Her Precious...

Asalamu ailakuam wa rahmatullah wa barkatoo.


Guest post today by sister Ria. She shares with us the story of the year she lost everything...

Over one a half years ago, I felt like I lost everything. I lost a man that I planned to marry, I was sad not because of he was dead, but because the timing, it was so close to the date and I felt like my dreams was vanished (well, we are woman, a bit dramatic). And friends asking how I feel over and over didn’t make me better. A month after, a huge earthquake hit my city, I lost my business. We got no electricity and water. I have to do the laundry down to the hard flowing river, and take the clothes back up. And my visible skin (face and hands) got so dark, I felt like a zebra. We slept literally outside the house on a mat because earthquake still came to shock us, and to see half parts of the city were destroyed, we didn’t want to be in the house for too long before the contractors said it was safe. So, yes, I felt like I lost everything. I didn’t have money on my own, beauty, comfort, and exact future plan, also if it can be said ‘love’, I lost a loved one too.

Interesting to remember how I didn’t cry much, pretending to be so stupidly strong and act like I could handle everything. More interesting is at that time, I felt like I lost everything so it was a perfect time for me to really practice the theory “happiness is a choice”, “sadness is merely a concept”. Feeling that I have another thing to fight for, my future and my sanity. Everybody was worried about me, even I heard my mother cried to my father, “I’m afraid Ria will go crazy, this is too hard for her”, and listening to my father’s answer really lift up my self esteem, “I raised her to be strong, she is not a weak woman“. There’s nothing we have is truly ours I learned it the hard way. But alhamdulillah, at least I still learned something Allah has been too kind.

That’s why I am so attached to this lecture, the lesson that I learned from it just beyond amazing. Please do watch,



I quote from this lecture,
The statement of Umar bin Khattab r.a, when were tested we were grateful for 3 things,
1. This trial wasn’t in our deen.
2. This trial is not as great as it could have been
3. that Allah subhana wa taala allowed us to be patient in that trial.

In my place, there is a place where there in un-exposed war between two major religions in our country. Not everybody knows it, but we do. It is hard to be a muslim there, I don’t have to explain, I’m sure you know about Palestine, that’s how it looks like. I don’t think my iman is strong enough if I was to be faced with choices to defend my life or defend my religion, astaghfirullah. And that time, I kept reminding myself, this is not that hard, I can get through this.

Few days after the earthquake, we came to know that there was a man, he had 4 children and all of them died. He only found 2 of their bodies. It makes me sad, to know what happened to him, he is now in mental hospital and I am grateful that what happened to me was not that hard. May Allah make his wife strong and grant him with recovery.

It was hard, but I am grateful that I didn’t put myself into traps that will make everything worse. I am grateful that my family was stronger during that time and really being supportive to each other. Allah subhana wa taala had made it easy for me to be strong, stronger than everybody thought I could be.

This morning, I was reminded by the lecture again. A facebook page shared this story.

Al-Hasan ibn Arafah narrated, “I visited Imâm Ahmad ibn Hanbal after he was whipped and tortured. I said to him, “O Abu Abdillâh, you have reached the station of the Prophets!” He said, “Keep quiet. Verily, I saw nothing more than people selling their Dîn. And I saw scholars that were with me sell their Faith.
So I said to myself, ‘Who am I, what am I. What am I going to say to Allâh tomorrow when I stand in front of Him and He asks me, “Did you sell your Dîn like the others did?” So I looked at the whip and the sword and chose them.


And I said, “If I die I shall return to Allâh and say: ‘I was told to say that one of Your Characteristics was something created but I did not.’ After that, it will be up to Him – either to punish me or forgive me.”


Al-Hasan ibn Arafah then asked, “Did you feel pain when they whipped you?” He said “Yes, I felt the pain up to 20 lashes then I lost all feeling (They whipped him over eighty times). After it was over I felt no pain and that day I prayed Dhuhr standing.”


[In fact he prayed as the blood soiled his clothes.]


Al-Hasan ibn Arafah started weeping when he heard what had happened. Imâm Ahmad questioned him, “Why are you crying? I did not lose my Îman. After that why should I care if I lose my life.”

Goosebumps and waterworks… This is very inspiring ♥

Alhamdulillah wa syukur bini’matillah, I do not lose my iman. May Allah subhana wa taala make it easy for us not to have deep attachment to this world,not to love this world too much because real life is later in Hereafter.

