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Jan. 2nd, 2006 @ 11:13 pm (no subject)
My uncle is currently in med school in the caribbean, he was off for about 2 weeks and actually left today to start up his third trimester. It was really great having him around for that time, i saw him almost every day and we hung out whenever I was free, we watched a bunch of movies together, met up with old friends and even ate a bunch of places. However I was really sad when i had to say goodbye to him yesterday. But insha Allah he'll be coming back in about 4 months and I'm sure I would have forgotten about him prolly by the end of this week, human nature after all.

One thing did hit me, as i was telling someone that he'd be returning in April, i thought to myself: 'hmm i wonder how much different i'll be in 4 months'. I mean think about it: ANYTHING can happen. Only God really knows. On that subject I really have to say about how amazed i really am with life in general. It really is crazy the events that we go through and how, in retrospect, everything seems to make sense and you see Divine wisdom in all the past events and as you wonder as to what God has in store for you in the next 4,5,20 months you can't help but say subhan Allah!

hmm what else? well we're now in the days of Dhul Hijjah. Scholars have noted that these are the most ten blessed days of the year! Can you belive that at this very moment THOUSANDS of people are arriving in Mecca and Medina EVERYDAY. subhan Allah! Think about it! I wonder how these people feel, i mean think about this example: you know how you wouldn't invite just anyone into your house? Even if you're part of an MSA andyou knwo like TONS of brothers and sisters, ther are just a few that you'd invite into your private sphere. The same, i belive, happens with the Hajj. There are billions of people on this earth, of them God has chosen a few million to come to His House, to walk those blessed streets, to make sajdah on that blessed ground, and to feel the blessed cool night breeze, to know that you are fulfilling one of the commandments that your Creator has given. To know that you are spending a week out of your life in submission to His obediance. This truly is remarkable. I hope that God, Almighty, accepts the 'ibadat and prayers of all the Hajjis and that He include us next year. =)

Hmm Insha Allah i'm going to try to be more frequent with my postings, insha Allah it'll improve my writing skills
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BlackHeart
Nov. 28th, 2005 @ 09:48 pm ma vie
Life .....

Wow livejournal, haven't written in ages, just like a good friend you're right there, a button click away on my links toolbar, ready to have me write another nonsensical entry filled with poor grammar. Hmmm so let's see what's goin on with me, what do i wanna get off of my chest/mind?

I think the theme of this entry is going to be about how hard it really is to be a good muslim, hmmm wait, is that the right term to use? what makes a 'good muslim'? What makes you a muslim? the shahada right? just the uttering of those blessed words? Yeah, i guess. so i guess it's correct in saying that it's tough being a 'good' muslim, right? yeah well, it's really tough ....

O God, I miss Ramadhan so much, i really do.... I mean you know how if someone close to you like a close relative or even one of your parents or best friend goes off to some other state or country and you just MISS them? that's how i'm feeling towards Ramadhan. You really dont see something's (or SOMEONE's) worth until it's gone. Subhan Allah! I mean thinking back to how easy things were in ramadhan really makes me see why it is so honored and why its station is so high with respect to all the other months.

But you dont realize it unless you actually sit down and reflect, we all just BUSY ourselves ALLLLLL THE TIME!! I mean I wake up late, barely enough time for a shower, throw on some clothes, get to the train station about a minute before the train does, cross the tracks before those bells start ringing and the long bar comes down, get some "shut eye" on the 50 minute train ride, then hurriedly jump out of the car along with about 100 other people and then make my way to the subway with about a thousand other people, walking fast, almost running, past people who are lost or just generally slow, go up another flight of stairs, wait impatiently for the train, get angry if i'm waiting for more than just a minute, get out of the train when my stop comes out with about 30 other commuters from your car and neighboring cars heading for one narrow flight of stairs, get outside, get on line for breakfast, get to work, busy yourself there, take this call, answer this email, arrange this meeting, go out with people for lunch, come back, get your work done, think about what you should do to fill up the remaining moments of the day before heading back into the subway and then train to finally get home, rest a little and then distract yourself and waste your time by going online oh until about or after midnight and then repeat. whew! I'm tired just writing all of that, now the problem is that half of the things or prolly more or just things i put on myself to give me temporal satisfaction, it's all part of the modern world: we all want things fast, theres fast food, thers remote controls, theres express pay, speed pass, EZPass, delivery, online stores, music "on demand": INSTANT GRATIFICATION. it's all just distractions.

