GENERAL Mussallah[prayer mats] Compass[to determine direction of Qiblah] Water[ for ablution (wudhu and istinja)] Food for journey Toiletries Mobile[Cell] Charger Quran Tasbeeh[prayer beads] Islamic Books Islamic CD’s Disposable Diapers if you have babies Water for drinking and cooler bag Extra keys for car Extra spectacles in case of emergency Flashlight Disposable towels Medication Appropriate clothing Sun Block lotions for sunny areas Islamic games to keep kids entertained. Check Internet for: Salaah times[ various places ] Masjids Halaal food outlets- For car travel and day trips, its advisable to pack your own food from home. Its less expensive, and you know what youre eating. But if you desire or need to eat out, check to make sure youre eating halaal! POINTS TO REMEMBER: Be punctual with prayers even when on journey [salaah on journey is half but not maaf!]- this applies to both male and female. Always be engage in good and stay away from haraam , immoral places and activities- for you will die how you lived and be raised the way you die! Be careful of setting double standards before your kids. Kids are very observant. Allah is All Seeing and All Knowing. There is NO pleasure in the displeasure of Allah. Be sure to leave clear instructions in case of death. Draw up a will. Take safety precautions. Avoid traveling at night on quiet roads. Keep to speed limits. Pack carefully and lightly. Avoid unnecessary items. Keep sufficient edibles and drinks nearby to keep kids hydrated. EMERGENCIES: Have contact details easily available. First Aid travel kit essential. Make your stops at prayer times. Allow kids time to refresh,run and play. Spend time making Zikr- The Messenger of Allah [pbuh] informed us that we will not regret about anything in this life accept the time spent without zikr. Verily, in the Zikr of Allah do hearts find peace.” (Surah Ra’d) ... “Verily, the remembrance of Allah is the greatest.” (Surah Ahzaab) [Qurán] Take out sadaqah[charity] before the journey. Preparing for a journey can be stressful. So accommodate each other and overlook each others shortcomings. Be cheerful and polite. Always try and be helpful to others. Smile and be pleasant -- airport personnel and border control officers are doing their job to make travel safe for everyone. If you have an attitude it will only give people a bad impression of Muslims. Appropriate Dress-Dress Islamically. Be sure that kids dress appropriately in light, loose clothing (For young sisters wearing hijab, keep the scarves light colour and light weight). Ensure that children dress modestly. Not only will this make it easier for them to adhere to modest styles of dress as they get older, but it will also protect them from harmful UV rays. (Contrary to popular belief, light colored, loose fitting clothing which reflects heat is far more conducive to keeping cool then bare legs and bare arms which take in direct heat from the sun on a warm day.) Sun block for faces, hands and arms is very important to prevent health problems in the future. Avoid chemical sun-blocks if possible. Keep it natural. There are a wide variety of herbal sun-blocks available derived from organic sources which work well and smell better than commercial brands. Check into specialty shops that carry herbal products. VALUABLE ADVISE FROM SUNNAH: Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, Three supplications are answered without doubt. The supplication of the oppressed, the supplication of the traveller, and the supplication of the parent for his son.[At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud]. Khaulah bint Hakim (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying, Whosoever alights somewhere and says: `A`udhu bikalimat-illahit-tammati min sharri ma khalaqa (I seek refuge with the Perfect Words of Allah from the evil of what He has created), nothing will harm him until he leaves that place. Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: We returned with the Prophet (PBUH) from a journey; and when we entered the suburbs of Al-Madinah, he (PBUH) said: Ayibuna, taibuna, `abiduna, li-Rabbina hamidun (We are returning in safety, turning to our Rubb, worshipping Him and praising Him). He (PBUH) continued repeating these words till we entered Al-Madinah. Ka`b bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Whenever the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) returned from a journey, he would proceed straight to the mosque and perform two Rak`ah of (optional) prayer.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. We have left our homes behind and NOT our Imaan. So be a Muslim at home, on journey or wherever you may be!…Be patient, and have a pleasant trip!.... Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from Error; whoever rejects Evil and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah hears and knows all things. The Quran 2:256 The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side It always looks better. The other side, the grass on the other side. Not just the grass, also the neighbors wife, your friends sports car, your bosss apartment, your colleagues job and how ever many examples you want to hear. So many people are not entirely satisfied with what they have. They think that all the above examples would be a better way to live their lives. What they dont realize, is that often they already have so many perfect things in their lives (their friends, partner or spouse, job). The sad part is that is usually takes losing or nearly losing what they have in order for them to realize how much it means to