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This post was originally written on December 26, 2018. Please share this post with others you know, family, friends, colleagues, etc. Help me to spread this blog and make it go viral! Thank you so much!

I don’t exactly remember if it was last year when I heard this quote, but I was reminded of it when I was listening to a really amazing lecture on taqdeer just a few days ago. The quote said something along the lines of, “if you were given the chance to write out your own life story, and then had to choose between what you wrote, and what was already written for you by Allah SWT, surely, you would only choose that which Allah SWT wrote for you.” 

I heard this same thing being said in the lecture I was listening to by Mufti Akmal via YouTube (he’s on QTV channel available here in the US and in Pakistan). 

It made me pause for a moment because I thought about everything I’m facing right now. 

My finances are strained. I have to pay tuition at Pepperdine and I’m the one who’s handling everything for my mom and uncle at the moment financially since my uncle has been living in the nursing home due to diabetes complications where his doctor is not allowing him to live at home. It’s been rough even purchasing groceries, or taking care of our basic necessities because I’m practically at $0 right now. Looking for work has been taking up most of my time now that my first semester of doctoral studies are completed. I had to create a GoFundMe account just to get something to help us out.

Although I apply every day to many different positions in the area of human resources management and adjunct teaching positions at various colleges and universities, I still haven’t been able to land an interview yet, or get the job of my dreams (actually as of this writing, I just got an email inviting me to an interview tomorrow for a customer service HR position). I know my dream job is coming at some point, so long as I’m being persistent and continue to take the action steps I need to take to land the job I want, and relying on where Allah SWT will take me according to my story. 

To top it off, I have some deceitful family members who have taken no stone unturned in trying to create more financial problems for my mom and I, and who have been trying to evict us from our home I’ve been living in for most of my life. Rather than help us during our time of need, my mom’s own brother has been working on trying to make us financially distressed, and wants us on the street because he wants his brother’s house, which he has absolutely no claim over. 

And he has even gone so far as to pretend to be my uncle in the nursing home, making threatening phone calls to my realtor who was helping us to sell the house so we could pay for nursing home bills my sick uncle has incurred while living there. Pretending to be his own brother, he has created a falsified trust, and has tried to evict us by telling us we have 60 days to move out, which he legally cannot do because he’s falsifying identities, while the one in the nursing home is actually dying and has no clue what’s going on behind his back.

Yet, I pause to think about my situation, and that of my mom’s situation. Would we have chosen what Allah SWT wrote for us? This situation that we are in right now? Is this something I would have wanted? 

I mean, in my own story, I would write that my family and I loved each other fiercely – my uncles were actually good people, my aunts were loving and kind, and my cousins and I were close as we should be. 

I would have written the exact person I want to marry, how many kids we would have, how long we would all live for, and try to make us immortal – I know, astaghfarullah. There is no such thing as human immortality – our souls are immortal though. When we die, it is a physical death and our souls move on to the afterlife. 

I probably would have also written that my family and I never had any problems, we were all financially stable and could get whatever we wanted, our education was paid for and there was no suffering, ever, for us to deal with. 

However, I look back at the story and think, “But where are the lessons behind the issues, and where are the issues life would deal us to learn from them?” And also I’d think, “In all this, where is the glorification of Allah SWT? Would my desires be so fulfilled that I would not even make dua and ask Allah SWT for the things we would want or need?” 

This is not a story I would choose. I wouldn’t want to choose my story of happily ever after. There is nothing there other than, “We live happily ever after.” The reality is that life is not all about being happy….at least not here in this world. 

I would 100% choose the taqdeer that Allah SWT has written for me over what I would’ve written any day. 

Why?

Because the hardships we face in life are not permanent. The issues we go through, the good times and the bad times are all a part of making us stronger, better people (at least, I hope). It’s about adjusting our attitudes and being able to see beyond what we are facing while ensuring that no matter what, we constantly remember Allah SWT and strive in his path. 

In my story, there were no trials or tribulations. There was only what I wanted – to be with my family and for them to be loving and kind because I never had that experience at all and it is something I crave for. In my story, I would even add that my mom and dad were together and that my father was my protector, and I would be his doting daughter. Additionally, that I would marry the man of my dreams, and be an amazing mother to my children.

Yet, in the actual story that is written for me by Allah SWT, I am not given the family of my dreams, a father who loves me, or financial stability. I was given a family that hurt my mother, abused us verbally, emotionally, mentally and financially. I was given aunts, uncles and cousins who could care less about us unless we had money. I was given a childhood where I was made fun of, and spent much of my young days in loneliness (probably explains why I’m an introvert and not an extrovert). My mom was given a bad, cheating husband (my father) and no home of her own to speak of. She had to suffer so much to raise me, and to take care of the two of us. Her story was not full of happiness. She had more sadness at how her own family members treated her and my grandmother, and how even now, our family members are doing the same thing. 

My story has financial instability albeit, temporarily. It has stories of struggle I am enduring at this time. However, my story also does have happy endings – I know I will marry a wonderful husband with whom I will have a loving family to be around with, inshallah. I know I will get an amazing job that pays me extremely well, and I’ll be able to get my own business back up and running again. I know my financial health will improve and I will be able to rebuild. I know my mom will see happiness in her life through my seeing my marriage, children, and success at wherever I land the job of my dreams. She will get back what was taken from her in ways she wouldn’t even imagine.

I know because the power of dua can make anything that looks impossible, possible. And as it is said in the Qur’an, “innallaha ala kulli shayeen qadeer” which means, “Allah has power over all things,” or “He is the one who determines (and is capable of doing) everything.” If one says this throughout the day as part of their duas, this verse, they will see the manifestation of their duas in ways they could not imagine. And if one believes in Allah SWT as Al Qadeer and does dhikr of this verse or of the name as “ya Qadeero,” which is one of our Rabb’s names, then they will begin to see that Allah SWT will give them miracles in this world they would have never thought about, especially when read with such love, faith and concentration. 

Despite what I am going through right now, I know I would choose what Allah SWT has written for me over what I would write for myself. There are so many lessons to learn, and the impact we have to make in this world to change the lives of others, that I wouldn’t even be able to write that into my own story. I would be a lost cause in my own happiness. 

The story written for me – my taqdeer, fate, destiny, naseeb – has already been penned down. The ink has dried and so it is. This is a hadith from our Prophet (SAW) where he said “the pen has been lifted, and the ink has dried.” Allah SWT has written what will happen to us both good and bad, and it will happen no matter what. What is meant to be will always happen and what is in your destiny will always reach you and not anyone else no matter how much they try. 

This is why when we think about our story, we need to be in gratitude no matter the situation we find ourselves in, good or bad. It’s so important to stay positive, because prayer and dua brings us peace. We know Allah SWT is listening to us and the right time in His plans for us will come to fruition when it is ready for us, and we are ready for it. 

Sometimes, I have to remind myself of this very thing. Just because I am writing this blog and sharing wisdom does not mean I am some kind of a saint – astaghfarullah I am not even close! I am learning about myself as a Muslim and there are days I get frustrated, and feel it. However, my emotional frustration is short lived because I remember that Allah SWT put me here in this position temporarily and I am doing the best I can with the resources I have. 

Think about the scenario of climbing a steep mountain. It’s hard. Hiking, while it is a great exercise, is a journey of strength and will. How will you climb that mountain without falling? How will you reach the top of that mountain? 

Think about your situation. You may be climbing a mountain, and you’re getting tired. Each day, a new obstacle is formed, and each day, you remove that obstacle from your path as you keep hiking up the mountain. You may be afraid of how much more you have to climb and some days it seems so impossible, but you still do it anyway. 

Then, one day, you find yourself right at the top of the mountain. The situation you were in is now past you. Everything works out and you’re baffled. You think, how is this all happening? You climbed up that steep mountain, and reached the top. It took blood, sweat and tears to get up there but you did it. How? 

Having 100% yaqeen and tawakkul, and making sure your attitude is positive throughout the situation you’re in.

That’s the secret of dealing with any problem. Your attitude. The outlook you have about the trials and tribulations you may be dealing with, and fiercely trusting that Allah SWT knows your story and how it will develop positively is the secret. All you have to do is have the strongest faith that what you’re going through is not permanent. 

Truly, nothing in this world is permanent. We all have to die, and answer to Allah SWT when it is our time. We aren’t permanently living on Earth, so our problems are definitely not here to stay. We are here to learn, and to acquire knowledge our souls will take back to Jannah. We are here to glorify Allah SWT, and be the best people we can be – the best leaders who spread good, and do good for others to help them through their rough times. 

We have the free will to make the choices for the steps we take. This means we have the ability to think, and to feel, to speak and to hear – we observe and then we take specific action steps, leaving everything to Allah SWT to take care of for us.

As I go through this financial hardship and the family problems being caused by people of my own blood, I pray to Allah SWT. I believe in His ability to get my mom and I out of this situation, and with the action steps I am taking to ensure not only will I be out of this situation, but that I will be in a much better place than I could ever imagine. And only my Rabb could do this for me. No one else could. What is written in my story is unfolding in front of my eyes. The decisions I make, the duas I make, and the actions I take are already known by Allah SWT. 

He knows me better than I know myself. That’s because my Rabb is the author of my story, as He is of yours and everyone else’s in the world. 

And you know, Allah SWT is a Merciful, and Generous Lord. Despite not having the money for even the basic necessities at the moment, Allah SWT has provided me with the most amazing and wonderful friends who have been by my side, and have been there for me. They pray for me, and help me stay positive even when I get frustrated at times….

Such as being frustrated about how I’m going to pay my bills….this is something many of us struggle with. Just trying to keep the basic necessities afloat while dealing with other problems is not easy but Allah SWT is there to help and guides us to resources we need. 

One of my friends I met during this past semester literally reached out to me and told me she would help me by taking me grocery shopping and paying for whatever groceries we needed. I felt so shy about this and she told me that she was once in this position herself, and she knows. I asked her how she got out of it, and she told me, “God.” That’s all. 

Another one of my friends comes over to help us with packing and moving, and yet another friend bought me boxes and other material for packing and cleaning to help me (because yes we will move but on our terms and with my selling the house as the real beneficiary). Allah SWT has been providing and He provides for everyone in various ways. Think about this for a moment. What seems like a hopeless situation for one who does not have faith, is not really a hopeless situation where there is large faith. When we trust in Allah SWT, and in His perfect plans and timing for us, then we have nothing to worry about. . 

It is a blessing to know that I have friends who have been there for me, and have been such pillars of strength for my mom and I. Everyone asks me how I am handling things so positively and why I still have an optimistic outlook on life. 

