You are Beautiful

Salam alaykum.
This post is specially dedicated to all my dear sisters (of course, brothers are welcome too). it is a beautiful poem about how beautiful we are. It's written and performed by Boonaa Mohammed ( check out his website for a collection of his poetry : www.boonaa.com ), a Spoken Word artist.

hopefully, this poem will inspire you to learn and appreciate yourself more.
here are the words to the poem.

Beautiful

Maybe you’re smarter than me,
Or maybe you just know how much your worth
Or maybe you don’t need anyone to tell you you’re beautiful
‘Cause you already knew that the day you came out the womb.
Maybe you know too much, or maybe you just expect the worst
Or maybe you aint trying to be nobody’s baby unless he speaks with your dad first
Maybe you’re saving yourself for heaven cause you can’t stand this earth
Maybe you’re saving yourself from hell, Iblis and the ones who are cursed
Maybe you see past deception, maybe this world is a lie
Maybe we’re like in the matrix, but you’re unplugged and you can fly
Maybe you just wanna go back home so you stare at the sky
‘Cause maybe you know the difference between living and just being alive
Maybe you are a slice of this life’s ultimate prize
Cause maybe your mind has been divinely designed
But maybe it’s just me or maybe its Maybeline
Or maybe I should do a better job at lowering my gaze but honestly you’re amazing
And I treat you like a queen ‘cause you give me no choice
My sister in deen it is time to rejoice,
For you who believe and work righteous deeds,
There is a garden of bliss, for all of eternity
If only you would believe what your eyes could not see
Which begs the question what is beauty?

Maybe it’s the way her bodies shaped or the way she’s dressed
But if everyone was blind, how many people would you impress?
I couldn’t care less for tight jeans or a short dress
Or those shirts that expose what God told you to protect
And I don’t mean to sound rude, but how could you approve of any dude
Who doesn’t mind sharing you with the whole world too?
‘Cause he probably don’t think you’re beautiful, he think your booty-full
Glossed lips with make up on every single cuticle, and it aint cute at all
Cause if those shoes hurt your feet, why don’t you just take them off?
Some girls think that pain equals sassy, and if you got it show it off
But nobody even looks happy with those plastic smiles on
And those magazines are wrong, forget men and their songs
Love yourself first before you take anyone else on,
And to love yourself is to love the one whom which all love belongs
There is beauty in creation, but creator really got it going on
‘Cause there is something seriously wrong with pre-teens who look like moms
And middle aged moms who are afraid to see life move on
So they tell wrinkles to be gone, buy hair to make it long
Pluck this, tuck that until you don’t even know who you are
You women are oppressed, forced to flaunt your thighs and chest
And before puberty, you already on a diet
Promoting nudity, like it’s some kind of natural science

But you’re a diamond, I shouldn’t even see past the glass cage unless I’m buying
But if you have no shame, than do as you please
Because what is beauty, but an extension of modesty?

So maybe she’s right, maybe she does deserve respect
And maybe she walks around feeling like a superhero with that scarf dangling from her neck
Maybe nobody is forcing her to wear it
Maybe she would never leave home without it
And maybe she don’t care what other people think,
cause most people opinions aint even valid
Maybe she feels free; maybe she has peace of mind
And maybe she’ll give you a piece of her mind if you step out of line,
Maybe she isn’t perfect, but maybe she’s trying
Maybe she is just taking things one day at a time
Maybe she laughs and maybe she cries
And maybe you would be surprised at everything she keeps inside
Maybe she hears every single word said by those cowards
Maybe she has no problem defying all those who doubt her
Maybe she is a warrior and the silence is getting louder
Maybe she wears that shield because every single day is a battle
Maybe she is more than the skin she is in,
Maybe we should start learning how to love what’s within
Maybe God only knows all the places she has been
But maybe she comes back to him, again and again
Maybe she’s not afraid to die, just afraid not to live
Maybe I am not worthy of everything she can give
Because maybe she is kind, sweet, pure, gentle and suitable
And maybe, just maybe she is beautiful.

Jazakallah khayr.

Salam alaykum.

