la petite france

Holiday in Quebec City.

more photographs in my FB album.

RIS|SIR- r.i.s reflected

Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem

In the name of God Most Caring Most Kind.

O Mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that who has At-Taqwa. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, Well-Acquainted.

Al-Hujurat Verse 13

I have a particular liking to the above mentioned verse from the Holy Quran. It was this verse that made me reflect on my purpose for taking Sociology. It was this verse that made me realise that Allah does not judge a person based on their ethnicity, race, looks and all the superficial matters but what lies in the heart of the individual. It was this verse that made me reflect on the beauty of diversity that Allah has created. It was this verse that makes me want to explore the world out there that we are after all beings different on the outside yet we bleed the colour red.

It has been a month since Reviving the Islamic Spirit (RIS) 2009 convention was held. It was something that I’ve looked forward to attend since I went there in 2005. It was a time when I came face to face with Muslims who look different than I do. What amazed me back then (and it still amazes me) was that these Muslims, young and old, Westerns, Asians, Africans, congregate to listen to lectures by well known Muslim scholars in Toronto. Being an adolescent at age 17, I thought of Canada or North America as a whole as a place where religion is secondary. And that Islam is something for those outside the ‘Western’ world. But I was wrong. Dead wrong.

The first RIS that I went to made me realise that there is so much beauty in this diversity. It was like a blow to my head and I questioned myself, that I am a born Muslim, living in Singapore where Muslims are treated well (yes in Canada Muslims are treated well too but it was 2005 and 9/11 and 7/7 were not distant memories), yet I was not practicing Islam the way it should be practiced. And these people, having to face discrimination and all those challenges that Muslim Singaporeans may not face are living their life as what was commanded by Allah. That was when I decided to change. Alhamdulillah for that.

So going to RIS again after 4 years was like ‘homecoming’ of sorts. This time around it was bigger and better. And best part of all (I think it is the best part) was that this whole initiation and execution were done by YOUTHS! There were about 18,000 (marketing was superb with coz the event was advertised on subways!) attendees and the speakers were Prof. Tariq Ramadan, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Imam Zaid Shakir, Yusuf Islam, Abdul Hakim Jackson, Shaykh Abdallah Ibn Bayyah, Habib Ali Al-Jiffri… just to name a few. On location, the collective effervescence was intense! If an alien lands at the convention centre it would have thought that it landed in a Muslim country.

The talks were mashaAllah superb and my attempts to share them are merely attempts to spread the word. The real effect comes from the convention itself. So here are some ideas (or lessons I’ve learnt from some of the lectures that I attended. Some of them may not be complete but I will try my best inshaAllah) delivered by the speakers based on the theme of SOS: Saving the Ship of Humanity. (Again apologies for not providing detailed notes on the lectures)

1)      Habib Ali Al-Jiffri: A Young Person Dedicated to the Worship of Allah:
The Youth Around Muhammad, Peace Upon Him

As the title suggest, the speaker gave the seerah of the youths during the time of the Prophet (saw). These youths around the Prophet (saw) saw the ‘reality’ with their heart. They were given huge responsibilities like the example of Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr an ambassador to Yathrib (Madinah). He was chosen because of his strong character. He then gave more examples about the youths around the prophet (saw). In retrospect, I think the point Habib Ali tried to drive at was that youths have to ability to be in charge, with the right mind, attitude and niyyah. Living one’s life to the fullest at a young age does not mean necessarily mean trying out every single thing (which may or may not include the haram) but to do great things with excellence.

2)      Prof. Tariq Ramadan: Where Then Are You Going? Tough Questions for Today’s Youth

The point that Prof Tariq tried to drive at this talk is similar to the points he gave in his latest book that I’m currently reading “What I believe”. Anyways he mentioned that we as a Muslim community are passive. We need more action in terms of participating in the society. He then discussed on the position of Muslims in the West. And that it is our duty as Muslims to stick to our principles no matter where we are. The problem with us is that we have been colonised from within (our hearts , Imaan) and that we have to decolonise ourselves. This decolonisation can only take place if we understand the meaning of our shahadah.

