format_quote Originally Posted by
LPlate
Assalam-u-Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,
I'm hoping you might be able to help me, brothers and sisters. I have never discussed this with anyone before, so please bear with me, it's a long post.
I'm 23 and I'm female. I was born a muslim, however, my parents aren't very religious so I never learnt very much about Islam. Recently, I've been having recurring nightmares in which I'm literally beside myself with fear and sorrow because I'm dying and I'm inconsolable and crying because I keep telling people I'm scared of dying as I haven't learnt enough about my faith and when people ask why, I respond that I didn't think I'd die this early - I thought I had time to learn before I died...
I know dreams have no serious significance - but I think this is my subconcious mind that is influencing my dreams. And I am really down and quite depressed a lot of the time, because I need to turn towards the Allah (swt).
I have no doubt in my mind that Islam is the religion I want to follow. It is flawless in my eyes.
My father, although a muslim, used to drink in front of me (and my two younger brothers) when we were children. I have reason to believe he still drinks now - and I'm certain that he was drunk one night during Ramadan this year. I have seen my mother drink, who encouraged me to drink once or twice when I was growing up, like when I was about 18. As in, 'oh lets get a bottle of wine.' or 'I've brought a bottle of wine home, drink it with me.'
My mother doesn't wear hijab and my parents have had a very volatile relationship - I've seen my mother stab my father in the neck with a knife once during a very bad argument...it was such a difficult time for me.
My parents do however fast during the month of Ramadan every year.
I spent 5 years away from home at University, and during this time I was very depressed and my parents didn't support me financially, there were times when I couldn't afford to eat - we barely spoke so I was a mess. Although I am now back at home, I don't speak to my parents often, as they dislike me for some reason, so I'm not even close enough to go to them for guidance and to learn about Islam. Also, my mother used to beat me very viciously when I was a child - I don't mean a light slap on the face, or a chappal to the back of the legs - I mean full on abuse. She would strangle me and threaten me with knives. She once abandoned me in a random area where we lived when I was about 7...Once, I fled our own house in my pyjamas when I was about ten because she went off to the kitchen to get a knife...So I find it incredibly difficult to love her - sometimes I feel so much raging contempt towards her - but I try my hardest to suppress these feelings as I know, that in Islam, one must respect one's mother as heaven lies at her feet.
- I cannot pray - I'm so ashamed of this and I don't know who to turn to, I don't know who can teach me. My parents never pray - even during ramadan. (My mum tried to a few times this year, my dad, never. We just fast and that's it.)
- I'm just so so lost, I'm so scared and I need help. In the past, when I was at university, I felt suicidal, and I tried to kill myself and was admitted into hospital. I would never take my life now that I realise how stupid it was, but I used to be a mess.
- Can anyone help suggest how I can learn how to pray? I tired checking them, but I can't understand when people sing the words from the Quran, I need it simplified as I can't speak Arabic. Are there any websites? I live in Birmingham, (England) can anyone suggest a place where I can go to learn about Islam? - I'd rather go somewhere and speak to real people instead of rely on websites. I have no muslim friends, you see.
- Also, I am considering wearing a hijab. I don't mean to boast or seem arrogant, but I am fairly attractive and I get a lot of attention from some men - even though I dress very modestly. Can anyone who wears the hijab and never did previously, explain how they are finding it? Do you feel people judge you more, or do you feel more at peace in yourself now that you're wearing the hijab?
- Are there any useful links for lectures etc? I have tried watching a few of Dr. Zakir Naik's lectures, they're quite interesting, but I can only find snippets on youtube. Perhaps I should try reading or watching sources for new reverts, as my knowledge is so bad.
- Do you think Allah (swt) will forgive me for trying to take my life? I have scars on my wrist from this...do you think if I ever get married that my husband will be angry at me /ashamed of me for these scars? (They're not very visible. They've faded now, but you can see them close up.) imsad
I'll really appreciate it if someone can help, may Allah (swt) bless you for being patient and reading this. JazakAllahu Khair.
Asalaamu Alaikum Wr Wb my sister i hope you are feeling much better now and that you realise that in Islam we are all one and we support each other in everyway possible.
Allah is wanting to guide you that is why you are feeling inclined in coming towards Islam and wanting to be closer to him.
Allah's mercy, compassion and forgiveness are all encompassing and his mercy is one of his most important and significant qualities of the almighty in the Qur’an, as well as in the saying and teachings of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh).
In a Hadith Qudsi Allah states: "My mercy prevails over My wrath."