I say, “I believe in my Lord, and no matter what, He will provide and helps me figure out a way.” Why should we believe otherwise, right?

When we have that faith and that determination that everything will be okay, it will be, because Allah SWT promises us that with hardship comes ease. It is a part of our story – every life has some hardships – for some, it is a little more than for others. 

Mufti Menk said in one of his lectures that Allah SWT gives us tests so that we can grow closer to Him. It is a part of our story that is written. For some people, they become really upset with the tests and literally give up all hope. My message to you is NOT to EVER give up. Why? Because the moment you give up, you allow Shaitaan to come to you and guide you so astray that you become more and more ungrateful for everything you are dealing with, stop praying and forget the beauty and bounty of Allah SWT. This type of attitude will not give you faith and you will lose. You do not want to lose. You want to pass the tests and you want to do this with a positive attitude. 

I know, its hard. It can be so frustrating when things are looking so down and everywhere you turn, you see problems after problems. 

With a negative attitude toward Allah SWT, we can actually create more problems for our lives. Allah SWT says that He is as we think of Him. So if we think He does not answer prayers, then guess what? He does not. And if we believe that Allah SWT is loving, merciful and answers all of our duas, leaving everything to him and we accept our taqdeer with gratitude, then Allah SWT will answer our prayers, give us more then we could think about and take us out of the tests He put us through because all tests lead us to learn to remember Him in order to pass and get Jannah points. 

Remember that Allah SWT is the writer of our stories. He is the one who has written our decrees for us. Do your best, leave everything to our Creator, and let Him guide you. Our Rabb guides us – so make dua only to Him, rely on Him, and create your relationship with your Lord – the one Allah SWT who is Rabbul Alaameen. 

If you are inspired by my writing, please subscribe to my blog. If you want to follow me on my personal Instagram, you can at @thedraasiyah

-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was originally written on October 5, 2018. I have revised this post a little and added another couple of ayahs we can read to ward off the evil eye that I have learned about. Please share this post with your friends, family, and people you know so that this blog goes viral. You can also follow me on Instagram at @thedraasiyah. Link is at the end of the article as well.

Nazar, as it is most commonly known, the evil eye is something that every Muslim must be aware of. In fact, the evil eye is so bad, that it can cause people to get sick, to prevent them from moving ahead in their life, or even kill them. There is actually a hadith on this. The Prophet (SAW) said that after qadr (Allah SWT’s decree), mostly, the evil eye will kill our ummah. It can affect us negatively in our lives and hurt our livelihood.

What is nazar? If you look at something someone has with a desire or a feeling that may coming from a place of envy or jealousy, you could be giving that person the evil eye, and they will feel the effects of it soon thereafter.

Nazar is real. This is not a made up mythological aspect at all. The Qur’an talks about nazar, and in fact, there are Quranic ayaats and surahs that are specifically for protecting us from the effects of the evil eye. It is so bad, that even jadoo (black magic) is weak next to giving someone the evil eye. As believers, we should never look at something or someone with envy, jealousy or other negative feelings. We should never do anything that can hurt someone through any sort of black magic or even resort to that just because we don’t have what they have.

We need to always be kept aware of the fact that we all have different destinies written for us from Allah SWT. Some of us may have more things than others but it does not mean to be envious or to long for something that may not be meant for us to have in the first place.

The Qur’an mentions the evil eye in several places, with surahs dedicated to the protection of the evil eye, and certain ayaats. To prevent the evil eye, one should make it a habit to read these surahs and ayaats each morning when waking up, and in the evening before going to bed to ward off any evil eye that may have come about during the day.

For women who are on their menses, they are not allowed to read any verses from the Qur’an during that time (and this is in the Hanafi madhab, which is what my family and I predominantly follow for reference as to why I state these things). Allah SWT is Most Merciful and Most Generous, and therefore, to continually protect ourselves from the evil eye and its effects, women can read, during their periods, the first Kalimah Tayyib – la ilaha illallah muhammadur rasoolullah over and over and blow on themselves, Durood/Salawat Ibrahimi (read in abundance and make dua for protection and you will be protected from nazar). They can also read Kalimah Tamjeed – subhanallahi walhamdulillahi wa la ilaha illallahu wallahu akbar; wala hawla wala kuwwata illah billah-hil alayyul azeem in abundance. There is so much virtue to read these consistently throughout the day every day, and in remembrance and zikr of Allah SWT, you will be protected by the evil eye. Even reading Bismillah daily will help with warding off the evil eye and put you under the protection of Allah SWT.

In fact, anyone can read the above supplications of salawat and kalimah. For women who cannot read Quranic ayaats and surahs during that time of the month, this will continue to protect from nazar so long as you continue to read in abundance.

Even reading Bismillah and blowing on one’s self to protect from the harm of others’ nazar can be beneficial.

Side note: I have had a few women tell me that the madhabs they follow (Shafi, Maliki, Hanbali) say it’s okay for them to read Quran on their iPad, or iPhone, and from memorization for prevention of the evil eye, and I need to dig deeper into these schools of thought to verify this as we are told strictly women in their menses cannot touch or read the Quran or memorized ayaats during that time. There are a lot of different thoughts by various imams, muftis and shaikhs about this as some say it’s okay to read for prevention of the evil eye but not for any other reason, or to not read at all until menses (and after birth menses) is over. This confusion should be laid to rest and of course, only Allah SWT knows best – but we have to follow what we have been told by our Prophet (SAW) as per Qur’an and Sunnah. If it is said that women cannot touch, or recite out loud the Qur’an and ayaats, then it’s best to not do it and wait until the menses is over – however other dhikr as I mentioned above is absolutely fine (such as salawat/durood, bismillah, Kalimah, the names of Allah SWT, etc.). 

My mufti had told us to read the following three times and blow on ourselves before leaving the house so that any nazar that may come to us from others will not affect us. The verse is “Bismillahi allahumma azhab, harraha wa bardaha wa wasabaha.” A hadith states that when someone was afflicted by the evil eye, the Prophet (SAW) placed his right hand on the chest of this man and recited this verse (Nasai, Ibn Majah, Ahmad, Hakim and Ad Daa’u wa Dawaa). If you are on your menses, you can still read this and blow on yourself.

Let’s move on to the virtues of Quranic ayaats and surahs that one should consistently read.

Whenever I have been afflicted by the evil eye, and trust me, I see it, feel it and it affects me a LOT, I read Surah Nas, Surah Al-Falaq, Surah Al-Fatiha, Surah Al-Ikhlas, Surah Al-Kauther, and Salawat Ibrahimi. I also read Ayatul Kursi, which is close to the end of Surah Baqarah (verse 255). Together, reading it as zikr and blowing it on one’s self will help to ward off the evil eye.

There are various surahs in the Qur’an that are meant to protect us from those who are enemies (yes, even frenemies) and our Prophet (SAW) have warned us not to show off, or tell others about good things happening to us to everyone. Even then, we may not say or do anything but the envy or longing of the person toward us or the good that is happening to us can affect us tremendously without our knowledge, causing us physical, emotional and mental ailments.

If I may, I will advise that people don’t post so much of their personal life on social media. I see friends posting about their babies, families, children, and spouses. Later they complain about the bad things that have begun happening to them after they do this. It’s because of the evil eye of others. We don’t know what others think about us and how they feel about us – it is best to keep parts of our lives private as much as possible. Islam teaches us to be humble. We should be careful with our intent on posting photos on social media.

We must protect ourselves from the evil eye of others, and we must also protect our children, and our families from the evilness of those who prey upon us to cause us harm. May Allah SWT protect us from all sorts of fitna.

Please everyone, use social media responsibly, and always ask permission from your friends and others if it is okay to post their photos with you on social media.  For those of you who do follow my personal Instagram account, or have friended me on Facebook, you may notice, I do not post pictures of my family at all – I did post a picture of my mom and I once, and my mom was upset at me for doing it and explained why.  Therefore, I only post photos of myself, sometimes with friends, or colleagues with their permission and only when it is work, or school related. And even then, I have over 10,000 photos and videos saved in my phone, and don’t post the majority of my photos on social media.

Going back to reading verses, there are many benefits and virtues of reading Surah Al-Nas, Surah Al-Falaq, Surah Al-Ikhlas, Surah Al-Fatiha, Surah Al-Kauther, Ayatul Kursi, and Durood/Salawat Ibrahimi. Also, another ayat in the Quran are the last two ayats of Surah Qalam – Ayah 51 and 52. Finally, reading the first ayah of Surah Baqarah and the last ayah along with Surah Kauther 3 times will help you to ward off even the most brutal evil eye you have been afflicted with.

Surah Al-Falaq literally is a dua for us to ask Allah SWT to protect us from the evilness of others, from the darkness of evil as it spreads, from those who envy us and practice envy, and to protect us from the effects of black magic.

Surah Al-Nas is the another dua in which we ask Allah SWT to protect us from the whispers of the Shayateen, to protect us from those who whisper into the hearts of Jinn and Mankind. It is to protect us from the evils of others (the evil eye), and the evil of the Shayateen from leading us astray.

Reading Surah Al-Ikhlas is full of virtues and benefits. However, I will focus on the other virtues and benefits in another blog post about this.

Surah Al-Ikhlas talks about the Oneness of Allah SWT, and for us to read to remember that Allah SWT is One, He does not have the need for anything and is the one who provides for what we need. He is not begot, nor is He begotten – this means Allah SWT was not born to any other being, and He does not have anyone equivalent to Him. There is none comparable to Him.

Reading these three Quls together, with Durood/Salawat Ibrahimi before and after, the blowing on one’s self and making sincere dua to Allah SWT to protect us from the evil eye of others will help us immensely with protecting us, and if any evil eye has been afflicted, it will go away from reading this constantly.

In a hadith, our Prophet (SAW) has said that we should recite the Quls thrice in the morning and thrice in the evening. Read them and the other surahs and ayaats I’ve mentioned consistently. You will notice that if you are afflicted with nazar, you will start to feel better. If you’ve had unexplainable aches, and pains in your body, or a sickness that a doctor is unable to detect, or you don’t feel well, it’s usually due to the affects of the evil eye. As soon as you start to feel anything, start reciting the quls, durood/salawat, and the other surahs mentioned here to begin warding off nazar.

Let me also explain the virtues of Surah Al-Kauther and why this Surah should also be read for warding off the evil eye.

This surah was revealed during the time that the Prophet (SAW) was going through difficult times with the Quraysh clan who were mocking him for not having living male offspring. The Quraysh clan cut the Prophet (SAW) off from them and from the honor that he (SAW) once had. They were hurting those who accepted Islam and the Oneness of Allah SWT. However, this surah was revealed to let our Prophet (SAW) know of his (SAW) rank in Jannat, and of the numerous blessings and barakat and the fountain of Kauther which would be given to our Prophet (SAW) during the Day of Judgment. Those who mocked him would themselves, have nothing remaining of them and would be cut off from the goodness they could have received had they accepted Allah SWT as their Lord and the Prophet (SAW) as their messenger.

