One of the Best People

"The best of those among you is the one who learns the Qur'an and then teaches it to others. "[Prophet Muhammad]

Keep me in your duas!
Allahuma yahdina fiman hadaiy


Sidra k. Afzal
© A String of Pearls and Gems

Saying Salam =)

Bismillah,

Abdullah and Ahmed always say salam :) 

Hadith number 8 from Mishkatul Aathar,

An abdullah bin umar anna rajulan sa'ala rasullulah saw ayul islami khair? qala tut emut ta'ama wa taqra'us salama ala man arafta wa mal lam ta'rif.

It is narrated by abdullah bin umar that a man asked what is the best action in Islam  The Prophet (saw) said: To feed on another food and to say salam to those you know and those you don't know.  

Now a days when you see some one you know instead of going to them you turn around and walk the other way right? lol this has happened to me many times- but me being me went up to them...they kinda feel embarrassed too yah know wat im sayin? :D

Nasai narrates from Hazrat Abu Hurairah (ra) that the Holy Prophet (saw) said, "There are rights of a Muslim over a Muslim: Responding to salaam, visiting the sick, following the bier (A platform upon which the corpse rests), accepting an invitation (to a meal) and blessing a person who sneezes." 

So it is fard to reply to the salam but how do we deal with it?

2 friends are at the airport coincidentally and one says AS SALAM U ALAIKUM BRO!! across the waiting area- the second guy has 2 options. 1.Pretend he doesn't know the guy- which is 75% the response lol- OR 2. Murmur wasalam not today brother not today walk away.And then whisper under his breath "Did that idiot forget this is the AIRPORT ?!?...THE AIRPORT for cryin out loud. :D 

Truthfully in this situation i would pick...hmm neither cuz i would be the maniac screaming across the waiting area. :-D 

Actually once we were out on a long drive and i was soo bored. I read my books, i reviewed my surahs well most of them and didn't feel like drawing so i started waving to random people...yes i seriously was crazy enough. lollz my mom was saying they will think you are a mental patient in hijab...I'm like idc I'm not seeing them ever again :) 

Hence i began waving at people. Some people waved back or smiled or ignored. So there was this one uncle driving in the next lane to us and i started waving to him right? that's ok -until here- and then he wasn't looking n i was determined so i put my window down and realized his lane was turning to an exit.. so get this... i screamed hi out my window haha lol hes driving out the exit and he sees me like wth? Satisfied i closed the window and stated laughing ^_^

ahh.. the joy of saying hi to random people you will never see again :D 

So basically don't forget to say salam i mean its the best greeting. Peace and blessings be upon you.


Keep me in your duas!
Allahuma yahdina fiman hadaiy


Sidra Afzal
© TheUmmahVoice

Benefits of Surah Fatiha

Bismillah,

Surah Al-Fatiha "The Opening" is the greatest Surah of the Qur'an and no prayer is complete without it.

Benefits? Many! :)

Benefits of Reciting Surah Al-Fatiha Prophet Muhammad saws is reported to have said :
1. The reciter's status will be altered as per the desire of the heart.
2. The reciter's poverty is removed.
3. The reciter's debt will...l be cleared miraculously.
4. The reciter's disease will be cured.
5. The reciter cannot be overpowered or vulnerable.
6. The reciter's enemy will become fearful.
7. The reciter's friends will be friendlier.

Sidra Afzal

© TheUmmahVoice

You are never alone

Bismillah,

Remember you are never alone, Even when you feel everything is gone and you have nothing- Never forget you have Allah with you at all times! And Allah will never leave you.  In the Quran:: "When my believers ask about me- then say verily I (Allah) am near." You go walking to him and He will come running to you.  

In happy moments- Praise Allah

In difficult moments- Seek Allah

In quiet moments- Worship Allah

In painful moments- Trust Allah

And by every breath you take- Thank Allah and you will never be alone. 

 

Smile to the world and cry to Allah. 

Sidra Afzal

© TheUmmahVoice

Self confidence and Trust

Bismillah, 

Today I broke a one inch wood board for my TKD testing. Cool eh? Well... actually on the second try. The first time around I tried... well I wanted to do it- but I didn't believe I could. I didn't believe that I could break it. The result? A huge bruise on the under side of my fist. :(

I was shocked at myself. I thought I could do it- but inside I didn't believe I could it. So for 2 days I practiced my mental state in believing I could do it. I prayed after every Salah for Allah to give me confidence in my self. (Ameen) 

So when the time came - failing was not an option. I put my Trust in Allah and made my move. 

