Note: Some Reminders From An INTJ Muslimah (88)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

Note: Alhamdulillah. Sharing Some Lessons Learned From The Islamic Courses In Arabic Language At Markaz Ibn Al-Qayyim

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

🌼 Alhamdulillah, with Tawfeeq and guidance only from Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala, my brothers (ustadh Ahmad and ustadh AbdurRahman) and I were able to complete the Islamic education courses in Arabic language at Markaz Ibn AlQayyim, based in one of the Middle Eastern countries with sheikh Dr Khalid Adh-Dhufairi (I'm sorry if I misspelled his name), which took four semesters Alhamdulillah.

Although my weakest subject I've realized is Nahu or advanced Arabic grammar, which I need to improve and 

Inn-sha-Allah work on in the present and future, I am very grateful Alhamdulillah for the many lessons which Allah the Most Wise has taught us through the informative online classes, recorded lectures we listened to and PDF documents that we still need to read more often, and I pray that Allah the Most Merciful immensely rewards all those generous Muslims who sponsored for our online courses at this prestigious Islamic institute. Ameen.

Inn-sha-Allah we shall continue our pursuit of seeking authentic Islamic knowledge to enhance our faith Imaan and strengthen our connection with our Creator Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala and keep sharing what we have discovered for Allah's sake whenever we can until our souls return to Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala, while striving to avoid anything which could lead to fitna and deviance of any sort.

✅ 3 Quick lessons learned from the valuable courses we took Alhamdulillah while I taught Qur'an subject to several high school female students at Wisdom Islamic School:

1• Purifying one's niyyah intention is very important. Even if the outcome may not always be pleasant or satisfactory, what truly matter are the sincere efforts and 

Inn-sha-Allah the rewards attained from the patience you tried your best to maintain for Allah's sake.

2• Sometimes you experience certain incidents as a teacher also taking some online classes so you're reminded of how to treat your own students. For instance, recently while busily taking an online exam, despite doing my best to comprehend the PDF documents and content etc. for several hours with insufficient sleep, I received a score of 30 out of 50 in the Nahu (advanced Arabic grammar) subject exam which is equivalent to 70% if I'm not mistaken and the tears just fell as I noticed how low it was (I thought I could at least gain 80 something percent). I instantly recalled that's probably how bad some learners feel when they earn a a grade below 70% at times. Alhamdulillah it's an effective reminder to be more empathetic towards fellow human beings when one finds the opportunity to be more lenient when necessary and to never quit learning. 

3• Even if we attained an Ijazah, certificate or award of any kind, I believe that as Muslims Alhamdulillah we should still continue learning more about our Deen Islam through reliable sources according to the teachings in the Noble Qur'an and Sunnah of the beloved Messenger Muhammad SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam. 

⚠️ Actually arrogant individuals act as if they know better than everyone whom they meet and may behave as though they're absolutely qualified to deliver formal lectures whenever they spot an audience, while those who sincerely seek authentic Islamic knowledge discover there's still so much to research and understand, so we continue for Allah's sake in patiently learning and researching.

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Note: Sharing Some More Tips And Lessons Learned From Our Recent Trip To Samal Island (Mindanao Philippines)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

