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Observe Your Own Reactions
By: Danielle Fagan
Observe Your Own Reactions
Take a look at your life and the feelings you have on a day-to-day basis. What emotions are yours and which are not? Does that action honestly make you happy? Going to a party might make you miserable. Talking to your wife might make you want to pull whatever hair you have left out. Your divorce might be the greatest thing that’s ever happened to you.
Your experience is completely unique. There is no point in comparing yourself to your friends, family members, models or actors on TV. They are not you so their experience can never match your own. What types of things make you angry? Sad? Happy? Why do they make you feel that way? If your own answer doesn’t make good, clear sense to you, then it probably isn’t yours.
British jihadists want to come home, say they made ‘mistake’
Source: metro.co.uk
British jihadist fighters have contacted a university in London to say they regret their decision to join Islamist extremists in the Middle East.
The jihadists, thought to be a 30-strong group, said they wanted to return home to Britain but were afraid they would be jailed if they did so.
Whatever is Written for You Will Come to You
Source: OnIslam.net
For those of us living in the West, and especially for those of us who were not raised as Muslims, qadar(divine will or destiny) is a difficult topic to grapple with.
The Western world is based on the idea that we make our own destiny and that we should push to reach our goals no matter what it takes. And this attitude has led to some amazing advances and discoveries that benefit mankind greatly.
But, as Muslims, should we consider this attitude impetuous?
How should we understand the destiny Allah has ordained for us?
And how do we explain the fact that we have free will?
As Muslims, we know that whatever is written for us will unerringly come to us, whether it is fortune or calamity. But we also know that we must put forth the effort to try to reach our goals. Islam does not prohibit the Western “go get ‘em” attitude, it only tempers it with wisdom.
| More on Fate and Destiny in Islam
– Allah’s Plan for You and Me – Turn Your Lemons Into Lemonade – Do You Accept Destiny for Finding Peace? |
Destiny and Free Will
Some of the wisdom Islam affords us is in knowing that what comes to us would never have missed us and what misses us would never have reached us. And understanding that means we should not grieve for or exceed the limits set by Allah for something that is not meant for us.
So how do we understand free will if Allah has already ordained everything?
First, we have to understand that Allah is all aware. It is a grave mistake to try to apply our limitations to Allah, the Limitless. We have a linear understanding of time. We move along in time not seeing what will come next. But time, a part of the creation, does not apply to the creator – Allah.
Allah has created the future and understands intimately what it holds, just as He has created our past and present. Even though Allah knows and has ordained what will happen in the future, we still have free will in the present. We have the will to choose our good or bad intentions and actions whether or not they attain the intended result.
For us, not knowing what the future holds motivates us to act, to take advantage of our free will. For many of us, if we already knew what the future held, we would never use our free will to strive for anything. And our striving to do good is what we are rewarded for.
Allah tells us in the Quran:
{Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter).} (16:97)
At the same time that we have free will to strive for the good in the future, we should not over step the limits set by Allah. If we are to strive to build an orphanage, we will be rewarded for our intention and efforts to do that righteous deed, even though the end result is from Allah.
But what if we steal money to build that orphanage?
It was the will of Allah that the orphanage would be built, with or without the stealing. What was the use in mixing bad intentions and deeds with good?
There is benefit in Western mentality of “get it done” but there is wisdom in leaving off the “at all costs”. This is where the Islamic attitude lies. It is a balance of knowing you can try your best to do your best while not exceeding the limits set by Allah because the result is already written.
In hindsight, we can see the truth of “what is written will come to you” in parts of our lives where the opposite has happened. That is to say we all have times in our lives where we worked toward something but did not attain the end result no matter what we did.
The Story of the Shrimp
As I look back through my life, I can find many examples. Like the time my husband and I invited a sister and her family over for dinner. The dish I was planning to make was my favorite from my Creole culture and it called for shrimp. I was hoping to share the delicacy with the sister and her family.
As I prepared for the meal I intended to serve, I made a list and went to the store. When I got to the cashier to pay for my selections, something very strange happened. As the cashier rang up all my items, she could not ring up the shrimp.
The cashier tried and tried and tried again to ring up the shrimp so that I could pay for it, but the register would not recognize the purchase. In fact, the computer recognized all other items but when the cashier tried to ring up the shrimp, the computer did not even recognize that anything was being done at all.
In the end, I had to put the shrimp back and quickly think of something else to make that didn’t require shrimp.
When I told the sister what I had planned to cook for her family and what had happened at the store, she informed me that she was deathly allergic to shrimp. I had no idea about her allergy, and looking back on the strange event, what happened made complete sense. I was never meant to cook that meal, to serve it to her, and she was never meant to be harmed by it. It was the will of Allah and nothing could have changed that.