The Prophet also once said:
Allah, the Almighty, says: Whosoever does a good deed, will have (reward) ten times like it and I add more; and whosoever does an evil, will have the punishment like it or I will forgive (him); and whosoever approaches Me by one span, I will approach him by one cubit; and whosoever approaches Me by one cubit, I approach him by one fathom, and whosoever comes to Me walking, I go to him running; and whosoever meets Me with an earth-load of sins without associating anything with Me, I meet him with forgiveness like that.
(Sahih Muslim)
Approximately 113 chapters of the Holy Qur’an begin with: "In the name of Allah the Most-Compassionate; the Most-Merciful".
This is a constant reminder to all who read the Qur’an of the great mercy, compassion and forgiveness of almighty Allah. So do not despair my sister for whatever wrongs we have done if we repent sincerely with the intention to NEVER commit it again then Allah will forgive us.
My Sister if we don’t keep consistent with our deen then our imaan (faith) will decrease and we will be far from Allah and our deen.
If we don’t let go of our love for this world and worldly things then how can our imaan (faith) remain high? So we have to forsake the love for this world and realise that this world is just temporary and our life in this world can end at ANY second!
My Sister we should thank Allah so much everyday because firstly out of BILLIONS of people that he's created he chose US and gave US imaan(faith)!
He didn’t have to, he could of created us non believers and he could have created us in ANY time period in history like in the dark ages or in the medieval times or some other terrible time uncivilised time period but he created us in a relatively safe environment in one of the richest countries in the world with luxury, food on a plate everyday, anything we want and all we have to do is look at the unfortunate people who have NOTHING and we will truly realise how lucky we really are and that Allah has given us EVERYTHING!
Many times I have been to my native Pakistan and seen the poor there and I just feel SO lucky sister that what Allah has given us compared to these people. I saw a paralysed guy ROLLING around on the streets because he couldn’t walk or afford a wheel chair.
My Sister the amount of poverty that people are experiencing in this world and the position Allah has put us in we should constantly be in prostration to him and thank him SO SO much! We are SO SO lucky my Sister and we still complain about this and that and minor things but we should be ever thankful to Allah night and day!
We take for granted what he has given us! He could have created us paralysed or with a terrible debilitating disease but no my Sister he has given us health, wealth and best of all imaan (faith) and now he is wanting to guide us that is why were want to go towards him!
The ONLY thing stopping us from going towards Allah is ourselves because know that shaythan can just whisper but it is our choice whether we listen or not. We are given free will to choose which path we want to take and we HAVE to make the effort to go towards him and get into our deen.
Every single day we should try to imagine and contemplate the favours Allah has done for us and the everything he has given us and only then we will ALWAYS remain so so thankful and appreciative of Allah because my Sister SO many people are suffering in this world and all around us but were not always aware. We may look at some people around us and think to ourselves they look happy and content but only Allah knows the most terrible hardships that they are going through.
I know you may have been through a lot in your past my sister but you are so so lucky compared to most people in this world! We should ALWAYS look at people who have less than us and NEVER those who have more than us! You may look at a person who you think has more than you but how do you know what they are going through in life? We don't because it is not always advertised what people are going through. So my sister let us feel so lucky because we truly are so lucky! You still go through it all and you are the person you are today! Your a fighter and your struggled but with Allah's help you got through it so should we not turn to the one who created us and helps us through our lives?
You have done so well over the years to be patient with your parents after everything you have been through in life but know that your reward is with Allah and even if our parents are treating us the worst we still have to treat them the best.
To be obedient and to show kindness to parents has been enjoined in the Holy Quran in such a manner as to say that among the noble deeds, to obey parents, treat them respectfully and to show kindness to them is next to worshipping Almighty Allah.
In the Qur'an, Allah asks Muslims to show kindness to their parents and forbids them from making even the smallest gesture or uttering even the smallest word of reproach to them.
No impatience, disrespect, or contempt may be shown to parents.
The Holy Quran says, "Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour." -
Surah Al Isra (17:23).
Allah says in the Qur'an what means,
[And your Lord has commanded that you shall not serve any but Him, and goodness to your parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, say not to them (so much as) "ugh," nor chide them, and speak to them a generous word. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: "My Lord, bestow on them Your mercy even as they cherished me in childhood."]
(Al-Israa' 17:23-24)
The metaphorical use of the word "wing" calls to one's mind the way in which birds tenderly and gently lower their wings for their offspring.
