Never Shed Your Leaves

By: Tariq Mehanna

Source: http://www.quranproject.org/

The believer is like a tree, always at war with the wind. To survive the wind, the tree must possess certain qualities. For example, its seed must be planted in fertile soil that allows it to grow strong. This is described in the Qur’an:

{“Muhammad is the Messenger of God, and those with him … their description in the Gospel is like a seed which sends forth its shoot, then makes it strong, and it becomes thick and stands straight on its stem, delighting the sowers, so that He may enrage the disbelievers through them …“} (al-Fath, v. 29)

Humans are like strawberries

By: roadside2islam

We all come from the same seed. We all encounter different things in life, but what sets us apart is our ability to choose how sweet or bitter we become. Strawberries are at the mercy of the person who grows them but people are at the mercy of themselves. We can choose how beautiful or bitter we want to be. Do we want to look big and beautiful on the outside, or do we want to be beautiful on the inside. If we focus on the inside, the eyes of the beholder will eventually find us not for how we look, but our reputation will be enough for them to give us a chance, because we are beautiful inside.

Dua for the fulfillment of Debts

Allahumma rabbas-samawatis-sabAA, warabbal-AAarshil-AAatheem, rabbana warabba kulli shay/, faliqal-habbi wannawa, wamunazzilat-tawra, wal-injeel, walfurqan, aAAoothu bika min sharri kulli shayin anta akhithun binasiyatih. Allahumma antal-awwal, falaysa qablaka shay/, wa-antal-akhir, falaysa baAAdaka shay/, wa-antath-thahir falaysa fawqaka shay/, waantal-batin, falaysa doonaka shay/, iqdi AAannad-dayna wa-aghnina minal-faqr.

‘O Allah, Lord of the seven heavens and the exalted throne, our Lord and Lord of all things, Splitter of the seed and the date stone, Revealer of the Tawrah, the Injeel and the Furqan, I take refuge in You from the evil of all things You shall seize by the forelock (i.e. You have total mastery over). O Allah, You are The First so there is nothing before You and You are The Last so there is nothing after You.You are Aththahir so there is nothing above You and You are Al-Batin so there is nothing closer than You. Settle our debt for us and spare us from poverty.’

ALLAH IS TESTING US TOO

By: Nazia Mirza

We read the stories of suffering, we see the images of death and destruction and our hearts just break, as they should.

However, we have to remember that Allah (‘Azza wa Jall) is in absolute full control of everything that is taking place.

He sees what the tyrants are doing and His punishment is swift and severe.

But the knowledge of the plan is His alone. Its execution will be according to His timetable, not ours.

Remember, Allah isn’t just testing the people of Gaza (and Syria, Burma, China, CAR and other lands), He is testing each and every one of us too.

What will our reaction be, both in terms of action and faith?

The seed of truth is within your heart, it grows stronger the nearer you are to the source of love.

 The seed of truth is within your heart, it grows stronger the nearer you are to the source of love.
 La semilla de la verdad está dentro de su corazón, que se hace más fuerte cuanto más cerca esté de la fuente del amor.
 Het zaad van de waarheid is in je hart, het groeit sterker hoe dichter je bij de bron van liefde.
 La semence de la vérité est dans votre cœur, il devient plus fort le plus proche, vous êtes à la source de l’amour.
 Die Saat der Wahrheit ist in deinem Herzen, es wächst stärker, je näher man an die Quelle der Liebe sind.
 真理的種子是你的心臟內，變得強大，你是愛的源頭更近。
 Utsäde av sanningen är i ditt hjärta, det växer starkare ju närmare du är till källan av kärlek.
 Семя истины в вашем сердце, она усиливается тем ближе вы к источнику любви.
 Gerçeğin tohum kalbinin içinde, daha güçlü yakın sevginin kaynağına ne kadar büyür.
 Il seme della verità è nel vostro cuore, cresce più forte quanto più si è alla fonte dell’amore.
 Benih kebenaran di dalam hati Anda, itu tumbuh lebih kuat semakin dekat Anda dengan sumber cinta.

Tips for Growing Your Own Greens

Although at first glance one might see enhanced productivity simply through outsourcing all growth, is there not a form of deen-centered productivity that takes root when we return to the soil? 

Everything is almost always available. For those of us living in the industrialized world, our homes are a stone’s throw from major retailers, where goods of all season are almost always available. And for those who do not back up to shopping malls, the Internet malls are merely a click away. I recall the Internet boom in a major urban center in the mid-1990s when we could get nearly anything delivered, day or night. But, I also recall resisting such immediate consumption.

What about growing your own cherry tomatoes? And what about the joy of nurturing them, from start to delectable (small) finish, and then sharing the harvest? As ‘convenience’ and ‘choice’ become the hallmarks of our era, is it not time to reflect on what we may be giving up by our own consumptive patterns? How may we integrate different practices, for our own mental and physical well-being and ultimately the well-being of our planet, not to mention our own spiritual growth? What about reconsidering embedded notions of productivity (e.g. units processed per minute) and imagine instead our productivity as a function of how connected we are to our Creator (glorified and exalted be He), all while keeping our feet firmly rooted in the ground? Gardening has real power here, and the following tips will, In sha Allah, inspire you to grow your own greens.

The seed of love is within every act of kindness, a seed that will grow in the heart of the recipient.

 The seed of love is within every act of kindness, a seed that will grow in the heart of the recipient.
 La semilla del amor está dentro de cada acto de bondad, una semilla que crecerá en el corazón del receptor.
 Het zaad van de liefde is binnen elke daad van vriendelijkheid, een zaadje dat zal groeien in het hart van de ontvanger.
 La graine de l’amour est dans chaque acte de bonté, une graine qui va grandir dans le coeur du destinataire.
 Der Samen der Liebe ist in jedem Akt der Güte, ein Samenkorn, das im Herzen des Empfängers wachsen.
 Àiqíng de zhǒngzǐ shì shànliáng, zhǒngzǐ, jiàng zài shōu jiàn rén de xīnzàng shēngzhǎng de měi yīgè xíngwéi zhōng.
 Utsäde av kärlek är inom varje handling av vänlighet, ett frö som kommer att växa i hjärtat hos mottagaren.
 Semya lyubvi v kazhdom akt dobroty , semeni , kotoryye budut rasti v serdtse retsipiyenta.
 Sevgi tohumu iyilik, alıcının kalbinde büyüyecek bir tohum her hareket içinde.
 Il seme dell’amore è all’interno di ogni atto di gentilezza, un seme che crescerà nel cuore del destinatario.
 Benih cinta dalam setiap tindakan kebaikan, benih yang akan tumbuh di jantung penerima.

Defeat is never final, you can always begin again, the seeds for a bright future are often sown in the hearts of the fallen.

 Defeat is never final, you can always begin again, the seeds for a bright future are often sown in the hearts of the fallen.
 La derrota nunca es definitiva, siempre se puede empezar de nuevo, las semillas para un futuro brillante a menudo se siembran en los corazones de los caídos.
 Een nederlaag is nooit definitief, u kunt altijd opnieuw beginnen,  de zaden voor een mooie toekomst worden vaak gezaaid in de harten van de gevallenen.
 Défaite n’est jamais définitif, vous pouvez toujours commencer à nouveau, les graines d’un avenir lumineux sont souvent semées dans les cœurs de ceux qui sont tombés.
 Niederlage ist nie endgültig, können Sie immer wieder zu beginnen, werden die Samen für eine glänzende Zukunft oft in den Herzen der gefallenen gesät.