BUt sometimes by the Mercy and Grace of God Almighty we're hit with Reality, it all then suddenly catches up with me, the lack of qur'an reading, the missed salats, how i treat my parents and other close friends, WHAT AM I REALLY DOING WITH MY LIFE! Ahhh i'm not living it the way i shoudl be, i'mnot in control, He is, why am I not acknowledging that fact? Why do i keep forgetting Him and where I'm eventually going? These moments of clarity are rare so if you ever catch one then grab hold of them and try not to let go. I feel so weak and helpless and so I let go, let go of all these distractions, i let go and I just submit, submit and plead, ask for forgiveness and for clarity. Clarity comes with tears, tears help to wash away all the blackness you've accrued on your heart. Clarity comes from this cleansed heart, Peace comes from this cleansed heart.

I guess I'm faced with one of these moments right now. Everything is just catching up to me. I pray for tears and for clarity.
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BlackHeart
Nov. 8th, 2005 @ 12:51 am (no subject)
WHAT A JUXTAPOSITION!!!!!!!!!

LIFE'S SO CRAZY ..... sooooo WEIRD-ness
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BlackHeart
Nov. 5th, 2005 @ 02:27 am (no subject)
aSalamu 'alaikoom to all!

AYAWMI-SHAREEF, 'EID MUBARAK TO ALL!!!

i haven't updated this thing at all, insha ALlah i will update soon, here are some upcoming topics in order so that i dont forget and also for keep all of you in suspense:

Unique 'eid experience
Me n Ramadhan
MSA IFtar Crashing/HOpping/Tour
Admonitions/Reminders for you n myself
Life after graduation
Misc

daaaaamn theres more, i've totally forgot them! Insha ALlah it'll come to me and i'll soon start writing!
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BlackHeart
Nov. 2nd, 2005 @ 04:18 pm (no subject)
only an hour left before this beautiful guest of mine leaves
leaving me sad and feeling bereaved
I hope God all High accepts my good deeds
overlooks the shortcomings and erased the sins
of I and my kin
may the lessons not be forgotton
and the pratices strong and consistent
may we keep reading the Book He sent
worship God and God alone as we were meant
may we grow in love of His Messenger, peace be upon him
who brought LIGHT into our lives which were before quite dim
Ameen.
About this Entry
BlackHeart
Oct. 2nd, 2005 @ 05:49 pm (no subject)
Non-NY'ers ..... Dont hate *ahem* YUMZ

If you meet any TEN of this criteria, then YOU, my friend, are a REAL New Yorker. Out of Towners and Up State people need not apply.

1. You remember when MTA fare was $1.25
2. You have an attitude
3. Geography beyond Brooklyn is a mystery to you
4. You were a part of the NYC public school system at some time in your life
5. Anyone who has an accent and lives outside of NYC sounds 'country'.
6. You lock your doors and windows
7. There's a Chinese/Jamaican/Spanish/Pizza restaurant within a five mile radius of your house/apt.
8. You hate the Knicks, but love the Yankees.
9. If you agree with this statement: "God have mercy on the person that looks at you funny on the street"
10. You're used to police sirens and ambulances at night.
11. You shop regularly at a bodega aka corner store
12. Any movie you've seen about NYC (or filmed in NYC) you've recognized the location
13. The only thing you like about Jersey is the sales tax.
14. You've seen a fair share of crackheads
15. Your lungs are used to the pollution and you don't mind the water
16. You own any of the following: A Northface, a pair of tims or a pair of Jordans
17. You know (and love) Jimmy's
18. You only trust Dominicans with your hair regime (hell yea!)
19. Your idea of the mall is Fordham Road, Fulton Street, Jamaica Ave, 125th or 8th Street
20. You don't have a driver's license
21. You remember when Dr. Dre and Ed Lova was on Hot 97
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BlackHeart
Sep. 20th, 2005 @ 01:10 am ummm yeah .....
brother: wtf

Auto response from haroonjooce: people i <3
family
misbah
salman
nazim
mohsin
mujeeb
and ....
you know who you are ;-)

brother: u didnt include me??
brother: forget it man
brother: forget it
brother: :-\
brother: 4 years
brother: down the drain
haroonjooce: seriously brother
brother: :-(
haroonjooce: you are a LOSER
haroonjooce: i only put those names on cuz they're online
brother: how come u didnt inclide me?
haroonjooce: or will be
brother: salman is online???
haroonjooce: i didn't see you online
brother: mujeeb is online??
haroonjooce: u do know there is a difference between love and <3 right?
brother: whatever man i love u more than any of those other guys
haroonjooce: LoL relax man
brother: do any of them always make dua for me?
brother: for u*
brother: do any of them always make dua for u*?
brother: whatever
brother: go <3 them
brother: forget me
brother: wasalaam
brother: good night
haroonjooce: dude you know all this is goin in my lj right?