Make dua for me people! Much love! ♥

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Guest Post: The Bazaar Ordeal

Guest writer from  Aeesha's Recital shares her "Bazaar Ordeal", a post written with her trademark spunk and humor, but with an eye opening lesson at the end and a question for each of us... Enjoy!

The bazaar ordeal.

I have in recent times been going out a great deal with my friends and family which is so against my mood. I don’t like going out this much. Especially when what we’re buying is sabzi for the kitchen or kursian for our lounge, or soap holders for the bathrooms. Anyhoo. So, Lahore is the place and man, this city is FULL of desi bazaars. Unlike Karachi. Yep!

Since, I wear a Niqab now, going to malls and open markets is a different experience and feeling altogether. There have been a variety of happenings I recently had to face because I wrap up a piece of cloth around my face. Just. That.
Imagine?!

Here we go. I’ll come to the point without much blabbering.

a) The beggar-illa force. They hop about from around everywhere and land right on your head each time you take your wallet out and are about to pay the bills. Their eye is always on the chutta.Chutta is change. If you don’t understand Urdu. =/ The funny part is, unlike before, now when an in the pink lady-beggar comes to ask for some ‘favor’ they always drop emotional Islamic statements such as:

‘Baji… Thori meherbani kero, Allah tumhe Hajj aur Umrah karae. Medinay ki sair karae.’
(Sister, please do some favor, Allah will let you attain the bliss of Hajj and Umrah and Medinah!) Ha ha. This looks comical in English. Please, contribute a better translation.

At first, I used to go all 0_0 on this and would readily plunge a 10, 20 rupay ka note in their hungry hands. But then, after wasting thousands and thousand of rupees (I’m such an exaggerator!) I realized, these are mere words and tricks to delve into something Allah has strictly forbidden.

Narrated Ibn `Umar: I heard Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) while he was on the pulpit speaking about charity, to abstain from asking others for some financial help and about begging others, saying, "The upper hand is better than the lower hand. The upper hand is that of the giver and the lower (hand) is that of the beggar."
(Reference: 2509. Book 24. Volume 2. Bukhari.)

So. It’s sad, and at the same time irritating. And funny.

b) I have about 8, 9 head scarf and I am always looking for shops where I can get easy to wear and instant (I say) Niqabs for myself. So far. No luck. Tsk tsk.

And gloves! My hands are so darn small, I never find my size. =/ Kher. Each time, I step into a shop like a thieve, keeping one eye on my shopping partners so that I may fly out like a bat man as soon as my sensors detect them coming near because sadly, people who encircle me think investments in Niqabs and Hijabs is a waste of money. Lol. And the other one, on the items which are always so nice. AND EQUALLY EXPENSIVE. So, me buying anything from such outlets is a very spontaneous action. I haven’t had much good fortune so far, please pray excessively for me. =P

c) The most tragic part. We went to liberty, yesterday. Um. It’s a sasta (cheap) shopping place. People from all sorts of manmade categories are found in there. From elites, to upper and lower mediocres, and stags who come just to stare at ladies' youknowwhat, and aha, the flavor in the bundle, beggars. I stayed in the market for the duration between Zuhr ‘til Maghrib. I offered my Asar in a very inconvenient seat in a wedding costumes shop and then Maghrib on my way back home in the car. I am not scatterbrained of my prayers and I am very proud of it. If you are, then all my prayers are with you, because dear reader, by missing a prayer, you have no idea the trouble you are asking for.
The mall, filled with women, 95 percent of them not wearing anything over their heads.

For them:
http://littlebluesecrets.blogspot.com/2011/01/one-sacred-order.html

70 percent of them, with unpleasant dressing that even I felt embarrassed and humiliated looking at them. 50 percent of them generously giving full fledge privilege to the men to check’em’out, ya’know. Bullcrap?

And about 99 percent of them (as far as my vision was stretched) not offering any prayers. *sigh* My heart was throbbing at the condition. Excruciating with pain. At once, I lost my grip on the ground just because of the thought that I am walking in the course of these people. I am actually within them. Their condition is worst. Astaghfirulla. 

But there was this lady. Wearing a dull grey abaya with a black Niqab. No embroidery. No glitz. No glamour. Just when the Muezzin began with the Azan, she had a water bottle with her with half litre water or so. She asked her associate to pour some of it in her hand and with it she did the Wudhu. I couldn’t stop looking at her. I wanted my sisters, my friends, the whole Ummah especially, the girls, to be like her. Within the men, she stood, offering Namaz. Not caring what others would think of it. And besides her, not even a single lady, NOT EVEN A SINGLE MAN, took any inspiration.

