Holding On

Today I took my little sister to the store to pick out any toy she wanted. We went through endless isles of dolls, talking Doras, dress up games, singing microphones. Even I found myself distracted and curious. I tried suggesting ones for her to take but she had this interesting look of determination in her eyes. It was until she found a Repunzel doll that she yelled, "that one!" After the doll was in her hands, it seemed like nothing around her mattered anymore. Here we were in this colorful maze of toys yet it was like she became blinded to anything that wasn't what she had in her hands: the thing that made her happy. She focused on what she was looking for from the start, and then she told me, "let's go home". To me that taught me a valuable lesson. Sometimes life is filled with things that we want, things that tempt us but we must keep our eyes on the true prize- the thing that will make us truly happy in the end. We have to grab it and never let go. We have to take it home. And that thing is Faith.

Dear Freedom (Syria)

Dear Freedom,

I went to school today and my friend beside me was gone. I tried assuring myself that to a better place he had moved on, but the tears without my control left streams on my face forever drawn. At night I sleep to the pleas of my mother, the crying pains of my brother, and the gun shots fired one after another. Silence now as my loudest scream, I close my eyes in hopes to dream, of something besides this horrid scene. There was just one incident that gave me hope. That one day that we chanted out in the streets, caring less who might hear our freedom beats. That day where I held hands with someone I never knew, because we both shared that same dream of you. Oh freedom, when the echoes of "AMEEN" struck my heart, I knew we could never be apart. Standing in that crowd I saw hope, as me and my fellow brothers held on to that rope. I saw a knot we could untie, a voice that could reach the sky, and a joy manifested in tears...flowing from my eyes.

Love, 

A Hopeful Syrian Voice 

اللهم لك الحمد بالايمان ولك الحمد بالقرآن ولك الحمد بالاسلام ولك الحمد على نعمة الحمد ولك الحمد حتى ترضى ولك الحمد اذا رضيت . اللهم انك ترى ما حل بنا فلا تعاملنا بما كسبت ايدينا ولا تعاملنا بما نحن اهله ولكن عاملنا بما انت اهله فانك انت اهل الرحمة والمغفرة . الله انا نشكو اليك ضعف قوتنا وقلة حيلتنا وهواننا على الناس ياأرحم الراحمين . أنت رب المستضعفين وانت ربنا, الى من تكلنا, الى قريب يتجهمنا ام ا...لى عدو ملكته امرنا . من لاعراضنا غيرك يالله ومن لاطفالنا ياالله ومن لشيوخنا غيرك ياالله ومن امهاتنا واخواتنا غيرك ياالله, ومن لحمص غيرك ياالله ومن لسورية غيرك ياالله , اللهم مالنا رب سواك ولكن عافيتك أوسع لنا ,نعوذ بنور وجهك الذي أشرقت له الظلمات وصلح عليه امر الدنيا والاخرة من ان يحل علينا غضبك او تنزل علينا سخطك ,لك العتبى حتى ترضى ولا حول ولا قوة الا بك .

The Beauty of the 99 Names of Allah (swt)

The 99 names of Allah (swt) or, in Arabic, Asma ul-Husna, are the epithets of Allah’s attributes that are mentioned throughout the Quran and Hadiths. The phrase “Asma ul-Husna” contains the whole of His names in a general meaning. However, each of the names contains its own beautiful manifestation. The power and wisdom of God is what sustains the whole world and what is in it and our only way of understanding His magnificence is through learning the 99 attributes and reflecting on their meaning and articulacy. Allah (swt) says in the Quran, “...and certainly the remembrance of Allah is the greatest, and Allah knows what you do" (29:45).

                Everything we see in this world is a veil that reflects the power of God and therefore every moment in everything that we do is a perfect time for servitude. But before we are able to reflect on His power we must be close to Him. Having knowledge of God is different than having wisdom for knowledge is that which is known and wisdom is the application of knowledge. This wisdom comes through putting things in perspective and rarely thinking of the benefits of this world. For example simply knowing the 99 names would not be as beneficial as learning the wisdom behind them. This type of wisdom is the accumulation of knowledge through the most sublime nodes, for God is most sublime. Once wisdom is attained, spiritual excellence becomes a more realistic goal.

                So how does this relate to the 99 names of Allah (swt)? Well, once we begin to feel Allah in our hearts through the light of his attributes, we can achieve wisdom. This wisdom that becomes engraved in the heart can then spread outward and affect the body, the tongue, and every aspect of our lives. Allah is the only one that can provide this wisdom that can reach the heart for, "Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction." (13:28)

                Thus, memorizing the Excellent names of Allah (swt) will result in remembering Him, remembering Him will result in illumination and goodness in the heart, and goodness in the heart will result in good deeds and Inshallah good deeds will result in Paradise. When remembrance of God is abundant, there is no room for bad thoughts to enter, and it is easier to avoid sins.

