Sakinah Abdul Aziz

" 'Ana madinatul 'ilm, wa Aliyyun baboo ha." The Prophet (peace be upon him) had said that he is the City of Knowledge and Ali is the Gate to that knowledge. And I am still in disbelief that I had sat before that gate amongst hundreds of thousands under the twilight in the early waking hours. And on another cold, beautiful night, entering into the holy vicinity and witnessing the gate of his shrine, shining brilliantly and reflecting its splendour of gold. And now, 2 months on, it had sinked into me that this was probably the closest to divinity that I had ever been. I had just stood before a resting body of a great, awe-inspiring leader. Dead physically, but a soul that is so alive till today. This man, who had embraced Islam while he was a young boy out of his unwavering love and belief in the Prophet. He, who had taught us the essence of the greater jihad resounding the true teachings of the Prophet through his behaviours and actions. A man who fought his nafs...

Today, my father reminded us all on what Eid truly means. Eid is an Arabic word which means festival but it is also derived from its root words carrying meanings of "to return". We were reminded to always bring ourselves back to our Creator and to always put Him in the center. " Here I am at Thy service, O Lord, here I am ".

The Morning Hours "I swear by the early hours of the day. And the night when it covers with darkness. Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor has He become displeased. And surely what comes after is better for you than that which has gone before. And soon will your Lord give you so that you shall be well pleased"  - Holy Quran [93:1-5]

In commemoration of the death of a beautiful personality, just wanted to share these. When the daughter of Allah's messenger (upon him be peace), Fatima, died, her husband, Ali Ibn Ali Talib, said: "A Flower nipped in the bud,  It came from Heaven,  And It went to Heaven,  And left Its fragrance in my mind." "By Allah, I never angered Fatima, or forced her to do something (she did not like), up to the day she died; nor did she ever anger or disobey me. In fact, when I looked at her, depression and sadness would be removed from my heart."

There's this tinge of sadness that Ramadhan is coming to an end. This time round it stems from the fact that I wished I could have done so much more and make it so much more fulfilling. To attain fulfillment not only in the spiritual sense, but fulfillment in my way of life, in the pursuit of a better quality of life. There are always learning points and it is very timely that this period is somewhat marked by some crossroads. I faced certain dilemmas as to doing certain things, I ended having to do another round of soul-searching, putting myself out in a rather vulnerable position, and reflecting upon things in life that have made me questioned a lot. Through such process, it is never easy to attain tranquility. Sometimes when the mind is not at rest, the heart cannot follow suit. But thank God, there were a few nights I attained that, and I should be thankful enough to have at least some days of peace. It's hard to let go especially when I started the month with clear intent...

The heart is a confusing, altering thing. No state is forever. No state of bliss lasts forever. But no state of pain does either. They all pass. So if you experience happiness, ask Allah to make it forever in jennah. And if you experience sadness, ask Allah to make it a means of purification and elevation for you. And know that this too shall pass.  -Yasmin Mogahed

Sometimes, He breaks our spirit to save our soul. Sometimes, He breaks our heart to make us whole. Sometimes, He allows pain so we can be stronger. Sometimes, He sends us failure so we can be humble. Sometimes, He allows illness so we can take better care of ourselves. And sometimes, He takes everything away from us... so we can learn the value of everything He gave us Make plans, but understand that we live by His grace. Although they plan, Allah also plans. And Allah is the Best of Planners. [Holy Qur'an 8:30]

Good morning! I feel pretty perky today, after reading Sha's first email from London! She's continuing to pursue her medical degree there. I'm a proud friend (: 2 days ago, I was walking along the school walkway and I bumped into a friend of mine. He's a Chinese, and recently converted into Islam. Now, that matters because I bet 50% of the Muslims in this world probably do not know the meaning of my name (ok, am unsure about the statistics but perhaps mostly the Asian Muslims). He just muttered my name and said, "Your name carries a beautiful meaning... tranquility." And I just stood there, amazed and awestruck. Yes people, contrary to how I carry myself (probably not a peaceful person at all), my name means 'tranquility', or 'God-inspired peace of mind'. Usually most of my friends who asked for the meaning of my name would scoff jokingly because of the apparent contrast of my personality and my name, but this guy, he actually said "It...

Hello earthlings! Woa, just like that time flew. I withdrew myself from this blog and I realized that it REALLY does need a lot of updating. For one, I had a temporary job for 2 months at People's Association. I was back in the same department I worked in exactly a year ago. For another, there was one point in time when I thought my life was a mess, it wasn't all so long-lived though (or so I hope). As they say, when it rains, it pours. But also, there's this saying that time heals all wounds, and that there's always light at the end of the tunnel. I, for one, believe that there are truths in such cliché-d sayings. And also, I went to Bangkok for a short, awesome shopping trip. I honestly do not know how three months fly. I attempt to update my blog more, not for the sake of readers (I don't even know if there's anyone reading this anymore), but purely for myself. I remembered the humanistic feel I had a couple of years back, completely in touch with my feelings...

A Pakistani teenager hugs his goat at a livestock market for upcoming Eid al-Adha festival on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan. Happy Eid to Muslims once again. I feel thankful that we have 2 eids in a year, and although the former Eid renders people (predominantly Muslims in Asia) more celebrations and joy, EidulAdha has a greater significance. Although I'm many miles away, pictures of Muslims clad in white coming from all over the world, congregating on this very day, in front of Kaabah, has always given me spiritual strength and faith and hopes that someday, I'll muster my way there myself, God-willing. Hope this holiday brings well to all be it enjoying the good company of food and family, studying or relaxing :) I found this really nice quote from Yatay, and I'd like to share this: In Morocco, on one of our honeymoons, I became drawn to the word 'inshallah', meaning 'if God wills it'. I love the simplicity and beauty of this idea. In English, there ...