Name:Syed Shafiuddin Ahmed Country:United States State:Michigan Metro:Detroit Birthday:2/23/1985 Gender:Male
Interests:Islam, Qur'an, Hadeeth,Business, Basketball,Football, Baseball, Hockey, Cricket, Running, any sport on the planet, All types of music: Nasheed, Naats, 786, Native Deen, Zain Bhikha, Outlandish, you know...all that good stuff). Expertise:Talking and insha'Allah maybe Finance too. Occupation:Student Industry:Banking/Finance
Salaam alaikum, A little something that someone wanted me to write and this is what I could conjure up.
Our Economic Times
Still dreaming of fake fortune, Little did we know it was as fragile as porcelain, The comfortable living that we felt that would never die, Now so many businesses and house have for sale signs, Our bank accounts dropping faster than the bombs on Palestine, We still are eating and living but still find a way to a complain and whine, As Muslims we know that this life is a series of ups and downs, But we are still wondering how we found ourselves in the situations we are in now, Oh its because Bush destroyed the economy and that’s no lie, But witth our excessive spending what did you expect when our bank accounts died, its no surprise that we feel a sense of entitlement for the things we own, have to buy into the nice cars, clothes, and homes or we’ll be alone, now we have families leaving their houses with no future in sight, tell me, was the excessiveness worth the plight? Now the money that was flowing has dried up with our ego and all, Why did it take us this long to make the Divine Call? Because as Muslims we know that we’ll get every last penny we’re owed until the day we die, So why do we think that money will never end and continue to live our hopeless and empty lives? So many of us giving up on Allah asking why after all our prayers were we dealt this blow, As if our expensive lives are something that is owe, Yet we forget that Allah tests us so we can come closer, So realize that we are becoming richer with our supplications of need as we run to Allah and we aren’t becoming poorer, Like the Prophets (S) whose weight is unparalleled in style Do we think that our small quizzes are comparable in the same aisle? Losing family members all around, burying his children all except one throughout his life is a pain that we can’t deny, So why do we think a few lesser dollars is worth a cry? Because if we falter and fail to realize that this is time to bring Islam back in our lives, Then be ready for worst pain than a thousand knives, We need to realize that this isn’t a death sentence but a resurrection, This isn’t a time to mope but to pray for a rekindling of rationalization, That we need to live our lives as travelers and not as kings with pride, We need to hold onto Allah and Prophet (S) sunnah and put everything else in this life aside, Because there is no amount of money that will make our lives filled with light, The noor of Allah is with the sunnah and and keeping the hearafter in sight, So when this economic downturn rebounds and our bank accounts are sky high, Remember to not be careless and fall back our past life of lies.
I don't think I have ever had two posts in two days ever so I guess i'm making a concerted effort to do something with my free time (or really trying to avoid studying). But alhamdilAllah I got great inspiration today so I figured I'd pass it along.
Today we started a weekly Knowledge Circle at Univ. of Michigan - Dearborn and the whole idea behind it is to just basically meet up, read a book (we decided Seerah of the Prophet Muhammad (S)), and discuss it. The MSA had decided this would be a good way to cater to the Muslims who want to delve deeper beyond the occasional halaqa speech from the local Imam(we love them and we'll always bring them insha'Allah).
As we were reading through the descriptions of the Prophet Muhammad (S) and it was highlighting some of his great characteristics, I couldn't help but ask myself how many of these qualities I can even attribute those qualities even slightly to myself. As we went through them, I could hardly peg a couple without stopping myself and asking "Wait, No because I did thing X or Y the other day". Its strange how we want to follow the Prophet (S) and yet how many of us can even say we have retained one true quality of the Prophte (S) in our daily lives?
It was also interesting to notice that the Prophet (S) was a very timely person and had a schedule that he kept to on a daily basis. Its funny because Shaykh Hussain Abdul Sattar from Chicago (checkout his website sacredlearning.org, very worthwhile lectures that he gives on a weekly basis) really harps on having a schedule. And recently at Univ.of Michigan-Ann Arbor, a brother had gave a speech also highlighting how important it was to really retain a schedule and keeping to it. If you look at the life of the Prophet (S) he managed to keep four staples on a every day basis:
1.) Ibadah 2.) Time for his wives and family 3.) Time to rest AND reflection. 4.) Spending time in the public and providing assistance to whoever needed it, Muslim or not.
Subhan'Allah its amazing to see just how much he did on a daily basis. If we look at those four things, how many of us can say we do anything outside of praying and maybe half of three since I know I don't reflect as much as I should on a daily basis. I mean its arguable that maybe you do all four, but in the complete way the Prophet (S) did, thats a level we always are striving for. And of course you can see the productivity of what he (S) would get done on a daily basis. Honestly, once you have a concrete schedule, you'll see your productivity ascend to heights you wouldn't believe. The brother who spoke also mentioned that you and your friends do it together, that way you can keep yourselves in check if someone doesn't keep to their schedule, you give yourselves some sort of penalty like paying money, having your friends punch you (he suggested it, not me), but you see the point. If anything, definitely try to give yourself a schedule because not only is it productive but its a great sunnah that can reap benefits too. Why else would companies pay for seminars for their employees to learn time management? So they can be more productive and make more money. Not only will our school work and office work peak, but also our time for Ibadats will be far more successful and they'll come naturally. Just like your body almost has a sixth sense when its prayer time, you can also set out time for reading Qur'an, dhikr, what not and your body will naturally be proned to doing these things if you set yourself a good schedule.
