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Empowered Muslimah

Way Back from The Kingdom of Isolation

What is life? Wake up in the morning. Say “hello!” to your mirror. Split up on the earth.  Times goes by then switch off the light, go to bed and have a nice dream? So, this is what we call life, wake up, sleep tight, wake up, sleep tight. And then what happen that day if we are not waking up anymore? Life’s end! This is how we nowadays define our life. The very precious one if once flew away it’s gone for forever.  But what’s the meaning behind this? Do we ever think deep why we are here standing on earth still alive and saying good-bye to others? Next, it could be ours. So, what is the point of our being here? Why we cry and later let other people cry over us? End of the day it seems we are all ALONE. Then what is the point of living at all? That’s a very good question. Let’s think about it.

No, no, totally not. This is absolutely useless. Why do we have to think about it? These are really not fit with us. I got brain, you got brain, and there are so other things we should care. After all, we have limits and what is the point to keep pushing these silly thoughts into our head? This is life, come on you have to live to the end. So, what were you supposed to doing? Oh, yes let’s go back to work. Life is on. And this is how we get back to our nonsense from reality. We think this is life, but do we know, this is not life. This is Ice.

We, every single human being are living in our own kingdom of isolation. Something dark always delights us with the sparkle of false enjoyment in this filthy earth. Unfortunately that dirt’s are seemingly like very lucrative to our eyes. Becoming materialistic and loses our insights day by day. Every time when we amazed by the sparkling beauty of shocking enjoyment, in fact that every single moment we are stepping behind from reality. The real world of struggle for our true identity is getting concealed by our idiocy. And we are being pledged into the trap of ace. This wily trap is the so called life we are running to and fro. The more we are running the more we are losing the chances of recalling our very Oath we taken to our Lord. This trap detached us from our Lord and His warmth. Our false world becomes colder and thus we become the King and Queen of our kingdom of isolation. Why isolation? We are hemmed in with dazzling people here. We are not alone! Yes, we are because we are not caring about the existence of our Lord and let other things be taken care of. And when we die they left us. So, who is with us now? Is this our Lord? No, we refused His words, we deny His calls. All the way we ignored Him now how come we expect His acquaintance from end to end of the final journey? When nobody is there in the other world taken care of us, this is how we are living our life all alone in this world. This living on is not life. This is Ice.

I was once living a lofty life. Whenever I stand before mirror, I feel like this grace, this face is not that perfect. What if, I was so flawless? I was so ambitious to change anything I like. I had friends like bee. All the time I found myself praised in public. I thought I am totally fitted in my shoes. But my home was the only place I found myself living like an alien. Therefore, this very own place of mine becomes unexpected every time I entered. Every time my mother tried to let me learn something be practical and practice Islam, I found it reasonable sometime and avoided the facts I cannot accept. This living in between acceptance and rejection made me totally insecure.  I felt like bound into a cage. And someday I am going to be free left behind all these hitches let alone with my mother! How indecent my feelings were! The person who is always protects me and be there for me; I just ponder over leave her with fillip. That was the way I living my life. The beauty of kith and kin with true blood was veiled under my idiocy. Why I was so ignorant that time. Why the beauty and warmth of practicing Islam was out of my sight? I was not blind but I lost my true sight because I eventually craved myself into that wily trap full of darkness. That false world was so real and so cool to me that I become the captive of ace. I was in Ice.

