اللهم إني اسألك أن تستر علي، وتُهذِّب قلبي، وتؤدّب طَبعَي، وتحسّن خُلُقي، وتضبط سلوكي، واسألك أن تشغلني بغاياتٍ تليقُ بدربك، وترزقني حكمة القول، وفَنّ الصّمت، وبلاغة الرَّدّ، وجَلال الحُضور، وجمال الغياب.
Ya Allah, I ask You to cover me, to refine my heart, to discipline my nature, to improve my character, to regulate my behavior, and I ask You to occupy me with goals that are worthy of Your path, to bless me with wisdom in speech, the art of silence, eloquence in response, majesty in presence, and grace in absence.
Abdullāh Ibn al-Mubārak, رحمه الله, said:
"I love the pious people even though I'm not one of them, and I hate the evil people even though I may be worse than them."
(Siyār A'lam An-Nubalā Volume, #8]
There’s a difference between being hopeless with this world and being hopeless with Allah.
Sometimes, this world makes me so hopeless, so terrifyingly hopeless.
But I always have hope in Allah. For how can I lose hope in Him with Whom lies the treasures of all goodness and Who is the source of all hope?
Whenever this world makes you hopeless, remember that to Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, and there is no shortage of goodness with Him.
Who is Allah? Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) described the greatness of Allah in a beautiful manner: “He is controlling the affairs of all the kingdoms. He commands and prohibits, creates and gives provision, and gives death and gives life. He raises and lowers people’s status, alternates night and day, gives days (good and not so good) to men by turns, and causes nations to rise and fall, so that one nation vanishes and another emerges. His command and decree are carried out throughout the heavens and on earth, above it and below it, in the oceans and in the air. He has knowledge of all things and knows the number of all things. He hears all voices, and does not mistake one for another; He hears them all, in all the different languages and with all their varied requests and pleas. No voice distracts Him from hearing another, He does not confuse their requests, and He never tires of hearing the pleas of those in need. He sees all that is visible, even the walk of a black ant across a solid rock in the darkest night. The unseen is visible to Him, and secrets are known to Him Whosoever is in the heavens and on earth begs of Him (its needs from Him). Every day He has a matter to bring forth (such as giving honour to some, disgrace to some, life to some, death to some, etc.)! [The Quran 55:29 interpretation of the meaning]. He forgives sins, eases worries, relieves distress, helps the defeated person back on his feet, makes the poor rich, guides the one who is astray and confused, fulfils the needs of the desperate, feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, conceals faults, and calms fears. He raises the status of some and lowers the status of others. Even if all the inhabitants of heaven and earth, the first and the last of them, mankind and jinn alike, were to be as pious as the most pious among them, this would not increase His sovereignty in the slightest; if they all, the first and the last of them, mankind and jinn alike, were to be as rebellious as the most rebellious among them, this would not decrease His sovereignty in the slightest. If everything in heaven and on earth, the first and the last of them, mankind and jinn, living and dead, animate and inanimate, were to stand in one place and ask of Him, and He were to give them everything that they asked for, this would not decrease what He has by even an atom’s weight. He is the First, before Whom there is nothing, and the Last, after Whom there is nothing. He is the Most deserving of being remembered, the Most deserving of being worshipped, the Most deserving of being thanked. He is the Most Compassionate of kings, the Most Generous of those who are asked. He is the King Who has no partner or associate, the One who has no rival, the Self-SufficientMaster, Who has no son, the Most High, and there is none like unto Him. Everything will perish save His face [Quran 28:88 interpretation of the meaning], and everything will vanish except His sovereignty. He will not be obeyed except by His permission, and He will not be disobeyed except with His knowledge. He is obeyed, so He shows His appreciation, and He is disobeyed, so he forgives. Every punishment on His part is justice, and every blessing from Him is a favour. He is the closest of witnesses and the nearest of protectors. He seizes people by their forelocks, records their deeds and decrees the appointed time for all things. Hearts conceal nothing from Him, for secrets are known to Him. His gift is a word and His punishment is a word: Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, Be! and it is. [Quran, 36:82 interpretation of the meaning]. This is Allah, who revealed the Glorious Quran for the guidance of mankind. [Adapted from al-Waabil al-Sayib, p. 125]
(via mybeauty4myhusband)
Patience is a gift we give ourselves in both joy and sorrow. Happiness fades, and sadness does too, reminding us that life is full of change. Only Allah is constant—"The Eternal, The Everlasting." When we trust in His plan, it becomes easier to navigate life’s ups and downs. Allah promises, “With hardship comes ease” (Qur'an 94:6). Though we may not always understand the wisdom behind our struggles, we can rest in the belief that Allah knows what’s best. Trust Him, for He will never burden you beyond your capacity. This moment will pass, and hope will return, inshaAllah.🕊
This sadness is a longing, a signature from God, reminding you that you don’t belong here, that this isn’t your home.
Key Ballah, (via imperfectly360)
Need motivation?
To get an education.
To earn a degree. There are barely any jobs that offer positions to people without a degree, or are on the path of obtaining one.
To prove people wrong. That science teacher that said you’ll never make it in the medical field? Make him eat his words.
To prove yourself wrong. Every student has doubts on whether or not they can be good enough in the classroom. Prove yourself wrong, and always be better than you were yesterday.
