Tips for Ramadan

I have been reading some stuff about Ramadan and fasting and I would like to share them with you guys. 

1. During Ramadan, the devil is chained up for those who fast. So, make the best of this time period and try to please Allah as much as you can.
2. Make a schedule. Recite Quran daily and try to keep yourself busy, that way it will be easier to fast.
3. Upon Sehri and Aftari, eating too much food defeats the purpose of fasting. Therefore, control your diet, do not stuff yourself up.
4. Eating at Sehri time is essential because it keeps you going through the day and Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) warned us about being too extreme. Therefore, one must eat something.
5. Break your fast with a date, because it’s a sunnah.
6. Helping others to break their fast also entails great benefits.
7. Buy the grocery in big bulk, so that you do not have to go to the market everyday.
8. Seek forgiveness.
9. Fasting cures many diseases like jealousy, neglect, laziness etc.
10. The devil flows though us like blood. In Ramadan, fasting narrows the passages through which devil can influence us. Make the best of these days. Fast with all your faith and belief in Allah.
11. The objective of fasting is to acquire good health. So, avoid stuffing and eating junk food.
12. Our intention for fasting should be to seek the reward, forgiveness, and pleasure of Allah.
13. Ramadan is not about eating a variety of delicious dishes every day for iftaar, rather it is more about worship and asking for Allah’s forgiveness.
14. Anyone who does not leave his false actions and speech, then he is leaving his food and drink for nothing. All his fasting will be meaningless if he does not do it with proper faith and purpose.

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Good Manners Apply to All

The Quran says:

‘speak good to people.’

It doesn’t say:

‘speak good only to Muslims.’

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Oh My! How Wrong I Have Been!

Its been a while, since I have cried my heart out,

Even thought I might never have to.

 

But oh my! How wrong I have been!

 

There you were,

Throwing your words at me.

 

There I was,

Shielding myself from you.

 

Tried my best to not let them get to me,

But the words just kept on coming.

 

Piercing through my heart,

Opening a portal for the tears to flow down my cheek.

 

Oh my! How wrong I have been!

For someone who didn’t care for the words or the person siting in front of him..

– aak92

Knock, Knock “Who’s There?” “A Time to Recreate Yourself”

Assalam-o-Alikum,

      Brothers and Sisters, Friends and Fellows

You know, ‘Ramadan’ is just around the corner!! And it is about time that we get ready and start preparing our bodies and minds, if we desire a remarkable and blessed Ramadan. I know I do.

There was a time, when I was naive and missed many chances to take full benefit of this blessed month. It saddens me to remember those days. Though, I am still clueless about a lot of stuff. But at least now I am on the path, so, I guess I will get there some day, InshaAllah.

We, Muslims, should not think of Ramadan as a burden, because it is the best time of the year for us. You know why? Well, because Ramadan is like a prized chance given to us by Allah, a chance to purify our bodies, minds and souls, to strengthen our faith and beliefs, to rebuilt and wash the filth off ourselves. In similar words, it is a chance for us to change ourselves for the better. 

Ramadan is coming! When we say this, we usually mean, the month of fasting is here. But is that what Ramadan is all about? No doubt, fasting is a significant part of this time of year and also one of our religious duties, but, it doesn’t end here.

Many of you probably know all this, but reminder is always good. Right? Fasting is only 1% about not eating and drinking while 99% is about bringing your heart and soul closer to Allah. If you are going to carry on with your old, regular routine like not giving time to your prayers, not reciting Quran, sleeping all day, using foul and bad language, gossiping, being angry, wasting time in worthless activities that do not benefit you in strengthening of your faith and stuff like that; you know, you are not really performing your religious duty. You are just starving yourself. And Ramadan is not about starving yourself or going on a diet; it is about indulging yourself in your faith (imaan)  and making the most of it.

Fasting is an essential requirement needed to cleanse our body, soul and mind. Some of the benefits that we can get through fasting are:

• A chance to create a deep connection with Allah.
• Learn about patience and self-control.
• Learn to strain ourselves from gossiping, backbiting, fighting, harming and indulging ourselves in any devilish activities.
• A chance to reflect and improve oneself for the better.

The devil is going to be locked away for Ramadan, and then, it will be just us. I believe there is still good in us, so let’s aim to have a better Ramadan this year than the last one. Let’s aim and work towards it.

May Allah make this Ramadan, a turning point in our lives and accept all our prayers and worships in His path.

(Ameen)

A Plea…

I know I am not the only one, still we are not enough. 

I have a wish, a request, probably a long-sighted dream. It saddens me to see our people filled with so much hate for each other. We can’t be born with this!