The reason for the necessity of showing compassion toward parents is also given in the verse that reminds Muslims that their parents, and particularly the mother, suffered and sacrificed for them when they were young, weak, and totally dependent.
A person once asked the holy Prophet, "Who has the greatest claim on me with regard to service and kind treatment?"
The Holy Prophet replied, "Your mother and again your mother and once again your mother. After her is the claim of your father, then that of your near relatives, and then of the relations next to them".
(Al-Bukhari)
When being kind to one’s parents, we do not expect a reward from them, but we expect a reward from Allah.
If the parents are not kind and do not appreciate the kindness of their children, then one has to be patient, bearing the difficulties and be steadfast in doing good to them, and the outcome will be good, Inshallah.
So my sister know that if you ONLY have the intention to please Allah by continuing to treat your parents the best and make dua for them in every dua and be the best towards them no matter how they are towards you then surely you have a GREAT reward awaiting you from Allah!
Even my parents aren't very religious but when i started to get into Islam my mother also followed and inshallah i am hoping my father will to but know that guidance is with Allah alone and if we be the best towards them and continue to make dua for them then Allah may open their hearts and lead them towards Islam too inshallah!
My sisters were never encouraged to wear hijaab but they wore it out of their own free will because my sister know that the hijaab is such a beautiful thing and it is not only for the purpose of external modesty but creates inner modesty too.
Don't worry about what other people think sister because you are wearing the hijaab for the pleasure of Allah ONLY not for the pleasure of others so do not care or worry what others may think or say it is between you and Allah for it was never between you and them anyway!
Look at our poor brothers and sisters in war torn countries and those who are being oppressed by their governments who don’t even allow them to practise their deen, yet where we are our governments do allow us to practise our deen properly without any problems.
Even though we sin day in and day out our almighty creator still provides for us, nourishes us, sustains us and gives us EVERYTHING we need EVERYDAY OF OUR LIVES! He remains patient waiting for us to go towards him everyday but our luck can run out ANY second!
My Sister we are so lucky if ONLY we knew and realised how much so. Even after our imaan (faith) goes down, Allah is still trying to guide us and that is why we feel inclined in our hearts to go towards him and be the closest to him!
All we have to Sister is to make the little effort in comparison with EVERYTHING Allah has given us! But yet we still fail to do the little required of us to change and go towards Allah!
He gave us life, health and working limbs when there are people out there who have limbs missing or are deformed and retarded and look at us! He has given us EVERY SINGLE THING and yet we still struggle to give even a little back and thank him by praying to him for just a few minutes a day.
Even if we were to spend eternity trying to imagine what Allah has given us and the amount of favours he has done for us, we would NEVER be able to even begin to imagine!
My Sister happiness and contentment of the heart ONLY lies with Allah! Whether we gain this happiness and true contentment really depends on how obedient we are to Allah's commandments and how much we really strive to do what he asks of us!
Remember everything that is good comes from Allah and everything bad that happens comes from us and our own wrong doings! Also Allah tests his creations in MANY different ways!
He may test us in any aspect of our lives! He says in the Qur'an as well that do you think that you will not be tested? What is the point and purpose of life if we are not to be tried and tested by Allah?
Allah just wants to see how we will react when we are tested! Will we go closer to shaythan? or closer to Allah?
Why should we let shaythan win? For Allah tests a person so that he may see if the person will go closer to him or further away!
Who were the people who were tested the most? They were the prophets! Do you know why? Because they were the best of all creation! So the more Allah tests us the more he wants us to be closer to him and if we bare the tests with patience then know that Allah is with those who are patient and the reward for patience can only be jannah (Paradise)! Subhanallah
It is shaythan who wants us to become closer to him and will we let him? He ONLY wants our destruction!
He tries EVERYTHING in his power to try and keep us away from our deen by trying by distracting us with the deceptions of this world but will we let him?
He constantly tries to make us forget our purpose for It is shaythan who wants to make us lose faith in Allah and trying to make us give up hope and get depressed and confused!He tries to mess with our minds and make us lose hope and self esteem and then tells us that our lives are pointless and worthless so why not give up? It is shaythan who wants to see our destruction in this world and the next! Will we let him do this to us and let him win? Will we let him jeopardise our imaan(faith) and bring us to total destruction in this world and the next?
My Sister Allah has not asked much from us in this life compared to what he's got on offer for us in the hereafter! Allah has just asked us for full obedience to him for such a short amount of time- (70 years to the most) and in return for our obedience he has promised us ETERENITY of bliss!
