Note: When To Have Shyness

💐 In The Name Of Allah The Most Gracious The Most Merciful
💌 The kind of shyness which is praiseworthy or commendable in Islam is not the type of timidity where a shy person is generally afraid of approaching people, but it is to have enough self-respect to avoid revealing TMI (too much information), behaving indecently and disclosing secrets that could lead to trouble. A lot of introverted individuals may hesitate to approach strangers for casual conversations yet ironically when they're around close friends they become very chatty, able to spend long periods rambling, joking and obnoxiously gossiping about other people.
Being too bashful to open up to those whom you're not familiar with yet you're not ashamed at all to backbite in front of Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala is not an admirable quality.
Extreme shyness can be dangerously debilitating if:
1] It causes you to fear human beings more than our Creator Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala, worrying more about people's opinions of you rather than being concerned with how Allah the Almighty sees you 24/7.
2] It prevents you from learning more about Islam, not having the courage to ask questions to remove doubts or find solutions, or being too fearful of befriending those who appear more pious due to wrongly assuming they'll judge you or label you as not good enough.
3] It stops you from obeying Allah's Commands, such as wearing the proper hijaab if you're an adult female or taking breaks at work to pray in a corner if you're employed in a workplace where most of the employees are non-Muslims.
Describing yourself as an introvert, whose energy levels decrease when exposed to excessive socializing so you require seclusion at times, shouldn't keep you from being the best version of yourself and the kind of Muslim whom Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala wants you to be.
If you're attending an Islamic lecture where the speakers are welcoming questions and you yourself have something that urgently needs to be clarified, don't hesitate to bring forth your queries and concerns even if they are presented in written form. If you're in a class or group where an important discussion is taking place, and somebody asks a question which you know how to correctly answer, do not withhold yourself from speaking up as your immediate response may be helpful to many of those who eagerly seek the truth. Also if you happen to be in a crowded area where you notice injustice occurring, a Muslim of the same gender requiring assistance while nobody else seems to bother about them, or another human being bullied or unfairly mistreated, sincerely attempt to do what you can to ease their situation. Have the guts to walk up to them, check if they're okay and inquire if they need anything.
The more you practice being assertive, unafraid of conflict and criticism, the more your level of self-confidence increases, while ensuring your confidence doesn't lead to being arrogant. When you're confident, you are capable of bravely making the first move to ask in order to learn and discover, you can readily express your needs without missing out on opportunities to thrive and improve, and you can obey Allah's Orders without being worried about how His servants perceive you.
~*~
📖 Safiyyah Bint Shaybah RadhiAllahu 'anha narrated: Aisha RadhiAllahu 'anha said, "How excellent are the women of the Ansaar! They do not allow shyness to prevent them from understanding the religion."
In another narration, Aisha RadhiAllahu 'anha said, "They do not allow shyness to prevent them from asking questions about the religion and seeking to understand it."
Source: Sahih Muslim 332
Grade: Sahih (Authentic) according to Muslim
📖 Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri RadhiAllahu 'anhu narrated: Allah's noble Messenger Muhammad SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam said, "Let not fear of the people prevent one of you from saying the truth, if he knows it."
Source: Musnad Ahmed 11459
Grade: Sahih (Authentic) according to Ibn Hajar
📖 Ibn 'Umar RadhiAllahu 'anhuma narrated: 'We were with the Prophet SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam and fresh dates of a palm tree were brought to him. On that he SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam said, "Amongst the trees, there is a tree which resembles a Muslim." I wanted to say that it was the date palm tree but as I was the youngest of all (of them) I kept quiet. And then the Prophet SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam said, "It is the date palm tree."
Sahih al-Bukhari 72
Book 3, Hadith 14
USC-MSA web (English) reference: Vol. 1, Book 3, Hadith 72
📖 Abu Huraira RadhiAllahu 'anhu narrated: Allah's noble Messenger Muhammad SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam said, "Faith has sixty to seventy branches, the best of which is to declare there is no God but Allah, the least of which is to remove something harmful from the road, and modesty is a branch of faith."
Source: Sahih Al-Bukhari 9, Sahih Muslim 35
Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi (Authenticity agreed upon) according to Al-Bukhari and Muslim

