Beautiful Mosques Around the World

I want to travel the world, and see all the wonders it has to offer. InshAllah one day, I hope to pray in all of these mosques, starting with Masjid Al Haram.

 Saudia Arabia

 United Arab Emirate

 Brunei

Egypt

Turkey

 Malaysia

Russia

“Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.” - Kahlil Gibran

SubhanAllah, why does it have to take a calamity for us to realize that it is Allah who is the greatest? During my short journey in this life thus far, I have seen many people fall to ego and the tricks of shaitan. As human beings, we go throughout our lives, in particular during our youth, thinking that we are in fact the greatest and that we are invincible, but when we are nearing death, it hits us that we are nothing but flesh and bones.
 A person very dear to me battled ego and arrogance throughout their life time, but it  wasn't until they fell ill, that they began to give Allah the credit He truly deserves. This disease transformed from what many would call a curse, into a blessing in disguise. In many cases, an illness is a blessing; a reminder from Allah that He is the one in control, not us.

 

JazakAllah Kheir Yara for choosing Beauty of Islam as one of your top five blogs of 2010. InshAllah, I hope you enjoy my 2011 posts even more :)

My top five blogs of 2010:

1) Love Always, Aisha by Ashi

2) Pink Gingerale 

3) My Life Is A Poem by Maryam Noori

4) My Amethyst by Shae Syahirah

5) Hijab Style

When I log onto Blogspot, these are some of the first blogs I read. These bloggers never fail to post an interesting post to keep me hooked mashAllah.

My 2010 ❤

Alhamdulilah in 2010 I had many accomplishments, so here's a list of what I remember happened this year :)

• Declared my major (finally)---International Affairs & Women and Gender Studies
• Traveled to Sudan and survived a vacation without my grandfather (may he rest in peace) being there
• Had my one year anniversary with my hijab Alhamdulilah [November 23rd 2009]
• Renamed my blog from Peace of Mind to Beauty of Islam--best decision ever
• Gained a new set of brothers and sisters--they taught me what it means to truly love a group of people for the sake of Allah
• Witnessed my first conversion to Islam; Little did I know this convert would become one of my closest friends and a daily inspiration to me.
• Deleted all the music off of my ipod like I promised Allah---Alhamdulilah one month now
• Featured on Hijab Style :)
• Attended the Native Deen & Maher Zain Night of Inspiration concert with the best group of people
• Learned what it means to truly give up something for the sake of Allah
• Learned what it means to be a stranger
• Had a beautiful experience fasting part of Ramadan in Sudan---it's not as difficult as everyone makes it to be.
•  Met a woman that taught me the real beauty of Islam and she touched my life, along with many others MashAllah
• Attended the Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C.
• Learned that people need to be loved most when they least deserve it
• Fell in love---with Islam

I hope to have more accomplishments in 2011. From this point on, only changes for the better InshAllah ❤

Count Your Blessings Everyday ☮

 

Maryam Noori, is the creator of this photo with an amazing message on how we should be bringing in this new year. She is a poet and the blogger behind My Life Is A Poem. I'm a big reader of her blog and she never ceases to amaze me with her original poetry and inspirational quotations. I chose to post her 2011 photo up, rather than posting any other one because hers is different; It displays the reality behind the new year. As 2011 approaches, we need to keep in mind that we are lucky to be alive. Rather than thinking to ourselves "lets go party", we should be thinking "Alhamdulilah I'm alive, now I need to make changes before it's too late." I know I'm the first to not have this mindset, but I'm trying my best. InshAllah, in 2011 I hope to Allah SWT to strengthen my imaan, to closen my relationship with him, and to bless me in this world and the next. Ameen. I also wish the same for you.

Have a Wonderful 2011

Love, Riham❤

A Prayer For You, Is A Prayer For Me

1494. Abud-Darda' (radi Allahu anhu) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) saying, "Whenever a Muslim supplicates for his (Muslim) brother in his absence, the angels say: `May the same be for you too'.''
[Muslim].

Commentary: This Hadith makes it evident that one who prays for someone in his absence also stands to benefit from it because the angel appointed for the task of praying for those who pray for others will pray for him, saying, "O Allah! Grant him also the same which he has asked for others.''