them (and how happy they were with what they had). We All Take Things For Granted Freedom, health, food in the fridge, love and friendships - these are all among the things that we take for granted simply because they have been in our lives every day. The more frequent they appear in our lives, the more we grow a certain expectation for them to stick around forever. We all take so much for granted. It takes a lot of emotional stability to be content with what you have. To be able to resist the temptation of thinking that other people have it better. When that perfect woman comes along who gives you butterflies in your stomach and makes your world swirl, that you can say No thanks, Im married. Its not just us people who have this issue. We see it with cows all the time. They have a perfectly big field full of green grass, yet the always venture to the end of their field and stick their head through the barb-wire fence just to be able to get a bite of that forbidden grass on the other side (that may just look so much tastier). You Don’t Realize What You Have Until It’s [Nearly] Gone A personal example is the fact that I hated going to the gym when I was younger. I wanted to do it because I liked being in shape, but I really, really disliked lifting weights. It was just so much effort. Then, a few months before I would turn 18 and get a car to drive around in, I crashed my motor bike head-on into some dumb tourist who u-turned in front of me. The bike was a total write-off. I hit him on the bonnet of his car and flew over my handlebars at 80km/h (55 mph). I landed with my entire weight perfectly on my shoulder and this cause the bone to shatter and the tendons to tear off. (It sounds gross and painful but I didnt feel a thing, I just could not move my shoulder at all, zero control over it). Initially doctors actually told me I may never be able to use my arm again and will never be able to lift it with my own strength. Luckily I had one of the best shoulder surgeons in the country who was in my town, and with an operation and 6 weeks of wearing a brace, I slowly got the use back of my arm and shoulder. A year later it was as good as new. Now I am so thankful that I can lift things, pick up weights, go to the gym. “Sometimes the dream and the desire for something are much more appealing than actually getting the thing that you think you want.” A sports car, bank balance or supermodel girlfriend may be what you think will make you happy, but when you get it, you may feel empty and unsatisfied. The deception with seeing things that you think will make you happy is the fact that you only see the good side of those things. Once you have them, you will see it without the rose-colored glasses and experience the lesser or bad side of it as well and this may leave you thinking that it was better when it was just a dream. The Key to A Happy Life I think the key to a happy life is being content with who you are and where you are right now. Life is an awesome journey. That is not to say that you should settle for average or a life you are not happy with. You can and should work hard to where you want to be, to achieve your goals and dreams, but dont wish away the present moment for some future happiness that you think you will achieve by copying someone elses lifestyle. That is the recipe for waking up one day when you are 40 years old and realizing that you spent your life chasing happiness, while you had the means to be happy all along. Everyone always wishes for something they dont have. Maybe you want to be like someone else in certain ways, maybe you want to live someone elses life because you think yours sucks. Truth is, you may not have an easy life, but it is your life. You are not in control of the cards you were dealt when you were born (your parents, your city, your country, your skin color, your religion and so forth). What you are in control of is what you do with those cards that you were dealt. The rest of your life is what you make of it. If things are hard and you take a victim mentality (moaning and complaining about how hard you have it), then chances are pretty good that your life will not magically get better and you will live a very mediocre life at best. Its not an easy life, but its MY LIFE It is your life, your adventure. It is a gift. If you are lucky enough to have your freedom and your health, then I believe that anything is possible. Where there is a will, there is a way. Conclusion Just remember that what you dream of may not give you what you want from it (happiness, pleasure or love). If you are lucky, then what you dream of will give you exactly what you want. Just think about the real reason of your dreams and desires. Do you want something because your neighbor has it and it seems as if that thing is responsible for his happiness? Or do you want it because youre really crazy and passionate about it? Choose the latter. You dont want to be that person who slaves away for years to make millions of dollars (so you can have a mansion, fast sports cars and jets to travel the world) while all you really want is someone who loves you and friends that care about you. That same someone and those same friends that you gave up because you were chasing the dollar signs because you thought that it would make you happy. So next time you think someone has it better than you, just stop and think about how others may think you have it better than them. The grass on your side may just be greener.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 18:50:05 +0000
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