How to stop listening to music?

The problem with a lot of us today is that even though we know something is impermissible we cannot distance ourselves from it.  It is true that most us cannot take the first step even when we are absolutely sure what we're doing is haram. We keep delaying our tawbah to the next day without realizing that tomorrow isn't certain, we might not be alive and it might be too late to repent. Music is one such sin. The point of this post to help you stop listening to music and overcoming the urge of going back to it.

1. Make tawbah
Making mistakes and falling short are undoubtedly a part of human nature and no one will be free of shortcomings in his or her obedience to Allaah, or free of mistakes or forgetfulness or sins. All of us fall short, commit sins, and make mistakes. Sometimes we turn to Allaah and sometimes we turn away from Him. Sometimes we remember that Allaah is watching and sometimes we become negligent. None of us is free of sin, and we will inevitably make mistakes. We are not infallible. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if you did not commit sin Allaah would do away with you and bring people who would commit sin then pray for forgiveness." Narrated by Muslim, 2749. 

And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Every son of Adam sins, and the best of those who sin are those who repent.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2499; classed as hasan by al-Albaani. 

Allah says in the Quran:

“O you who believe! Turn to Allaah with sincere repentance!” [al-Tahreem 66:8] 

So the first step to abstain from any sin should always be tawbah. Interestingly, tawbah is not just saying astaghfirUllah or saying "Oh Allah forgive me!". Rather, tawbah needs more than just that to get accepted. There are essentially three conditions of tawbah:
Firstly, you should give up the sin, secondly, you should regret having done it and thirdly, you should resolve to never go back to it.
If you fulfill these conditions and then you get waswasas (whispers) suggesting that your repentance is not accepted, then know that its Shaytaan who is trying to put you down. Hope for the best from Allah because Allah says in the Quran:

“And He it is Who accepts repentance from His slaves, and forgives sins, and He knows what you do” [al-Shoora 42:25] 

2. Eliminate the source
If its your phone or iPod, just press that DELETE ALL button. Empty your music library and un-like all those singers and musicians on Facebook and Instagram.

I know, I know this is very difficult. But let me tell you what, getting to Jannah ain't a piece of cake either. So how will this help? You will have to Google your music if you don't have it downloaded. That would make the process at least a teeny tiny bit difficult, in shaa Allah. This is a great step to get you started. It's like washing away yourself of all the dirt.

I know you're strong and you can beat Shaytaan on this one. JUST PRESS DELETE!

3. I've deleted all the music, now what?!
What do you do with all the time you have? You have to listen to something right? You're craving music...
Replace music with the recitation of Quran. Wallahi, there is nothing more beautiful than the recitation of the Quran. There are so many qaaris to choose from. For beginners I recommend Qaari Mishary al-Afasi.

Download a Quran app in your phone if you don't already have one, 'Mp3 Quran' (android) offers a wide range of qaaris to choose from. Download 'Quran Reciter' in your laptop/pc. Make sure you have access to the recitation of the Quran at all times. Buy CDs for your car. Next time you want to listen to some music, play some Quran in your ears instead. It will make all the worries vanish and will make you feel at peace. Quran is the word of Allah,  IMAGINE ALLAH TALKING TO YOU! Could there be anything more awesome than that?

Doing so comes with infinite rewards and benefits. Imagine the Quran interceding for you on the Day of Judgement and your ears witnessing in favour of you. <3

Check out some awesome Qiraat here: mp3quran.net

4. What about nasheeds?
Nasheeds are like Islamic songs. Add some nasheeds in your music library. Make sure you find the ones with no musical instruments and the ones with halal lyrics. Some popular nasheed artists include Zain Bhika, Dawud Wharnsby, Mishary Al-Afasy, Talib Al-Habib and Omer Esa.

Don't listen to nasheeds more often than the Quran though. Listen to a nasheed only when multitasking or when you cannot concentrate entirely on what is being said. Nasheeds will help raise your imaan but not as much as the Quran. Nothing can beat the Quran in beauty either.

5. What else can I listen to?
You can listen to inspirational talks that can motivate you towards more good deeds in shaa Allah. Ustadh Noman Ali Khan, Abdul Nasir Jangda, Dr. Bilal Philips, Bilal Asad, Yusha Evans, Tawfique Chaudary, Sister Yasmin Mogahed are all great speakers ma shaa Allah.

6. What about my habit of singing to myself?
It seems difficult to conquer this one habit, but its not impossible. Shaytaan will bring back your past, he'll remind you of your sins. But you know you've made tawbah. So what to do?
-Say aa-'udhubIllahi minashaiytaanirajeem, that will make Shaytaan go away.
-Start dhikr (remembrance) instead, e.g. SubhanAllahi walhamdulIllahi la illaha illAllahu wAllahu akbar or recite the Quran or 'humm' a du'a. One of my teachers used to make us learn du'as in tarteel, so we could humm du'as instead of singing those ugly songs.

