"O mankind! What has made you careless about your Lord, the Most Generous?”

When I head to university, I am bombarded with images on standees, notice boards, large banners and on pretty much everything imaginable. These images are the pictures of the panel standing up for the upcoming student council elections. And with all this hype, it is not surprising that every other person is talking about the same thing- elections.

This isn’t just the case of our university in the time of elections but this is the case with people and their lives. People create obsessions and then they create hype about it. And the obsessions are by no means limited in scope; they range from addiction to music to movies to technology to money to sitcoms and the list goes on forever.

Yet, in this endless list of obsessions people forget their real purpose of living, they just base their existence on extremely vain and superficial things and then they are surprised when they experience a feeling of emptiness. However, these people are not entirely to be blamed for being distracted and deluded, either.

We live in an era where we are continuously exposed to irrelevant information; where the advertising agencies have not even left us alone in our homes. We are succumbed to a system based on selfishness and materialism. We live by the dictates of the society yet we claim to be “liberated”. We get educated not to benefit from knowledge, but instead to get good jobs. We, once in a while, study fancy things like “business ethics” or “corporate social responsibilty” but that too just to give businesses a competitive edge and ultimately higher profits.

However, many people are unaware of their own slavery to the society. They are so attuned to the idea of doing what everybody else is doing that they don’t stop and think for a second of what this life is, what is our purpose of being and what are we supposed to do. This, my friends, is exactly what our society does not want us to think about. Our society wants us to be SO preoccupied with all the fancy things that it has to offer so that we don’t do the one thing that we are actually supposed to do and that is to please our Lord, Allah. And Allah Ta’ala says in Surah Dhariyat, Verse 56:

“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”

But that does not in any way mean that we cut off from society or from people but, in fact, to worship Allah i.e. to be a Muslim means to live in society and with people in a way that benefits everyone and not just our own selves. The teachings of Islam are based on concepts such as brotherhood, honesty, equality etc. In fact, Islam is not just a religion but rather it is a way of life. Where society has been wrong time and again, it has seen the failure of a purely capitalist system, it has made various blunders in the field of science, it has destroyed lives in the name of democracy and the devastating mistakes of society do not just end here. Yet the teachings of Islam brought to us fourteen hundred years ago still stand corrected.

Allah Ta’ala says in Surah Al-i-Imran, verse 103:

“And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be guided.”

So how exactly will we attain the purpose of our lives? We can do so by minimizing distractions and by praying to Allah Ta’ala for guidance. And Allah Ta’ala does not just leave us alone here; He EVEN shows us how to ask Him for guidance in verses 6-7 of Surah al-Fatiha:

“Guide us to the straight path (6) the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray. (7)”

And through these verses it is also clear that the straight path is the path of those on whom Allah has bestowed His favor and these people are the Prophets (A.S.), the companions of the Prophet S.A.W.W. and all the righteous Muslims.

The question is whether we are ready to leave these insignificant and temporary things for something everlasting and worthwhile? There is one “happily ever after” that is possible even outside Disney and that is the one you will get from following Islam completely.

Anything good herein is from Allah Ta'ala and any shortcomings are from myself.

The other side...

One of my khalas (maternal aunt) is a Psychiatrist in Indianapolis. So one day, I was asking her if she ever gets extremely weird cases and she started telling me that the weirdest cases she gets are of teenagers. The reason being that since they are trying to discover themselves, hence they try all these different things like different religions etc.

With that explanation, she narrated one certain incident to me…

She told me, that once a boy came to her who seemed pretty normal on the outlook but on talking to him, she felt that he was devoid of emotions. And she wanted to know why it was so. So she started asking him about his life and what he did. She found out that he was a Satan worshipper.

*At this point I was like “woah” because I honestly thought that this was just something that they showed in the movies and that no one would actually be crazy enough to be a Satan worshipper. *

Anyway, continuing the conversation, khala told me that she asked him how he had become a Satan worshipper, what was his motivation to do so and if he had to do anything out of the blue to join such a group.

He said that once he was online and was randomly surfing the net so he came across this website of Satan worshippers and found it to be interesting. He started it as something fun and kept visiting the site. One day he thought of taking the plunge and becoming a Satan worshipper himself just for the heck of it. So he told the members of the website that he wanted to be a Satan worshipper and they told him that he couldn’t just become one because there was one thing that he had to do first.

And that one thing was that he had to sacrifice SOMEONE who was the MOST beloved to him before he could join this club…

This kid was baffled as the most beloved person for him was his mother, so he just put things on a halt for a while, trying to figure out what he was supposed to do. He loved his mother but he wanted to try this out too, he was on the verge of becoming a Satan worshipper and now he was confused.

Then one day, either because his mother scolded him or he was in a bad mood or something like that happened, that he decided that he was ready to “sacrifice” his mother. Not even thinking for a second, how real and grave this event would be for his own self.