Reading this surah along with the quls mentioned above wards off the evil eye. The surah itself talks about the enemies being cut off from their rank. The person who looks at us with jealousy and hatred is one who would be cut off from blessings because of their negative feelings toward us.  Read this surah along with durood/salawat before and after, and do dhikr of this surah even if it’s only a few times. Allah SWT protects those who seek His protection from the evil eye, and it is He who knows best.

Surah Al-Fatiha is another one to read along with the quls and other surahs mentioned in this blog. We read this surah during our five prayers, and I find myself reading this during dua. It is a dua in itself that Allah SWT guide us and not lead us astray from his path. Therefore, reading this with the other surahs not only helps us to ward off nazar, but also provides us the guidance we need to help us continue on the right path.

Surah Al-Fatiha is the guidance – the Qur’an is the answer of Surah Al-Fatiha and the guide of which this prayer is asking for.

Finally, Ayatul Kursi – this is verse 255 of Surah Al-Baqarah and is a blessing for mankind to read. Why? Because this ayat reveals the virtues and beautiful attributes of Allah SWT. There is no God but Allah SWT, and everything belongs to Him. He does not sleep, and He knows everything before and behind them. No one can intercede Him without His permission. His chair (kursi) is larger than the heavens and earth combined and guarding both does not tire Him. Allah SWT is the Supreme, the Ever Lasting, and the Exalted – the Glorious.

Reading Ayatul Kursi each night before sleeping protects one from the evils of Shayateen – an angel is appointed to watch over the one who reads this ayat. Similarly, in the morning if one reads this ayat, they are protected all throughout the day. These are coming from hadith from Sahih Bukhari. Read this with the quls and the other surahs every day to protect yourself from the evil eye.

We should also be aware of our feelings toward others. If we find ourselves feeling any type of jealousy toward someone when we hear of their good news or if something good happens to them, we need to check into ourselves. Why do we feel this way? What can we do to stop feeling envious of someone’s good fortune? Immediately begin praying, and make dua for the person you may feel any envy for. Make dua that this person continues receiving good blessings and barakah from Allah SWT, and that you also receive barakat and blessings so you also receive good fortune from others.

The best thing that we can do in everything is to make dua, to pray for ourselves, and for others to avoid giving the evil eye. Where we know someone has given us the evil eye, Allah SWT has provided the cure for us and we should continue to read the surahs and ayats given to us to protect us from those who are envious of us.

Jealousy and envy does not have to be for a specific reason. Unfortunately, even small things can elicit envy within someone. For this reason, keep your good news to yourself and only share with those who you know will be happy for you and make dua for you. Before leaving the house, and entering, read the quls, the above mentioned ayaats, surahs, and kalimahs.

The Qur’an is not only a guidance for us, but it is a way of life, and it is a book of healing.

Please share this blog if you enjoyed reading it and you received some good from it. If you want to follow my personal Instagram and you aren’t already, it is @thedraasiyah. I post things I’m working on or doing, or personal photos with friends mostly. On another note, I do not add anyone to my personal Facebook account (sorry for those of you who have requested to add me there). However, feel free to message me directly through Instagram.  Jazakallah khair!

-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was originally written on September 23, 2018. Please share this post with others so that this blog continues to get more views and hopefully, sponsors to help me keep this blog going. Thank you!

Lately, I’ve been going through a series of tests that have made me realize a few things. One thing is for certain, when Allah SWT wants to, He will test us, and this can happen at any time. The tests and tribulations come to us in a number of ways, and they can be short tests, or long tests. There is a hadith that says, “The enormous reward comes with enormous trials, and when Allah loves a people, He tests them.” (Al-Tirmidhi).

As we all know, or should know, Allah SWT gives us the love of 70 mothers. The number, 70, has a significant meaning.

It means infinite love. Seventy mothers is the symbol of infinite love.

I can barely handle the love of one mother, lol! So imagine the love of our mothers times 70!! That is a LOT of love!

Then the question comes, if Allah SWT loves us with SO much love, why does He want to test us all the time with trials and problems? I’m sure we all think about this and wonder why we have so many issues going on in our lives we seemed not to have asked for. We wonder why we’re being tested in many different ways.

The tests are not there because Allah SWT wants to see us suffer. Nor are they there so that we give up on what we believe in, and the tests are not there for us to give up on our yaqeen and tawakkul on Allah SWT. The tests are not meant for us to lose hope with the trials we’re going through, despite how tough it may be for us at the moment.

Rather, the main things I’ve come to realize and am sharing with you in this post is that Allah SWT tests us because He wants us to become stronger and better human beings who fully believe in Him. What we go through is what will make us stronger people, and these tests help us to learn from the mistakes we make so we don’t do them again.

The trials we go through also help us with growing an even stronger connection with Allah SWT because we are taught that we cannot rely on anyone else other than our Rabb.  ­

Everything we go through in life happens for a greater purpose that is slowly revealed in its own time. The hardships in our lives are meant to be lessons for us so that we learn to live this life in the way of Allah SWT and become worthy of going to Jannah to live in the beautiful, lush gardens with Him.

Allah SWT wants to see which of us desires to be in Jannah and what we will do to get there. We are not in this world only to pray to Allah SWT five times a day, or read Qur’an daily. It’s so much more than that! We are also here to learn the important things we must understand and bring back to Jannah with us, all of which are a part of our Islamic lifestyle. For example, smiling at others, treating people with dignity, love and respect, remembering Allah SWT through the way He taught us to live THIS life while here on Earth and the Sunnah of our Prophet (SAW)…these are what we will bring back with us to Jannah, among other lessons we will learn along the way of this temporary life. We will be better people who will be worthy of Jannah because we strived to understand the lessons we were taught while being in this world.

In the last few months of the ordeals I’ve been going through, I’ve definitely learned many lessons that have helped me to become a better version of myself. I’ve had to go through changing the way I think about things, and how I react so that I am able to better handle any problem that will come my way in the future. I’ve learned to have more strength and confidence, and to take better care of my family and myself. Above all, I’ve learned to stay positive and have a good attitude no matter what’s happening around me.

That is what tests do – they change the way we look at ourselves, and the world and make us better people in the process. Our perspectives change for the better.

When we pass the tests, we are different – we are no longer that person we were when the issues first began. Our personalities change; our character improves and hopefully, we are able to better identify and understand how another person feels when they talk to us about their problems, seeking our advice about what they’re going through.

With so much that I’ve personally gone through in the last year and a half, the person I was at the beginning of 2017 is definitely not the same person who is writing this blog today. I’ve been able to work on improving myself in various ways due to many situations that I’ve been facing since last year.

The most imperative lesson I’ve discovered is that no matter the test, I have to always remember that Allah SWT is there for me, for us! All we have to do is to pray, and remember Allah SWT during our trials and tribulations. During sujood, we leave our problems in front of the doorsteps of Allah SWT, and He listens to us. He brings us this peace and the feeling that everything will work out – remember the Qur’an says, our hearts find peace in the remembrance of Allah SWT. I tell Him about my problems and ask only Him to find me a way out because I have yaqeen, I have faith and trust that Allah SWT is the only One who will help solve my problems and that’s all I need. I don’t need to ask anyone else to help me except for when it is the Will of Allah SWT for that person to help me if I am being given the nudge to ask. Tawakkul is then shown through Allah SWT opening up the hearts of people who will provide help, assistance, or guidance that is needed.

From this, we learn other lessons that are important for us.

One of my biggest tests right now is that of my finances. I’ve been going through some very tight times. And by that, I mean, I am at near zero due to a sudden financial loss that left me monetarily struggling in the last two months. I’ve been unable to pay most of my bills at the moment, and have barely been able to take care of the basics for my mom and I. I’ve been making so much dua for my situation to change, and I know that it will because I am resilient and have Allah SWT by my side.

The tests I am facing is not there to throw me under the bus. It’s to help me see what I need to take care of from within myself. Allah SWT is making me stronger through this, not weaker. He is teaching me how to be aware and vigilant with my finances and make smarter choices.

I learned that adversities will come in life, and I need to be able to best handle them financially, as well as emotionally. Yet, through all of this, I am working on my doctoral program so I can complete my degree and become a full Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership. I’m not giving up my dreams due to this, and I’m resilient. My passion for building my consulting business in leadership training has also come back to full bloom and I’m now looking forward to being one of the top 100 global HR (human resources) and Leadership experts in the world. What an honor that would be for me!!?

I’ve learned many lessons aside from being better with finances. I’ve discovered that no matter what tests and trials I am given in my life, I always have to have the right attitude. Our attitudes matter so much during the trials and tribulations that are handed to us. How we look at what we are going through is important. If we approach the tests with negativity that all is lost, then we have lost. If we look at the lessons behind the tests we are being given, and have the positive faith all will turn out well, that will bring us success in our tests and the issues won’t look so bad at the end. I know my situation is temporary and all will be well soon.

At present, the most important realization I’ve had is to take better care of my finances and not allow the financial, verbal, and emotional abuse doled out by my uncle to affect me any longer.

Allah SWT has answered duas and has been helping me by sending friends to me as angels (see the tawakkul in Allah SWT here) who have been able to lend me money for bills while I get my financial situation together again. They even give me work to do for them so they could pay me for my advice or to write content for their website. I’ve been working on creating a course that I will be selling on Udemy.com as soon as its done and I’ve been applying for professor positions while taking classes toward my doctorate degree. My mom and my friends have been standing by me 100 percent during my time of struggle and have provided support morally, emotionally and physically however way they can. Allah SWT sends angels to us when we need them and it is during these trials and tribulations that we know who is there for us, and who isn’t.

Allah SWT does test us with trials and tribulations – we are tested because there is something good in it for us.

You may be wondering, with all that has happened so far, why would I have such an upbeat outlook and attitude about my situation? You may be thinking, “but her bills aren’t being paid to write this, so why is she being positive??”

Because that is what adversity does – it helps you to look at things in a different perspective. Yes, everything I’m currently dealing with is hard, but with prayer, yaqeen and tawakkul that Allah SWT is the One Who will find us a way out of the predicament I was put in, my attitude has been one of positivity. I cannot look at this and ask, “Why me?” I can look at this and say, “No matter what life is giving me, I will take it as a lesson and see what I can do to use it to help others in the future.” With what I’ve gone through, and how I overcame these tests, I can empathize with others. I can work on improving my own character – my ikhlaas and ihsaas. I can work on finding solutions rather than worrying about my problems. I give my worries to Allah SWT, and that’s it.