There's something I always tell myself- pain is just a message- ignore the message-...

And lo and behold I broke it with one swift punch. Now I can say with full conviction - it's all about believing in yourself and asking Allah for help and trusting Him. 

Sidra Afzal

© TheUmmahVoice

Everything is not what it seems to be

Allah's blessings come in different ways.

There was a married couple, the husband loved his wife deeply. The wife always had a wish of getting a ring she saw at a store.

As her birthday approached, this lady awaited signs that her husband had purchased the diamond ring.

Her husband told her how proud he was to have such a good wife, and told her how much he loved her. He handed her a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, the wife opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Quran Shareef with the wife's name embossed in gold.

Angrily, she raised her voice to her husband and said, "With all your money, you give me a Qur'an?" And stormed out of the house, leaving her husband.

Many years passed and the lady was very successful in business. She managed to settle for a more beautiful house and a wonderful family, but realized her ex-husband was very old, and thought perhaps she should go to visit him. She had not seen him for many years. 

But before she could make arrangements, she received a telegram telling her that her ex-husband had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to her. She needed to come back immediately and take care of things. 

When she arrived at her ex-husband's house, sudden sadness and regret filled her heart. She began to search through her ex-husband's important papers and saw the still new Qur'an just as she had left it years before. 

With tears, she opened the Qur'an Shareef and began to turn the pages. A tiny package dropped from the back of the Quran. It had a diamond ring, with her name engraved on it -- the same diamond ring which she saw at the showroom. On the tag was the date of her birth, and the words' LUV U ALWAYS.' 

How many times do we miss Allah's blessings, because they are not packaged as we expected? Trust Him always. He knows what is good for you and may even ignore what you thought was good for you. 

Do not spoil what you have, by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

Sidra Afzal <3 

Happy New Year :)

Bismillah,

Its a new year!! Happy 1434 everyone! May Allah bless all this new year to be filled with joys and open new doors to become better Muslims- InshaAllah. Ameen. 

Muharram is a month of great virtue. It is the first month of the Lunar Calendar. It is one of the four months which Allah has declared to be sacred. It is a month that reminds us of the sacrifice of the Prophet (saw), when he migrated from Makkah to Madina. On the 10th of this month, Allah accepted the repentance of Adam (as), the Bani Israelites were freed from Pharaoh and out of gratitude, Musa (as) fasted this day. Also on this day, the Ark of Nuh (as) landed on Mount Judi and he (as) too fasted.

Now this month had some pretty amazing events taking place in it and since this month has dawned upon us, we too have to benefit from it. The Prophet (saw) told us to specifically... Fast during this month and especially to fast on the 10th of Muharram.

The Prophet (saw) said, “Fasting the day of `Ashura' (is of great merits), I hope that Allah will accept it as an expiation for (the sins committed in) the previous year” [Muslim].

It is recommended to fast on both the 9th and 10th of Muharram, because the Prophet (saw) fasted on the 10th, and intended to fast on the 9th. If one misses the fast of the 9th, then he may fast the 10th and 11th of Muharram.

Muharram marks the beginning of the new lunar year (muslim calender). It’s time to reflect on the year that has passed. Time to think about what you did and what you could have done better. And best of all set goals for yourself to make this year more productive than the last inshaAllah.

Leave a comment below or email at theummahvoice@gmail.com and let me know your “New Year’s Resolution”.

Since we have been blessed with this amazing month, let’s make the best of it inshaAllah.

Sidra Afzal

Wish Upon a Shooting Star

Bismillah,

You often hear - wish upon a shooting star. Have you ever wondered how in the world of God can a star fly ? i mean sure if your a "star" your gunna rise high and soar through the sky ... but im talking forreal man. 

