If someone asked me about the essence of being

positive, it won’t be a TED talk. Neither will it be a

research-based book on self-help (though I
recommend them). But the ultimate thought
process of being positive is hidden in this bit of an
ayah.

‫ّللا َعلَى ُك ِهل َش ْيءٍ قَ ِديْر‬

َ ‫ِإ َّن ه‬

“Indeed Allah is Competent over all things.”

Take a moment to reflect on these words. And then

think about that one thing on your mind that’s
bothering you and that you think is so impossible.
Be it as trivial of a matter as your procrastination on
starting a work that you have to do. Be it your self-
destructive thoughts that you think are impossible
to part from. Be it a difficult situation that you
desperately want to get out from but you simply
find no way. Or be it a sin that you repeatedly go
back to, and you simply don’t think you would get
out from.

We see our situations to be hopeless, because we

just see ourselves in the helpless spot that we stand
in due to our limited scope of vision. Often we don’t
realize, that there is someone Higher than us
watching over us. Someone Powerful Who brought
this entire universe into existence just with the
word ‘Be.’ Someone Who is Able over all things,
including the situations that we find ourselves in.
He swt is fully capable of turning every situation
upside down. A lazy heart can be filled with passion.
The negative thoughts could turn out into bright
smiles. The difficult situation could disappear
altogether. The heart engulfed in the darkness of
sins could find guidance. All this, within a split
second if He Wills.
So the next time you find yourself in an impossible
situations, say these words and believe them.

‫ّللا َعلَى ُك ِهل َش ْيءٍ قَ ِديْر‬

َ ‫ِإ َّن ه‬

Post 2:
Imagine being in a rough sea all on your own on a
small boat. You have limited supply of food and
drinkable water at hand and thus you need to get to
the land as soon as possible if you are to survive.
You are desperately looking forward to reaching a
stable land away from the turbulent sea that you
are in. And then suddenly you realize that there is a
leak in your boat. Just then you catch a glimpse of a
land a little far from where you are. But the water is
getting into the boat quickly and then you realize
that its worse because of certain belongings of
yours that is making your boat heavy. You know
that you need to let go off those things right now if
you are to safely reach the land. So you do. You do
let go off them. Be it chests of treasures, boxes of
money and all kinds of things that you held dear to
yourself. All of it in desperation of reaching a safe
land.

This is the picture painted in the ayah below:

َ‫لَن تَنَالُوا ْال ِب َّر َحت َّ ٰى تُن ِفقُوا ِم َّما ت ُ ِحبُّون‬

“You will not reach goodness, until you spend from

what you love….” Surah Ale-Imran, 92

The word ‫ نَا َل‬is used when you are travelling and
you can’t wait to reach your destination. And the
word for goodness ‫ ِب هر‬comes from the word ‫ بَ هر‬which
means land. This means that a life of goodness is as
stable as a safe land. And a life of sin is like being in
an unstable and dangerous sea. In this ayah, Allah
swt gives us the secret to reaching a good life. And
that is by spending from what we really love.

Many of us think that spending is just about money.

And this ayah is referring to that idea too. When we
spend for the sake of Allah, we mustn’t give from
the things that we were going to throw away
anyway. Rather, it’s better for us to give from what
we would love to have for ourselves. Thinking about
a needy neighbor when we have our favourite food,
randomly buying gifts for those kids who need
them, donating an amount that hurts us a bit while
transferring is all about spending from what the
wealth we love.

But spending is also about giving up whatever

assets you have for the sake of Allah. And the most
valuable asset that we have is our time. Many of us,
especially the young brothers and sisters feel that
we have a lot of time. And as a result we love to
waste is frivolously on entertainment. Not saying
that we aren’t allowed to have a good time in a
while but some of us do spend the entire day in
things that don’t benefit us in anyway. We just love
to kill our time.

But if we want to reach goodness, we better spend

that time for the sake of Allah. In saying that extra
dhikr, in reciting just a little more Quran, in learning
just a little bit more about deen, and thinking a little
more about what we can do for Allah’s deen with
the opportunities He gave us.

May Allah make all of us those who reach goodness.