And He provides the miracles we need to overcome the trials and tribulations sent our way. This is how we pass these tests given to us by Allah SWT.

So go back to what I said earlier – why does Allah SWT test us? When something happens, we wonder, “Why am I being tested? What did I do to deserve this?” We need to change our attitude and rather than ask why we are being tested, to ask Allah SWT to make us successful in this test by bringing us closer to Him, through a positive outlook, attitude, and education on why this is happening and what we need to do to change ourselves.

Here is something else to think about too.

Is it possible that we cause our misfortunes and issues in our own lives and can’t take responsibility for our actions and mistakes? Is it possible that we don’t see what we may be doing that is causing our problems? I think about this as well. Yes, there are things that happen in our lives beyond our control, but most things are within our control. Therefore, we should ask ourselves these questions when we are going through any predicament. It may help us solve the issue when we ask powerful questions, and could help us figure out the best path to pass these tests.

Why does Allah SWT test us? To help us become better, stronger and happier people who are worthy of attaining Jannah and to ensure we always remember Him no matter our bad and good times. That’s why we are tested and Allah SWT is the One who has the power to send us tests, and bring us the path to pass them for reasons that can only uplevel who we are.

Until next time, remember that all issues in our life are only temporary. Don’t give up if you’re facing your trails and tribulations. The faster we give up, the more we allow Shaitaan to overcome our ability to be pray and grow closer to Allah SWT. Keep praying, keep making dua and know that Allah SWT is there and His help is closer than you think.

Fi Amanillah.

-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was originally written on August 25, 2018. If you find this post insightful, please share with your friends, colleagues, family and loved ones. Jazakallah khair. Let’s spread this blog throughout the world!

I have many friends who are Muslim, so when we go out and eat, I am amazed that they don’t try to consume halal food. They will eat chicken, or beef at a restaurant, while I eat veggie based dishes or fish (carefully looking at the ingredients, of course). They believe that since it’s hard to find halal places, they can make an exception and eat chicken or beef at restaurants. I get it, but if you can’t find anything halal, then stick to vegetarian, vegan or fish dishes (if you like fish, that is, because not everyone does). Side note: Of course, I used to be this way a long time ago when I was venturing out in the college world, and would eat chicken mostly at restaurants without thinking about where the chicken came from or if it was even halal. I made some changes in my life though when I left college, and have alhamdulillah stayed 100% halal when eating out.

I remember, I’d come home and have conversations with my mom about how my some of my Muslim friends didn’t consume halal food when we’re out at restaurants. In fact, a couple of my friends told me they don’t buy halal meat and just buy whatever they need from their local Ralphs or Vons when there are halal meat butchers literally 5 minutes away. That left me baffled because unfortunately, places like Vons and Ralphs don’t carry halal meat, or really, anything halal. Jons has halal lamb from New Zealand and Australia, and even then, I usually won’t buy that unless it has the “halal” sign that’s pictured below (for those reading who are not Muslim and don’t know what the halal sign looks like).

Side Note: The good news is that many nutrition based grocery stores have started carrying halal items – frozen dinners are now halal (depending on the company) and many international grocery stores in the United States carry halal items as well. You can find Saffron Road in most Sprouts, and Whole Foods locations. You can find halal meats at Walmart under the name Crescent Halal. Not every location has this though, so do some Googling and find out if your location has Crescent halal foods. 

The interesting thing is that we have many local halal meat shops close to us where they can go and buy meat (and support our Muslim businesses at the same time), but some of my Muslim brothers and sisters choose not to for whatever their reasons are.

I get it. Everything we do is a choice we make – it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is the right choice though.

If we choose to be halal in everything we eat, and even with our jobs (careers), Allah SWT will make our lives easier and our duas will be answered in a much more deeper way that brings us closer to Allah SWT.

I’ve heard many of my friends complain about the issues they’re dealing with in life. They don’t know how to overcome them despite the duas they constantly make, and then I see them consuming non-halal things, or doing work that is not helping them to bring in halal income.

Think about it…as Muslims, Allah SWT wants us to obey His commands and we are encouraged to follow the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (SAW). Our five daily prayers, remembrance of the Oneness of Allah SWT through dhikr, fasting during Ramadan and in other times of the year, going to Hajj once in our lifetime, giving in charity (Zakat) and doing good for others are the pillars of Islam that Allah SWT wants us to commit ourselves to.

Aside from the pillars, there are other things we must commit to if we want to create a close relationship with Allah SWT and see our duas manifest:

– We should not backbite and gossip nor should we judge others for their past mistakes or really, for anything that’s none of our business.
– We should treat others with respect.
– We should not show off and be prideful.
– We should do good deeds as much as possible.
– If we want to go to Jannah, we have to work on ourselves on a spiritual, emotional, mental and physical level.
– We should help others in this world as much as we can if we want to attain success.

The biggest one we need to work on is to commit to only halal means if we want our duas to be answered.

If we gamble and make profit through the gambling process, if we sell items that are prohibited, such as alcohol and illegal drugs and we use that profit to take care of our families, we end up hurting ourselves and stray from the path of Allah SWT. How could we expect Allah SWT to answer our duas and bring us the best if our earnings come from haram means, which we have been strictly forbidden from doing?

If we are eating meat that is not halal, we are not following the commands of our Rabb (SWT).

I have seen some of my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters whose earnings were not coming from halal sources. Some of them didn’t have a choice in where they were working however. Or at least, that’s what it felt like – they had to work where they were at because it was all they could do at the time. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it seems hard to make the right choices and you have to do what you have to if you need to survive. I understand.

There were some of my friends who were eating food from McDonalds and other places – hamburgers made from beef (or I suppose so called beef since they add so many chemicals, and pink slime…), and made on the same skillets as the pork that was cooked just earlier.

Or they were purchasing meat from stores such as Ralph’s and Vons rather than purchasing halal meat from our local halal butcher shops.

Depending on where we live, there are a variety of halal butchers and halal restaurants that cater to Muslims, and yet, some of my friends were eating at restaurants that do not use halal meat and cook in the same containers as pork and alcohol are cooked in, rendering the food haram; not even makruh.

Let me explain a little about what makruh actually means –

It means something that is not considered necessarily haram, but that it is disapproved of. For example, eating chicken from McDonalds may not be haram, but unless it is out of necessity that one has to eat that because it is to save their life, it is considered makruh. It is best to avoid anything that is makruh, and stay as halal as possible. Why should we do something that Allah SWT does not like?

We have strict Islamic dietary laws which forbids us from consuming certain foods due to their haram nature, such as pork. We should eat only that upon which Allah SWT’s name is stated. We are told that when we slaughter the animal, it must be done in a humane way. During the time of slaughter, we must say “Bismillah-ir Rahman Nir-Raheem” and using a special sharp knife, slaughter the veins of the animal in a way that the animal does not feel pain. We cannot eat animals that have died or were killed by something else. We cannot eat certain sea creatures (although there are some differences in the Four Madhabs – Hanafi forbid the eating of shellfish such as crabs, lobsters, mussels, clams, squid, and scallops, but dispute about shrimp. Shafi madhab says it is okay because they are part of the ocean).

Some scholars have stated that actually eating non halal meats, such as chicken and beef (aside from pork) is also considered haram, and not even makruh.

My friends who are not Muslim know I am strictly halal, as well as I consume no alcohol ever, and try their best to accommodate me whenever possible.

A great example was a few weeks ago – the dean of my University actually decided to celebrate me by having a luncheon with the faculty and staff. She told me to come and meet with her for lunch, then surprised me by getting food from P.F. Changs (an American-Chinese fusion restaurant) and a beautiful card everyone signed for me for all the work I’ve done and for congratulating me on graduating.

Because she is aware of my religious dietary restrictions, she made sure they got a lot of vegetarian dishes that did not have any meat or any type of alcohol in it. I did find out that the restaurant does cook their vegetarian meals separately from their meat dishes. Having non-Muslim friends respect me in that way really means so much to me.

My friends who are Muslim but do not consume halal also know about my restrictions and help me to find places that are halal we can either go to, or vegetarian restaurants. Vegan restaurants are my favorite places when I can’t find anything halal to eat.

Let me share a little bit of my background…a long time ago, I thought it was okay to eat chicken and beef even when out in restaurants because I thought since it wasn’t pork, and it was only makruh, it was okay. I saw my Muslim friends eating beef and chicken while out at restaurants as well.

Then I realized that if I wanted to have closeness with Allah SWT, and ensure that my duas are being answered, I have to eat only halal and not consume makruh or non-halal food while out. Our mufti also told us that even though we are told that the chicken and beef and other meats are makruh, in fact, they are haram (like I stated above, that some scholars consider other non-halal meats to be haram).

The reason why?

The animals are killed inhumanely, and are not blessed with the name of Allah SWT. They are not good for us to eat energetically due to the fear enzymes that have stayed inside their bodies during their killings (there is scientific evidence out there now to prove that). To top it off, the ONLY time it is okay to eat chicken, beef, lamb or other meats that are not halal is when there is a need for it due to sickness, and there are absolutely no halal places in sight that provide halal products. Kosher would be okay at this point because they follow similar dietary restrictions as Muslims, except without the name of Allah SWT when they slaughter the animal. Everything else is similar when it comes to dietary laws and slaughtering.

However, side note – it does not mean we can eat Kosher meat. Even that is not for our consumption unless it is absolutely necessary and you are in an area where no halal meat is available.

And no, reading Bismillah over the meat you’re about to eat is not going to make it halal because it should have already been halal from the moment the butcher said bismillah during the slaughtering process. I’ve heard this so many times from the people in my community that they think it’s okay to eat chicken from the grocery store so long as they said Bismillah over it before eating it with the idea that it will become halal that way. No, not true. Sorry but I do have to roll my eyes on this one because it’s not true. Yes, we say Bismillah before we eat, but that doesn’t mean the meal will become halal.

One should say bismillah before eating, but saying bismillah and blowing on a piece of cooked chicken does not make it halal. The meat itself is not halal unless slaughtered by humane Islamic means.

The name of Allah SWT must be said during the time of slaughter. Not after the fact. For those of you who may have believed otherwise, sorry for letting you down about that.

Alhamdulillah, we now have many, many places where there are halal restaurants, halal butchers, and grocery chains that carry halal products. One of my favorites is Saffron Road. Sadaf also carries halal products, and so do many others now. They also sell them in regular grocery stores. I have also seen halal ground lamb, and other

We really do not have an excuse.