Having made this decision he went online to that same website and he told the members of the site that he was ready, but he added that he didn’t know how to murder his mother because he loved her so much. (Astaghfirullah!)

And these new “friends” of his on the website willingly offered to do the job themselves, telling the kid that he only had to tell them his address. The kid, as if in a trance, told them his exact location. And soon enough, (I don’t remember if it was the next day or sometime later), these people murdered his mother. And the process was not simple enough like a blow in the head but they brutally murdered her, torturing her till the last breath escaped her lips because the sacrifice had to be done a certain way.

Allahu Akbar!

Khala told me that this kid was narrating this whole story to her without a single expression on his face! It was as if he was hollow inside, he hadn’t realized that seriousness of the situation till his mother was actually murdered but then it was too late…

This is the other side; the evil, barbaric, vulgar and inhumane side of this world which is very fancily hidden under the pretext of appealing and tempting things.

There is NO doubt left that Satan is indeed our open enemy:

“And [mention] when We said to the angles, "Prostrate to Adam," and they prostrated, except for Iblees. He said, "Should I prostrate to one You created from clay?" (61) [Iblees] said, "Do You see this one whom You have honored above me? If You delay me until the Day of Resurrection, I will surely destroy his descendants, except for a few." (62) [Allah] said, "Go, for whoever of them follows you, indeed Hell will be the recompense of you - an ample recompense. (63) And incite [to senselessness] whoever you can among them with your voice and assault them with your horses and foot soldiers and become a partner in their wealth and their children and promise them." BUT SATAN DOES NOT PROMISE THEM EXCEPT DELUSION.”- Surah Al-Isra, verses 61-64.

This is as true as it gets…

And on one hand, where Satan orders us to do profane, vulgar, indecent and vicious things, on the other hand Allah commands us to do good, kind and noble deeds! How obvious is the truth yet we are still SO ignorant!

“These are the verses of Allah. We recite them to you, [O Muhammad], in truth; and Allah wants no injustice to the worlds.” – Surah Al-i-Imran, verse 108.

“And do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Indeed, their killing is ever a great sin.”- Surah Al Isra, verse 31.

“And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. (23) And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, "My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small." (24)”- Surah Al Isra, verses 23-24.

This is Allah and this is Islam!!

SubhanAllah!!

Not only does Islam show us the right way to live so that we don’t end up doing injustice to our own selves but on top of that Allah Ta’ala gives us rewards on doing the SMALLEST of good deeds. For example, even smiling is charity!

"O mankind! What has made you careless about your Lord, the Most Generous?”- Surah Infitar, verse 6.

Anything good herein is from Allah Ta'ala and any shortcomings are from myself.

Ya Allah SWT, give us the strength to help our Muslim brothers and sisters no matter where they are. Ameen.

Purpose of life.

An excerpt from "Purpose of life".

The most important question in life is ‘Why are we here?’

Well, why are we here?  To amass fame and fortune?  To make music and babies?  To be the richest man or woman in the graveyard for, as we are jokingly told, “He who dies with the most toys wins?”

No, there must be more to life than that, so let’s think about this.  To begin with, look around you. Unless you live in a cave, you are surrounded by things we humans have made with our own hands.  Now, why did we make those things?  The answer, of course, is that we make things to perform some specific function for us.  In short, we make things to serve us.  So by extension, why did God make us, if not to serve Him?

If we acknowledge our Creator, and that He created humankind to serve Him, the next question is, “How? How do we serve Him?”  No doubt, this question is best answered by the One who made us.  If He created us to serve Him, then He expects us to function in a particular manner, if we are to achieve our purpose.  But how can we know what that manner is? How can we know what God expects from us?

Well, consider this: God gave us light, by which we can find our way.  Even at night, we have the moon for light and the stars for navigation. God gave other animals guidance systems best suited for their conditions and needs.  Migrating birds can navigate, even on overcast days, by how light is polarized as it passes through the clouds.  Whales migrate by “reading” the Earth’s magnetic fields.  Salmon return from the open ocean to spawn at the exact spot of their birth by smell, if that can be imagined.  Fish sense distant movements through pressure receptors that line their bodies.  Bats and blind river dolphins “see” by sonar.  Certain marine organisms (the electric eel being a high-voltage example) generate and “read” magnetic fields, allowing them to “see” in muddy waters, or in the blackness of ocean depths.  Insects communicate by pheromones.  Plants sense sunlight and grow towards it (phototrophism); their roots sense gravity and grow into the earth (geotrophism).  In short, God has gifted every element of His creation with guidance.  Can we seriously believe he would not give us guidance on the one most important aspect of our existence, namely our raison d’etre our reason for being? That he would not give us the tools by which to achieve salvation?

So what does the Creator, God, tell us about our purpose in life? God states in the Quran that He created the human to be His trustee on earth. Mankind’s basic trust, our responsibility, is to believe in and worship God:

And I did not create the jinn and humankind except to worship Me…  [Quran 51:56-58]

http://www.onereason.org/islam-unveiled/purpose-of-islam/

An eye opener! Please watch!

