Random Thoughts

And an equally random picture to go with them...

But first, a little bit of background on the random posts you see on this blog:  Most of my posts tend to be based upon personal experiences and thoughts from random instances at random times.  A useless little fact: A lot of my long posts are usually written on my phone either on a plane, an airport or a long journey.  For some weird reason I actually enjoy writing whilst travelling.

O and the other time I tend to write down random thoughts: just before going to sleep.  With that in mind, here are a few random thoughts I've been sharing on FB which don't necessitate a blog post of their own individually:

A Journey of a Thousand Miles

They say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. How many times has this single step been the barrier between us and achieving our dreams? Let go of your fears, take the first step, put your trust in Allah and remember: the day you give up on your dreams is the day you give up on yourself..

One of the Keys to Contentment

One of the keys to contentment is to know and understand that not everyone in this world is going to like, understand or be pleased with you. If the greatest of creation had haters, then, what makes me and you think that we'll be safe? Focus on pleasing Allah and those beloved to Him will automatically be pleased with you. In the bigger scheme of things, the rest don't really matter...

On Marriage

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “If there comes to you (to propose marriage to your daughter) one with whose religious commitment and character you are pleased, then marry (your daughter) to him, for if you do not do that, there will be fitnah (tribulation) on earth and widespread corruption.”

Note: he (pbuh) did not say: if he is from your family, your village, your city or your country! He (pbuh) did not say if he is a hanafi, shafi'i, maliki or hanbali! He (pbuh) did not say if he has the same skin colour as you, wears the same clothes as you or speaks the same language as you.

Tonight, I go to sleep upset and a little angry as I hear another story of a marriage being made difficult due to backward and nonsensical cultural barriers. It hurts me every single time I hear of 2 practising Muslims unable to get married due to crazy cultural beliefs. May Allah grant us all the ability to break away from the shackles of culture and do what pleases Him alone!

Reflections from Masjid Nabawi

Every time we walk through the Haramain we might notice a humbling sight. Many times over. The sight of simple old men and old women dressed in the most humblest of manners, their appearance depicting the possible hard life they may have endured back home. Yet, here they are by the Mercy of Ar-Raheem sat in one of the most blessed places on earth. A dream come true. Some of them have saved up all their lives to make it a reality. And believe me, do they make the most of it or what!

Every time I see somebody who may be 60, 70, 80 or even older at either of the Haramain, I question myself. I look at them spending most of their day at the Masjid, some of them sit there, they sleep there and they eat there. I then ask myself whether I've taken the honour of being able to visit the Haramain for granted. This in itself is a test. Do I really make the most of it? I sometimes see the humility in their duaas with tears flowing from their eyes. It then hits me that this really is it for them... They realise that this may be the one and only time they can afford to come here and thus they make it count. Why is it then that some of us think our place is guaranteed for years to come?

This weekend Allah taught me how easy it is to do something for them. Whilst I was waiting for a brother, I noticed a grandma from Pakistan looking around for something or someone. I approached her and asked if I could help, she needed something really simple, Allah opened a way for me to facilitate it. It took me literally 30 seconds to arrange, but, as I turned to her after this, she had THE MOST beautiful smile on her face and she made such a beautiful dua for me. I couldn't believe it, SubhanAllah, such an awesome dua for something that took less than 30 seconds 

So, my dear brothers and sisters, next time you're in the Haramain, do not ignore the elderly simply because they're dressed humbly or look poor and hence we think they'll ask us for money, wallahi they have the most beautiful hearts and that's something money can't buy. Do something simple, ask them how they are, make dua for them, like: "May Allah accept your umrah" etc. Who knows, the dua you get back might just pleasantly surprise you.

May Allah put love, affection and respect for the elderly in our hearts. Ameen.