salaamu alaikum

im back home, watching the ravens vs. colts game. theyre losing, and its annoying. boller just got hurt, and wright is doing his thing, boutta get us a touchdown iA. anyways, im sore as i dunno what. went to the mas-camp and played a good game of football. i matched up against hasan, and we were basically schooling each other all game long. being sore is a good feeling tho, i think. because you know that you're muscles broke down, and they're going to rebuild stronger. so it hurts, but its a good pain.

i performed at the camp. and it went well. i wasnt sure i was gonna make it back on time. because on saturday, i was booked at ISB to recite for the fundraiser, and they had asked me like 4 months ago, so there was absolutely no way i could cancel, and if i was gonna cancel anything, it would have been going to the camp. so i left early, got to ISB on time. chilled, ate, prayed Maghrib, recited, and then dipped and went back to the camp. i got there just in time for the entertainment session, where hasan and them did our little skit from MIST 03. meanwhile, i was finishing up my poem. i got up there and performed, and it went good. i started, and all of sudden i had all this energy in my voice. i might have been going too fast, i dunno, but i definitely had the flow down. also, i went and edited the entry where I posted the poem and made it the version that I recited at the camp.

(NEWS: STOVER JUST MISSED HIS THIRD FIELD GOAL OF THE GAME. 16 YEAR VETERAN MY FOOT!)

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(paraphrased from the after fajr/dhuhr (bad memory) khatirah)

Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal was sitting in a gathering with his students and a man came up to him and complained that they were not getting any rain, and the drought was severely trying the people. Imam Ahmed said, "istaghfirillah", Seek forgiveness from Allah. The man left.

Another man came up, and compained how he was very poor. Imam Ahmed said, "istaghfirillah", Seek forgiveness from Allah. The man left.

Another man came up, and said that his wife was barren and could not have children. Imam Ahmed said, "istaghfirillah", Seek forgiveness from Allah. And the man left. One of the students in the gathering who was listening to all this got up and asked the Imam, all three of these people came up to you asking you different questions. And for each you said, Make istighfaar? Don't you have anything else?

And so Imam Ahmed recited these verses:

فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا

"I said (to them): 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord; Verily, He is Oft-Forgiving;

يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاء عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا

'He will send rain to you in abundance;

وَيُمْدِدْكُمْ بِأَمْوَالٍوَبَنِينَ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ أَنْهَارًا

'And give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers.' "

Simply by seeking forgiveness from Allah, something the Prophet SAW used to do at LEAST 100 times a day, Allah promises all this.

May Allah make us among those who keep their tongues wet with the rememberence of Him. Ameen.