On the Day of Judgement you will be really happy to see all that reward in shaa Allah, of abstaining from something as evil as music and doing good instead. May Allah help us, forgive us and have mercy on us, ameen.


May He accept my effort and grant me ikhlaas.
Any khayr is from Allaah and any evil is from me.

Keep dropping by in shaa Allah! <3

Here's a video of Ustadh Noman Ali Khan on music:

8 myths about my Hijab...

This post is a compilation of some very common myths about hijab/niqab, which aren't true.

1- You have a superiority complex. You think you are a better Muslim than me.

Actually, no. I harbor no such thoughts because I know the sins I commit. I know my shortcomings and weaknesses. Allah covers them up through His Mercy.  Therefore, I do not think I (or any random hijabi) is better than any non-hijabi sister. But, I do think that: wearing a Hijab (in obedience to Allah and His Messenger) is better than not wearing a hijab (in disobedience to Allah and His Messenger). There’s a subtle difference.

2- You’re such a perfect Muslim. I wish I could be as good as you.

You actually also get these appreciative commenst from people who assume that you’re a very good Muslim. Just because I’m obeying Allah in this one obvious aspect doesn’t mean I’m doing the same in the 101 other things too. This is a potentially dangerous myth. Because yes, I do try, but when I slip, (which I often do!) you subconsciously blame the Hijab or generalize Hijabis. Whereas the fault in this case actually lies with the driver, not the car (i.e. with the Hijabi and not her Hijab).

3- You don’t like to dress up/ You’re not dressed up.
 I do admit that I sometimes throw an abaya over my sleeping suit if I have to run out to get some groceries. But when you say that at weddings and parties, that’s not true. Peekaboo. Here, have a look at the latest kaam wala jora I’m wearing underneath my abaya. I love to dress up. But I do not love being eye-candy for non-mehram eyes. So, I simply cover up the beauty and adornment. However, if its an all-girls party, I can dress to kill.

4- You are forced by someone to wear this.
I’m not forced by my family members or anyone else. In fact, it’s the other way round. I actually had to struggle a lot and go against my family to wear this. It remains an ongoing battle. I’m only forced by my belief in the Quran and Sunnah.

5- It must be very hot and uncomfortable in there.
Thankyou, I’m comfortable enough. I try and use lighter, more airy fabrics in summers. It is probably one degree hotter in here, but you get acclimated to it pretty soon.  It’s much more comfortable than heavy make-up, stiletto heels and false nails. And, the real thing is: “Say: the fire of Hell is hotter.” (Surah at-Tauba:81)

6- You’re a dimwit / brainwashed.
Seriously? Just because I choose to cover up? 
Actually, I'm a student at one of the best universities in my country and I sometimes get the best marks in class (and I say that in all humility and gratitude, Alhamdolillah,mashaa Allah). I’ve been trying to study and research the Quran and Hadith in depth too. I act based upon my own convictions. I’m not brainwashed by any patriarchal sources.
You need to bring forth logic and proof instead of hollow cliches and shallow labels, similar to the ones thrown at each other on some Pakistani talk shows.

7- Your life must be boring and restricted.

Hahaha! Some of the things I’ve been learning and having fun with, with my Hijab on,  are painting,  exercising and nail art. I love to explore and travel. The hijab doesn't restrict me from having the time of my life.

8- You won’t get a good proposal.

Oh well, I don’t have a handsome hunk of a husband to whack this myth away (yet). But open your eyes and look around. Are all the non-hijabis happily married? And are all the hijabis sitting and moping, forever alone?

You know what the funniest part is: Meanwhile in Mars, the poor bearded Martians are being spooked by the same myth: You won’t get a good proposal.

Strange times!

This post would actually be funny if it wasn’t sad. It’s really sad to see how we create stereotypes, generalize and make assumptions. Having been at the receiving end of these and other nonsensical myths, I can truly empathize with what our non-hijabi sisters have to hear from some quarters too.

So the final point is: Do not judge a girl by her cover (or lack of it!).