But one day I wake up, and I heard a name. That name was written in letters of gold on the page of glorious Islamic history. I do not know why? But that name was so touched by my heart. I started to know her. I was so drowned while knowing her. And the day I ended with her history I stand in front of the conscience mirror and tried to reflect myself on her. I nose-dived and I started crying. The only thing I found, we are namesake and not a single thing I could be matched with her. That day for the first time I felt a shackle of ignorance was cut a little by twisting my feet. I was so unable to free from this screwing. I started realizing the world I knew so long is so phony. I thought all the people who are cared will always be there for me, will show me the light in darkness. But I found most of them were falsifying around me and little by little unveiling their true face made me lonesome. I wonder who they were, that I was so inured with. And why only one woman in the earth has all my foolish guts through all these days. She is my mother, and she was always on my doorstep knocking endlessly but I was pretended not to hear. How dare I was to think to let her all alone and step open-air with my idiocy! I knelt down and felt like worn-out. I realized that all those days I was snubbed the blessings of my Lord. I was mistaken to know my fem. The only person who is shadowed me after my father passed away. I thought I was the Queen and lined my little world. But when I recognized this is not the world where I should belong. It is the coop I created by dipping down into the wily trap of ace. But all on sudden there comes a woman by the grace of Almighty Allah from 1400 years ago who helped me to realize that I was the fool; I was the Queen of my kingdom of isolation. But my end should not be like this. I have to wake up and make my mother proud. I have to please my Lord before I start my eternity. And I must break the Ice.

That woman was the slave and I am the one who is living my life so delicate. That woman was the first to shed her blood for the sake of Allah and I am the one who was so ignorant to know her Lord. That woman was the blessed first one among the sahaba’s to receive the glad tidings of Jannah and I am the one who is blindly craving the pitfall of Jahannum. There is difference in between us like heaven and earth. But somehow Allah blessed me with His mercy and that woman was becoming my inspiration. She was my favorite thing to diverge myself into the world of patience, steadfastness and hope. She and her life taught me to see the blessings, mercy and forgiveness of Almighty Allah. And she was the one who let me learn about my most favorite thing in this world, my Rasul (Sallillahu Alayhe Wa’ Sallam).  She was the one who is the reason behind my change and let me know my Deen Islam. This beautiful rebellious woman let happen a revolution of change in my heart. I just only know her name, her life but I never get to know how she was. I am eagerly waiting for that day when I will be able to meet her. I want her to hold close so tight and let her know how I feel when I came to knew about her. How she drowned me into my heart where my integrity was hidden under my ignorance. I had been living with a cloud above my head. I was trapped in my cave and was lonely for so long. I was hidden all my hopes and dreams away and it was seems like I cannot move on. Then She was the sun, shining overhead by the grace of my Lord.  I cleared a little space in my heart to let Her in and found a way back to the real world where I should belong as a slave of Allah (Subhanahu wa’ Ta’ala). She was the one who let me hold the mallet and hit the Ice.

Yes, I am talking about the woman who is a role model for the Muslimah along with Khadija (R), Ayesha (R), Fatima (R), and others. She is the first who let start writing the glorious plea of Islam with the ink of her blood. The first martyrdom in Islam was happened by shedding her blood. I am talking about Sumaiya (R) who is the woman from 1400 years ago still an inspiration for 21^st centuries Muslimah and on. May Allah (SWT) grant me the chance to meet with her in Jannah InshaaAllah. And this is me, way back to the real world with Her inspiration, from the Kingdom of Isolation.

Hope

I never saw someone who goes pear-shaped and after having a long break or not lifts up the spoon full of life to taste it again whether it is bitter any longer or turns into sweetness. That means when life pulls you down, no matter what, you have to stand strong. You have to fight. Never forget, that you are in a race of survival. Your happiness, your sadness, your success and your failure are the mates here. You cannot keep good kith and kin just with success and happiness. The other part of your life can be flipped any moment and you may see the hardest part of your life in your palm looking at you. Once you see you cannot ignore them. There is so much to learn. Every step you count in your life shows expected results along with not desired one. Once it happened you cannot alter. The truth of your life is concealed in a nice folded paper. You reveal, you except. And always keep this in mind that very truth means something very real for you which you cannot deny. You may plan according your own but it will show outcomes according to your Lords. And surely that plan is the best for all of us. So, hope is the thing we need most in our life to revive faith. It is an essential spice which you have to mix it up with your plans and actions. Sometime it becomes bitter what you do not want to taste but sometimes it may be the priceless one you want to taste it again and again. But remember life always not seems alike. It needs different flavors of ups and downs to help you grow up.

