Perspective.

Today I looked at myself in the mirror but saw a different person. A different eye and a different face. Today I didnt look at my reflection..But my reflection looked at me. :)

Remorse.

A crimson sun sets upon the silent horizon. Tired, he enters their old tattered house. The smile on her face lights him up for no reason. And then all weariness sheds away as he hears two words from her pink and still fresh lips. 'I'm expecting' she says. A curve is drawn upon his golden brown face. He kisses her forehead. Months later, he waits outside the labor room in anxiety. He walks from one end to the other of the dreary passageway. Half an hour later, a voice calls him in. 'Congratulations sir, It's a baby girl' it says and vanishes across the room. They place a bundle upon his hefty hands and leave. For two minutes he stares at the wide open eyes of this little life. She smiles at him. Tears trickle down his soft cheeks as he places her beside her mother. 'She'll be a Doctor!', she says. 'No! Lawyer', he smiles as he says to her. Together they molded every part of the little girl. Every step rethought. Everything carefully planned. Sacrifices made. All for the best of their daughter.

Together they hung the first drawing she made on the refrigerator. She felt elated and made another one. They gifted her a kitten when they discovered she loved cats. They thought it'd teach her kindness towards everything. They made her favorite cake. They made the little things special for her. They never missed her name in their prayers. Even when she wanted to win her first running race, she asked them to pray and they did. They kissed her goodnight every night and made her feel loved, even if she was already asleep. They cried when she lost, but showed her that strength lies in the effort, not the result. They taught her patience by just being who they were. They bought fluorescent stars and put them up the ceiling simply because she loved the stars. They bought her favorite swimsuit, even though they didn't like it. They carefully chose almost every thing for her in her life.

Days passed by and the time came when they didn't even realize after all the bottle feeding, back to school rides, cycling and swimming lessons, barbeques in the park, badminton games, coffee treats, cries and fights, midnight drives, surprise parties, and every single night when they put the blanket over her...she has grown up now.

To leave. And without second thoughts, she just left. Left behind all those memories. All that love and care. To live a life of her own. Only if she realized she will lose everything. And that to them, she can never ever repay back their love.

She can try to be everything they wanted her to be, but she can only try. She can never ever heal those broken wounds. Mend those broken glasses. Or give life to the now wrinkled hands that once molded her soul.

:'(

A longing to meet.

I yearn for you in my dreams

To talk to you and tell you things

And ask you a million new

To look up to you, just observe you

To see how you just do what you do

I yearn for you in my dreams

See your face and stare at you

To feel that sense of being heard

To experience the Almighty talk to you

To hear the story of every bird

To see in Jannah, your home's view

O the One who makes beautiful dreams

I make to you a humble plea

Show this heart what it longs to see

Of love that can't be reached

Of hearts that can't be touched

Khadija, Maryam, Aisha and Muhammad

Asiya, Yusuf, all of them and ALL of them

For they can only exist in my dreams

They can only exist in my dreams..

Of Pain In Comfort.

While my head talks to me non-stop of the million things it has in it I decide to shoo it all away just by going to my mother. I lay next to her and hug her tight. I find enough space for myself and adjust myself swiftly and comfortably by her side.  I sense a magical feeling. I smell her scent. I feel her warmth. I don't understand what's happening. All that stress flees from my mind. Peace. Slowly but deeply, I fall asleep. Without any effort.

I closed my eyes and a picture came to my mind. Of another boy in the same land that I stand on, far far away, also hugging his  mother. He quickly wraps himself around her. He too, doesn't seem to understand what is happening. He smells her blood. He smells her tears, her sweat. He senses her pain. Slowly, but deeply, he falls asleep. Without any reason. :'(

Syria

Palestine

Palestine

Burma

Kashmir

 

Kashmir

And so on...  And so on?

'اللهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإِسْلامَ وَالمُسْلِمِينَ'

'O Allah! Raise the standing of Islam and the Muslims.' 

 وَدَمِّرْ أَعْدآءَ الدِّينِ وَاحْمِ حَوْزَةَ الإسْلامِ يَا رَبَّ '
'العَالَمِينَ
'Destroy the enemies of the Deen, and protect the lands of Islam, O Lord of the Worlds.'

