"The Optimist's Creed" by Christian D. Larson

Promise yourself...
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them. 
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best. 
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile. 
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble

I've learned that...

No one's perfect; some people are just really good at hiding their flaws. Although some one may appear to be flawless, their not. It's only a matter of time before they reveal who they truly are. I appreciate a persons flaws; it allows me to feel more comfortable around the person because they are humble as a result of their imperfections. When a person addresses the fact that they aren't perfect, it allows them to be more vulnerable around me and our connection can therefore grow stronger. Until than, I'll be patiently waiting...

Never Lose Hope

"Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent." ~Marilyn vos Savant

Back to Reality

Thanksgiving break is over and unfortunetly i'm back to school again, but on the bright side I don't have to work for hours on end at that horrible horrible job so let me just say Alhamdulilah for that :). Finals week is next week and oh my God I can't explain how nervous I am. It's the third time I've had to take finals in college, but I still don't feel prepared for the week to come. I'm so not looking forward to the endless hours of studying and lack of sleep, but what I am looking forward to is winter break and the spring semester! I feel like next semester I can finally focus on my major and work towards my goal of attaining an BA International Affairs degree. InshAllah next year great things await me as well as great obstacles, but God willing I will make it and persevere. I won't be blogging for a while because I have lots of studying to do, but i'll be back as soon as I have time InshAllah :).

p.s. make duaa for me. I need it :)

So Much Wasted Time

I know it's not exactly good to admit this, but i'm really good at wasting time. You know how I know that? I know that because I've been doing it everyday for at least the past two weeks. I think I need to find something else to be good at seriously. It's time I start taking control of time, not allowing time to take control of me. Yes there are only 24 hours in a day, but imagine the possibilities if I were to use each of those hours in a productive manner. This is easier said than done though and I know i'm gonna have an extremely difficult time trying to develop better time management skills, but I'm ready. Through Allah anything is possible! 

Ibn Abbas narrated that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said:
"There are two blessings which many people lose: (They are) health and free time for doing good." (Bukhari 8/421)

Oh You Fancy Huh?

You know what makes me smile and tingle all over? The sight of a beautifully put together fancy going-out outfit. There are so many elegant outfits out there, but as hijabis we need to put a little more effort in to make them look hijab approved. Long Dresses and skirts are definitely options we need to take advantage of because nothing is more modest than a loose dress. Don't be afraid to accessorize your hijab or accessorize period! Keep it simple though; If you are going to accessorize your hijab keep the rest of your outfit simple, or vise versa. Anyways, I came across these fancy hijabi photos and I would like to share them with you :)

Every girl should own at least one pink item in her closet. This
color is so girly, but also sophisticated and the jewelry on her
wrists and on her hijab make for a beautiful exotic look.

Have you ever tried placing pearls in your hijab? Neither have I, but
after seeing this look I definitely will. This piece along with the others
is a Rizalman Ibrahim design. check him out!

The earrings and the jewel embellishment on the arms of the dress make for
a very pretty look. 

I love this shade of blue and the matching scarf.  The scarf tied back
along with the turtle neck is a very good modest style option.

This reminds me of the perfect hijab beach
dress because of the flow of the silky dress.

I don't know if I would go shopping in this outfit,
but this is a beautiful going out to dinner/party outfit.

"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous" - Coco Chanel

Importance of Fajr Prayer

“The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrites are salaat al-’isha’ and salaat al-fajr, but if they only knew what they contain, they would come even if they had to crawl.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, al-Musnad, 2/424; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 133)

The Blessings of the Muslim Ummah ❤

  SubhanAllah..I feel so happy right now! I have so much joy inside of me; I just want to share it with the whole world. I wish everyone out there could experience the happiness I feel right now. MashAllah, this amazing Ummah I've been blessed to be a part of has led me to truly see the beauty Islam has to offer. Who ever thought that I could find Islam at it's best in this small town, but Allah is the greatest and through Him anything is possible.
  I wonder all the time what my life would have been like had I decided to not come to this university. Something inside of me tells me that I would not be where I am today, but Allah knows best. One thing for sure though, is that Allah chooses whom he guides and I feel so blessed that he chose to place good company in my life Alhamdulilah! In Sourat Al-Fatir (The Angels) Allah SWT says, "Verily, Allâh sends astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills." (35:8)

Rasulullah (saw) taught his companions by saying, “Shall I tell

you a thing by which you can obtain good in this world and the

Hereafter?”

*Be with the assemblies of those who remember Allah (swt).

*Be busy in remembrance of Allah (swt) when you are alone.

*Be in the gatherings wherein knowledge of Islam and Qur’an is

taught.

*Be with those whose love is for the sake of Allah (swt).

*Be with those whose dislike is for the sake of Allah (swt).

Sami Yusuf - Allahu Allah

Sami Yusuf is freakin amazing. I love this nasheed so much

Eid Al Adha

Asalamualaykum! I hope you all had a fabulous Eid Al Adha, because I definitely did. This was my first eid away from home and I still had an amazing time. My Eid started off a little shaky, but Alhamduililah it got much better. I made it to Eid prayer on time (Alhamdulilah!), went shopping, and ate out with some of the most beautiful people I have ever met. Here are some of the photos!