Also, many foods cooked in restaurants are not cooked in separate pans and pots. Some are cooked in the same pot as pork is cooked in. That means the food becomes haram anyway.

To top it off, some of the dishes contain wine or other alcohol. While they say the alcohol is cooked away, it’s not 100% cooked down and there are some remnants of the alcohol left. That makes the dish haram for us, and we cannot eat it.

A month ago I was at an Awards and Installation Luncheon hosted by my Toastmasters district. The luncheon was at an Italian restaurant. When it was time to eat, we had a buffet style pizza, pasta and bread filled with the most delicious cheese. But I had to make sure the pizza and pasta I had was vegetarian and was not cooked with any meat.

When it was my turn to get the pasta, one of the servers started putting pasta on my plate. I noticed that it looked like the sauce had meat in it and asked. The server said the other pasta was vegetarian so he quickly took out the pasta he put in my plate, and the other server put the vegetarian pasta instead.

Needless to say, I couldn’t eat the pizza. It was too greasy, lol! But the cheese bread was heaven sent.

Later on, we were being served dessert. It was Tiramisu.

Now, I love eating sweets, but many desserts have alcohol in them. I watch a lot of Food Network and cooking shows, so I see what they add to desserts and certain dishes. I also have a certificate in culinary arts, so I had to see first-hand my peers using wine to cook their dishes, and I avoided it with all costs. I remember having to let my instructor know I could not cook with nor eat food that was made with alcohol, nor could I eat meat if it was not halal. He was a wonderful man, and very flexible, allowing me to use vinegar as a substitute for dishes I would cook without having to taste if I had to use beef that was not halal.

Anyhow, I was getting ready to take a bite of this Tiramisu. My fork cut through the corner of the cake so I could eat it and suddenly, I didn’t. I had this urge to ask about the ingredients first. I told my friends and one of them said she felt as if she tasted the alcohol in the cake, and she’s never had alcohol before.

My other friend then got the server, and together, we asked what the ingredients were in the Tiramisu.

She said it had marsala wine in it. That did it for me.

I did not eat that Tiramisu. The server was very nice and understood my not eating anything with alcohol in it due to religious restrictions, so she brought me a scoop of ice cream instead (picture below).

I’m lactose intolerant….that’s another story and my stomach definitely wasn’t happy yesterday, but I gladly accepted it and did eat a couple of bites of the ice cream.

Had I not asked, nor been aware of the fact that alcohol is usually put into Tiramisu, I would have eaten something that would not have been good for me in the long run. But Allah SWT knows our intentions and forgives especially when it is unintentional because we did not know.

You have to be aware of what you’re eating and never be afraid to ask or inquire. Sometimes, they may list a name that you don’t know about and think it’s all vegetarian until you see otherwise.

Have you ever eaten something, and did not know what was in it?

It’s happened to me a couple of times, and then I ask Allah SWT to forgive me because I didn’t know.

For example – one day, I was at Starbucks. I am usually very careful and read ingredients before buying anything to consume. I got an egg salad sandwich. I read the ingredients and everything seemed okay. There was a long list of ingredients, and I apparently missed the ingredient “white wine” that was mixed in with the egg salad. I ate the sandwich, and while I was eating it, I read the ingredients once again. That’s when I saw the “white wine” and I stopped eating immediately and threw the last few bites of the sandwich away. May Allah SWT forgive me for it. I was begging for forgiveness because I did not see that and did not know.

One other time, I was out with a friend at a breakfast place. I ordered an egg omelet, and thought it was vegetarian. The ingredients were all vegetarian, or so I thought. When I took a bite of the omelet, I tasted meat, and I asked my friend to look at it because I thought it was vegetarian.

Nope. I was so wrong.

There was pork in it in the form of andouille sausage….astaghfarullah!!

When she told me that there was pork in the omelet, I was upset and immediately in my mind asked Allah SWT to forgive me. Then I asked the waiter to come and take away my dish because I thought it was vegetarian. I asked him why it had pork in it, when it was supposed to be vegetarian. Well, my bad. I didn’t know that andouille was sausage and that it was even made of pork. It just said andouille and I thought it was a sauce. LOL! I was so embarrassed, and I have a culinary certificate, but didn’t know what the heck andouille was. Shame on me, right? LOL! I had to laugh at that one. Now that I know, I steer clear of it.

I told my mom about what had happened and how bad I felt. She said, “Don’t worry, you didn’t know, so Allah SWT will forgive you for it because it was unintentional.”

This is why based off of my experiences, I always say to be aware of things, and always ask questions. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

A few weeks ago, I was at my friend’s baby’s one year old birthday party. Her family are strictly halal (which is super great!) and she told me that she ordered Mexican halal. I had NO idea there was a Mexican halal restaurant called Pura Vida (in Carson, CA), and mashallah, the food was so delicious. Now that I know about it, I’m taking my family there when we want Mexican food. Look around. You will find places that are halal and cater to your tastebuds.

We really need to support our local halal restaurants, eateries, bakeries, and butchers. So I do encourage all of you to inquire in your cities and see what is there. Try them out, then use word of mouth to spread the news to others who may enjoy that restaurant, eatery, bakery, or butcher, etc.
And if there is a doubt that a restaurant which says they are halal may not be serving all halal meat, ask questions. If they say it is halal, we should accept it. Unless we find proof that they serve non-halal meat, we should not point accusatory fingers. I’ve seen people do that, causing chaos in the communities because the wrong information spreads, ending up ruining someone’s business reputation who truly is serving halal food and products.

Our mufti told us that if someone gives you food and says it is halal, but that person knows it’s not and you eat it with belief it is halal, you will not be the one in trouble for eating it. The person serving you the food will have to answer to Allah SWT because of their intention to deceive.

Allah SWT looks at our intentions. If we had absolutely no knowledge and we ate something that had an ingredient we weren’t supposed to consume, we will be forgiven. If we do it intentionally knowing that the food contained haram ingredients we should not consume, but we do it anyway, or we feed someone else with it, then maybe that speaks more about our characters, values and morals than about anything else. We need to check into ourselves spiritually at all times, and make sure we follow the guidance of Allah SWT as written in the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW).

I’ve been to places where when I ask if a particular dish has alcohol in it, the servers give me a strange look and wonder why am I asking so many questions. There are many people who have sensitivities as well and must ask about what their food contains before ordering it, so I would think servers would be more sensitive about customers’ needs instead of looking at us as if we’re weird. Oh well….

Our source of income must come from our own hard work, and the profit must not come from haram sources such as selling alcohol, illegal drugs, pork, and gambling. Our food must be halal and good for us to consume.

If we want our duas answered, and we want to see miracles happen, then it is important to stay halal at all times. It is harder when we are living in places where finding halal means of work and food may be hard to come by, but our intentions are to try. Only under extreme emergency situations, should a person consume kosher meat or meat from the market that is not halal. And when I say extreme emergency, it’s where there is absolutely no halal stores or places, and this meat is what you need to keep you from becoming sick or ill or to help you survive.

Please brothers and sisters, do your very best to stay halal at ALL times. Ask questions, look for local halal restaurants, stores, meat shops, etc.

Here are a couple of companies that sell halal (only eat kosher if there is no halal products to be found anywhere). I can update this further as I get more information.

– Saffron Road: They belong to the American Halal Company Inc., and certified by IFANCA They are halal and delicious if you are looking for some quick frozen meals to heat up and eat. https://saffronroad.com/

– Midamar Halal products – they can be found in many stores depending on your location. In Los Angeles, we can find them in our local halal grocers freezer, Valley Produce and other middle eastern markets as well. We’ve ordered from them before and they have good halal meat. http://www.midamar.com/Content/Services/Halal-Foods/Midamar-Halal-Brand.aspx

– For halal vitamins, check out Solgar. They are kosher and halal certified the last I checked and saw a halal sign on them. http://www.solgar.com.

There are other halal items available that I will post once I get more information.

Fi Amanillah

– Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was originally written on March 2, 2018. Please share this with your friends and family. Three more parts in this series will be written soon – these first three kalimahs are already posted. Jazakallah khair for reading and for your support!

First Kalimah Tayyab – Words of Purity and Oneness

How many of us read kalimahs daily? We talk about duas, and reading verses from the Qur’an, but next to reading durood/salawat in abundance, we also must read kalimahs in abundance. I’ve decided to create a six-part series on the six kalimahs that we should be reading daily, doing dhikr of it as much as possible.

The first part we’re discussing today is the First Kalimah – It is called Kalimah Tayyab, or “The Purest Words.”

The First Kalimah is – La ilaha illallahu Muhammadar Rasoolullah. This means “There is no one worthy of worship except for Allah, and Muhammad (SAW) is the Messenger of Allah.”

What are the virtues of reading the first kalimah? Why should we read this daily?

By reading this kalimah, we are stating the Oneness of Allah SWT, and the truth of Allah SWT. We receive so much humbleness from reading this kalimah because we acknowledge that Allah SWT is one, and we acknowledge that our Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is His messenger – Allah SWT sent down our final messenger (SAW) to spread Allah SWT’s message of Islam, set examples to show us how to become the leaders of Islam (we can learn much about leadership through our Prophet (SAW)), and how to make dua, and dhikr to consistently remember Allah SWT.

There are many other virtues of reading this kalimah. Read it 100 times a day, or even 1000 times a day if you are able to. Read it in the morning after Fajr prayer, and in the evening before going to bed.

As you read this, the Noor of Allah SWT will give you guidance. You will receive the utmost blessings in this world and in the akhirah. And when you make dua after reading this kalimah, Allah SWT will accept your duas, inshallah.

So much barakah (mercies and blessings) of Allah SWT will shine on you, and in your heart, a place will open up to connecting with Allah SWT even more than ever.

It is because you are reciting the very foundation of what Islam is about – the Oneness of Allah SWT and acceptance of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as His Messenger. We cannot equate any partners with Allah SWT for it is only Him and Him alone Who has created us and this world and is the King of the Universe, the Heavens, and everything in the Unseen that we are unable to fathom. That is why we call Him the Lord of the Worlds.

It is said that when you read the First Kalimah Tayyab in abundance, your face will shine like the moon on the Day of Judgement.

My mom reads Kalimah Tayyab in abundance every morning alhamdulillah. I have started reading it myself when I am able to during the week and doing the dhikr is not only a beautiful thing, but I notice how good I feel after spending even 10 minutes reading Kalimah Tayyab.

For women during their monthly time, they can also continue to read this in abundance. It is not necessary to have the tasbeeh beads. You can read it while you are sitting, standing, working, driving, etc. It is through this dhikr that you constantly remember Allah SWT is One and claim that daily through reading this tasbeeh.

