Men Around The Messenger

Al-Qalb

"Allah has full knowledge of man's heart, for the heart in relation to Allah is like the tongue in relation to mortals."

-imam al ghazali - book 12 ihya ulum ad din

To choose and To be chosen

You don't choose happiness

Happiness chooses you

Laughter of the soul, graciously granted

When you see your dreams come true

You don't choose the wind that blows

As it blows past, it chooses you

To make you believe, in the unseen

You see, blessings have proof

You don't choose beauty

In it's radiance it chooses you

To make you realise, that you hold the prize

Clearly you are among the blessed too

And you don't choose your tests

The hardships choose you

A trial of life, to test your faith

You may possess strength you never knew

But you do choose your friends

In its sincerity friendship is chosen by you

To make you decide what qualities override

The opportunity to decipher the bad from the good

And you do choose how you spend your time

Your actions are chosen by you

Reason over feeling in a choice

Is a formula used by few

You have the power to choose your words

What leaves your mouth is chosen by you

Will you be one who keeps clean their tongue...

Be one who is known by the integrity of truth?

And you choose your intentions

The reasons behind what you do is chosen by you

Will you be moved by sincerity or greed...

Will you be kind hearted or cruel?

Ultimately you choose your faith

How you walk over the bridge of life is chosen by you

Whether in firm belief of The Lord or in ignorance

In the afterlife you will surely receive what is due

Under Cover Sis

(C) 2011

# Thoughts only of Muhammad (pbuh), in my heart, that's enough for me #

. ♥ .

May your calling be victory!

It's an exam which many have sat

Some are currently sitting

Others are yet to sit

3 hours is all it is

But each hour feels like a number of years.

Childhood. Maturity. Old Age.

Though most exams are three hours, there's a great unknown,

whether yours would be one, you weren't prior told.

Some classmates' exams are taken by the examiner early,

without notice the end has come for their turn,

they must leave the exam hall at once,

leaving us to pray for their success,

and from their methods learn.

Others get a golden ticket, a longer timed exam,

the only problem is the more time you got the more mistakes you can make

and the more likely you'll forget the plan.

So too is it true that the longer the exam, the harder it gets to find the pages

which were wrong and the parts to rub out

for realisation and rectification has many stages.

Some choose to submit their exam in early, though this is against the rules,

they give up, sometimes due to their fellow classmates,

sometimes due to other pressures of the examination room.

But alas they didn't realise,

before choosing to depart,

that you must stick to the end of the time given,

to even be considered for a final mark.

Ah, the final mark.

We will all gather soon to find out our results

and our Examiner will be Most Kind with feedback

every word that was written will be annotated clearly, with a tick or a cross-

the marks weighed on a scale to keep track

Graduation will be held on a thin bridge,

not really what most would call ideal,

for those who fail will realise it then,

but there's no chance of retakes or repeats!

It said so on the instructions of the exam,

but not everyone did read.

But those who read and did pace themselves

may find they passed with flying colours indeed.

Even those with basic pass grades will have such joy on their faces

such joy that joy will be realised never to prior have held any meaning!!

What can be said then of those who got the best mark in the class?!

Amongst a class of trillions of billions of millions of students,

how amazing if one has a top mark!

They will be sent to a unique VIP graduation party

where the Headboy and school prefects too will be

Their calling shall be victory.

Understandably, the exam seems mystical and many will not believe what I profess

For surely you must be questioning; "such rewards for but a 3 hour test?!"

Know that this is the examination hall

You are in the 2nd hour of the exam

The exam better known as Life itself.

"So lose not heart, nor fall into despair: For ye must gain mastery if ye are true in Faith."

-Surah Al-Imran

'Revolution of the hearts'

Asalamalaikum

Below are some notes taken of Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murads timely reminder about charity and change. He gave the short talk at the Shaam Tour for Orphans, these are a few notes from the London event at Friends House.

"All fasaad is to do the the corosion of the soul. Allah has created all creation to obey Him, except human beings (free will). They are capable of being the highest of all creatures or the lowest, both physically and spiritually. This is the paradox of humans. It is part of the greatness and the tragedy of the human.

If we look at 'doing good', it is overwhelmingly done individually or by organisations. But people who are such are people whose religion is upbeat and whose hearts affect others. They have been brought up to a high decree. "Allah has slaves singled out for discharging the worries of others". This is why out civilisation is distinguished from others.

The Ulema, when they are with those who can help the needy, they are upbeat, with good news, so they give happily to the needy, not because of (feeling pressured from) guilt, as is used by many christians.

Corruption on the earth is not new, but exassperated. The solution must be a classical one --> the restoration of the quality of peoples souls --> so they are refuges for the poor, the widows, the orphans.

The real revolution that is required in this day and age is the illumination of hearts.

The Ummah has tremendous resources, but equal poverty. The solution, is through living holy lives. We need to tuen within, create a revolution within and then Allah will do great things.

There is a culture of blame among us. Rather than pointing the finger of blame on other people, organisation, sects, we have to point the finger of blames at ourselves. "Allah will not change the condition of people until they change themselves".

The revolution required is the revolution of the hearts.

Rather than always talking about guilt factors and sins, seeing beauty in the deen and Allahs attribute of being Arhamurahimeen, are qualities that melt the heart."