Grudges: the slow poison

As Salaamu alikum,

I was checking out the Quran Weekly channel on YouTube when I was looking at this lecture by Omar Sulieman about grudges. This kutabah was so good I had to repeat it several times. One of the things I will never forget was this very powerful quote:

"Grudges are you drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die."

That is a very powerful quote and had me thinking about how I have handled things in regards to my situations in the past year. I was so blinded by trying to get back at those closest to me that have wronged me, that all the grudges I had only wound up making me bitter, while at the same time slowly destroying and killing my soul. Now I am slowly moving forward, trying to correct my ways inshallah.

The Am I Ugly Videos: Are You Serious?

As Salaamu Alikum,

There is nothing more saddening, desperate, and painful than a girl posting her video on YouTube asking the people this question: Am I Ugly?  I do not get it; why go around asking complete strangers to validate your shallowness or confirm your insecurities? Why further lower your self-esteem and your value by letting people judge you when the final judgement comes from Allah?  Why care about what other people think when the only thing a person should worry about is pleasing Allah?
 I am just now learning that I do not need another person's approval and permission to be happy. Too many times when we give people the power to determine our worth and beauty, it winds up being used against us and eventually it winds up hurting us. Furthermore, it sets the tone for a lifetime of self hatred and taking that self hatred out on other people. Remember that hurt people hurt other people. I am truly concerned that the Internet has opened new doors for girls to expose themselves and to be exposed. Instead of posting these videos, I posted the video below to help girls learn what truly matters.