Auto response from brother: nobody <3's me :-(

brother: yo man
brother: what we do
brother: is between me and u
haroonjooce: what is this? a ja rule song?
brother: lol
brother: im really laughing
brother: im going to sleep
brother: jerk
haroonjooce: damn
brother: u dont <3 me
brother is away at 1:09:08 AM.
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BlackHeart
Sep. 19th, 2005 @ 01:09 am The middle of Shaban

The Night of the Middle of Shaban


It is related by Ali ibn Abi Talib (Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, "On the night of the middle of Shaban, stand its night in worship, and fast its day, for verily in it Allah (Mighty and Majestic) descends with the setting of the sun unto the sky, saying: 'Is there not a seeker of My forgiveness that I may forgive him, is there not a seeker of My providence that I may provide for him,’ until day breaks." [Abd al-Razzaq & Ibn Majah 1388]

The middle of Shaban is TONITE!!

x- listed to a bunch of communities =)
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BlackHeart
Sep. 4th, 2005 @ 02:39 am (no subject)
i had thought that my last post would be the last i talk about kanye west, but he just proves to keep amazing me, here you go, watch this video

George Bush Hates Black People =)
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BlackHeart
Aug. 29th, 2005 @ 10:55 pm (no subject)
just discovered Kanye West ... pretty good i think, though these lyrics are from his song 'Jesus Walks' they're still very meaningful and very appealing to me *especially* the last line

God show me the way because the Devil's tryna to break me down
The only thing that I pray is that my feet don't fail me now
And I don't think there is nothing I can do now to right my wrongs
I wanna talk to God but I'm afraid because we ain't spoke in so long
About this Entry
BlackHeart
Aug. 12th, 2005 @ 02:46 am update
aSalamu 'alaikoom

subhan Allah! I had written a crazy long post and then stupidly the AC for my laptop went out. I still feel somewhat content, like it felt good writing it not, it didnt' really matter that no one read them. i guess those words were not meant to be read by the world

I guess i wont write out what is now gone but instead will continue to the next topic i would have...

Of the people who come into your life and stay.
so alhamdulillah my undergrad career at stony is over. During the past four years i've come to know pretty much all the brothers in stony brook and they all pretty much know me. So as i sit and reflect about the tons of brothers who've i've seen graduate as well as the tons who have seen me graduate, i think about the people who actually come into your life and stay. I'm talking about the best friends and family.

Growing up, my twin uncles (who were actually no more than 2 years older than me) had been pretty much my best friends. They were really cool and very understanding at every point in my life. When i was caught up in the world of video games and comics, they were right next to me buying the games and talking about the comics. They helped me get on track with computers, which is basically my career now, and recently when i was getting into the deen they too supported me and helped me out greatly. We would go to jummu'ahs in the city together, help out at msa events, go attend classes in Westchester, drive to jersey for a conference and even go to virginia for one as well. These guys also went to stony brook with me and were there for quite some years. Everyone got to know them very well, however when they were graduating, i noticed that most of these guys wouldn't see the twins again, but I on the other hand was fortunate enough to actually be related to them, and also live about 4 minutes away from them as well. I also thought about all the brothers who i know and i couldn't pick out anyone else other than these two guys to know and be with until the end of my life. Subhan Allah it's amazing the way Allah, 'subhanna wa ta 'alla, sets up your life and brings in the right people into your life, therby blessing it and making your stay on this desolate earth enjoyable.

