Exploring Islam With Uzi: Reciting Surah Kahf

Assalam-u-Alaikum dear readers! Hope you are all doing well Inshallah. Since it is almost Jummah, I wanted to share something that would be beneficial for you to recite during this blessed day. According to Hadith, whomever recites Surah Kahf (The Cave) on Jummah, he or she will have a light coming out from that Jummah to the next. (Below is a screenshot of the Hadith from the Hadith of the Day Facebook Page.

In addition, reciting Surah Kahf protects you from the Dajjal. The Surah also contains 4 stories:

1. The People of the Cave

2. The Man with the Two Gardens

3. Musa (A) and Khidr (A)

4. Dhur Qarnayn

Now, I'll be honest, Surah Kahf initially seems long and fairly intimidating (110 ayahs). But depending on your schedule, if you start reciting some of it Thursday night (since that's when Jummah officially starts), and than finish it on Friday morning, it will be a more easier on you. I also recommend listening to some reflections and tasfir on Surah Kahf so that you are able to have a greater understanding and appreciation for what you are reciting. Below are some useful links/YouTube videos:

 http://hadithoftheday.com/surat-al-kahf/

This link contains the entire Surah and translation.

https://youtu.be/wZPdOh6uITc

This link contains a beautiful recitation by Sheikh Sudais as well as a translation.

https://youtu.be/HksWRnYK8no

This link contains a introduction and reflections of the beginning of Surah Kahf  especially the story of the People of the Cave.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnpvRHdAU9FYjxZcyfxnuXdSj7lzQaHlV

This playlist contains reflections on another story told in Surah Kahf: the story of Musa (A) and Khidr (A). On the Nauman Ali Khan podcasts for Apple there are six episodes about this story.

So far I have only heard the reflections of the story of the People of the Cave and the story of Musa (A) and Khidr (A). However, when I find reflections or Tafsir on the stories of the Man with the Two Gardens and Dhur Qarnayn, I will post it to blog Inshallah so that we can all benefit.

Also, please be sure to share the Hadith and reflections about Surah Kahf with your family and friends. And this goes without saying, but everything good written on this blog post is from Allah SWT and any mistakes written on this blog post are from my own short comings. 

Until next time, Inshallah! Have a great rest of your day.

Exploring Islam With Uzi: An Intro of Sorts

Assalam-u-Alaikum dear readers! Jummah Mubarak! And also welcome to this new segment on the blog. But first a small introduction:

Life got pretty sad for me in the past few months because of personal stuff. For a lot of people that are going through hardship, they turn to religion and spiritual guidance. I was no exception.

Now, it wasn't as if I didn't already observe the pillars of Islam. I did (except for hajj. Inshallah soon though!) and I also read the Quaran, as well as observed hijab. 

But I still had so much learn about Islam.

And I thought, why not share what pearls of wisdom that I am learning on here. After all, sharing knowledge is a form of Sadaqa Jariya.

And so begins this new segment on the blog. And in case you were wondering, I will blog about other things. But this is an important part of my life that I would like to share with all of you lol.

Anyhoo, have an amazing rest of your day!

Quick Book Haul

Hello Dear Readers, guess what came in the mail this week... Books! Yay!!! I can not wait to read all of these!

A Few of My Favorite Quotes

Hello dear readers,

I hope you are all doing well. With the start of 2016 upon us, there's lots of motivation in the air. Here are a few of my favorites quotes for inspiration:

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4. 

5.

Hope all of you have your best year yet!!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year dear readers! And Jummah Mubarak as well to those who observe it. I know I've been m.i.a lately for the last few months cause of life and for that, I apologize. But with the new year, I would like to become much more active on this blog again. I'm brimming with tons of ideas and different style posts so stay in the look out.

I also want to do a resolution of sorts for this blog. So every month, I'm going to come up with a new blog goal. This way, I can improve on my blogging skills and make things more fun (hopefully lol).

So my goal for JANUARY is... Atleast 1 new post per week. I know, I know, how boring. But hey, I have to start somewhere right.

If any of you are subscribed to Mark Zuckerburg's Facebook page, you probably have seen his Year in Books posts. I've been been inspired to do one of my own this year. And so my first "year in books" this year is...Crime and Punishment.

Anyways I hope that you all have a wonderful year! What are some of your New Year goals? 

Top 10 Tuesday: Summer TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the awesome ladies at The Broke and Bookish. Here are some of my  

TBR picks for this summer:

1. Paper Towns by John Green: I need to read this before the movie hopefully 

2. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee: I read To Kill a Mockingbird Bird in 9th grade and it was one of my favorite required readings.

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling: I end up reading Harry Potter yearly, but book 3 is easily my favorite.

4. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer: I read Cinder a few months back and this has become a new favorite series.

5. Mr. Penumbra's 24 hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan: I saw a review on this by Readables a while back and have been wanting to read it.

6. Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot: In high school and middle school, I loved the Princess Diaries series.

7. In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume: It feels like a lot of my favorite childhood authors have had new releases this year. I was obsessed with her Fudge series.

8. Off the Page by Jodi Picolt: The synopsis sounds really intriguing and something that I would like.

9. Ender's Game by Orson Scottcard: I have a personal list of fifty classics that I'd like to read by 2020 and this is one of the picks.

10. Heart of Darkness: This is another pick on my 50 Classics in 5 years list.

What are some of your picks?

Book Review: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

This novel has been in my eye for a while now and I finally got the chance to read it a little while ago. Set in the early 1900's, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn revolves around the early life of Francie and her family. Slow-paced,  the novel like a evening stroll through a park. You can take your time to enjoy the setting and imagery around you, as well as people watch (or in this case, get to know the characters lol). There isn't so much of a plot, as it's almost like a fictional biography of Francie Nolan's life, as she and her family grow up in 1900's Brooklyn and work to improve their lives.