“A Kuwaiti, a Saudi and one from Qatar”.

I knew what I’m about to hear was not good at all.

That’s how the conversation with the bus driver started as we were waiting at the first stop.

I didn’t hold my breath for what’s about to come next. Because by now I’m used to it, it has become a familiar pattern. Not a pattern for Muslims, but the pattern of what Non-Muslims remember about Muslims.

“He started drinking beer and I told him are you supposed to do that!! and he replied well it is different I’m in UK now”

WTH! This is a new religion all together. A religion that is bounded by geographical location apparently.

I for one do have a change in behaviour when I’m abroad, less self concious and more out going, I can put on my trainings and go for a run and not have to deal with stupid remarks and comments.

But that is an extreme …

That dude should’ve said: “Well it’s not allowed but I’m an ignorant self centred dumb ass who doesn’t know the first thing about Islam, so please consider this my doing and not a reflection of my religion”.

People remember the ODD and they also remember what they like to believe!

Down the corridor, there are a group of Muslim guys, who drink and laugh like maniacs at night and cook and eat in the mornings of Ramadan.

As a person who’s aware of what Islam is, I know they are acting out on their own accord.

To outsiders who have a negative view about Islam, it’s a rebellious act against a dark religion which oppresses the youth and starves them out of food and water forbidding them from enjoying life.

To outsiders who have a positive view about Islam, it’s just boys drinking and eating and it has nothing to do with Islam.

I met a girl a few days ago, she’s just embraced Islam, it was so beautiful how she summed up deciding to become a Muslim “AHA, now it makes sense”.

I wished I can see through her eyes and feel what she is feeling and then I thought to myself, maybe I need a journey of my own, a journey to rediscover Islam.

نصيحة متفائل

لماذا تدمن التفكير و الله و لي التدبير

و لماذا القلق من المجهول و كل شئ عند الله معلوم

اطمأن فأنت في عين الله الحفيظ

كفالته بلا حدود

و عطاياه لا تمنعها سدود

قل بقلبك الله معي

االله ناظر الي

شاهد علي

تعش مرتاحا عند الله محفوظ

I got this via sms and every now and then, I read it over and just breathe in.

Out of the many issues my friend Oryx and I discuss, this is one of the recent ones, “Islam”. How it is viewed and understood.

Islam in our day, is just defined in bulletins kind of way. Islam means we have to pray, fast, wear the hijab, etc. And even those are not carried out, we were born Muslims, thus Islam. Our prophet is Mohammed “عليه الصلاة و السلام”, we pray five times a day, fast in Ramadan, read the Quran now and then.

Islam is so much deeper, Islam should be translated in our behaviour, what use is it to pray and have no “أخلاق” at all, do you think it’s better for a woman to wear a hijab and not pray or to not wear a hijab and pray?

See there are so many factors and we are in no position to judge and criticize. I for one do that sometimes, like if I see a woman wearing a hijab and a second-layer of skin clothes, I say “مو أحسن لو تفسخ الحجاب” but then again if another woman wearing a “3abaya” will look at me and criticize me for not wearing one or wearing jeans or make-up.

What I mean, that in an individual, Islam is not about the outer shell as much as it is about the inner one. That’s my point of view. Individual behaviours and actions should be ruled according to the person’s intent “النية”

It’s so easy to judge others from our point of view, because that will make us right thus makes us feel better about ourselves and then we don’t have to look at our mistakes and our “تقصير”.

To me being a Muslim, is in the way I treat others, it’s in the moments I hold in my anger where all I want to do is bash the person in front of me , it’s in the simplest form of thanking GOD while I’m in my car looking at people crammed in a bus under the heated blazing sun , it’s in setting my mobile alarm for Fajer prayer, it’s in stopping to pray in a masjid on a girl’s day out, it’s in admiring the beautiful sky, the way I’m dedicated to my work, my struggles to be a better Muslim in a more religious way.  I have a long way to go, in other words, I’m not ready to face GOD yet when I die, I’d have nothing to present, not enough to stand-up for me. So many wrongs to make right.

It’s always a continuous prayer of mine “اللهم اني أسألك حسن الخاتمة” and for my soul not be taken unless I’m ready, in my life there was this one perfect moment that I was ready to go, I felt within my heart, that it is so pure, I asked GOD to just take me, but here I am still, and I didn’t get this feeling again.

I know one should be ready at all times but again this is one of my struggles. One should balance “الدين و الدنيا”, I for one, is still caught up in “الدنيا”.

I believe if people spent more time focusing on themselves and discover what Islam is truly, we would be in a better place.

What is your opinion about Islam? What does it mean to you?

When you think you’ve had enough and you can’t take it anymore

remember that …

“ان الله لا يكلف نفسا الا وسعها”

I always seem to forget this …

ألا بذكر الله تطمئن القلوب

With her beautiful eyes looking at me, she tugged in her hair, talked a bit, smiled and turned … raised her hand and started to pray

It’s the way she prayed that brought some serenity to her surrounding. I just wanted to back away and watch her because she looked so peaceful so focused. I itched to ask how she does it, how does she manage to reach this level of soundness

All her moves in the ritual prayer was carefully carried out, so slow, so focused

Where as in my case, I prayed and all my thoughts where occupied with the damn email filter problem. exit code, it must be a programmable error, but no updates were installed lately, some files may have gotten corrupt, some settings need to be set to handle such glitches …

How can one isolate themselves to be totally into our daily rituals

I thought, GOD is standing in front of the both of us as we pray, but I believe she is doing a far better job than I am

Most will tell you to release everything and focus, imagine the situation you are in and you are going to face GOD and be in his presence. I don’t know but even if it works for a few seconds I am then distracted

I guess I have to work harder