Ingredients For a Content Life (2) - Love

Part 2 (final part): All you need is love..

The definition of love is a ‘strong affection for something’. Love is an innate feeling in every human being. It is sometimes thought of as the element that makes us human . The need for love According to Islam, love has to be enlightened. A sacred love is the love which is realistic and insightful. It has been a common theme in moral advises by great Muslim preachers and Sufi masters that one should not let one's love for something or some person make him negligent of the whole truth. The reason for this emphasis is that love naturally tends to make the lover "blind and deaf'. If you love some one it is very unlikely to have an impartial view of it, unless the love is directed by the reason.

Divine love A Divine love is that of a mutual love and thus the most fulfilling love a creation could ever feel. Even the worst of people still can be a receiver of Love from Allah so long as they repent. There are many beautiful Hadeeth which relate this amazing and fulfilling love Allah has bestowed upon His creation. On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Allah the Almighty said: 'I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm's length, I draw near to him a fathom's length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed." (related by al-Buhkari) Furthermore the amazing quality of divine love is that Allah has made it so that through loving creation you can also be loving the Creator. This is done through following the guide of how to love through the Quran, how we live our lives, how we treat the earth and people around us. All of these things can be counted as loving Allah because it is done in obedience to Him and in seeking His pleasure and in turn Allah loves us as shown in this Hadeeth; On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said; 'Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting him.'" It was related by al-Bukhari.

Love of the dunya According to Islam, the minimum expectation from believers is that God should have the first place in their heart, in the sense that no other love may override one's love for God; God should be the highest and foremost object of love. The Qur'an says: Say: If your father or your sons or your brethren or your wives or your kinsfolk or the property you have acquired or the commerce you fear may slacken or the dwellings which you love¬ if these are dearer to you than God and His Apostle and striving in His way, then wait till God brings about His command; God does not guide the transgressing people. (9:24) This verse clearly indicates that one's love for God has to be superior to one's love for whatever else that one may come to love in one's life. This superiority shows itself when the love for God and for His religion comes into conflict with one's love for one's personal belongings. In this case, a believer should be able to sacrifice his personal favourite things for the sake of God. However there is a balance as Allah says; But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you. And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters." (28:77) We should be moderate in when it comes to materialistic things and show gratitude to the blessings we have. It is not wrong to enjoy or have dunya in abundance but it can become a means against you when this dunya distracts you from living your life according the deen and what is more pleasing to Allah.

Love of brotherhood On the necessity of love for people, we see that the Qur'an praises those members of the Household of the Prophet who fasted three days and gave everyday the only little food that they had at home successively to a poor, an orphan, and a captive: "And they give food out of love for Him to the poor and the orphan and the captive. [They tell them:]we only feed you for God's sake: we desire from you neither reward nor thanks."(76:8 & 9) In another Hadeeth, The Prophet Sallahu Aleyhi wa Sallam said: "By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, you will not enter Paradise unless you believe, and you will not believe unless you love each other. Should I direct you to something that if you constantly did it, you would love each other? Spread the greetings of peace among you."[Muslim]

Falling in love ..is it Haraam? We do not say love is halal or haram because it is a feeling. Maybe it is not under control. You can judge what is under control. If we are speaking about the emotion which we call “love” then we are simply speaking of a feeling. What we feel toward a particular person is not of great importance until our feeling is expressed in a particular action. Now if that action is permissible, then well and good. If it is forbidden, then we have incurred something that Allah does not approve of. If it is love between a man and a woman, the emotion itself is not the subject of questioning on the Day of Judgment. If you feel you love someone, then you cannot control your feeling. If that love prompts you to try to see that person in secret and to give expression to your feelings in actions permissible only within the bond of marriage then what you are doing is forbidden.

 

In conclusion

Love is a natural need for a human and comes in many forms, a parent to a child, friendship, romantically or through the bond of Islam. Having love in ones life makes a key ingredient for a content life and the best love is that of Allah’s so use the types of love we have talked about to gain Allah's love if you want to be the most content.