This is a privilege. Regardless of how much you believe that you HAVE to do this, to some extend you don’t. Realize that you have the privilege of an education even being an option for you.
Take advantage of what you’re capable of. Don’t waste a perfectly intelligent mind.
More money. That degree can do wonderful things to your bank account in the future.
It’s interesting. Studying can get pretty boring, but there are always those topics that spark your curiosity and motivate you to learn more.
It’s attractive. Not everyone cares for someone who is academically gifted, but a partner who is eager to learn makes me eager to take my pants off.
It’s useful. That random fact that you read in a random textbook can stick with you and really end up helping you out one day.
It’s fun to know useless shit sometimes.
To make your parents proud. This is one of the main reasons I study. My parents have always been aware of my capabilities and have pushed me to be academically better every year. They know I have big dreams, and I just want to achieve them so they can know that their child made it.
To make myself proud. This goes along with number four. Knowing that you accomplished something, however small or big the thing may be, is a huge self-esteem booster.
To be independent. There’s nothing quite like knowing that you don’t need someone else’s job, degree, intelligence, or presence to make you successful.
To pursue your passion.
To gain knowledge. Whether its in your field, or a completely different one, being knowledgeable is just downright fun.
People will look up to you. Your siblings, your best friends, and your classmates may see you consistently studying, and it could motivate them to do the same.
To make a name for yourself. “Oh yeah, (insert name here), I know them. Aren’t they like really successful now?”
To become your own role model.
To be able to pay off your student loans.
Because the long nights and excessive coffee will all be worth it. Even if it doesn’t seem like it now.
To exercise your brain. Your brain is just like a muscle, and like the body it needs to be exercised.
To improve your hippocampus. Your hippocamus is responsible for memory, and if you study your memorization will become significantly better.
To not waste time doing useless stuff.
Because stationary is amazing. I could spend a whole paycheck on just pens.
Because notes are actually all so pretty.
To be productive. I used to spend a lot of time on social media, and although I still do, the amount of time I spend studying and getting stuff done has definitely increased.
So classes will be easier.
So tests will be easier.
To impress your professors. Get those letters of recommendation!
So the anxiety of getting a bad grade is sufficiently decreased. I constantly worry about my grades, but studying has helped me not worry so much.
Because coffee exists.
There is no other atmosphere quite like the inside of a library.
So you won’t have to retake a class. Failing a prerequisite for your major really sucks, so maybe try not failing the first time around. This also saves you a lot of money because you won’t have to pay for the class again.
Finals week won’t suck as bad. You’ll be used to studying so when finals week comes around it wont nearly be as stressful as for those students who are now opening a textbook.
You won’t go to as many college parties. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for socializing and having fun, but a lot can go wrong at a college party very quickly. And there’s no better way to prevent that, than just not going to the party cause you’re reading your economics textbook.
You’ll get used to FOMO. Fear of Missing Out. Every teenagers nightmare. Eventually, you’ll get used to the feeling.
You’ll be getting the most out of your college experience. You’re paying for these classes. Might as well try your best to pass.
You’ll get used to not getting enough sleep. So, if you decide to go to grad school you’ll have that department covered.
There’s really good study music out there.
I guarantee there will be at least 5 places on campus, or around you that are perfect for studying, and you’ll want to go there everyday.
You’ll become a pro at writing essays, or lab reports.
You’ll learn fairly quickly that study groups rarely work.
You’ll make a lot of friends that are just as passionate about studying as you are. And you will cherish them.
Beauty and Brains. Don’t you want to fit that description?
Thousands of students before you have done it, so you can too.
You can run a studyblr. Aren’t they the cutest?
You get really good at time management.
Sleep becomes 5x more satisfactory after a night of studying.
Because you want to. There’s no better motivation for studying, than the motivation that comes from within.
From Hadith Qudsi:
Allah the Almighty said: I am as My servant thinks I am (1). I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a cubit, and if he draws near to Me a cubit, I draw near to him a fathom. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed. [Hadith Qudsi 15]
My dear relax and let go of everything for a while all the stress and tension release it for a while, look around and appreciate your blessings.Don't make a wall of grief in your heart. Trials are hard, and sabr is more hard to observe but with Allah's mercy we go through. Make a mindset that whatever is happening is just because Allah wants to and whatever will happen is Just because Allah wants to As his plans are best and he will never let you go empty handed. Maybe you are wishing for a rose but Allah has planned a garden of beautiful flowers for you, maybe you are wishing for a drop yet Allah wants to give an ocean for you. Your Tawakkul should be so strong that fears should never make a space in your head. We don't know what Allah is doing, today we think why is He doing. One day i guarantee you will look back and realise why it was necessary and will thank Allah for all the trials.We can just keep patience and reliance on him and as we go in this journey we can only make dua. Allah has given us ability to make dua, to talk with him. Creator of you, me,our earth, the heaven. Creator of everything. And he has given us the ability to talk with him. So to release the heaviness of your heart talk to him, tell him everything you have inside your heart. He is listening and he will surely grant you relief.
A beautiful piece of advice with a powerful illustration to go with it. Have a good long think about this one:
“The greater the distance between Allāh and the spouses the greater the distance between the spouses themselves..and the closer you are to Allāh, the closer you will be to your spouse”.