He then talks about HabluminAllah and Habluminanaas. Which is loosely translated (in my understanding) , that we have to have a strong vertical relationship with Allah so create a strong relationship amongst mankind. There is a need for us to not isolate ourselves in our own cells and that we need to liberate ourselves with the “US” and “THEM” mentality.

Next, he brought upon the example of the Best of exemplars, our Prophet (saw) on how he (saw) taught us the education of love. In which imitation is wrong and that there is a need to understand what we are doing. There is a need to be critical on what we learn.

3)      Shaykh Abdallah ibn Bayah ( in Arabic with translation by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf)

Shaykh Abdallah shared his understanding RIS 2008’s theme. Us, humans are like passengers in a ship. The current situation is that the passengers are fighting with each other. So how are we suppose to take it to port? It is through wisdom for wisdom is the lost possession of the believers. Shayk Abdallah then quoted EIntstein that civilisation is a sickness and the healers are the philosophers. What I gathered from this particular point is that we, as humans need to continuously reflect on the society.

He then gives an analogy of a silkworm. A silkworm produces silk that it created around itself in which in the end brought it to its death. We, humans have become like the silkworm. We have created things that in the end would bring danger to ourselves. To this he brings about the point that we are harming other species. The shaykh mentioned also (which I find really interesting) that the Prophet (saw) loves the frogs for the frogs does the most dzikr. And the sad thing now, we rarely hear frogs. Other problems that the shaykh quoted was the economic crises. He noted that morality is missing in the realm of economics/business/finance. At the end of his lecture that to save the ship, there is a need to call upon the owner of the ship. And that owner is Allah (swt)

[please keep lookout for an update on this post inshaAllah as I will continue to pen down the other lectures I’ve attended. Please forgive my shortcomings.}

For more information please go to http://www.revivingtheislamicspirit.com/. By the way, inshaAllah this coming May, RIS is coming to CALIFORNIA! So if you have the means, I encourage you to attend this convention.

Wallahu’alam

khairun and i

FROZEN IN TIME

~no pun intended.

3 Weeks On

Peace.

Before continuing with the actual post, I’d like to apologise for the lack of updates since I got here. There were so many things going on that blogging seems like a distant memory. Heh.

MashaAllah, after years of prayers (you do not know how badly I wanna come back here), finally (and safely) I arrived at the land of maple syrups on 22^nd December 2009, 1510hrs (local time). It was a pretty long journey from Singapore to Toronto (about 33hrs in total) but alhamdulillah, I slept about 70% of the hehe (my body sleeps when in motion. Go figure.) I arrived an hour earlier than expected (so my BIL’s cousin wasn’t at the airport when I arrived.) It was a total bummer that the wireless at the Toronto airport was not free.-_-.  I think the temperature was about minus 2-ish and woah a HUGE drop from 29 degrees. Since the time in Ottawa and Toronto is 13hours behind Singapore’s so it seems that I’ve time travelled, gaining about half a day.

TouchDown

(Current state: I feel like chronicling every single detail that happened but I shall just highlight the ones that I think is worth highlighting… mais c’est difficile!)

So, I went to another cousins’ place where I met these wonderful kids who got rid of my fatigue by rapping and singing to me while dinner was being served. Dinner was splendid with roasted chicken and some other stuffs. (I can’t remember names of food ) I was famished coz I slept through my dinner on the plane (come one, what else can I do besides watching movies and HIMYM? I forgot to bring a book and so the next best alternative is to sleep.) although the lady next to me tried to wake me up, I continued sleeping like a log.

The next day, I went to Glen Edens Skiing centre.( It wasnt snowing in Burlington or Glen Edens so the centre makes artificial snow… and Toronto is rather warm (relatively)) The kids went snowboarding while I watched them. (I didn’t have the equipments and knowledge to snowboard/ski) Watching them makes me wanna go skiing soo badly. And guess what?! I taught them how to play Chee Ko Pak and Om Chi Chi games. They were so cute coz it sounds so ‘slang’. Haha.

