Welcome Ramadan ♥

Salam!
We made it to see this blessed holy month, TAKBEER (shouts Allahu'Akbar)
I am so happy to witness once again such a festive season, full of love, happiness, ibaada, quran, Taraweeh prayers and oh so much more. We should really reap all the benefits of this month, and cherish it's rewards.

There are some things that I have noticed about what some of us do:
I will start with pointing out the good first!
We gather with our families for iftar, suhoor, and prayers.
We go to Taraweeh prayers
Give plenty charity
Recite Quran
Worship all night
Keep remembering Allah

Sounds good right, but the sad thing is not everyone sucks all the benifits of this month.
Some of the things I have noticed are (the bad):
We laze around sleeping (or in bed on your phone) for long
We pretend like it is a normal month and laugh all day and don't stop bad habits
We may gossip, lie as a joke, or do seemless haram things.
We don't read a lot of Quran
Watching TV and not realising that there is haram in it.


I don't mean to jump to conclusion and assume everyone is like this, it's just a word of #advice
Try to stay away from old bad habits, try to read Quran every single day!
Try to pray as much as you can, try to become closer to Allah, give as much charity as you can,
try to be kind to everyone, try to not watch TV, try to watch lectures as much as you can, learn something you never knew before, try to be happy and not complain about the fast, it isn't essentially about fasting from food, it is the complete spirituality you feel when you stay away from food, you feel hunger, and you gratefully turn to Allah in ibaada and in complete repentance.

Allah says in the Quran:
"Ramadan is the (month) in which the Quran was sent down, as a guide to mankind and a clear guidance and judgment (so that mankind will distinguish from right and wrong).." (Q 2:183)

Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain taqwaa." (Q2:183)

The most honored by Allah amongst you are those best in taqwaa."(Q 49:13)

..And it is better for you that ye fast, if ye only knew." (Q 2:184)

Love you all, keep me in your Dua please, and stay consistent this month :D

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Surround yourself with sisters

Asalamalykum, so today I rediscovered the true power that exists when you surround yourself with sisters. Honestly, for a while now I have been soaked up busy with dunya, stuck in school setting, surrounded with all sorts of people, and I never thought to myself that my daily routines of school-home-work-etc affected me in any way. I used to go to regular sister circles (halaqa’s) every Friday evening where every week my emaan would be boosted up- then again- next week re-boost! But for some reason (probably dunya dragging us apart for exams and school and work) we stopped the regularity, and it became every 2 weeks, then every month, then we would occasionally meet up. Mainly this was because we didn’t have a base to gather, the local mosque didn’t accept us strangely, and so we took it upon ourselves to gather for the sake of Allah feesabillilah, but after a while the meetings decreased, and so now I was left to battle dunya alone (and alhamdulilah I have my sisters who are practising too!)
I haven’t been to lectures for oh so long, feels like forever, but I kept watching them at home alhamdulilah, but it’s just not the same, I dunno, it feels like when you go out with the intention of benefiting, and learning something, or increasing your emaan whereby you are situated amongst many other people like you the whole atmosphere is in search of Allah’s reward and love, oh it is such a beautiful feeling. But I was deprived of attending any mosque lectures or classes, or circles. Whereby I was left alone to defeat the world. LOL THAT’S A MYTH.

This was going on for a long while, and without realising I was sucked into the sweetness of dunya forgetting my purpose, forgetting that sweet feeling of chasing Allah subhanaWa’ta’ala’s reward!
And today, I was privileged to have my beautiful mummy tell me to come with her to a near by masjid for Quran classes (which I never went to before because it was during school hours) so I gladly trotted along, and oh my, alhamdulilah! I suddenly BOOM was softly smacked in the head with a familiar feel and reminder of what I have been missing, the beautiful feeling of sitting in a mosque with many sisters surrounding me all reciting quran humbly, my people!
Occasionally there were sisters who walked in calling out “Asalamalaykum” and walk around shaking everyone’s hands, very nice, good example, ahhhh my heart melts at the sight of piety and goodness surrounding you!
Hence I have decided, that it is totally, completely wrong to yourself to remain hidden away from the company of sisters, just by being surrounded by them your heart fills with love of Allah and eagerness to be like them and compete with them humbly to be nearer to Al-Rahman ♥

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Ramadan is approaching

I am so excited, even more so I am anxious to make it to Ramadan, we all talk like we are guaranteed to see Ramadan, just recently a girl tweeted how excited she was for Ramadan, the next day we found out she died. Scary.
I really pray we all live to see this Ramadan, and many more!

This is going to be a much needed month, of self containment, growing spiritually by increasing my emaan, and connecting with Allah. All those nights awake at the Masjid praying Taraweeh and Layl, then Fajr, aaah ♥

I love Ramadan, it is the best month all year round, honestly reap the rewards of the month ♥

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I guess I am growing up

"You only understand life backwards" ... "Our current judgement is flawed" - Some true and inspirational words by an amazing teacher today ♥ Will truly miss our lessons.

I wrote this as a note on my phone in class today- on realising that this is my last couple of lessons in high school ever. Okay I know I sound super philosophical but it adds to the spirit! ...

We are at that age where 'change' is exciting, where we can't wait to walk into the future because opportunity is endless, life seems so easy and blissful. 

Where we are now isn't as exciting as what's ahead, we are eager to take a step forward and to leave what's behind us...

But the truth is, one day we will look back, and miss these moments, reminisce, not the whole picture but the snippet little things, like that 'back to school' feeling, all those moments. 

The immense irresponsibility we had, the lack of concern because everything seemed so good right now. To live in the moment and feel no fatigue. To not worry and be happy...

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying the future holds problems, nor am I saying the future will be worse than it is now, I am merely saying that you will look back at the innocence in admiration one day, and I feel I am making my platform step there right now.

