Letter to my Dear Sisters in Islam

Reflect... When you tell your child to clean their room, and instead they go and rake the leaves, you will still be upset that they didn't do what you told them to do. 

That is what we are doing when we don't pray - we are doing lots of good things but not the main good things that Allah requires us to do. It's not enough to say I am a good person and I help others. It is not enough to say I believe in Allah in my heart.

Did you know that even Iblis, the devil, believes in Allah? He even made du'a to Allah to allow him to live until the end of this world and Allah granted his du'a. He did not bow down, and is working hard so you don't bow down, and so he will not be entering Jannah.

That is why in the Qur'an Allah always puts the two words 'belief' and 'action' together 'Inna latheena amaanu wa 'amilu saalihaat - Those who believe AND do the righteous deeds'. If we truly believe, we should externally show too it by doing the things that Allah asked us to do: worship Allah alone, pray 5 times a day, fast in Ramadan, give charity to the poor, and make Hajj once if we are able. These are the main pillars of our religion and the way we do them are what differentiate us from other religions.

It's not that hard, but it requires us to lower ourselves in front of Allah and acknowledge that He is greater than us. That our strength is only through Him and that we need Him. All it takes is for us to ask Allah for help and He will guide us- by sending us knowledge and angels and people to help us.

Don't wait for a sign - the signs of Allah are all around us. Just look at all His creations, in everything in this world, or at our own bodies. Just imagine for one minute trying to create the sun, or a bird, or even an ant. These things can only be from a divine origin.

Don't say next month or next year, because no one knows when they will get sick or die. Don't say when I go to Hajj, because by then most of our life has passed by and by then it will be so hard to change. We would have lost so many years of your life when we could have done so much. We could have helped our children, our family, and our friends.

Even if we don't think we need to pray, we should still pray, because we don't want to regret it later in a day when we can't get a second chance. Allah is waiting for us, just like our mom is waiting for us to clean our room. And no matter how many times we haven't cleaned our room, our mom will still forgive us and still be waiting for us to do it. Because we are her children and she loves us. Allah loves all His creations too. Our moms will still take care of us even if we don't clean our rooms. Allah will always take care of us too. But now it's time for us to take care of our souls and taste the sweetness of believing in Him and fulfilling our obligations to Him. This is the true happiness of life.

Don't say I want to enjoy my life - what is the use of any enjoyment in this life when it is coupled with difficulty and frustration. Every happy moment in this life is the result of effort and hardship. In this world, there is evil, there is hatred, there is injustice, difficulties, trials, and gossip... this is not the world I want to enjoy.

Let us work instead toward enjoying our next life. In Jannah there is no injustice, tyranny, killing, or gossip. Everyone is pure, young, beautiful and kind. No work, no bills to pay, no kids to take care of. Every food you can imagine, servants at your feet, with beautiful mansions built above rivers of milk, honey, and wine. 

And if you're wondering why Allah asked us to pray 5 times a day - it's the same reason you tell your child to clean their room. Try it and see the benefit of starting your day with a clean heart, having a chance to make du'a to Allah that you otherwise would forget to do, reminders throughout the day to 'stop and smell the roses', and ending your day with a clean heart.

So that Allah will tell our soul - "O soul, in complete rest and satisfaction! Return to your Lord, well-pleased and content, enter among My righteous servants, and enter My Paradise." (Surat Al-Fajr, 89:27-30)

<3 Your Sister in Islam <3