Allah willing, I will still be rewarded for my intention and efforts in trying to make the meal that I loved for the sister and her family. But Allah had written that I would not serve that meal and nothing I could have done would have changed that, even if I had exceeded the limits set by Allah to obtain the shrimp.
What is meant for us will come to us. What is not meant for us will never come to us. And there is no error in what we have missed out on or what we have received. This is the will of Allah. But it is up to us to strive with good intentions obeying the limits set by Allah.
There is wisdom in taking a path between “fatalism” and “at all costs”.
The wisdom of Islam lies in the middle path.
You do not have to suffer alone, God is just a thought away, a moment of silence will open the door for God to come through.
You do not have to suffer alone, God is just a thought away, a moment of silence will open the door for God to come through.
Usted no tiene que sufrir solo, Dios es sólo un pensamiento de distancia, un momento de silencio se abrirá la puerta para que Dios venga a través.
Je hoeft niet alleen te lijden, God is slechts een gedachte weg, zal een moment van stilte de deur te openen voor God om door te komen.
Vous n’avez pas à souffrir seul, Dieu est juste une idée de là, une minute de silence sera d’ouvrir la porte à Dieu de venir à travers.
Sie müssen nicht allein zu leiden, Gott ist nur ein Gedanke entfernt, wird ein Moment der Stille, die Tür zu öffnen für Gott, durch zu kommen.
Nǐ bùbì dúzì shòukǔ, shàngdì jǐnjǐn shì yīgè xiǎngfǎle, chénmòle piànkè, jiāng dǎkāi dàmén shén cáinéng tōngguò.
Du behöver inte lida ensam, Gud är bara en tanke bort, kommer ett ögonblick av tystnad öppna dörren för Gud att komma igenom.
Vy ne dolzhny stradat’ v odinochestve, Bog prosto mysli proch’, minuta molchaniya budet otkryt’ dver’ , chtoby Bog priyti do kontsa.
Tanrı yoluyla gelmek için yalnız katlanmak zorunda değilsiniz, Tanrı sadece bir düşünce uzaklıkta, sessizlik bir an kapıyı açacak.
Non dovete soffrire da soli, Dio è solo un pensiero lontano, un momento di silenzio aprirà la porta per Dio a venire attraverso.
Anda tidak Harus Menderita saja, Allah adalah hanya pikiran pergi, mengheningkan cipta Akan membuka pintu bagi Allah untuk datang melalui.
Not everything will go your way in this life, for this reason you must be accepting of all circumstances that come your way.
Not everything will go your way in this life, for this reason you must be accepting of all circumstances that come your way.
No todo va a ir su camino en esta vida, por esta razón debe estar aceptando de todas las circunstancias que vienen en camino.
Niet alles zal uw weg te gaan in dit leven, om deze reden moet je het accepteren van alle omstandigheden die op je weg komen.
Tout ne sera pas passez votre chemin dans cette vie, pour cette raison, vous devez être acceptez de toutes les circonstances qui viennent à votre façon.
Nicht alles wird Ihren Weg gehen, in diesem Leben, aus diesem Grund müssen Sie die Annahme werden alle Umstände, die den Weg kommen.
Bìngfēi yīqiè dōu jiāng zǒu nǐ de lù, zhè bèizi, wèi cǐ nǐ bìxū jiēshòu de gèzhǒng qíngkuàng chū xiànzài nǐ miànqián.
Inte allt kommer att gå din väg i detta liv, av denna anledning som du måste acceptera om alla omständigheter som kommer i din väg.
Не все будет идти своим путем в этой жизни, по этой причине вы должны быть принимающей всех обстоятельств, которые придут на ваш сайт.
Her şey sizin yol kat bütün şartlar kabul edilmelidir Bu nedenle, bu hayatta yol gidecek.
Non tutto andrà la tua strada in questa vita, per questo motivo devi essere accettate di tutte le circostanze che vi vengono incontro.
Tidak semuanya akan pergi dengan cara Anda dalam hidup ini, untuk alasan ini Anda harus menerima semua keadaan yang datang dengan cara Anda.
A time will come when you wake up to reality, you will see that we are all as one, journeying back home to Heaven.
A time will come when you wake up to reality, you will see that we are all as one, journeying back home to Heaven.
Llegará un momento en que te despiertas a la realidad, se verá que todos somos como una sola, viajando de vuelta a casa al cielo.
Er zal een tijd komen dat je wakker wordt met de werkelijkheid, zul je zien dat wij allen zijn als een, reizen terug naar de hemel.
Un temps viendra où vous vous réveillez à la réalité, vous verrez que nous sommes tous comme un, voyage retour vers le ciel.
Es wird eine Zeit kommen, wenn Sie aufwachen, um die Realität, werden Sie sehen, dass wir alle als ein, reiste zurück nach Hause in den Himmel.