Ameen!
Post 3:
Who is your best friend in the darkness?

Well to the Arabs who lived in the dessert, it was

none other than the stars that they saw in the night
sky. This was obviously because there are some
stars that are always in fixed places every night. And
these stars helped the travellers navigate back in
the day.

Having this in mind, read these ayahs.

َ َ‫سم لَّ ْو ت َ ْعلَ ُمون‬
‫﴾ إِنَّهُ لَقُ ْرآن َك ِريم‬٧٦﴿ ‫ع ِظيم‬ ِ ‫فَ ََل أ ُ ْق ِس ُم ِب َم َواقِ ِع النُّ ُج‬
َ َ‫﴾ َو ِإنَّهُ لَق‬٧٥﴿ ‫وم‬

“Then I swear by the placement of the stars. And

indeed, this is a great oath if you could know.
Indeed, it’s a noble Quran.” Suratul Waqia, ayahs
75-77
Whenever Allah takes an oath by something in the
Quran, the thing which He swt takes the oath by is
related to what comes after it. So after taking an
oath on the placement of the stars, He swt
mentions the Quran. As though there is a
comparison between the Quran and the placement
of the stars. As though to say that the Quran guides
people in darkness and those who have lost
direction, just like the stars in the night sky.

But this isn’t just the one comparison, if we

reflected deeply on stars themselves. If we gave a
thought, we would realize that stars are a source of
beauty, in the darkness of the night. The fear of
darkness is removed from our hearts when we
focus on the beauty of the stars. And the more we
look at the stars, the more beautiful they get. And
the more we realize how high up they are, the more
it humbles our hearts.
Its just the same with the Quran. No matter how far
we have gone down the road of darkness, when we
reflect on the ayahs of Quran, we would find beauty
in it. And when we do focus on it, the ugliness and
the consequences of our sins will no longer haunt
us. And the more we reflect on the ayahs of the
Quran, the more we realize that it comes from a
much Higher source than us and thus it humbles us.
Subhaanallah!

May Allah make us of those who are guided through

His Word. Ameen!

PS: You usually don’t get a homework assignment

with FB posts but here is one. For myself and you.
Take the time and go out to look at the stars. (If you
are reading this during day time go out tonight).
Recite these ayahs while looking at them and think
deeply about those words In Sha Allah. Just one
more way of bringing the ayahs to yourself instead
of just recitation and memorization :D
What would you do, if you had free access to a well-
guarded, noble and valuable property?

After making the incredible connection between the

placement of the stars and the Quran in Suratul
Waqia, Allah describes the Quran further with these
ayahs.
َ‫ب ْالعَالَ ِمين‬ َ ‫سهُ ِإ ََّّل ْال ُم‬
ِ َ ‫ ت‬، َ‫ط َّه ُرون‬
ِ ‫نزيل ِ همن َّر ه‬ ُّ ‫ ََّّل يَ َم‬،‫ون‬
ٍ ُ‫ب َّم ْكن‬
ٍ ‫ِفي ِكتَا‬

“In a book, well-guarded. None touch it except the

most purified. A revelation from the Master of all
people.” Suratul Waqia, 78-80

With these ayahs, Allah is describing how the Quran

is protected in a book way up in the seventh
heaven. And the word used for protection or
guarding in this ayah is ‫ون‬ ٍ ُ‫ َّم ْكن‬. It comes from the
word ‫ أ َ ِكنَّة‬which is used for an eagle's nest in
classical Arabic. And an eagle’s nest is not very easy
to access. So we know how well-guarded that book
is even from that word.
The next thing Allah says is that none but the most
purified get to touch that book. Even within the
angels, only the most purified get to touch the book
on which the Quran is present. Like how when a
valuable and rare gem is guarded with multiple
levels of guards, and even from within those guards,
not all get to touch the gem.
Then Allah says that it’s a revelation or a
descending, from the Master of all people. By
calling Himself the Master of all people in this ayah,
Allah is saying that the Quran is for all people and
all nations. Just how the stars in the night sky are
for all people to appreciate. Just how those stars
are a source of removing fears of a dark time for all
people. Just how those stars are a source of
guidance within darkness for all people. Its as
though the Quran is a gift sent down by Allah for all
of humanity.