Note: People Are Tests For One Another

💐 In The Name Of Allah The Most Gracious The Most Merciful
💌 Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala created us as tests for one another. You are one of Allah's tests for me just as I am one of Allah's tests to examine your faith/Imaan, patience and contentment. Some people may test us by unintentionally toying with our emotions. Some people's presence make us slightly jealous of what they have which we lack or they trigger in us inferiority complex issues. Maybe they're a lot taller than us, more good-looking, proficient at communicating in multiple languages, received numerous award certificates to indicate intellectual competence, or they're more fluent in Arabic language and eloquently smooth at public speaking. Others are a fitna in the sense that they made us unwillingly catch intense feelings. We find them uncomfortably attractive, magnetic and intriguing yet this kind of appeal only leads to confusion and emotional disturbance. Every time we see their name or face online and offline our attraction for them merely escalates no matter how hard we try to suppress how we feel about them.
Tests regarding people usually come in the form of either liking them a lot so we're struggling with human attachments and vile temptation, or we seriously despise them that we struggle with avoiding the urge to backbite about them, think of them negatively, or do something awful along the lines of injustice and oppression.
To pass these tests Inn-sha-Allah, we must train ourselves to be patient, accept Allah's Qadr/Destiny with grateful contentment, and strive to stay away from anything that could lead to fitna and acts that are clearly haraam/forbidden.
Even Prophet Yusuf 'alaihis salaam, no matter how decent he was as a human being, was not exempted from the jealous hatred of his half-brothers and the obsessive infatuation of the pharaoh's wife Zulaykha (who later transformed positively when she realized her mistakes). However Alhamdulillah Prophet Yusuf 'alaihis salaam survived by maintaining his noble character and Taqwa.
📖 Abdullah Ibn Amr RadhiAllahu 'anhu narrated: We were gathered around the Messenger of Allah SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam while he mentioned tribulations (fitna/fitan), saying, “If you see that people have disordered their commitments, diminished their trusts, and are as jumbled as this,” and he interlaced his fingers. I stood to come near him and I said, “How should I act if that happens?” The Prophet Muhammad SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam said, "Stay in your house, control your tongue, accept what you know is good, reject what you know is evil, take care of your affairs specifically and abandon the affairs of the common people."
Source: Sunan Abī Dāwūd 4343
Grade: Sahih (Authentic) according to Al-Arna’ut

Note: Make Effort To Pray More Sunnah Prayers

💐 In The Name Of Allah The Most Gracious The Most Merciful
💌 As humans it is impossible to achieve complete perfection with regards to how we appear, behave and fulfill our obligations. At times we may unintentionally delay some obligatory prayers due to fatigue, stress or oversleeping. You may recall that time when you took an afternoon nap after lunch and woke up just before Salat Al-Maghreb, missing out on the rewards of praying Salat Al-'Asr early. You probably felt guilty, ashamed and started questioning if there was something wrong you did which prevented you from waking up to pray earlier with the others. Then your nafs starts suggesting evil thoughts like "you failed. Don't bother praying again. Allah doesn't love you, why pray when you're not close to being perfect for it?" such dangerous mindset must not make you quit serving your Creator Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala. Regardless of how many times you've overslept, or prayed some prayers late due to work or forgetfulness, keep forcing yourself to stand up, strengthen your faith/Imaan instead of letting it decrease, and carry out your duty to worship Allah the Most Forgiving.
Refuse to be slowed down by negative thinking, and do not allow yourself to fail Allah's tests by listening to shaytan's evil whisperings.
Always remember that Allah's Mercy is far greater than your mom's affection for you and that Allah loves those striving believers who constantly return to Him.
To compensate for any loss, shortcomings and lacking regarding your responsibilities to Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala, courageously make effort to pray more Sunnah prayers like Salat Ad-Duha, Tahajjud Qiyaam Al-Layl and the voluntary prayers that are recommended to pray before and after certain obligated prayers.
On Judgment Day Inn-sha-Allah you'll be grateful and relieved that you prayed many Sunnah prayers that compensated for any mistake and delay.
📖 Abu Huraira RadhiAllahu 'anhu narrated: Allah's noble Messenger Muhammad SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam said, "The first action for which a servant of Allah will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayers. If they are in order, he will have prospered and succeeded. If they are lacking, he will have failed and lost. If there is something defective in his obligatory prayers, then Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala will say: 'See if My servant has any voluntary prayers that can complete what is insufficient in his obligatory prayers.' The rest of his deeds will be judged the same way."
Source: Sunan At-Tirmidhi 413
Grade: Sahih (Authentic) according to Al-Albani