Read this kalimah in abundance and with ikhlaas. Allah SWT will bring to you things you will not know about – and you will see duas being fulfilled, utmost blessings and above all, closeness to Allah SWT. This kalimah will help stop you from sins, and “indulging in the forbidden things” as a hadith says – “One who recites La ilaha illallah with ikhlaas will enter paradise, and will prevent one from indulging in the forbidden things.”

Reading the First Kalimah will help your faith, imaan, yaqeen and tawakkul in Allah SWT strong. Your sins are forgiven, erased by reading Kalimah Tayyab, and instead, good things, virtues are written under your account. You will be granted forgiveness as you read this kalimah. La Ilaha Illallah outweights everything else in the world on the scale. It will outweigh the universe! That’s how powerful this Kalimah is and why you should make it a habit to read this every day as much as possible in abundance.

My family’s Mufti has told us to read this in abundance 70,000 times – it can be done in increments totaling 70,000 (it could take couple of months, but the point is to read this dhikr in abundance). Reading this will help you become safe from hell fire, and take away worries, and grief. You will feel at peace. You don’t have to read 70,000 times.  However, read it 100 times every morning and evening and make it a daily part of your life.

I will say this – don’t leave home without reciting this kalimah at least 100 times in the day. It doesn’t take any more than 5 minutes of your time. You can even recite kalimah while driving, or sitting at your desk at work, or while you are waiting to talk to customer service on the phone (seriously, I had to wait an hour and a half at one point for customer service to help me with an issue).

In the next part, I discussed the second kalimah – Kalimah Shahadah, and the virtues of reading that kalimah. You can read that post by clicking here. If you would like to be notified about when I publish my next blog post, please email me at aasiyah at draasiyah.com, so that you can be notified when I write my latest posts. Feel free to share this blog with anyone who will benefit. After all, reading kalimah should be a HUGE part of our lives, along with reading durood/salawat daily and astaghfar.

-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was originally written on March 15, 2018. Please note that these blogs are not being brought back in order, so if you are looking for Part 1 and Part 3, I will link them below. Jazakallah khair for reading! Please share this with your friends and family as well. The more my blog is shared, the more sadaqah e jariyah will be given to my family and progeny inshallah.

As Muslims, we declare the Oneness of Allah SWT, and that there is no one else but Allah SWT. Without this, we are not Muslims – at least, not true Muslims. Because Islam is based on monotheism, we are told that it is Allah SWT we must obey, and pray to. It is Him who has created the entire heavens and the earth, and everything in between.

The second Kalimah is the following:

Ashhadu Al-laa Ilaaha Illa-llaahu Wahdahoo Laa Shareeka Lahoo, Wa Ashhadu Anna Muhammadan ‘Abduhoo Wa Rasooluhu. This means:

I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, the One alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

What are the virtues of reading the second kalimah?

Well, first of all, this kalimah is about the testimonial we make – the oath we make to always remember that our Lord is Allah SWT alone, and that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is the messenger of Allah SWT. Let me break this down further.

Ashhadu al-laa ilaaha illa-llaahu means bearing witness that Allah SWT is the only One worthy of our worship. We do not worship anyone or anything else aside from our Lord of the Worlds. No one has created us except for Allah SWT, so therefore, we must obey Him, and praise Him.

When we say the first part of the Shahadah, we are giving our testimony that Allah SWT is the only God. There is no other God. Allah SWT does not have children, does not have parents, or partners. We do not ascribe partnership with Allah SWT. He is the One, and that is all.

Wahdahoo laa shareeka lahu means there is no other being, or shareek other than Allah SWT. Whoever ascribes others to Allah SWT does not believe in the Oneness of Allah SWT or in Islam. This is the very foundation of our religion. It is what our souls had witnessed before we were all born on this earth through Prophet Adam (AS).

Finally, wa ashhadu anna muhammadan ‘abduhoo wa rasoolahu means there that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is the Messenger of Allah SWT. Messenger means that he is a human being who came to guide us to the path of Allah SWT. He is not a partner of Allah SWT, nor is he another being. Our Prophet (SAW) was a human being, and he was the personification of leadership. He led us toward Islam again.

Now, why is this line so important in the Shahadah? Why is it specifically mentioned that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is the Messenger here?

There is a good reason.

When Prophet Isa (AS) was born, he was born through the miracle of Allah SWT. Mariam (RA) was not married and was a virgin when she gave birth to Prophet Isa (AS). With him came the book, the Injeel, which has since then become known as the Bible.

As we know, Christians believe that Prophet Isa (AS), also known as Jesus Christ in the Christian religion, is the son of God.

Astaghfarullah! May Allah SWT provide forgiveness. This is not true and it even says it in the Bible, where Prophet Isa (Alayhis Salaam) says that he is nothing without his Lord and that the Lord of the Worlds is but One.

Therefore, the line in the Shahadah becomes even more important for us to know that just as all the other prophets who have come into this world (those who are mentioned specifically in the Quran and those who have not been mentioned), they were all human beings. They were not God, and should never be considered as such. They are like all of us, but Allah SWT enlightened their hearts and souls so they could deliver the message of Islam, and the true Oneness of Allah SWT.

Reading the Shahadah is important. It is a part of the Five Pillars of Islam, and we read this, sans the wahdahoo la shareeka lahu part, during our Tashahhud. When we raise our right index finger during the Tashahhud, we say:

Ashhadu Al-laa Ilaaha Illa-llaahu, Wa Ashhadu Anna Muhammadan ‘Abduhoo Wa Rasooluhu

In every salaah, we bear witness that there is no one but Allah SWT, and that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is the Messenger of Allah SWT.

Is the Shahadah the key to paradise?

If one reads the Shahadah with pure sincerity, yaqeen, with the acceptance that Allah SWT is our Lord, and we ask Him to forgive us, we obey His commands, and we love our Lord more than anything else, this will be the key to paradise.

However if one reads this, but has no sincerity in his or her heart, and believe reading this will protect them and provide them entry to Jannah, they will not have that key. The reason is because a person can say this and still be a hypocrite if they do not have the full belief in their hearts.

Only Allah SWT knows the true intentions of our heart. Therefore, whenever you say the shahadah, say it with love, with the utmost respect and sincerity. Doing dhikr of this kalimah often will provide you with more love and insight of the Oneness of Allah SWT.

If you missed the first part of the Kalimah series, please click here to read about Kalimah Tayyab.

Look out for the third part of the Kalimah series here. Please share this blog and any of my other blog posts with your family, friends and on social media so it can spread around the world. The more Islamic knowledge we spread, the better it is for everyone, subhanallah.

-Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was originally written on March 23, 2018. Please share this post with others you know who would enjoy reading this and learning more about the Kalimahs. Jazakallah khair.

The third kalimah is one of the best, and the most beautiful kalimahs to read. It starts like this:

Subhanallahi wal hamdulillahi, wa la ilaha illallaho wa allahu akbar, wa la hawla, wa la quwwata illa billahil ‘aleeul ‘azeem.

Before I break down each part of this kalimah, I want to explain why we should be reading this daily.

First, reading Kalimah Tamjeed helps with removing anxiety, depression and stress. Life can get in the way, and sometimes, things get so hard that we feel upset, and sad. Doing daily dhikr of this kalimah will aid with not only removing the feelings of sadness, depression, stress or anxiety, but it will also help with taking away any calamities that may come our way.

This is another reason to keep reading the Kalimah Tamjeed. Allah SWT, through His Mercy, protects you from castastrophes and mishaps that may occur.

Reading a tasbeeh of Kalimah Tamjeed every morning after Fajr salaah will bring so much abundance and prosperity in your life. One tasbeeh – 99 beads, and you get what??

Prosperity.

Abundance.

Forgiveness of sins.

This kalimah contains a special word – Subhanallah. Subhanallah means “perfection of Allah SWT.” When you simply read a tasbeeh of Subhanallah, you will reap rewards! It is glorifying Allah SWT through remembrance and dhikr of Subhanallah.

So when you read the kalimah in its entirety, you will feel relief, see prosperity, attain forgiveness, and enhance your own spiritual closeness with Allah SWT.

When you read the following: “la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah,” Allah SWT will plant trees on your behalf in Jannah. Wouldn’t you want trees growing in Jannah for you because you read this dhikr daily?

In fact, reading this entire kalimah will plant trees for you in Jannah.

There is a hadith I was reading in one of my Islamic books, where the Prophet (SAW) went for Miraj. During the Miraj, Prophet Ibrahim (AS) met with our Prophet (SAW) and first stated for our Prophet (SAW) to give his salaam to his ummah (all of us). Prophet Ibrahim (AS) then proceeded to tell our Prophet (SAW) to tell his ummah (us) that the dirt of Jannah (heaven) is pure and clean, that the rivers are clear and located in a place that is just like a desert. There is nothing in there except for the rivers and the pure, clean soil. However, as each of us read the third kalimah Tamjeed, trees will be planted. Then this place in Jannah will be so full of trees. Whoever reads this kalimah the most will see the reward of his trees planted in Jannah.

How beautiful is this? Our dhikr of this beautiful kalimah will plant trees in Jannah. Just as we physically plant trees here, the words of this kalimah we utter in just five or ten minutes per day will fill Jannah with trees on our behalf.

Now, let me break down each part of the kalimah…

Subhanallahi wal hamdulillahi…

 Glory be to Allah SWT, and praise to Allah SWT

We glorify Allah SWT all the time and we remember him during both our good times and bad times. It is Allah SWT who is there for us. He takes the time to listen to our duas and to answer them.

wa la ilaha illallaho wa allahu akbar…

 There is none worthy of worship except Allah SWT and Allah SWT is the Greatest.

Again, we see the shahadah in a way being repeated – that there is only one Allah SWT and no other god other than Him. He is the Only One we pray to, we supplicate to and who will relieve us from our hardships. Allah SWT is the Greatest because he is Lord of the Worlds and has created the entire universe. Therefore, it is only Allah SWT we should worship.

wa la hawla, wa la quwwata illa billahil ‘aleeul ‘azeem

There is no power other than Allah SWT, and He is the Exalted, the Great.

The last part of this kalimah reminds us that only Allah SWT has the power to do everything. Our taqdeer is in the Hands of Allah SWT. We are powerless without Him. This reminds us that we are human beings in need of our Lord to always be there for us. And somewhere in between this verse, we also see the yaqeen (certainty) and the tawakkul (trust) we need in our reliance upon our Lord to bring us out of problems, to remember Him daily, and to know everything is in His hands. Truly, it is.

