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بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Alhamdulillah. I have had to survive the week without a phone due to my treacherous slippery fingers. Today marks the end of my forced detox (InshaAllah) but I thought I’d share some of my thoughts/observations before reconnecting with the online world:

  1. What’s the time? Oh.
  2. Let’s google that. oh.
  3. Does anyone miss me?
  4. Have they even noticed ??!
  5. How do I plan to do anything? (not everyone has facebook it seems)
  6. *Uses telepathy to tell friend I’m outside her house*
  7. I NEED A CAMERA!!!!! (new addition to our middelburg family: Lumos & Nox – most adorable kittens I’ve ever seen)
  8. Actually, this isn’t so bad hey
  9. Overslept. Like, I should be at work right now.
  10. Can’t text my boss to say I’m late.
  11. Okay, 100% done with this.

On a serious note, I have a social media problem. Every time I ever thought about a detox my second thought was to vlog about it. I think living away from home has automatically made me want to share more on social media, to feel part of something more. But why? Do those likes mean anything at all? Or is it a desperate attempt to make sure people don’t forget about me? Like, “Remember me! I exist!”

So this was a coincidental opportunity to disconnect. It was difficult and honestly, I think I failed. I posted and messaged more on Facebook which was counterintuitive. A good friend (one of the best actually) reminded me that we all need to learn to love ourselves more, because we’re the only ones we have to live with for the rest of our lives. It’s important to be okay with being alone but being phoneless didn’t just take away the external validation of whatsapp statuses or instagram likes, it also took away the human factor of being connected, checking up on people and them checking up on you. This week taught me to appreciate that so much more. Alhamdulillah for all that we have, and how easy it is to stay connected.

Someday I’m going to do a proper detox, 2 weeks or more with not even Facebook to appease me. But first, I should invest in a  watch. And an alarm. And maybe a map.

Jumuah Mubarak beloveds.

Allāhumma ṣalli ‘alā sayyidinā muḥammadi nin nūri wa ālihī
“O Allah, send salutations upon our Master Muhammad, the Light, and his Family!”

 

Allah loves you
Finding Allah

Allah loves you

justsayyasLeave a comment

اَلسَّلاَ مُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَا تُهُ

Allah loves you.

Sometimes we just need to be reminded. We’re so consumed by the Dunya and its challenges. The temptations that we fall into, the guilt that consumes us, the difficulties we face: relationships, debt, work pressure, family pressure. These things get to us and get us down. But sometimes all we need to remember is that Allah loves us.

Everything that’s taking place around us is by His (SWT) design, and despite how we feel about our situation or how we feel about ourselves, there is one infallible certainty that wipes away all that self-doubt.

Allah loves us.

Alhamdulillah, its such a powerful truth and I forgot it; until I was on my way to work listening to Deensquad’s song (this post’s title), a halaal remix of Justin Bieber’s Let me Love You. I had heard the song a few times before but I actually listened to the lyrics this morning and let them sink in:

I always believed there’s a light inside the struggle and it’s beautiful, oh its beautiful.

Chasing a dream, hoping love awakes the soul and makes it spiritual, yeah its spiritual

Said if there is darkness today, tomorrow’s brighter let’s pray

You’ll never be alone, your Lord is around

Say ya arhammar rahimeen keep me on sirat al–mustaqim

And don’t you let go, you gotta hold your ground

Never give up, you won’t give up, Allah loves you

 

Life is getting hard,

You may have lost a job

You got a lot of bills and you blame it on God

Fighting with your mum

then you lose your calm

then you’re at a point when your faith is almost gone

Never lose hope coz you know Allah loves you

Always remind yourself theres a beauty in the struggle

You got the worse dress,

You want to cure debt

Say Bismillah, that’s the first step

Read about Muhammad’s life, he was so happy 

Even when the people used to throw stones at him (SAW)

The messengers of God did some great things

Yusuf was abandoned then he became king

Your Lord has your back that’s the honest truth

If kids in Gaza can smile, you can smile too

Time is sacred, never have it wasted,

Sabrun jameelun

Allah is with the patient.

Never give up, you won’t give up, Allah loves you

Every word of this song spoke to me, every word a reminder and reaffirmation that everything is going to be okay. The message is so necessary and so beautiful. But I know there’s a lot of debate about Deensquad’s music.

Haraam police are jumping on them every chance they get but before you judge how about this, how about we leave that up to God? How about, if we were really concerned about their method of da’wah, we make dua for them instead of sending them hate?