I was recently memorizing surah saffat and i came upon these ayahs:

                                         إِنَّا زَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا بِزِينَةٍ الْكَوَاكِبِ 

وَحِفْظًا مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ مَارِدٍ                                                                             .لَا يَسَّمَّعُونَ إِلَى الْمَلَإِ الْأَعْلَىٰ وَيُقْذَفُونَ مِنْ كُلِّ جَانِبٍ .دُحُورًا ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ وَاصِبٌ .إِلَّا مَنْ خَطِفَ الْخَطْفَةَ فَأَتْبَعَهُ شِهَابٌ ثَاقِبٌ

Verily, We have decorated the nearest sky with an adornment, the stars, (6) And (have made them) a security against every rebellious devil. (7) They cannot listen to the Upper Realm and are hit from every side (8) To be driven off, and for them there is a lasting punishment; (9) However, if one snatches a little bit, he is pursued by a bright flame. ² (10)

What do i have left to say but Subhanallah. :)

Sidra k. Afzal

© A String of Pearls and Gems

Dua for exams

Bismillah, 

                                       

Salamz peeps.

    I hope that everything is good. :) 

For some of y'all- midterms are coming...oh the dread! Scratch that- i meant joy - i meant joy .. or did i?... It all depends on you, what you do and how you take it.  

DUAS 

here are some Duas that you can say that will  inshaAllah benefit you. 

 للَّهُمَّ انْفَعْنِي بِمَا عَلَّمْـتَنِي وَ عَلِّمْنِي مَا يَنْفَعُنِي

Oh Allah! Make useful for me what you have taught me and teach me knowledge that will be useful to me.

.اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ فَهْمَ النَّ بِيِّينَ وَ حِفْظَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ

Oh Allah! I ask you for the understanding of the prophets and the memory of the messengers, and those nearest to you.

اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ لِسَانِي عَامِرًا بِذِكْرِكَ وَ قَلْبِي بِخَشْيَتِك.

Oh Allah! Make my tongue full of your remembrance and my heart with consciousness of you.

  َ.إِنَّكَ عَلَى مَا تَشَاءُ قَدِيرٌ وَ أَنْتَ حَسْـبُنَا اللَّهُ وَ نِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ

Oh Allah! You do whatever you wish, and you are my availer and protector and best of aid.

TIPS

“Obtaining knowledge on young hood is like to engrave on stone.”Safynat ul behar P : 680

• Making dua to Allah (swt) and waking up for tahjud prayer and salatul Fajar.

• Eat a healthy breakfast

• Being prepared with all of your materials.

• Starting with the name of Allah. This brings blessing, and seeking the help of Allah is one of the means of strength.

• Fear Allaah with regard to your classmates, and do not be affected by their anxiety or fear just before the exam, for anxiety is a contagious disease. Be optimistic.

• Making zikr repels anxiety and tension. If something is too difficult for you, then pray to Allah to make it easy for you. 

• Dont slouch. Period. 

• Look over the exam first. I've found it easier to complete the exam knowing what you have in it and what you are expected to answer. You some idea what you need to know and can dig up info from your brain at an earlier freshier time,

• Start by answering the easy questions which you know. Then move on to the questions which carry high marks, and leave till the end the questions to which you do not know the answers, or which you think will take a long time to produce an answer or which do not carry such high points.

• Take your time to answer and dont be haste for haste beings failures. The Prophet (swt) said: “Deliberation is from Allah and haste is from the Shaytaan.” (A hasan hadeeth. Saheeh al-Jaami, 3011).

• If it mcq's find out the answer yourself then look at the choices given. You might get confused by seeing so many answers and have a hard time differentiating which one is right. 

• In free answer exams- collect your thoughts and info before you start writing. making a rough outline for your answer ~may also help..

• Devote at least 10 minutes in reviewing your answers. Take your time in reviewing, especially in mathematical problems and writing numbers. Don't let the fact that other people have passed it in irritate you, Nor have a race to finish first. 

• If you find out that you have answered incorrectly, do not fall to frustration and despair. Remember the hadeeth of the Prophet (swt), “If anything befalls you, do not say, ‘If only I had done such and such.’ Rather say, ‘Qadar Allaah wa maa sha’a kaan (the decree of Allah and what He wills happened),’ for saying ‘if only’ opens the door for the Shaytaan.” (Saheeh Muslim)

If you find out that you aced- don't become proud and say its all cuz of you...rather everything is by the decree of Allah and remember all praise is Due to Allah. 