This verse actually takes me to every moment in my life where only reliance upon Allah SWT was what had gotten my mom and I through some very rough times. Allah SWT is the one who brings us to it, and brings us out of it – meaning, we are tested. Sometimes, our tests are hard, and sometimes it is a little easy. However, it is always a reminder that Allah SWT is the one with the power to change our taqdeer (destiny). We do not. We have free will, choices, but it is Allah SWT who guides us and coaches us to where we are meant to be.

There is a special prayer related to this kalimah, called Salaat-e-Tasbeeh. I will write more about this in another post because it is quite long to talk about it. I want to explain the methodology of it, how to pray it, and that will be long in itself. If you’ve subscribed, you will get an email letting you know when I’ve written about it.

In the meantime, please enjoy this post, and share it with everyone using the social media and email links you see in this blog. You can also subscribe, if you haven’t yet, by providing your contact info in the box below.

The next kalimah I will talk about will be Kalimah Tauheed. Stay tuned!

-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was originally written on May 17, 2018.

First of all, I want to wish all of you a very blessed Ramadan Mubarak! May Allah SWT make all of your fasts easy and may all of your fasts be accepted throughout this holy month.

There is so much barakat (blessings) during Ramadan. This is the month the Qur’an was first revealed. This is the month when doing good acts will lead to closeness to Allah SWT and the duties we are obligated to will be considered fulfilled. If a person does their obligatory duties, such as reading the five daily prayers, taking care of parents, and children, or giving in alms, it will be as if the individual has fulfilled seventy obligatory duties. The reward of this month is immense and filled with gold – that’s pretty much what I’m saying – it’s gold.

It is also the month when our duas are more accepted and answered by Allah SWT, especially during the last ten days of Ramadan when the night of Laylatul Qadr will occur in any one of the odd nights. The night of Laylatul Qadr, known as the Night of Decree (or Power) is a very important night. However, we are told it is in any one of the odd numbers of the last ten nights of Ramadan, and we are not sure exactly what night that could be.

For the most part, the majority of the world assumes the 27^th of Ramadan to be Laylatul Qadr. It is believed that the first verses of the Qur’an was revealed during the time of Laylatul Qadr.

Why is this night so special? The Night of Decree/Power? 

Have you heard of Surah Al ‘Alaq? This Surah means The Clot.

It starts with the following verse:

“Iqra bismi rabbikal laze khalaq. Khalaqal insaana min ‘alaq”

Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created.

Has created man from a clot (of blood)

These verses form the beginning of this Surah, which was first revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) when he was in the Cave of Hira. Thus, began the revelations of the Quran for the period of 23 years, until the death of the Prophet (SAW).

This is the night Allah SWT decrees who will be forgiven for their sins. It is the night of blessings, mercy, and when duas are answered the most. It’s not to say our duas are not answered most in other times outside of Ramadan, rather, Ramadan is the most holiest of months and the more we pray, the more it is answered. During Suhoor (Sehri) and Iftaar, when one makes dua, Allah SWT answers it for Allah SWT says He answers the supplicaitons of the person who is fasting.

During the month of Ramadan, sins will be forgiven for the good deeds we do. If we offer iftaar to someone who is fasting, Allah SWT will forgive us of our sins more and good deeds will be written.

Fasting in itself is a benefit for our health and well-being. In fact, we should fast often, which is why we have supererogatory (beyond the call) days of fasting during other months, such as the six days in Shawwal.

In fact, I decided that I will start fasting at least 3 times per month, and more during the winter months because of the spiritual cleansing, and closeness that is created with Allah SWT during the fasting period.

For the last ten nights of Ramadan, it’s great to have a plan as far as supplicating and being in more prayer. Even if Laylatul Qadr falls on any of the odd nights, one should supplicate, and do as much dhikr as possible during each of the ten nights of Ramadan.

Every night, for as long as you can stay awake, do dhikr of the following:

1. Durood/Salawat
2. Istighfar (my favorite one is “Allahumma inni astaghfiruka min kulli zambeou wa atoobu ilaik” or “astaghfarullahi rabbi min kulli zambeou wa atoobu ilaihi“
3. Third kalimah Tamjeed (read the virtues of this kalimah here)
4. “Subhanallahi wa bihamdihi, subhanallahil azeem”

Read Quran – if you are trying to finish reading the Quran, then I suggest you double up on your reading as much as possible.

The best thing that one can do in the last ten days is reflect. If you like to journal, I suggest you find a nice journal from your closest bookstore, or office supply store, and use it as a reflection journal for Ramadan. What has this month taught you? What areas have you seen improvement in regarding your imaan? What areas do you feel you need to work more on to increase your deen? What have you noticed about yourself in this month that has been different from other months?

It is good to reflect upon the fact that Ramadan teaches us firstly, how to be patient. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, we are dealing with long days of fasting – 16 to 18 hours for the majority of us, and some it’s even longer, up to 22 hours depending on the location. For those in the Southern Hemisphere (think Australia, Southern America, South Africa, etc.) we are dealing with shorter fasts. Iftaar is longer and there is time to eat, and spend time in taraweeh.

Heck, those of you in the Southern Hemisphere  are mashallah, so lucky and can eat Suhoor later, while also having your 8 hours of sleep. Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere don’t sleep. I’m not! I am sleep deprived! 

Ramadan not only teaches us patience, but it also teaches us the benefits of fasting. We aren’t just fasting physically. We are fasting spiritually. Our mouths have to fast so that we are not cursing or saying bad things about others, or of ourselves. Focus on how during Ramadan, we refrain from looking at things that may not be good for us – we try not to hurt others. We work on our own spiritual well-being – gaining closeness to Allah SWT.

Ramadan brings us awareness toward our supplications – the duas we make to Allah SWT that we want fulfilled becomes the forefront of our prayers and fasts.

Ramadan also brings us awareness about what poor people go through everyday. They don’t have any food or water to drink and may have to wait days before they even get a decent bite to eat, or water to drink. Often, the children end up getting vitamin deficiency diseases because of the lack of water and food. We go through a period of anywhere between 10 to 20 hours of no food or drink and it’s hard for us to deal with it, but imagine those who do not have a choice. Allah SWT brings us this mindfulness so that we may feel their pain, and sacrifice so we can be able to help them in some way.

With that said, I would love for all of you to please take the time to donate to a few charities that are in need of donations, especially for those who are in humanitarian need for aid in Gaza.

Ramadan is a month of spiritual cleanness, a month to really hone in on our deen, and become more aware of what is going on around us, as well as within us. However, the spirituality of Ramadan must be celebrated all year around. There are people who become “religious” during this month, then forget everything and go back to doing the same things again and again, such as gossiping, forgetting prayers, etc. As an ummah, we must strive to maintain our spiritual balance, and continue to develop our relationship with Allah SWT even after Ramadan is over.

Please keep me, and everyone in your duas during this beautiful month of Ramadan. Mabrook!

-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was written originally on August 3, 2018.

I’ve been on a hiatus in the last two months, with my latest post being at the beginning of Ramadan. It’s been a long while since you’ve seen me write, and I’ve missed all of you! I know you’ve been reading my previous posts on my blog, and I hope inshallah, that they are benefitting you, and you’re sharing them with your family and friends.

The more you share my blog with others, the more the message of hope in duas and supplication will spread and everyone will be motivated to continue making dua with yaqeen (certainty) and tawakkul (trust in Allah SWT). Please continue to share through WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, all other forms of social media, e-mail, and text. It becomes a sadaqah jariyah.

If you are going through a moment where you feel that your duas have not manifested yet, let me share with you some of the miracles I’ve witnessed during the month of Ramadan. These are duas that were manifested through dhikr of certain ayats that our Mufti told me to do, as well as reading durood (salawat), and making duas in sujood, while driving, etc.

Allah SWT hears us in so many different ways. It doesn’t matter if we are making dua in the car, if we are reading ayats and durood/salawat. Allah SWT hears all, sees all and knows what is in our hearts. There are days we ask for miracles, and they come true in ways we could not believe.

For the last ten years, I had been wanting to get my Master’s degree, but I wasn’t sure what to do. I had a C average GPA from my undergraduate schooling at Cal State University, Northridge, and I felt that applying for a Master’s degree would not be feasible. I also did not want to take any admissions exams, such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) because, first, the exams are costly, and secondly, because I felt that I would pretty much fail the mathematics section of these exams (I’m weak in math). But Allah SWT knew my desire and I was enrolled into a Master’s program, concentrating on Human Resource Management at DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School of Management.

Alhamdulillah, as of Eid ul Fitr, I have graduated and received my Master’s degree! The University is having their graduation ceremony this month, and I am excited to walk across the stage!

Oh but wait!! Not only am I going to walk across the stage with my cap and gown on, but I made dua to be selected as the graduate speaker for the ceremony, and did my audition last week. Alhamdulillah, and mashallah, I am the graduate student speaker for our graduation! Truly, duas are manifested! I was also nominated as the Voice of the Student for the West Group and was the guest lecturer for Welcome Week at the university. I had the pleasure of teaching students about success in academia, and pointing them to resources the university offers so they have knowledge about tutoring, counseling, and career advisement services.

During Ramadan, I was also making dua for acceptance into five universities I had applied to for my doctoral program. My mom spoke to our Mufti, and he told me to read an ayah from Surah Baqarah in the Qur’an daily with adhkar, and do dhikr, and also read salawat/durood Ibrahimi. I did that throughout the time I went through the application process, to the writing exams, and ordering transcripts to be sent to the school. I prayed in sujood, and made dua that I would be accepted to all of the universities I applied to.

(For those who are asking which ayat in Surah Baqarah, it is “lan fissama laha” which is part of the ayah number 256. I was told to read one tasbeeh of this daily with durood/salawat Ibrahimi before and after reading lan fissama laha. I did this for about 2.5 months. Always ask your local muftis about duas specific to what you need to read for whatever situation you are in. My mufti told me to do this and thus, I followed suit.)

I found out during my last week of classes right when Ramadan ended, that I received acceptance to all of the schools – the top one being Pepperdine University, for my doctoral program! I was so excited and extremely grateful to Allah SWT for answering my duas. My mom was also praying for me, so both of our duas came true!

Here is the story behind this – last year, I wanted to go to only ONE university for my doctoral program. It’s right here by my house and they had a program that connected with me. However, that school LOST their accreditation and I did not want to apply when that happened. It would mean students would not be able to take classes, or receive financial aid from the government.

I was distraught, and did not know where else to go to. I didn’t want to go to an online university and I had only thought about going to this one by my house. I made dua, and started doing some research on universities, when the same doctoral programs in leadership came about with the universities I decided to apply to.

