In My Heart

When the coals of faith are cooling off inside you;
and you feel like all you do is act a part;
When you're desperate for one ember that's still burning -
you will find it, hot and glowing, in my heart.
When you've lost that smilingimage of yourself,
and you don't know where to stand or where to start;
When you're looking for your compass and your candle,
you will find them, safe and protected, in my heart.
When some people label you a failure,
and the accusation pierces like a dart;
There's one to whom you've always been an angel;
I still love you, I still see you, in my heart.
Everything that's good and sweet about you -
and there's so much, you're a living work of art -
is alive in me, I've kept it like a songbird,
soaring still and calling in my heart.

Resilience is Contagious

Amy Estrada. Sure, life comes along now and then and blows you off
your feet. That'salright. What matters is that you get back up.
You don't have to have the answers. You don't have to besuperman or
superwoman. When the thundercloud opens up, who among us can stop the
rain? When the hurricane blows, who can stayon his feet? No one.
When the storm passes, stand up. Dust yourself off, take stock, and
move forward in the name of Allah. If the storm has disoriented you
andyou don't see the way forward, look to the Quran. "And if there
should come to you guidance from Me – then whoever follows My guidance
will neither go astray [in the world] nor suffer [in the Hereafter]."
(Quran, Surat TaHa, 20:123). The Quran is a mighty book. Never
underestimate it. If youcannot speak Arabic and find the English
translations unwieldy, get one of the modern translations that are
easier to read, like those by Umm Muhammad, or Thomas Cleary.
When you get knocked down and then stand up tall, with strength,
others see it, and it rallies them. Your spouse seesit, your children
see it, your friends see it, and of course Allah sees it. Don't think
of it as showing off. Not at all. Think of it as brotherhood
andsisterhood, all of us helping each other, giving each other
strength, being good shepherds to our flocks.
Superman is no hero, he's impervious to bullets! Real heroes get hurt,
they get down on themselves sometimes, they're imperfect,they struggle
to pay the bills and raise their children, they struggle to be become
stronger in their faith, but they struggle! They don't giveup.
That's inspiring, and it's contagious, and maybe sometimes it will be
someoneelse inspiring you, and maybesometimes it will be you, getting
up after the hurricane,showing us all how it's done.
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Believe in Allah, Because He Believes in You

I believe in Allah because He believes in me… and He believes in you
too. Believe inHis plan for you, have faith in Him, trust His guidance
to you,because He has faith in you, and trusts you.
Some people might challengethis assertion that Allah believes in us
and trusts us. Tome, that's surprising. Allah created nothing in vain.
Everything He does has a purpose. His creation of humanity was done
with intent.
Why were we created? Many Muslims will automatically respond, "To
worship Allah." That's true, but why does Allah want to be worshiped?
Furthermore, why did He create everything else – the stars, planets,
forests, seas, mountains, animals?…
Without presuming to know Allah's intentions, and returning to the
realm of the human for a moment, I will make a simple observation. Asa
writer, one of the reasons I write is because the act of putting my
thoughts and feelings on paper satisfies something deep within me.
I've been writing creatively since I was a child, and to me it's not a
hobby but a calling. I'm a writer, therefore I write;and I am a writer
because I write.
The same is true for a painter or any other artist. I imagine ifyou
asked a painter why he paints, you might get many different answers:
*. "It makes me happy"
*. "It's my passion."
*. "To express my ideas."
*. "To make money."
*. "I don't know, I just do."
The bottom line is that it's thepainter's nature to paint; it's her
calling, her function. She is a painter, therefore she paints; or she
paints, therefore she is a painter. Same difference.
Allah is Al-Khaaliq, The Creator. That is one of His names, one of His
attributes. He expresses this attribute by creating. You are a part of
thatexpression, and so am I. So is a blue whale, Mount Kilimanjaro,
the Grand Canyon, a dolphin, a mouse and an amoebum. Everything that
Allah created is amazing in its function and awesomelycomplex in its
design. Everything that He created is beautiful and purposeful.
Including you and me.
To create is an act of love. It isan act of faith. The Creator loves
you and believes in you.Believe in Him, believe in yourself, believe
in humanity,and believe in the unique path that Allah has chosen for
you.

Allah First

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Allah first, glorified and exalted be He. Not career, money, savings,
stocks, investments, 401K, IRA. Allah first. Not family, because we
cannot serve our families wellunless we serve Allah first. Not
culture, nationality, "race", caste, tribe, clan, lineage, social
status (all of which are utterly meaningless).
Allah first. Not material, shopping, sales – people get up early for a
sale but can't wake up for Allah – smart phone, internet, computer.
Allah, Allah, Allah first. Not movies, shows, fake celebrities who are
worshiped like idols. Not sports teams, city, school, neighborhood.
Only when we put Allah first can we stay that we have understood "Laa
ilaha il-Allah" (there is no God but Allah) – this simple sentence and
testimony of faith, over which Prophets have been killed, believers
persecuted, and which has been so little understood even by Muslims.
This Laa ilaha il-Allah was the call of every Prophet and Messenger
from time immemorial. Allah says about it, "…and know that Laa ilaaha
ill Allah (there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah)…" [Quran
47:19, 20:8, 3:18, 59:22-3]
And Abu Sa`eed al-Khudri said, that the Messenger of Allah (S) said:
"Moses (AS) said: 'O Lord! Teach me something that I can remember You
with and I can supplicate You with'. He (Allah Ta'ala) said: 'Say 'Laa
ilaaha ill Allah', O Musaa'. He (Musaa) said: 'All of your servants
say this'. He (Allah) said: 'If the seven Heavens and those who dwell
in them other than Me and the seven Earths are put into one pan (ofthe
scale) and 'Laa ilaaha ill Allaah' is put into the other; 'Laa ilaaha
ill Allah' would be heavier.'" [Ibn Hibbaan and Haakim]
Laa ilaha il-Allah is the stuff oflegends. It is the calling card of
the Eternal Prime Mover. It has rights over us. It's a contract, an
oath, a promise tolove Allah before the people, fear Allah more than
the people, and to ask ourselves in every situation, "What doesAllah
want me to do here?" It's a vow to trust Allah beforethe people, call
upon Allah in times of hardship, thank Allah in times of plenty, and
know in our bones that our return is to Him.