Sunday, 13 May 2012

Change starts with the (wo) man in the mirror


   Change - it is  only the word itself that's constant. 

The world is changing. Our environment, our technology, our lives are changing. As the day passes us by, we get older by day. Hey, that's a change in age you can't stop. 

You can't stop change. So why not make a positive change.  Starting with  the (wo)man in the mirror. Yes, start with ourselves first in order to make a difference.  

Anyone who says that they won't change is somewhat arrogant, if you ask me. We should always, strive for change.  Let's take it a step further whenever we have the word change in our mind;-  

Tell ourselves ''I will change in order to please Allah, not others.''

It doesn't matter if you start  small, what matters most is that you have made it a point to make that change to please Allah.

I have made a promise that I will strive to change, to be a better Muslimah , InshaAllah. And writing all this down reaffirms my niat.  My 'Hijrah' wasn't overnight.  It was a slow ongoing process and still is. Gradually, you start changing, then when those around you realise it, they 'label' it as 'Hijrah'. 

Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.13 :11


Call it whatever you want, for me, my 'Hijrah'  was that big leap I made but being steadfast is my  biggest challenge of all. 

The nature of our heart is to change, and you'll find that there are hadith and duas from the Quran that we can make to help make our hearts firm.  

Make this du'a: 



 

Sahih International

 "Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You are the Bestower.
3:8


So now that we have geared ourselves towards a new positive us, remember to also make du'a above to make us steadfast, because, our Imaan does go up and down. Well, especially for me. I  have to work extra hard to make myself steadfast. Because that is my weakness and Syaitan is really, really  clever; one small whisper can  lead you to a  bad deed if you do not take effort to fight an evil thought that crosses your mind. And if you just thinking of doing something good, Syaitan comes in and let you remember that something you had forgotten some time ago, or make you distracted on other things. For instance, many times I had planned to read the Quran, listen to the seerah on the podcast, etc;  somehow I am bound to be  distracted with other things, like the phone ringing or your kids suddenly misbehaving. Interesting how they were playing so well together, the moment you just opened the Quran, you find your youngest suddenly screaming.    

Also,  making the 'Hijrah', doesn't make you an angel. You are bound to make mistakes or commit sin.  Then again, we are all human, so if we do 'slip' sometimes, remember to seek forgiveness from Allah swt. 

Istigfar - "Astagfirullahalazim,"  say it many times, in the car, while you're walking, cooking, jogging and particularly when you're about to pass that juicy bit of information about someone. Istigfar before Syaitan gets the better of you. 

The Messenger of Allaah (S) said: ‘By Allaah, I seek forgiveness and repent to Allaah, more than seventy times a day.’
Hadeeth Al Bukhari

So start today! And if you're the type that gets motivated by songs, here is one  that is very inspiring.
A cover by Awakening's new talent, Raef "Man in the Mirror'.




MAN IN THE MIRROR -MICHAEL JACKSON

I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change
Songwriter(s): Ballard, Glen; Garrett, Siedah


Life has no remote ... So.... Get up and Change it yourself !!!

And Remember! •► Dont change yourself to please others, but change yourself to please Allaah! ♥
-A  status update from  ILoveAllaah's  fb-


Nina - Change, Reflect and Repent  

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