Weddings.

I haven't attended a single wedding for like almost 2 years now. The last time I did, I had no choice. It was my cousin's wedding.

I know I sound like a sour grape, a wet blanket because weddings are such glorious and joyous celebrations mashaAllah but weddings are also the one point of time where you meet your other half of the extended family (yes, the ones that you probably only see during eid or well... once a year where there happen to be a death in the family.) and all they'll bother asking you is how well you're doing in school.

This is when the parents will sit down with us the children by their sides, talking about the best universities in the world and how just amazingly wonderful their own children are. Okay seriously, we're at a wedding not a university conference. If everyone's going to just go on gloating about their children, who's going to pay attention to the newly wed couple?!

Another reason why I hate attending weddings is because all I hear are gossips. All you have to do is sit down beside a sister whom you've never met before and trust me, the next minute you know every dirty little secret about her neighbour.

Astaghfirullah!

I have to admit that I can be a pretty big fan of gossips too because at the end of the day, I'm only human but seriously, a wedding is supposed to be a celebration that's full of blessings, full of rahmah and barakah and all you find is people who are talking about other people.

I can't even find myself sitting down to enjoy a plate of briyani in peace.

The next time I attend a wedding (which will be in December inshaAllah), I'll make sure I bring along my tasbih - so I can istighfar everytime I hear someone talking about someone else.

Or better, I'll put up a sign to say "You can speak about her but just remember, it's Haram"

A'qilah Saiere.

Muslims, Let's be +ive! :-)

As human as we all can be, we tend to naturally wallow ourselves in self pity and bury ourselves in depression. We get carried away when we're disappointed and allow ourselves to feel horrible for a prolonged period of time.

Depression is a choice.

As Muslims, we've been given the Qur'an and the Prophet's Sunnah. His teachings are all we need to make ourselves happy people.

The Qur'an is the most glorious, most beautiful book that ever existed. When in times of woes and sorrows or when you are in need to search for an answer that your heart has been longing for, try flipping open the Qur'an and read through it. For all you know, the answer will be there. There is nothing that the Qur'an can't answer & there is nothing that Islam doesn't teach.

All we need to have is a positive mindset.

We need to remind ourselves that when life pushes you to your knees, we are in the best position to pray.

Positivity truly is one of the most important keys to success.

I am trying my best not to sound like those people your parents paid to conduct seminars in hopes of encouraging you for your GCSE exams.

But really, when life gives you lemons, keep them - these lemons are lessons :-)

A'qilah Saiere

The "English Defence League"?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/may/28/english-defence-league-guardian-investigation

Read this article & tell me what you think.

& the world still thinks that there are only Muslim extremists.

How do you explain this group of neo-nazis spreading islamophobia in the United Kingdom?

A'qilah Saiere