Believe in Allah, Because He Believes inYou

I believe in Allah because He believes in me… and He believes in you
too. Believein His plan for you, have faith in Him, trust His guidance
to you, because He has faith in you, and trusts you.
Some people might challenge this assertion that Allah believes in us
and trusts us. To me, 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. As
a 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 creativelysince 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 if you
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 the painter's nature to paint; it's her
calling, her function. She is a painter, therefore she paints; or
shepaints, 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
that expression, and so am I. So is a blue whale, Mount Kilimanjaro,
the Grand Canyon, a dolphin, a mouseand an amoebum. Everything that
Allah created is amazing in its function and awesomely complex in its
design. Everything that He created is beautiful and
purposeful.Including you and me.
To create is an act of love. It is an 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.

--
- - - - - - -

"HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY"

Frenship is never an accident... its somthng 1 has 2 nurture over da
yrs.I hope evry yr our frenship bcoms stronger
=
Friendship is a place where dreams are nurtured, shared, celebrated, a
place where happiness begins
=
There are no strings attached to a friendship, no bonds to hold or
ties tobind. Friendship stand on its own
=
With u bside my fren I havcn my world becoming a beautiful place....My
dreams turning into reality
=
God gvs us 2 Gifts... 1 is chance n other is choice, Chance 2 hav
frens n choice 2 select best 1s like U. "HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY"

--
- - - - - - -

The Heart of the Matter

Sometimes we have a problem with a Muslim or Muslims, and we get
frustrated and we think, "I don't want to be around those people
anymore." Or something happens at the Masjid (the mosque) that we
don't like, maybe the Imam says something we don't agree with, or we
don't like the Masjid policies, and we feel offended and we stop
going. Maybe we pray at home, and stop associatingwith Muslims, then
maybe over time we become slackin our prayers, but we tell ourselves
it's okay because we're still Muslim "in our hearts".
That's one kind of trap.
On top of that it's hard to represent this deen among non-Muslims.
It's hard to carry yourself as a Muslim at work when you're the only
one there and you're aware that some of your co-workers are bigots or
are operating on negative stereotypes. It's hard to wear the hijab
when some people look at you as if you're a terrorist.
So maybe we give up the outer trappings of Islam, telling ourselves
that we have to survive in this society.
That's another trap.
And if you're a convert and your family is opposed to your conversion
to Islam, that's another weight to carry. If they are openly hostile,
and if you still live with them as they mock your deen (maybe in front
of your children) and try to undercut your childrens' practice of
Islam by feedingthem pork or letting them have "a little taste" of
wine… or something comeson the news about a conflict in the Muslim
world and your family says,"Look, those Muslims are atit again…" And
you don't know how to respond, or you don't want to start another
fight so you keep your mouth shut, but inside you feel humiliated and
confused…
And if you are isolated from the Muslim community for racial reasons
(this is not supposed to happen but it does) or for simple cultural
reasons, because you can't speak Arabic or Urdu and you don't fit in,
and you haven't been able to make any Muslim friends, or you feel that
the Masjid crowd don't regard you in the same way as so-called "born
Muslims"… instead they look at you as an oddity, or a child, or a
trophy of some kind, as if your conversion somehow validates their
faith…
Well, then, you might start to say to yourself, "What's the point? Is
it really worthit? Is it even really true?"
That's obviously a huge, deadly trap.
Okay, if you're a "born Muslim" you might not reach the point of that
last statement ("Is it even true?") because for most ofus who were
raised Muslim, Islam is bred into us from childhood, and it's a part
of us even when we don't understand it or appreciate it. But you still
might feel that identifying as a Muslim is too much trouble… it's
easier to associate with non-Muslims, abandon your prayers, drink wine
at the company dinner, have relationships with non-Muslims, and not
have to battle against society every day, not to mention battling
against your own nafs (desires). This is an easy trap to fall into if
you are a professional living alone.
We fall into these traps because we forget what this deen is. Shaytan
(Satan) isolates us just as a wolf isolates a sheep, driving it away
from the herd; then he plays games with our minds so that we become
reactive, responding emotionally to circumstances in our environments.
("That Muslim cheated me, so I don't trust Muslims anymore.") Shaytan
gives us pathetic rationalizationsthat we latch onto as if they really
mean something.

--
- - - - - - -

“I Know Who I Am”

It can be very hard to resistthe negative labels that parents put on
us. Their words have a way of worming into our brains even when we
know better. We must be patient with them and love them, without
buying into their negativity.
Write some positive affirmations about yourself. Affirmations are true
statements that express your best qualities,and also express what
kindof person you strive to be. They represent the ideal you.
I personally have a list of 29 affirmations, and here's number 12 on my list:
"12. I am a good son to myparents. I am patient and loving with them.
When speaking to them I maintain a positive, independent and calm
spirit, knowing who I am and confident in my choices."
Read your affirmations every day. Even if you don'tquite believe your
own affirmations at times, even if you feel inwardly skeptical, keep
reading them. When you speak to your parents, breathe deeply and
slowly. Don't let anything they say makeyou anxious or excited.
Tellyourself silently, "I know who I am."
Allah loves you and has a plan for you. Believe this and move forward,
and when you have children, shut down the cycle of negativity and do
better than your parents did. It's okay to be better than your
parents. Any good parent wants their childrento surpass them.
Show your own children patience, gentleness and endless love.
May Allah bless you and fill your heart with self-knowledge,
self-dignity, and hope for the future.

--
- - - - - - -