                So this winter break, let’s make it a goal to learn the 99 names of Allah (swt). Not simply learn them though, but implement them in our lives. Each name has its own beautiful attributes and it will take time before we can say we have them all understood. For example, if you say "Ya Baseer" 100 times after the Jumma prayer constantly, Allah will grant strength to your eye-sight and Noor (light) to your heart. And that is only one of the names. To attain the benefit of learning these names, all our acts of worship must be planted in the soils of a humble heart. Make the intention to learn one a day or one a week and implement it throughout your day. Slowly, Inshallah, you will find more blessings in your days.

**Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "There are 99 names of Allah; he who commits them to memory (in the narration of Ibn `Umar this part of sentence is: "he who enumerates them") would get into Paradise. InshAllah.

Solitude

It was during my writing class that I first had the opportunity to visit the University Abbey. As a Muslim and as someone who has never entered an abbey before, I didn’t know what to expect. Instantly, upon walking in, I sensed the serenity and peace present in the building. There were not many statues and posters, rather simple hallways and areas for deep contemplation. The man that took us on the tour struck me as a man who enjoys alone time and time to contemplate God and his creations.

One of the first things that were very interesting to see was the fountain in the center of the first hallway. The man claimed that this fountain was filled with holy water and reminded them of their baptism and commitment to finding God. 

After seeing the fountain, we went through a big hallway to one of the main prayer rooms. The monk said there are certain prayers that they must attend during the day. In between those prayers they are able to contemplate in some of the available rooms; he mentioned that he liked to take a quick trip around the forest with his bike.To me, the monk seemed like a humble man who simply likes to stay away from the materialistic life and live a life only for the purpose of finding God. His simplicity echoed throughout the abbey as well, for it was not adorned with many embellishments, lights, or statues. He seemed like a man that found the beauty in the simplest of things and never took anything for granted. In the way he described his lifestyle, I could sense the sincerity and commitment. Religion did not matter at this point; I was simply amazed by his dedication and spirit.

This opened up my thinking about how I live my own life. I found that sometimes I am too attached to technology, to money, and to a social life that distracts me from dedicating some time to think and reflect on life, on religion, on family, on blessings. I realized that happiness is not something that is felt right away rather it is more like a journey. Happiness should not be our destination, but more like decoration to our own personal journeys.

Going to the abbey refreshed my view on living a simple and modest life. Extravagance is not always needed to live a life of happiness. It’s truly in the simplest of things that we can find true happiness. Simplicity makes us more aware of the important aspects of life, allows us to cherish every one of God’s blessings, and really permits us to delve inside ourselves and thrive. Solitude is not necessarily loneliness. Everyone can truly benefit from alone time.

A Voice

5-6-7-8, let the people chose their fate. These words rang in my ears like an alarm waiting to be answered-there was no time to snooze. The weather was cold and the stares increased my self-consciousness, but I let the fervor in my heart guide my path. I gripped the poster in my hands and marched on. I let my voice unite with the crowd around me; I let my instincts guide me. Where there is injustice, there is no room for silence. And if there is a chance for hope, I must be there to help grab it. I must be there to make a difference.

It was on the day that I attended a rally in solidarity with the innocent victims of Libya and Syria that I found my voice. I had seen the atrocities committed by Libyan president Maummar Gaddafi and heard the pleas from the many oppressed but began to question how I, a teenager from the United States, could make a difference. There are times in our lives where injustice will arise and overpower the weak, but I realized that we must take the road of change however small it may be. I found my road to change in this rally. Clicking attend on the Facebook event, I discovered that to achieve justice, action was the only way.

The day finally came and before I knew it, I was already on the bus, poster in hand, gazing out the window. Sitting on the bus reminded me of the justice Rosa Parks achieved in 1955, while refusing to give her seat up to a white man. Rosa achieved this noble cause because she had the determination and the passion in her heart. Before looking to change, we must change ourselves. We must carry the power of knowledge and the keys of experience. With this rally, I was hoping to change myself. With that change, I could finally gain the power to do greater things. I could gain the confidence to challenge injustice wherever it may be. Weather demanding equality on a bus or gaining freedom in an oppressive country, courage is the only route.

I took my first steps off the bus only to be greeted by cold wind and large crowds. I could hear the voices chanting in the distance. I slowly found myself merging with the crowd. I hesitated to chant at first, thinking my voice wasn’t going to make a difference next to the thundering sound of the megaphone. But then it hit me. We will always be in large crowds, surrounded by people who agree and disagree with us. There are times where we will feel our voice won’t make a difference, but this is where the courage plays in. The images of the innocent victims played in my mind and I slowly found my voice growing louder and louder. If I wanted to make a difference, I had to take a route and follow it through. I had to let my voice be heard.