Being accepted into the universities I applied to, and being accepted to a very prestigious university known around the world was not something I had ever thought about, ever. Be prepared to know that Allah SWT will answer your duas and bring you more than you asked for. It’s amazing how this happens! What you want may not happen exactly, but instead, in a much better, more amazing and powerful way.

And I also received a $2,500 scholarship toward tuition as well (it’s not going to make much of a ding on the price of the program, but it helps with overall tuition cost, so I’ll take it!).

In the first week of Ramadan, I was dealing with some financial tightness. I had many bills to pay and wasn’t sure what to do since I didn’t have the finances needed to get things taken care of. I was also finishing up the last few weeks I had left of my classes during Ramadan, taking care of any application paperwork for the universities I was applying to, and was focused on passing my courses with A’s. Who had time to think about finding a job!? That in itself was a full time job to deal with, and I didn’t have time for it.

In early June, around the 12^th of Ramadan, I met up with one of my friends so we could chat. When I sat down in my car to drive over to her, my car didn’t start. The battery had literally died. I thought to myself, “What am I going to do? I can’t even afford to pay for a new car battery.” I ended up taking my uncle’s Mini (which I can’t stand driving because it’s too small and claustrophobic for me) to meet with my friend.

While driving, my mom called me excitedly. I picked up, and told her that my car battery had died and I was driving the Mini instead. My mom told me to be very careful driving the car, but she said she had some amazing news for me.

She found $3,000 in cash that was saved in the master bedroom closet!!!

Can you believe this miracle?? We needed this money to pay bills, and while my mom cleaned out the closet, she found cash and was so excited!

Then we also got another $1,000 from the bank, which I thought had been stolen from the main account, but was not!

$4,000 total for us to be able to pay off our bills, get groceries, and be taken care of for at least a good month and a half.

Allah SWT did a miracle for us. We asked Him, and He provided in the exact perfect timing.

I also didn’t have to pay for my car battery either. I remembered that I had gotten this battery replaced less than three years prior, and still had warranty left. I called Triple A’s Roadside Assistance, and they installed a fresh new battery for me at no cost. I still have till December of this year before my warranty is over if I needed another battery.

One last dua manifestation for now – this was during the month of Shawwal after Eid ul Fitr. I found out about my acceptance to Pepperdine on June 23 (I found out about the other acceptances a couple of weeks prior to Pepperdine, and one more university accepted me two weeks ago). I also found out I needed to pay a $500 deposit to the university for me to be able to register for my courses.

I didn’t have the money to pay them and had till July 20 to provide this money to them. What was I going to do?

I spoke to a few friends who suggested I create a fundraiser to get money for my deposit. I decided to create a GoFundMe account, and asked initially for $1000. I needed to also pay $500 for orientation on top of the $500 for deposit to register for my classes.

I made dua that Allah SWT help me to get the $500 so I can pay the deposit and made dua in sujood many times. I witnessed the miracle as I was able to get $880 within a few days of posting my GoFundMe account and was able to pay my deposit, and register for classes.

My mom’s iPhone literally shut down and stopped working. I needed to save the rest of the money I received for the orientation, but unfortunately, I had to pay Apple for them to replace my mom’s phone, as that’s the only way she can communicate with me (no landline). Apple was going to charge me $349 for the replacement. I quickly made dua, read durood/salawat and asked Allah SWT to help me out. I spoke to the technician and told him that I am a student, and financially unable to afford getting a replacement for the $349 cost. He spoke to the manager who said they could give it to me for $160 + sales tax. Alhamdulillah again!! Duas answered and I was able to afford the replacement for my mom.

Of course, I have to fundraise for the other $500 for orientation again, which is happening next weekend, but I’ll figure that out. Allah SWT will help me find a way.

If you have read my post all the way through to here, you can see the ways in which Allah SWT manifests our duas. Everything is done according to how He wills for things to be. We can make dua, and know that Allah SWT will always be there for us, and in turn, we need to be loyal to our Lord through obeying his commands of praying salaat, giving zakat, helping out one another, be of good character, and make dua to Him daily. Reading Qur’an daily and learning the lessons from our Prophets (PBUH) who have been fearless leaders will help us with our own patience, and faith in Allah SWT.

Thanks for reading!

-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was written originally on November 5, 2017 and has been republished.

This is a question I hear many people ask (not only to me, but to one another, or to a Shaikh, Mufti, etc.)

In fact, I was doing some searches on Google regarding duas, and this was one of the first things that I would see – questions about why duas weren’t getting fulfilled, or what to do to get the duas manifested.

Here is the reality…

Ready to hear why your dua may or may not be accepted?

The truth is that we do not know whether our duas have been accepted or not. We have no knowledge of the Unseen, of the ghayb. We have no knowledge of Allah SWT’s thoughts and whether He has fulfilled our duas or how long it will take for our duas to be fulfilled.

We don’t know anything, really. We are human after all and we do not have that kind of knowledge.

So why do we assume that just because a dua is taking too long to manifest, it’s not happening? Or it is not being accepted or answered?

Why do we assume that what we are asking for is not something that is being granted to us?

We don’t know that, so we shouldn’t assume. The only thing we should assume is our duas are accepted the moment it leaves our lips.

In fact, I want you to look at this in another way.

It is known that duas are answered in the following ways:

• Yes, immediately
• Yes, but after some time
• Yes, but to protect you from a calamity that would otherwise befall on you
• Yes, but not in this world, in the hereafter.

Do you see what I just did? I said YES, because duas are ALWAYS accepted. Allah SWT does NOT reject duas.

Some people are blessed immensely by Allah SWT that every dua of theirs is fulfilled. Some people are blessed that their duas are fulfilled both in this world and in the hereafter. Everyone is blessed to be able to make dua, and everyone is blessed to receive an answer for it in one way or the other.

If you have been praying for something for ten years, and you’re telling yourself, “I’m going to give up because Allah SWT hasn’t answered me and it’s been ten years” then you have sadly given up on Allah SWT. You have given up all certainty (yaqeen) and tawakkul that Allah SWT has your back.

Perhaps the time hasn’t come yet. Allah SWT knows when the time comes for duas to manifest. We do not have that kind of knowledge.

Allah SWT, the Most High, is the one who knows which duas to answer immediately, and which ones He will take his time to answer. Maybe we are the ones who have to work on ourselves in order for us to have our duas fulfilled.

Let me give you a few examples:

I had always wanted a new car – I had a car but it was quite old and outdated. I wanted a new car and I would pray about it, wish about it in my heart all the time. This took me over 10 years, and finally in 2014, I was able to go and choose the car I liked with the given budget that my uncle told me he could help me with, and got a new car for myself. It had all the bells and whistles I wanted, and more. But it took years and years for this to happen.

It was all timing. I had gone through the frustration of “When will this dua manifest!!?” But I didn’t give up hope. I knew I would get a new car one day. I had to learn to appreciate what I had at the time, and then somehow, through a huge miracle, my uncle (who wouldn’t even open his pocketbook for anyone, let alone help anyone either) said he would help me financially with getting the car. This was Allah SWT’s doing – the tawakkul and the fact that Allah SWT is in control of the hearts of mankind – that made this miracle happen.

Another dua manifestation example:

I had been making dua for a new MacBook because my old one had started to wear down on me. The keyboard wasn’t working properly and I was having issues with it becoming so slow. I needed a new laptop for school because otherwise, how would I be able to do my assignments and complete homework? I started my Master’s program earlier in the year so I wanted to make sure I wasn’t falling behind because my laptop wasn’t working properly.

I made dua to Allah SWT that He provide me with the means to purchase a new MacBook. I wanted one that had ALL the specs on it, and it would cost $3,000, which I didn’t have.

So after making dua for the new laptop for a while, one day, as I was doing homework, I had this sudden urge out of nowhere to go and get myself a laptop. I had the money for it, not quite $3,000, but enough to go and buy a smaller MacBook (not the MacBook I wanted).

I told my mom about my sudden urge to go and purchase the laptop, and she said, “It’s coming from Allah SWT, so go and see.” I said I wasn’t sure if I had enough money for it, but I would go to the Apple store and see what I could afford.

A couple of hours later, I got the exact laptop I had wanted, the MacBook Pro, with a student discount (YES!), and walked out of there with it fully paid for. It did not cost me $3,000. Sure, I didn’t get the bigger hard drive I wanted (which was why it would have cost $3,000), but really, that wasn’t a big deal for me because I was able to afford the MacBook Pro with the TouchPad and everything else I wanted, and it was at a reasonable price.

How long did this dua take to manifest? Give or take, around 2 months after my asking for it in duas.

The timing of this one was amazing. This is how Allah SWT works. You will get a sudden urge to take action on something, and the next thing you know, you have received what you were asking for. Alhamdulillah all the way!

I’m so glad that I was able to get a new laptop, because I am able to write these inspirational blogs for all of you and spread dawah about duas.

The point in these two examples is that we don’t know whether Allah SWT has answered our duas or not. We shouldn’t give up and we shouldn’t be frustrated with the timing of the manifestation of our duas.

Look, It took me ten years to get a new car that I love. It took me two months from the moment of making dua to get a new MacBook.

Timing is in the Hands of Allah SWT. Not in us. And therefore, we shouldn’t believe that our prayers have been rejected, or give up. It can take years and years but duas do manifest. We have to make ourselves deserving of them as well. This means, we have to work on ourselves in order to receive what we are asking for.

Working on ourselves means, boosting our Iman, doing good as much as possible, and being good to our fellow Muslim brothers and sisters.

We must work on our salaah, praying our obligatory and superogratory (nawafl) prayers, and do dhikr of Allah SWT each day. We must avoid doing what is haram, and eat, drink and make money that is halal.

Of course we also have to work on our own personal development by taking care of ourselves, and others around us, and showing up as a leader everyday by being good examples of not just a good muslim, but as a good human being.

This is how we work on ourselves.

So for those of you who say “We have been praying for so long but haven’t seen our duas manifest” and think that Allah SWT hasn’t answered you, do not despair. Allah SWT has answered your duas – in what ways, how it will happen, I do not know and neither do you. This is knowledge that belongs only to Allah SWT. This is knowledge that is kept hidden from us and for good reason.

The more connected you are with Allah SWT, the more you will find the smaller manifestations happening, which will ultimately lead you to your main duas being fulfilled as a result. So, make your connection with Allah SWT as the main goal, and watch how Allah SWT will create miracles in your life, and how your duas will get manifested, inshallah!

Always know this – the way your duas are fulfilled can be completely unexpected, and beautiful. Always be in gratitude that no matter what ways your duas are being manifested, they are being answered. Timing is not in our hands, but in the hands of Allah SWT. Have tawakkul, yaqeen and, detach from the outcome so you have complete trust in Allah SWT’s plans for you.

-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi