Children can receive a good education at home only if there is a healthy family life. Thus marriage should be undertaken to form a healthy family life and so contribute to the permanence of one’s nation in particular, and of the human population in general. Peace, happiness, and security at home is the mutual accord between the spouses in thought, morals and belief. Couples who decide to marry should know each other every well and consider purity of feelings, chastity, morality and the virtue rather than wealth and physical charm. Children’s mischief and impudence reflect the atmosphere in which they are being raised. A dysfunctional family life increasingly reflects upon the child’s spirit, and therefore upon society.
– M. Fethullah Gulen and Education (p.75) from his book Essays – Perspectives – Opinions 2002 [Amazon]
Uncategorized Books, Children, Education, Essays, Happiness, Islam, Religion, Spirituality
I wanted to share something profound that happened to me on Friday after the Friday prayers. It kinda stuck with me.
After moving my car I was headed toward the nearest cash machine after praying Jummah at Leeds Grand Mosque. I met a brother named Smail there, a handsome Algerian man in his late thirties. A regular at the mosque, most people know him. I approached him to wait in line he looked at me, his eyes lit up I gave him Salaams we did our buddy hand shake and embraced each other. I then asked how he was doing and he replied “Ah u know alhumdulilah… a bit up and down” i said to him i knew what he meant. “This reality is tough man that’s why i really enjoy praying at Leeds Grand Mosque it’s such a unique place with unique individuals… very special!” i said. He agreed with me. I then said “I’s like an escape from reality, i love going there!” He turned to me and said “No… that IS the real reality!” I paused for a moment, digesting what he had just said it felt so profound to me and i was surprised that i hadn’t thought of it like that before.
Two miniutes our conversation took and what he said had such an impact on me I’m still thinking about it days after.
Uncategorized Friends, Happiness, Islam, Leeds, Leeds Grand Mosque, Life, Religion
This is just beautiful! [flickr link]
Design & Typography done for a student organsisation. Arabic font was designed from scratch.
© mduk media
Uncategorized Design, Graphic Design, Islam, Istikhara, Photos, Prayer, Religion, Typography
I think today being my last full day in Slough it’s the best feeling ever! It was also the best friday serman i’ve ever heard! Good friday Jesus, Mariam, Jesus’s Grandmother! Crucifictions haha it was all there all in english all made total sense! All perfect!
He said for a Muslim everyday is good friday! Actually every day is a good day, it’s a good thurdsay wednesday tuesday monday haha… He said don’t waste time, time is precious, time is ours! Don’t waste it sitting watching dramas or doing stupid things.
There are men who come and sit and listen to the serman there are men who come and stand in front of God to pray… They know why they’re here! They stand and they pray the sit and they listen and they shed tears.. they shed tears for they know in their heart the truth. The truth that some people will live and die and never find. The truth of why we’re all here!
Imaam saab said brothers there’s nikah please stay behind as it’s sunnah and the prophet recommended it. Well basically you know what everyone did they chipped (they left) in a flash… haha! I’ve nothing else better to do I never saw a nikah and it’s sunnah! So i thought why not… I saw this poor chap, still wet behind the ears nervous as anything, young, wide eyed going through the whole ordeal! In my eyes it was sweet and i wanted to give him a great big hug :)
One of the Prophets (saw) wives (khatija) said when asked about men… Walahi (I swear to God) no man is a waste! There’s always something for him someone for him… his partner… his wife… God has decreed it :)
The best of men are those who are kind to their wives
They’ll have the best of life in this world and in the next :)
But then we all knew that ;)
Uncategorized Religion
I finally managed to get off my lazy bum and to get to pray the magrib and isha prayer at the mosque I did the magrib at the small one in the hills camp which was okay not a great mosque but got the job done. I go for magrib and isha all the time after work in slough, I did this because my concious could not bear me not to go once I found the mosque where it was and what the times are during ramadan and all the trawiah i prayed there. I think i’m addicted cos when I pray by myself it’s just not the same. So now i finally got to do it here in Saudi as well and the feelings were the same I started to get a bit emotional praying isha at the mosque in the main camp. I couldn’t help it the imaam recites so well and it really gets to me you know. “blast you mother for these damn emotions” ;) hehe you know I love you really”.
I met a sri lankan guy there he was very nice to me, I got to ask him the time of isha and we got talking after that, i assumed he worked for aramco or one of it’s subsidiaries. But the guy bachara humbly replied i’m just a driver. He was a good man with a good soul you could tell it from his face and I thank God for the amazing people I get to meet in all the weird and wonderful places on this planet.
Uncategorized Religion
During my lunch break today i had to run some important errands, i had to go to the bank and i went to get my IDP from heathrow terminal 2, it’s the closest place where you I could pick up an idp living in Slough (gosh i hate that name Slough).