After this description, Allah asks this question.

ِ ‫أَفَ ِب َه ٰـ َذا ْال َحدِي‬
َ‫ث أَنتُم ُّم ْد ِهنُون‬
“Then is it this speech, that you are going to take
loosely?”

In other words, is it this Quran, that is so well

protected in the seventh heaven, that is guarded by
mighty angels, that is not touched except by the
most purified of them, the Words for which the sky
was closed down just for them to come down, is it
this Quran that you are going to take loosely? Is it
this Quran that you are going to be carefree about?
That you are going to be talking while its playing in
the background? That you would just keep a copy of
it in a shelf for dust to cover it up? That you always
think of as unimportant? That you think has nothing
to do with your life? Subhaanallah!

May Allah make us of those who appreciate His

Word. Ameen!
Sometime last year, a friend of mine and I were at
an event. While we were there we happened to see
an adorable small boy who seemed to be quiet and
obedient as well (Baarakallah Lahu). Later on we
were talking about the boy and my friend goes ‘I
want to have son just like him.’ At first it felt okay
but then both of us ended up laughing considering
the fact that my friend was dreaming of having a
son, while she wasn’t even married.

While we were joking around about it, I

remembered this ayah from Surah Ibrahim.

ِ ‫ص ََلةِ َو ِمن ذُ ِ هريَّ ِتي ۚ َربَّنَا َوتَقَب َّْل ُد َع‬

‫اء‬ َ ‫اجعَ ْلنِي ُم ِق‬
َّ ‫يم ال‬ ْ ‫ب‬ِ ‫َر ه‬

“My Master, make me from those who establish the

prayer, and from my future generations of children.
Our Master, accept my call.” Surah Ibrahim, 40
I told my friend that it’s not so weird to think about
our children before marriage after all. And then I
started reading the ayah and my friend completed it
with me up to the word zurriyyathee, highlighting
the word and knowing what I was trying to say.

Let’s look at this dua carefully to see what we

realized that day. The first part of this dua is a
request that every single muslim will have. To make
him or her from among those who establish the
prayer. From those who pray on time and never
miss a prayer. This is a dua that every muslim would
need. Old, young, men, women, married or
unmarried. So it shouldn’t be that the latter half of
this dua is only for married people who are planning
to have children. That half of the dua is not rated
18+ or anything of that sort. Rather, that dua is for
every…single…muslim.
Why is this important? Because it changes
everything. From the way we seek people to get
married, to the way we raise our children. That is, if
we understand the word ‫ذُ ِ هريَّتِي‬. It doesn’t just mean
my children. It means my future generations of
children. With this dua, we are not only hoping for
our immediate children to be ones who pray. But
we are hoping that their children and their children
and their children will also be those who pray.

Now think, if we are people who are concerned

about our future generations of children, wouldn’t
it take a long term plan to ensure that our advice to
pray reaches them? If we just tell our immediate
children to pray or even force them to pray, are
they likely to tell their children to pray in the
future? No! It would take multiple loving and heart-
touching advices for them to do so. It would take a
mother and a father who they see to be taking the
prayers seriously. It would take a loving and caring
environment, for good advices to stick with them
that they would want to pass to their children.

Imagine if more of young people internalized this

dua. If they did, will they be wasting their youth
playing the ‘relationship game.’ instead of building a
future for their children? Will they be choosing a
spouse just because they found them charming
from the outside not giving a thought that they are
choosing a parent for their kids? Will there be
dozens of couples who end marriages for no good
reason, caring little about its impact on the
children? Subhaanallah!

May Allah make us of those who are concerned

about their future generations of children. Ameen!
“Be merciful as you love Allah to be merciful to you.
Be fair as Allah has been fair to you. Be kind as you
want Allah to be kind to you. Be generous as you
want Allah to be generous to you. Be a united
community just as Allah is One.” – words of Abu
Hudhaifa (RA), a sahaaba of rasool (SAW) while
giving advice to his father Utbah Ibn Rabee’ah who
was one of the fiercest enemies of Islam in the
beginning of the mission of rasool (SAW).
In other words, the miraculous help that Allah sends
in the way of young people who stand up for their
faith, is nothing to be surprised about.