My sister, BIL and my niece came on Thursday. I haven’t seen them since ’07 and mashaAllah my niece grew soooo much!!(4 yrs standing at 106 cm.) She’s so cute and pretty and all the good stuffs mashaAllah!! GAAHHH love her hair! Miss her so much!!!!

Okies anyways on Friday, 25^th December or how they would say here December 25^th, we went to Downtown Toronto for the annual Reviving the Islamic Spirit Conference at Metro Toronto Convention Centre (This conference deserves a blog post on its own. So hold on). The conference was just WOW! MASHAALLAH! It didn’t disappoint me at all alhamdulillah.

Saving the Ship of Humanity- 2009's Theme

We stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel (which is about 15 minutes walk away from the convention centre. The hotel is connected to the centre so we don’t really have to wear the winter coats. The lucky thing for us alhamdulillah is that my sis’ friend’s bro has some discount or something at the Club Intercontinental, so we had a rather luxurious treatment at the hotel with our own floor breakfast, tea and dinner (for dinner it was more of appetizers) and the room that we stayed in was HUGE. TWO DOUBLE Beds (double beds are a little bit smaller than queen size beds), plasma tv (didn’t watch any TV), really nice bath robes, free chocolates, water, etc etc.

some good things for tea.

We went back to BIL’s cousins’ place on Sunday night, stayed there for 2 more days. BIL’s other cousin from Atlanta came by for a visit.. and mashaAllah the children are so beautiful. Anyways, we only took our leave from Burlington on Tuesday. Before leaving for Ottawa, we visited my BIL’s other cousins. It was a nice experience visiting people. And to think that they haven’t met for years even though they live in the same country! (The things that you have live with when you stay in a HUGE country. Then again, even if you live in tiny Singapore, sometimes people just don’t see or visit each other.. Bila raya sahajalah ada masa untuk kunjung-mengunjung)

Reached Ottawa really early in the morning. At 1 am-ish. Didn’t do much ‘touristy’ things. Went shopping for my winter boots and touque. My BIL’s another cousin (lots of cousins! Lol!) has a shoe shop in Bayshore (the shopping centre) and OMG! THE SHOES AND BAGS ARE SOOO NICE! There was an offer (becoz of Boxing Week)buy 1 get 1 free. So I got a pair of Timberland Boots and a pair mary janes for summer wear. (They’re really pretty! Fits my style and my size PERFECTLY) The boots cost about CAD160 and the MJs about $90. And guess what he (the cousin) wanted to give them to me for FREE!! Though my sister insisted that we pay (my BIL sponsors the footwear) he said he’ll settle with my BIL. So I really don’t know if it was paid in the end.

So on Friday, the first day of year 2010… JE FAIRE DU SKI!!! (What a nice way to end/start a decade, eh?) There was a ski trip organised by the Muslim Link newspaper. I went to this trip alone tho i think it would be beyond fun if I had gone there with a group of friends. The ski hills were at Mount Cascades, Gatineau, Quebec, about an hour drive from my sis’ place. So I had a private instructor! Yay! But seriously, I never knew going downhill was as difficult as climbing uphill. I fell 99% of the time and went home with a seriously sore upper body. Alhamdulillah I’m still in one piece. I was actually quite surprised that there were some sisters who skied in abayas and jalabiyas. I think you gotta be real good for you to wear non-pants when you ski.  

my ski and i

My flight to Saint John, New Brunswick was supposed to be on Saturday but it was rescheduled to Sunday as there were too many delays on Saturday. There was a storm in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Nova Scotia is the province next to New Brunswick. Btw in Canada there are no ‘states’, only provinces). So I left Ottawa for Saint John on Sunday. So from Ottawa, I go via Toronto (which takes ½ hr) then, I had to wait for 1hr 35 minutes for my flight to Saint John. Again, the plane was delayed for about 45 minutes. The flight from Toronto to Saint John was about 3.5hours . So yeah about 6-7hrs in total.. just to go to Saint John. It just shows how BIG Canada is. And I’m not talking about going from East Canada to West Canada (where Vancouver, British Columbia is).

