Allah loves you!

Nobody lives a perfect life, everyone of us has those ups and downs. So whenever Allah puts you in difficulty, increase in His remembrance. Read more Quran, talk to Allah, ask Him to advise you, to help you and He will not let you down! 

"And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits." [2:155]

Also, every pain that you go through shall come to an end eventually In shaa Allah. Pray for Allah to make it easy for you, keep you steadfast and be grateful for His blessings. If you wanted things to go another way, don't worry, Allah's plan is always better and He is the Best of Planners.

Instead of thinking about your pains, think about the good things in life, Allah's blessings (your family, your health, your friends etc). Focus on the positive and remember that Allah loves you! After all, the one (peace be upon him) most beloved to Allah was the most tested out of all His servants.

Sa’ad bin Abi Waqqas reported that he asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): “Which of the people are tested most severely?” Rasulullah (peace be upon him) replied: “The Prophets, then the righteous, then those who are most like them, then those who are most like them from the people. A man is tested according to his religious commitment. So, if his religious practice is sound, then his testing is increased, and if his religious practice is weak, then his testing is reduced. A servant continues to be tested until he walks the Earth without a single sin on him.” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi)

 A beautiful quote:
“A human being is tested so that he may come to know the reality of himself and others. Life consists of constant testing; testing with what is bad, or testing with what is good. However, what is best for the believer may be found in what he hates, and what is bad for him may be found in what he likes. The true believer is the one who loves that which Allah has chosen for him. So, if He tests him with something that he loves, he thanks Him, and if He tests him with that which he hates, he is patient and thanks Him in this case, as well.  And Allah – the Glorified – gives the believer in accordance with what will lead to his happiness in either this World or the next. So, if it is better for him to have something, Allah gives it to him. If it is better for him not to have something, Allah prevents him from having that thing, just as one who is sick is prevented from too much food or water. Therefore, it is upon a person to completely submit to Allah – the Glorified – in regards to what He has chosen for him, and to be pleased with what Allah has given him, and to understand that if Allah prevents him from something, then it is because Allah wishes to save him from being tested with that thing.” (anonymous)

It's SO HOT!

"I really want to start wearing hijaab but it's so hot!" 

"I will not be able to breathe under all those layers of fabric!"

"How do hijaabis and Niqaabis SURVIVE?!"

Those dialogues sure do sound familiar. If they relate to you, this post is for you!

A lot of us go through this phase when it comes to taking the first steps towards wearing hijaab or niqaab. I, too, went through it. The same questions confused my mind, boggled my thoughts, kept me from wearing Niqab. Soon, I realised it was shaytan who was so jealous of me getting closer to Allah, and he was whispering in my heart. I started Niqab, I wear it in temperatures as high as 45 degree Celsius. I didn't die of suffocation. I'm alive, ain't I?

Allah says in the Quraan:

"And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is Hearing and Knowing." [7:200]

Therefore, whenever we have doubts about doing something good, be it giving Sadaqah, going to the mosque for taraveeh or even about wearing hijaab or niqaab, we should seek refuge in Allah from the evil of shaytaan. Say: A`ūdhu billāhi min ash-shaitāni r-rajīmi (أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم), read Surah an Nas and Surah al Falaq every morning (after salatul Fajr) and every evening (after salatul Maghrib) In shaa Allah. In addition to that we should pray to Allah to help us to do good and refrain from evil because only He can give us strength. 

Here are some tips on how to deal with hot weather and still rock your hijaab/niqaab:

1. Use light fabrics

Chiffon works best, Cotton is good too. Try to find hijaabs made of pure fabric, synthetic fabrics tend to cling and can irritate skin when we sweat. It should be breathable as well, that is, not too thick. Keep in mind though that it doesn't have to be so thin that its see-through. Same goes for the undercap and the Abaya. Skip the undercap when it's not required (like wearing hijab for an hour or so). 

2. Choose the best style

This matters a lot! Find a hijaab/niqaab style that is airy. Don't wrap the cloth around your head more than 2 times. In the niqaab style I wear, the cloth is such that it doesn't touch my neck and therefore I have a lot of ease in breathing. Your clothes/Abaya should be loose and airy too!

3. Take regular showers
Take a cold shower before you go out for shopping, to school, or the beach. This will help cool down your body temperature and prevent bad body odour. Shower everyday if the need be In shaa Allah. Shampoo frequently to prevent sebum and dandruff in your hair.

