous and from the happiest people in Paradise aameen. JazakAllahu khairan for everything =)

Another year wasted?

No, this post isn't about birthdays...its about the new year 2012!

When someone asked me what my plans were for the new year, I didn't have anything particular in mind. I would be doing more of the same I guess? To celebrate the new year and make resolutions kind of sounds corny at age 23. I mean, I am old enough to realize that I cannot totally start anew and revise my life altogether. So why set myself up for disappointment? I mean, if I really wanted to loose 20 pounds or stop wasting money or get organized, I wouldn't wait  for the clock to strike January 1st! No, I would simply run every morning after Fajr, take the stairs and say bon voyage to chocolate. To save money, I would come up with a weekly dollar amount to sock away, buy less and cheap. And donate/recycle/trash four items every night until my room was in order. But am not doing any of these things am I? I had so many ideas but I didn't implement any of them. I didn't work hard to achieve anything. This past year I didn't have any goal so I was sleeping on the couch, studying in the hall, eating in the woods. I was all over the place. I didn't focus. What was wrong with me? Why was I such a loser? Alhamdulillah I did well in school, volunteered in the community, travelled, got published, and got engaged to marry.  Yes, alhamdulillah, the past year was really happy, colourful and eventful. Alhamdulillah my Rabb has been Most Generous to me. He gave me more than I am worth. Still I cannot help but feel like a jerk, like I didn't plan my time well.

Two years ago when I worked for an institute, I prepared an annual report or summary of their academic and administrative performance. The report had a detailed chronicle and analysis of the institute's scholastic activities, i.e. number of courses, number of students in each course etc. and in-depth discussion of their operation and management. The report also contained some financial statements or audit review of sorts. The compilation benefitted the key directors and stakeholders to scrutinize the institute's progress in the light of their ambitions and polices. It was designed to help them see their shortcomings and tighten their belt to navigate through the coming years with superior efforts. A new year's resolution is like a annual report of the self.
Too many of us are used to living chained in the cave. We do not look to either side or behind us, but only straight ahead - mostly at our phones or computers. Behind us is the real world. Because we are turned away from reality, we only see its shadows. And we are happy chasing after the shadows. We live to satisfy our appetites; we are ruled by money and stuff. I know this sounds cliched but isn't 90% of our time every day vested in getting money, getting stuff and maintaing the things that we have. We don't have time to search for greater truths in life, think about justice in the world and achieve honour in Islam. We are so lost in writing papers for university or working our part time jobs or eating that we cannot think for a second, outside these routines. Its like being a hamster on a wheel - running but not getting anywhere. Where are we going in life? Where am I going in life?

Umar (r.a) used to say, "Take account of your own selves before your account is taken (on the Day of Resurrection). Weigh yourselves before your deeds are weighed. Verily, if you live responsibly today, tomorrow answering to Allah will be easy for you. So adorn yourself for greater display." What have I done that I can display before Allah? What was my function and role in this world? What value did I have? What influence did I leave? How will Allah see me? Will He be happy with the contract I made with Him? The Qur'an says, "Indeed Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties.... [It is] a true promise [binding] upon Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur'an. And who is truer to his covenant than Allah? So rejoice in you transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment. [Such believers are] the repentant, the worshippers, the prasiers [of Allah], the travelers [for His cause], those who bow and prostrate [in prayer], those who enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, those who observe the limits [set by] Allah. And give good tidings to the believers" - 9:111-112 Based upon just these verses, do I even fulfill the criteria of Paradise? Do I have what it takes?