So Saint John is 12hrs behind Singapore time. And I reached there about 6.50pm. I was greeted by my landlady (who is so very nice) at the airport. I decided not live on campus since the residences are co-ed (my new friend told me that men and women share the same level and she heard noises from people that are unmentionable in this blog) and I definitely NOT want to join in the partying lifestyle. So ALHAMDULILLAH ALHAMDULILLAH ALHAMDULILLAH RABB AL-AMIN. ALL PRAISES TO GOD, LORD OF THE UNIVERSE ( I can never count the blessings that I have) that I got a Muslim Landlady (who was looking for a female muslim tenant. My sister helped me out. And again ALHAMDULILLAH for that!) Her house is ONLY 3 minutes drive away. And it is ONLY 2 BUSTOPS from campus and if I seriously wanna lose weight, it is about 15-20 minutes’ walk (it’s a very hilly place and it’s winter and yeah the bulk from the jacket hinders movements).

So on Monday I had Orientation and GUESS WHAT?? There was another hijabi in the room! I was so excited!! She’s from Holland and yeah I just so excited to see someone who wears similar things as I do. There were students from France and lots of students from China (yes.. kat NTU pon berlambak). And as the talk on the orientation went on there were more guys ( from Saudi) entering the room. I knew that there were lots of Saudi people in UNB but I didn’t know that they were this many! And when we had to introduce ourselves there were 3 (minumum, i lost count after that) Abdullahs in the room and soon afterwards, the Muslims were the majority in the room. And the musollah (a proper room not some staircase landing) was recognised by the school (like how it is in NTU but I’m not sure if the International Relations office inform incoming exchange students) so the student adviser openly inform to the group that there is a Muslim Prayer room available. How cool is that?! (NUS PLEASE TAKE NOTE. PLEASE GIVE THE MUSLIMS IN NUS A DECENT PRAYER ROOM. THANK YOU.)

We went touring around the school and our guide, Oke, a first year Nursing student who is from Nigeria was so kind to show where the musollah is. The scenery around campus was SubhanaAllah sooo beautiful. Since it was a really sunny day, one can see snow amidst a background of blue sky. A lake sitting so prettily with pine trees surrounding it. Words alone cannot describe the beauty of His creations.

After the school tour, Oke brought Charmaine (who’s from Australia) and I to Uptown Saint John. At the end of the trip to Uptown, Charmaine and I bought the same mobile phone. Phone is definitely cheaper in Canada (tho the plan isn’t). It was a prepaid phone and it costs us CAD 59.99 (excluding taxes). Plus there is already a $10 value in the phone (and guess what… when I showed the phone to Mounia and her friend, Florence (both from Holland) the next day, both of them wanted to get the same phone too! Haha..)

they only have it in blue. bummer. but that's okay.

Woah! I just realised that this post is LONG!!!

Okay let’s put things in point form shall we?

-          I had my first class on Tuesday. Intro to Canadian Politics

-          I have an assignment already. DUE NEXT WEEK!

-          They still use blackboards!

-          Charmaine and I share 3 classes.

-          And finally. I REALLY NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT!!!!! (haha part ni macam random.)

T.R.A.N.S.I.T

Peace.

MashaAllah! Traveling alone, thus far, has been an exhilarating experience. The first thing I  did when I touched down in Abu Dhabi was to look for the musollah and alhamdulillah, signs (literally) were clear and my path to the what they call a mosque (tho’ it is really just a musollah) was easy. Alhamdulillah. I felt like slacking in the prayer room throughout my  11 hours transit but I  shall go around the airport and see and capture the hustle and bustle of the airport. I heard bad reviews about the airport being crowded and all and yeah basically bad ratings but I’m here to give a 5 out of 5 solely on the musollah and maybe on the cool architecture (the other services suck like come on, a wireless that cannot work and an internet station with only 30% of the computers that can work. Come on Abu Dhabi, get on with the programme. and when I finally got hold of the computer I COULD NOT log into  FB). But ALHAMDULILLAH FOR THE MUSOLLAH!