Dua ;)

Today i remembered how truly madly deeply i wanted something. Made a beautiful dua for it.
I don't know if I'll remember this years later. But I know He won't forget. So I asked Him now itself.  :P He never forgets.
Point is, even when we forget what we want, He won't. So never underestimate the power of dua. Keep talking to Him. In every you-ish way :)

If I could...

If I could, I'd kiss and hug and thank my mom a lot more often..

If I could, I'd learn more languages  from every new friend I made..

If I could, I'd buy an ice cream from the ice cream vendor simply to make his day..

If I could, I'd go back in time and hug my favorite math teacher and tell her I loved her..

If I could, I'd tell someone how deeply I loved them..

If I could, I'd tell my dad in detail how he molded every part of me in my life..

If I could, I'd strive hard to get back my favorite childhood book 'The long walk'..
If I could, I'd miss a flight simply to stay back home a little longer..

If I could, I'd talk to the birds..

If I could, I'd find out what would be the best present for Him and prepare it in the best of ways to hand over to Him..

If I could, I'd kiss the stars 'goodnight' every single night..

If I could, I'd never stay in the same place..

If I could, I'd fly..

In Search Of The Unknown Treasure..

Desperately finding her purpose. Unraveling her hidden mystery. Looking for the lyrics of her unsung song. Time to break the wall she built. Around herself.

She's looking for the perfect treasure to hand over to her Lord when she meets Him. Can't seem to find it. A sense of urgency makes her feel overwhelmed. With sorrow. But also in happiness. 
I don't know.

I lay is silence. And I cannot sleep. I walk. But lost in thoughts. I can't stop. Every second that the clock ticks, I hear it. It feels like I'm in a cliche movie. Life is moving on. I left a trail of my own footstep last night. And today it is gone.

I always felt He placed me in beautiful paintings. Only now I realize how wrong I was. I have been put in this empty canvas for me to paint all this while. Years have passed, and i haven't even found my paints yet. What about the painting? I left that for tomorrow. There is still time.

But that 'tomorrow' now feels so uncertain. I long to dream. And truly believe in it coming true. Until now I found complacency in Allah SWT. Now my mind debates back to me. If I don't break barriers I built around myself, how am I going to go ahead and do it for Him. He is there. But I am not doing enough. I still don't believe in myself enough. And this thought is depressing. Lived in delusion all this while. It now hits me and I can't wait no more.

This longing. This yearning for it. It is there, I just can't seem to see it. Feel it. find it.

What is it?

Will she find it before the pen stops writing her story? Will she meet her Lord without accomplishing anything of significance? Or will she find the treasure and wrap it up beautifully with the best perfume she finds?

Are we really in pain?

The body retires. Yet the mind cannot stop worrying. The heart bleeds with ache. The soul yearns for their release. Their release from torture. Their release from injustice. Their release from the burden they didn't chose to bear. How can I sleep while my brothers and sisters out there are staying up fighting? I can't.

When yesterday you told yourself 'I don't deserve this attitude they give me' or 'I don't deserve this/that'. Have you thought about all those myriad things you don't deserve, but you have? Do we deserve to wake up so comfortable in our beds? Do we deserve to have coffee WITH sugar? Do we deserve to drink clean water? Do we deserve to get meal three times a day? Do we deserve to be loved? Do we deserve to have books AND study them? Do we deserve this knowledge? Do we deserve this deen?

Love.

For how long will we toil?

Isn't it enough already? Sleepless nights. Hopeless cries. Why?

Why are we so lost in the oceans of love, in the myriad expectations, in the tireless toils for attention? For love?

Love is there. Clear and here. Then why are we walking running around this endless path of restlessness?

Imagine a fork in the road. Two paths, two different journeys. Both look the same. But for one, you can see the end. You can see some light. The scenery. The view. The road is lit up. The trees are green. the sky is fresh and blue. But the path is less travelled by. Then you look at the other road. The same. Trees. Leaves. But no lights. You can't see where it ends. It goes on. It looks beautiful. But you can't see where it goes.