''O Allah I ask You for Your Love and the love of those

whom You Love and the actions that will cause me to attain Your

Love,O Allah make Your love more beloved to me than myself,my

family and cold water''

Allahumma inni asaluka hubaka, Wa hubbaman ya hibuka,

Wal amal al-ladhi bil leghuni hubbaka,

Allahumma ja’al hubbaka a-habba alay-yai,Min nafsi,

wa-ahli,wa minal barrid.

(received in email from al Fitrah academy)

Review: Abu Zaad Shepherds Bush

Abu Zaad restaurant Shepherds Bush exterior

Nestled amongst the variety of stores surrounding Uxbridge Road/Shepherds Bush Market station we found Abu Zaad and decided to try this Syrian restaurant one Saturday afternoon.

Inside it was quiet and as we sat down, the waiter/owner bought us our menus. Once we were ready to order he asked whether it’s our first time to which we replied yes, we’ve come from the other side of London. He was genuinely happy and asked how we came across the restaurant. We ordered drinks – one mint tea and one fresh tropical juice. The juice was made fresh to order, nice and thick. Cooling for the warm day. The mint tea was lovely and refreshing.

Refreshing mint tea and tropical juice - note the fresh pink rose

We ordered an aubergine kebab and a shish taouk which come with either rice or chips plus salad. We chose one rice and one chips. When they arrived woah, the portions were colossal! The cubed aubergines were grilled and fluffy on the inside and the kebab was well flavoured. The rice was seasoned, not bland as it had been cooked with meat stock and contained pieces of vermicelli. The chicken was soft and well cooked. We also got 3 types of sauces - mayo, chilli sauce and ketchup. The only downside would be that the chips were a tad oily. None the less, an enjoyable meal. One that couldn’t be finished.

Scrumptious cubes of aubergine which were soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside with seasoned lamb kebabs, chips, salad and khobez

Shish taouk, rice with slivers of vermicielli, salad andkhobez/nan

Upon leaving the waiter was kind to offer us something on the house as a warm gesture of us coming from the other side of town. We were offered a pot of mint tea and baklawa. Awww.

Pot of mint tea and some pistachio baklawa

Pouring the tea into the cups :)

It was a really nice experience and there are obviously many loyal customers as could be seen when a family arrived to a warm welcome and had a chat with the workers when collecting their take away. The only thing I would think twice about is what I order/if I can finish it! Abu Zaad you were lovely!! 9/10.

Final parting treat :P mini chocolate

E.L.F Haul (Pic heavy)!

Hey, this post has been long awaited and has been delayed due to me being away recently to Umrah! (Post a comment if you want to share a post on Umrah).

So a little while ago, e.l.f (Eyes, Lips, Face cosmetics) had a half price offer if you spent a certain amount. I purchased the following products and am pleased with them so far.

e.l.f. Contouring blush and bronzing duo in St Lucia - love the creamy texture of this duo. You can achieve a really pretty look with a bit of blending!

e.l.f St Lucia on hand

e.l.f. St Lucia cream Blush and Contour duo - gorgeous coral blush colour

e.l.f HD Blush in (l-r) Headliner, Superstar and Diva

e.l.f HD blush Headliner, Superstar and Diva on hand - as you can see these are super pigmented and range from peachy tomes to bright vivid pink

e.l.f HD blush Headliner, Superstar and Diva shades - can use these on your lips too! The only thing is that it dispenses (yup that's right it comes with a hygienic dispensing pump) quite a bit of product so you do end up wasting a bit - this is made up for by the low price of the actual product :p

e.l.f Studio Blush in Candid Coral

e.l.f studio blush in candid coral - looks very pale on skin and would be nice as a gold shimmery highlighter

e.l.f candid coral studio blush...more pale gold with glittery flecks

e.l.f studio HD powder - corrective yellow for red skin, I only got this because they ran out of the original one but when I used it, it gave my skin a soft focus look. Great on top of makeup to pull your look together and finish it off. Caution - this product tends to spill all over the outside of the pot as you can see from the picture.