4. Use deodorant

Don't forget this step! Deodorant helps prevent excess sweating and also limits body odour, we all know that but sometimes people get lazy and they decide not to use it, which can result in other people getting disgusted lol.

You can also remove your niqaab on and off to breathe some fresh air or loosen your hijaab a bit to get some air inside (when non-mehrams are not around, when you go to the restroom etc).

JazakIllahu khayr for dropping by! 

Ramadan Inspired Nails!

Assalam o Alaykum ladies!

I love this month so much, I decided to do a nail art inspired by it. This is what it turned out like:

I started by painting three of my nails a black nail enamel with tiny purple glitter and on the other two I put a white glitter nail polish. Next, I drew a star on the index finger with a striper in white nail polish. I wrote "Ramadan" in Arabic on the ring finger, this was my first time writing Arabic with nail polish, turned out a bit untidy but still looks classy AlhamdulIllah. Then, I put some white and purple glitter on the pinkie over dark purple nail polish and some white glitter on the thumbnail over white nail polish. I made a crescent on the middle finger using the same purple nail polish, which appears upside down in the image above LOL. Took almost 15 mins to do but was totally worth it! 

Here are the nail polishes and glitters I used:

Hope you liked these nails, stay tuned for more posts soon In shaa Allah!

JazakIllahu khayr for dropping by! <3

 

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The Best Time of the Year!

Assalam o alaykum!
Ramadan is in the air and I'm so excited AlhamdulIllah! Here are the top five things you can do to make  this Ramadan special and better than the last Ramadan.

1. Make a list of Do's and Don'ts:
List down the habits you want to get rid of (such as anger, backbiting, lying) and list down the habits you want to acquire (such as increasing in Allah's dhikr/remembrance, learning Quranic Arabic etc) In shaa Allah. You can also make a list of 'goals' for every 10 days. You can also ask your close family to assess you and bring out things they would want you to change in yourself. This is the best way of finding faults in oneself. Since the Shayateen (evil ones) are chained in this beautiful month, its easier to change yourself for good In shaa Allah.

2. Fall in love with the Quran

“The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’aan, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong). So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadan i.e. is present at his home), he must observe Sawm (fasts) that month…”[al-Baqarah 2:185] 

Since Ramadan and Qur’an are closely connected I will say that much of our devotional life should be focused on the Qur’an. We should try to replace watching television, movies, listening to music and oversleeping with reading the Quran In shaa Allah. We should also try to learn a few oft-repeated Arabic words to help us understand Quran better. Make a schedule, devote a specific number of hours to the Quran during the day (preferably between Duhr and Asr prayers) or night. Try to complete atleast one Juz everyday so that we are able to complete the whole Quran in one month In shaa Allah!


3. Help around the house
Help whoever prepares the food for your suhoor or aftaar, i.e. your mother or servants or wife. Wash the dishes for them or cut the vegetables, fruits etc for salads and the like. Also, praise the food when you have it and appreciate the effort of the cook. If you don't like the food, keep silent. Remember that the person cooking for you was fasting when he/she prepared the food, so overlook any mistakes they might have made. 

4. Give Charity

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah said: 'Spend, O son of Adam, and I shall spend on you.'"

Whenever a person spends in the way of Allah, Allah returns the same amount multiplied by ten! I know this by experience subhanAllah. Donate some money to a hospital or an Islamic organisation as these are the best forms of Sadaqah-e-Jariah. Pay Zakat during this month if possible as the reward of all the deeds done during this month is seventy times more. That's how awesome this month is! 
Another form of charity could be making some extra food for aftaar and sending it to your neighbors  inviting your relatives over to your place or making aftaar arrangements for a poor person or family.

5. Qayyam al Layl
Here comes the best part: TARAVEEH. The reward of Qayyam (standing) in prayer during the nights of Ramadan is enormous SubhanAllah. I go to a masjid where we read the Quran first with translation and then we pray taraveeh, this way we understand what the imam is reciting during the prayer and have better Khushu' (concentration) as a result. I can feel the presence of Angels around us, its the best feeling AlhamdulIllah! We have a tea break too!
Try finding a mosque where the Imam recites slowly and beautifully, you definitely enjoy more if the Imam is good. Click here for an awesome video reminder.

May Allah help us, guide us and strengthen our faith In shaa Allah! I hoped you liked the post. Comment down below for any questions or requests. Till then, salam and lots of love to sisters!

For more: 
Tips for a comfortable Ramadan.
106 Ramadan Tips

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