Princess, Waresa

Painted with classy clothes
polished, glimmering in the light
Some would envy and loathe
but she would stand upright

Every day with dazzling scarves
Beautiful pins and accessories
Golden chains, jewels, and rings
ignoring her endless miseries.

Walking with dignity
standing straight with pride
with nothing to hide.

Zina, Sanzida Love

You are nothing but a test.
You come in a beautiful way.
Leave me restless.
Not in any decent way.
Oh you are a test!

To test my piety in the eyes
of my creator.
To see for how long,
How long I will refrain
or will i give in
and take all the
sinful pleasures .

You are nothing but a test.
Oh you leave me restless
with all the wrong moves
in all the wrong ways.
Just like the rest
of the duniya
boy you are a test.

I better watch myself and my heart
before i slip for you
and get on that wrong track
that track that takes you away from your chances
The chances of getting in jannah
Leaves you restless in duniya
as you ponder and wonder over the
rules and regulations.

You are the ultimate doom to my room
filled with peace.
I hope to suffer in other ways
but man one thing i don't hope for
is for me to die in your arms
or in any other way that
got you all involved with me
in all them wrong ways.
boy you are nothing but a test
and i shall refrain till my last breath!

~Zina~
-SLove

High School Days, by Waresa

6:15 A.M.
Wake up feeling exhausted
and extremely tired
to go to school
with no desire

Getting dressed on time
Trying to look fine
But inside your head is aching
Your body is breaking

Cuz you didn't get sleep
You just wanna weep
Wishing to go to bed
School is such a dread.

So you finally make it to school
You swipe your ID card
As you make your way up the stairs
you fall down real hard.

 You pick yourself up
and hurry to class


But then you realize
you forgot to study for a test
You're to tired to worry and take stress
so you wing it and do your best.

And then lunch time comes.
You're really hungry and you're dying to eat
You stand on the lunch line
 and see they're serving haram meat

You ask the lunch lady if they have pizza
But she says, "no" and gives you a peanut butter sandwich

You go back to your table with your friends
and open the sandwich when you realize, there's only a pinch of jelly
and the sandwich starts to get smelly

So you throw out your tray
And you have to starve for the rest of the day.

And then after school you realize,
you have homework for every class
and you have to study for 4 different tests.

The cycle goes on until the school year ends
and all the stress leaves after the regents.

COPYRIGHT MUSLIM AND I KNOW IT

3 Popular Quotes We Don't Pay Much Attention To

1) "Choose Your Friends Wisely"- Yes, we hear it all the time. But it's true. If we could only choose the right people to hang out with, we wouldn't have to deal with problems such as peer pressure, friendship break ups, and drama. Some people just like creating drama and others just use you. These people are not true friends. Before we consider someone as a best, or a close friend, we have to learn their personality. Sometimes you can easily figure out if you want a person to be your best friend. But that's not always the case. Situations come up in which your "best friend" could surprise you.
Okay for example, lets say you and your friend have known each other for a few months. And you guys love hanging out with each other. It's like the perfect friendship. But then your friend finds someone else and wants to hang out with that person. Slowly, she starts to avoid you sometimes. She doesn't talk to you when she's with her other friend. But then when other friend is gone, she comes back to you. Yup, she was using you. But you're so upset because you guys were so close and she was like a picture perfect friend. You guys had so many years ahead of you. And you could have spent it together. But it's over and you have to find someone else. Just make sure, you choose your friend even more wisely. And don't consider them your best friend right away. It takes more than just a few months.
2) "Think Before You Speak"- So you're chilling with your friend and you guys are having a conversation about some people and you say something extremely bad about someone, something like "she's so annoying! She laughs too much". Your friends laugh at what you say and you go on because you enjoy the attention and you don't think about the consequences. The person you called "annoying" has helped you in the past. But, of course, you forgot about the good traits about that person. SO a couple of months pass by and the girl you called annoying stops talking to you. She doesnt even look at you and gives you the meanest looks when you pass by her. You sit next to her and you say "hi" to her but she gives you a disgusted look. And then you remember what you said about her, only its too late. Somehow, she found out what you said. We live in a small world and things spread extremely fast. This was just an example but things like this happen. You say things about someone which causes problems.
3)"Dont Give Up!"- Yes we hear this all the time. But it's true. Never say never. Just keep trying and never give up. One time there was an essay contest. It was for the whole New York City and it was from grades 5-8. I was in 5th grade at that time. So i wrote the essay and i was like "What's the point?"But i kept on writing and i tried to write a really good essay. And guess what?? I WON! Out of the whole New York City. The video is on youTube btw.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF-q8OIeVmE