📝 Five more lessons learned Alhamdulillah from our recent outing in Samal Island with some loved ones and sisters in Islam (not our first time going there but we don't go to Samal Island every year):
1🔹 Although I bought some drinks the night before we went to the wharf the next day, I eventually forgot to bring the beverages which I placed inside the freezer due to rushing in the morning.
✅ Lesson learned for those who generally like to think "it's okay; there's still plenty of time
Inn-sha-Allah before we go, no need to rush things.": It is a lot better to pack one's luggage the night or even the day before traveling rather than hurriedly packing prior to going out and later on discovering some items were forgotten.
2🔹 Alhamdulillah when we arrived at the wharf while waiting for the ship to arrive, one of our female students bought for me and herself bottles of water after I informed her how I forgot the cold beverages.
✅ Lesson learned: Sometimes Allah the Almighty decrees that some of His servants go through certain difficulties or they commit some mistakes so He Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala can examine your reaction - will you attempt to empathize with those human beings and do what you can to improve their situation for Allah's sake? Or will you learn from their errors and do your best to avoid copying what they did in the future? Or will you make fun of them? Or will you recall that you too aren't the only one on earth occasionally going through mishaps from time to time? What most people experience at times can be very useful lessons for us and others.
3🔹 While having lunch at the Muslim community that we visited Alhamdulillah, I recalled how I not only forgot the drinks I bought the night going to Samal Island but I also forgot to bring with me the bottles of spicy chili sauce one of which I wanted to give as a small gift to the host together with a pack of marshmello sweets which I was looking forward to giving some of the kids at the Muslim community.
✅ Lesson learned: Always strive to purify your niyyah intention to do good deeds sincerely to please Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala Only so that if ever the good deed which you eagerly intended to do is not achieved or it couldn't be completed for whatever reason, then
Inn-sha-Allah you still attain some rewards for your sincere intentions.
4🔹 I also recalled how one of my daughter's classmates accordingly forgot to carry soy sauce and limes / calamansi which were newly bought if I'm not mistaken and how I was the one making use of some soy sauce and calamansi during lunch that day (we were on the same island but the teens were at Villa Amparo resort while I visited a Muslim community). May Allah the Most Merciful again reward those Muslims who generously prepared the lunch and merienda and increase the barakah blessings in their lives always. Ameen.
✅ Lesson learned: Oftentimes in this temporary dunya / world, there will be some things with us which a number of individuals probably lack while those same individuals enjoy some things which we don't or can't have. Instead of consistently comparing yourself to others' circumstances, train yourself to patiently accept Allah's Qadr/Decree as much as you can, knowing that Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala loves it when the believers show patience for His sake, and try to stay contented. If contentment is usually challenging at first, then at least refrain from loudly complaining or negatively overthinking. Complaints are pointless if they don't come with suggested solutions to solve problems.
5🔹 I thought I could visit another sister in Islam residing somewhere around Samal Island and we could have a lengthy conversation about how to persevere for Allah's sake in marriage perhaps after visiting the Muslim community but I couldn't because I totally forgot to inform her of my arrival that time and I was willing to join the family of one of my daughter's Tausug friends who also went to Samal Island while I intended to visit the Muslim community but I went along with another group before their car arrived on the island (so many vehicles going to Samal Island on Saturdays and Sundays). Telling the mom of my daughter's friend something like:
"Yes Inn-sha-Allah I'll meet you when we arrive at Samal, don't worry" isn't clear enough if you're waiting for their car to arrive while another vehicle is waiting for you to send you to their Muslim community.
Alhamdulillah at least I'm happy that the family of my daughter's friend were able to spend some quality time at a different beach together so they can relax for that day instead of feeling obliged to answer my multitude of random questions.
Inn-sha-Allah I hope we can have another time productively spent in the future.
✅ Lesson learned: Next time Inn-sha-Allah if you're traveling or going on an outing with several groups to the same destination, it may be more efficient if all the members in each group not only have data or load on their cellphones but also they're given a list of places where they can assemble in case they wish to meet up with the others. While there should be a Plan B, Plan C, Plan D, Plan E etc. we Muslims must take note that even if we plan certain things, Allah the Most Wise controls everything in the universe and outside of the universe and He Subhaanahu wa Ta'aa always plans and destines what He Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala knows is the most ideal or most rewarding for us in both worlds.
Note: Photos shared by Zahra one of our students at Wisdom Islamic School

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Note: Some Reminders From An INTJ Muslimah (87)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

Note: Some Valuable Lessons Learned From Outing In Samal Island With Some Loved Ones And Sisters In Islam

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

📑 3 valuable lessons out of many lessons which I've recently learned Alhamdulillah from yesterday's outing and adventure around Samal Island with some loved ones and sisters in Islam:-

