la dara lel mar2ee ba3d al mowtee yaskonoha
illa alatee kana qabl al mawtee yabneeha
fa2in banaha be’7ayrin taaba maskanahu
wa in banaha be sharin, ‘7aba baneeha


roughly…
there is no home for a person after he dies to live in,
except the one he was building before he dies,
so if he builds it with khayr/good deeds, his home will be beautiful,
but if he builds it with the sin/disobedience, its builder will be in trouble.


a6a3see al ilaha wa anta tuzhiru 7ubahu
hatha la 3amree fel qeyasu badee3u
in kana 7ubaka sadiqan la a6a3tahu
inna al mo7iba leman yu7iba mo6ee3u


roughly…
how can you disobey Allah (SWT) and claim that you love Him,
this is a very strange and unique way of understanding,
if your love of Allah (SWT) were true, you would have obeyed Him,
for verily the person who loves someone will follow them.

The Untapped Wisdom(Don't Neglect to Reflect)

(By Dr. Yunus Aidaroos)
Just a book?....nay!
Inside if you only look -and STUDY,
your attention it will hook.
Reading, kissing and just shelfing it, is no way
to unearth its meaning, its message; it is your highway.
Highway for this life, and a promised shade on resurrection -
a guarantee of eternal bliss and total satisfaction !
Come, read me , STUDY me, pause to REFLECT -
lessons from my beautiful stories, do select -
to shape your life for the Hereafter,
instead of loving materialism, fun and laughter.
As the clock ticks away precisely,
those who study me wisely...
will comprehend my details -
some obvious, some hidden - and the many tales,
those of Yusuf, Moses and Sulaiman;
so do BEFRIEND the majestic Qur'an

Pop Islam versus the Real Struggle

by Maliha Balala

Cute hijabs, matching tight pants,
perfectly manicured hands
drumming restlessly to the beat of the latest Nasheed pop.
Nice rides, sipping caf? lattes,
halaqas embraced in the depths of cozy rooms,
speaking of distant dreams and privileged existences.

Do we know the real struggle?

Club ISNA, throngs of fans milling air-conditioned convention halls,
pop star speakers glimmer in the spotlight,
beckoning distant hearts to spirituality and deeper lives;
chastising in that, oh so mesmerizing voice,
as the crowd yells a deep bass,
takbir followed by shrills of, Allahu Akbar!

Do we really comprehend the Greatness of our Creator?

Trekking the globe in search of meaning,
disenchanted existences within treasure-filled homes,
dreams of substance blocked by trivial minds;
apathy radiates in different colors;
squeezing potential out of our beings
like deep soaked sponges inflated by muddy waters;

Can meaning seep into a suffocated heart?

Following zigzag paths of nothingness;
in search of, Deen or the other half of my Deen,
whatever comes first.
So we step in style, mouthfuls of Subhana'Allah;
gleeful, Masha'Allah;
echoing from empty hearts frenzied by empty lives.
Scratching the surface of submission;
echoing lines from distant lives;
dreams of greatness shelved away;
as we pander our Proud to Be Muslim shirts;
cheap prices for cheaper wares.
Pardon my jaded writing;
perhaps I forgot
the subtle depths of this struggle,
as I begin to still
the meaningless symbols clanging in my heart.

Please remind me:
Do rays of the Divine
ever illuminate these darkened corners ?