Life as it is.....

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” ― Albert Einstein

Lately, I find myself feeling melancholy. Maybe it's an age thing. You know, the older you get, the more you reflect on your life.

I have to admit that I do have many regrets. There are things that I wish that I hadn't done and words that shouldn't have been spoken. There are also things which I wish I had done and words that I should have spoken. But alas, we only get one chance at life and there's no turning back.

Although we are the authors of our own books of deeds, unlike other manuscripts, this book is one that is set in stone. It can't be un- written, amend or delete.

The scary part is, even though we are the authors of our books,  we have no control over the number of pages and the duration of writing. All we know that it will be published in the Hereafter for everyone to read.

Ideally, we should only pen down good stories about ourselves but as humans, we have our weaknesses. There are some days that I feel my eaman is so thin that it's literally hanging by a thread. These are the days when I feel that I've gone off path or just plain lazy.

Of course there are days when I feel that I'm on track and ready to take on the world. The ups and downs of my eaman level can be quite maddening sometimes but the Wise Owl always reminds me that the real struggle is to remain steadfast on the straight path. There will be days when I win and days when I lose.

"Or do ye think that ye shall enter the Garden (of bliss) without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? they encountered suffering and adversity, and were so shaken in spirit that even the Messenger and those of faith who were with him cried: "When (will come) the help of Allah?" Ah! Verily, the help of Allah is (always) near!"

Surah Al Baqara 2:214.

The above verse always keeps me grounded. No one said life will be easy but then again, no one said life will be impossible either. It's actually finding balance. Like Einstein said, life is like a bicycle. You will have ups and downs but you need to keep moving to keep your balance. The times when I feel like giving up, I'd always ask myself "what will you tell God later when He ask why?" Gulp!...I don't think I can answer that.

"And surely We shall try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives and crops; but give glad tidings to the patient, Who says, when afflicted with calamity: “To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return”: They are those on whom (descend) Blessings from Allah, and Mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance."

(Al-Baqara 2:155-157)

So, every day we must try to write fantastic stories for our books. I know you've heard this many times and I know it's easier said than done but please try. That is exactly what I need to do also.

If you need help, regardless of how often, just ask. Remember, God is always near.....

"When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way."

Surah Al Baqara 2: 186

"And your Lord says: "Call on Me; I will answer your (Prayer)"

Surah Ghafir 40:60

Old Friends..

“Soul mates recognise one another's vibration. They instantly fuse to the life force that surrounds their core of being.” ― Truth Devour,

Have you ever experienced a situation where you felt so comfortable with someone whom you've just met? It's like you've known this person forever. It's kinda cool and eerie at the same time.  

I have experienced it many times and each time it happens, my brain will be playing the 'Twilight Zone' song in my head. It's the unexplainable warm feeling that you feel and how you instantly gravitate towards the person that is just simply amazing. Some people call it reunion of 'kindred spirit'.

There are also people who will just simply hate you on sight and I've experienced that too. Ooooh...yeah.... As much as I hate to admit it, the feeling I felt was mutual.

Would you believe me if I told that you that in Islam, this deja vu feeling that we experience is actually real?

One day, the Wise Owl unraveled the mystery to me. He said that some souls met at the time when they were created by God. This was before the soul is blown into their respective body, in the mothers' womb.

Abu Hurairah reported Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying, “Souls are troops collected together and those who familiarized with each other (in the heaven from where these come) would have affinity, with one another (in the world) and those amongst them who opposed each other (in the Heaven) would also be divergent (in the world).” (Muslim)

Aahhh...now everything make supernatural sense to me! Like real life situation, there are bound to be people who you can get along with and some that you just can't.

Being an eccentric who lacks social skills, I would get very excited whenever I meet these kindred sisters. I'm glad to know that I'm not alone and there others just as eccentric as me.

If you think about it, we are not meeting a  new friend but we are actually meeting a long lost old friend.....SubhanAllah..

" Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?"
Surah Ar Rahman 55:13

Where it all begins..

“Intentions of a man reflects in his actions.” ― Sukant Ratnakar

I've always wondered in the past, as to why some things turned out differently than I planned or that it did not have the desired effect that I envisioned? Sooo.. I asked the Wise Owl (as usual!).  He told me that we, as human, can only plan but ultimately God decides the outcome and; everything boils down to 'intention'.

He said that God will give us what we want so be careful of what we ask for. If we do a certain act to get recognition from others, then that's exactly what we will get and only that. We might even end up feeling miserable after that.  However, if we do something with the sole intention of pleasing God, then, not only will we get rewards for doing it but also the satisfaction for doing it.

Sometimes, it could be that we started out with the correct intention but somehow,  somewhere along the way, external factors stepped in that made us lose focus. Our original intention got side-railed.

Therefore, before embarking on anything, double check our intention, to ensure it's correct. From time to time, re-check our intention to make sure it's still intact and has not morphed into something else. Then, leave everything to God. 

Umar b. al-Khattab narrated that the Prophet (S) said: Deeds are [a result] only of the intentions [of the actor], and an individual is [rewarded] only according to that which he intends. Therefore, whosoever has emigrated for the sake of Allah and His messenger, then his emigration was for Allah and His messenger. Whosoever emigrated for the sake of worldly gain, or a woman [whom he desires] to marry, then his emigration is for the sake of that which [moved him] to emigrate." Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim.

Oh....The Wise Owl also warned me to be careful as to not use intention as an excuse to justify a wrongdoing. Darn! There goes my arguments!

The Wise Owl said that although deeds are based on intention, a good intention can never justify sin. A common example is a 'white lie' or the Malays call it 'bohong sunat'.

Seriously....there is no such thing in Islam! A lie is still a lie, regardless. A sin is still a sin.

“Surely Allah does not guide him aright who is a liar, ungrateful.”
(Surah az-Zumar 39:3

So, what the Wise Owl is saying is, I think, in a nutshell, set your intentions straight, do not falter and do not use intention as an excuse. Sound simple enough eh?. Errrr...