Why Volunteer?

As Woodrow Wilson once said, “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and to impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.” This quote summarizes many of my beliefs towards the idea of volunteering. Caring for others is not something that comes naturally. It is something acquired through experience and through knowledge. Volunteering is something that can provide these components.

First, volunteering, though many do not realize, truly does make a difference. Many people question the impact one person can make on an entire population or in some cases part of an entire continent dying of hunger. It may be hard to believe, but one person doing good and helping others can in fact make a tremendous difference. This does not mean that change will be seen instantly, for the change must start from within. But by making the intention to help others, we are helping ourselves learn the art of empathy. When we care for others what we care for ourselves, then volunteering, no matter how small of a task, can make a difference.

Over the summer, I volunteered at Feed My Starving Children, an organization that packages food for those that are dying of hunger or malnutrition. Walking into the building, I did not see too many people. I remember asking myself how a room filled with only twenty people was going to help children in Africa who were dying as we spoke. But as time progressed, I was proven otherwise. For an hour we packaged boxes of food with specific samples of nutrients and in the end we learned that each box made 217 meals. That day we packaged six boxes. That comes to a total of 1,302 meals, and we were just one group that was packaging. It then hit me that no matter how small the task may seem to be, there is always a way to make a difference.

By volunteering, you are expanding your horizon. Instead of hearing about a calamity, you are standing up in the face of it to create change. Instead of reading it in the newspaper, you are reaching out with a helping hand. When we see the true pains that others are in, we are able to sensitize ourselves to the world. One may then wonder why he was chosen to have such blessings or why he isn’t the one starving. This type of thinking truly makes us appreciate our blessings. Volunteering is an activity everyone should partake in in the community. Because by volunteering, we are helping ourselves through helping others.

The Final Home

سَلاَمٌ عَلَيْكُم بِمَا صَبَرْتُمْ فَنِعْمَ عُقْبَى الدَّارِ “Peace be upon you for all that you have endured patiently. Now how excellent is the final home!” [13:24]

Ayah Reflection

As Ramadan came to an end, I began to reflect on what the month has taught me and what I could improve on. It was easy to notice certain things, but some came in the form of bigger realizations. For example, during Ramadan, it was easy to feel that sense of community. Whether it was praying side by side with my Muslim sisters during qiyam or listening to the beautiful echo of “Ameen” all throughout the mosque on taraweeh nights. It was this sense of community that also helped me fast until 8pm because I knew that an entire Muslim Ummah was doing the same. Although this unity helps strengthen bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood, there is still an aspect of Ramadan that I learned only comes from within. It is the aspect of patience. This patience only comes when we realize we are not fasting because it is obligatory or because everyone around us is doing so—it is the patience that comes with fasting out of sincerity from the heart and cleanliness of the soul. 

This patience is obtained with determination and selflessness. I learned these through, for example, ignoring the loud grumbles of my stomach or through rereading certain difficult ayat of the Quran again and again until I got it right. It also means saying no to our desires and befriending something wiser—something with advice and the best of knowledge: The Holy Quran. As I would read the eloquent verses, sometimes I would feel guilty that I had never looked up the meaning or applied it to my life. There is so much advice and inspiration within every page and all we have to do is simply pick up the Quran and read: whether one page or an entire chapter, there is always something to take away. We must read, reevaluate, apply, and change for the better.  

On one of the days where I was reading, I came across this ayah that struck me. It made me both tremble and smile. In Surat Al- Raad verse 23, Allah(swt) describes the everlasting Gardens that those who have endured patience will enter. Angels shall enter from every gate saying, “Peace be upon you for all that you have endured patiently. So most excellent is the final home!” (13:24). The Final Home. I could not continue reading. For that moment, everything turned into a blur. How I wished to enter that Final Home, where I would be greeted by the Angels. What is this life in comparison, I thought? It is but a rest under the shade of a palm tree; it is but a test we must endure with patience. It is but a mere pit stop before the true destination. We all have the guidelines and we all have the keys to this Final Home, it is our job to protect these keys and to balance mind, body, and soul in the process.    

As I finished the surah, I realized that although this life is short and unimportant compared to the life of the hereafter, it is still the opportunity for us to connect with our Lord and become closer to Him in hopes of reaching that final destination. With patience, this life can bring us happiness, success, and contentment, but we must always remain on the straight path with the words of the Quran as our inspiration for living. Surely then, we can reach the Final Home inshAllah.