THIS POST IS SLIGHTLY EDITED

Credits:
VISIT THE YOUTH CLUB BLOG HERE: Youth Club Blog
FIND THE ORIGINAL POST (by Sister Umm Ibrahim)  HERE: 8 myths about my HIjaab

Signs of The Hour by Br. Fareed Ahmad

A compilation of the signs of Qiyammah discussed by Br. Fareed in one of his talks at Youth Club Lahore: 

-People claiming to have known the Hour

-Coming of the final Messenger SAW

-Emergence of the false prophets ['Among my Ummah there will be 27 liars and impostors (27 prominent and famous ones else there are many who have claimed to be the final prophet Na'auzubillah), of whom 4 will be women. However, I am the seal of the prophets and there will be no prophet after me.' Narrated in Ahmad]

-Splitting of the moon

-Appearance of fire in Hijaz
[One of the signs of the Hour which the Messenger of Allah SAW spoke of was the emergence of a fire from the land of Hijaz, near Madeenah Al-Munawwarah. Some of the scholars and historians have stated that this sign appeared in 654 AH.
Al-Hafiz Ibn Katheer, speaking about this event, said, 'The appearance of a fire in Hijaz, which illuminated the necks of camels in Busra.']

-Excessive killing

-Land of Arab will turn green again. (Dubai, Saudi Arabia does not look like a desert anymore.)

-Race in making tall buildings

-The buildings of Makkah becoming high

-Removal of mountains from their places (e.g. For construction purposes, the motorway is a true example.)

-Trust will be lost.
[The Prophet SAW said, 'When honesty is lost, then wait for the Hour.' The companion asked, 'When honesty is lost?' The Prophet SAW said, 'When authority is given to those who are not qualified for it, then wait for the hour. Bukhari.]

-People will become indifferent. *They won't greet: They will only greet those whom they know, and they will forego greeting those whom he does not know even though it's Sunnah to spread the greetings of Salam among those whom you know and those whom you do not know.
*Bystanders effect:
1. Diffusion of responsibilities: When we know something is bad, Muslims are being suffered, starved and killed throughout the world but we think this Ummah is so big, maybe someone else will take the lead. We just hope and sit down.
2. Audience inhibition: When we know someone is in need of help but we are not sure how to help and to escape from embarrassment, we decide not to help at all.

-Following the ways of those before
[Abu Saeed Al Khudri said: The messenger of Allah SAW said: 'You will follow the ways of those who came before you, handspan by handspan, cubit by cubit, even if they were to enter the hole of a lizard, you will follow them.]

-Spread of indecency

-Ignorance will prevail

-More women than men
[Anas ibn Malik narrated that the Messenger of Allah SAW said, 'The hour will not begin (or one of the signs of the hour) until knowledge is taken away, ignorance prevails, alcohol is drunk, Zina becomes widespread and men disappear and women are left, until for every fifty women there will be one man to look after them.']
The reason given by some for this is the existence of the turmoil in which many men will be killed, as it is men and not women who usually engage in warfare.

-Adultery, fornication and music becoming common

-Materialistic approach
Not caring about the source of wealth whether halal or haram

-The coming of a time when a man will be given the choice of being labelled incompetent or committing immorality
This sign is apparent in our own times, where a woman who adheres to Hijab is accused of being incompetent or backward, the one who refrains from Riba (usury), taking bribes or watching indecent channels is described by people as being backward and incompetent and unable to progress. So people in society are given a choice between committing immorality and sin or being described as incompetent and backward.
[Abu Hurairah RA narrated that the Messenger of Allah SAW said, 'There will come a time when a man will be given the choice between being labelled incompetent and immorality. Whoever lives until that time should choose incompetence over immorality.']

-Obedience to wives and disobedience to mothers
Being comfortable with friends and repelling fathers

-Slave will give birth to her master
(People have misinterpreted different meanings of this sign)
1. When sons will treat mothers like maids.
2. It is also said that the slave women will give birth to kings, so the mother would become one of the subjects and the king (her son) would be the master of his subjects (including her mother).
3. When a free man becomes intimate with his female woman, who, as a result of this, gives birth to his child. The child grows up free, his father is already free, but his mother remains in bondage. Due to this, it is as if the child is also the master of his mother.


-Sudden deaths (accidents, heart attacks, etc)

-Depression, confusion
The coming of a time when a man will be a believer in the morning and a disbeliever in the evening.

-Time will pass very quickly.

-No one wanting to lead Salah

-Rain will fall from the sky but the earth will not bring forth anything (no productivity)

-Increase in Earthquakes

-Obesity and other luxuries
(People are dying because of food, either the lack of it or the excess)

-Increase in wealth

SIGNS YET TO COME

-Dajjal

-Eesa ibn Maryam coming down and killing Dajjal

-Ya'jooj Ma'jooj emerging

-Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj dying because of some illness

-Peace prevailing (wolves playing with sheep)

-Wind causing believers to die.

-Sun rising from the west (after this sign, the doors of repentance will close) 

Compiled by a very dear sister Quratulain Dar.