Dont Worry Too Much

Many people worry and constantly try to prevent bad things from happening to them. their worries often take over their peace and happiness. But as believers we should not worry. We should know that if anything goes wrong, it might be a test for us.
“The greatest reward comes with the greatest trial. When Allaah loves a people He tests them. Whoever accepts that wins His pleasure but whoever is discontent with that earns His wrath.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2396) and Ibn Maajah (4031); classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. 

We should also remember that our problems in this life are not permanent because we are not permanent. This world is not forever. 

Also, if anything bad happens to a believer he should be positive.

The Prophet (saws) said, “How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for his affairs are all good, and this applies to no one but the believer. If something good happens to him, he is thankful for it and that is good for him. If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience and that is good for him.” (Narrated by Muslim, 2999).  

Make Dua, by Waresa

For comfort and cure
relief and peace
help, satisfaction, and happiness
make du'a

For removal of sins
sadness and despair
all you have to do is make du'a

For wishes to be granted
blessings to be showered on you
make du'a

For protection, health, wealth, and safety
and to be provided,
make du'a.

For solutions to problems,
      cures to pains and struggles,
        relief from stress,
       make du'a.

Du'a is truly a beautiful blessing
it's a way to communicate with Allah                          
at any time of the day or night.

Du'a is the key to strong faith
happiness and a better fate.

It's a form of worship
it's empowering and fulfilling
it gives hopes to hardships
cures to concerns
patience with problems
so don't forget to make du'a.


COPYRIGHT Muslim And I Know It 

Hold on to Your Candle

Picture this,

You are in the dark jungle and the only thing you are given is a candle. You must make your way across the jungle and ignore the other things like animals, bugs, noises, etc. After the jungle there is a place filled with light and peace. So to pass the jungle you need this candle. It's your only light and it will help you see in the dark jungle. You are walking with the candle in your hand and then it gets windy. You quickly cover the candle and make sure it doesn't blow away with the wind. Then you keep walking, and after a while it starts raining. You immediately cover the candle and make sure it is still lit. You will do anything to keep the candle safe in order to pass the jungle and enter a place filled with light. You would not get distracted by other things. If you saw a bunch of fireflies, you wouldn't just let go of the candle and follow the fireflies. 

Now think about reality. The candle is like our faith in Allah. The jungle is this world. The distractions are waswaas (evil thoughts from Shaytan), the fireflies are the worldly desires and attractions. The place of peace is like Paradise. You would not give your candle away,  because it's your only way to pass the jungle; likewise, you would try to hold on to your Imaan (faith in Allah) because it's your only way to Paradise (Jannah).

-Tajreen 

Pallete Expander Taken Off

A metal expander in your mouth
Struggle and pain
It's called a pallet expander
It's really insane

It helps you
And fixes your bite
But trust me
It can ruin your life

You talk really funny
As though there's a cage on your tongue
People don't understand
They think you're really dumb

It makes your bite even and your upper jaw wide
It makes your bones expand and your teeth easily slide

But this is a little metal monster
That traps your tongue
You cant pronounce letters
And you can't have much fun

But when the expander comes off
After what seems like a year
Your tongue comes out
And is released from jail
So there's no more need to wail



Copyright Muslim and I Know it

Disasters and Calamities

 Disasters and calamities are a test of the believer’s patience.

Calamities happen for many reasons. When you are going through a hardship you should not ask questions or be impatient. Instead, you should be patient and say "Surely we belong to Allah and to Him shall we return". Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un  (Arabic: إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ‎).