Ina Lillah Wa Ina Elaehi Rajioon.

I have composed this post in a very dubious manner. Um. I don’t know if I have explained my point skillfully or not. But, to put everything to boot, it’s heart breaking to see people so much lost in the razzle dazzle of the world that they have completely forgotten the purpose of their existence. If you’re reading this, and struggling for being a better Muslim/ Muslimah, please struggle with 2x speed and make people around you follow what’s best for them. With love or with detestation. Just do it. We’re running out of time. We really are.

You wanna know what I mean? Visit a bazaar.

O humans! What has made you careless concerning your Lord, the Most Generous? [Holy Quran, 82:6]

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For the original post: http://littlebluesecrets.blogspot.com/2011/02/bazaar-ordeal.html

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Feature Article - C.H.A.N.G.E.S

Assalamu alaikum sisters.

The Little Aunties are proud to present our first guest feature article. Written by the one and only 'Lil Shireen'

Lil Shireen is a loving twenty-year-old who has a refined combination of humour and craziness with a passion for poems and paints. As Allah Ta'ala's 'Limited Edition' Lil Shireen gives advice which amazes and enthralls.

C.H.A.N.G.E.S!

Now that Ramadan has gone…. Guess who's back? Bravo! You got it. Shaytaan, or as I like to put it…..Mr. Enemy… And he isn’t just back. He’s back with a vengeance… This time, he’s here to stay for ELEVEN months! So what are we going to do? We all know the level of self control we had just a few days ago. Well, in my case it is below the average level of course! :P But seriously, when we do some study or a project, we have a structured format of how to go about doing things in order to achieve the maximum level of success. Now in our mission on remaining steadfast for rest of the months coming along, we need to do proper planning so that our competitor (shaytan) does not get away with what he wants of us. So what we really need to do is create some C.H.A.N.G.E.S in our life and STAY on them.

C – Cut down on sins
H – Have trust in the Will of Allah
A – Actions! Actions, action….
N – Never lose hope in the mercy of Allah
G – Growth of Emaan
E – Engaging in Good deeds
S – Self control

Cut down on the sins – Now, this is what I find really fascinating; because I am sure all of us are really capable of just bringing about that much needed change in a way that would leave the devil depressed for ages. There is nothing as reducing sins and eventually giving up. We have to strive every single day....every single hour. The truth is, every few hours we turn to Allah and ask Him in our prayers, in surat Al-Fatiha, to keep us on the straight path.Why? Because it’s a life long battle.

Now, I know that ‘cutting down our sins’, isn’t exactly the most easiest thing out there. Obviously, we do not have a ‘’click’’ button in us to suddenly change our avatars or our habits. It would take time, it would take a lot of self control and ( since I don’t want to make all of this sound very flowery), the things is we will be thrown the temptations of doing those sins again in our faces over and over again.

But we can do it- how? Simple ways: keeping ourselves busy, making good religious friends, deleting certain individuals off facebook, etc. Each one of us knows what we’re doing wrong and how to cut it.We just got to get up and do it.

The fundamental thing we have to do is realize that the sins don’t happen by themselves. At the end of the day, we know it is our Decision. None can compel us to do bad or otherwise. We just have to ask ourselves- what is it that we really wish to do, go ahead with our whims and desires, or please our Lord?

*Wait, before you answer that, let me remind you that whatever benefits this world has to offer us stands nowhere in comparison with what our Lord has to offer you, LOL*. Now answer that…

Don’t you want to please your Lord- the One who Loves you? Don’t you want to quit doing something that He hates because He’s been so kind to you?

Remember, the only one who hates us to the level of wanting to see us in hell is our enemy and he is not even that hidden, we have to fight it out and show who actually is the boss :D

Have Trust in the Will of Allah - The next important thing to keep in mind is trust in Allah’s Will. I will tell you that in the next 11 months, you will probably face some problems. You will probably find somethings happening to you that you didn’t want to happen….but you have to have trust in His Will.

What do I mean by that? Be okay with everything? Even if something really terrible happens in our life? And, still have hope in Him? Isn’t that a bit too much? Nope, it isn’t!