Love. Where are we heading with this? Without doubt, we all look for it. Yearn for it. Question is why are we? Why are we hunting for flowers while the most beautiful and the perfect rose is just in our backyard?

The Light.

I've always loved long journeys.When i was younger,i used to keeeeep looking for lights of my city amidst the pitch black darkness while my dad drove...right now i'm in one...from the valleys of makkah through the vast empty deserts to the city of Riyadh...I love it so much,sometimes i wish it'd never end.
I look outside my window and see nothing and everything...little lights flicker here and there and quickly pass by...some daaaark huuge mountains..sometimes some treees.Far off at a distance i see some lights perhaps of another city...again pitch black darkness -its scary how you just can't see what lies beyond.
Stars, and slowly some more stars visible,until I realise I'm staring at a huuuuuge vast black dome completely lit up with tiny twinkling stars...
Same story every journey but the feeling never fades..
Slowly I realise as the vehicle keeeeps running,almost all of my life has been likewise. Dark.

The Eyes that speak.

[I write this for myself.]

Lately I have been reading a lot of shares on facebook about the Hijab and the Niqab etc etc. I'm tired wallahi. Of reading all this. No one and nothing can explain what it is about.

No I DO NOT wear my niqab for any hypothetical 'husband'. I hate this overly used statement. I'm sorry, but I don't like it. What if tomorrow, the one I marry says he doesn't want me to wear it?[La QadrAllah] What if he loves me to wear it and I wear it for him and then naudhubillah he is no more? then will I have to remove it because he is no longer alive and I had worn it just for him?

First of all, i don't like classifying. Hijabi. Niqabi. Non-Hijabi. What's this? Am sure my niqaab is equal to someone else's Hijab. Hayaa is the word for me. Hayaa. :)

In adoration deep..

Sunlight streams through the window pane
Rainbow radiant on the grass
Do you see it too?

I dreamt of stars in my room,
I dreamt of rainbow routes to cross,
Did you dream too?

I feel the rain, wet on my skin,
I feel the breeze, the serene zephyr,
Do you sense it too?

I see birds rejoice, I see children in delight,
I see the cloud in shapes
Of hearts and blooms in white.

Is it just me, or do you believe too? 
In worlds wonders,
In dreamlike fairy-tales,

In fruitful faith,
In invincible invisible Lord,

In silent sound sleep,
In love life, in adoration deep,

In sparkly treasures,
In challenges and leisure,

In endless thoughts,
In watery droughts,

In dreams, huge dreams?
To fly high, climb up high, 
To find peace, in tough times,
Flowers amidst thorns,
Smiles amidst sorrow?


:)

While The pigeons Ate To Their Fill...

Very happily she drops food for them on my window sill. Smilingly she puts a generous amount saying 'The more we put the more happy they are'. And then she drops them carefully by the corner because otherwise they'd fall down and the pigeons wouldn't be able to have enough. 'Heights of sincerity' I think to myself about my mother.

She then closes the window to my surprise. If it were me, I'd keep my window open and sit back to watch them come and eat. I'd enjoy the sight. But she says, 'They won't come and feel free. They must enjoy themselves', and quietly leaves my room. I stand there dazed. Watching through my window, shadows of pigeons fly and come towards it. One by one, a lot of them pecking food happily. And I wonder to myself, my mom doesn't even know this? She finds happiness in feeding them and contentment in just knowing that they ate to their fill even without watching them. They don't even know who does this for them. They don't even know that the ease with which they eat had been prepared for and thought of already and is not a mere coincidence.

And then I remain there watching, and thinking to myself. How many a times her kindness towards me might have gone unnoticed? I recollect all those littlest of things I took for granted- waking up and seeing that the curtains are closed so the piercing sunlight may not disturb me, the blanket is over me so I'm not feeling too cold, the garbage basket is clear and emptied, breakfast is ready, my laptop is not next to me almost dropping off my bed but nicely placed over my table, my clothes are washed, etc. etc.

A drop of tear trickles down my eyes as I slowly realize all those people in my life whose kindness and love went unnoticed. To whom my 'Sorry's' and 'Thankyous's' were left unsaid.