“Or think you that you will enter Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, ‘When (will come) the Help of Allah?’ Yes! Certainly, the Help of Allah is near!”

[al-Baqarah 2:214] 

Books I Strongly Recommend

Have you ever wanted to read chapter books with Muslim characters? These books written by Umm Zakiyyah will leave you in awe and wonder. You'll be so intrigued that once you read a few pages you wont be able to put the book down :)

If I Should Speak, Umm Zakiyyah
A Voice, Umm Zakiyyah
A Friendship Promise, Umm Zakiyyah

If you want to learn more about Islam, i recommend these books:
What Islam is All About, Yahiya Emerick

*I will be adding more books to this list, InshaAllah :)

Poetry Contest Winner 2014

I am pleased to announce that the winner of the Poetry Contest is Naila Ali. Congratulations Naila!

Water

Such a simple subject,

yet an ingredient to survival.

Gulp it down,

Fill that glass. 

Quenched that thirst,

It has passed.

A clear substance

H2O,

given to you!

From a river flow.

But where did that river come from?

Why, thank Allah, the one and only.

Amazing and a gift for us.

One of life's big musts.

So,be grateful for water,

Because let me tell you something

Not everyone is as lucky.

The fault of something that they are lacking.

And that something is pure water.

Whatever that reason may be,

Know that you should be grateful for the water that you can have and see.

- Naila 

The Tale of Two Frogs

A group of frogs were hopping contentedly through the woods, going about their froggy business, when two of them fell into a deep pit. All of the other frogs gathered around the pit to see what could be done to help their companions. When they saw how deep the pit was, the rest of the dismayed group agreed that it was hopeless and told the two frogs in the pit that they should prepare themselves for their fate, because they were as good as dead.

Unwilling to accept this terrible fate, the two frogs began to jump with all of their might. Some of the frogs shouted into the pit that it was hopeless, and that the two frogs wouldn't be in that situation if they had been more careful, more obedient to the froggy rules, and more responsible.

The other frogs continued sorrowfully shouting that they should save their energy and give up, since they were already as good as dead. The two frogs continued jumping as hard as they could, and after several hours of desperate effort were quite weary.

Finally, one of the frogs took heed to the calls of his fellows. Spent and disheartened, he quietly resolved himself to his fate, lay down at the bottom of the pit, and died as the others looked on in helpless grief. The other frog continued to jump with every ounce of energy he had, although his body was wracked with pain and he was completely exhausted.

His companions began a new, yelling for him to accept his fate, stop the pain and just die. The weary frog jumped harder and harder and - wonder of wonders! Finally leapt so high that he sprang from the pit. Amazed, the other frogs celebrated his miraculous freedom and then gathering around him asked, "Why did you continue jumping when we told you it was impossible?" Reading their lips, the astonished frog explained to them that he was deaf, and that when he saw their gestures and shouting, he thought they were cheering him on. What he had perceived as encouragement inspired him to try harder and to succeed against all odds.

This simple story contains a powerful lesson. Your encouraging words can lift someone up and help him or her make it through the day. Your destructive words can cause deep wounds; they may be the weapons that destroy someone's desire to continue trying - or even their life. Your destructive, careless word can diminish someone in the eyes of others, destroy their influence and have a lasting impact on the way others respond to them

Poetry Contest!

POETRY CONTEST

Assalamualaikum everyone! Dont miss your chance to enter this Poetry Contest. Write a poem about any topic you want and then send it to iwaresa@aol.com. The winner's poem will be posted on Muslim and I Know It, islamisourlife4.blogspot.com. 

Deadline: Sept. 10, 2014

The winner will be announced on Sept 15th 2014. Have fun!

 Dont miss this opportunity for your poem to be featured on my blog!

Poisons Of The Heart

Unnecessary and harmful speech, unrestrained glances, and overindulgence in food, and bad company have the strongest negative impact upon the heart's functioning.