• 
  

“The strong believer is better and is more beloved to Allaah than the weak believer, although both are good. Strive to attain that which will benefit you and seek the help of Allaah, and do not feel helpless.” (Saheeh Muslim, hadeeth no. 2664)

Sidra Afzal

© TheUmmahVoice

Beauty of America

Bismillah,

I know what y'all are thinking...Oh Snap- Sidra has gone patriotic. lol nah. ;-) 

My school recently had an art competition and i entered. The theme was describe the beauty of america.  I wanted to share my entry- so here it is. This is detailed work- so u need to enlarge the pic :D.
  

America is a huge puzzle piece of may different pieces but they all unite under the flag - as you can see in the background of the puzzle.I left them unfinished as to teh shapes to signify the past grows and the future awaits.

 I got a bit lazy in some pieces.. lol. In the second piece at the top (first row second column) is Mona Muslim Lisa #celebratingliterature:D haha. 

Reviving the Sunnah

Bismillah,
Snow cold yo! 
Well at least thats the weather in my turf. :-) 
Here's an Awesome hadith:

The Prophet  said: “Whoever revives an aspect of my Sunnah that is forgotten after my death, he will have a reward equivalent to that of the people who follow him, without it detracting in the least from their reward.” (Tirmidhi- Hasan) 


This is like sadaqah jaraiya right there yo! Say if i smile (which is sunnah) and people smile after seeing me- my reward aside- i get their reward too..but they get their own reward also! its a win-win situation. :)

I just thought id share this so that everyone can be reminded -including i- How Merciful Allah (swt) is and how many opportunities he has given us to gain his pleasure.

Make dua 4 me! 

Sidra Afzal

© TheUmmahVoice

The Disease of Pride

Egoism-Pride and its evils 

Bismillah, 
Ego is a big problem. We all have pride and ego. But the thing is if you have mastered the art to swallow it. Thinking that you are SO high.. that whatever you do is the best.. is wrong. I had this problem and i'm still struggling.

May Allah make us able to swallow our pride and accept our roles as humble servants and traveler on a mere journey of life. 
May Allah enable us to pass this test of life and make Jannah our eternal abode. AMEEN. 

Continuing...The disease of pride and arrogance deletes all traces of goodness and piety. This is the worst vice in causing havoc to Deen and a regrettable disease to have for the followers of this perfect and exalted religion. It launches a direct attack on beliefs and principles. If ignored and overlooked for sometime it becomes fatal and incurable, and gives rise to other spiritual maladies and vices.

1.  Being deprived of truth and truthfulness. The heart becomes blind to the verse dealing with knowledge about Allah. It is a very grievous vice in which the mind of a man becomes dull and impervious to the understanding of Deen. Allah has said in the Holy Quran:

“I shall turn away from My revelations those who show pride in the world wrongfully.” (7.146)

Allah has said in another place in the Quran:
“And in this way Allah does put a seal on every arrogant disdainful heart.” (40.35)


2.  The wrath and punishment of Allah fall on the jealous person. Allah has said:
“Certainly He does not love the proud ones.” (16:23)

It is narrated that Hazrat Moosa (as) asked exalted Allah: “Oh my Lord! Who is the most deserving of your wrath and displeasure?” 
Allah (swt) told him:
“ It is he whose heart is filled with pride and his tongue is filthy (i.e. Abusive), his eyes are devoid of shame, his hands are miserly and he is of bad conduct and character.

3.  Allah will put the proud to disgrace and ill-repute (dishonour) in the Hereafter.Hazrat Hatim Asam (rahmatullahi alaihi) has said: “Do not die in a state of pride, greed and arrogance.”

Allah does not cause the proud fellow to meet his death unless he is disgraced and dishonoured by his own family, relatives and servants.
Similarly the greedy does not meet his death unless he becomes destitute for a morsel of food and a drop of water.





4. The proud renders himself liable to Hell in the Hereafter. It occurs in a Hadith Qudsi:
“Pride is My cloak and grandeur is my trousers. If anyone disputes with Me in any one of these (two) I shall admit him into the Hell-fire.”

In the other words, pride and grandeur are two exclusive attributes of Allah, which none is allowed to apply and ascribe towards himself.


It is imperative to refrain from such a dangerous and deadly calamity which leads to loss of knowledge of Allah, inability to understand the commands of Allah, His displeasure, disgrace in this world and the Hereafter and painful torment therein. No wise person can be neglectful in the matter of such a harmful and destructive calamity.

 We should, therefore, try to save ourselves from this and seek refuge from Allah.