I couldn’t sleep during the 7 hours plane ride from Sg to Abu Dhabi. Tried to but failed. Instead I watched Night at the Museum 2, 5 minutes of 500 days of Summer and biography of Heidi Klum only to realise one hour prior to landing that they have a Quran radio. -_-. I did fly on middle eastern airlines before (Jordan Air, Turkish Air [if u consider it to be middle eastern]) but I don’t remember them reading the du’a when travelling so I was impressed that the tv screen played the ayaat. The only contradiction to it all was that they do serve alcoholic beverages. It seems that you can’t be a totally Islamic airline, eh?

So my friends, like a hoard of them (hehe, love you guys and gals) sent me to the airport along with my family. IT WAS K.E.C.O.H.  hahaha. Good thing no teary moments coz it would have ruined my eyeliner! haha..  and guess who came?? jauh jauh dari india… sempat mat tu. heheh (thx thx taufiqah!)

Anyhoo, here are some of the pictures that were taken so far..

yes, can wait long long.

ouh ouh and I ate  cinnamon rolls on transit and they  were GOOOOOOOD… but super ex. i think i spent about 13SGD for a cinnamon roll and a frappe that is not so frappe like.

Also, thank you for those who made du’a for me and the farewell gifts and meet ups and all. See you again in 8 months inshaAllah.

BTW, just to share some ayaats that were shared to me by a group of sisters (they gave me this cute gift with the ayaat no. and names written on pegs. Great Reminders!:)

Al-Imran: 8

An-Nisaa:44

Al-Hajj:78

Al-Baqarah:285-286

Al-Mu’minun: 1-11

An-Nisaa:40

An-Nahl: 96

An-Nahl:128

At-Taubah:20

Qaf:16

Al-Kahf:10

Ar-Rum:21

Al-Mulk:1-2

[more pics will be up on FB inshaAllah!]

the snow. my forehead. God.

this would’ve been a nice [for lack of better word] experience.

i say a lil’ prayer.

these invocations were taken from Fortress of  the Muslim [mine is in a book form but you can see it online as well]

THE TRAVELLER’S INVOCATION FOR THE ONE HE/SHE LEAVES BEHIND

‘Astawdi’ukumul-laahal-lathee laa tadhee’u wadaa’i'uhu.

I leave you in the care of Allah , as nothing is lost that is in His care.

Reference: Ahmad 2/403, Ibn Majah 2/943. See also Al-Albani, Sahih Ibn Majah 2/133.

THE RESIDENT’S INVOCATION FOR THE TRAVELLER

‘Astawdi’ullaaha deenaka, wa ‘amaanataka, wa khawaateema ‘amalika.

I leave your religion in the care of Allah , as well as your safety, and the last of your deeds.

Reference: Ahmad 2/7, At-Tirmithi 5/499. See also Al-Albani, Sahih At-Tirmithi 2/155.

ameen.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH), “The supplication of every one of you will be granted if he does not get impatient and say (for example): `I supplicated my Rubb but my prayer has not been granted‘.”
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

FOURTEEN.

peace.

so far…

tickets… check!

exams… check!

course registration…check!

vaccination… check! [becoz i am a good singaporean who conforms to what the health minister said]

insurance…check!

eczema medications… check! [this burnt a hole in my already hole-y pocket.. even after subsidies]

finances… check!

return hall keys… check!

tuition fees to NTU… check!

packing… uncheck

packing… uncheck

datesssss… uncheck

freeze gym membership…uncheck

housing… uncheck

packing…uncheck

freeze SPI… uncheck

datessss… uncheck

packing…uncheck

what else? what else?

oh yeah… packing… UNCHECK.

of skinny jeans and fat luggages

peace.

when the travel agent said 46kg, 23 kg max for each bag I was like, WHATT??!! SERIOUSLY?!

you see, i’m never known for travelling light. i think i got it from my mum who kept saying that i must have extra clothes with me *just in case* something happens. so usually when I travel I’ll bring the number of sets of clothes according to the number of days that I travel. So the other time when I went travelling for about 30 days, I brought 30 sets of clothes plus some extra ones. haha… and the only ONLY time I brought less than required was during a camp and I felt really helpless coz I had to borrow some stuffs from my friends and yeahh… I don’t like it.. so now I’m gonna be away for quite awhile and 46 kg is very very uhhh a tad too light? I was wondering how am I gonna survive with little clothes???