Pray makes one as confident as they were never before.  A big prays for hope is all you need. I am not telling for strength. I am telling for hope that all we need. Cause strength is the key but hope is the twist without which the success will never be unlocked. We may feel that we are alone but there is always Someone unseen who is watching us, hearing us and guiding us. That someone never leaves us for a single moment. Without Him we are nothing. In life most of the time we lose hope and miss the biggest chance that was before us within a distance for our warm welcome. But just because we lost our mind we were unable to reach there and let not smiled the last one. The great thing remains undone.

Past will always be the past no matter how joyful it was. But we often forget that we are our own very architect of our future. Our lord provides us every single material we need to build our future but hidden. There is the test. We cannot grab those materials every now and then as our wish. We have to earn it. We have to earn the best is offered by struggling through the pathway. Without His mercy and benevolence not we single one can reach to the highest peak of our success. So, every time we lose, it is because there may somewhere a little gap still existing in between our faith and action. To me I named it Hope Gap. A little bit of hopelessness is like an engraver. It craved a little gap unknowingly. And let it bigger day-by-day. Where there is ditch it is no longer in good base. Similarly the gap inside our faith loosens our ties of actions. Thus it leads us to taste the bitterness of letdown in life. But, is this the end?

No, there is still something called Second Chances. One must be very careful when they pick that triumph and let not happen that slip-up again. Cause if that is then they may no longer take as mistaken. Because a second chance always let us amends but if we miss the mark it will be taken as Sin. Sin engraved us into the pitfall of Hell. So, without His forgiveness and mercy it is not possible for us to be hopeful to revive our faith again. Never lose hope. There is an option named Repent. Click it and start anew and upgrade our Imaan from time to time. If we find ourselves lost, do not worry. In every believer Allah restores sweetness of Imaan deep inside our heart as backup. All we need is to re-install and play ROAD_RUSH (keep going)………….:D

The Most Merciful is always ready to forgive....are you ready to ask forgiveness??

In a previous era, there lived a mass murderer. Yes, a mass murderer who did not kill one, two, or even ten people. No, he had killed ninety-nine. I have no idea how this man managed to escape revenge; perhaps, he was so ruthless that none would ever dare approach him, or perhaps he kept in hiding. The important fact here though is that he was guilty of ninety-nine murders. One day, the idea of repentance crossed his mind, so he decided to ask the most knowledgeable scholar in the world.

People pointed him in the direction of a monk in a monastery who would never leave his prayer mat, spending all his time praying to Allah and weeping.

The man visited the monk, stood in front of him and asked, “I have killed ninety-nine souls. Could I still repent?”

How could this monk, who I think if he were to have killed an ant mistakenly would have spent the rest of his life weeping, respond to a person who had murdered ninety-nine people with his bare hands? The monk was furious. It was as if the man standing in front of him was the embodiment of the ninety-nine corpses! He yelled, “There is no repentance for you! There is no repentance for you!”

It should come as no surprise that such a response would be given by a monk who lacked knowledge and made emotional decisions. When the murderer heard this response he was enraged. Being the callous person he was, he grabbed a knife and repeatedly stabbed the monk, cutting him into pieces, then stormed out of the monastery. After some time, he thought about repentance once again.

He esquired about the most knowledgeable person he could ask, and the people referred him to a scholar. When he visited the scholar, he found him to be sedate and god-fearing.

The murderer came forward and asked, “I have killed a hundred people. Could I still repent?” The scholar instantly replied, “SubhaanAllah! What could prevent you from repenting?” What a wonderful response! Who could prevent a person from repentance? The Lord is in the heavens and there is no power on earth that can prevent a person from repenting to Him submissively.

This scholar, who had made his statement based on knowledge and upon Allah’s Law as opposed to his whims and emotions, said to the man, “However, you are in an evil land.” Strange! How did he know that? He gathered this by knowing the magnitude of the man's crime and the absence of anyone to forbid him.

He realized that murder and oppression had become a norm in that city, so much so that nobody had any concern for the plight of the oppressed. 