Father's Warkah

Salam alaykum my dear brothers & sisters. Today's post is about a father's warkah. I got a copy of it from a set of handouts given by Yayasan Ta'lim, TTDI. As you all can remember, my blog is a collection of knowledge & information, mainly on Islam. Therefore, most, if not all, the posts will not be my own work. However, I try my very best to post those that may be of your highest interest. Jazakallah khayr.

--Beginning of article-- 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 
Salam alaykum.

May Allah have mercy on you always, my dear child.

I would like to impart something to you, one of the many lessons of life that I have learned over the years. What I am relating here may also be f use to someone besides you, because it can help clarify some of the misconceptions most people have with regards to firstly, the daily prayers, which is one of our obligations to God; and secondly, the dangers of speaking or passing information or judgment to others without full knowledge of the issue at hand.

The Sheikh, Muhammad ibn Saalih al-Uthmaymeen rahimallah when mentioning the dangers of speaking without knowledge, said:

"That a person who is sick, if his clothes become defiled and he is not able to clean them, he was informed that prayer is not obligatory upon him until he cleans his clothing."

This verdict is absolutely false, a mistake & incorrect. The individual who is sick must pray even if his clothes is in a state of defilement. In fact, even if there are certain impurities that is noticeable on his body, and for some reason he is not able to clean them without fail, he should just continue to perform his prayers.

This is another example where a verse in the Quran has been taken out of context. As Allah s.w.t says in the Quran (meaning):

"Fear Allah to the best of your ability." (Surah At-Taghabun, 64:16)

With regards to this verse, people have also misinterpreted it, thinking that they have an excuse not to pray if they are not able to. With that in mind, there are Muslims who have met their death without praying. They died in vain for the simple reason that they are not able to perform their daily prayers because they were sick. If only they had known that even for a sick person, they still need to pray irrespective of the condition or state they may be in (according to one's ability). If they had done that, they will be one of the luckiest people because they have died in a state where most Muslims can only wish for, that is, to die while performing their prayers.

There are many cases of Muslims who have died without praying even to their very last days, which is a pity because of this misunderstanding.

So my dear child, do not compromise on your prayers. Just remember that prayer in Islam is considered to be the foundation of our religion. Any Muslim who fails to do his prayers and have no reasonable excuse is committing a grave offense and heinous sin. This offense is so grave because it is not only against God, which is bad enough, but also against the very nature of man to adore & love God. Hence, to neglect prayer is to oppress the good qualities in human nature and unjustifiably deny it the right to adore & love Him, the right to aspire & ascend, the right to excel in goodness and achieve noble aims.

Praying to the Creator on a daily basis is the best way to cultivate in mankind a sound personality and to actualize his aspiration. It should be borne in mind that God does not need a man's prayer because He is free of all needs. Here man is the center of gravity and his common interest is the main concern.

All of us here are fine and in good health, Alhamdulillah.

Till we meet again, regards and salam to you.

Father.
--end of article--

Brothers & sisters, should there be any comments regarding any post, do let me know. We can all learn together and let the knowledge be beneficial to all, insyaAllah.

Jazakallah khayr.

Salam alaykum.

Heroes

Salam alaykum my brothers & sisters.

I wanted to share this video with you. Spoken word artist, Boonaa Mohammed, wrote a poem on our Heroes. Heroes from the Best of Nations.

Upon listening, I hope we all become more inspired by his message and more determined to study the sirah of these beloved Heroes. True Heroes for whom we should be proud of.

Jazakallah khayr.

Salam alaykum.

"His name was Muhammad (pbuh)"

Salam alaykum my dear brothers & sisters.

As my first post on this blog, I decided to post an article on our dear beloved Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. just to clarify, this article was not written by me. it's on a warkah I took from an Islamic institute called Yayasan Ta'lim in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. This article was written by Yusuf Estes, a former Christian preacher.

--beginning of article--

Dear all,

"His name was Muhammad"

(peace & blessings be upon him)

What did his followers say:

To begin: You may be a Christian Protestant, Catholic, Jew, an atheist or an agnostic; or you may belong to any of many different religious denominations existing in today's world. You might even be a communist or believe in man's democracy as the rule on earth. Whoever you are and whatever ideological or political beliefs, social habits you may hold, there is no doubt - you should understand what others have to say about this man.

