"Truly, the life of this world is nothing but a [quick passing] enjoyment, and verily, the Hereafter that is the home that will remain forever.)"
(Qur'an 40:39)
Sorry for the LONG gap, I have been very busy with some personal matters and it has been taking up much of my time! But insha'Allah i will try my best to keep writing (BidhniAllah) ....
It has now been three years since I took my Shahadah (March 2011) and though I am still fairly new to Islam, I have learnt a lot about myself and what being a Muslim woman is all about. I still remember the day I took my Shahadah like it was yesterday; when I repeated those mighty, heavy words it was as if a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders and it was as if I was finally free from all the heavy burdens I had been carrying for nearly 26 years of my life. I could finally breath. I was free from my past, I was free from oppression, I was free from being a slave to my own desires and from being a slave to society. I WAS FREE!!!!!!!! Allahu Akbar.
The feeling of FREEDOM still remains with me and not a day goes by do I thank Allah for the gift of guidance to His BEAUTIFUL RELIGION, Islam. However, not a day goes by do I struggle with the media and society trying to dictate to me what MY religion is. The western society and media feel that they are entitled to make ignorant assumptions about WHAT Islam means, WHO Muslims are, and WHY Muslim women are oppressed. Well, as a Muslim woman AND as a convert to Islam, I feel that it is MY duty to clear up some misinterpretations which not only make the beautiful religion of Allah look terrible, but I'd love to also let the media know that it is not the HEADSCARF or the NIQAB that oppresses us, but it is merely your IGNORANCE that oppresses us.
Let me begin with a little bit about myself: I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and it is one of THE most busy, diverse and multicultural cities in the West. I was a fashion student who dedicated my life to Vogue/Elle/Fashion magazines, fashion shows, fashion models, and living a very materialistic lifestyle. I was a social woman and I was also a hardcore gym 'junkie' and my body image was the most important thing in my life and I worshiped celebrities and had no religion, no morals and values. I lived for the moment, there was no filter with my words and I didn't care who you were or what you did, if I didn't like you, you would know it. I mistreated my parents and I was selfish, extremely arrogant, and had no self-respect and no respect for others. The media played a huge role in my life and I basically educated myself through television and movies and they dictated to me what kind of woman I should be in society.
Sooo.....that WAS me in a nutshell. Definitely nothing to be proud of but Alhamdulillah, Allah, The Almighty took me out of this dark hole and guided me with light. What I want to start off with is to let everyone know (Muslim or not) that without a strong foundation of good morals, ethics, and values the individual not only becomes corrupt but so does the society as a whole. Whether you are educated or not, we can all agree on this because it is just common sense and our basic understanding of good vs bad. But the point I am about to make here, is what confuses many and even causes opposition from many individuals (even including Muslims, Subhana'Allah). The reason why society becomes corrupt is because the woman are corrupted in any way, shape, or form (or all for that matter) and once the woman is corrupt then it has a major domino effect on herself, her husband, and her family; once she is down than the entire household goes down with her.
Many, many, many people may disagree with me but this is not merely based on my opinion because if you look around you or even within your own family members, somewhere in between, you will find that there is a divorce, a single mother (not by choice), and immodesty sweeping the nation by storm. If you don't agree with me in that regard then please, let us explore the media and see just exactly what kind of women has society produced.
I can't believe that I was SO desensitized from all this before Islam. It never phased me that these women are possessed and hypnotized and sold their own self worth and self respect just for a cheap bargain of the worldly life! They have chosen to submit themselves to the devil and are trying to bring down innocent young women along with them. These women try to corrupt the fitrah of every single person and inject them with their virus. Shaitan uses these womens as his slaves to brainwash women into leaving their modesty while encouraging them to fornicate and show-off as much of their awrah (private parts) as possible. He uses women to promote empowerment through nakedness, hatred through vulgar cursing and slandering, and he even goes as far as making women dress as men so that they can subconsciously feel more dominant and powerful than men!
Yes, many Muslim women are seen these days imitating these slaves of shaitan and I mean how can we blame them? When every Muslim parent has a television in their home and they themselves do not even submit fully to Allah and fear Him, how can we then expect our youth, our next generation to lead righteous lives and follow the correct Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad (sallalahu aleyhi wasselam)? The moment we submit to our desires is the very moment shaitan sneaks into the door to your heart and one small "innocent" little sin...will eventually turn into bigger sins which then will cause us to fall into the greatest sins of them all! (and May Allah protect us from such diseases of the heart and from His Punishments! Ameen) ... submitting to your own desires, following those fashion hijabi girls and idolizing them like they are some sort of fashion guru's gift to society..or following young celebrity boys?! ...AstughfurAllah!?! These people will not help clean your heart, they will only blacken it! Do not follow them in their footsteps, remove yourselves from their circles and follow those who actually will benefit you and your akhirah !
Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh, which, if it be whole, all the body is whole, and which, if it is diseased, all of [the body] is diseased. Truly, it is the heart.”
There is no more remembrance of Allah in our hearts and there is no more desire to follow the Sunnah of our beloved prophet. The Sunnah that he (sallalahu aleyhi wasselam) worked so hard to preserve has now vanished. Somewhere along the way we became arrogant and that arrogance took over and caused us to become ignorant. Ignorant in the deen of Allah, the Almighty, The Master of The Day of Judgement, The Owner, The Creator, The Most Merciful, The Oft Forgiving. He, the only One who deserves to be worshiped. He is Allah. He is the One who gave you your first breath, your eyesight, your hearing, your beauty, your wealth, your family, your ability to eat, sleep, breath. He is the Almighty, the One who gave you an education; He is the One who gave you wealth so that you could give it away to the poor and the needy. He is the One who gave you wealth so that you could spend it in His Way.
Islam gives women respect, honour, and purity!
What have we done? Where have we gone ? Where has our desires taken us? Who is our Lord and who is our Prophet (sallalahu aleyhi wasselam) ? What is our religion and what have we done with it? The only way we can find the answers to these life saving questions is by cleaning our hearts with the remembrance of Allah and by following the Sunnah of our prophet Muhammad (sallalhu aleyhi wasselam). When we HEAR we OBEY and not to our desires but to Allah alone. The proofs are clear and the religion is made to be easy and moderate because of the Mercy of Allah!
Evaluate yourself and who your friends are...ask yourself : If I were to die right now, what will I bring to Allah? Will I be able answer the three dreadful questions in the grave? Will Allah be pleased with me when I meet Him?
I guarantee you, you won't be ready to meet your Lord.
