Be good to others and live out life with the goodness of your heart. Don’t worry about how someone might perceive something you do, if all you are doing is striving to pursue your happiness and live out your dreams. Of course, keep this within the bounds of morality and sound judgment, and know that it is better for you to worry about the Judgment of the Creator than it is for you to worry about the judgment of the creation. Live your life to spread good and forbid evil, and focus on pleasing the Creator by doing your best to take care of His Creation. You may get ridiculed, you may be shunned, but what hero have you known that was always accepted by his/her people? You will never be accepted by everyone. There are too many varieties of people for that to be possible. Instead, spread happiness and search for the good in people. And even if you don’t get noticed or credited, know in your heart that you’re a hero.

I think that sometimes, we get so involved in thinking about what we want to do and how we’ll do it, that we get distracted and end up not doing anything. At times like that, it’s time to stop thinking and just DO! Everything else usually falls into place after that, and if it doesn’t, it’s okay because that just means it’s not meant for you right now.

One of the things that makes humans different from animals is that we are given the sense and ability of judgment to make sound decisions. We have instincts and desires just as animals do, but we have the ability to use sense, knowledge, and wisdom to discipline ourselves, while animals, for the most part, don’t. Sadly, however, we are a creation that is ungrateful and ignorant. We have been given so much, yet we don’t use any of it, and resort back to animalistic ways. Control yourself when facing your desires, be wise and disciplined in how you approach things, and be grateful and thankful to God for giving you so much. Live to the fullest, but maintain wisdom, intelligence, and discipline.

You, me, him, her…we all have our vices. Whether we accept it or not, they exist. Sure, it could be to varying degrees and different for each person, but truth be told, they are there. That said, it’s important for us to work towards fighting them in order to become stronger and better as individuals. We cannot allow our vices to take control of our lives. Many of us fall and indulge into our vices and use the excuse, “Oh, it’s natural/normal/human/etc,” but the truth of the matter is, as right as you are, you cannot forget that it is also natural, normal, and human to discipline yourself to fight these vices. We have been blessed with good judgment and sense, so don’t let your laziness or lack of results hold you back from striving for change. It’s easier said than done, but it’s not impossible, otherwise God wouldn’t have challenged you with it. Never give up, because there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, even if the tunnel seems endless.

nadirkeval:

There are a few things that I use in my every day speech and thought in order to keep myself grounded, driven, and focused. I felt that sharing this on my blog would be a great way to make it more real, and maybe to spark the same drive in others. I’m also often asked what keeps me so driven and ambitious despite facing so many obstacles, responsibilities, and struggles. I haven’t always realized that these were key parts of what kept me going, but upon recognizing them, putting them into words, and engraving them into my mind, I’ve become far more focused in implementing them and reaching my goals. So, here they are: “To Spark My Drive” - Nadir Keval

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Prayers for Kiki and Swades.

The Plus One Initiative - Where Taking Care of the Yateem is a Huge Part of Our Deen

Avoid living with expectations. Don’t expect your friends to be there for you. Don’t expect your family to love you unconditionally. Don’t expect to be successful. Don’t expect to be healthy. Don’t expect to reach Heaven. Instead, work hard at being that person that is always there for his/her friends. Work hard at loving your family, whether they love you back or not. Work hard at becoming successful through seeking your happiness. Work hard and make sacrifices to take care of your body, mind, and soul. Work hard and do whatever it grow into a better person and believer, in order to reach Heaven. Hold yourself accountable for being the best you can be. You have control over yourself, not others. Be your best, treat others the best you can, and be happy with knowing that the good you project into the world will one day come back to you. Just be patient.

Salam

Islam 101- Amal Ahmed Albaz

nadirkeval:

I was asked this question a few days ago, and thought it would be best to share as a post of its own because of the importance and relevance it has to the Muslim community, and people overall in today’s world:

“Assalamu ‘Alaikum Akhi! i was wondering if you have any advice on how to cope with depression and anxiety from a religious stand point. As i have found it quite difficult to discuss it with family due to the stigma in my culture. may Allah reward you for everything you have accomplished and may He make your future goals possible with his grace ameen.”

Read my response, and please share it with others, so that it may be helpful to as many people as possible, insha Allah.
http://www.nadirkeval.com/2013/06/14/question-how-to-cope-with-depression-and-anxiety-from-a-religious-standpoint/

For more posts like this, follow me on Tumblr (nadirkeval.tumblr.com), Twitter (@nadirkeval), Instagram (nadirkeval) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/nadirkeval), and like my page on Facebook (facebook.com/nadirkeval), or send me a shout at mail@nadirkeval.com!

Every fighter has a strategy until he gets punched in the face. Only then is his true skill and determination challenged and brought to light. We are all fighters in this thing called life, and EVERYONE gets hit eventually. Will you be ready?

As Muslims, we call each other brothers and sisters in Islam, meaning we consider each other to be family. Now, consider how dysfunctional it would be for a family to go around speaking about each other in a negative and defaming way. You’d be pretty quick to realize that the family would need to seek some counsel and follow a set way of conduct with each other in order to function better and to be happier, right? Well, we as Muslims are a family, and so, instead of constantly attacking each other (physically and verbally), let’s work on functioning better and helping each other towards achieving happiness by reading and following our books of conduct, the Quran and Sunnah. We may not all follow things to the letter right away, but instead of insulting and discouraging each other like we already do, let’s be a smart family by taking care of and supporting each other. Insha Allah, slowly but surely, we’ll find ourselves being at peace, as individuals and as a whole.

Every person is created like a mosaic, a puzzle of sorts. If you judge a puzzle by just one of its pieces, you’re most likely to not fully know the full picture or truly understand it as a whole. Judging a puzzle’s full picture based on one piece will make you feel dumb, and yet, it will incline you towards discovering more pieces to see the whole picture the puzzle represents. If you can do that for a puzzle, why can’t you do the same for a person?

Everyone is different, and as long as they’re alive, everyone is capable of change, for the better or worse. Get to know people for who they are and accept them as they are. If you disagree with something someone does or believes in, respectfully present your opinion (only if they ask for it, or if it will bring them guaranteed harm), and then let them be. It’s not our place to judge others and put one another down. It is our place to help others, work on our own selves, and to care for each other by supporting each other.