The Day I Died: An Eye Opener

As-Salaamu-Alaikum

I received this from a dear friend and I thought its worth sharing!What a good read, makes you sit back and reflect a bit. Inshallah Allah (swt) make us all steadfast in our 5 daily Salaah, Aameen.

Life is unpredictable. But I always thought I could predict what was going to happen next. It was only six days ago. I was driving home with my friends, Malik and Omar. It was Halloween night. We had just watched the movie Saw 3 at the recently refurbished theater at the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, CA. It was 11:46pm when I glanced at the clock on the dashboard and realized I hadn't made Isha But I didn't say anything, as not to upset the mood. Just three hours earlier I put off the Isha until after the movie. Now I was running out of time.
I only lived 26 years. My 27th birthday was exactly two weeks away.
I always imagined I would live long. At least until age 60. It just wasn't imaginable that I would have such a sudden, unexpected death.

I had graduated from the University of Southern California three years earlier with a degree that means absolutely nothing right now. Shortly after, I landed a job as the marketing director of a major clothing company. Aside from the usual life problems, I was living a normal life. My girlfriend of 4 years was starting to pressure me into us getting a place together. I knew I wasn't supposed to have a girlfriend in the first place but I enjoyed her company and friendship. I wasn't ready to give that up. I used to always tell myself that eventually I would marry her. Plus, what would these few years of living a sinful life mean by the time I got older?

My job, girlfriend and life-long friends took up the majority of my time. It seemed I never had time to offer Salaah. I hardly even had time to sit down and eat. Offering Salaah was always something that continuously bugged me. The more I postponed my Salaahs, the more it irritated me. I did give an effort to keep up on my Salaahs. But for the last two years of my life I gave up. I pretty much stopped making Salaah altogether. I never made it home in time to make Salaah that day.

Saw 3 was a walk through the rose garden compared to what I was about to experience. I was doing 85 on the 10 freeway. At 12 midnight, 85 mph is not considered speeding. Omar flipped through FM radio stations searching for a song he liked. Malik had fallen asleep in the back seat. I began to doze off too. I used to hate when that happened. I shook out of what seemed like a 10 second snooze. I tried to keep my eyes open. But again I dozed off. Omar screamed, 'HEY! It was too late. The car struck the center divider and spun back into the flow of traffic. An oncoming car hit my door. That car was also hit by another vehicle. We finally came to a halt somewhere in the middle of the freeway, a hundred yards from the spot of the collision. I didn't feel any pain. I was just dizzy, I heard Omar and Malik moaning as good civilians tried pulling us from the wreck.

I wasn't rescued until the fire fighters arrived. It was quite a task recovering my battered body from my totaled car. Breathing became difficult. The fire fighters huddled around me and frantically applied device after device. 'He's not gonna make it,' I heard one of them say. I 'm not gonna make it? How? I didn't feel like I was dying. I felt nothing. My heart started pounding. I was soaked in sweat and blood. I saw Malik standing over the top of me with tears in his eyes.

'Don't quit on me', he told me. At that time I knew it was over. I started to cry. The fire fighters moved him away as they made last attempts to revive me. I died. An angel came to me and removed my soul. I watched him fly away with it in disbelief. 'How could you?

I'm not even 27,' I pleaded. 'It's time,' he told me and left. Two minutes later they pulled a white sheet over me. Omar and Malik, apparently doing better than me, pulled the sheet back to look at me one last time. They cried their eyeballs out, I had known then over since I was 13 years old and had never seen either one cry. It was a depressing sight.

The ride to the morgue, until then, was the worst experience I ever had. I was alone. It was dark and cold. I missed my mom. I missed my brother. I missed my sister. I wished I had spent that last night with my family instead of with Omar and Malik. I worried what my mother was going to do when she saw me in this state. I was ugly.
When we finally arrived, I was placed in another cold room with dozens of other dead people. I missed my family so much. Every so often a family came in to view their dead. I always thought it was my family but it wasn't. Hour after hour passed. No mom. No dad. I started to cry again. Then one odd hour I recognised voices. My father walked in with my mother in his arms. His face worn from stress. Hers wet with tears. They just stared into my eyes and cried. I stared back.