He said, “You are in an evil land.” Meaning, you must leave here and go to such-and-such a land where there are people worshiping Allah and join them in worshiping Him. The man set out for that land but died before reaching it. The angels of mercy and those of punishment descended to take his soul. The angels of mercy argued that he had been on his way to repenting and returning to Allah. The angels of wrath argued that he had not done any good in his entire life. Therefore, Allah sent an angel in the form of a man to settle their dispute. He judged that the distance between the two cities be measured, and that the man be judged according to whichever of the two he had been closer to. Allah inspired the city of mercy to be closer and the city of disobedience to be farther. It was thus discovered that he had been closer to the city of virtue. The angels of mercy therefore took the man's soul.

Why not to share beautiful stories of Islam?

A young man once travelled to Germany for studies and
took up residence in a flat. There was a young German man
living in the flat opposite him. They didn’t have any connection
with each other except that they were neighbours. Once, the
German neighbour travelled unexpectedly. A paperboy would
deliver a newspaper everyday and leave it at his doorstep. The
young man noticed the newspapers piling up and asked one of
the other neighbours to find out if the neighbour had travelled.
He picked all the newspapers up and placed them in a secure
place. He would collect a new newspaper everyday and add it to
the collection.
When his neighbour returned after a couple of months, he
greeted him and gave him all the newspapers. He said, “I thought
that perhaps you were following a news story or participating in
a competition and I didn’t want you to miss out on it.” 

The neighbour was surprised at this and said, “Would you
like to be paid for your services?”
He said, “No. Our religion orders us to be good to our neighbours
and since you are my neighbour, I must benevolent you.”
The person continued to be gracious to his neighbour until he
finally embraced Islam.

This, by Allah, is the real joy of life, to feel that you worship
Allah by every little thing you do, even the manners with which
you deal with others. How often is it that people are turned
away from Islam due to the bad treatment they receive at the
hand of some Muslims; one oppresses his employee, another deceives
his customer and another annoys his neighbour? Let us
make a fresh start with them.

Story collected from the book Enjoy Your Life by Dr. Muhammad 'Adb Al-Rahaman Al-'Arifi

The Glory of Islam

Akti bishoye amra sobsomoyei akmot. Taholo “manush matroi vul kore”. Ar er pechone besh shokto juktio amra dar koriye diyechi. Taholo “manush to ar fereshta noy!” Jodi tai hoye thake tahole manusher sristo nitimala ba tontre vuler somahar thakbe setai savabik. Ar sei vuler bojha boye berate hoy puro manobjatike. E bojhake chaileo tumi chure fele dite parbena! Karon tomar vul siddhanter jhuli tumie puro korecho. Er var tomakei bohon korte hobe. Karon ei var bohoner dayvar toh ar kono ferestar upor niyojito nei!!

Ebar ashi amader chirachorito arekti dhyan dharonay. Taholo “Allah sorbosoktiman” tini ki ar kokhono vul korte paren? Asolei tini vul korte paren na. karon sristi jogoter suru theke sesh porjonto somogro bisoyei tini obogoto achen. Tai amader kishe valo kishe mondo ta ak Allah chara ar kei ba valo janen? Ar se karonei ki tini taar sristo manob sontaner jonno sorbosresto jibon bidhan ba nitimala pronoyon kore denni? Jodi tai hoye thake tobe, manusher proti muhurtei vul korar somvabona jana thaka sotteo ki kore manob rochito shashon babosthar onguli helone amra boshivuto hoye jai? Keno Allah(SWT) kokhonoi vul korte paren na jeneo taar pronito nirvul shashon babosthar aloke amra amader jibonke porichalito kori na? kothay amader sei oggyota?

Jodi bole thaki e amader oggyotar fosol. Tobe amra hobo sei protarok srenir ontorvukto jara nij nij shottar sathe protarona kore. Jara sotto ke jeneo na janar vab dhore thake. Mitthake jene jabar porow takei sotto bole nijeke protaronar jale bondi kore. Aei srenir manusher sesh porinoti ki serokom tie na? jamon makroshar jale atke pore oti khudro kono kit dhire dhire mrittu ke alingon kore ney konorokom bachar kono chesta na korei?