He is the One Who protected a group of young

people in a cave to save them from persecution
they were going to face just because of their faith.
He is the One Who put them to sleep for 300+
years. He is the One Who made that cave a
comfortable place for them. He is the One Who
bent the rays of the sun so that those young people
could sleep without discomfort. He is the One Who
guided them to turn left and right even in their
sleep.

So what then, is making you reluctant to obey Allah

in any situation, while you have the special help of
the ultimate Protector?
Our Master is Allah…
The statement with which we declare that we only
enslave ourselves to Allah. That we are not slaves to
any of the trends, societal pressures, vain desires
and temptations. That we don’t get carried away by
people’s compliments and neither do we feel down
when facing criticism. That we don’t need anyone
else’s attention and acceptance to feel happy.
Rather, we are content with the fact that we do
things that please our Master and feeling accepted
by Him is more than enough. With this statement,
we don’t fear anyone because we know that our
Rabb is the One Who protects us. And whenever we
find ourselves having to make a choice, we choose a
path that will please our Master the most.
Therefore the decisions that we make always leads
us to good things by His Will.
May Allah make us of those who accept Him as our
Master thereby freeing us from the slavery of all the
other things in this world. Ameen!

Angels will descend upon who?

The ones who said that their Master is Allah and
those who tried their best to live up to that claim.
Those who only enslaved themselves to their
Master and the ones who did whatever they did
with the intention of pleasing their Master.

This ayah describes a beautiful scene of such a

person lying on his death bed. You could imagine his
family, friends and his close relatives crying near the
bed. And he is not able to say a word himself as he
is that close to that. And he is fearful of what is
going to happen next though he lived a good life. He
fears that his good deeds are not going to be
enough. And he is sad over the good things he was
going to do but held back from doing. Or some good
thing he was going to do before reaching his death
bed.

But just then, he sees something he never saw

before. He sees angels. And he is not terrified to see
them. Rather, he is the happiest he has been in his
entire life at that moment. Especially because of
what the angels say to him.

َ‫أ َ ََّّل تَخَافُوا َو ََّل ت َ ْحزَ نُوا َوأ َ ْب ِش ُروا بِ ْال َجنَّ ِة الَّتِي ُكنت ُ ْم تُو َع ُدون‬

“Do not fear, and do not grieve, and be

congratulated of the Jannah, which you were being
continuously promised of.” Surah fussilat, 30
Subhaanallah! Imagine the happiness of this person,
as he is guaranteed Jannah.

Some scholars even say that this ayah isn’t just

talking about the angels descending upon a good
person at the time of his death. Rather, it’s
happening even now. The angels descend upon the
good people and tell them not to fear. Not to fear
about the consequences of any good deed they do.
Or any harm someone might touch them with as
they stand up for their faith. The angels also tell
them not to grieve. About anything they had to give
up for their obedience of Allah. And about anything
they think they are missing out on because of them
abiding by the laws of Allah. We may not hear the
angels saying these words. But at the end of the
day, it’s our hearts that feel the healing of those
words. Subhaanallah!
May Allah make us of those upon whom angels
descend down. Ameen!

These are the words that the angels will say to a

good person as he or she leaves this world. Notice
how the angels describe Jannah as something that
we ‘were being’ promised of. The language of the
ayah suggests that we were repeatedly being
promised of Jannah. But how so? Where do we hear
about the promise of Jannah?

It’s in none other than the Word of Allah. The

Quran! So there is a suggestion in the ayah that the
good people are those who recite and listened to
the Quran frequently. Because only those would
have heard about the promise of Jannah ever so
often.

So the next time you read or hear, ‘jannaathun

thajree min thahthihal anhaar’, remember that you
are being promised Jannah. And all it takes for you
is to read it more often and therefore be inspired to
see that promise coming to be!

May Allah grant all of us Jannah that we are

promised of. Ameen!