A step closer to Jannah [Book I]

The ones who've sold the hereafter for this world

"Woe to you! Woe to you, the one who preferred this world over the next."
(UM)

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‎بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم

Bismillah, Asalamu 'alayna wa'alā 'ibādilahi saliheen,
Ash-hadu ana Lāilaha ila Allah wa Ashadu ana Muhammadan 'abduhu warasooluh...

What is with women that long for the approval of men and what is with the men who long the approval of the women? What is with the people who are willingly able to sacrifice their Akhirah (hereafter) for the one they love? What is it with us today that we continuously seek approval from everyone around us? What is with us today that we loathe the days we are not looked at or complimented at?

We've simply just left the Akhirah for this corrupt world which is nothing compared to the next. If the two sunnah of Fajr is better than the whole world and what is contains, albeit just two sunnah rak'ah, not even Fardh, are more better than the world and whats in it then how could we love a world that is nothing compared to the hereafter. We work extremely hard, day in day out, yet some of us don't even earn one eighth of a million dollars...we want the treasures of the dunya yet we forget the hereafter. Now let me ask you something..who from you owns treasure? Yeah, who owns huge diamonds, rare pearls, crystals etc.? Hardly anyone. Just the rich, extreme royalty of this world, yet we simply can earn treasure now in Jannah by saying 'lahawla wala quwata ila Bilah'*. You keep repeating this and you have more. The good thing about all this is, we were probably sitting on our beds saying this and we've earned ourselves beautiful treasure that is incomparable to the one in this world. If we want to grow a tree in Jannah than we say 'SubhanAllah wabihamdih'*. Earning a palace that we spend blood, tears and hard work trying to build in this world can easily be earned by repeating Surah Al-Ikhalas 10 times. How simple. This little things that we do are the ones that matter most in the Akhirah.

Narrated Abu Musa: We were in the company of the Prophet on a Journey, and whenever we ascended a high place, we used to say Takbir (in a loud voice). The Prophey said, "O people! Be kind to yourselves, for you are not calling upon a deaf or an absent one, but You are calling an All-Hearer, and and Al-Seer." Then he came a to me as I was reciting silently "Lahawla wala Quwata Ila Bilah". He said, "O Abdullah bin Qais! Say: Lahawla wala quwata ila bilah, for it is one of the treasures of Paradise."Or he said, "Shall I tell you a word which is one of the treasures of Paradise? It is: Lahawla wala quwata ila bilah." [Bukahari Volume 8, Book 75, Hadith 393.]

Moving on to the subject about attention. We've all craved some type of attention in our lives yet there are people who have gone extreme. They can't go outside without drowning themselves in perfume and makeup and when asked whether they would go a day without it they reply 'I would rather die!'. How have we seriously stooped so low that literally powder and some brown liquid can be the cause of us entering the Hellfire? Ya Akhawati fil Islam, Oh sisters of Islam, did you know if a non-mahram man smells your perfume its like you've committed zina (intercourse) with him? How could we make this liquid be the cause of our large amount of sins. Oh sisters of Islam, where is your Hijab that is Fardh upon us?

"O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful." [Surah Al-Ahzaab 33:59]

Moving on to the men. Men have reached to the point that if a woman seduces him he will race to reply to her. Where is the shame and the hayaā? Where is lowering the gaze and following the ways of the sahaba RadhiyaAllahu'anhum? We all have to admit that the reason for the large amount of women going out naked is for the approval of men. If men would not lower their gaze and look at women, it will make them more sexually awake and will cause A LOT of fitna and corruption. The problem is from both sides. The side of the woman because she goes out as if she isn't wearing anything and because of men who want women looking a certain way, using them as an object for pleasure. This is disgusting. This problem isn't only in the western society now, but disgustingly growing in the cities of the Arab and Middle East.

A beautiful story that is still stuck with me is the story of a sahabi named Tha'laba where when he accidentally saw a women showering naked he went into seclusion into a mountain and never went out until the Prophet Muhammad SalaAllahu 'alayhi wasalam sent the sahaba to search for him. He used to stay in seclusion and pray to Allah subhanahu wata'ala for forgiveness and the reason he didnt want to go to the prophet SalaAllahu 'alayhi wasalam was because he feared that an ayah of the Qur'an would be revealed against him! SubhānAllah, now we see the men, even the women looking at things they are not supposed to look at and think its normal. We've reached to a point that watching a kissing scene is normal and a sex scene is a bit of an extreme...yet that barrier is slowly being lifted and everywhere you look its related with sexual activity and what not.

Yes, the first gaze upon a woman is not a sin, yet men are disgustingly abusing this fact. Men think, 'oh this is my first gaze I won't get sinned for this' so they open their eyes so wide and hold their eyelids (which look like they're about to pop out) and stare at a woman. Like first, if you're trying to look good its failing, and secondly you might be getting even more sins for intentionally looking at the woman, wallahu A'lam. Respect the women and lower your gaze because if you think looking at her lustfully will gain the (good-type) of womens attention, you've failed right there.

Do not try and impress anyone besides Allah subhanahu wata'ala for only Allah subhanahu wata'ala will remain. Where will be the people you were trying to impress in the plank of Judgement? Where will the people who you thought were 'friends'? Where is the boyfriend and the girlfriend? Where is 'he is like a brother to me'? Where are they when you are being judged?

Even though this may seen obvious to the most but I would like to tell all the women and men out there that Allah subhanahu wata'ala is watching. Allah subhanahu wata'ala is watching the girl who goes out with jeans and a hijab with make up on, Allah subhanahu wata'ala is watching the man who stares at the woman lustfully, Allah subhanahu wata'ala is watching the women who covers herself completely yet is abused because of it, Allah subhanahu wata'ala is watching the man who lowers his gaze and grows his beard. Allah subhanahu wata'ala is watching everything.

"And say, "Do [as you will], for Allah will see your deeds, and [so, will] His Messenger and the believers. And you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do." [At-Tawba 9:105]

May Allah subhanahu wata'ala guide the ones whom are misguided for can guide the one he misguides and may he reward the Niqabi women who are suffering in France and in the rest of the world because of the oppression of the west and May Allah subhanahu wata'ala reward the men who grow their beards and lower their gaze despite all the fitna around them.

May Allah subhanahu wata'ala reward you for reading what I've wrote and increase your knowledge. May He grant you Jannatul Firdaws Al A'la without Hisab (judgement) or 'Athab (punishment). Allahuma Ameen.

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Lioness