This is what I pray and if you have doubts about their music you should do the same:

“Oh Allah, most Merciful, Bless Deensquad with all that is good in this and the next world. Oh Allah if their music is something that displeases you then let me not love it and inspire their hearts to stop making it. Oh Allah, if their work is something that pleases you then let them never stop, and keep them patient in the face of all this discord. Guide them and guide us, bless them and bless us and let us only ever come near to what is pleasing to You.  Ameen.”

You can watch the lyric video, and their other remixes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoHSAfxAMk8

Allāhumma ṣalli ‘alā sayyidinā muḥammadi nin nūri wa ālihī
“O Allah, send salutations upon our Master Muhammad, the Light, and his Family!”

Tuesday
Verse of the day

Tuesday

justsayyasLeave a comment

ﻗُﻞْ ﻳَٰﻌِﺒَﺎﺩِﻯَ ٱﻟَّﺬِﻳﻦَ ﺃَﺳْﺮَﻓُﻮا۟ ﻋَﻠَﻰٰٓ ﺃَﻧﻔُﺴِﻬِﻢْ ﻻَ ﺗَﻘْﻨَﻄُﻮا۟ ﻣِﻦ ﺭَّﺣْﻤَﺔِ

۞ٱﻟﻠَّﻪِ ۚ ﺇِﻥَّ ٱﻟﻠَّﻪَ ﻳَﻐْﻔِﺮُ ٱﻟﺬُّﻧُﻮﺏَ ﺟَﻤِﻴﻌًﺎ ۚ ﺇِﻧَّﻪُۥ ﻫُﻮَ ٱﻟْﻐَﻔُﻮﺭُ ٱﻟﺮَّﺣِﻴﻢُ

Qul ya AAibadiya allatheena asrafoo AAala anfusihim la taqnatoo min rahmati Allahi inna Allaha yaghfiru alththunooba jameeAAan innahu huwa alghafooru alrraheemu

Say: “O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Surah Az zumar (39) verse 53

FMF (?!?!?!?)
South Africa

FMF (?!?!?!?)

justsayyasLeave a comment

I’ve been silent on FMF (#FeesMustFall – a student movement in South Africa) because I honestly don’t know what my opinion is… I can never pretend to understand what it’s like not to be privileged and have that opportunity. I can’t pretend to relate to growing up in circumstances that are so different from my own.
Last year, I stood in the crowds, I marched with my fellow students for a cause I firmly believed in… this year I am on the outside. Watching from the media perspective and I’ve felt the change in my resolve. When last year I was 100% for the cause, this year I am confused – and that is only my fault. It’s easy to turn a blind eye when you’re not in the middle of things. (If you want to understand whats up The Daily Vox is awesome).
I can get why people are so angry at FMF , because we’re exposed to it briefly on the news, radio and the  ignorant conversations in our offices. It sucks. It sucks only seeing the violence and destruction and the actual cause is being ignored by media. It sucks that there are thousands of students being affected – arrested, suspended, and those unable to complete their academic year because of the movement – every perspective is valid. It sucks that the government is letting our country self destruct in this manner. (It makes me worry what they’re doing, if this movement doesn’t scare them it means they have bigger skeletons that they’re happy not to be discovered).

Everyday I wake up and have this sinking feeling. I know I can’t sit on the fence for much longer. I know I can’t support violence and destruction. I’m not sure if free and quality education can go hand in hand. I’m not sure of tertiary education is for everyone, though its fair for everyone to have the opportunity and decide for themselves.
I’ve always believed that the government needs to establish an economy where a degree is not the be all and end all of surviving. There needs to be more jobs that PAY WELL that does not require a bachelors qualification. I don’t see how getting a degree and the associated job is any better, I’ve become pessimistic towards the system because this is how it goes:
You go to uni and get a degree, then a job, and whatever that job is, it doesn’t pay enough. Now that you’re earning, you need a car and house that equals debt and taxes. And that’s basically the rest of your life. Debt. and Taxes. I’m just saying that FMF is not the answer to happily ever after. It’s still gonna be tough – tertiary education or no.

I genuinely don’t know what the solution is. But when you start feeling like that remember and pray. Everyday. Especially if you’re complaining about the situation, especially if you’re affected. God is Merciful.

Ya Rabb (Oh Lord) , have mercy on us all, guide the students in their struggle, provide for us from what is good, educate us, increase our knowledge. Protect us from falling into debt, from wanting beyond our means and bring peace to this country. Ameen.

Subhanallah w Alhamdulillah, w allahu Akbar

Allāhumma ṣalli ‘alā sayyidinā muḥammadi nin nūri wa ālihī
“O Allah, send salutations upon our Master Muhammad, the Light, and his Family!”