Me and my girls in our Eid clothes.
Hijab: Charming Charley
Wide legged Jeans, brown leather belt, and stripped top:
Espirit 

Featured: Usman, wearing his traditional
Pakistani Eid wear

Featured: Waleed, in his 
traditional Pakistani cultural clothing for Eid. 

All the girls together mashAllah

Eid 2010 will never be forgotten InshAllah


Photos courtesy of Abir H. Ibrahim 

Day of Arafah

  I hope everyone had the opportunity to take advantage of the day of Arafah as we know that fasting on this day "expiates for two years, one prior and one forthcoming" [Muslim, Abu Dawud, Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah] This is highly recommended (mustahabb) and if you missed out this year, inshAllah next year you'll be able to fast and gain all the blessings this day has to offer.
  The Prophet (pbuh) said, "The best of supplications are those on the Day of Arafah." [Tirmidhi, Ahmad, Malik]  The Day of Arafah is one of the days where duaas (supplications) are more likely to be accepted, so this day weights very heavily in blessings. I pray that Allah SWT answers all the duaas we make today and accepts our fasts Ameen.

laa ilaaha ill-Allah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahul-mulk wa lahul-hamd, yuhii wa yomit wa huwa ala kulli shayin qadeer

Malaysian/ Indonesian Islamic Fashion

Malaysia is quickly transforming into the epicenter of hijab fashion in the Islamic world. Some of the best hijab styles have arisen from Asia, in particular Malaysia and Indonesia. Malaysian and Indonesian traditional use of vibrant colors and patterns are beautiful, inspiring, and widen the modest wear field for many women. This type of hijab fashion is not afraid to step outside of the modesty box and to explore different styles. 

To see more Indonesian hijab fashion check out hijab scarf

Hijab Look: Soothing Turquoise

I decided to try something new and take pictures of my day to day outfits. I normally don't do this, but this is a challenge for me to try out new styles that I normally don't wear. That being said, the scarf is my favorite piece out of this outfit; the turquoise and green are really beautiful together and make for a more well put together outfit! Turquoise is one of my favorite colors and when I woke up this morning, I based the rest of my outfit around this scarf, not the other way around. 

Surat Al-Qiyamah (The Rising Of The Dead, Resurrection)

SubhanAllah! Life is so short, and yet we still continue to take it for granted. This surah is a remarkable reminder of that day when our ears, hands, mouth, everything will testify against us. I urge all of you (myself included) to take this sourah as a warning to make changes and repent before its too late. 

Turkish Hijab Style

I love the Turkish hijab style! It's sophisticated essence is perfect if you're trying to go for the "fancy" look or just an everyday casual style. Women in Turkey are known for their distinct style and this style is very easy to pull off. Look for a square shaped scarf, (it can be silk or polyester), fold it into a triangle, pin it underneath your chin, than wrap it in which ever style you like. 

Advice:
- wear a bonnet cap or a small scarf underneath your hijab to keep your hair from peaking out in the front. 

Vela Scarves has some of the most beautiful scarves I've seen. Check out their site!

My day just got better...I LOVE QUOTES

I just discovered my newest obsession thanks to my sister in Islam (who shall remain anonymous ;)) and of course it had to be a website (like I needed another site to distract me!) Here are some of the quotes I got, Enjoy iA :)

Hypocrisy (Nifaq)

The Prophet (PBUH) said, "The signs of a hypocrite are three:
Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie.
(Whenever he promises, he always breaks it (his promise).
If you trust him, he proves to be dishonest. (If you keep something as a trust with him, he will not return it. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Even if Your Sins Reach the Clouds

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, says, ‘O son of Adam, as long as you call on Me, I shall forgive you of what you have done, and think nothing of it. O son of Adam, even if your sins were to reach up to the clouds in the sky, and then you were to ask for My forgiveness, I would forgive you and think nothing of it. O son of Adam, even if you were to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth, and then you were to meet Me after death, not worshiping anything besides Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as the earth.’” [Tirmidhi]


Commentary: "Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) loves it when people ask Him to forgive their sins. He is overjoyed with their repentance, since He hates to punish anybody. At the slightest excuse He washes people’s sins away. The only condition is that the human being must truly regret in his/her heart that they did what they did. The sinner should be ashamed of their misdeeds, and discontinue committing such sins. If the resolve to avoid the sin is not there then one has not actually repented.In this hadith, Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) tells us that no matter how many a person’s sins are, should they even reach the sky in heaps, Allah would forgive the sinner if they were to turn to Allah in repentance. In a different hadith, the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) told us that Allah’s bounty is so vast that He would actually convert all the sins into good deeds, should the person truly repent. We should not postpone repenting of our sins and reforming ourselves to when we become old, since nobody knows when they will die."


Alhamdulilah! Never have I ever been so blessed to be a sinner. Being a sinner is not always a bad thing because it gives you the chance to repent. Sinning gives you an opportunity to be close to Allah SWT and to be humble once again in front of Him. I'm not advocating you to go out and do wrong, but when you do sin, remember to always repent because Allah loves it when His servants plead for His forgiveness.