So that's: Obedience to Allah for the duration of our short lives = Eternity of bliss in the hereafter
Is that not the most amazing offer one can EVER imagine or comprehend? On top of that Allah has given us everything we need, life, shelter, wealth, food, clothing I can go on and on on the favours of Allah FOREVER!
So not only has Allah provided us with everything we can imagine but he has asked us to do a little in return for an eternity of bliss and we still can't manage it? Were pathetic its as simple as that!
Allah just wants the best for us in this world and the next and he tells us in the Qur'an that righteousness and piety is the path to success in this world and the next! Simply following Allah's commands wholeheartedly will lead to success in this world and the next!
This life for us can end at ANY second Sister as we have seen for ourselves and still see on the news and all around us people dying and those people are not old at all they are people of ALL ages, ethnicities, backgrounds and religions! No matter who we are and what our situation or position is in life when our time is up then death will take us for death does not wait a second more it will take us when our time is up and NO ONE knows when that will be but Allah!
We know too well how temporary our life is and we should realise that if we waste our lives away more than we have already done then surely we will surely regret all the time we wasted on the day of judgement because ONLY then will we realise the true value of the time we had and the amount of GREAT opportunities we missed out on to do good and go towards Allah!
There will be MANY on the day of Qiyamat that will ask Allah for just one more chance and opportunity to have another shot at life and another chance to do things right this time but NO ONE will be given another chance for THIS is our ONLY chance! If we waste this opportunity then we WILL regret it FOREVER! That's a guarantee!
Allah will say have i not given you enough chances in this world to change and be obedient to me?
We wouldn't want to die at this point in our lives right now because we know that we have prepared NOTHING! What have we prepared to show Allah when he asks us what we did with our lives? We have NOTHING to show! We should be VERY worried indeed! One time the Prophet (Pbuh) saw some people laughing out aloud and they were laughing a lot and the Prophet (Pbuh) said that if these people knew what was to come then they would NOT laugh at all! This proves that the Prophet (Pbuh) knew what was to come and he knew that if we had the knowledge he did then we would be VERY worried indeed but we don't realise because were asleep and we by the time we wake up it will be too late! So we HAVE to wake up now! Otherwise if we die and have nothing to show Allah of our lives then we are doomed and we would not be able to handle a second of punishment.
My Sister my dear friend died this Ramadan and and he was only 28 years of age. My Sister life is just so uncertain. How do we know when our time is up? The thing is we don't know that is why we HAVE to prepare now!Otherwise there may not be a tomorrow!
If we CONSTANTLY remind ourselves of death then we will NEVER slack in our deen because we would know that the angel of death may take us ANY second!
We get SOO many chances from Allah everyday but yet again and again we don't take those opportunities for we keep letting them pass but what if at ANY second our last chance is up?Then we will not get anymore!
So it’s best for us to try and change ourselves now! Lets do our best to abide by the commandments of Allah and go closer to him because he is our beloved creator and he knows what’s best for us we don't! Allah says in the Qur'an that we humans know not what is best for us but Allah does. We think we do but we clearly don't.
Surely our creator knows because he has created everything we see and imagine! So let us put our FULL trust in him and strive to get the closest to our beloved creator who gave us life!
We should NOT keep dwelling on our past now or the bad experiences we went through because our past has made us who we are today! Let us take lessons from our past and learn from it and do things better now and the future!
It will do us absolutely no good by being down about what has happened in the past! Being depressed or down about the past and life i general and losing hope and faith will NEVER benefit us but cause our doom and destruction because that is what shaythan wants! He wants to mess our heads up and distract us ANYWAY he can!
If we think to ourselves that life is too short to be down or lose hope and faith and that i should spend most of my time working for the next life then this is the best way to live our lives because what is the point of investing time and efforts in this world when those efforts are for something that is temporary and could end at ANYTIME!
Why not spend most of our time and efforts on the hereafter which is for ETERNITY? Any investment we put into the hereafter will benefit us forever and we will wreak the rewards for eternity! But if we put all of our efforts just into this world then how much will we really gain from it? Very little or nothing at all!
The person who chases this world will only get what is destined for him but the person who chases the hereafter will get more from this world and from the hereafter! So who is the winner?
We have all done mistakes in our lifetime and sometimes we wish that we can get hold of a time machine and do things differently! We wish we could go back into the past and change things so that things could have been different now but what is the point of thinking this way? whatever has happened has happened and will NEVER change! Even if the world was to be created again whatever will happen will keep happening!
