Pearls of Islam Reminder Series

The Value of Friendship

By Aatif Haque
Humans are sociable
creatures by nature; they're
always in need of friends and
companions. Most of our lives
depend on interaction with
others. Strong individuals are
the core of a strong
community, something that
Muslims should alway strive
for.
The type of people whom Allah
(swt) has put us into the
company of, including our
families, colleagues and
friends, determines to a great
degree the type of people we
will become. Just as important
are the people who we choose
to be in the company of - our
friends. The prophet (PBUH)
said,
!
"Man is inuenced by the faith
of his friends", therefore we
must be careful of whom we
choose to associate with.
University can be a testing
time for students and often we
are reliant on our friends to
see us through the tough
times. Choosing the right
company can be the rst step
in building and fortifying our
Imaan and taking a step in the
right direction. I'm sure we all
know someone who has gone
to university not really
practicing, praying every now
and then and come out a few
years later, transformed and
practicing and this is
something we should aim to
emulate.
We subconsciously pick up
habits from friends and without
realising it - Our behaviour is
heavily inuenced by them.
Hence we should aim to
befriend those who benet us.
Someone who will help us pray
ve times a day, supports and
comforts us and corrects you
us when we do wrong.
In summary, we should
evaluate our friendships and
see what habits and
mannerisms we pick up from
those around us. We need to
be selective when deciding
whose company we choose to
spend time in to gain
maximum benet from those
around us. Friendships can
help make or break a person
and I pray it is the former for all
of us.
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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