Amra mone kore thaki amra sovvo(!) Sovvo jogote nijer icche moto beche thakai holo sovvo jibon babostar arek porichayok(!).  kintu amra etao jani amra onner besh-vusha dekhe muhurtei tar moto hobar icche poshon thekeo pichiye thaki na(!) amra dhore niyei thaki pashchatto jibon babostar adole jibon japon korlei sobcheye boro sovvotar porichoy bohon kora jay(!) er folosrutite amra tader ondho onukoron kore akta somoy amon akti obosthane powche jai jokhon seshmesh amader bibeker nara kheye amra hay hay rob tulte thaki, “kothay gelo amader nijosshyo songshkriti? Aj kothay gelo amader shokiyota?” kintu somoy tokhon atotai periye jay je amader ar firey jabar upay thake na. e proshonge arekti kotha na bole para jay na, manob sristo riti niti ba songshkriti  kokhonoi tike thake na ba tar jatike sontusto rakhte pare nah. Jodi tai hoto tobe kono jatie tar nijosshota ke biliye diye onner songshkriti ke alingon korte chaito na ba onner jibon babosthar aloke nijeke porichalito kore sovvotar proman diye attotusti orjon korte chaito na. tahole keno aj aei “otripti” keno aj manush ke nijer shokiyota biliye diye onner onushorone notun kore nijeke tripto korar bashona? Amra ki kokhono aei prosner uttor khujechi? Er jothajotho uttor aktie hote pare taholo, jinni amader sristi korta tini chara ar kei ba valo janen kishe amader sukh? Kishe amader tripti? Je purnango jibon babostha tini amader diyechen tar majhei ki tini amader nijossho songshkriti ke sushomamondito kore den ni? Islam er maddhome poripurnota prodan kore Tinie ki sokul juger sokoler nikot er grohonjoggyota tule dhoren ni? Jei Islam er bijoyer moddho diye Muslim itihasher gourob oddhayer suchona sei oddhayer protiti patay ki tini nirvul jibon babosthar aloke ak onnonyo songshkritir udahoron tule dhoren ni? Ja kina sudhu Muslim er jonnoi shimaboddho thake ni, jake ghoshona kora hoyeche protiti manob sontaner jonno shikrito heshebe. Tahole keno amra nijeder oggyo bole dabi korbo jekhane spototoi amra bujhe thaki je, sei jibon babostha ba songshkriti amader kokhonoi attotusti dite parbe na ja Allah(SWT) kortik shikrito noy. Amra ki kore oshikar kore thakte pari je, akmatro sei jibon babostha ba songshkritie pare protiti manob sontan ke aki katare dar  korate ja kina Allah(SWT) kortik nirdharito. Akmatro Islami jibon babosthai pare sokol juger sokol manush ke sei somman dite ja kina kono manob rochito jibon dhara onushoroner moddho diye orjon kora somvob noy.

Akhon prosno ashte pare, tobe ki bortoman juge keo sommanito bole bibechito hocche na? er uttor nirvor kore manush “somman” ba “sommanito” hoya ke kon map kathite dar koriye thake. Manush Jodi mone kore thake sompoder prachurje ga eliye Bisshyer 10 Bittoban manusher khetab lagiye jonopriyo hobar majhei somman tobe etao apnake bujhe nite hobe sei bittoban manusher somman nirvor korche tar orther map kathite. Orther parod niche nemeche toh tar somman o niche nemeche. Tar jaygay sthan kore niyeche onno kono bittoban. Erokom akti ba duti noy bohu udahoron diyeo sommaner mapkathi ke muhurtei chura theke sojore nikkhep kore niche namiye deya jay. Er karon akti hote pare. “manusher ruche bodlay, karone okarone bodlay”. Othat manush jake sommanito korbe tar por muhurte tar somolochonay mukhorito aei manob sontanerai hobe. Kintu amra kokhono vebe dekhechi ki Allah(SWT) jake sommanito koren tar somman tinie rokkha kore thaken! Amra kokhono aei bisoyti ki onudhabon korte cheyechi “Manush jake somman kore sei sommanito noy, Allah jake somman prodan koren sei sommanito hoy!”  amon noy je amra aei bisoyti jani na. amra jani, jeneo amra na janar vab dhore thaki.

