"Why Do I Sin?"- Aly Zakaria

Why do I sin?

Why do I listen to that Jinn?

Why do I let him in?

Inside my head

Where he can manipulate everything

Starting with the small things

And going to the ones that are big

Khalas, it is over, I won’t let him win

So why do I sin?

Is it something within?

Is it a part of me?

A part that want to see

A part that want to experience

What is in Allah’s eyes so hideous

Khalas, it is done

I am getting out my water gun

To clean out my heart

From everything that is hurt

So why do I sin?

Looks like I am still the same

Running after this dunnia, and its fame

I turned out to be so lame

Thinking that life is just a game

But it is not

Life is a test

To find out who among us is the best

In this dunnia we are just guests

Traveling to meet the best of the best

Whose mercy covered the earth from the east to the west

Yet I still sin

But it is ok

Because with Allah’s mercy

There is still a chance that I might win

Oh Allah, you are the most forgiving

Please forgive us for forgetting

Everything to us You have given

By Aly Zakaria

Check out his blog here!

Reader Suggestions

I always read my blog suggestions box and I try to actually follow up on the post suggestions as much as possible, so please continue to suggest blog ideas and InshAllah, I will post them. A reader suggested that I ask you all to send me hijab style photos of yourself and I loved that idea!, so I ask you all to send me photos at beautyofislam1@yahoo.com. 


send me as many photos as you like as well as a little info about yourself!

Time to Catch Up

I've been away all weekend, so I did not have time to keep up with the 30 day photo challenge, but don't you worry cuz i'm about to catch up!

Day 14: Someone You Can't Imagine Your Life Without

Ummi, Ummi, Ummi! I simply love my mother. She is my other half, my protector, my everything. MashAllah, I'm so blessed to have a woman as amazing as her in my life, and I pray that Allah keeps blessing me. I could go on and on, but I'm gonna leave it at that. Alhamdulilah for mothers :)

A man once asked the Prophet to whom he should show the most kindness. The Prophet replied: “Your mother, next your mother, next your mother, and then your father.” (Sunan of Abu-Dawood) In other words, we must treat our mothers in a manner befitting their exalted position - and, again, revere the wombs that bore us.

Day 15: Something You Want to Do Before You Die

Hajj is an obligation for every able Muslim, so I pray that I have the opportunity to make hajj at least once during my lifetime. 

Day 16: Someone Who inspires you

My role model is the Prophet Muhammad pbuh. He is the example for all man kind and inshAllah everyday we should strive to do as the Prophet pbuh did.

The Prophet (pbuh) reported that shaitan said to Allah SWT: "I shall continue to lead thy servants astray as long as their spirits are in their bodies." And Allah replied: " Then I shall continue to pardon them as long as they ask for my forgiveness. [Hadith]

Day 13: Your Favorite Band or Artist

Maher Zain is currently my favorite artist. I saw him in concert a couple months ago and I was very impressed by his talent mashAllah. It's hard to find "halal" music to listen to these days and in my humble opinion I feel as though he's a good influence on those that listen to him. 

This is a photo I took of Maher Zain at the "Evening of Inspiration" concert. 

Beautiful Quran Recitation by a young boy

Cutest Quran Recitation by a little boy

Day 12: Your Favorite Memory

One of my many favorite memories is from last summer, when I went to Sudan. This photo right here was taken during an intense moment during one of the world cup games. I had so much fun spending time with my cousins (especially the little one hamoodi :))) My favorite moments were not spent doing something extravagent, it was spent at home with the family I barely ever get to see. InshAllah, next time I go to Sudan I plan on spening more time getting to know my family.

Day 11: Something You Hate

I hate stress!!! I just hate it. I hate the feeling of it, I hate the thought of it, but what I hate most is the fact that sometimes I can't even help it. I'm the type of person who is just prone to stress; I think it has to do with the fact that I worry a lot, therefore my worrying about insignificant things leads to my high level of stress. In Islam it's not good to stress, so alhamdulilah I'm trying to keep that in mind and get better at controlling my stress. I like to keep this quote in mind.."Keep Calm, and Carry On"..with Allah Guidance of course :). 

The only thing/person/jin/whatever you wanna call it, i'm allowed to hate for the sake of Allah is Shaitan. 


"Did I not ordain for you, O Children of Adam, that you should not worship Shaitân (Satan). Verily, he is a plain enemy to you." [ 36:60]

Day 10: Your Most Treasured Item

My tourquiose and gold prayer beads are my most treasured item because they were given to me by my grandmother. My grandmother is one of those people that is simply beautiful; her kindness and sweet essense fills me with joy whenever I have the honor of speaking on the phone with her. I feel so blessed to be related to such a gentle spirit like her, and these prayer beads are a gift that I hope to keep forever godwilling.