We are wasting even more time thinking this way when we could be using this precious time in doing things better now and the future because that’s what really counts not what has already happened!
Let’s move on and NOT think and dwell about the past because our life experiences make us who we are and have made us wiser people when in the past we were inexperienced in life and naive!
Sometimes in life we have to learn the hard way because the hard way is the best way to learn at times and we have to just accept what’s happened and move on because life goes on but we don't know for how long! We have to realise how precious time is!
So lets forget the past now and move on and do the BEST we can now and the future in pleasing Allah and trying to be the closest to him and repenting our past sins because if we repent with full sincerity with the intention of NEVER doing it again then Allah almighty will forgive us inshallah that’s how merciful he is!
We can work our WHOLE lives 24/7 and build a wonderful life for ourselves here and then the next day we die before we can even enjoy the fruits of our hard labour! What was the point of all that investment just in this world when it can end at ANYTIME!
Let’s ONLY invest the very minimum into this world lets invest as much as we can to the next world which is our final and ultimate destination!
The Prophet (saw) says to that we should treat this life as if it were just on a journey! This life is not a very long stop until our final abode which is the hereafter!
When investors are looking to invest in a business venture do they look for short term gains or long term? Obviously long term my sister and that’s what we should be looking for because the cleverest person is the one who makes arrangements for the hereafter and not only for this world!
That’s not to say that we shouldn’t have our share in this world of course we should but we should invest most of our time in the next life which is for ETERNITY!
We would NOT be able to handle a single second in the hell fire my sister, we cannot even imagine how terrifying this will be so we should do our best in this life to seek protection from it and make our good deeds balance as heavy as possible!
Sometimes i find it very hard to imagine when i think of the concept of FOREVER! It’s hard to imagine something that will last forever! That it will never cease but will go on and on! It’s not hard to think of temporary because most of the things around us goes through a cycle of life and then ceases to exist!
We see people die all around us we see things ending etc But the concept of forever is unimaginable because nothing in this life is forever! We cannot imagine there hereafter that is why you may find it difficult to comprehend but if we believe in the hereafter then of course we must believe in the full descriptions of heaven and hell!
The disbelievers have nothing to live for! They go through life ONLY living for this world and are confused as to why they are here and they don't have a purpose in life but we know our purpose but what are we doing to achieve it?
Allah guides who he wants and he says in the Qur'an that if he wanted to he would guide all of mankind but that would go against the whole point of this creation and testing mankind!
Allah knows best who is worthy of having faith and guidance! But it is truly a sad life for those who have no purpose in this life! They live just for this world! This is their paradise! This is their bliss!But ours is in the next world for this world is the prison for the believer!
One of the main reasons why we lack in imaan Sister is also due to a lack of knowledge of Islam!
Knowledge always makes things clearer to us! If we constantly gain knowledge of Islam and especially the akhirah and at the same time contemplate and ponder over it then my sister our imaan will remain strong because we know what is to come.
My Sister our enemy shaythan wants our destruction and he will stop at NOTHING until we desire this world and live for this life but my sister this life is SO SO short that we cannot imagine.
A hadith to the nearest meaning says that when we will be in the akhirah we will be asked "How long were you on the earth for?" We will say " Only for a few hours" because the comparison of this world to the akhirah is NOTHING! So when we are in this next world this world will seem like a few hours!
My Sister we will regret every second we wasted! In the akhirah we will wish that we went back to the earth and done things better but this is our ONLY chance! My Sister we can't waste our one chance that we have in this world!
What is this world but an illusion and a deception? Allah says this in the Qur'an that this life is like a veil over your eyes its a deception! We have to wake up Sister and keep reminding ourselves EVERY day of our purpose!
My Sister Allah loves us 70 times more than a mother loves its baby! Look at how much love our almighty has for us! He looks after us, sustains us and cherishes us but what do we do? We run after this world! We are truly sad and we will be the losers on Qiyamat(Day of judgement)unless we change NOW!
My Sister Ramadan left us 2 months ago but as long as we have life and our soul is in us then the doors of mercy and forgiveness are open for us and Allah can forgive us for EVERY sin but we need to make the changes in our own heads first and change our mind set!
We need to make sincere vows to Allah that we will ONLY go towards him and we will ONLY put everything into the Akhirah to please him!
