Why we need to write

Document! Document! Document!

'Ooooohhh! I never saw it that way before. Yes, I do feel I have somethings to share but surely they can't be that important!'. Well, maybe its something simple to you, (now that its over), but that little piece of information or experience may help someone else change his or her perspective and understanding of certain situations.

Be confident - not over confident!

My friend used to tell me I should not underestimate myself when I generally responded in a simple humble manner. After all, we should not be over confident and think too highly of our own work. But then again, if we are not confident. how are we to proceed to a higher level and meet greater challenges? Moderation in everything, Islam is the middle way.

We do not say things like 'We are the best of the best' - in whose eyes, anyway?

Remember to be humble, with quiet confidence

I wanted to say, "My dear, I was just being humble as Allah SWT may not be pleased with my over confident and egoistic manner". But her words gave me more confidence as she was someone who spoke with expert experience. This friend of mine had helped my writing and confidence grow through the years. May Allah SWT reward her for her patience and kindness.

I do know I had put in a lot of time, research and effort to write a special chapter but there is always sooooo much room for improvement. Many a times I had scrunched up all my drafts as I felt I could have done better. So why be so pleased with a so called 'finished' draft? Someone else may just come along and be talented enough to improve it 100 percent in 10 minutes flat!

Time for improvement

Maybe I should consider improving further, with more seriousness as I am feeling a bit lethargic and mediocre right now. :( Guess I need to put in more time as I had been really busy with work. Hard to think when there is always a long mental list in the head, waiting to be ticked off.

Committing myself again

Yes, I think I have to commit myself publicly again, just as I committed myself for the last book. Its like forcing myself to adhere to a loose time frame to come up with some workable material.

Insha'Allah wisdom will prevail

That is what had been keeping me back. What to write, what not to write and how to do it. May Allah SWT guide me and give me wisdom to serve Him by sharing a part of our long and lonely spiritual journey. I need to get my niyyah (intentions) correct. To do so only to please Allah SWT and to serve Him by sharing hopefully some good with His creation.

May Allah SWT make it easy for me and guide me so I do not forget myself and my purpose. May He give us rezeki halal through our work and our writing. Not to get rich but to earn enough to continue writing and sharing. All wealth (rezeki) comes from Allah so insha' Allah we are happy to accept what he plans for us.

Sharing is caring

Actually it is indeed good to document. We are losing lots of great ideas and keeping back tons of valued insights of our past experiences in locked trunks, dusty and musty, to be forgotten and lost forever when we depart from this brief stay in this world.

I met many people who write really well. Are they going to start writing soon? We can also start a writer's club (mini one) to motivate one another.

Remember, we can write on anything - hobbies, homemaking, parenting, education, travel, crafting, cooking, health, family, photography, art - just anything that can add some quality to our lives and can help us appreciate the beauty of Allah's creations.

What good can we leave behind?

Not many people will miss or mourn us. What good advice and secrets of life we could have imparted would be buried with us very sadly. Perhaps it would not be a bad idea to share our experiences, our wisdom and our mistakes so others may benefit if they wish. It is amal jariah if people accepted what we shared and practised and shared with others. Why not leave this world with a trail of goodness and love?

Power of Supplication

It would be a real shame to just have people pray over us and bury us, with nothing to share with them. At least when they benefit from our sincere effort, they may remember us kindly and remember us in their daily supplications.

We need our children, our family and good practising Muslims to supplicate for us. We need them to ask for Allah SWT's forgiveness and rewards of Jannah for those who have gone before them.

We ourselves too must make supplications daily for those who have left us, for those who are here with us and those yet to come. We want to leave this life after making worthy contribution towards a better ummah.

Loving the sunnah of the Prophet saw

If we emulate the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad saw, he had said 'my ummah, my ummah' - he loved and cared for his ummah until even the last moments of his life. Do we love our fellow Muslims and fellowmen?

His ummah also means all mankind, regardless Muslim or not yet Muslim. He was sent as a mercy to all mankind. How big hearted and loving was our dear Prophet sallalaahu alayhi wassalam.