Allah Owns Everything

Dear Diary,

Our children are only ever lent to us.

We never know just how long we will be able to keep them for.

So kiss them, cuddle them, praise them and hold them tightly.

But most of all... tell them you LOVE them EVERYDAY.

Quoted from Islam For Kids' Facebook

You're Not A Failure

Dear Diary,

To the Mom who feels like she is a failure,

YOU'RE NOT

I know you've heard it before. You've read the articles, blog posts, tweets and Facebook statuses... You know you're not supposed to compare yourself to other moms.You know you are supposed to cut out the negative self-talk.

But today...it just got to be too much.

Today, you heard that voice in the back of your head that said, "I'm a failure." Maybe you went to a friend's house and saw that it was spotless. Or maybe you saw your other friend really making an impact in others' lives and wondered what stops you from doing big things. Or maybe you just looked around your home and couldn't find a space to sit and think.

And it all just became overwhelming.

The grease spot on the kitchen wall. The dirty cup under the table. The toys, scraps of paper and lonely socks without a match.

I've been there.

I know sometimes you manage to talk yourself out of the slump. Some days you give yourself grace. You remind yourself that that friend has a messy home too sometimes. That the other friend doing "big things" is in a different place in her life right now than you. And that the dirty kitchen isn't such a big deal; you can take care of it tomorrow.

But today...it hurts a little more than usual.

Today, you need a little bit more convincing. Today, you need someone to remind you that it's ok that you don't have a live in maid like that sister, or a husband or mother to watch your kids like that other sister...And you're not supposed to. You don't have to live up to their reality. You are living YOUR life and You Are Not A Failure.

You are not your greasy walls, your misplaced cups or your lost laundry. You are not the "dinner-gone-wrong-let's-order-kabsa" days. You are not defined by your low times. You can dust off your pants and get back up again.

You can do this.

I know you can. And Allah knows you can. You just need to know you can.

I want you to do something for yourself. I'm sure if I told you to write down all of the things you didn't do/don't have/need to do to be like sister so-and-so, that you could you fill a page pretty quickly.

But that's not what I want you to do.

I want you to write a list of all the things you DID do. All of the things you are for your children. All of the times you did great.

It may take a while, but that's okay. There's no time limit. Write down some and come back to it if you have to.

And remember -

1. Don't compare yourself to your other mom-friends

2. Stop the negative self-talk

3. Insya Allah, you can try again tomorrow

4. You are not alone

Author: Andrea Umm Abdullah

Source: Islam For Kids' Facebook

Waktu-waktu Mustajab Doa

Dear Diary

WAKTU-WAKTU MUSTAJAB DOA

Satu pertiga malam

Sewaktu hujan turun

Waktu di antara dua khutbah khatib pada solat Jumaat

Sewaktu membacakan syahadah akhir setiap kali waktu solat

Tempoh masa dari azan hingga iqamat, dan juga sewaktu bilal telah iqamat untuk solat, dan sewaktu masuk ke dalam saf

Setiap sujud di dalam setiap waktu solat

Waktu dhuha

Source: Islam Cahaya Hidupku's Facebook

To Love and To Be Loved

Dear Diary,

A very poor man lived with his wife.

One day, his wife, who had very long hair asked him to buy her a comb for her hair to grow well and to be well-groomed.

The man felt very sorry and said no. He explained that he did not even have enough money to fix the strap of his watch that had just broken.

She did not insist on her request.

The man went to work and passed by a watch shop, sold his damaged watch at a low price and went to buy a comb for his wife.

He came home in the evening with the comb in his hand ready to give to his wife.

He was surprised when he saw his wife with a very short haircut.

She had sold her hair and was holding a new watch band.

Tears flowed simultaneously from their eyes, not for the futility of their actions, but for the reciprocity of their love.

To love is nothing, to be loved is something but to love and to be loved by the one you love, that is EVERYTHING. Never take love for granted.

Taken from LiteFM's Facebook

Smile

Dear Diary,

Smiles are contagious. Be a carrier

Let a smile be your umbrella on a rainy day

Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles

A smile is a powerful weapon. You can even break ice with it.

A smile is like looking in a mirror.

If you give a smile you're likely to get one back

Smile if it kills you. The physiology of smiling diffuses a lot of anger and angst. It makes your body and soul feel better.

Be your own florist: wreathe your face in smiles

You are not fully dressed until you wear a smile.

He who smiles rather than rages is always the stronger

It's easy enough to be pleasant when everything goes like a song, but the man who is worthwhile, is the man who can smile when everything goes dead wrong

Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been

A smile of encouragement at the right moment may act like sunlight on a closed-up flower; it may be the turning point for a struggling life.

Be multilingual; smiles are the universal language

A smile enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give

So many languages in the world and a smile speaks them all

All the statistics in the world can't measure the warmth of a smile

A smile is just a frown upside-down

But most of all smile because it is the sunnah of our beloved Nabi S.A.W

Quoted from Islam for Kids' Facebook

Motherhood

Dear Diary,

Motherhood is a choice you make every day

To put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own

To teach the hard lessons

To do the right thing even when you're not sure what the right thing is

...And to forgive yourself over and over again

For doing everything wrong

~~ Donna Ball ~~

Quoted from Being Mommy's Facebook