Yī shíjiān huì lái, dāng nǐ xǐng lái de shíhou, xiànshí zhōng, nǐ huì kàn dào, wǒmen dōu shì wéi yītǐ, chī chī de huí dào jiāli tiāntáng.
En tid kommer när du vaknar upp till verkligheten, kommer du att se att vi alla som en, färdas tillbaka hem till himlen.
Pridet vremya, kogda vy prosypayetes’ k real’nosti , vy uvidite, chto my vse , kak odin, puteshestvuya domoy na Nebesa.
Bir süre eve Cennete yolculuk, gerçeğe uyanmak zaman, biri olarak hepimizin olduğunu göreceksiniz gelecek.
Verrà un tempo in cui ti svegli alla realtà, vedrete che siamo tutti come uno, viaggiando a casa in Paradiso.
Saatnya akan tiba ketika Anda bangun dengan realitas, Anda akan melihat bahwa kita semua sebagai salah satu, melakukan perjalanan kembali ke Surga.
Goodness cannot come from speech which isn’t good. Your words are the windows to your character. How they are is how you are.
Goodness cannot come from speech which isn’t good. Your words are the windows to your character. How they are is how you are.
La bondad no puede venir de discurso que no es bueno. Sus palabras son las ventanas de tu personaje. ¿Cómo son es cómo estás.
Goedheid kan niet komen van spraak die niet goed is. Uw woorden zijn de vensters van je karakter. Hoe ze zijn, is hoe je bent.
Bonté ne peut pas venir de la parole qui n’est pas bon. Vos mots sont les fenêtres de votre personnage. Comment sont-ils la façon dont vous êtes.
Güte kann nicht aus der Rede, die nicht gut kommen. Deine Worte sind die Fenster, um deinen Charakter. Wie sie sind, ist, wie Sie sind.
Shànliáng bùnéng láizì jiǎnghuà zhè shì bù hǎo de. Nǐ dehuà shì chuānghù, nǐ dì xìnggé. Tāmen shì rúhé wèi nǐ hǎo ma.
Godhet kan inte komma från tal som inte är bra. Dina ord är fönstren till din karaktär. Hur de är hur du är.
Dobro ne mozhet priyti iz rechi chto ne yest’ khorosho . Vashi slova yavlyayutsya okna na vashego personazha. Kak oni eto , kak vy .
İyilik iyi değil konuşma gelemez. Sözlerin karakter için pencere vardır. Nasıl onlar ne kadar olduğunu.
La bontà non può venire dal discorso che non è buono. Le tue parole sono le finestre per il tuo personaggio. Come sono è come sei.
Kebaikan tidak bisa datang dari pidato yang tidak baik. Kata-kata Anda adalah jendela karakter Anda. Bagaimana mereka adalah bagaimana Anda.
US secretly sending anti-tank weapons to Syrian rebels – reports (Video)
Rebels embattled against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad have reportedly come into possession of high-powered anti-tank weaponry, the likes of which may have been supplied by the United States.
Read more…
You will find when you do not seek, be empty of thought & desire & God will come when you stop forcing the issue.
You will find when you do not seek, be empty of thought & desire & God will come when you stop forcing the issue. Usted encontrará que usted no busca, estar vacío de pensamiento y deseo y Dios vendrá cuando deje de forzar el tema. U vindt als je niet zoekt, leeg zijn van het denken en verlangen en God zal komen wanneer u stopt met het forceren van de kwestie. Vous trouverez lorsque vous ne cherchez pas, être vide de la pensée et le désir et Dieu viendra où vous arrêtez de forcer la question. Sie finden, wenn Sie nicht versuchen, leer sein Denken und Wunsch & Gott wird kommen, wenn Sie aufhören, das Problem zu zwingen. Nǐ huì fāxiàn dāng nǐ bù qiú, shì kōng de sīxiǎng hé yùwàng yǔ shàngdì de, dāng nǐ tíngzhǐ qiángzhì de wèntí huì lái. Du kommer att hitta när man inte söka, vara tom tanke & lust och Gud kommer när du slutar tvinga frågan. Vy naydete, kogda vy ne ishchete , byt’ pustym mysli i zhelaniya i Boga pridet, kogda vy perestanete zastavlyaya vopros. Eğer istemiyoruz zaman sorunu zorlayarak durdurmak zaman gelecek düşünce ve arzu ve Tanrı’nın boş bulacaksınız. Troverete quando non si cercano, essere vuoto di pensiero e desiderio e Dio verrà quando si smette di forzare il problema. Anda akan menemukan ketika Anda tidak mencari, kosong pikiran & keinginan & Tuhan akan datang ketika Anda berhenti memaksa masalah ini.
