Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali.
With a heavy heart I'm lost for words about what to say about you but I will say this... It was an honour sharing sufism with you. The day I switched on Ummah Channel and saw when you took bayah in Cyprus it melted my heart and made all sense. That you are who you are because you have believed in the real Tasawwuf. Not the one that everyone knows it to be today, the true one. Love for all humanity regardless of race, age, sex, religion. You are one who is all that tasawwuf teaches us rather than a simple follower of it.

You honoured your name 'Muhammed', You honoured your name 'Ali'.You are truly legendary.

Your name and beautiful self has over shadowed the darkness spread by the minority of fake muslims commiting atrocious crimes and that of the media that feeds on it. At a time much needed, you've given the word a different, more accurate picture of what it means to be a Muslim.

May Allah shower his mercy upon you, give you peace in your grave and give you Jannah with those whos names you honoured. Ameen.

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Lost In A Book Tag

I recently came across this tag over on Areeba's blog. I'm a new reader of her blog and enjoyed reading her post (read here) so gave in to her open to all tag which was right up my street.

1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading?
My bedroom, the HQ, the lair. So comforting.

2. Where do you like to read? 

Well ofcoarse in my darling bed! The only place I get enough peace and quiet with my duvet pulled over the top of me.

3. Bookmark or random piece of paper? 

Random piece of paper. My current bookmarks are train tickets from my recent trip to Nottingham. Who knows.. maybe the fancy bookmark thing might just grow on me some day.

4. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop at a chapter? 

I can just stop reading. Obviously I have to finish the paragraph though. Mainly because I don't have a lot of time and barely manage to fit in a few pages as it is so if the time's up, that's it.

5. Do you eat or drink while reading?
Surprisingly, no. I'm the No.1 snacker (idc if that's not a word) in the house but when I'm reading I like to keep my hands clean and free for flicking pages which relates to later question. I may have the odd cuppa green tea here and there though I often forget about it when I'm into the book.

6. E-reader or real book?
E-reader! I have a Kindle Paperwhite 5th Gen. I love how much space and money I'm saving. It regularly goes and currently is on offer for £89.99 so I recommend grabbing it if you're interested.

7. Music or television while reading? 

None. I can't concentrate when there's a show on in the background, I have to choose one or the other.

8. One book at a time or several at once? 

Unfortunately, I've become one of those people. I'm reading four books right now, two paperbacks and two e-books. It's always hard to pick which one to read in the little time I have but I tend to reach for my kindle because of how easy it is.

9. Reading at home or everywhere? 

It's either at home or on a long journey. Nothing else. I like to give my full attention to my surroundings when I'm out no matter how boring they may be.

10. Reading aloud or silently in your head? 

I always read silently.

11. Fiction or non-fiction?

Fiction is dreamy, I mean the word in it's literal sense. It's just an area of imagination you get to choose to go in and out of in a way.

12. Do you read ahead or skip pages?

I NEVER skip pages. I just can't. I feel like I might miss an important element of the book that will mess it all up for me later when something doesn't make sense.

13. Break the spine or keep a book like new? 

I like them to look like new, it shows I've cared for them properly as they deserve which is also why I wouldn't risk eating or drinking when I'm reading.

14. Do you write in your books? 

Another big no no in my book (heheh). I often end up lending my books out to people so like them to be presentable enough for someone else to read and enjoy. With my kindle its awesome that I can add notes if I choose without doing any permanent damage or making obvious markings on the pages.

15. Your favorite book? 

This is a hard one. Fiction one would be Elif Shafak - The Forty Rules of Love and non-fiction would have to be Imam Ghazali - My Dear Beloved Son.

I tag anyone and everyone reading this post no matter how late it gets. If you do choose to do it then please leave your blog name in the comments so I can have a read. Who knows, I may just find my new favourite book through you!

