Downsizing

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.

The Hobbit 

The world would be a better place with simple goodness without contempt. The rigors of modernism force us to abandon the complacency of simple life. If everyone led a simple life, the world would be free of greed, and competition, in effect, be unnecessary. 

A man came to the Prophet (s.a.w), and said: “O Messenger of Allah, direct me to an act which if I do it, [will cause] Allah to love me and people to love me.” The Prophet (s.a.w) answered: “Be indifferent to the world (worldly matters) and Allah will love you; be indifferent to what people possess and they will love you.” [Ibn Majah and others]

Simplicity is more than cutting down on material things. Ali (r.a) said, "Zuhud is not that you should not own anything but nothing should own you." So simple living is distinct from living in forced poverty. Living simple is a sign that we have finally escaped the clutter, resisted temptation of the things around us, refined our life to the point where we can say that we are not slaves to luxury and indulgence. For the sake of spirituality, health, balance, frugality, social justice, sustainable development and reducing stress - don't worry about what other people think. Don't feel insecure because of a lack of something. Don't unnecessarily add fuzz to conversations. 

My Mother's Timeless Advise

....have good expectation from Allah,
Allah will give you according to what you expect from Him. 

This is true, the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said that Allah (s.w.t) says, "I am as my servant expects Me to be" [Bukhari and Muslim]. Allah is able to do whatever we expect from Him.  al Qurtubi (rahimaAllah) said, "Call upon Allah while you are certain that you will be answered." Allah does not betray our hopes. He does not give up on those who rely upon Him.

Many people feel that they are carrying around bad luck, it is easy to slip into despair after 1 bad grade.
Feel deprived of their rights - I deserved more...
A believing heart assumes the best from Allah. Whenever a crisis arrives, it doesn't assume hopelessness and impatience - it utilizes good expectation in Allah to hang on....to cope.

O Allah I expect the best from You, as You will save me. O Allah! So save me by Your Mercy from the hardships of this world and the next aameen.

This is kind of like the famous English proverb, "Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow."
Negativity and tension in life is caused by the mind, and thus one need only think positive thoughts if one is to be happy. Defeatist thinking are the human error to be found at the root of all depression. One must force out ugly thoughts with agreeable ones.

Therefore, ignore the anxiety. You are human and you cannot handle many situations, but Allah can.
Believe and it will be so!

Muslim women are so Ninja!

I can finally say this! Muslim Women are so Ninja!

This is pretty cool!

We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead. The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it. Good Job Ladies!

I can't have it all and that is okay!

In life we do things because we want people to love us, we want to matter. 
We are so scared that if we make a mistake, we will not be important anymore. 
So we push ourselves to wits' end to prove our worth. 

Why are we so hard on ourselves? Each and everyone of us matters because we exist. We are loved because Allah made us. He gave us vitality, force, energy and action, unique only to us. We are born worthy. No one can be who we are or fulfill the destiny created for us. 

Things come to you when you let go, don't care and don't need the validation anymore. 

When life sucks .. read on!

Imagine if you could watch your whole life as a movie...

Imagine if you lived directly across the street from where you are right now. And you had front-row seat to your life's journey as a third person. From you moving into your apartment to the unpacking to settling in, getting in a routine. To whatever comes next.  Would you find happiness in your own life? Be honest!

Someone once said, life sucks and then you die.

Conservative Muslim upbringing aside, life does not make sense most of the time.
Search your soul for a while and see if you can understand why life gives you lemons.

We live in a cynical world full of cynical people. People who will tell us everything we are doing is wrong; they predict doom and gloom, and how there are no rewards for having faith and that we are all going to get cancer and die - that is if Canadian winter doesn't kill us first.

You may not like this.
You may not want to echo this chorus.
But life sucks... You are robbed off spirit and passion that you remember feeling prior to a couple of years ago.
You are dismantled. Everything that you are is undone, you fall apart...

What do we do to deserve all this bad stuff?
I really don't know. I wish I did, but I don't.

This is how Yusuf (a.s) must have felt ... murdered by his brothers, sold by his country, trapped in a rut job, and violated ....His life was a nightmare. His own family ripped him apart. He must have drowned in his tears in that well. No one came to pacify his shrieks. He was treated like a prisoner and then trafficked like an object. 

Anyway, nothing happens except by the permission of Allah. When we look at the small negative things in our lies and get overwhelmed....speechless and horrified. We plead, "Why is this happening to me?" Pain always seems unfair and therefore meaningless. 

Losing a precious life in a car accident is cruel. So is drinking and driving that caused it!
A low GPA is depressing and so is facebooking all day!
Relationships are hard because people want to be difficult!

We see the problems but not what is done to cause those problems.  Life has skids and failures. There is no such thing as endless perfection. Unfortunately life can sometimes feel like dwindling, decaying, senility. But every ebb always offers the opportunity to think about what went wrong and most importantly - why. The more varied the lapse of life you get to taste, the more interesting, layered, educated, self-developed, world-experienced and mightier you become. Yusuf (a.s) certainly triumphed his trials. It turns out - all the hardships, which he was made to endure, actually prepared him to rule Egypt and internationally control agricultural trade. He had the police in his pocket and his brothers weeping at his feet. InshaAllah we'll become the heroes of our tragedy. Hang in there...be good!