I wanted to tell them I loved them. I couldn't. I wanted to hug them. I couldn't. Mom stroked my bloodied hair and left. I was to be buried the next day. When my parents left, it hit me. I never made Isha! My heart jumped out of my chest. I owed Allah a Salaah and failed to deliver it to him. I had hundreds of missed Salaahs over the past two years. Now I was about to face him. I felt powerless.

For those of you who have never experienced guilt at death, there is not a worldly feeling that amounts to it. It is guilt and sorrow at another level. I tried getting up to make Isha but I couldn't move. It was over. I had no second chance.

Then I began to think back. I never knew my memory was so good. I had more than enough time to ponder as I was awaiting my burial. I literally remembered every single Salaah I missed and the reasons why I missed them. Most were laziness, procrastination and neglectfulness.

I knew I was in trouble. I wished they would take longer to bury me. I failed! I failed! I failed!

My girlfriend paid me a visit. She was a devil. When I was alive I saw her as a pretty angel. My pretty angel who loved me and would do anything to make me happy. If I had the ability, I would have cursed her and demanded her to leave the morgue. She put her hand on my forehead. I allowed her to do that for that past four years. Now that I opposed to it, I could do nothing about it. The devil cried for hours at my side. She just would not leave. I felt cheated. I felt like she pulled a prank on me for the past couple years of my life. I hated this devil! She was ugly! She smelled horrible! She finally left. As she walked out the door my heart was filled with fear and anxiety.

The funeral was simple. My body was washed. I didn't seem to care that my naked body was exposed. My worries far surpassed my desire to be modest. I was wrapped in three white sheets. About 300 people attended my funeral. I was saddened not to see my mom at the funeral.

I wished she came to see me one last time before they put me in the ground. I never knew so many people cared about me. Many just stared at the tightly wrapped figure in disbelief. Others cried and cried some more.
The mass prayed for me. Thousands of individual prayers were made. They asked Allah to have mercy on me. They asked him to forgive me. I wanted to pray for myself but I couldn't speak. I was helpless. I was carried to the hole in the middle of the barren desert. The people followed. It seemed like slow motion. I didn't want to go.
If I had 24 bonus hours I would pray non-stop. They lowered me into the ground. The anticipation was eating away at me. I had surely failed life. I thought back on everything I had worked so hard to accomplish. I earned a college degree. I had a well paying job. I spent hours and hours in the weight room ever since I was 16 years old developing my body. I had a pretty girlfriend who loved me. In that life, that was a badge of honor. But as they were lowering me into this grave, which seemed like it took forever, I realized that I couldn't use any of those 'accomplishments'. If only I had been that dedicated to making Salaah five times daily, I would have been at peace right now. Instead I am a nervous wreck beyond anything you all can comprehend.

Dirt fell in the hole. Darkness overcame my new home. The last shovels of sand filled the grave. Everyone sadly walked away. The graveyard started to empty. Family by family. Mine was the last to leave. The attendant left. By nightfall it was just me. All alone.

My wrapping was soaked in sweat. I nervously awaited the angels to come and question me. They finally did. My final judgement has not been reached yet. I am now waiting for judgement day. Still lying here, alone, as day comes and night falls. Soon I will meet Allah himself and He will decide weather He will forgive me or not. I can only lay here, wait and hope The All Forgiving, The Most Merciful forgives me and does not punish me. I hope. That is all I have right now. Hope until the day of Qiya'amah.