e.l.f stipple and contour brush - good quality for the low price I paid

e.l.f shine eraser blotting paper and eyeshadow brushes - the blotting paper has green tea extract and mops up excess sebum from the face

e.l.f make up brushes - as a tip, I would stick to the Studio range, they may cost a little more but will be worth it.

e.l.f studio stipple and contour brushes

e.l.f Studio contour, studio stipple and tools eyeshadow/blending brushes. All of the brushes are super soft.

Hope you enjoyed this post and read the little comments below the pics. ELF nearly always have some sort of offer on. Do you guys swear by any elf products?

Just came across this bad boy of an eyeshadow palette on the elf website. 100 colours for £15. The nudes on the left of the palette plus the pinks in the 5th row are really pretty.

Ingredients For a Content Life (1) - Gratitude

Part 1 – Gratitude

The Messenger of Allah sullallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, "Strange is the affair of the mu'min (the believer), verily all his affairs are good for him. If something pleasing befalls him he thanks (Allah) and it becomes better for him. And if something harmful befalls him he is patient (sabir) and it becomes better for him. And this is only for the mu'min." Gratitude (shukr) is about expressing thanks and appreciation to those who do any favour to us. Obviously, none can come close to our creator, Allah, who gave us everything. As the Quran states:“Who created you, fashioned you perfectly, and gave you due proportion?” [Infitar 82:7]. As humans, Allah has bestowed on us the nature to be grateful and we should thus express that gratitude not just to Allah but to the people whom we deal with as well. In many places in the Quran, Allah divides people as being grateful and as ungrateful to motivate us to join the camp of those who are grateful. In one such verse prophet Sulaiman said, as stated in the Quran, “. . . then when (Sulaiman (Solomon)) saw it placed before him, he said: “This is by the Grace of my Lord to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful! And whoever is grateful, truly, his gratitude is for (the good of) his own self, and whoever is ungrateful, (he is ungrateful only for the loss of his own self). Certainly! My Lord is Rich (Free of all wants), Bountiful” [An-Naml: 40]

Virtues of Gratitude

Gratitude is knowing whatever we have is from Allah. Allah says in the Quran: “And whatever of blessings and good things you have, it is from Allah” [al-Nahl 16:53]. He also says, “And He found you poor and made you rich (self sufficient with self contentment)” [al-Duha 93:8]. Let’s therefore constantly remind ourselves of Allah’s bounties by expressing our gratitude to Him in prayers and at other times. It is best for our own selves that in times of hardships we remember the times of blessings and ease so to be patient and remain grateful. Such times are a test to see if the believer will be grateful all the time or only when he is receiving ease and benefits, such means brings the believer closer to his Lord while pushes the ungrateful further away distinguishing between the two.

Giving pushes away calamities just as showing gratitude protects from punishments. Gratitude helps ward off the punishment of Allah “Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him. And Allah is Ever All-Appreciative (of good), All-Knowing” [(An-Nisa, Verse #147)]. Not recognizing Allah’s blessings can prevent us from gaining His pleasure. Some may ask "How about those who are punished amongst the ungrateful in storms or natural disasters?" It is clear from surah Mursalat "Uthran aw Nuthrah" meaning for some it is a punishment but for others it is a reminder (bring them closer to Himself as they show patience and pray).