and about skinny jeans.. (okay don’t laugh) I bought a pair of skinnies form Topshop in ’07. and I really really wanted to give them away.. coz really, I had no idea why I bought them… seriously, a hijabi in skinnies?! (no offense to those hijabis who wear skinnies) no wait.. seriously AMIRAH IN SKINNIES???!! HAHA! (ok u can stop laughing/puking/calling me a minah) so i wanted to give them away but i kept it. 1stly they cost me a BOMB. 2ndly, i was thinking to myself, you know, maybe MAYBE i might need them one day. just in case i’m gg somewhere COLD i could wear them as UNDERPANTS! yeah so good thing i didnt give them away.. but but Houston, we have a problem.. i might not be able to fit in them coz i gained 10kg since ’07 (well at least i have fats to keep meself warm frm the cold!)

so whats with fat luggages and skinny jeans? no link really. it’s just that i’m wondering what to bring over there. so for now.. i think.. i’ll bring 10 sets of clothes + 2 formals + 2 baju kurung + 2 jubah + sneakers+formal shoes+ runnng shoes (haha)+  all the other nonsense in the world.

A reminder to myself.

as taken from http://www.jannah.org/articles/letter.html

 the words in lilac were highlighted by me 

 Letter to a Muslim

Student

Sayyed Hassan Al Banna

 [Hassan al Banna was born in 1906 in Egypt into a family of scholars. In 1928, he formed Ikhwan al Muslimeen (the Muslim Brotherhood organization). This movement for the revival of Islam soon spread across Egypt and the region. In December 1948, the Muslim Brotherhood organization was suppressed and thousands of its members arrested. Hassan al Banna was spared arrest only to be assassinated in February 1949. Letter to a Muslim Student is the English translation of a letter that Hassan al Banna wrote to one of his students that was studying in the West. The sincere advice contained in this letter is drawn from the perennial values and ethos of Islam. It reminds the addressee and indeed all Muslims that the first and foremost goal in a Muslims life is to please God and live in accordance to His sacred law. Also, it brings home that studying ought not to be an end in itself or for seeking material gain. A Muslim ought to excel in his or her study in order to work for Islam and benefit humanity.] 

 My brother in Islam (who may Allah guard and protect). I praise Allah for there is no god but Him. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad, who was sent as a mercy to all of humanity, upon his family, companions and on all those who hold fast to the Shariah until the Day of Judgement.

 May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you when you travel with a proper intention and a noble purpose, and when you return with a sound endeavor and to a dedicated cause.

 May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you as you serve Islam with the finest fruits of science and the best of knowledge.

 Dearest brother, you will be amongst people you have not known before and characters you are not accustomed to. In you they will see the example of a Muslim. So make sure they see in you the best example and the finest image, in order for them to understand that the word ‘Muslim’ embodies virtue and nobility.

 With you is a precious trust, that is your righteous wife, appreciate this. Towards her be a trustworthy companion. Provide her with comfort and happiness. Share with her felicity, without being careless in acquiring your rights and negligent in performing your duties.Read these few words that are borne out of my love and sincerity for you, as an elder brother expressing for his brother and sister the best wishes and the happiest life.

 

 

1. O my brother, excel in your observance of Allah (swt) in all your dealings. Understand that He (swt) keeps watch over you, sees you and encompasses all that is of concern to you – wherever you are. He knows the treachery of your eyes and all that your heart conceals. Strive not to let Allah (swt) see you, except that He is pleased with you.

Do not be unmindful in your observance of the One (glorified and exalted is He), otherwise Satan will infiltrate you and you will be overcome by the whispers of your whims and desires. Believe, my dearest brother, that whenever a heart is conscious of Allah’s observance, it will never be approached by Satan. However, once it departs from Allah’s awareness, evil will be attracted to it and it will be inhabited by whims and desires. So, consolidate your heart with the observance of Allah and in vigil seek refuge from your surroundings and do not be among the unmindful.