I'm Back :)

I have not really been blogging for the past couple of weeks due to my intense school work load, but I finally found a small amount of time to just lay down and do what I love to do aka blogging! To get myself back into the swing of things, I decided to jump into the 30 day photo challenge that I have missed out on for over a week now, but I'll do my best to catch up inshAllah.

Day 1: 1 Photo and 15 Facts

1) I can't cook, but I want to learn very soon iA
2) I love my three siblings---they made my childhood special <3
3) The three women in this photo are the most inspirational women in my life Alhamdulilah
4) I worry more than I should about things I can not control
5) I'm deathly afraid of all animals no matter how cute and fluffy they are
6) If you told me 2 years ago that I would be wearing the hijab in college, I would never have believed you in a bazillion years, but Alhamdulilah things worked out the way they did.
7) I'm a night person and get my work done best when everyone else is asleep
8) InshAllah, my dream is to live in the middle east for at least a small portion of my life
9) I'm really weird, random, and silly, call it what you want, but i'm happy with the way I am Alhamdulilah :)
10) quotes always explain my life perfectly 
11) The Sound of Music reminds me of my childhood and it's also one of my favorite movies
12) My pet peeve would be ego/arrogance
13) Love Arabic movies <3
14) Turquoise is my favorite color
15) I'm Sudanese and Proud! Alhamdulilah

Day 2: Person I am Closest to the Longest

Even though we had many ups and downs throughout high school, my sister has proved to be my best friend. As kids, we were pretty much inseparable and even now that we are 100 miles away from each other, I can still say that we are close (maybe even closer) than ever Alhamdulilah. I've learned throughout my life that no one can understand me better than my sister and I'm glad to have learned that listen at this point in my life. 

Day 3: Cast of Favorite TV Show

I grew up watching The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and I still watch it whenever its on t.v., even though I've seen every episode at least a dozen times. No other show is as funny as this one, and I hope they keep playing re-runs cuz I can see myself watching this with my kids lol inshAllah. 

Day 4: What I Want to Do Again

I want to go back to Sudan and have things be the way they were during the summer of 2008, but I know it can't be that way. If I had it my way, I would go back to that summer redo things in a different way---I would have spent more time with my family (especially my grandfather may he rest in peace), spent less time complaining and been more appreciative, and I would have spent more time learning about my Sudan's history as one country. 

I wish I could go back to this day and this time period in general. Second semester of freshman year was one of the best times of my life and was filled with a lot of positive changes. I made amazing friend Alhamdulilah and I am grateful for all the amazing memories I got a chance to make.

Day 5: Something I Love

I love the Quran, especially this sourat, which is Sourat Yaseen. Sourat Yaseen was the first major sourat I memorized Alhamdulilah. For some odd reason, I thought it was impossible to memorize a sourat of that length and I thought it was too big of a goal for me, but Alhamdulilah I proved myself wrong and I did what I set out to do, and along the way I also fell in love with the sourat MashAllah.

 

Day 6: A Picture That Makes Me Laugh

Okay..so I know this picture doesn't look funny to you, but to me its hilarious! This is a photo of the Islamic Student Association at my school, taken during the first couple days of Ramadan at one of our fast breakers. This photo makes me laugh because I never thought I would have gotten so close to the people in this photo and I just wanna smile every time I think about how lucky I am to have gotten to know them so well Alhamdulilah. 

Day 7: Person I Do the Silliest Things With

I know this says to choose one person, but I couldn't do that because there are about 5 people I act the silliest with, and I just happen to have the perfect photo of us on our silly adventures. This photo was taken during eid (my first eid away from home), and if it wasn't for these girls, than my eid would have not been the same at all.

Day 8: A Picture of My Hero

I can never follow the rules can I ;)...anywhoo, I chose my grandmother and my mother as my heroes. My mom came from my grandma, so of course I just couldn't choose one without also choosing the other. Both of these women are such an inspiration to me mashAllah, and I love them so much. They are my heroes and have set a great example for me on how to be the best "lady" I can be. 

Day 9: Picture of You and a Picture of the Person Who Got You Through the Most

My family has gotten me through a lot, but as I entered college I also gained a new family. This is a photo of me and one of my sisters at my home away from home. This girl is amazing mashAllah, she is absolutely beautiful inside and out; she helped me make it through so many obstacles as my life was changing and she inspired me to want to be the best Muslimah. All I can say is MashAllah TabarakAllah, cuz I don't wanna do her the slightest bit of harm, but I love here to death. One more thing...Wiwi and Riri for life haha

I've been having continuous nightmares for months now and they have the same theme, what do I do?