Er jonno amra nijeder keo dayi korbo ki korbona se bisoye pore eshe age amader somaj babosthar dike ektu fire jai. Aj amra kon somaje bash kore thaki je somaje manush vul ke vul jeneo vul akre dhore bachte chay? Aj amra kon somaj babosthay jibon porichalito kori jekhane proti muhurte nipirito hoyeo amra socchar hoi na? amra kon somaje bash kori je somaj amader angul diye sothik pother dike nirdeshona dite parena? Ha, amra sei somaje bash kori ja manob rochito vuler kali dara likhito vul somaj babostha. Jar karonei proti muhurte amra notun kono somaj babosthar aborte nijeder ke protisthapon korte chai ba ogroshor hoye thaki ektu sukher ashay, ektu nay bichar pabar ashay. Kintu amra keno vule jai sei porjonto amra nay bichar pabo na jei porjonto na Allah er nitimala pronoyon sapekkhe bichar babostha gore uthbe. Karon akmatro tini obogoto achen kishe taar manob sontaner mongol nihito royeche ar kishe taar sristo jogoter okollyan nihito royeche. Jodi amra jenei thaki akmatro Islamei royeche nay bichar tahole keno aj take grohon kore nite amader ato voy! Er aktie karon taholo manob sristo somaj babostha ja amader sotto ke alingon kora theke dure soriye rakhe. Ar totodin porjonto amader aei obicharer bojha boye berate hobe joto din na amra prithibir buke Allah er nitimala pronoyon sapekkhe bichar babostha gore tulbo.

Porisheshe akti chotto udahoron diye sesh korte chai, Jodi ami hoye thaki kono akti bostu prostutkari protisthan ba prothisthata tobe ami valo janbo sei bostuti prostut korte kon upadan koto khani babohar kora projojjo. Ja kina onno karo pokkhe jana somvob noy. Prostutkrito bostutiro nijer pokkhe bola somvob noy kon kon upadan tar ki ki porimane proyojon(!) thik tamoni Allah(SWT) amader sristikorta. Tinie valo janen aei jibon chalonay tar sristo manob sontaner jonno kon jibon babostha take sundor vabe porichalito hote sahajjo korbe. Tinie akmatro obogoto achen amader jibone cholar pothe kon jinis ti amader kotokhani proyojon abong konti amader na holei noy. Tahole amra ki bolte pari na je sei prostutkrito bostur moto amader pokkheo bola ba nirdharon kora somvob noy je jibone cholar pothe kon babosthati amader nikot behi grohonjoggyo! Akmatro Allah kortik nirdharito jibon babosthai hote pare amader jibon ke sundor kore tolar akmatro somadhan. Jodi ekhetre amra akmot hote na pari, tobe prosno theke jay ki dorkar chilo tahole Rasul(SAW) ke amader majhe preron korar? Ki dorkar chilo taar priyo ummat ke protarona, jaliyati, obicharer kobol theke bachanor jonno nijer somosto kichuke ujar kore debar? Jodi atoi nijera sovvo hoye thaki, nijeder jibon babostha nijerai gore nite pari tobe dekhi aj amader himmot koto khani sei prerito Rasul(SAW) shafayet chara jannat e probesh korar(!) amra jani somvob noy! Tobuo kothay jeno badha pore thake amader bibek! Etai ki Allah(SWT) er churanto foysala noy je, totokkhon porjonto amra amader bibeker dongshon theke mukto hote parbo na jotokkhon porjonto na amra Ak Allah(SWT) er sikrito jibon babosthar aloke nijeder porichalito korbo!

Allah amader sokol ke taar nirdharito jibon babostha protisthay amader bijoyi korun. (Ameen)