We need to only live for this world as much as we can survive comfortably but everything we do for this world we should also make the intention of doing it for Allah's pleasure so that we can survive in this world! The prophet (Pbuh) was given the chance to have all of the riches of this world but he rejected it all because he wanted the riches in the hereafter! Similarly we need to want the riches of the hereafter for how can one compare the riches of this world to that of the hereafter? There's NO comparison!
If we keep constantly reminding ourselves of this then we will constantly busy ourselves with Zikr (remembrance of Allah) and we will have no time for being down or depressed.
This life is our ONLY chance to please Allah and gain as many good deeds as we can so that we can build our eternity in the next world. We can't build our eternity once were dead so we HAVE to do as much as we can to please Allah and increase our good deeds now that we are alive before death overtakes us and death can overtake us at ANY second!
You really need to try and find good pious local sisters who are working for the akhirah. I'm sure you can get involved with local sister halaqa's and sisters circles because there are SO many Muslims in your area and there will DEFINATLY be good sisters doing good work in your area. You can find these at your local Masjid I'm sure.
Contact these two Masjid's and some sisters will definitely get back to you inshallah
Greenlane Masjid
Green Lane Masjid
20 Green Lane
Small Heath
Birmingham B9 5DB
UK
Tel: 0121 713 0080
http://www.greenlanemasjid.org/contact_us.aspx
Masjid-e-Aman Islamic Education Centre
232 Witton Road, Aston, Birmingham, West Midlands, B6 6LB
Borough: Aston
Phone: 0121 523 4265 (imam's residence next door)
You could also contact "The University of Birmingham Islamic Society" on the sisters e mail -
sisters@buisoc.co.uk
You are who your friends are so if your friends are good and pious and of those who ONLY desire the hereafter then those are the right people to be with but if they are the opposite then you need to get away from them because whether we like it or not their bad influence and habits etc will rub off on us gradually. The true friend is the one who takes us towards goodness and towards Allah and Islam and the bad friend is the one who will drag us towards hell and destruction.
My Sister our aim should be to do EVERY good act especially namaz with khushu (imaging we can see Allah when praying or doing good deeds). We need to imagine him watching us no matter what we do! If we imagine him watching us then surely we would automatically want to stay away from sin and do good actions with more sincerity and focus. For this we need to try and clear our minds of all thoughts and focus SOLELY on Allah when were doing any good action like namaz for example because it is easy for our minds to wander when were praying.
We need to try and gain more sincerity in our hearts in every action we do and clean out the love of this world from our hearts and replace it with the love for the hereafter and wanting to be the closest to Allah!
All this is certainly not an over night process, but my sister our imaan (faith) can remain strong and high if we consistently remember Allah ALL the time and keep in mind our purpose in this world that were ONLY here for such a short period and that we will have to go one day which can be ANY second. We should glorify Allah throughout the day and remember him no matter what were doing in our lives and this way our imaan (faith) will remain high all the time inshallah!
We should imagine him watching us glorify him and think of him and we should do lots of duas throughout the day and gain a close relationship with Allah!
We should read much of the Qur'an and its meanings and contemplate and ponder over its meanings. We should try and spend a little time each day trying to memorise bits of the Qur'an and even make intention that we want to memorise all of it because We will get our reward depending on our intention!
We should try and learn and implement as MANY Sunnahs (Actions and sayings) of our beloved Rasulallah (Pbuh) as possible who is our role model and we should learn the masnoon duas and implement them EVERYDAY in our lives!
We should learn the life story of our beloved Rasul (Saw) and learn about every aspect of his most amazing life! This will surely soften our hearts!
We should learn about the stories of the pious predecessors and the hero's of Islam and take them as our hero's because they are the true hero's of this world like the many hero women of Islam which i will paste you the web link at the bottom so that you can read about their amazing lives!
We should constantly remind ourselves of death and read about it all the time my Sister and read about what will happen to us after death in the grave and in the hereafter! We should learn about our possible rewards in Jannah and our demise in Jahannam if we fail and die without imaan May Allah save us all!
We should try and gain a thirst for knowledge my Sister because it is said that the ones with knowledge and the ones without knowledge is like the distance from here to the star that you can see shining and learning knowledge of Islam will opens up our eyes wider than they currently are.
We need to acquire a taste and a desire to gain knowledge and try our best to act upon it and implement it in our daily lives and share it with others! My brother we need to try and gain the closeness to Allah by reading MANY nafil salah's.
My Sister we need to try and constantly occupy ourselves with the Zikr of Allah and glorify him day and night!