Anyways before i left the thing which was mostly bothering me apart from where the hell is terminal 2 and where do i park, was will i make it back for magrib or will I find somwhere in the terminal to pray or in the car. I normally get a chance to pray in the mosque but being so busy on my last day I had to get my idp.
Alright I finally got my idp after a long line wait and a form filling. The next question on my mind was gotta make wudu. So i found the mens toilet made wudu and upon leaving the bathroom i saw terminal 2 information desk, I really wanted to ask them maybe if there was a place to pray, airports usually have these things normally, but I cowered and thought I’d just do it in the car. I was on the second floor of terminal 2, went down the first floor where the exit was towards the short stay car park. I turned a corner just before the double automatic doors there were three i’m guessing somali/Sudanese african brothers praying magrib in congregation. I couldn’t belive my eyes, I was like alhumdullilah this is awesome! I took my jacket off put on the floor and prayed with them gave them my heart felt Salaams and left for my car.
I think that I totally had an “ah ha moment” today. It was totally fightening how it all happened but it felt so good and so right and it was truly amazing.
Uncategorized Religion
I just got back from the mosque after praying magrib (sunset) prayer. I was fortunate to witness a beautiful man doing a beautiful thing. He became muslim. It’s not very often i get to see people taking the oath to becoming a muslim, I can only rember three or four time and every time I see it every time it’s so different for each person.
I can’t remeber the man’s orginal name now I know he came from a sikh background and I didn’t want to take a photo or video with my phone with fear of attack from any person who might object, so I just sat quietly and watched. It was indeed an amazing thing as it always is. Seeing it being done in a pakistani mosque was the first time of me and it showed me a lot especially how differently it was done I guess everyone has their own style. I think the imam went on a bit and half of the words I couldn’t understand that well ‘cos my urdu’s not up to scratch but it was good all the same. I guess it kinda put it in perspective for the guy and the people watching. He chose a beautiful name but for the life of me I can’t remeber it now, and i was only a few minutes ago. Ah well nevermind.
What struck me the most outta everything was when I went to hug him and the look he gave me and the smile that followed after our embrace, it just really kinda put it in perpective for me it’s like he’s found the solace or the answers to the questions he was looking for, and wow this man has finally found something to make him who he is. To the smile on his face and see the light coming off it from his dark complection, really made a bit emotinoal and I left the mosque with an aura of “wow” and a renewed spirit for the days ahead. I saw something in him that was so beautiful and good that it’s so hard to explain that made me in turn feel something amazing from him, for him. I guess in the end it just made me feel so glad to be alive and who I am and what I witnessed.
Uncategorized Religion
The Eid hubbub’s now over :(
This time round Eid was great! One thing which i hadn’t done in a long time was eat too much food, that was a mistake. But I really felt it this time around more than usual, like it meant more in some weird way.
Yeh my mom’s still here and spending time with her is always special. It’s like your spending Eid with half the family, but it’s all good we had a great few days. We mainly visited family and went to Anum’s in Bradford for some dinner which wasn’t that bad, the food was good but to be honest I wasn’t hungry.
My brother and I did Eid prayer at Leeds grand mosque and it was really good although we didn’t know anybody it was really fun and kind of sense of belonging that as muslims we feel on such a day. Funny thing I bumped into a guy who knew me or had seen me somewhere, I didn’t know him but he said he saw me somewhere i think maybe it was a friends wedding or party. We had a free breakfast there which was cool although it wasn’t hot food I enjoyed it. And low and behold my brother bumped into somebody he knew, a Malaysian. Malay’s are such nice people if you haven’t met one or been to Malaysia you must because they have a certain quality like you’ve known them forever and you feel so relaxed around them. I knew many in boarding school and they are amazing people. We went back to this Malay’s house and we had an amazing lunch Malay style and it was soooo nice and tasty haven’t had Malay food in a long time but this was really good food. We met his kids and they were soo cute, when we shook they’re hands to give them salaams they took our hands to touch their nose, that was cute, i know people from that part do that as a sign of respect but I never experienced it myself. They are such little kids, they were soo sweet.
Uncategorized Religion
Assalamu Alaikum and Eid Mubarak!
The smelly mouth season is sadly over. Feast
well drink well and laugh till you break wind…
In short have an amazing Eid!
May Allah Bless you all
Love and Blessings
Mohsin
Uncategorized Religion
Gosh Ramadan’s upon us again!
Wow the year went by fast, it was just like yesterday me and ush were doing ramadan by ourselves, hehe just thinking about it make me laugh, God we were such bums back then. Now though it’s more of a collective thing cos our mom’s here, the food amazing and the sprits are good this time around. But this time around I’m not feeling it as much maybe because it came too fast or maybe it’s just me, oh and also it was just after i had my rehki attunment that made a huge difference. I’m so glad Ramadan’s here it’s such a special time it’s so very personal yet very public at the same time it’s really quite something and very uplifting… Thank you Allah(swt)
Uncategorized Religion