I learn from my mom, by this little action she does. To try to excel in the smallest of deeds. And to be there for anyone when I can be there. And to thank wholeheartedly whenever I should. And to say sorry if it can mend a relationship. And to 'not expect' from anyone. And most importantly, I learn my lesson of 'Sincerity'.

True sincerity is when you give someone and they don't even know it. When you give so much that they can't repay you. When you know that no one knows, but Allah SWT has seen you. Knowing that Him knowing is enough. Knowing that He won't let it go forgotten. THAT'S sincerity.

Living by His name, 'AlWitr' :)

Ever felt the sweetness of making Sujood to the Almighty that you never felt like getting up? Picturize this. You are sitting in your favorite assembly, attentively listening, focused and absolutely interested. Feebly in the background you hear the call for Maghrib prayer. What would you do? Here is this amazing event going on and you don't want to miss a minute. Would you get the urge to leave, wait for someone to accompany you or would you take the initiative?

Live by the name of Allah SWT 'AlWitr'[meaning: The Odd]. And be different, be unique. If you have to stand out amongst your peers/colleagues, then be it. Allah SWT is AlWitr, and He loves us to be different for His sake. Excel in what you do and be the BEST you can be for the sake of gaining His pleasure and then watch the victory flow through your life and feel the sweetness of faith. Stand up for what you believe in even if it is going to make you stand out because only Allah is going to judge you. Not the people.

That Perpetual Presence.

Was sitting by myself near the UIA Teh Tarik river, and was observing. Simply staring at the life moving ahead of me. People walked by. Birds flew by and tweeted. Some leaves shed. Things kept changing. Point is, I was watching them all. But no one knew. Realization then strikes. My mind reminds itself of the beautiful words of Allah SWT- 'And He knows whatever there is in (or on) the earth and in the sea; not a leaf falls, but he knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record.' [An'am 59] We are being watched. Every minute, every moment. There is that presence. Each word of mine is recorded and each thought is noted. Constantly and untiringly. Each detail unmissed. No matter if it seems like the world's burden is on our shoulders, or all the happiness of the world is ours, that presence is still there. Silently observing. We are being watched.

Live each moment in the presence of our Lord, Al Baseer.

~ In the place where i live...

In the place where I Live,
Birds fly with me along my way
Children come to me, together we play
In the place where I live
Fickle Rains come and go,
Clouds orange, white and pink, they glow!
The sky is blue, very blue
The earth is green, fresh and new
Waters sparkle, Rivers flow
Rainbows appear when you never know
In the place where I live,
Golden sunlight lights up my room
Morning flowers in beautiful bloom
The sky is pink
During dusk and dawn
To butterflies you can wink,
Birds sing a song.
In the place where I live,
There is so much Happiness to give.
Its just Beautiful to be
You just have to come and see.
But the place where I live,
Is in no way like Heaven, you know
Just makes me ponder
How would be, in Heaven, a home?

:)

Words from a Happy person today :)

I walk. I feel like I'm flying with the birds. I feel the breeze over my face. I see. But I am lost in the beauty of my Creator's creation. 'It's beautiful' is an understatement. I hear. But I am not listening. I look at the world in front of me. I wonder. If such was beauty defined, then my weak humanly imagination could never in the deepest corner of my mind be able to comprehend the beauty He has in store for me in the hereafter, if I'd be rewarded it. And then my mind wonders more. If I cannot grasp the 'unseen' which has been described to me, how about that which isn't? I then think more. What about Him? If His creation was unthinkably unspeakably unimaginably so not comprehendible, then what about the Creator Himself? I feel happy coz I feel such. It's a sweet feeling one must have once in a while. It's a blessing to feel so. An incredibly awesome blessing.

All because I finally touched my forehead on the ground today. Not like yesterday. Not like the last time. This time it was different. And it was the sweetest feeling ever. I didn't want to get up from the closeness I felt to Him.

