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September20, 2005 - Free Slave Fortnightly ~ #001 >> |
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~~^v^~~^v^~~^v^~~^v^~~^v^~~^v^~~^v^~~ Free Slave Fortnightly E-zine ~((Serving the Only Master))~ 29th Rajab 1426/4th Sept 2005 Pilot Issue ~~^v^~~^v^~~^v^~~^v^~~^v^~~^v^~~^v^~~ FSF is sent only to willing subs.cribers. For instructions on subs.cribing and unsubs.cribing, see end of mail. If you know anyone who would be interested in receiving Free Slave Fortnightly, please let them know about us! o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o Bismihi Ta'ala (In the Name of the Most High) =========== CONTENTS =========== 1. Editorial 2. One Deed at a Time... 3. Shh, Can You Hear Him? 4. Soul Snack o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o =============== 1. EDITORIAL =============== Salaams, Fellow Slaves! Welcome to the very first issue of FSF - a newsletter aimed at bringing practical Islam to your inbox. We should admit right away that we initiated this newsletter as much for ourselves, as for all you potential slaves out there. It recently occurred to us that our lives lacked a certain element of fellowship. There was a yearning within us to reach out to others who could say: "We know exactly what you mean!" Whenever we stumble across 'aha!' moments, we always wish we could share them and that others would share theirs with us. After all, if we put ALL our individual experiences together, we'd have one mighty large pool of lessons! Thus, the birth of Free Slave. Why the oxymoron? Well, the way we see it, life is all about freedom. When we're kids we want the freedom to play, laugh and enjoy life. As we grow older, we seek the freedom to express our opinions and to have unique personalities. Yet, as we seek further freedoms we seem to fall into traps of enslavement that Shaytan so cunningly lays out for us. We are enslaved by the opinions of friends and the expectations of family, by the world and by fashion, by culture and society. How is anyone ever to find true freedom in this mess? We firmly believe that the answer lies in slavery. By selling ourselves and accepting slavery under His Mastership, we are immediately released from all other bondage. Simple concept, eh? But difficult to practice. And worse when you attempt the journey alone. That's why we're inviting you to come along for the ride. Through FSF, we'll try and bring our little slice of Islam into your life every month, and hope you'll share yours with us. Be Free, Binte Ali Send your comments and mails to: freeslavefortnightly@gmail.com ((The address above will NOT subs.cribe you to the FSF E-zine. To subs.cribe, see end of mail.)) o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o =========================== 2. ONE DEED AT A TIME ... =========================== "I want to change, but I don't know how!!" Sound familiar? It should. It's one of the most commonly wailed sentences. We all want to become better Muslims. But how to go about it is the six million dollar question. Do you create a strategic week-by-week plan, or play it by ear? Do you instill good habits first or attack your bad ones to begin with? In every issue, we'll study one aspect of character and try to figure out how to break free of the ego-prison - one deed at a time. For this first issue, let's address temporary insanity. Yup, we're talking anger. If you're prone to flying tempers, soaring rages, breathing fire and brimstone, it's time to dash ice cubes down the back of that nasty little habit... Step 1: Understand Your Anger ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sit down and assess when you are most tempted to lose your temper. Is it at a certain time of day? Perhaps when you are in the middle of work? Is it at a certain person - a sibling? A particular parent? Ask yourself what it that REALLY makes you angry. Step 2: Call in the Cavalry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you're serious about working on the madness we call anger, be ready to swallow your pride and seek help. Try the tactic below or adapt it to suit your circumstances. Give cards of red paper to close family and friends (no need to advertise your flaws!) Ask them to hold up a card every time they see you lose your cool. That way you have a non-verbal signal that it's time to back off and gain control. Step Three - Take advantage of Islamic Advice ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What's the use of calling Islam a way of life if we don't use its advice? The sunnah of the Prophet (s) and Masoomeen (a) is there for following, not just reading about. When you get angry sit down if you're standing) lie down if sitting), count to ten backwards, or drink a tall glass of cold water - slowly. If nothing seems to work, walk away and take a shower or soak your feet in cool water. Step Four - Divine Intervention ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Anger stems from an inner fire - and the best thing to beat down the flames are the peaceful verses of the Qur'an. The verse: "Yaa Naaru Kuuni Bardan wa Salaaman 'ala Ibrahim" (Sura Al-Anbiya.21, Verse 69) means "O Fire! Be coolness and safety for Ibrahim". It was the command from Allah (SWT) over the fire Namrud had stoked for Prophet Ibrahim (a). If it could work for that monster, it will work for yours! :) Good luck! o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o ========================== 3. SHH, CAN YOU HEAR HIM? ========================== "And there is none in the heavens and in the earth but cometh to the Beneficent as a slave." (Sura Maryam.19, Verse 93) When we pray we are talking to God and when we recite the Qur'an, He is talking us. But how many of us actually give Him attention when He speaks? This verse seemed to be the perfect one to begin this issue with. It explains perfectly what we tried to so clumsily in our introduction. We are slaves to the Only Master who deserves to be served. And it's not only us. See the tree brushing it branches against your window? The clouds floating by? Are you flicking away a fly buzzing past your ear? Watch the sun make its journey across your particular patch of sky. Feel the earth rumble indiscernibly taking you - like a giant never-ending escalator - into your future. Each and every one of these serves Allah (SWT)- as do we. Except we have the honour of being able to freely choose our servitude. We are the free slaves (or have the potential to be!) o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o ================ 4. SOUL SNACK ================ The following verses are part of the du'a for the night of 27th Rajab: "O My intimate companion in my loneliness, You are the concealer of my faults, therefore for You is All Praise" In a world where the desire for popularity and acceptance is almost obsessive, these verses pull us down to earth - or raise us to the heavens - depending on the way you look at it. We know that Allah (SWT) is closer to us than our jugular veins. We chant from infancy that: "Allah is Everywhere!" Yet, in a crowd mocking us for the way we dress and pray, or pointing fingers and calling us names we feel alone and abandoned. Is Allah (SWT) not with us then? Or do we just have a hard time recognising His presence? Memorise these verses and let them your life's anthem. When everyone seems to have abandoned you and you face the fight against Shaytan alone, remember - as long as you are on the right side, He's there with you. Peace o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o(0)o ** To subs.cribe to Free Slave Fortnightly, send a blank mail to: 42657-subscribe@zinester.com ** To unsubs.cribe from this list, send a blank mail to: 42657-unsubscribe@zinester.com ** Please Note: Replying to this mail will not rem.ove you from the list. To be rem.oved promptly, please follow the instructions above. --------------------------------- (c) FSF E-zine 2005/1426 --------------------------------- |
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September20, 2005 - Free Slave Fortnightly ~ #001 >> |
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