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Delaying Sins- thought to share

Double Your Towbah – Repent from Delaying Your Repentance!

The great scholar of Islam, Ibn Qayyim al-Jowziyyah [d.752] (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

“…And we shall mention some things related to repentance (towbah) that are very necessary (to grasp), and it is not befitting that someone be ignorant of them.

From them: Immediate repentance is obligatory after committing a sin. It is not permissible to delay it. Whenever someone delays it, he has committed (another) sin by delaying it. In this case, when he repents from the sin (itself), another act of repentance remains a duty upon him – that he must repent for delaying his repentance! This is something that rarely comes to mind when someone repents. Instead, he may assume that since he has repented from the sin, that there is nothing else left to do, while there remains upon him the duty to repent from delaying his repentance…”

Source: Madaarij as-Saalikeen (1/487-488), Daar Taybah’s 2nd printing, 1425, translated by Moosaa Richardson.

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Capturing essence

We came to the park excited and ready to soak up some summer love...My big sister and the kids were already there playing in the playground, and so I ran up to the kidds and lifted them up- played with them for a while (So glad the park was empty so I could be extra me- Crazyy!) But I had a strange feeling as soon as I stepped foot into the park. I told the kids to be careful and sensible, telling them to keep an eye on the youngest (3 year old)and off we went to the grass side and laid down the matt and us girlies sat down to picnic! But my adrenaline was high for some reason, and my head kept tilting back at the kids keeping a close eye on them- hoping nothing bad happens or dreading an accident.
YUM oreo ice-cream, and salads from tesco kept me busy for a while, until I heard a loud squeel from the playground..
and to my surprise I see the youngest my little princess Ray on some high pillar where all the other kids climbed on, she couldnt get down, so I got up and ran to her hoping she didnt attempt to get down- because ouch, that would have been an ugly sight! I managed to get her down, and told her not to climb on high places and pointed to where she can play and where she cant!

Ahh, back to the picnic, the girls were telling me to calm down, because apparantly i was over reacting and over-protecting since kids will always be 'kids'
They reminded me of when we were younger in Sweden we used to play in the woods and climb tree's without parental watch, so the kids will be fine. Okay I thought, I told myself calm down now! but I just couldnt!!

The kids came to me and asked if we could go see the ducks and swan's by the lake, so I got up (mainly because I wanted to take photos) and we went to enjoy the view, so beautiful, and mesmorising ahhhh!

OH SO BEAUTIFUL!
........But I was still anxious- and feeling strange like I had to be extra careful?
Then comes running my princess ray (3 year old) and so I grabbed her making sure she doesnt fall over the edge, and it was okay there was only the 3 little girls with me, we sat and enjoyed the view, until this family come with 4 little kids who are holding bread bits and started feeding the ducks, so the ducks came closer in search for some food! And by now the kids were begging me to feed them, and I firmly said No, we dont have bread- plus the edge wasn't so safe (easy to slip off)
My younger brothers come running with crips, and start to throw it all around, and I got a bit annoyed, told them off, but by now all the kids were surrounding the edge trying to touch and feed the birds. Ugh, I yelled out telling them to keep away, and telling Ray to come back! Everything was so calm and relaxing before this influx of kids LOOK:

Then all of a sudden, my little princess Ray fell over the edge, rolling down the stoney sand and into the ducks and BAM diving into the water, bruising her elbows a little, but she is a fighter and she is okay (Alhamdulilah!)
I became so FURIATED and yelled at the kids to go back to mummy, and picked her up, ugh. My feeling was right all this time, I could sense something was going to happen. My baby was crying, and scared. I was so annoyed, I am her aunty and I love her like she's my child ahha.
Anywhooo- her mummy came running, and everyone apologised to me saying I guess you'r senses were right. eek

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Summer's touch, and the red kisses. Smooch

Love does not claim possession,
but gives freedom.

“We fight for the outer freedom.
We cry for the inner freedom.

Flowing breezes with gentle heat
Fragrant flowers scents so sweet
Blinding sunshine from up above

With the outer freedom, we see and rule the four corners of the globe.
With the inner freedom, we see the Soul and become the Goal of the entire universe.”

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A light day, a light life.

So today I feel happy- You know why- I ate healthy, haha, no really I am serious, a early morning, excersising and healthy diet = HAPPY LIFE woo!

Steps to healthy lifestyle
1. Dont over sleep, or else you will just get a headache, and miss the beauty of the morning, and actually the wind of morning will pass by, Seriously I believe the morning gives out a bit of wind that is oompf nice!

2. Have a yummy breakfast, no such thing as skipping breaky, no no! Take a few secs rampaging the kitchen and see what your tummy wants- have different things every morning!

3. Walk more than you did yesterday, so instead of taking the bus the whole way, get of one stop and walk it, or park a bit further than usual!

4. Make someone else HAPPY so you feel happy, by being optimisting, and giving advice, you reflect on your own happy self!

5. Eat 3 meals, snack often, drink plenty water, and mix the types of meals your eating, like fish for lunch and potato mash for dinner etc! And drink a LOT of water!!!!!!!!!!

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A Summer's breeze

I feel as though summer does me well. Honestly I am so happy in Summer, does anyone else feel like that too?
Apart from the immense revision, and exam stress, it's sunny, it's beautiful, and I am busy photographying.

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Jilbaby photography

Here's the deal- My photography shots will be in terrible quality in the mean while, since i have to cope with this terrible camera for the time being, and i have discovered that my favourite pictures are'nt everyone elses, but one thing i can say is that You cant be everyones cuppa tea
So i will continue to prosper in attempt, and you can keep critisising or appreciating!

#Adios!

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