My Week long Motto

"Just do your best, than let Allah take care of the rest"

These days I feel so stressed out, and school just started one week ago. How sad is that? I hate being stressed out, especially when this should be my time to relax and get myself together before things get really hectic. You know how people say that stress is not good for you, in a way I feel like it's not completely horrible because it's teaching me how to deal with life when it gets super hectic. InshAllah, in less than a week everything will go back to normal and I can get back to my regular schedule and resume life stress free. 

Vela Clothing

After being contacted by Vela Clothing, I took a look at their site and was pleasantly surprised at the great quality clothing they had to offer mashAllah. I especially liked the wedding dresses and purses they displayed on the site. Take a look :)

One of their goals was to provide "high quality clothing," as they were inspired by the elegance of Turkish women. The Turkish woman's style did not quite fit the UK atmosphere, so pieces such as the long coat were re-done and remade to fit the UK woman. "Simplicity" was a major aspect that was kept in mind during the development of this clothing line. Vela features scarves, hand bags, occasion sandals, abayah coats, and wedding dresses, emphasizing elegance and class.

Pink Tafeta Wedding Dress

Helen of Troy Wedding Dress

I wanna study abroad. Where should I go?

P.s. I wanna travel somewhere in the Middle East :)

Quote OD

"God doesn't give you the people you want. He gives you the people you need. To hurt you, to love you, to teach you, to break you, to turn you into the person you’re supposed to be."

Maher Zain - Awaken

Be Careful What You Expose Yourself To

Reflection

Allah guides whom he wills period

"Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future"

-Oscar Wilde

I BELIEVE

I haven't posted anything in a couple days..shocking I know. I just moved into school again yesterday and I'm just getting settled in, but soon inshAllah I'll have some time to squeeze in posts. With my busy schedule, I'll be lucky to have time to breath but I shall try to have a life this semester God willing. Anywho... today I was inspired by this photo and it's caption, I pray you will become inspired as well. 

I Am Inspired By Muhammad

I discovered this fantastic site mashAllah, and I think it's time I introduce you to inspired by mohammad. Check it out, you won't regret it!

 

 

 

The Forbidden Love By Kamal el-Mekki

It May Be Broken, but It Is Still My Country

  As the deadline for the decision on Sudan's fate approaches, I feel many emotions. For the longest time I've learned about Sudan's issues; the north vs. the south, but I never thought that I would be here witnessing my country's division. I left Sudan when I was five years old, but I've gone back to visit many times and during those visits I developed a strong bond with the land and it's people. It hurts me to know that so many lives were lost as a result of war and now it's as though those lives were lost for nothing. My uncle died in Sudan's civil war 17 years ago and whenever the division is brought up in a conversation or shown on television, I can see the sadness in my mother's eyes. Her brother gave up his life for his country, but he didn't sacrifice his life for Sudan to be broken into two. Some say that the only way to achieve peace is through separation, but I just can't get myself to believe that they have finally come to a final conclusion as tremendous as this.

"Mothers Love for Sudan" by Joi Wilson

 After witnessing the discrimination and racism displayed towards the Southern Sudanese citizens, in a way, I don't blame them for wanting to leave. The Sudanese government, which is majorly run by Arab Northerners has been extremely unfair towards the Southerners and they have imposed on them many laws that are utterly ridiculous. Besides displaying prejudice and racism towards the Southern Sudanese citizens, the government has left the majority, whether residing in Khartoum or in Juba, in complete poverty. The Southerners cannot find jobs to help feed their families, and the Sudanese government is not aiding in any manner what so ever.

  A long time ago, people had high hopes for Sudan; they saw the promise of coexistence in a country where both Muslims and Christians, as well as Arabs and Africans resided together. Now, as the almost definite division approaches, it's evident that, that dream was only an "illusion"; a dream that would never become a reality. I remember when I was in elementary school, the other kids would always ask me, "where are you from?" I would answer, "I'm from Sudan." They would than ask me, "Where's that?" I would reply,"it's in the north and it's the biggest country in Africa." I would never forget to mention that it was the biggest country Africa; I don't know why, but at the time I held so much pride in the fact that Sudan was the largest in Africa, but now all of that doesn't matter to me anymore. The size of the land is not the issue of the matter; the issue is that the people are going to be divided and it's heartbreaking to have that occur.

