"Every Cloud has a Silver Lining"

How many times have we experienced a situation and been quite unsure as to what course of action to take? Living every single day of our lives, performing every single action and experiencing every situation, requires careful thought and deep-rooted wisdom. It has often been the case, after plunging into a situation I viewed as 'minor', that the consequences resulted in something I could NEVER have possibly fathomed. Alhamdulillah. Thus, I stand by my experiences: there is no such thing as 'a meaningless situation' or 'an insignificant occurrence' . This our Lord informs us of, for there is great wisdom in all that is granted, great beautiful wisdom only known to Allah, The Most High.

In hindsight one may think, 'alhamdulillah, I now know why such and such took place' - but in actual fact - we most certainly do not. For wisdom, true incomparable wisdom belongs solely to our Beloved, Al-Hakeem - The Most Wise. We, dear readers, are only shown and only know what it is that Allah (Swt) allows.

It is not for us to try to solve the mysteries of our lives or our situations, for there may be times when we will stop and seriously ponder over matters and yet as much as we reflect, ponder and question, we may never know the real reason(s) why Allah (Swt) tested us in such a way. Does that mean that the situation is not one of goodness? No, rather, our train of thought, understanding and ability to truly accept that 'everything happens for a reason' needs to be deep-rooted in our hearts. For the actual 'reason' is the goodness - unknown to us, but always known to Allah (Swt). You see, the all too familiar 'every cloud has a silver lining' is our Lord's unfailing Promise:

"For indeed, after every hardship comes ease.

Indeed, after every hardship comes ease."

[Al-Inshirah (94): 5-6]

Thus, true belief, during times of great difficulty, is manifested through having patience; reliance and unwavering trust in The One Who - through His Magnificent Knowledge and Wisdom - enabled such situations to occur in the first place. So dear readers, take pleasure: great pleasure; be filled with peace and never forget to smile... for though you may not realise it ... you have every reason to.

Please ... Leave me out (a poem)

Don’t count me in …

I’m not one of you: never will, never want and never desire to.

You see, to you it’s like a game – a jest of follow me.

However, this is most certainly not where I yearn to be.

You have other false agendas, strange aims and goals.

Certainly not what a true lover lives and strives to uphold.

So, to put it to you bluntly, I don’t care for false presumptions.

For I think I’ve finally discovered what I definitely do not need.

And that, my fellow rival, is not to battle with thee.

©Oct 08 Umm Thameenah

... For, it was never about them anyway (part 2)

May this find you - dear readers in the best of mental, emotional, spiritual and physical states, ameen. A little something I came across whilst browsing through my text message inbox: a beautiful message sent to me by a dear and beloved sister-in-Islam, at a time ... when I needed it most...

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you ... but be honest anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight ... but go ahead and build it anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous ... but be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow ... but do good anyway.

You see dear readers, in the final analysis, only one thought should persist in the mind: it is all between you and your Beloved (Swt) - for it was never about them anyway...