I make Dua'a that we all remain steadfast with our Salaah & that Allah (swt) grant us mercy and forgiveness from our sins, Aameen

Marriage & Islam

I thought I'd post this, with the divorce rate being so high lately...let me have you comments & please be honest, will appreciate ~ Princess

How many men and women prepare themselves to live as a couple, as a family?

Some think about it, others are already committed to it. We hear of stories... and one is sometimes moved by the expectations and hopes of some, and sometimes saddened by the painful life experiences of others. Perhaps you are also, sisters and brothers, preparing yourselves to engage in this life experience of marriage, known as half of your faith. Or perhaps you have already started sharing your life with someone. In this, your expectations, thank Allah (swt), were more than met but sometimes doubts have emerged. This... is not what you had expected.

Brothers and sisters, nothing should be idealized.

The perfect husband or the perfect wife only exists in your dreams. Allah (swt) has given you, as He has given others, noble qualities and intelligence. Allah (swt) has given you, as He has given others, faults and deficiencies. Perfection is not given to you or any human being.

It is not enough to share the same faith, the same principles and the same hopes to make an ideal couple. How many young couples have been under the illusion that their future life will be harmonious as if being Muslim was enough for a successful marriage? As if their union was based solely on the meeting of two worlds founded on the same principles that one respects or on the rules which one applies.

This illusion, which yesterday promised a small earthly paradise, today makes life a difficult struggle How many speak about "the principles of marriage in Islam" and actually live the reality of a torn, ravaged and frustrated existence?

Today, more than ever, living as a married couple has become a real challenge. Around us, men and women meet and leave each other in a modern society in which they confuse freedom and the absence of accountability as love and flexibility. Living as a couple is not without its challenges - preparing yourself, learning and constantly trying to reach out to the other with patience, depth and tenderness. Although it is true that the principles of Islam bring you together, or will bring you together, you must remember each day that the person with whom you share your life comes with his or her own history, wounds, sensitivities and hopes. Learn to listen, to understand, to observe, to accompany. Make every moment count.

Living as a couple is the greatest of tests: a test of patience, of attention, of the ability to listen for unspoken words, of self-control, of mending one's faults, of healing the wounds. In each of these tests,
there are two parties. It isn't easy. A meaningful effort has to be grounded in the deepest sense of spirituality, a jihad, in the most intense meaning of the term. The jihad of love which reminds that
feelings have to be taken care of. They are maintained, deepened, rooted through your shared challenges and your patience.

Patience and attention to the hearts, in a couple, will lead them towards the light, Inshallah. Remember, brothers and sisters, the last of the Prophets (peace be on him), an example for eternity, so
attentive, so tender, and so patient. He did not only remind the Ummah of principles, he enlightened with his presence, his listening, and his love.

Before being the mother of his children, his wife was a woman, his spouse, a person he discovered each day, a person whom he accompanied and who accompanied him; subject of his attention, a testimony of his love. He knew the meaning of silence, the power of a touch, the complicity of a shared glance, the pleasure in a smile, and the kindness found in being attentive.

There are those who idealize the other so much they never really see their partners and those who leave each other too quickly without taking the time to know each other. We are reminded of the principles Islam, its depth, its spirituality, its essence. Living as a couple, forming a relationship, being patient in adversity, loving to the extent of enduring, grounding by way of reforming is an initiation to
spirituality. Knowing how to be one with Allah (swt) assures greater comfort in being together as two. A challenge, a test, far from the ideal, close to reality.

Sisters and brothers, you must prepare yourselves to live one of the most beautiful tests of life. It requires all from you, your heart, your conscience, and your efforts. The road is long. One must learn to
demand, to share, and to forgive...indefinitely.

Of the things permitted by Allah (swt) - divorce but it is the most detested. Living as a couple is difficult: remember that your wife is woman before being the mother of your children; remember that your husband is a man before being the father of your children. Know how to live as a couple, within
your family...in front of Allah (swt) and in front of your children.