Unnecessary and Harmful Speech
"A slave (of Allah) may utter a word which pleases Allah, without giving it much importance, and because of that Allah will raise his or her ranks (of reward); a slave (of Allah) may utter a word (carelessly) which displeases Allah, without thinking of its gravity, and because of that, he or she will be thrown into the hellfire." (recorded by Bukhari)

 Narrated Sahl bin Sa'd: Allah's Apostle said, "Whoever can guarantee (the chastity of) what is between his two jaw-bones and what is between his two legs (i.e. his tongue and his private parts), I guarantee Paradise for him." 

Guarding the mouth and tongue means protecting it from unlawful speech such as lying, backbiting, slandering, cursing, quarreling and the like. This also includes abstaining from foods and drinks which are unlawful.

Once words are spoken, they can cause extreme harm, which can be difficult to remedy. 

Unrestrained glances

In relation to modesty and protecting the private parts, Allah (swt) mentions the commandment to lower the gaze and avert it from anything that is unlawful.

24:30 Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what they do.

24:31 And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.

 Gazing at unlawful things may provoke the heart to evil such as attraction and desires, which may then lead a person towards forbidden behavior in order to fulfill those desires.

"Shaitan enters with the glance, for he travels with it, faster than the wind blowing through an empty place. He makes what is seen appear more beautiful than it really is, and transforms it into an idol for the heart to worship. Then he promises it false rewards, lights the fire of desires within it, and fuels it with the wood of forbidden actions, which the servant of Allah would not have committed had it not been for this distorted image."

Falling into these traps distracts the heart and leads one to forget more important matters, such as remembrance and obedience of Allah.
 It can also make the heart become blind due to disobedience, which makes it unable to distinguish truth from falsehood.

Overindulgence of Food

The believer is instructed in both the Qur'an and Sunnah to avoid excess in food and drink. Allah (swt) says, "...Eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess." (Qur'an 7:31).

Excess in eating leads to laziness in fulfilling obilgatory duties such as praying, as well as other recommended acts.

Chocolate, Waresa

Crazily craving
creamy and cool
Crispy,crunchy, chunky
is cool chocolate

Park Fun

Going to the park

right before the dark

with all your friends 

Eating snacks and sweets 

on the green grass,

chatting with your besties

having many laughs

Taking many pics

climbing up the trees

enjoying the view

and nice summer breeze

Hearts

Types of Hearts: 

1) The healthy heart:

This heart is free from any desires that oppose to the command of Allah (swt) and from any doubts that contradict what He reveals. It submits completely and relies on Allah (swt). 

This type of heart is humble, gentle, and lving. It is pure and only has love for and fear of Allah (swt).  It loves the things that Allah loves and hates that which He hates.

Signs of a sound, healthy heart are:

• considering oneself as belonging to the next world and not this word; eager to reach the hereafter
• feeling upset after committing sin, until repentance is complete
• feeling unhappy if he/she is missing daily recitation of the Qur'an or remembering Allah (swt) through praising and supplicating to Him.
• finding pleasure in worshipping Allah (swt) more satisfying than any other pleasure.
• finding that worldly worries and concerns are absent when praying
• being worried, above all else, with acting for the sake of Allah (swt)
• being more concerned with the correctness of a deed than with its performance
• trying to use time wisely instead of wasting time

2) The dead heart

The dead heart is ignorant of its Creator, neither knowing its Lord nor worshipping Him. 

It follows its whims and desires and is immersed in the pleasures of this world.  It will follow its own desires regardless of whether Allah (swt) loves those acts or not.

This is a harsh and dreary heart. When this heart hears the mention of Allah or the Qur'an, this heart reacts with aversion. 