Insha'Allah I think thats what I hope to gain from attending our weekly Knowledge Circles and I'm sure others have the same aim as well, so that they take time out every week to do something specific towards learning about Islam with their fellow brothers and sisters and really being able to learn something tangible that insha'Allah they can learn from and take gems that they can apply to their daily lives. Insha'Allah I can see that the benefit is there as long as the participation and enthusiasm exists.
Insha'Allah just some thoughts to mull over. I know that there is much room for criticism and everything, but keep in mind i'm simply a college student whose just putting his thoughts down, don't take it as anything more or less than what it is. :)
After a long absence I decided i'd start posting again after a long hiatus. Why come back now? After initially being told not to post I decided to hell with it, I want to do it anyway. Now it was not like some fatwa was dropped from a scholar to stop because its haraam or anything, but someone had convinced me it was an absolute waste of time and effort. After about a solid nine months since my last post, I realized there are A LOT more useless things that are being done that we do every day, namely TV, Facebook (which i'm on, but hardly go on), and MySpace. So just in case you were wondering, thats that. As I'm reaching my 22nd birthday (as strange that is to type) I can't help but not only look forward to what is to come insha'Allah, but also looking back to see where I've been as well. Naturally, we have goals for ourselves when we reach high school, as seniors in high school deciding what college we'll attend, and naturally when we're about ready to graduate from college and enter the "real world". We are constantly reminded of "milestone" birthdays like how sweet 16 is, 21(oh well we can't drink), 40 being over the hill, and 65 being the time to retire to a home in Florida. The life of a Muslim has much more meaning to it than simply going through the motions. For any of you who've played organized sports with a coach and all, they will urge you that you can't play any sport if you are just playing it with no heart. I played basketball in high school and my coach would yell that you shouldn't have any wasted movement, everything is done with a purpose with precision and thats how you win games. The team that isn't well coached, without a clear goal in mind, will never have a measuring stick to see where they've come from or how much they've achieved. In this world we have many measuring sticks that people will measure others by: looks, money, education, houses, cars, and the list goes on forever. As I was reflecting on what I want to be and where I want to go, I wondered what most Muslims' measuring sticks would be. At the end of the day, Allah's measuring stick is the only measuring stick that He nobly showed us how to follow with the person who lived up to it the most, the Prophet Muhammad (S). Through the Prophet (S) we see how we can please Allah and enjoy THIS life to the fullest as well as the akhirah insha'Allah. There are many other factors that also shape what we strive for in this lifew: 1.) The expections of our parents and family - This one probably has the most heavy effect since we're around them the most and obviously they are the ones we want to please next after Allah. Its hard to not always consider where you stand with your parents and if their proud of you. It certainly won't stop you from doing what you believe your true calling is even if you want to do something thats not as stable as being a doctor or engineer like an artist, insha'Allah your parents won't kill you. If they don't accept it, just keep sending them paintings and maybe they'll come around (Dua would be best though). 2.) Our friends - Just like the group of friends you keep will speak volumes about the kind of person you are, it probably has a lot to do with the kind of goals you set for yourself. If your friends are competing to see who gets a Ferrari first, one could probably venture a guess that you're probably not too far away from those sort of wants and desires. Adversely, if your friends are the kind that constantly striving to be better Muslims and making an effort to improving themselves, helping the community, this also will have a positive effect too. 3.) Major - This also does believe it or not. I'm in business finance and most people in it are fairly cut throat. If you get too caught up it in, it can spread across through your daily life and how you treat your family and friends. Buf if your goal is to be a CEO of a multi-national corporation, I don't know how much time you have for anything else. These are just a few things I think that shape how we all are and the direction we're heading individually. Its always good to take a long look in the mirror and see what we've done and where we're going. The Prophet (S) said right before you sleep is the best time to just spend time and go over what did during the day and repent if you did anything wrong and try to repeat any good you've done that day. If we all constantly are doing this, insha'Allah we all will be better for it when we meet Allah. May Allah guide us and help us live up to his measuring stick that he showed beautifully and in the best way in Prophet Muhammad (S).
And this day will live in infamy. This was the end of my sympathy, No longer will I drown in that anymore, Theres something better in store, Its hard to keep your vision straight, in this life that can is otherwise in a crooked state, Life is a like a hill an upward climb, When you fall you keep rolling down, But I have to make this mine, I ts not loud but a quiet sound, ready few are, but we all do what we can to make it up to par.
