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In 2012, Some of my thoughts

  No one really ever told me how demanding being a mother was going to be. No one ever mentioned that being a mother is a job, a life time, 24/7, on call type of job, with no down time, and few tangible rewards. No one bothered to point out that motherhood was the stuff nations were made from, that the “hand that rocks the cradle rules the world” type of thing. I was told to get married because women always marry and to have children because they are the natural consequence of marriage. Marriage was supposed to be a fairy tale with a prince charming and a castle, and kids were supposed to be well behaved unspeaking little people. After accomplishing this goal, I can then return to a life of career woman and part time mothering of children that I don’t know and only care about in so far as they don’t embarrass me or bring my hard earned reputation down. Motherhood was something to do along the path of finding female glory, not a state of being but a chore or duty to accomplish, sort...
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System vs Goal

Goal: Lose 20 lbs in 10 weeks   (for example) System: fast 16 hours daily , from 5pm to 9am, no milk on Sun & Tue, exercise moderately for 25min daily . See the difference?  Goals are likely to fail, one needs constant motivation, and they are not attached to daily habits Systems are establishing daily habits or micro-habits that then contribute to the change you are looking for? So, for myself? Been working a system the past few years without realizing its a system. Daily, revise memorized Quran and learn a new portion. Sometimes I don't revise and sometimes I don't learn a new portion, but at the end of the week, usually there is a new page to add to my memory and every portion of my memorized Quran has been looked at at least once. I fail in the hour or the day but I almost never fail the whole week.  The habit is attached to my well being, to my confidence, to my salaat , to my living and life style, etc.  But I've failed to lose the last 10lbs of weight fo...
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Dua for Change Necessitates Changing

  Making Dua for change necessiates you doing something to bring about that change also. So making dua for a stronger marriage means you also work to strengthen that marriage. Making dua for a healthier body necessiates you making the changes that will bring about that state. Making dua for our oppressed brothers and sisters... what can we do to help alleviate that oppression?  1. strengthen your own iman taqwa tawakkul   2. give to those in need you can reach  3. remind others of 1 and 2 plus the dua  4. take the long term approach so teach others especially the younger generation.... Allah says prepare as much as you can (with the implication that when its time, Allah will use you/your preparation) ( Anfal60 )... Woefully inadequate answer but it is honestly all I know I can do myself and teach others to do. If someone has something better or more, please add in the comment section. 
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Do Not Despair

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Bismillah Chapter (39) sūrat l-zumar (The Groups) Sahih International : Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful." Sahih International : And return [in repentance] to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you; then you will not be helped. Sahih International : And follow the best of what was revealed to you from your Lord before the punishment comes upon you suddenly while you do not perceive. As we strive to submit to Allah and let go of our desires, there shall inevitably come upon us temptations and pitfalls, and every so often, we will all stumble in some way or another. It may just be negligence, forgetfulness, laziness or impatience. It may also be so much more. The key to staying near Allah is not forget that He is The Greatest, The Highest, The Most Able, The Owner of Everything (including o...
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Learn Arabic to better understand the Quran

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Bismillah Chapter (12) sūrat yūsuf (Joseph) Sahih International : Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an that you might understand. The reality is that without understanding Arabic, the most you get out of the Quran is what others have understood from it, as well as the most expedient way of expressing the meaning of verses being translated. When you understanding the language and how it is set up and the depth that it has, then you can understand the meaning of what is being said that much better and that much deeper. I am far from understanding the Arabic language fully and find often when I'm memorizing the Quran, that I am stumped for what it means and how to progress. Alhamdulillah for translation, for tafsir, for ma'ariful Quran, for commentaries by Quran scholars, for my husband, children, and friends who and understand both English and Arabic so they can help me on my journey, and my little bit of acquired Arabic learning and I am learning more every day, ...
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When Changing, Do Not Oppress

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Bismillah When you decide to do good, do not look for others to accompany you.  Just do it for yourself and trust in Allah. The guidance will come to the others in good time. It is the most basic of every one's right to stand by what they believe and to make their own choices in life. So now that you are ready for a change and you are pursuing it with all your might, do not think to impose it on others. Strive to change yourself and biidhniAllah, Allah will bring about the changes in others that He brought out in you, all in His good time and when it is most beneficial to them. Allah is clear that none of us can guide, only He can. Chapter (2) sūrat l-baqarah (The Cow) Sahih International : Not upon you, [O Muhammad], is [responsibility for] their guidance, but Allah guides whom He wills. And whatever good you [believers] spend is for yourselves, and you do not spend except seeking the countenance of Allah. And whatever you spend of good - it will be fully repaid to you, and you wi...
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Do Not Leave the Quran

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Bismillah Chapter (25) sūrat l-fur'qān (The Criterion) Sahih International : And the Messenger has said, "O my Lord, indeed my people have taken this Qur'an as [a thing] abandoned." We should not wonder why we are lost when we leave the Quran to collect dust or read it without  understanding it or without its contemplation. Within the Quran, Allah says: Chapter (18) sūrat l-kahf (The Cave) Sahih International : And We have certainly diversified in this Qur'an for the people from every [kind of] example; but man has ever been, most of anything, [prone to] dispute. *** How can we NOT be lost if we abandon the Quran when in it, Allah had placed for us everything we might need in it. So first step to finding yourself and finding your way is to embrace the Quran and read it deeply and completely. May Allah help us ameen.
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