Defining Beauty...

What IS Beauty?

"We all have everything to gain by
struggling in the way of Allah ta’ala." 

There are many different ways human beings view beauty. What way is the best way to view beauty, you ask? I can’t answer that question – that is a question you have to answer for yourself. One thing I can tell you is how to not  view beauty.

If we want to find beauty, we must remember the simple things that we sometimes overlook. This is a reminder to myself before anyone else. 

For myself, beauty is the love for Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala that fills my heart when I am making sujood. Beauty is the laughter I share with my father when he tells me a funny joke. Beauty is when my sister shows me how to be content with little. Beauty is serving Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. Beauty is when my little brother whispers in my ear that he loves having me as a sister. Beauty is when I chase Sara Samaha down the beach with a sand-ball in my hand prepared to throw it at her. Beauty is when my mother hugs me tightly before I leave to class. Beauty is strong character. Beauty is the recitation of the Quran. Beauty is the Masjid on Eid.

Beauty is modesty, and modesty is covering ourselves for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. As much as a blessing hijab is, I realize how much of a struggle it can be. We live in a society that tells us every day what we should wear, and how we should wear it. We have to deal with growing up, going to school, and getting married one day. We worry about our friendships, our family, and that paper we have to write. But in the grand scheme of life, we have to realize how short our time here really is. No matter what path we choose, life goes on and struggles will always somehow find us. If you want to make a change in your life, whether it’s to start wearing hijab, or to simply appreciate the way Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala created you, go for it . We all have everything to gain by struggling in the way of Allah ta’ala.

I know from personal experience that it is not easy to see beauty beyond appearance. But it is possible. Once you find beauty beyond what your eyes can see, you will never look at things the same again.

Literally.

By Sundus Alsharif.

Are You Happy?

Everyone talks about happiness. That intangible thing...

I still play with my bubble bottle too.

So what really is happiness? I look outside through my window and I see this little girl's big smile as she buys her favorite flavored ice cream. Seeing that something tickled me from the inside. Is that happiness? Memories of childhood, the days when you ran behind the ice cream truck with your friends. I look outside the window and I see this boy riding his bicycle with his new flag, being watched  by his little friends awed by the new beauty. Ain't that happiness? I look outside through my window and I see an old couple seemingly in their 60's holding hands as they cross the road cautiously. Is it happiness? In being with your soul mate all your life.
Does happiness lie in getting all that you want or in being happy with what we have been given?
I painted a painting that was my favorite when i was 11. It made me happy. I think its the little things that matter. I played catch and catch with my 8 year old friend that made me forget all my problems.

Although life isn't about always being happy, that would seem completely utopic and I'd seem like an idiot talking about a perfectly perfect life. But with all those worries, there are definitely loads of ways to still be smiling. :)

So are you really getting happy? What do YOU base happy on?

Feeling Tall.

Standing there as she wore her high heel shoes for the first time, she thinks. Like millions of other girls, she too felt conscious. All that she could think about was her shoes. The feeling of everyone watching her. What if she falls while trying to walk “high”? What if she didn’t walk upright, the way women do while wearing and walking with them…All the “what ifs” were blurring her mind as she stood there allowing her senseless mind to take control.

Just when she realized she was getting late for the most important interview of her life, or at least she thought so, all that thinking suddenly seemed completely unimportant. It was as though she never had those thoughts. She almost just started to run, when she tripped over losing her balance and fell flat on the ground. She uncomfortably looks up only to find herself pleased to know that not a single person watched her. So she stands up with content, not of knowing that she didn’t feel embarrassed, but with the happiness of realizing ‘not to care’. She realized there wasn’t any point in thinking about what people thought. There wasn’t any point in faking her height. There wasn’t any point in being afraid to fall. She walked with confidence, and a sensible mind. Leaving behind those worrying thoughts of what the world would say, she only carried her footsteps to leave a new trail.