Pearls of Islam Reminder Series

To B(Sc) or not to B(Sc)

By Nadiah Hashim-Arrifin
Madness has overtaken the soon-to-be 4th years
(InshaAllah!) in recent weeks: cardio? Pharm?
Repro? Management? Quit Imperial? These
ustered questions clutter tired minds and hospital
common rooms. There are matters of career,
interest and just sheer willpower to consider in
choosing your BSc. But how fortunate is the
believer there is a solution!
The Istikharah prayer is a gift and mercy from Allah
SWT as a means for the believer to seek His
guidance in deciding between two matters that are
both Halal, and to decide a path that is better for
you in this life and the next.
The description of the Istikharah prayer was
narrated by Jabir ibn Abd-Allah al Salami, who said:
The Messenger of Allah used to teach his
companions to make Istikharah in all things; just as
he used to teach them Surahs from the Quran. He
said: If any one of you is concerned about a
decision he has to make, let him pray two rakaahs
of non-obligatory prayer, then say -
O Allah, I seek Your guidance [in making a choice]
by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek ability by
virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great
bounty. You have power, I have none. And You
know, and I know not. You are the Knower of hidden
things. O Allah, if in Your knowledge, this matter
(then it should be mentioned by name) is good for
me in both this world and in the Hereafter (or: in my
religion, my livelihood and my affairs), then ordain it
for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And
if in Your knowledge it is bad for me and for my
religion, my livelihood and my affairs (or: for me
both in this world and the next), then turn me away
from it, [and turn it away from me], and ordain for
me the good wherever it may be and make me
pleased with it.
The Prophet added that then the person should
mention his need [Sahih Bukhari]
It is not in our place to wait for dreams or signs
outside what is taught in the example of the Prophet
(SAW), we are simply advised to incline towards
which our hearts nd contentment inshaAllah. Imam
An-Nawawi says: after performing the Istikharah,
a person must do what he is wholeheartedly
inclined to do and feels good about doing and
should not insist on doing what he had desired to do
before making the Istikharah. And if his feelings
change, he should leave what he had intended to
do, otherwise he is not completely leaving the
choice to Allah, and would not be honest in seeking
aid from Allahs power and knowledge. Sincerity in
seeking Allahs choice, means that one should
completely leave what he himself had desired or
determined.
Our Istikharah rst demands of us two things
humility in acknowledging the poverty of our
knowledge and judgement; and wholehearted trust
in Allah SWT. And what mercy Allah SWT has
shown us in trial and confusion, He prescribes for
us so clearly an avenue to seek help, and in doing
so an opportunity to improve and grow as His
slaves. And as if that werent enough, seeking His
help draws us closer to Allah and is pleasing to Him:
Put your trust in Allah, certainly, Allah loves those
who put their trust (in Him) [Surah Al-Imran: 159]
Alhamdulillah, how fortunate is our position as
believers, and how merciful is our Lord, Ya Rabbal
Alamin! I speak rst to myself but may this reminder
have brought you benet; all that is good is from
Allah and all mistakes are mine alone.
Asalamualaykum!
THE PEARLS OF ISLAM
REMINDER SERIES
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Pearls of Islam Reminder Series
You Are Never Alone

By Aamir Shamsi

Times will come in the life of a
believer where we will be tested in
this world whether it is through a
"loss in goods or lives or the fruits
(of your toils)" [2:155] but we must
always remember that we are
never alone and that we should
and need to turn to Allah in these
times.

Trials and tribulations can not only
change the course of your life but
also make you feel very down and
lost. Nothing remains the same
and although an oxymoron, those
who have been in such a situation
like I have will understand when I
say life can be consumed by
emptiness. Although it is
important to understand the many
reasons why calamities befall us
and how to cope with them, we
must never forget that we will
always have the one that loves us
more than a mother loves her
child (Muslim) close by to bring
some solace to our hearts. In
order to bring about this comfort
we must make du'a, build a
connection with Allah and believe
that everything that happens is for
the best.

'XD

Du'a is the weapon of the believer
for it can change the fate of our
lives. And it is for this reason, as
well as the fact that it shows our
need for Allah, that it is highly
encouraged in Islam. So we
should ask our Lord to alleviate
our pain, to make things easier
and to grant us peace and
happiness with His decree, even
though in some situations it is
extremely difficult to accept what
has happened and to want to
move on from it, for it is only He
that has the power to make things
better.

Connect with Allah

As the creation of Allah, we are all
connected with our Lord through
our souls. He is our provider, our
sustainer and our support. But it is
our responsibility to nourish this
connection for "Verily in the
remembrance of Allah, do hearts
find rest" [13:29]. We can do so by
reciting Quran, reading our salat
with concentration and regular
dhikr. The stronger our connection
with Allah the greater the comfort
our hearts will receive for it is then
when we truly feel Allah's
protection over us and this will
make the difficult times that much
easier for us.

Everything that happens is for
the best

Allah loves us so much that
everything that happens that is
not a direct result of our own
actions is for the best for us - "but
it may be that you hate a thing
which is good for you, and it may
be that you love a thing which is
bad for you. Allah knows and you
know not" [2:216]. Having this
belief at all times and being
thankful for all that comes your
way is a real test of our faith but
also an undeniable fact. If
adopted in our mindset it will ease
our pain for we will understand it
is for our best and so the true
believer would not want it any
other way than what Allah sees
best.

All the above can be summarised
with my favourite du'a that one
should regularly recite:
"Hasbunallahu Wa'Nimal Wakeel"
Allah is enough for me and
there is no better to look after me.



"When you feel all alone in this world
And there's nobody to count your tears
Just remember, no matter where you are
Allah knows, Allah knows"
- Nasheed by Zain Bhikha
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Monday 31st October 2011 4 Dhul - Hijjah 1432 Volume 4 Issue 1


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