Guitar Hero to the Rescue!

“SubhanAllah” moment of the week occurred yesterday. I was playing Rock Band with some friends after I was done with a loooong week of class/midterm study - note: this game is $150 and we don’t spend that kind of money on games in my house (but we do on jeans...if that means anything). For awhile I stuck with vocals because singing is easy and fuuunnn but after awhile someone else wanted to try, so I tried out the guitar. I’m sure everyone knows what a Rock Band guitar looks like - just like a Guitar Hero one - six colored buttons on the neck and while you play you watch the screen to know which buttons to press while you “strum” the bar. When you’re new it takes a lot of concentration because your brain is still learning which fingers go with which colors, the more you concentrate, the faster you learn.


I was doing horribly, on EASY, while everyone else was playing on hard or expert. But even as I saw myself getting low percentages every time, I didn’t make an effort to pay more attention to the finger-color pattern. It as as if I had internally labelled myself as a “n00b” and therefore it was acceptable for me to be performing badly. This seemed like a mechanism to keep myself from feeling bad about performing poorly as well as to prevent myself from the “oh no” feeling of treading outside of the waters of my comfort zone.

At the time, I didn’t care. But the “subhanAllah” kicked in this morning when the connection between my incoherent playing was made with the way I’ve been living my life - Ya-Allah, you work in such beautiful ways.

Basically, I’ve been “half-assing” (for lack of a more fitting word) my way through LIFE. Whether it’s preparing for tests, participating in class, running races, concentrating in prayer, being a good Muslim. EVERY SINGLE one of these things could be done SO MUCH better, but I choose to stay in my little bubble and not move forward...just get by. If I was somehow able to get out of my body and look down at the person that I have grown into, I would be quite disappointed. I’d flip them the bird. I have like sixty more years to live tops...and if I’m going to merely “get by” for the next years, I doubt I’ll have much to show for it on the Day of Judgment.

“Verily, Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves” (al-Qur’an, 13:11)

Allah (swt) is always there to help us, but we need to provide an outlet for this help! This is for anyone who feels like they aren’t getting the most out of their life - and I’m sure everyone feels like this at time. But, hey, the answer is lies in the Qur’an. At last Friday’s khutba the speaker said “If you want to talk to Allah (swt), pray. If you want Allah (swt) to talk to you, read the Qur’an.” So let’s make two nafl of prayer today and ask Allah for aid in re-connecting with him and in turn i’A becoming a better human being. Ameen.

Ramadan Kareem

oh obama : )

Take a Second...

Bismillah

The poem below has been penned by a Muslim sister, 17-year-old Fatma Abdullah. We thought it reflected depth of thought and a keen observation of the state of Muslims today.

pen-and-notepad

What is happening to Muslims today?
Why are we imitating the western way?
Are we forgetting a crucial part of Islam,
Following the Prophet (alayhi salaatu wassalaam)?

Although entertainment may bring about pleasure,
The Quran and Sunnah is what we should treasure.
What we commit to memory instead of ayaat and ahadith,
Are lyrics of songs that only weaken our belief.

When asked about Sahabah who struggled for this deen,
The response will be a shrug from many of the teens.
Biographies of singers and athletes fill their minds,
While daily adhkaar are sadly left behind.

Instead of preparing for our inevitable end,
We find ourselves spending endless hours with our friends.
Gossiping about celebrities and fellow kids at school,
Only so that we can be among the ‘cool’.

We find ourselves submitting to fashion and fame,
Instead of praising Allah with His glorious names.
Is it just me, or is the hijaab getting smaller?
Diets to get slimmer and high heels to look taller?

This ummah is in danger, and something must be done,
But first we must remember that as an ummah, we are one.
Like a single body undergoing trials and tests,
When one part feels the pain, it is felt throughout the rest.

Let’s go back in time to the seventh century,
And take examples from a people full of faith and purity.
The first Muslim generation knew divided they would fall,
So they stood together, may Allah be pleased with them all.

Abu Bakr al-Siddiq was the Prophet’s closest friend,
Supportive of his mission till the very end.

Umar bin Khattab was a companion strong and fierce,
But due to taqwa of Allah, he could not hold back his tears.

And Uthmaan bin Affaan would always give more than take,
So he was known to spend in masses, solely for Allah’s sake.

And there’s another who submitted when he was just a lad,
Unshakable faith was what Ali bin Abi Taalib had.

And let’s not forget Musab bin Umayr, Abu Dharr al Ghifari,
Abdullah bin Masood, Bilal and Abu Ayyub al Ansari.

Enemies of islam did what they could to stop the call,
But the Sahabah stood together like a firmly fixed brick wall.
The same can be said for Islam in modern days,
Being attacked from many angles, and in many different ways.

The media tries its best to make this way of life distorted,
Pointing fingers at those who try hard to support it.
So let us all unite and show the whole world that we're bold,
And spread Islam and its teachings to people young and old.