About
“Life is an adventure towards our Creator. Every time I stumble upon a rock on the path, I will pick myself up, brush off the dust, and carry on. In the end I won’t remember the stumbles, I’ll just be with Him. (God Willing)”
My blog is mostly a collection of thoughts on events and personal experiences (aka ’stumbles’). I write with the intention of helping others or to offer a different perspective. There is a hadith (saying of the Prophet Muhammad) in which he says that a believer is not pricked by the same thorn twice. Any advice I give is first and foremost a reminder to myself, for I am always in need of reminding. I will occasionally post rantings with probably no benefit. :)
Why Hifzin114?
Hifz (properly pronounced Hifdth) was a hobby of mine in high school. It means ‘to preserve’, and most Muslims preserve the Quran (aka Koran) by memorizing it by heart. This tradition has been carried on for centuries and the Prophet Muhammad himself (peace be upon him) was the best and first Hafiz (preserver of the Quran). There are 114 chapters (surahs) in the Quran. I use the term “hifzin” because I picked it up while watching skits from the famous Muslim comedic group Gandaghee. Don’t be fooled, I am not a hafiza, although it would be nice to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet (pbuh).
Some favorite quotes:
“Each of your breaths is a priceless jewel, since each of them is irreplaceable and, once gone, can never be retrieved. Do not be like the deceived fools who are joyous because each day their wealth increases while their life shortens. What good is an increase in wealth when life grows ever shorter? Therefore be joyous only for an increase in knowledge or in good works, for they are your two companions who will accompany you in your grave when your family, wealth, children and friends stay behind.”
–Imam Ghazali
“Only when the last tree has died, and the last river poisoned, and the last fish caught will we realize that we cannot eat money.”
–Native American Proverb
“All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over a white except by piety and good action.”
–Prophet Muhammud (peace be upon him)
Note: this was his last public speech before his death, said over 1400 years ago, yet only 60 years past in America did people believe that whites were superior to blacks. And then some people have the audacity to insult him(pbuh).
“Great minds discuss ideas,
Average minds discuss events,
Small minds discuss people.”
–Eleanor Roosevelt
“He [God] has afflicted you from every direction in order to pull you back to the Directionless.”
–Shaykh Rumi