Books that Shook the World series.

I just finished this biography and I think it's a very satisfying read :) . If you've been reading the Quran but like me, don't really know much and would like to know how some prominent thinkers are said to search the Quran, try this book. It's not trying to influence you, it's just informing. :)

Only after I completed reading it that I noticed it's part of the "Books that Shook the World" series. More to read, more to know and more to ponder upon Insha Allah.

A special day. Part 2.

The Academic Radiology department had a lunch before we all break up for holidays today, in the Hemsley, near Portland building.

So, after lunch, driven by a text message saying they want to perform a solah for our friend, Ariff (solat jenazah ghaib) in Portland building after Asr..I decided to do my Asr prayer there.

In the sister's prayer room, a group of sisters were discussing in a halaqah (a circle). And, I heard many questions asked and answered and discussed.

And after all this, a sister said "Hold my hand."

And a sister next to her said, "Yes, I was going to before you said it."

This sister continued to say "Ash.hadu.al.."

And the first sister followed.

Until the complete Shahadah was uttered.

I literally. froze. My Quran was lowered and I looked straight at them. And the second sister smiled at me and said " She embraced Islam." .

Allahuakbar. I have never witnessed a reversion ever in my life. It was a decision between paradise and hell and she was so.......calm.

"It's like I have been driven by a motor lately and when I said it, it's like I should have said it a long time ago." said the sister.

I should have embraced her but I was so amazed I just sat there. Instead, I just looked at her, smiled and somehow uttered "Congratulations."...........and resumed reading the Quran.

My reaction was so inappropriate to picture the myriad of feeling I felt in me from witnessing one more person in this world choosing to uphold the principle:

There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger.

My principle.

That only what He thinks of me matters. This freedom from anyone's judgement, from social pressure, from anything else.

Alhamdulillah...I had a chance to make up for it. I met her in her very first aqidah class with my teacher, Teacher Fullah at the same place as before.

I sat in a small circle of three students and a teacher.

One was me, a muslim by birth. One was Nicole. She grew up an atheist, and now a muslim. And the other was Stephanie, a christian who just reverted to Islam a few hours ago.

All from different countries, from completely different backgrounds, languages, skin colour, you name it.

Here to learn what La ilaha ilallah means in our lives. Aqidah.

Truly, Allah showed me Islam on this day.

"O mankind! We have created you from male and a female, and have made you nations and tribes that you may know one another. The noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah is Knower, Aware." Al Hujurat, 13.

Like I was given a chance to be in the early days of Islam, when the only similarity between people was just La ilaha ilallah, Muhammad rasulullah.

And I felt special. :)

....

A special day. Part 1.

Today was a special day.

The day began with a news of death of Ariff. He died in a car crash on his return from saying his vows in marriage (akad nikah) this morning. Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raa'jiun. (We belong to Allah and to Him we return).

I was shaken.

You see, it's common in our culture to want to wear hijab after marriage. to stop smoking after marriage. to pray five times a day after marriage, to finish reading the Quran after marriage. Basically, to be a muslim (one who fully submits to Allah) after marriage.

When is the wedding?

We lean our ambitions on something so uncertain. Like applying to a university that is not yet there. We don't know when it's going to exist or if it will ever exist, yet we want to be graduates of that university.

But, Allah taught me today that, in all that uncertainty..death is CERTAIN.

and it certainly comes at any time Allah wishes it.

So should we strive to be better any time we have a chance to because death, which is certain can come to us at any time or should we wait for a day (even if it isn't our wedding day) that is uncertain for us to be better...we might never see that day..we might never be better to Allah.

"Dan bersegeralah kamu kepada ampunan dari Tuhanmu dan kepada surga yang luasnya seluas langit dan bumi yang disediakan untuk orang-orang yang bertaqwa."

(Ali Imran: 133)