I want to see His beauty. And stare at Him with all my heart's content on THAT day and those days after it. I WANT it real bad. And such I want for all of us together. Do you? Lets bow down tonight in gratitude to Him, asking forgiveness to the Greatest coz we are more weak than we ever knew. And let's feel that pleasure together. The pleasure in knowing there is someone who is there for us, always, waiting, in the middle of the night, while we are asleep, simply because He loves us. And He promised us to give us whatever we asked for, like a blank cheque He's leaving on our door. Let's fill it together with the words 'Your pleasure'. :)

:)

DREAM. And mean it. :)

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." One day I'm going to fulfill MY purpose in life. We all will. We all should. Life is more than aiming for a 'livelihood'. More than what is normal. More than what we are taught in school. More than what we actually think. THINK MORE. DREAM, AND BELIEVE IN ITS COMING TRUE. Because the Greatest power can do ANYTHING for me, and He is just a Dua away. - Saam :) [Slept inspired and woke up with a dream]

I want to attend NicheHeroes one day insha'Allah.

To the Apple of my eyes: Mom and Dad

Did your parents smile because of you today?

We all have our busy lives, our priorities. So where did we place the two most important elements in our life? Mom and Dad.

Once we love someone, our mind automatically keeps playing a movie in itself- of all those times we spent with them, their smiles, their words, their little gestures that touched our hearts. Movies of things we imagine and wish to happen with them. As you relate yourself to this, who comes to your mind? Is it Allah SWT? Is it then your parents? Or is it just someone else?

Our Parents. Are they in our thoughts always? In our prayers?

Or will they be tomorrow when we wake up and realize that the hand’s comfort that soothed our minds was gone forever. The lap where we had the most comfortable sleep was no more. The person who gave us the best advice at the time of help wasn’t sitting in his seat…will they then be in our heartfelt prayers? When we need them for petty little doubts and questions in life, but they just aren’t there. When we realize, they were just here all the time. Just a phone call away. Or a room away. But we never had the ‘time’?

Growing up, and staying away from them for a while, I have learnt that little words of love, little acts of affection, gets them to be happy all night long. Show them you love them simply by calling them and telling them you missed them. And that would be enough. No matter how much we feel they do not understand us, they ‘do not know’, or they ‘wont get it’…actually, ‘they always got it. And it was simply because they loved us more than themselves and wanted the best for us that they seemed how they seemed’.

No need to work so hard, so hard to earn Jannah, when the simplest bridge to Paradise is right here in front of us. Don’t wait until it is too, gone. And gone forever.

Why did I have to fall so low

To know how high I had been

Why did I have to lose it all

To realize what I had achieved

Nothing I would have gained in life

If not for the prayers by them.

For even if all the world was mine,

To them I could never be grateful..

For the me I am today.

So did your parents smile because of you today?

LOVE ~

Today I saw what ‘Love’ meant.

I saw her sip his bitter coffee just to make sure the sugar was right. She tastes his saltless curry to ensure his lunch tasted perfect. She sees to it that he eats his fill, while she doesn’t have the appetite thinking about the difficulties they face. She shows him love, and she smiles to him, hides her tears and gives him hope that he will be fine soon. Everything will be fine soon. Their children throw tantrums; she takes care of them patiently making sure he doesn’t have a headache while he rests. He looks at her with respect and invisible gratitude, then looks aside wiping his helpless tears. Together, they talk anything but what they face, just so that no one is reminding each

other of their tragedy.

She slams her forehead to the ground, just to ask Allah for help. She turns to him with a look that says, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll try my best’. Every bit of help she gets for him, she grabs with humility.

They laugh, hiding their sorrows within themselves, maybe, hopefully, leaving it for the One to hear.

No, I am not talking about Khadija’s RA behavior towards Muhammad SAW when he needed her. But of a sister in reality today going through tests over tests by Allah SWT, probably because and hopefully coz she is beloved to Him.

Today I saw what ‘Love’ meant.

Love: It maybe those laughters, those little flowers, the romance, those touching words or the kindness between the two.

But truly, love is clear when the loved one feels loved every time you leave them; knows you will be there every time they need you; feels your presence at the most adverse of times and if you can't make it then they know they have your sincere prayers. Love is not just the flower you give, but the promise you hand over with it. The promise to stand together at all times EVEN when those times are against you.

Love is a promise. The Real Promise.