The world has had its share of great personalities. But these were one sided figures who distinguished themselves in but one or two fields, such as religious thought or military leadership. The lives and teachings of these great personalities of the earth are shrouded in the mist of time. There is so much speculation about the time and place of their birth, the mode and style of their life, the nature and detail of their teachings and the degree and measure of their success or failure that is impossible for humanity to reconstruct, accurately the lives and teachings of these men and women.

But this is not the case of this man, Muhammad (pbuh), who accomplished so much in such diverse fields of human thought and behavior in the fullest blaze of human history. Every detail of his private life and public utterances has been accurately documented and faithfully preserved up until our day. The authenticity of the records so preserved is vouched for not only by the faithful followers but even by his prejudiced critics.

Muhammad (pbuh) was a religious teacher, a social reformer, a moral guide, an administrative colossus, a faithful friend, a wonderful companion, a devoted husband, a loving father - all in one. No other man in history ever excelled or equaled him in any of these different aspects of life - but it was only for the selfless personality of Muhammad (pbuh) to achieve such incredible perfection.

He was by far, the most remarkable man that ever set foot on this earth. He preached a religion, founded a state, built a nation, laid down a moral code, initiated numerous social and political reforms, established a powerful and dynamic society to practice and represent his teachings and completely revolutionized the worlds of human thought and behavior for all times to come.

Muhammad (pbuh) was born in what was then known as Felix Arabia, 1400 years ago. He started his mission of preaching a religion of monotheism; a Way of Life based on the surrender, submission, & obedience to the Commandments of Almighty God, in sincerity and peace.

The word "Islam" in Arabic means "the submission to God (Allah), in peace."

Muhammad's (pbuh) mission began at the age of 40 & and departed from this world at the age of 63. During this short period of 23 years of his prophethood, he changed the complete Arabian Peninsula from paganism & idolatry to worship of One God, from tribal quarrels and wars to national solidarity and cohesion, from drunkenness and debauchery to sobriety and piety, from lawlessness and anarchy to disciplined living, from utter bankruptcy to the highest  standards of moral excellence.

Human history has never known such a complete transformation of people or a place before or since - and IMAGINE all these unbelievable wonders in JUST OVER TWO DECADES.

Muhammad (pbuh) was nothing more or less than a human being, but he was a man with a noble mission, which was to unite humanity on the worship of One and ONLY ONE GOD and to teach them the way to honest and upright living, based on the commands of God. He always described himself as, 'A Servant and Messenger of God' and so indeed every action of his proclaimed to be.

Today after a lapse of 14 centuries, the life and teachings of Muhammad (pbuh) have survived without the slightest loss, alteration or interpolation. They offer the same undying hope for treating mankind's many ills, which they did when he was alive. This is not a claim of Muhammad's (pbuh) followers, but the inescapable conclusion forced upon by a critical and unbiased history.

The least YOU can do as a thinking and concerned human being is to stop for a moment and ask yourself: Could these statements sounding so extraordinary and revolutionary really be true? And supposing they really are true and you did not know this man, Muhammad (pbuh), or hear about him, isn't it time you responded to this tremendous challenge and put in some effort to know him?

It will cost you nothing, but it may prove to be the beginning of a completely new era in your life.

We invite you to make a discovery of this wonderful man, Muhammad (pbuh), the like of whom never walked on the face of this Earth.

Yusuf Estes.

--end of article--

First entry

Salam alaykum.

Hello everyone! this is my first entry to the "Journey to Jannah" blog.
I am incredibly grateful for this idea to share with you everything I learn about the beauty of Islam.
I am neither a scholar nor am I an expert with a qualification in Islamic studies. Nonetheless, I am one with the purest intention to spread my knowledge on Islam. Knowledge that are strongly backed by the Qur'an and Hadeeth.

In every post I will definitely cite my source of information. However, should there be any mistakes or discrepancies between whatever I post as compared to the real Islamic knowledge, do leave a comment and include your source as well. This way together, we all learn better, insyaAllah.

Some of my posts will be more beneficial to women. As for these posts, I will include "Women:" in the title of each of the relevant post.

that will be all for my first post today. I will start posting very very soon, insyaAllah.