I Am Freedom

It's going to take a lot of time for me to get used to the idea of there being a Northern and a Southern Sudan. When I was in Sudan in 2010 I took a trip to the market to buy my friends little artifacts to bring back as gifts. Many of the market vendors would insist on selling me maps of Sudan; they would tell me to hurry up and buy a map of Sudan united before the division in January. Even hearing about the separation from the mouths of Sudanese people was not enough to convince me. I was sure that they would fix their problems, and the country would continue on the way it has for years. I was wrong; Sudan will not go on the way it has, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. I have hopes that maybe Sudan, both the north and south, will prosper and develop into better nations than they have ever been in the past.

To read more on the conflict in Sudan, go to Sudan: History of a Broken Land

Modest Inspiration

Coat: Oasis, Dress: A Wear

Vintage Trousers

Dress: Maria Lucia Hohan  featured: Louise E.

Ms Judgments

I love love love this video. It's absolutely brilliant and in just under a minute, it makes its point that thou shall not judge!

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."  -Mother Theresa

One of my least favorite words that I hear thrown around oh so much is the term judgmental. Sometimes I feel like the whole world is judgmental and on top of that, everyone claims to be the victim. I know I'm not the one to be speaking because I know I've judged people in my lifetime, both knowingly and not knowingly, but I'm trying to get rid of that horrible habit. By constantly claiming to be the victim, you're never going to grow as a person and as a human being, it's okay to make mistakes. I challenge you to go one entire day without passing one single judgment; neither thinking nor making any comment that would be considered judgmental. Let me know how your experience goes!

Quick Hijab Tutorial

 

A reader requested that I post more hijab tutorials, so here's one I loved. I hope you love it too InshAllah.

Innocent

I guess you really did it this time
Left yourself in your warpath
Lost your balance on a tightrope
Lost your mind tryin' to get it back

Wasn't it easier in your lunchbox days?
Always a bigger bed to crawl into
Wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything?
And everybody believed in you?

It's all right, just wait and see
Your string of lights is still bright to me
Oh, who you are is not what you've been
You're still an innocent

There's some things you can't speak of
But tonight you'll live it all again
You wouldn't be shattered on the floor now
If only you could see what you know now then

Wasn't it easier in your firefly-catchin' days?
And everything out of reach, someone bigger brought
down to you?
Wasn't it beautiful runnin' wild 'til you fell asleep?
Before the monsters caught up to you?

Time turns flames to embers
You'll have new Septembers
Everyone of us has messed up too

Lives change like the weather
I hope you remember
Today is never too late to
Be brand new

Who you are is not what you did
You're still an innocent

Lost your balance on a tightrope
It's never too late to get it back

- Taylor Swift

These lyrics make me cry; they are a testimony to the lives of anyone who has ever felt like they are no longer innocent because of their past. I know what it feels like to have regrets that constantly haunt me. It's good to feel remorse, but it's also important to know that Allah is the most forgiving and if you become so engulfed in our past you can't move forward. Your past does not define who you are now. 

Maintaning Hijab Hair

Now How many times has this happened to you? Tell the truth! haha I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've left my hijab on when it was just me and a few other girls all because my hair was in not so good condition. I also can't tell you how many times I've kept my hijab on when it was just me..alone..in a room... all by myself. Yes ladies, it's gotten that bad lol. I'm happy to say that there is a solution to this issue. As mahajabah's, sometimes we let ourselves go and we begin to carry the mindset that our hair doesn't need to be groomed because it's not visible. This negligence towards our hair will catch up to us one day, as we can't always have our hijabs on; it's not fair to ourselves.

Hijab Hair Tips:

Do Not put your hijab on when your hair is wet---your hair & your hijab will smell bad and your hair will frizz

• Wear your hair up in a high, but loose bun to lift your roots and avoid flat hair

•  Do Not tie your hair up with a tight hair band----tie your hair using a scrunchy or a loose band (never use elastic!), otherwise you will notice your hair falling out.

• Wear a different hair style every once in a while. Instead of using a hair band, use bobby pins to tie your hair. 

• Avoid straightening your hair or blow drying it

•  Do Not wear a tight head band underneath your hijab---this can slow down the circulation in the scalp causing hair loss, dandruff, and oil production. 

• Wear hijabs that are season appropriate. If your wearing heavy pashmina's during the summer, your scalp will sweat, which is not good. 
• Massage your scalp everyday and leave your hair down the majority of the time your at home.

When at home, wear your hair in a high, but loose bun as stated in the hijab hair tips