2. Perform the obligatory duties which Allah has enjoined upon you, at their appointed times. Do not neglect them by relying on performing them at a later time, because you are busy with work or resorting to other excuses for justification. This is a deception of your own self and of your own whims:

 

3. Spend whatever time you can in performing supererogatory works as duties of obedience. Perform the sunna prayers. Increase your appeal for forgiveness and the praising of your Glorified Lord. Remember, that ones supplication, during travel or in expatriation, will be answered; hence, increase your supplication in secret and in humility. Continue your remembrance of Allah (swt).

The Prophet (saw) advised Ali (ra) to continuously dampen his tongue in the remembrance of Allah. Do not abandon that path which leads you to nothing but duties and obedience, they are like an investment that multiply rewards. The remembrance of Allah amongst the unmindful nations is like a shining light. So make use of this time, for it is a season to harvest the rewards of the Hereafter, only for those who wish to seize the opportunities and benefit from such seasons.

 

4.Increase your recitation of the Glorious Quran with understanding and deliberation. It is a healing for the soul and a comfort to the heart. Designate from it a portion to read at the beginning of the day and a portion to read at the end of it, hence the best beginning and the best end.

 

 

5.In the delights of life and pleasures of the world, you will see that which inclines the heart, impresses the mind, attracts the eye and bewilders those whose spirits are weak. Do not let these seduce you away from virtue and cause you to forget the Hereafter

 

6. Dearest brother, what Allah has made Haram (unlawful) for us, those people consider it as Halal (lawful) for them. Hence, when they commit a Haram (unlawful) act, they will neither feel ashamed nor will they refrain from perpetrating it. You should neither agree with their whims nor mix with them in their sins. Otherwise, you will not be relieved from having to answer before Allah (swt) and it will not hold as an excuse on the Day of Judgment.

 

7. Do not take their girls for company, and do not let there develop between you and them, any special friendship or any emotional relationship. If this kind of socializing is a sin for those other than you, then it is a sin twice as great for you and you know well the meaning of this. Although you are known to us to be one that is trustworthy and decent, I have mentioned this to you, to caution you against the downfalls of sins so that your feet may never slip. And in your chastity let there be content and in your dignity let there be adequacy.

 

8. As for alcohol, do not approach it and do not use the climate as an excuse, because when Allah made it Haram (unlawful), He had full knowledge about all types of climate but did not exclude one country from another or one nation from another from this prohibition. Allah (swt) made it forbidden with neither doubt nor exception. So be aware not to let it occupy a part of your abdomen, otherwise it will remain as a black spot on its pure skin.

Be determined as much as possible before the first drink. Because once your mind is concealed by it, you will follow it by the second and third drink, whereby you will have fallen into a pit, difficult to escape from and will have incriminated yourself and others. then, even if you expiated this sin with repentance, you would still not match your original purity and superb credibility.

9. Do not taste anything in those restaurants which serve Haram (unlawful) food, like pork and dead meat. In that which is Halal (lawful) you have a substitute and enough for contentment. So do not taste the Haram (unlawful) and do not let your flesh grow on it, otherwise fire is what it deserves. Allah (swt) has prohibited that which is impure: .

 

10. As for casinos, night-clubs, and other such places of vanity, your time is far too precious to be wasted in them. I have looked into the saying, time is made of gold, and I do not approve of it. Time is far more precious than gold, for time is life. Is it not true that your life is nothing but a few hours and you never know when they will end? Dearest brother, be stringent with your time and do not spend it except in that which is significant, and acquire pleasure in that which is lawful.

In the heavens there is calmness and on the earth there is beauty. In the gardens there is freshness and in you there is a sign. In the sea there is might and in the air there is nourishment. Take from all this comfort for your soul and recovery for your mind. And do not waste your time by being unmindful, this will shield you from good and lead you to evil.

11. Be critical, with insight, and be just and well acquainted with people. Do not let your goodness draw you to forget their bad, and their bad hurt you to forget their goodness. Rather study them as would a researcher and an examiner. Encompass with knowledge all of their affairs, and then with an eye of insight, scrutinize it all. Present back the good that you find to your people and nation, and return with it victorious and supported. Other than that, throw it back on them and do not come back until you have dusted off your hands and emptied your mind of it all.