Allah, the Exalted, says:

"And those who came after them say: `Our Rubb! Forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in Faith.''' (59:10)

"And ask forgiveness for your sin, and also for (the sin of) believing men and believing women''. (47:19)

"Our Rubb! Forgive me and my parents, and (all) the believers on the Day when the reckoning will be established.'' (14: 41)

New Years 2011 Outfit Ideas

As new years eve is quickly approaching, the question of what to wear is looming over us, right!? Well, at least for some of you who are planning to go out for New Years or to just stay in and avoid the massive crowds of hoodlums (hehe ;)) in the streets, it's important to choose a cute outfit cuz it is new years after all. Anywho, what are your plans this new years evening?? My plans are to go out with my family, have a nice dinner, (attempt) to see the fire works in D.C, and come home inshAllah. My original plans were a bit different, but I'm content with what ended up happening in the end. The fact that my plans fell through gave me the opportunity to spend a new years with my family, something I won't have the chance to do pretty soon. Here are the outfit choices I promised earlier :)

                                               Party Outfits

I've been dying for the opportunity to post this GORGEOUS look up and I finally got the chance!!!

Muy Elegente, Si senioritas muy bonitas?

Not hijab, BUT this dress is so cute, you HAVE to try and experiment with a blazer or cardigan of some sort, right?

                                                     Chillyo New Year

This look is just right, it's very simple and cute

These rich colors, turquoise and burgundy will look beautiful at night time.

Have I posted this look before? Idk, if I did, it tells you how much I love this outfit. This is probably my favorite casual new years outfit.


I'll be back after new years inshAllah with my new years outfit!

Smile It's Sunnah ;)

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Make things easy! And do not make them complicated! Be cheerful! And do not be repulsive.” [Sahih Bukhari]

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Teach and give good tidings! Make things easy, and do not make them hard!” [Ahmad ibn Hanbal]

Commentary: These ahadith highlight the importance of being cheerful ourselves, encouraging others and making them optimistic. Imam Ibn al-Qayyim said that a believer should have two wings; one of fear and one of good hope in Allah. If a person were unrealistically optimistic, they would stop working to achieve their goals, thinking that things will come to them anyway. On the other hand, pessimism also prevents a person from acting, since they have no hope and see no good in doing anything. Therefore, as teachers we should encourage optimism at the same time that we discourage overconfidence.

The first hadith also points out that when a person is not cheerful, they do not possess the ability to draw other people to them, instead, they repel them. One of the ways to be cheerful is to smile. The Sahabah told us that nobody smiled more than the Prophet of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam). This is proof enough for us to smile.

Current research tells us that the physical act of smiling releases certain chemicals in our bodies that help us fight disease, produce happiness, and properly modulate sleep and appetite. In addition, when the brain and heart activity of volunteers was measured, it was seen that a smile gave the same level of stimulation that 2000 bars of chocolate would. Smiling encourages others to remember happy events, feel optimistic and be motivated. So, smile to make others more receptive to your message. 

It's Called "Beauty of Islam" Darn it, Not "Beauty of Riham"

It's been awhile since I've posted something strictly related to Islamic studies and I apologize. I don't what it is, maybe I've lost track of the true meaning behind the title of the blog "Beauty of Islam". My goal for this blog is to just give my perspective on life through a Muslimah's eyes and I don't want you to think that this blog is just fashion and fun, otherwise known as purely worldly matter. There's more to me than my hijab style, because in the end a hijab is just a scarf on my head. What matters is the character and inner modesty that the hijab reflects.  I was talking to my friend on the phone last night explaining to her how I'm afraid this blog is going to turn into an "ego boost", that I don't need. Ego is one of the most hated character traits in Allah SWT's eyes and I don't ever want this blog to turn into something about me only. It's called "Beauty of Islam", not "Beauty of Riham", so in order to keep that in check InshAllah you will be seeing more Quran and hadith on my page, as well as hijab posts because I want this blog to be a good balance of the two, not one over taking the other. So, for my first "Islamic" post in a while, I want to share with you a quote and ayah from the quran that I discovered which is helping me deal with one minor issue I have today.

"You don't choose whom you love. He chooses them.
If you had that choice to choose;
then the road would be simple.
Whom he puts in your life, is part of your test:
to bear with them, to accept them
and most of all to love them despite all that they may agitate you with.
After all, they come from Him and they return to Him,
just like you did and will do.
"...And We have made some of you as a trial for other: will you have patience? And your Lord is Ever All-Seer" (Surah al-Furqan:20)