Those who reject guidance have blind and deaf hearts. Their ability of reason  and perception id dead. When a person sins, the heart is marked or stained. Repentance and forgiveness may wash stain away but if a person doesnt repent the stain will deepen and spread more.

signs of dead heart:

• not feeling guilt, hurt, or pain when committing sins
• finds pleasure in committing sins and  acts of disobedience to Allah (swt)
• showing concern about less important matters while neglecting important ones
• disliking truth or having hard time accepting or submitting to it
• feeling discomfort among righteous believers, while feeling happiness and contentment among misguided people, sinners, or even evildoers
• being susceptible to misconceptions and doubts; being attracted to discussions related to misconceptions rather than to reading Qur'an or doing good deeds
• not being affected by admonition

3)The sick heart

This heart is between the first two kinds of hearts. It has some life but yet, is also defective. It contains love for Allah, but at the same time, it has the love of vain desires and the material world. This heart is wavering between safety and destruction. 

If a person engages in prohibited and doubtful matters, the heart will become weaker  and will be open to further attacks and diseases. This may lead it to become a dead heart if efforts are not made to purify it. 

The Soul

Levels of the Soul 

1) Commanding souls: These souls instigate people towards evil. This is the lower level of the soul. It "inclines toward the physical world and seeks bodily desires and pleasures."

The soul is controlled by its whims and desires, such that it is rebellious and commits sins effortlessly.

If people allow these lowly aspects  to take control, they will start to lose the sense of guilt, regret, and remorse for their sinful deeds. 

As they go down the path of sin and evil, they lose the ability to understand the truth.
Evil take over. Their hearts become hardened.
In the Qur'an, Allah (swt) says, "No! Rather, the stain has covered their hearts if that which they were earning." (83:14)

People like this have refused to accept the guidance from Allah and take Allah as their supporter. In this case, Allah (swt) gives them another companion: Satan.

Satan will whisper to them and easily encourage them to do evil. Since this soul is already inclined to those kinds of acts, they willingly obey. 


2)Reproachful soul:
This is the soul which is self-reproaching. It recognizes evil deeds and blames itself for wrong-doing. It feels a sense of guilt and remorse. It blames itself for not doing more good deeds. 
After recognizing their evil deeds and natures, they seek repentance from Allah and attempt to correct and fix themselves.

These souls are constantly between doing good and evil.

3) Tranquil souls: 
As sincere and true faith becomes strong in a person's heart, the incline to evil within the soul becomes weak.
The soul becomes completely dominated by inclinations towards piety, good, and righteousness.  it loves and desires to do good and it detests evil deeds.  This is the level of the tranquil soul. 
Goodness dominates, thus, the soul feels tanquility and peace. These souls are obedient to Allah (swt) and are pleased with what He has decreed, relying upon Him alone in all matters. 


 Through the strong connection with the Creator, they calm their desires and passions , and they require little effort to repel evil inclinations. these people are in essence fulfilling the purpose of their creation which is the worship and obedience of Allah.




 This is the level that is possible  to achieve and succeed in this life and it provides the believers with the taste of joy and happiness awaiting them in the hereafter. 

Dreams

Three Types of Dreams

1) Glad tidings from Allah. 

2)What is suggested by Satan to scare the dreamer.

3) Reflection of thoughts and experiences one has during wakefulness.

Abu Hurayrah narrated Muhammad (S) said, "There are three types of dreams: a righteous dream which is glad tidings from Allah, the dream which causes sadness is from Shaitan, and a dream from the ramblings of the mind. (Sahih Muslim)

When you see should a good dream, you should share it with the people you love.

When you see a bad dream, you should spit on your left sde 3 times and seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Stan and from the evil of the dream.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Dreams are of three types: glad tidings from Allaah, what is on a person’s mind, and frightening dreams from the Shaytaan. If any of you sees a dream that he likes, let him tell others of it if he wishes, but if he sees something that he dislikes, he should not tell anyone about it, and he should get up and pray.

Dessert Island, by Waresa

Climbing sticky Maple Syrup trees
Shopping at Sundae mall
Swimming in the Frosted ocean
fruity forest filled with cherry trees so tall.

Eat delectable danishes
Visit Reese's River
Roll down Brownies Hill
Have fruit custard for dinner

Climb Caramel Canyon
Learn at Cookie Academy
Go to Lollipop Park
So many delicious places to see!

COPYRIGHT MUSLIM AND I KNOW IT