1🔹 One sign that you consider some individuals to be your friends or whom you genuinely care about for Allah's sake: You easily forgive them for Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala no matter how many times they may have done something which may seemingly or supposedly offended or disappointed you, such as changing plans suddenly, not fulfilling a promise or being unable to follow up with a particular thing they enthusiastically agreed to do, forgetting specific facts about you, not being able to spend some quality time with you because you both had to be somewhere else simultaneously, or answering your messages late at times due to busyness or lack of strong signal in certain areas etc. - even without asking or expecting them to apologize, you instantly pardon their shortcomings when you remember how the merits of staying connected to them for Allah's sake outweigh their negative traits and mistakes. If we wish to maintain friendship with anybody for Allah's sake, similarly if we're serious about wanting to keep the marriage strong with one's spouse to please Only Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala, then we should recall how they're humans like us with innumerable imperfections and therefore train ourselves to patiently tolerate some of their qualities or tendencies which we may not always like. It's impossible on earth to find a friend who is devoid of flaws and deficient traits 24/7.

2🔹 Allah the Almighty knows best. When you strive to actively study about Islam and continue doing what you can to strengthen your knowledge of Tawheed (Islamic monotheism), through consistently studying from authentic sources, obeying many of Allah's Commands become easy and manageable whether you're a born Muslim or Muslim revert. As a Maranao born Muslimah Alhamdulillah in Saudi Arabia, I witnessed so many Maranaos behaving in ways which undeniably contradict our Islamic values including not wearing the hijab properly when outdoors, enjoying listening to music instead of attaining inner peace and comfort in reading more from the Noble Qur'an, being overly approachable to some non-mahram males as if they're your "buddies" etc. and this is generally due to being negligent regarding seeking and steadfastly implementing beneficial 'ilm (knowledge). In contrast, MashaAllah, a lot of us notice how a considerable number of Muslim reverts are very quick and eager to apply their lessons learned (for example wearing the niqab, maintaining pleasant connection with one's relatives, avoiding major sins such as gossip etc.) and they don't hesitate to be from Allah's obedient servants because they put admirable effort in learning more about our Deen (religion Islam).

3🔹 On our way back to Davao city from Samal Island while I was conversing with some elderly females in a jeepney, asking them questions in English language etc. because I'm not yet fluent in Tagalog (but 

Inn-sha-Allah I hope to improve my ability to understand and communicate better in Filipino language), this stranger was loudly mimicking some of the way I talked saying random statements like "yeah? Why you speak English? Ya? Speak Bisaya "n!gg@", no English "n!gg@" etc." also mentioning the f-word, s-word and probably b-word etc. throughout the ride until he arrived at his stop while I sat far away from him, contemplating if I should respond or not but Alhamdulillah I didn't say any comebacks that time although it's easy for me to verbally retaliate because: 

1. I wasn't one hundred percent sure if he was making fun of me indirectly. I assumed he was speaking with someone on his cellphone as I focused on the front view where the driver was. 

2. I thought maybe the guy was mentally and/or emotionally unstable and I didn't want to waste my energy constructing sentences which he wouldn't comprehend anyway.

3. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me overreact if there were no doubts he was acting like a miserable jerk. I also assumed that there's a possibility he had a bad experience in the past with some "Englisheras" so he's one of those irrational goofballs who intensely dislike anyone using the English language in his presence or he feels extremely insecure whenever somebody does something he can't do and the way he copes with his insecurities is by childishly mistreating any person who makes him feel inferior or terribly sorry for himself. So what I did was say Du'a behind the niqab asking Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala to teach the troublesome troll a lesson if the overgrown bully was actually poking fun at my way of speaking.

~•~

May Allah the Almighty reward those Muslims in Samal Island for the delightful lunch and merienda / afternoon snacks they generously gave during our visit and May Allah the Most Loving keep them steadfast upon the truth and correct 'Aqeedah belief and enable us to meet in Jannah Paradise again with Allah's Mercy and increase the barakah blessings in their lives always. Ameen.