See, I know these sort of questions really pop-up in our heads sometimes, especially when something which we did not want to happen takes place, but the answer for all these just depends on one criterion: How much do we love Allah? Do we love him enough to trust His decisions in our life? If yes, then no matter what situation we land up in, we would just not lose trust in Him. The reality is that we don’t know what’s best for ourselves- He does. Whatever He brings us, He brings us out of His Mercy and Wisdom and His desire to see us reach jannah! “Failing to pass your driver’s test” for example might just be Allah’s way of protecting you from a really bad accident….His Will is always for the Best..

Actions to be initiated – As I said earlier, everyone knows what their ‘sin’ is and what they have to deal with…We also know what other good deeds we should be doing - but it’s not enough to just make a really good long-term profitable plan and just keep it in our heads. We can’t really do just that, can we? So once we’ve realized that we want to change, just keeping it as a thought would not really help us. Actions are what really make a plan successful. We have to break it down to small steps and big goals and we have to keep checking our progress. Of course, it’s exactly when we are trying to implement these changes in our lives, that shaytan may just find a perfect opportunity to come and distract us from doing something good. He will try his best to make us procrastinate any good deed planned. Then, again it is our will in the end and we have to really believe in ourselves to initiate those actions.

Never Lose Hope in the Mercy of Allah – Firstly, how can we do it when we are instructed never ever to do it? Few of us are used as a primary target of shaytan’s multi-sins plan, he makes us believe that we have done so much bad that there is no way on this earth that Allah can forgive us. He makes us think that our evil deeds are greater than the mercy of Allah…Unfortunately, sometimes we fall into this very evil and sneaky trap of his—we start thinking ‘no point in stopping our sins..we’ll never be forgiven….hey, maybe we should even stop doing any good”.

You know what this all translates to? A big time party for shaytan..

The truth couldn’t be any further. He is Allah, the one who has given you life out of nothingness, don’t you think He would not love what He has created? Remember, HE chose for His Mercy to prevail over His wrath- don’t you think He would forgive you then? Doesn’t He come down every night and ask if there is anyone who wants to repent? Do you still think you don’t have a shot?

Growth of Emaan – Ensuring this is a bit tricky, especially with the mood swings we girls go through *cough* sometime of the month *cough* or then again maybe it is just me :P Emaan also needs renewal because it fades away, sometimes too quick or sometimes a bit slow. To ensure the growth of it we will have to sit down and see what is it that really enhances or grows our Emaan, is it some blog? *ahem* or some video on Youtube? Some particular speaker? Some reading of Qur'an? Mention of Allah’s attributes? Some good Islamic show? Going to a halaqah? Etc. Whatever it is, we have to make some effort and care for our Emaan. We must just get to know the ways with which even if there’s no growth, then at least we can maintain the level of Emaan we currently hold.

Engaging in Good Deeds – Yes, we know Ramadan is over, so the current stock market of the ‘’Sawaab’’is not really at its peak for another few months. So we do not really have a lot of motivating reasons for engaging ourselves in doing good deeds. But this thing about Islam is so beautiful that leave alone doing a good deed, even when we think of it we have some sawaab transferred in our account. (but by this I am no way suggesting that we should just think of good deeds :P and be at ease with our akhirah) we must of course engage ourselves in it, even if it means bringing water to every family member of ours who comes from outside or teaching somebody a thing or two about Islam, or even if it is giving charity and we know we don’t have to have money to give charity :P our smile to our brother itself is like doing charity. And if you have a brother like mine, then trust me it REALLY is a charity ;)

Self Control – This is the area where I myself need about a million tonnes of motivation. But there is one fact which can really help us in maintaining those high-standards of self-control. The knowledge that Allah is watching, and the way this knowledge effects our hearts. For few of us, it may not effect at all. Few might be a bit aware, and few might just avoid every evil because of that knowledge. Which category of these people do we fall in? Sometimes we have to ask ourselves those tough questions which we tend to avoid most of the times, ‘’What if Allah takes away my life doing this particular sin?’’, ‘’What would I say when he asks me why I was doing this’’, ‘’Would HE my creator, be pleased with me if I do it?’’, ‘’When my master despises something, How can I desire it?’’ Let us try doing self-assessments from time-to-time to analyse the level of self-control we hold and what we are doing to reach up to the level of standards created by our previous pious predecessors. I think we can do this, I believe we can, actually. Let’s hold our heads high and do some amazing job at being a Muslim.

You can come back anytime with the progress of your C.H.A.N.G.E.S and no, you don’t really have to show it in some excel sheet or complex graphs :P .. Just write us a line or two and we’d be SO happy for you <3

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