Other than these guys, there are a lot of awesome brothers whom i've gotten the chance to become closer with and alhamdulillah i'm glad these guys are still in my life and insha Allah will continue to be.

alright thats about it, just to sum up the stuff that was deleted, i got ths job in jersey where i gotta pretty much wake up at around 5 am in order to get there on time. though some ppl might not like this, i am very happy, this restricted schedule will discipline me and also force me to sleep early and to arise early, insha Allah ta 'alla. Also the long commute will give me the opportunity to read some books, insha Allah.

alright thats about it, jummu'ah mubarak to all. Go read surah kahf, number 18, insha Allah ta 'alla
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BlackHeart
Jul. 26th, 2005 @ 06:19 pm (no subject)

Quotes taken from this week's Time:

 

"President Bush announced that he has nominated Judge John Roberts to the court.  When asked why, Bush said he picked Roberts because he was one of the finest legal minds since Matlock" - Conan O'Brien

 

"President Bush said the job of the Supreme Court is extremely important, because as you know these are the people who choose the President of the United States" - Jay Leno

 

=D

 

About this Entry
BlackHeart
Jul. 19th, 2005 @ 11:01 pm Rihla to the City of the Messenger of Allah, 'azza wa jal
aSalamu 'alaikoom to all

I'm not sure how many of you have heard about this program called 'deen intensives'. Basically they are programs that last anywhere from a weekend to a month where traditional islamic scholars give out some sort of specific lesson(s) and they are also available to you throughout the weekend/week/month. One of the longer ones is the annual Rihla. Usually this deen intensive takes place in Dar al Islam, a place enclosed off in New Mexico. Beautiful scholars such as Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Shaykh Habib al Jifri, and even Shaykh Mohammad al Yaqoubi teach at these deen intensives.

This year there was a special Rihla, this one is takin place in no other than the city of our Prophet, sal Allahu 'alayhi waSalam: Madina the Luminous. Hundreds have applied and i believe only about 150 were accepted. However alhamdulillah one (or some?) attendees have started up a blog, here is the site:
http://q-rihla.blogspot.com/

check it out insha Allah

Also if you want more information on Deen Intensives, check out
http://www.deen-intensive.com/

waSalamu 'alaikoom
x-posted to a bunch of communities
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BlackHeart
Jul. 9th, 2005 @ 01:26 pm (no subject)
Asalamu 'alaikoom to all

Here's an update:

Theres this new site up:
www.sunnitorrents.com
It's a site that provides a medium for users to share islamic multimedia files, including videos of Salatul Taraweeh from Mecca, Quranic Recitation mp3s, and even audio from shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad. Check it out, it uses bit torrent medium which means you download the file from the people who have it and at teh same time give out whatever portion of the file that you downloaded so far, so in theory the more ppl who know about it, the faster and efficient the sharing!

I think many of you know who shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson is, he is one of my favorite contemporary muslims scholars for many reasons. Well he has two new free to download audio on www.zaytuna.org, here is their multimedia page:
http://www.zaytuna.org/multimedia.asp
definetely check them out insha Allah.

As many of you may know London was attacked a couple of days ago, I would suggest that we just pray for all those affected as well as pray for their families.
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BlackHeart
Jul. 1st, 2005 @ 11:25 pm aight
aight, aSalamu 'alaikoom to allz

insha Allah i will be officially done w/ my undergraduate career in about one week! insha Allah everyone PLEASSSSSSSSE make du'a (nonmuslims: put out a prayer) that everything for me finally gets finisssssssssssssshed!!!! I mean dont' get me wrong, i am deeply in love with stony brook, but my time there is done.

aight so anyway i've been taking it pretty easy these past couple of weeks anyway, actually i've been taking it easy for the past four years, lol, damn i'm such a horrible student...

So i've been watching quite a number of movies lately so i just wanted to make some remarks about a couple .... WARNING THERE WILL BE SPOILERS SO IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED ONE OF THESE MOVIES, DONT READ THIS POST OR THAT PARTICULAR SECTION!!!!!!! )

aiiiiiiiiiiiiight
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BlackHeart
Jun. 17th, 2005 @ 11:07 pm update en ma vie
It's been pretty long since i've actually posted something of substance, pretty strange this whole LJ thing. I've had for less than a year, at times i'll go close to a month w/o updating and other times i'll update like 4 times a week .... pretty strange. I guess I'm some what self-conscious of who my audience is, i think sometimes i'm kinda worried of the content of my posts and the intentions behind them, but oh wells, here we go....

I've been pretty down for the past couple of months, i mean really down. I'm not quite sure what the main cause of it all was but it was affecting my entire life including my deen, but alhamdulillah i've been somewhat improving over these past few weeks, especially in the past few days, i just hope I can continue to improve.