This meeting place, these efforts will result in a sense of protection: They are your garments and you are their garments. Know how to be patient, learn how to be affectionate, offer forgiveness, and you
will attain the spirituality of the protected, the proximity of the ones that are close. Faith then becomes your source of light and "his or her" presence, becomes your source of protection; the test of your heart, the energy of your love, half of your faith. I make Dua'a to Allah (swt) that this love be the school of your efforts and the light of your patience, Aameen.

Dear Brothers & Sisters....

B i s m i l l a a h i r R a h m a a n i r R a h e e m Assalaamu `Alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuhu

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ To The Muslim Ummah... ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I pray you woke up this morning with a big smile on your face.

Prayed al-Fajr and read your Qur'aan to start your day. I hope your breakfast was warm and tasted healthy and you are smiling with contentment, and family members wished each other a cheery good morning ... and peace in your abode. I Pray today, is filled with lovely surprises and friends call you just to say 'Salaam' . . . and your loved ones tell you ..... 'we are praying for you'. I Pray you feel on top of the world with a spring in your step all the time thinking of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala's Gracious and Merciful Blessings upon you ..........

I Pray everything goes your way. Inshallaah everything is well with your world, a place for everything and everything in it's place .......... I Pray you enjoy all you do ... in complimenting Islam by the way you feel when you read the Holy Qur'aan and benefit from Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala's teaching to your heart's content ......

I also Pray, Inshallah that ........... If you have a bad day at work, be thankful to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala. Appreciate that you have a job. Some people don't. When you pay your bills, be thankful you can pay them. If you see a gray hair, be thankful. Think of the cancer patient in chemotherapy who wish they had hair on their head ...........

When you find yourself waiting in line or the recipient of poor service, be thankful.Many don't have services. Think about the people who have no food to eat and are hungry all the time .......... When you realise how much work it is to take care of a house, be thankful you have a home. Think about those who are homeless and wish they had a home to take care of ..........

When you feel like complaining because you have to walk a long distance from your car, be thankful . Think of what it would be like not to be able to walk! If you get irritated by other people's anger, apathy, ignorance, bitterness, or insecurities, be thankful. Things could be worse. You could be one of them! When you think everything in your world is terrible, and you want to give up, think of the people who have been told they only have a certain amount of time to live. They don't want to give up.

So, I Pray you have a perfect day . . . and that every day is just as wonderful in it's own way, and in shaa'Allaah you will be blessed with all you prayed for yourself . . . and those dear and close to you. I Pray that your Iman is firm and true ... and at the end of each day, to thank Allaah Almighty for all His Blessings and Mercies, but most of all to ...........
~ be thankful for Allah Ta'aala's Presence in your life ~ Waking up this morning, being alive ... is Allah Ta'aala's blessing to you. ~ Alhamdulillah ~ May Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala's Blessings and Grace surround you with happiness, peace, harmony, contentment, prosperity and good health and the Noor of the Holy Qur'aan fill your heart and soul. May the Truth of Islam bring unity in our Ummah and may peace in this world prevail.

May Allaah Ta'aala accept your siyaam, qiyaam and ibaadahs. This is my du'aa for all of you always ~ Aameen

Have a blessed day of Jummah!

Never Look Down On Anybody
Unless You Are Helping Them Up

Don't Get Too Attached

When I describe it, you'll be able to visualize it. I'm certainly not the first person who has observed it. But there is a lesson in it we both may have overlooked. There are some children on a beach. They're playing at the edge of the water. Giggling. Building sand castles. They seem so intent on the project. You get amused at how meticulous and careful they are with crumbly corners and tiny turrets. The looks on their faces as they screw their mouths around and stick out their tongues in earnest concentration are priceless. Then a big wave starts to close in! But the kids don't panic. They do the strangest thing. They jump to their feet, scream with excitement, and watch the waves wash away their creations. There is no hysteria. No sadness. No bitterness. Even little children know the fate that awaits sandcastles. So they are neither shocked nor angry when the tide comes in.