Babies are a gift from heaven and heaven is a no place for hate or anything dark. None of us are born with hate in their hearts or hate for their fellow beings. It is something that is drilled into us. 

Hate is not the first feeling we encounter, whereas love comes naturally and is there from the very beginning. 

I am not talking about some crazy love or even romantic kind, I am talking about the deep, pure one. The kind of love that makes you put others first, the kind that compels you to be respective and caring towards everyone despite of their status, color, religion, age or background. 

We should not hold others’ differences against them. We should try not to hold any grudges against anyone. No one is perfect; after all we are humans, we are not supposed to be.

Things are tend to go wrong from time to time, life is not a smooth ride. But at least we can try to have a stable mind. If one of us is having a break down or something, at least the other one can try to be on the good end. It all depends on what you value more, tearing or keeping together, spreading love or planting hate, becoming a better fellow being or just making it all about yourself.

This is a simple plea; simple but demanding, that’s why I am requesting you to at least try. With all your heart ‘n’ soul give it a try to:

• Be humble.
• Be kind to others without expecting anything in return.
• Be polite with everyone irrespective of their ages, color, rank, religion or background.
• Replace the love of power with the power of love.
• Put a stop to violence, sexism and racism.
• Be humans not Gods.
• Be respectable towards others irrespective of sex, color, rank, religion or background.
• Fight the evil in yourself and never let it win.
• Spread as much love as you can and as long as you can.

The list of good deeds can go on and on but just writing about is not it. Make these deeds go on and on by touching hearts ‘n’ soul of those around you.

Try to offer your understanding, love, respect, friendliness and peace to the world, even when you don’t get much in return, keep trying. One day, your good heart will touch another, and from there another and so on. The chain has to start from somewhere…

We are all humans with a beating heart, right? Then let’s prove it.

-aak92

Give a New Look to Your Old Things

I don’t get to upload my art work that often. But I would like to share some of my recent work with you guys (to whoever it may interests).Maybe, because I am a sharing type ;). I will be looking forward to your views or suggestions or whatever is it that you want to say. 

Back to the art work. Its about my laptop (lapi). It is about 7, 8 years old; works pretty well, Alhumdulillah. But its outer look, tells another story or more like told another story. You can say, I am kind of a clumsy person. 😉

My family was thinking of buying me a new one when I will start with my studies again but I gave it some thought and came to this decision that I don’t need a new lapi. It is working pretty good so far, there was only one issue and that was with the outer look. I think I am good at covering up the outer flaws, so, that is what I did.

I used a patterned crepe paper, B&W print out images (brightened with markers and colors), some glittery tape and some flowers (used as a accessory for clothes decor.)

Viola!!!

What you think?

That’s all for now. Stay blessed, fellows.

Are You Up for the Challenge?

People are not your personal punching bags. They can be million things but never this. Just because you are hurting, doesn’t mean that you are allowed to scar others or if it is raining upon you, doesn’t give you any right to push others in the puddles as well.

There are people among us, who are bleeding, who are dragging their lives around, who are barely alive but still, somehow they find a way to ease others’ paths. They are quite few, almost near to none, but THEY ARE among us. So, you see, it is possible; being nice to people, even when one is hurting, is not some ‘alien concept’, rather, it is the time when it matters the most.

You wondering why? Well, anyone can be nice and gentle when they are in high spirits but when one’s world is crashing down and they still remember to be kind and gentle, can be quite a challenge.

Are you up for it?

– aak92

 

 

Cruel Words…

Silence of your loved ones can sting you,

But their cruel words can tear your heart into two…

– aak92

Come on!! How can one be so cruel towards the people who are HIS/HER WORLD?!

Sometimes, You Just Got to Believe…

Sometimes, the day just won’t come to an end.

Sometimes, all you can do is just throw up your hands.

 

Sometimes, the world will get dark.

Sometimes, all you can do is wish for a spark.

 

Sometimes, giving up will seem easier.

Sometimes, all you can do is wish for life to be less crazier.

 

Sometimes, its the little things.

Sometimes, all you can do is wish for more springs.

 

Sometimes, life gets too much to bear.

Sometimes, you got to get out and get some air.

 

Sometimes…its just sometimes…

 

You got to be strong,

And you got to believe you are.

 

You got to be your own light,

And you got to believe you carry it in you.

 

You got to keep moving forward,

And you got to believe you can.

 

Sometimes, all you got to do is,

Believe.

For you, yeah you, right there (whoever is reading this).

Believe in yourself, dearie.

You can conquer so much, just believe you can.

– aak92

Must. Take. A. Vacation..

We are strong,

but at the same time,

we are humans.

 

Sometimes, all we need is a little vacation.

A vacation to sit back and shut down,

just for a while…

– aak92