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Top 3 Sufiana Kalaam #1

This is a new series I'm happy to be introducing to the blog. I will be sharing my current favourites of what I'm enjoying listening to; Nasheeds, Qawwali, Naat or even spoken word that moves me when I hear it and increases my motivation and love for my beautiful religion. These posts won't be consistent in timing but I can guarantee when I've gathered a new top 3 I'll be sure to share. I won't be giving paragraphs about what I think of the each one either, it's better you listen and enjoy it for yourself.
Also, I'm not arranging these videos in order of which I like most and so on, I just like them all equally.
Please drop me any suggestions you may have in the comments or by email. I'd love to hear them.

Atif Aslam - Tajdar-e-Haram



Tere Ishq Ki Intaha by Asrar
This is too short! I wish it was longer.

Main Lab Koshan Nahin Hoon - Afzal Sahibdin

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Bridal Hijab Inspiration | Non South Asian

Yazthespaz bridal look

But how cute are they Masha'Allah?

 

                                                   

This one is long over due but better late than never. I've got to say the dusty pink bride with a floral headband is probably my favourite because isn't she just a total princess?! I love how simple her hijab is, the volume isn't over the top, it's shaped well and the floral headband compliments the look so nicely. The pink colour she's chosen is definitely something I would choose for myself and her makeup is also very well suited having gone with bold eyes, subtle pink lips and rosey blush without going extreme contour all over the place. None of these beautiful and highly inspirational images belong to me and were found on pinterest where there is an ocean of ideas for your wedding to see.

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Thoughts | American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar

Why did I purchase this book? 'Dervish'... The word 'Dervish' got me. I'm naturally drawn to anything Tasawwuf related. And why not be? Sufism nourishes me, it is the energy that inspires me towards good. I had expected this to be somewhat similar to Pir-e-Kamil in that it was a novel based around Sufism with certain key points to learn from. There was similarity in how sexual elements were not censored - although to an extent it was in Pir-e-Kamil. The rest was far off.

To summarise it is the journey of Hayat, a young Muslim Pakistani in America, who starts as a hafiz and ends up as a non-Muslim. The first two parts in my opinion are a waste of time, then the last third section becomes interesting and only towards the very end a true element of Sufism comes through in the form of a struggle that one of the main characters, Mina, takes on.

The book disappointed me. There was a lot of unnecessary information. The story dragged as a lot of amazon reviewers would agree. The worrying thing about this book was that it portrayed how hateful the Muslim community is and backs it up with out of context quotations from the Holy Quran. In reality, I can never imagine some of the events it described actually happening. Culture wise, there was some truth in it however it definitely did not portray Sufism as what it really is and it saddened me to know that this book could be the only insight of islam a non muslim might choose to take. If anyone every wishes to know what Sufism is really about, they should read Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak.

So would I recommend this book? NO. Don't bother. There was nothing about this book until the very last chapter that had me wanting to find time to read. The only motivation I had to finish it was that I payed for it.

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Thoughts | Pir-e-Kamil by Umera Ahmed

This book was suggested to me roughly around two years ago if I'm correct. For some strange reason I kept delaying it until I completely forgot. I don't even remember how I remembered but I'm so glad that I did.

I managed to download a free pdf in English. It wasn't so excellently translated but it was good enough for me to understand most of what was going on. There were only minor mistakes such as grammar and on one or two occasions, the wrong name in the wrong place. I have no idea what website it was from and I advise that you are careful because most of the sites offering the free download are full of viruses. If you can read urdu well, that's just brilliant, you can purchase this book in urdu on Amazon.

What is the book about ?
"Imama belongs to Ahmedi religion, a community that is deemed non-Muslim under the constitution of Pakistan and also Shariah laws. Salaar is young man of supreme intelligence and an IQ of 150+. Instead of using his IQ for a good purpose, Salaar considers it a curse and indulges in all kinds of sins, great and small. When a twist of fate leaves Salaar under the burden of a favor by Imama, a story takes place that has become almost an identity of Umera Ahmed. This story is primarily about Salaar and Imama looking for the right path, the straight path, a path that Imama has found and which continues to elude Salaar. It is a story of transformations and coming full circles. It is a story of lives that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)'s legacy is still mentoring." Book Description from here.

