"There are lovers content with longing. I’m not one of them." -Rumi

"It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain! I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!”

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments."

-Oriah Mountain Dreamer (L'Invitation)

This has so many sufi themes it excites me like no other! If this touches you, share it.

Peace.

For The People

^this picture is of Egyptian Christians protecting Egyptian Muslims while they pray. mA.

“The prophet Muhammad (pbuh) declared, “Three men whose dua is never rejected (by Allah) are: the fasting person until he breaks his fast, the just ruler and the one who is oppressed.” [Tirmidhi]

Fast tomorrow and make dua for all of our brothers and sisters around the world facing oppression.

The prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "When any one of you sees anything that is disapproved (of by Allah), let him change it with his hand. If he is not able to do so, then let him change it with his tongue. And if he is not able to do so, then let him change it with his heart, though that is the weakest (kind of) faith." [Muslim]

one mic, one stage.

Khalid ibn al Walid (r.a.) narrated the following hadith:

A Bedouin came one day to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and said to him, "O, Messenger of Allah! I've come to ask you a few questions about the affairs of this Life and the Hereafter."
"Ask what you wish" said Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.)
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Q: I'd like to be the most learned of men.
A: Fear Allah, and you will be the most learned of men.
Q: I wish to be the richest man in the world.
A: Be contented, and you will be the richest man in the world.
Q: I'd like to be the most just man.
A: Desire for others what you desire for yourself, and you will be the most just of men.
Q: I want to be the best of men.
A: Do good to others and you will be the best of men.
Q: I wish to be the most favoured by Allah.
A: Engage much in Allah's praise, and you will be most favoured by Him.
Q: I'd like to complete my faith.
A: If you have good manners you will complete your faith.
Q: I wish to be among those who do good.
A: Adore Allah as if you see Him. Even if you don't see Him, He sees you. In this way you will be among those who do good.
Q: I wish to be obedient to Allah.
A: If you observe Allah's commands you will be obedient.
Q: I'd like to be free from all sins.
A: Bathe yourself from impurities and you will be free from all sins.
Q: I'd like to be raised on the Day of Judgment in the light.
A: Don't wrong yourself or any other creature, and you will be raised on the Day of Judgment in the light.
Q: I'd like Allah to bestow His mercy on me.
A: If you have mercy on yourself and others, Allah will grant you mercy on the Day of Judgment.
Q: I'd like my sins to be very few.
A: If you seek the forgiveness Allah as much as you can, your sins will be very few.
Q: I'd like to be the most honorable man.
A: If you do not complain to any fellow creature, you will be the most honorable of men.
Q: I'd like to be the strongest of men.
A: If you put your trust in Allah, you will be the strongest of men.
Q: I'd like to enlarge my provision.
A: If you keep yourself in order (clean), Allah will enlarge your provision.
Q: I'd like to be loved by Allah and His messenger.
A: If you love what Allah and His messenger love, you will be among their beloved ones.
Q: I wish to be safe from Allah's wrath on the Day of Judgment.
A: If you do not loose your temper with any of your fellow creatures, you will be safe from the wrath of Allah on the Day of Judgment.
Q: I'd like my prayers to be responded.
A: If you avoid forbidden actions, your prayers will be responded.
Q: I'd like Allah not to disgrace me on the Day of Judgment.
A: If you guard your chastity, Allah will not disgrace you on the Day of Judgment.
Q: I'd like Allah to provide me with a protective covering on the Day of Judgment.
A: Do not uncover your fellow creatures faults, and Allah will provide you with a covering protection on the Day of Judgment.
Q: What will save me from sins?
A: Tears, humbleness and illness.
Q: What are the best deeds in the eyes of Allah?
A: Gentle manners, modesty and patience.
Q: What are the worst evils in the eyes of Allah?
A: Hot temper and miserliness.
Q: What assuages the wrath of Allah in this life and in the Hereafter?
A: Concealed charity and kindness to relatives.
Q: What extinguishes hell's fires on the Day of Judgment?
A: Patience in adversity and misfortunes.
(Related by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal)

[source: supermuslims.tumblr.com]

"hijab is a threat to consumerism" *cheers*

This was the most thought-provoking argument for hijab I have heard. love it. Today's (and history's) beauty standards presuppose that we are all sick or broken or in need of fixing. I read one of my favorite chapters in "Full Frontal Feminism" today, here are little excerpts that connect back to the video & to the fact that society keeps women obsessed with their looks for a purely gross, sexist purpose. ew. get familiar:

"Whether we're puking, or not eating, or cutting ourselves (or letting doctors do it), young women are at the center of the beauty cult. We run that shit. But when people talk about young women having eating disorders or getting plastic surgery, they often assume that we don't know the consequences- health or otherwise. The sad truth is, young women do know. We just don't care."

"When you're taught that the majority of your worth is in how aesthetically pleasing you are to boys - and then boys tell you you're ugly - there's something soul crushing about that"

"If you're a younger woman, no matter how much work you do, someone is always going to claim that your success is dues to the way you look...young women are constantly reminded that their only real worth is their ability to be ogled or ridiculed."

"Consumerism is at the heart of beauty standards. After all, who's telling you what's (and who's) hot? Fashion mags, for example, survive by selling ads, ads that tell you your skin will be disgusting if you don't buy the latest microderm scrubbing bubbly foamy face wash. They all depend on your feeling ugly. Because guess what? If you think your looks are just fine and dandy as they are, you're not going to buy face creams and makeup and diet pills. You're just going to hang out, feeling great and doing productive things. But if you feel ugly and fat, you're going to spend as much money as possible to make sure you're doing all you can to be pretty...It's important to remember why some folks need us to feel ugly. It serves a specific purpose: to make us spend, to distract us, and ultimately to make us disappear."

So what now? It's going to take awhile for the beauty standards of society to change, it's all little steps. Get educated about this and start liking yourself the way you are. Honestly, I need this advice more than anybody - so I'm not trying to preach. I don't wear hijab yet, but madprops to all of the Muslimahs out there that do. Accepting yourself the way you are is revolutionary in itself. I'm convinced that hijab is one step closer to that.

It's Not an Identity Crisis

currently reading:

"Religious experience is, by and large, ineffable. This indescribability is, in fact, one of the defining characteristics of mysticism and other forms of spiritual awareness. As listening to a piece of music that moves us to tears may defy our ability to explain those tears, spiritual encounters often resist our desire to describe them." - LA Times

"A gorgeously written memoir about what it means to be a human in a fractured world, told with warmth and wit to spare. It will stay with you for years." - Reza Aslan

Okay, not gonna lie, the reason I picked up this book as I was browsing was because of the praise from Reza Aslan! So I'm only about ten pages in, but so far so good.

LOVE: "To me Muslim and American are inseparable. I am a Muslim and an American. Politically this is incredibly irritating, but it's not an identity crisis." - excerpt from the book

hope.

"When shaytan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future."