Allah says in the Qur'an "Remember Allah abundantly, in order that you become successful"
Quran (Surah 8: Verse 45)
"Only in the remembrance of Allah (swt) will your heart find peace"
Quran (Surah 13: Verse 28)
"Those men and women who engage much in Allah's praise. for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a Great Reward"
Quran (Surah 33: Verse 35)
"When any group of men remember Allah, angels surround them and mercy covers them, tranquillity descends upon them, and Allah mentions them to those who are with Him."
(Muslim)
We also know that remembering Allah is of the greatest deed:
"The remembrance of Allah (swt) is the greatest (deed)"
Quran (Surah 29: Verse 45)
and of the the worst things we can do is not to remember Allah:
"Satan has mastered them and caused them to forget the Remembrance of Allah. Those are Satan's party; and Satan's party shall assuredly be the losers"
Quran (Surah 58: Verse 19)
"Whosoever turns away from the Remembrance of Allah, He will hurl him into a stern punishment".
Quran (Surah 72: Verse 17)
"Whosoever turns away from My remembrance, his life will be made tight and narrow on the Day of Resurrection We shall raise him blind"
Quran (Surah 20: Verse 124)
Allah tells us to remember him no matter what we do whether that be lying or sitting down:
"They are the most wise who remember Allah, standing sitting and lying down"
Quran (Surah 4: Verse 190)
We should remember Allah no matter what we are doing and we should ALWAYS try to keep our tongues moist with his remembrance and glorification.
Here are some VERY quick, easy and rewarding ways of earning good deeds everyday especially easy zikr's:
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50628
In the morning when waking up for tahajjud even if its 20 mins before start of Fajr and then wait until Fajr and pray that and then do ibaadah (worship) until ishraaq(Sunrise) and then pray that Salah and then the breakfast salah(Salaatul Duhaa) and then pray Zuhr with all the sunnah and Nafil and same with Asr and make some time to do ibaadah until Maghrib and read the nafils after that (Salaatul Awabeen) and read isha and all the sunnah and nafil and do zikr (remembrance of Allah) throughout the day, So my Sister if we do all of these things then were are implementing Islam FULLY in our lives and we will be SO SO close to Allah and feel the best feeling in our hearts that we can EVER imagine! We will feel the sweetness of imaan!Oh what a beautiful feeling it is! My Sister we should try and cry to Allah everyday on our duas and feel him close to us in our hearts!
Please click on the link for a more detailed explanation of the many Nafil Salah which we can pray everyday so we can be the closest to Allah!
VERY Rewarding Nafl Salaahs we can Pray Everyday
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49289
We should cry over our sins and cry to him for guidance and help in our lives and ask of him for EVERYTHING we want, especially in this last portion of the night where duas are more readily accepted. Just like how a mother runs to its baby when its crying then will Allah not swiftly attend to us when we cry to him in dua? We should have hope of his mercy after sincere repentance and make intention not to repeat the sin again but if we do then we should continue to ask for repentance my Sister because Allah is most merciful and his mercy overcomes his wrath! Allah gets angry at those who don't ask of him!
We should ALWAYS make dua for our parents and all of the Muslims. If we make dua for EVERY Muslim person who’s ever lived and every Muslim from now until the last Muslim then we will get the reward for EVERY Muslim we pray for. So that's BILLIONS of good deeds every time we do dua for every Muslim that's ever lived! We need to make a habit of doing this!
We should from now on have FULL hope in him and him ONLY! We should have FULL reliance in him and accept the fact that if he tests us then he is wanting us to be the closest to him and we should bare the test with patience! He ONLY tests those he wants closest to him!
My Sister can you feel in your heart how much you desire to be the closest to Allah? It is because Allah is wanting you to be the closest to him and he is wanting you to desire the next world and not this world which is PATHETIC my Sister and NOTHING but deception and a waste! This life is a proto-type of the akhirah.
My Sister lets get the hunger for good deeds and making Allah the happiest.
My Sister people spend their whole lives looking for peace and contentment in their hearts and ALL the worldly goods and money have NEVER given them that! Allah says that ONLY with my remembrance will hearts find contentment! So my Sister we have to CONSTANTLY remember him and glorify him!
We need to constantly keep our lips moist from his glorification. Keep a tasbih near to you in your hands ALWAYS because a tasbih is the best reminder for one to do zikr. I find that a metal clicking tasbih is really good and practical to carry ANYWHERE.
My Sister Allah is watching us in our prayers and EVERYTHING that we do so we need to imagine he is watching us because he ACTUALLY is! What an amazing feel that he is watching us pray and glorify him!