You and I should be so wise. The stuff of this world is about as permanent as sandcastles on a beach. Yet we get so caught up in it, defensive over it, and depressed over the loss of it. But Allah (swt) didn't create you for this world. Your destiny is not bound up in cash and bonds, land and houses, monuments and fame. Living to be a hundred years old is far less important than living well - Even if for a relatively short time. Beautifying your body is not nearly as urgent as living with a pure heart before Allah (swt).

Children know that their castles in the sand are brief joys destined to be taken away by an incoming tide. So they don't fret as the waves approach. They typically watch their creations get swept away without shedding tears.Everything about this life is so transient. The incoming wave of our mortality is going to sweep it all away.

Like sandcastles at the edge of the ocean, nothing we do for the sake of this world can survive. Only what you do here for eternity will last. Only the treasures you send ahead will escape corruption.What would the loss of your job or business do to you? What if your house were to go up in smoke tonight? What if a pain sent you to the doctor and led to the discovery that you have only a few weeks to live? These things really do happen to people, you know. We are all vulnerable. We are all quite mortal. Everything about our existence here is about as enduring as sandcastles.Life is Allah (swt)'s gift. Revel in every good thing. Enjoy your castles in the sand. Just be careful not to let yourself get unduly attached to any of them

ﻪﺗﺎﻛﺭﺑﻮﷲﺍﺔﻣﺤﺮﻮﻡﻜﻳﻠﻋﻢﻼﺳﻟﺍ
Assalamualaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu

Jummah Mubarak to you & your families!!

Oh Allah, grant my friends and family what I wish for myself...

Oh Allah! I ask for mercy from You by which You will guide my heart,
settle my affairs, remove my worries, protect me from what is unseen to me,
make my face radiant, purify my deeds, inspire me with wisdom,
avert calamities from me, and protect me from every evil in this world and the hereafter....Inshallah, Aameen

Take care & have a blessed day, Inshallah

ﻪﺗﺎﻛﺭﺑﻮﷲﺍﺔﻣﺤﺮﻮﻢﻼﺳﻡﻜﻳﻠﻋﻮ
Wa Alaykumusalam Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Jummah Dawns Upon Us

As-Salaamu-Alaikum

Jummah Mubarak to you & your families!All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Aameen.

A little about the History of Jummah:

Friday prayers are mandatory for Muslims. Muslims prepare for Friday prayers like its a day of Eid or great Happiness. A happiness so profound that Jews and Christians cant even imagine on Saturdays and Sundays, their holy days. But why is Friday so Special?
O

f all the days of the week, the day of Jummah was chosen by Allah to be the greatest and the most special for Muslims. "O you who believe! When the call for Salaah is made on al -Jummah. hasten to the remembrance of Allah, and leave trading aside. That is better for you, if only you knew." [62:9] Some Ahadiths about Friday - Easy to remember and to share with others: Al-Jummah used to be called "Urubah". It was later renamed to "Al-Jummah", which in Arabic means "the day of gathering" because the body of Adam (a.s) was gathered (created) on this day. Allah guided all Muslims to hold their gatherings on Jummah before and after the Hijrah.

Prophet Muhammed (s.a.w.) said: Those before us were misled from al-Jummah. The Jews had Saturday and the Christians had Sunday.Then Allah guided us to al-Jummah, preceding Saturday and Sunday, as will be the case with the Muslims on the Final Day, when they will precede the Jews and Christians. We are the last of the People in the world and the first to be dealt with on the day of Judgment." (Muslim) Meaning: Their cases will be settled first in the court of Allah Subhana Talaa and non believers will have to wait and bear the hardships of the Day of Judgment for a very long time.

Kindly remember the Ummah of Nabi (saw), our Marhoomeen, the sick, weak, oppressed as well as my family & the sender in your Dua'as likewise we will do the same, Inshallah!