I was speaking to someone the other day and they asked me a very thought provoking question. What do I want to do? Its something I didn't ask myself for a long time. I know that I want to do a lot of things. But is this honestly true? Do I really want to do great things when I haven't planned for anything? I know, I am just pathetically whimpering when what I really need is a bang! Enough of this banal schedule. I refuse to die in a rut. Yes, over the years I have become an introvert, shy of people, afraid to make mistakes etc. But this has to stop. Many times, we put ourselves down by thinking we lack intelligence, willpower, strength or charisma. We cannot do something because we don't really have talent for it. Ignore all this bakwas. We do not know what our talents are until we train them. Anyone who is any good in the world today is because they pushed and trained themselves to meet the challenge. They were courageous and persistent before the odds. They didn't wait for things to become magical, comfortable and secure. They had two hands and 24 hours in a day like the rest of us. Difference? They used their own hands to clobber their destiny. You see, we keep telling ourselves that we'll do it later. After I graduate, after I get married, after my kids grow up etc. We have less time now than we have ever had. We have less time now than an hour ago. We are nearer to our death with each breath. Do we want to sit in the hospital next year making a bucket list before we realize its too late - we wasted our lives?
Let's stop goofing around with people; lets stop liking every comment on facebook and checking email every hour on the hour. Lets stop mindlessly laughing with the family and watching reruns of every cartoon every made by Disney Recess and Weekenders. There are certainly people who care about us and support us. Yes, I am exactly like Spinely and Tino is too cute, funny and innocent but so what? We are all ships passing in the night. Some stay longer than others, and it is good to enjoy the company and be a little kid again, but in the end, we are sailing our ship alone. And our ship is sailing back to Allah. Go and stand outside at night and look up at the sky. Contemplate how remarkably insignificant we are in this vast swirling organization of stars, planets and astroids. What have we done to make Allah look at us on the Day of Judgment with favour and forgiveness? So lets make this year really count. Yes, we will run into conflicts - we'll get pushed around, bullied etc. Don't take it personally - we are all different and have different needs and perspectives, so some friction is inevitable. Just keep your eyes on the goal, smile and keep going.

Did you know Imaam Nawawi gave up food and sleep altogether for many years so he could study and write? He used to attend 12 classes under different scholars each day, come home and review his notes, research and write. At night, he would doze off on his books for few brief moments. When he would wake up, he would say, "inna lillahi wa inna ilyihi raji'un" because he thought he wasted his time by taking rest. He had a very simple diet. He avoided everything moist, slushy or juicy - eveb fruits and vegetables because while he wanted to stay alert, read and sleep - food put him to sleep. Its scientifically true, foods rich in glycemic index and/or glucose relaxes blood vessels, improves circulation and produce serotonin and tryptophan in the body - all of which is essential to sleeping. Butter, turkey, rice etc have the same effect. So Imaam Nawawi mostly ate figs.
Did you know Imaam Nasiruddin Albani was a self-made scholar? He was so cool mashaAllah that he learned the knowledge entirely by himself. He did not finish his education after grade 5. Because the French Revolution in Syria, the schools were shut down so he would stay at home or work at the watch repair shop with his father. When he would go out, he would rent books from the book cart. This is where he first found a book on hadith. He taught himself its precepts and sciences. He dived into the field with great curiosity and studied feverishly. His personal notes became the best encyclopedic volumes on hadith. He created the hadith department of Madina University, Jamia Islamia. The 20th and 21st century Muslim owe their knowledge of ahadith and practice of sunnah largely to Imaam Nasiruddin Albani. Again the most inspiring aspect of his life is that he didn't study from any teacher. He learned everything on his own accord and Allah blessed his understanding with such accuracy and insight that great scholars of his time would pray to sit at his feet and have the honour of giving him their ijazah.

I guess what I am really trying to say is that its okay if in the year 2012 our means are really small. So long as our ambitions are high and we do painstaking work every day, inshaAllah we will become Allah's favourite in this world... inshaAllah we will sit on the Pillars of Light in the Hereafter. Abu Dhar (r.a) reported that the Prophet (s.a.w) said that Allah says, "He who comes with a good deed, its reward will be ten like that or eve more. And he who comes with a sin, his punishment will be only one like that, or I can forigve him. He who draws close to Me a hand's span, I will draw close to him a arm's length. And whoever draws near Me an arm's length, I will draw near him a fathom's length. And whoever omes to Me walking, I will go to him running..." - Ibn Majah and Ahmad. Who doesn't want to go to Allah then? Say Labbaik - O my Rabb, here I am at Your Service, now - for the rest of this year and my entire life =) O Allah accept this from me and guide me till I attain Your Pleasure aameen.