You will find there a group of people dishonoring your Prophet (saw), faulting your Quran and disgracing your people. Do not sit with such people, until they turn to a different theme, even if it is necessary for you to enter into a dialogue with them. Argue with them in the best manner. Explain to them the good that you know and avoid controversies that lead to hatred and sedition (fitnah).

 

And follow not desire that it beguile you from the way of Allah (Sad 38: 26). Understand also my dearest brother that no one draws nearer to Allah with anything more beloved to Him than performing the obligatory duties as stated in the hadith of al-Bukhari. So be aware not to neglect your obligatory duties or feel lazy in performing them; they are Allah’s right over you. Be steadfast in prayer and perfect your fast.If you are in a state of complete inability to fast, then according to the saying of Allah (swt) you have a remission:

 

 Fasting with hardship in the homeland of the West will earn you a valuable reward and be an asset to your account; it is pleasing to your Lord and righteous to yourself. So do not attempt to break the fast, unless you are unable to complete it. I need not advise you, any further, towards your obligatory duties, after all they are your capital. Can you imagine one who has wasted his capital, what will his state be amongst tomorrow’s profit makers?

 

For those who are capable of fasting (but still do not fast) there is a redemption: feeding a needy man for each day missed. Whoever, voluntarily, does more good than is required, will find it is better for him; and that you should fast is better for you, if you only know (al-Baqara 2: 184). But be aware not to take this verse as an excuse for falling short. Do not turn your eyes covetously towards the embellishments of worldly life that We have bestowed upon various kinds of people to test them. But the clean provision bestowed upon you by your Lord is better and more enduring.

 

Enjoin Prayer on your household, and do keep observing it. We do not ask you for any worldly provision; rather, it is We Who provide you. The ultimate end is for piety (Ta Ha 20: 131-2).

 

  Be aware my dearest brother that in the sight of Allah (swt) all these pleasures weigh not even the wing of a gnat and lead neither to honor nor virtue. They are nothing but the manifestations of whims and pitfalls of seduction. So be careful not to let Satan deceive you, otherwise you will plunge into the abyss of sin and corruption.Always remember the words of Allah (swt): All pleasures brought by contemporary civilization will result in nothing other than pain. A pain that will overwhelm their enticement and remove their sweetness. So avoid the worldly aspects of these people; do not let it take over your command and deceive you, if you are to be among the successors.

 

Men are naturally tempted by the lure of women, children, treasures of gold and silver, horses of mark, cattle and plantations. These are the enjoyments in the life of this world; but with Allah lies a goodly abode to return to (Al Imran 3:14).

 

The Book of Allah recites these facts day and night. So do not be amongst those who favor the worldly life over the Hereafter, or amongst those deceived by the outward appearance of things without considering their essence. He enjoins upon them what is good and forbids them what is evil… (al-Araf 7: 157).

 

So leave that which is bad for that which is good.  Lo! You (O Mohammed) guide not whom you love, but Allah guides whom he will. And He is best aware of those who walk aright (al-Qasas 28: 56).

 

 Dearest brother, be aware that calling the people through practical example is far better than calling them through speech. It is far more fruitful and beneficial to use your commendable character, the perfection of yourself and your straight manner to defend and call them to your religion and nation. Whenever an opportunity arises for you to deliver a speech or a lecture at one of their meeting places or societies, prepare yourself for it. Choose that which will not stir disorder and that which will not offend integrity. Do not be apprehended by their stance, because Allah’s aid is with those who are sincere. Be positive and do not insult other people’s beliefs instead, elucidate to them their innate goodness and reveal to them our beliefs. By doing so, you will have adequately promoted awareness and incentive.

 

 Finally, and there is still so much for me to say and I would have loved to continue this advice with you, yet my concern is that if I prolong this discourse any more, you may forget most of what I have said; for over speaking does distract one from what is being said. For both of you then, may Allah raise you to be the best of the successors and may His safety accompany you.

 

May He protect both of you and return you in goodness, as is wishes by those who are sincere. I entrust to Allah your religion, your obligations and the outcome of your actions. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you. Ameen