I just got back from 'isha jammat. I prayed next to a really old guy. He has grandkids, so i'm guessing he's over 60 or 70. As he was going into sujjud, i remembered somewhere reading about how Merciful God is to old people, especially those who are pious and have been throughout their lives. I also noticed the simplicity of his dress, his long beard and his quiet manners. And i thought, wow, God definetely gave this man some sort of blessed station. Here he is in his old age, leading a very simple life, following the best he can of the Sunnah and engaging in the worship of his Creator to whom he'll soon be returning, and i coudln't help but think just that, that he will return to God very soon, that he soon will pass away from this dunya and be faced with the Reality from which he came from. And i then couldn't help but think that I too will be facing this same passage and there is no guarantee that the old man will go through his before I go through mine. Think about it, i'm pretty much nearing the apex of my life, but still i can be returned back to God at any moment. As can anyone. So many of my friends and fellow graduates are making so many elaborate plans, getting ready for med school, looking for jobs, interviewing, going off to other lands and states, but nothing guarantees that they'll make it there. I mean don't get me wrong, i'm not being nihilistic and i fully support each and every one of their plans but i'm just amazed at the ultimate power and the final word that God has.

hmmm glad to have gotten that off my chest and out of my head. I still got tons of work to do. GOt two projects to do and three summer courses to be done. insha Allah they will all pass, all of this will eventually......

well, aSalamu 'alaikoom
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BlackHeart
Jun. 7th, 2005 @ 11:28 pm (no subject)
a lot has happened over the past few weeks, but i'm not comfortable w/ lj that much anymore, but anyway one thing i guess i can share, and something that's really big is that ....


I miss Masoooooooooooooooood =**(
(ihsan4life)
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BlackHeart
May. 20th, 2005 @ 01:05 am (no subject)
damn

its over

subhan Allah
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BlackHeart
May. 18th, 2005 @ 01:10 am This too shall end
Current Level of Iman: alhamdulillah, i'm aiiight
Current Book(s): booooooooooook none =(
A lil more than 12 hours until my last final and it's actually starting to hit me: I'll be graduating, i'll finally be leaving Stony Brook Univ. So how exactly am i feeling? excited? sad? apathetic? I really don't know. I'm just feeling whatever, i guess i'm trying not to think about it.

One emotion that i'm definetely feeling is regret. Regret of being an average student, regret of having only a handful of As, regret of giving priority to hanging out these past four years over studying, regret of not being more adamant in my search for a job. I know having regret usually isn't very productive (unless one actually learns from the regret and works not to feel it), but i just can't help it. The only thing that gives me comfort is that somehow i know that this was meant for me and i trust in God that something better is at hand. My grades, my jobless state, this regretful point in my life, all of it is all because of my self and the poor choices i've made, but i have faith in God that He has better things in store for me, though they may not be apparent or even come in this life.

One thing i have noticed is that this recent apathetic state has also affected my deen, and i am really going back to just pleasing my nafs. I've been growing more and more distant from God and it is I who is walking away from Him and though He will always turn up right on my path, it will be I who turns around yet again. I honestly cannot wait for the semester to end and for me to graduate. I need to get out of this environment which has made me so spiritually lax. I can't wait to get back home and spend my late nights the way i used to. I want to start reading Qur'an again, i want to start memorized Qur'an again, i want to start reading up on the tons of books i have and the tons of books that interest me.

Well back to the issue of finals .... you know over the years i've come to realize one thing, that is that all things pass, everything. There is no better time that one realizes this other than during finals. Cuz literally people are so STRESSED over finals, it's nuts. People will stay up all night for days on end to study and study and study, but then right there during the 2.5 hours they have for the final, they don't remember any of that time spent, even if they totally bomb the final they feel relieved because it's over, it's finally over, it's quite amazing, cuz literally people are surprised that they're still alive sometimes. FInals totally consume one's life and stress ppl to the point that they think they're gonna die. And no kidding, some ppl just can't stand that one moment of apprehension and commit suicide (there are numerous cases of college students committing suicide), pretty sad. I've come to realize that 'hey no matter what happens i'm still alive after that test' and i guess it's helped me prepare for the finals that have came around this year. For instace the engineering test i had today, i studied for it for less than 2 hours cuz this brother who knew the material basically taught it all to me. I wasn't stressed for that test at all. and right now i'm going to just spend the next 6 - 8 hours (not counting the 2-3 hour nap) to study for this chem test.

Disclaimer: If you are still an undergrad, do NOT follow my methods =] Study your butt off for your finals
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BlackHeart
May. 15th, 2005 @ 01:57 am (no subject)

Tarique Jawed is the man!!

 

=]

http://www.fzux.net/tjawed/photos/Galleries/sixflags/slides/DSCN3229.html

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BlackHeart