Keep Going

Throw that Pride away..

Every time you see someone and look down upon them, be it in terms of their deen, looks, dressing or even their hijab, remember and think back to yourself- ‘I was also once there before’. Shroud yourself with humility, make a small prayer, and go ahead with gratefulness for being a better person. Being humble is a difficult trait. For knowing that you are humble itself triggers a little pride, doesn’t it?

Being truly humble. It’s an invisible blessing. :)

The Little Bird Now Has Faith..

‘There is that world out there.

That is ready to test me. Neglect me. Taunt me. Push me and Press me. Scorn at me. Sneer at me. Hit me and cease me.’

Clear is the cruel world I see outside my window. Crystal clear.

For two minutes I glared at the sky thinking this ‘immoral’ thought.

Two minutes and then…

A little bird landed on my window sill. It came for the rice grains I dropped a day ago for them that always land at my beautiful window. They will always look for a time when no one’s there. A little activity and they are gone. Frightened, they fly away. But this time, this bird came to me with no fear. I was right there! But it finally sensed the compassion and love I had for it and all of the others. It saw the goodness in me. It knew I cared for it with all my heart. It didn’t fear me anymore. And it looked beautiful.

‘THAT’S IT!’ My mind talked to me. ‘The world may be huge to me, cruel or not. But little does it see the world inside my head!’ Delighted, I quickly realized- It’s not the world, it’s me!! How I perceive what comes to me. As much of love and trust in Allah I have, that much easier and simpler it would be for me to face the trails of this world. Because HE is with me. HE is in my mind, soul and spirit.

We all know that as we grow up, life just gets more and more complicated. We have the perfect moments, the sad moments and moments that never happen yet we want them to.

But on the whole, the most important thing I see and feel really bad is that we don't know how to sense these times in the way it has to be.

When it comes from Him...

A Beautiful Dua I made today and realized how important it was to make this dua. Its by Allah, Alhumdulillah, that He gave me the reminder to ask this-

'Ya Allah, Please let me ask you that which you think is best for me, and not want anything beyond it,please."

"HOW CAN I PRAISE YOU LORD, WHILE PRAISING YOU IS FAVOR WORTH PRAISING?' - Prophet Musa AS

If you are dismal by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?

Listen to the words of the Divine, when the words of the heart and mind and soul are differing from each other. In other words, just leave everything to God. When we leave it to God, we are directed by a power that is absolutely good, and that always works for the good. We are opening our lives to the One who knows all things, and can do all things. Anything that is good and great and wonderful may be expected, at such a time. Surely, all our affairs will be taken care of, in the most perfect and most successful manner, when The Highest Power comes into life, into our thoughts, and into our consciousness. There will, indeed, be a great transformation when the Supreme takes charge; when Divine Wisdom becomes our guide and inspiration; when the Great Light shines through. The clouds will pass; illness and weakness will disappear; we shall lack no good thing; and life will become richer and fairer than we ever envisioned before. To be precise, miracles happen. How not, when He is with us?

Live by faith. One day at a time. :)

If you have the song of faith in your heart, it will be heard by the look on your face.

Trust me.

SHE WILL BE FREE, BUT ME?

The amber sun set upon the street
The birds withdrew their flying and their tweet
And while the call for prayer drifted with the breeze 
She sat there weeping beneath the trees. 


Making shapes down in the sand
With her pink and still soft hand
Of a family-father, mother, brother and she
Holding hands, smiling with glee.


She gazed at the darkened sky
And Hoped someone heard her cry
Soon diverted her thoughts
To the world far away from this drought. 


A world where folks like we
Were nicer, not grumpy
A world where children like she
Had father, mother, bread and honey.


Poor lass, she didn’t know
What awaited her amid this rotten show 
While she was too young to understand
The meaning of her picture in the sand

It will soon dawn upon her
This isn’t eternal, but mortal


She will be freed, she will be free
As God has promised everybody,
Far or near, a recompense,
Far or near, a penalty.


Yes! She will be free, she will be happy
With a father, mother, brother
Holding hands smiling with glee… 


And then I wonder
If same would be my destiny
Or rather..would it be a penalty? 

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.