Before reading this I had no idea that it would include some sectarian issues, something I'm very familiar with from a different perspective as following tasawwuf is not such an easy ride when people from other sects find out. I also wasn't expecting how open and blunt it would be about the sins common in Pakistan today -  something that is never discussed so for me, it was all very new. I obviously haven't spent long enough in Pakistan to know of these things.

I can describe the book as dramatic, something I loved as I was actually willing to skip my daily Geo dramas for this. Generally, when i'm looking to read an islamic themed book, I read for the purpose of finding pieces of wisdom or knowledge that will have an effect on my life for the better. After reading 40 Rules Of Love I was expecting something similar. They are two very different books but I was able to find a similiar underlying purpose. The purpose of going through self realisation and bettering yourself in the name of The Almighty Allah with the love of the Beloved Prophet SAWS in your heart. If that is present in a book then it has made space on my favourites list. Let me be clear however, that Pir-e-Kamil SAWS does not contain bundles of knowledge, it contains occasional pieces of wisdom and actually teaches through the experience of the two main characters rather than handing you information on a plate.

My absolute favourite thing has definitely been that it is very much a present-day fairytale. It isn't that lovey-dovey purity from birth til marriage, everything is perfection from day one type of story. It is real. It is what is found today in the lives of our young muslim adults. The story of someone we know or in fact ourselves once having indulged in sin and woke up to come towards building a better relationship with Allah the Almighty is very common. That is what you will find with Salar. It's what makes this book relateable to whatever extent it may be. The dreamy more fairytale part about it all is that there are two people who marry with the love of the Prophet Salallahu'Alaihi wa'salam as their foundation and goal. Something that is quite rare in todays age, particularly here in the UK. As well as this it's how the characters come together, something I can't imagine happening in real life but I don't mind when so much of the book is based on reality.

There are struggles in this book, inward and out, and then there is an important message that the author so cleverly gives...
Pir-e-Kamil. What does it mean to most people? Who is their complete guide? So many people would answer with the name of a person alive today. This book tells you that although having a murshid is very helpful, your ultimate, perfect and complete guide is non other than Rasulullah Salallahu'Alaihi wa'salam. Humans are bound to make mistakes but our Holy Prophet Salallahu'Alaihi wa'salam never has or can.

So anyway, this book is currently rated 4.6 out of 5 on the goodreads website and very rightly so. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. It was one of those I couldn't pull away from and I rate this 5 out of 5 straight up. I don't even have to think about it and highly recommend it to any young muslim that has interest in their deen and/or even the floating thought of marriage or potential spouses within them. If I get married, I want to marry for the sake of being a better muslimah to someone who will help me on my path towards Allah and his Beloved Salallahu'Alaihi wa'salam. Only then, will I feel more comfortable in saying it is completing half my deen - as the saying goes. And still, only Allah knows if I will have kept the clearest intentions and am truly entitled to that.

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Bridal Hijab inspiration | South Asian Brides

Back with more bridal inspiration YEY! Hijab or no Hijab for a bride can be quite a touchy topic for some, especially for south asians who generally never have segregated weddings. Whatever the choice, this is just a little inspo and encouragement for those of you opting to wear the Hijab on the day. There will be a non south asian bridal hijab inspiration post to follow. Hope this helps some of you bride-to-be's. I send my love for you to Insha'Allah, have an extremely special big day filled with happiness, blessings and love! None of these images belong to me, they were all found on pinterest. I may occasionally update this post if ever I come across any nice new images that may also be helpful.

 

As you can see, there are a few different ways you could wear it although I have to say, my favourite and in my opinion, most fitting for a classier look has to be the plain scarf and simply styled hijab with the chosen tikka or head piece.

I also like how most of most of these brides haven't gone for a bright red lip. Not everyone suits red lipstick and with south asian outfits and eye makeup being as they are, a neutral lip balances everything quite well and also proves it isn't compulsory to go with red. Either way, every single one of these women look beautiful Masha'Allah!!

Which style do you like best? 

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