Let’s make the best of every second we have now and NOT waste it anymore! Let’s learn as much as we can about our beautiful way of life because it is truly amazing and has perfect wisdom in it!
Once we become closest to Allah we will feel more amazing than we have EVER imagined because Allah says that you will NOT find contentment and true happiness in money or anything else but you will ONLY find true contentment and happiness in me and NOTHING else!
So my Sister this is our chance to aim HIGH and gain the HIGHEST positions in paradise! Allah wants you to come closer to him so grab this opportunity and lets keep ourselves strong against the whispers from shaythan who wants our destruction by distracting us with worthless time wasting that will NEVER benefit us but cause our doom!
Allah is beauty itself for he is perfection and the almighty master of the universe and we are is lowly slaves who are insignificant like a speck of dust!
We should make the intention NOW that we will change our lives FOREVER and we go FULLY towards Allah and make our sole purpose and aim in this life to make him the happiest and shun this world which is deception and a jannah for the non believers for this is their temporary bliss and our bliss will be FOREVER in Jannah inshallah.
Life is so uncertain and we can be taken ANY second my dear Sister ands when it is gone then we can't do anything more to please Allah and add to our good deed accounts. We need Allah, he doesn’t need us so lets strive to go towards him FULLY!
We should desire to be the closest to Allah and Allah wants us to be the closest to him because he loves us MUCH MORE THAN WE CAN EVER IMAGINE!
So lets show him how much we love him with action and lets glorify him and thank him day and night because he loves those who thank him constantly and are appreciative of him SO SO much!
Let us make changes to ourselves NOW because we may not live tomorrow! Let's re-evaluate ourselves and realise that we only have ONE purpose and our destination is in the hereafter for our stay in this world is so so short.
Let us spend each day FULL of worship and obedience to him and a life where we will spend it making him the happiest and he will fulfil our needs and give us peace and contentment in our hearts which is the best feeling anyone can EVER imagine!
The first thing you should do my sister without hesitation is learn how to pray salah. Inshallah you will learn in no time just learn at your pace and once you start reading namaz focus totally on Allah in front of you because namaz is a meeting with Allah. Picture him in front of you ALL the time then your mind won;t wonder! You will now start to feel more amazing than you have EVER imagined the closer you get towards Allah! You will feel tranquillity and peace in your heart that you have NEVER felt before and inshallah you will feel contentment which leads to true happiness!
Please ask me anything you want I'm here for you as your brother!
My Sister i have pasted MANY very useful and beneficial links for you including how women pray, how to do wudhu and bath according to sunnah and MUCH more information on various aspects of Islam which i hope you will find VERY useful and beneficial!:
Very Beneficial basic Islamic knowledge
http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60012
How to do Ghusl (Bath)
http://www.muslimconverts.com/prayer/ghusl.htm
http://www.geocities.com/mutmainaa/food/ghusl.html
How to do Wudu (Ablution before prayer)
http://www.janathimessage.co.uk/kids/learning/Wuzu.html
Video clip of how to do wuzu (ablution)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qdxJ0Hzt7GU
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qdxJ0Hzt7GU
The translation of salat (namaz)- learn what your reading in namaz
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38303
How to pray salat for women
http://muslimconverts.com/prayer/index.htm
http://www.themuslimwoman.com/choose...guidetoprayer/
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39550
A-Z to Perform wudu and Prayer
http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1597
Advice from a sister on hijaab
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39547
The Role of Women in Islamic Society-Very good article by revert sister
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39901
Hijaab and the Freedom of Women
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39857
Very Inspiring Experiences Of Recently Converted Woman
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40169
WOMEN IN ISLAM
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41377
The Best Role Models for All Muslim Women
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41302
[ Every Thing ] About .. " Woman Rights in Islam " ..
http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=58707
Overcoming tests from Allah
http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61961
25 Ways to Deal with Stress and Anxiety VERY GOOD THREAD
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43179
10 Steps to Increasing our Iman(Faith)
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40459
Signs of Weak Iman and How to Increase It
http://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/weakimanfix.htm
A party in Paradise, A party in Hellfire
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39698
The Ultimate Motivation for Muslims
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49243
The State of the People of Paradise in this World
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49125
Everything about Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh)
http://www.mohammad-pbuh.com/
For those wanting to look more into Islam
http://forum.mpacuk.org/showthread.php?t=44392
Please remember me in your dua's and ask me ANYTHING you want and i will try my best to help you as your brother in Islam. Allah Hafiz