Do you appreciated even the smallest of blessings? Gratitude helps us appreciate what we have In a hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “…if the son of Adam has one valley, he will wish that he had a second, and if he had two valleys, he would wish that he had a third. The stomach of the son of Adam will be filled only with dust (i.e., he is never satisfied)…” (Reported by Ahmad, 5/219; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1781). So, let’s increase gratitude and count our blessings to learn to appreciate what we have rather than fretting over what we don’t, as there is always those who have far less

JazakAllah Khaire - May Allah reward you with good Gratitude helps us recognise others favours to us The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said as narrated by Abu Hurairah: “He who does not thank people, does not thank Allah” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi). He also said: “Whoever does you a favor, then reciprocate, and if you cannot find anything with which to reciprocate, then pray for him until you think that you have reciprocated him” Abu Dawood (1672). Contributing towards our Da'wah projects supports the volunteers and makes some of their tasks a bit easier. This is a type of thanks to those who sacrifice and give more than others serving our Ummah.

Gratitude increases blessings.. woohoo! Gratitude brings Allah’s Blessing upon us. Allah says: “And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: ‘If you give thanks (by worshipping none but Allah and by counting His blesssings upon you), I will give you more (of My Blessings); but if you are thankless, verily, My punishment is indeed severe’” [Ibraaheem 14:7] Let’s, therefore, make thanking Allah part of our morning and evening remembrances (adhkar) to get more of Allah’s blessings in our lives. This is a great way to increase in wealth, redemption and pious offspring. When coupled with Tawbah & Sadaqa it is far more effective. This is for those who truly believe.

Gratitude’s importance was emphasized by the Prophet when he took the hand of Mu’aadh ibn Jabal and said: “O Mu’aadh, by Allah I love you, by Allah I love you.” Then he said, “I advise you, O Mu’aadh, do not fail to say this after every prayer:

O Allah help me to remember You, to thank You and to worship You properly.”

Allahumma A’inni Ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni ibadatika

After telling Mu'aadh that he loves him so dearly and then offers advice, try to empathise to better understand the sincerity and weight of the advice that follows. How deeply in his heart he hopes that Mu'aadh will adhere to that advice and how weighty the rewards must be.

Finally, remember that being grateful is not an option and that being grateful brings us closer to those whom we thank and appreciate.

(Received in an email from al Fitrah academy)

Delight Kebab in Wood Green

Last week, whilst shopping in Wood Green we came across Delight Kebab at the end of the main Wood Green shopping road, opposite Wood Green Station. They clearly have a halal certificate displayed on their window. We originally wanted to try Gokyuzu & Kervan, also a Turkish place with good reviews, but there was no halal sign displayed like all the other Turkish eateries.

We were quickly welcomed by the waitress and called her over to place our order. Complimentary hummus, cacik, chili sauce, a plate of fresh salad and bread was served – no need to order starters! The food was made fresh to order which meant a wait of 15 minutes.

Cacik, hummus, herb & garlic yogurt and chilli sauce

I ordered the Yogurtlu adana which is kofta served on Turkish bread with special tomato sauce and yogurt, as well as a sour cherry juice and my sister ordered the chicken shish with rice. The portions were huge, the juice came in a big glass too. We were also given a complimentary Kemalpasa, which can be likened to the Asian ladoo.

Yogurtlu adana - Adana kebab with sauce, grilled onions, yogurt and toasted pitta pieces drizzled with butter.

Chicken shish served with grilled onions, rice and salad

I would definitely recommend this place, and will be going again. The service and prices were really good. 2 mains and a drink cost £16.90.

Kemal pasa sweet

Haul for Spring: H&M and Primark

Hey,
Here are a few things I bought in the sales which I shall InshaAllah be wearing in spring/summer.

Cream crochet style cardigan with pockets: Primark £5, Red kaftan: H&M £5.25, Grey jeggings: Primark £7

Close up of red H&M kaftan, Bow ring: Primark £1.50

Black tunic with pink/silver ethnic style patches on shoulders: H&M £10

H&M pink/silver patch black tunic

Grey high low blouse: H&M £6, Tribal print top: Primark £4

Pink glitter nail strips: H&M £1

What do you think? Have you any ideas on how to wear/incorporate the above items in an outfit? How would you guys wear them? Leave a comment!

QOTD: Emergency feel-good numbers