Aiman Azlan's Blog

Daughter: Dad, I want to get married. Father: That is a good thing to wish for. What kind of man do you want? Daughter: I want a life of luxury and ease. So, I would like a man who can help me achieve that life. The father became worried by her words. Father: Umm...I've never known you to be like this. I've never even seen you with a jewellery in your possession other than the ring your late mother left you, the same ring I married her with. If you were to sell it, the money you get won't be enough to buy you anything of value. Honestly my dear, I am surprised by your ambitions. The daughter looked at the ring her father alluded to. She rubbed it gently with her left index finger.  Daughter: Dad, the luxury I seek cannot be bought by gold or diamonds. The ease I wish for cannot be offered by any wealthy man. Father: I don't understand. Daughter: I seek the luxury of Jannah and the ease of being in the company of the Prophets. I seek the life of luxury ...

Sometimes it is good to stop, take step back and look at all the good things that we already have, and take the time to appreciate them. Some blessings are easy to be overlooked because we got used to them, and because of that, we tend to take them for granted. Take some time off in our busy schedule, be alone for a while, and reflect on all the things we have. Know that even in the darkest of times, we can count of these blessings to brighten up our day. Here is my list of 23 blessings that I am grateful for, in no particular order. I have a physical body that works well. I have food and water. I can pray, 5 times a day, without any difficulties. I have family and friends who care about me, and I care about them. I can read the Quran. I have people who watch me on Youtube. I am here in Canada to pursue my undergrad studies, on a scholarship. I am doing a degree about a subject that I am passionate about. I finished my degree. I can cook. I have a roof on top of my he...

Photo by Andalib After about 4 years of being in University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada, I have completed my degree in Biology and Psychology. I am currently waiting for my convocation in mid-November of this year. Seeing that I am graduating soon, many of my peers have raised the question: what’s next? The usual trajectory after graduating from a university is to either work or pursue a higher degree (Masters or PhD). I have no problem with either of them, but I do have a problem with doing things just because that is the way things are or because that is what other people are doing. I want to have more control over my life and not let other people decide my life for me. After all, it is my life. I will be held responsible and accountable for it in front of Allah. Not that I am saying that I do not need anyone’s help. I do. What I am saying is that I do not want to do things without due diligence. Take a break I want to take some time off. I have been in the system, go...

Photo by epSos.de There are individuals, men and women, in the Ummah who spent (literally) decades of their lives intensely immersed in knowledge seeking to understand Islam the best that they can. They are those who are qualified to say things about Islam that you and I are not. Not everyone is on the same level. I don't mean that one is better than the other in the Sight of Allah - that title is up for grabs by anyone. However, there are those who are qualified to do certain jobs that you and I are not. The medical model is a good analogy to understanding how Islamic scholarship works. Not everyone in medicine can diagnose and/or prescribe medicine. Nurses and pharmacists can't diagnose and prescribe medicine. They are not qualified for that purpose. For those who are qualified, their diagnosis and prescription qualifications are limited to their respective specializations. For example, a general doctor can handle everyday illnesses like a fever and a cold. Bu...

Photo by Rennett Stowe The joy of discovery, especially about the things you care about, is a wonderful feeling. I like the idea of having essay assignments because they allow me to explore the subject I am studying in my own terms (to a certain extent). I can learn new things on my own and put my thoughts out there about the things I’ve learned. However, despite having to write many essay assignments during my four years in university, I still have problems with writing them. I get intimidated by word count and page numbers. The professor telling me how many pages or how many words I have to write is like giving me a whole chicken and asking me to eat it all in one go. I know that is not the case, but in my head that is what I am thinking about. Knowing that I have that huge goal in mind and looking at the blank Word document in front of me, I get anxious. To avoid my anxiety, I procrastinate - I convince myself that I still have time and that I can do it later. Deep i...

A 20-minute conversation about friendship with Zeyara , a friend and a fellow Youtuber . I asked on Facebook and Twitter for questions about friendship. I took some of them and we answered them here. Since it's 20 minutes long, I provided a content list in the video description if you want don't want to watch the whole thing and want to jump to certain questions (click on the timelinks). These are the questions we answered in this video: How do you know a friend is actually a good friend? How do you reprimand a friend without hurting his/her feelings? Why is it hard to be close to some people? Is it us, or them? Why can't friendship last? How to accept our friends just the way they are? Can parents be our friend? How to find a good friend? How do you continue friendship even though you've separated? Zeyara is going to the Caribbeans to further his studies so this might be our last time hanging out with each other. May Allah bless him wherever he may be....

Photo by  Gavin Firkser For as long as I can remember, I've always been kind of a last minute person (especially in school) and for the longest time, that strategy worked pretty well for me. I honestly thought that I could go through life that way. To some extent, I could. But if I want to go as far as I know I could go, I have to use a different strategy. Hopefully, a better one. The thing about procrastinating is that it trains you to be a master in making excuses. Not only are you able to convince others with your excuses, you are able to convince yourself too. Excuses are nothing more than layers you put up between yourself and the reality of the situation, one that you know quite well but choose to avoid. Sometimes I am able to catch myself in the act of making excuses and manage to correct myself in time - something that I wish to do more often as I progress. Battling procrastination is not easy, especially if you have been doing it for as long as I have. You win s...