The path of the black Tiger

Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem.

The Path of the Tiger?


Earlier today, I received an email which read:

Inside each and every human being, a constant battle rages.  It is like a battle between two tigers. One tiger is a manifestation of evil.  It is full of hate, lust, and greed.  It’s fangs drip with bitterness and strife. The other tiger is an embodiment of good.  It is full of love, compassion, and honesty.  He never betrays his brother.
These two tigers are constantly at war. Which tiger is going to win the battle?
The answer is quite obvious…. Whichever one you feed

It got me thinking..

Tigers are awesome, powerful creatures. They can be absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful. But they can also be terrifying, and that will depend on where you're sitting. The Tiger is a wonderful symbol for human character.



It is powerful: the human tongue and human hands have the power to change the world, one person at a time.
It is beautiful: Few things are more beautiful that someone with true compassion and kindness. Human beings are capable of truly beautiful actions towards one another.
It is terrifying: As far as humans can show compassion, they can also show abuse, violence, from crimes against the very nature that is their womb to the very essence of existance through things like war and torture. I'm sure there are those who have been victims of abuse that would, if they could, rather have taken their chances with

a real life, breathing Tiger.

There is, indeed an inner struggle at all times. In Islam, it is called fighting with your "nafs", your carnal flesh, in other words, or your "bad tiger condition". THIS  is the definition of Jihad - to battle within yourself so that your flesh ("dying to the flesh" the christians call it) is subservient. But in Islam, your war or you  jihad means that you give up your own joy for the greater good.



It's important at this juncture to note however that just because you are trying to make your carnal self bend to the greater good and embarking on this jihad, does not mean that you have to stand by and allow yourself to be abused or trod upon because your DO have the right to walk away or to take reasonable action as any sane human being would do; to just accept abuse or continuous harm is not submission or jihad - it's just outright stupid; Allah did not give you
another god to bow to except himself, and he has not given you anyone to fear except himself should you opt for the path of the black tiger. 



How is that your inner tiger fed (the good or the bad??) and how do you ensure that you are feeding the right animal, the one that will lay beneath the shades of green in Jannat some day? It is fed through your relationships, the company you keep, the books you read, the activities you involve yourself in. The Quran, Sunnat and the Hadith are, therefore a menu which you can feed your soul from, and since faith is seen by actions, you can follow the menu, stick to the road that bears the islamic roadsigns to spiritual peace, and insh'Allah (god willing) meet your Creator as a loving, powerful, beautiful, calm, kind being to which he says "well done, true and faithful servant". It's what we all want, isn't it?

The thing about sinfulness or carnal'ness (or the thing about a bad tiger) is you do not start out as a BAD tiger; you fall by degrees, reading or participating in haraam, perhaps, maybe not quite "doing the right thing" or perhaps telling those little white lies that grow and eventually take on claws of their own.

The answer -you can't starve a bad character tiger to death because its probably always going to be there; its the nature of the world to tempt you and the nature of Allah to guide and love you. You simply have to focus on feeding the good tiger within with good books, good company, and simply refuse to have anything to do with those things or individuals that make you someone angry, vindictive, sinful, unhappy, and compassionless.

And hey presto - good kitty!

For the love of G*d (my Allah swt)

Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem


Such is the love of my God..

A Beautiful Message for a ramadaan day!

Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem

I came across this today, and found it truly inspirational. Enjoy.

Ramadaan Mubarak

Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem.

To all muslims around the world, Ramadaan is a time of contemplation, of prayerfulness, of literally getting off the bus of this world's fire, fighting and feasting. Its a time when not even consumerism should enter into the heart of a muslim.

During Ramadaan, I imagine the angels are walking gently around, smiling at those who fast, and Allah is granting duahs and forgiveness. It is a month which is seen by those who do not understand the faith as a time of trial, a time of trying to "earn" salvation. They completely misunderstand the premise of our faith. Salvation is striven towards but can only be attained by the mercy and grace of ALLAH the almighty creator. It is HE who by HIS eternal mercy weighs the heart and the intentions and decides "good seed" or "bad seed". So what's with all the good deeds, you ask? Well, christians say that "Faith without actions is dead." Pretty much sums it up; except muslims live by it. And Ramadaan is a living testament to the fact.

There's no room for the hypocrite who pretends to be sorry for his or her acts; Allah is watching. If you truly believe that the almighty Creator of all the universe is watching and waiting to reward you with good things, then doing good deeds become a thing of joy, not a thing of fear of hellfire. However, arrogance also has no place, so the joy of giving and doing must be balanced with the fear of knowing that the ONE who is watching holds your eternal destiny in His hand.

Imagine; by HIS Grace and His Mercy, He can simply say BE, and it truly IS - forgiveness is simply where Allah says "BE". Why is that so hard for christians to understand? After all, the bible says "He says Be and it IS". ah well... Allah knows all hearts and HE is the supreme judge, I just sometimes get sad that people don't see how the bible comes to life through ISLAM, because the portions of truth in it find their full expression only within the greater Truth. To each his own.

So during Ramadaan, every good deed is "worth more" because these good deeds are done during a time that is very, very special and very, very spiritual. But then, the opposite is also true..

Whilst Islam is a faith perfected for us, regretably we are all subject to the human condition, so you cannot judge a faith by one or even many of its followers, but you should look to its teachings, for often the followers deviate. And so it is that in Ramadaan itself, fasting is carried out by some who carry with them the whole day the thought of the "feast" at the end. Dinners, get togethers in the evening somehow detract from the purpose of the fast. Similarly, short tempers are "excused" because of the fast, and backbiting too can increase. These are the human condition. But in all these, the INTENTION is how a man is judged. What I am saying is; sisters, brothers, readers; if in Ramadaan you fall prey to the backbiting bug, the short temper stinkbug, or the feasting frenzy, simply repent, there and then, turn away from ALL that, and race back to Allah; He is ready, willing, and overjoyed to accept repentance.

Ramadaan is a gift. It is not about what you can do for ALLAH; it is about what ALLAH is doing for you; granting you a time of cleansing for the body, the mind, and the soul. Remember, if you can do no good, at least do no evil, and at the very least, make duah. Lots of duah. We do and we do, thinking we please ALLAH, but what pleases ALLAH, I suspect, is seeing that we appreciate HIS gift of this "time out", this time of ultimate mercy and love from him, where he basically splurges on us with blessings, with forgiveness and with HIS presence.

If I have offended anyone with the truth or with my weakness, please forgive me. OH RAMADAAN, blessed month that this is!! OH ALLAH, my Lord, my Creator, the ONE that was, that IS and that EVERMORE shall be; SHUKR. Oh ALLAH, my LORD, my GOD, please forgive my sins. Oh ALLAH,  the BELOVED, grant me closeness to you, and grant peace and blessings upon MUHAMMAD (SAW) without measure, and to his progeny the good and the holy. insh'Allah AMEEN.


Please remember me and my family in your kind duahs.