Note: How To Avoid Inferiority Complex

💐 In The Name Of Allah The Most Gracious The Most Merciful
💌 One of the disadvantages of using social media is inadvertently exposing yourself to content that can make you feel inadequate, less special or not good enough according to some people's standards. If you're not confident yet about your physical appearance, seeing photos of people who are fit, more muscular or good-looking can drastically diminish your self-esteem. Reading status updates of users who are skilled at writing or who like to utilize advanced words that require some readers to check the dictionary often can make a number of us feel less intelligent. A person who is single in their 30s may struggle with jealousy upon discovering teenagers or younger adults getting married early. An entrepreneur who has been managing a business for many years may get jealous upon hearing news of other businesses becoming more successful when they launched just recently. Some couples who have been wanting kids may jealously resent those who have lots of children.
For many individuals it is emotionally disturbing to witness others surpassing them at something they themselves wish to excel in. Inner peace can never be achieved if a person keeps constantly comparing one's life experiences to others' journeys, unaware of those envied people's struggles, hard work, and what actually goes on behind the scenes.
🔸 To better cope with inferiority complex, remember:
1] We are all Allah's servants. Those wealthy families who own expensive cars and luxurious accommodations, those educated persons with fancy job titles and high-income professions, those clever intellectuals who enjoy debating or ace at public speaking, creative artists with their wide range of costly art tools and collections, and vloggers on YouTube who get to impact their large audience etc. were created by Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala, made from clay and will someday be sent back to the ground to be buried before being questioned about their deeds on the Day of Judgment. They sweat like you do, excrete like any other living being, go through various struggles, oftentimes worry just as you do, and are accountable for their decisions like you are responsible for your own actions and reactions. People's worldly possessions and dunya-related joys aren't going to be very helpful in the next life. Our connection with Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala, Taqwa, faith/Imaan, good character and deeds done with sincerity are what can help us reach Jannah Paradise.
2] Patiently accept the blessings and unique qualities that Allah the Most Wise chose to bestow upon you. Know that each person was designed to have their own role. You can't say that a hammer is better than a screwdriver and vice versa when both tools have completely different purposes. What you were destined to do someone else may not be able to perform similarly, in the same way as what they were meant to do may not come to you naturally. Instead of wondering "why can't I be like so and so?" or "too bad I don't measure up", be grateful Alhamdulillah that you have your own set of skills and priorities to help you attain your goals, one of which is to be worthy of Allah's Love as well as gain entry to Jannatul Ferdaus.
3] The only one to be better than is yourself. Be stronger than who you were before and don't allow your nafs to demotivate you by assuming you'll never be good enough. Train yourself to feel inspired, not jealously threatened, when you find somebody else succeeding. From being a striving Muslim who is eager to be loved by Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala is to want what is good for other Muslims rather than envying them and complaining about they've been given.
📖 Abu Huraira RadhiAllahu 'anhu narrated: Allah's noble Messenger Muhammad SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam said, "Look to those below you and do not look at those above you, for it is the best way not to belittle the favors of Allah."
Source: Sahih Al-Bukhari 6125, Sahih Muslim 2963
Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi (Authenticity agreed upon) according to Al-Bukhari and Muslim