  

In a Hadith of the Holy Prophet (saw)it is narrated that,
“Whosoever has in his heart, even a atom of pride he will not enter paradise.”

Remember that we do claim to be the followers and believes of Islam and we claim to be Muslims, so how then can we still have pride in ourselves? For the very meaning of Islam is to submit totally and conditionally to the worship of the Supreme Being, Allah (swt) and as Muslims it is incumbent upon us to get rid of every drop of pride, superiority and haughtiness within us, as we are small and inferior in comparison to the Supreme Being, if such comparison can be made. So let's try and act upon the very essence of our religion and our adjective as Muslims and submit and surrender ourselves to the worship and pleasure of Allah (swt).

 Sidra Afzal

© TheUmmahVoice

Accepting our role

Bismillah,

Sup yall? :)

I was listening to Noman Ali Khan the other day and in one of his lectures he was saying that the key to having the strong iman is to know that Allah is the Master and,,,,you are the slave. 

We all have firm conviction that Allah (swt) is the master... but do we accept ourselves as the slave? Now think how a slave lives. Simply and humbly. He lives following the masters will.  

Just imagine...We are barely a dust particle in the The Earth. And the earth is as big as a baseball when compared to the sun.  Moreover when you try to find our SOLAR SYSTEM in the Milky Way… you have to squint your eyes.  Subhannallah. This is a truly humbling thought when thought deeply about. 

The disease of pride and its evil will be mentioned in the next post. 

I leave you with some ayahs from the quran...

لَخَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَكْبَرُ مِنْ خَلْقِ النَّاسِ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ 

40:57 Assuredly the creation of the heavens and the earth is a greater (matter) than the creation of men: Yet most men understand not.

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَثَّ فِيهِمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ وَهُوَ عَلَى جَمْعِهِمْ إِذَا يَشَاء قَدِيرٌ 

42:29 And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the living creatures that He has scattered through them: and He has power to gather them together when He wills.

خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ وَصَوَّرَكُمْ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَكُمْ وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ 

64:3 He has created the heavens and the earth in just proportions, and has given you shape, and made your shapes beautiful: and to Him is the final Goal.

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّ اللَّهَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَلَمْ يَعْيَ بِخَلْقِهِنَّ بِقَادِرٍ عَلَى أَنْ يُحْيِيَ الْمَوْتَى بَلَى إِنَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ 

46:33 See they not that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, and never wearied with their creation, is able to give life to the dead? Yea, verily He has power over all things.

 Sidra Afzal

© TheUmmahVoice 

Voting Day

Bismillah,
It's Voting day!! Woo Hoo....or not. Sadly an american citizen can not vote until he or she is 18. But schools have mock elections. :) 

Do your votes count? Nope. Does it matter who's president? Nope. -How come?- you ask. Cuz if its Hope or change.... in reality you don't get either! 

Hope and Change are things that arise from within. Especially change. To make change we must change wats within ourselves- So lets spark that change. Don't matter who you vote for- their change is no change in for you. 

Change yourself-outward environment doesn't and shouldn't ,matter. Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. The future is in Allah (swt)'s hand only. 

Sidra Afzal 
© TheUmmahVoice 

Muslimanity

Muslimanity

Bismillah,

Some of us go to work, others go to school, others go out and help or whatever it is that you people do to fill your days as they go by, but one has a way of acting, a way of talking, a way of being who you are. Call its swagger- but that’s another topic in its’ self-. One has a way of being. Now as a Muslim, don't tell others your Muslim- show them you’re Muslim. The best dawah for a girl is hijab. Your actions and appearance speak louder than your words.

Contrary to the media the Muslim Ummah is pretty good shape.

Now there's humanity and Muslimanity. What is Muslimanity? Muslimanity is the humanity of Muslims  Technically. But if you look at its deeper meaning- it means much more. Humanity as we all know, is something which most human being have in them. Say for example to give a beggar a dollar. But this is a characteristic that is being rapidly lost in ourselves. 

Do me and you have left any humanity? 
Yes. In fact we all do. In our hearts, For Muslims- this is Muslimanity.  Islam is a religion that is not only a religion- but a way of life. It teaches us to help the beggar  give to the needy. Provide for the Orphan child. Being the best Muslim you can possible be. That is Muslimanity. 

Sidra Afzal

© TheUmmahVoice