What’s Your Morning Routine?

I hate routine. Except when it comes to morning routines :) That’s something I try and stick to! ;)

There’s something about starting your day on a number of pre-planned actions that really set your day straight. Below I describe the ‘ideal’ ProductiveMuslim morning routine. (Note: I assume that Fajr Athan is at 5.00am and that work starts at 8am, feel free to ‘adjust’ the routine below to suit your timetable inshaAllah)

4.00AM – 5.00AM: 5 Essential Actions

1. Wake up!

Perhaps the first and most important step to having a great morning routine is waking up early! And it is in that moment of indecisiveness – whether you should wake up immediately or enjoy your nice comfy bed for ‘5 more minutes’- wherein lies the secret to either a great day or a crazy one. Here’s a tip that always works with me for waking up: You know how shaytaan whispers in your ears “just sleep for 5 more minutes”… I simply whisper back to myself “just wake up for 5 minutes” ;) Yup, you can imagine the rest. As soon as you’re awake and begin reciting the Adkhar and making wudhu, you can imagine what happens to sleep – (Gone! Left the building!).

2. Make the Dua(s) for waking up and recite last 10 verses of Surah Al-Imran

Alhamdulillah, we have a beautiful set of “waking up” supplications which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught us. A collection of Wake Up Supplications can be found on MakeDua.com. My favorite is the recitation of the last 10 verses of Al-Imran (Chapter 3 of the Quran). You can almost feel your heart coming to life and being ‘juiced’ when the first thing you do as soon as you wake up is remember Allah & recite His Glorious Words from the Quran.

3. Make Wudhu

We can all agree, there’s something about wudhu that really focuses your positive energy and cleanses you inwardly as well as outwardly. I had a friend who used to call this feeling “WuBuzz!” short for the “Buzz” you feel after wudhu ;) Don’t forget to say Bismillah before starting wudhu and the dua after finishing wudhu! The 8 gates of Heaven will be opened for you, (not a bad way to start your day ;) and you’ll feel refreshed and ready for the day ahead.

4. Tahajjud & Witr

Tahajjud or Qiyaam has been described as the “honour of the believer”, because who else would go through what you just did (wake up, wudhu..etc) just to stand up and pray? The beauty of Tahajjud is hard to describe; from the feeling of tranquility in your heart and understanding the Quran better at this time, to feeling closer to Allah at a time of isolation from others and wishing that you would never get up from that prostration, to self-reflection moments that we rarely get a chance to exercise in our busy world… all of them and more come from Tahajjud! Finally, praying Witr after Tahajjud and making sincere dua to Allah is a true booster to your day!

5. Istighfar moments

Don’t forget to use the last 5-10 minutes before Fajr to ask Allah for forgiveness and making lots of istighfar so that you are among those Allah mentioned in the Quran:“And in the hour of early dawn, they (were found) praying for Forgiveness” (Quran, Chapter 51, Verse 18).

5.00AM – 5.05 AM: Fajr Athan

Say as the muaddhin (The person who calls to Prayer) says and don’t forget the Dua after athan. Supplications Related to Athaan can also be found at MakeDua.com

5.05AM – 5.30AM: Between Athan & Iqama

1. Pray the 2 rak’ahs Sunnah of Fajr

Don’t miss this! Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The two rakahs before the dawn (Fajr) prayer are better than this world and all that it contains. (Riyad-us-Saliheen (Hadith # 1102). Just think about this hadeeth for a moment; 5 minutes of your time to pray 2 short rak’ahs are better than this whole wide world with all its’ lands, people, treasures, nature and beyond! SubhanaAllah!

Also, if this is the importance and merit of the Sunnah of Fajr, what about the obligatory Fajr prayer itself? (There is a heartwarming video reminder to those who neglect Fajr Salah called: ‘Are you neglecting the Fajr Prayer?’)

2. Dua

Did you know that the time between the Athan & Iqama is a prime time to make dua? Make the most of it! Narrated Anas ibn Malik: “The supplication made between the athan and the iqamah is not rejected.” (Sunan Abu Dawood, Book #2, Hadith #0521)

3. Lie on your right side

Narrated ‘Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her): “Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) used to pray two light rakahs before the morning (compulsory) prayer after the day dawned and the Mu’addhin had finished his adhan. He then would lie on his right side till the Mu’addhin came to pronounce the Iqama.” (Sahih Bukhari, Book #11, Hadith #599)

4. Brainstorm session

I sometimes use this time to either plan my day, or brainstorm ideas for ProductiveMuslim/articles or just reading and writing. You’ll be surprised how active your brain is at this time! You’re awake, alert and kicking ;)

5. Quran memorization

Speaking of your mind being active, memorizing Quran at this time is incredible as well. I have tried memorizing Quran after Asr/Maghreb when I’m tired and back from work Vs. after Fajr. The difference is overwhelming, SubhanaAllah! After Fajr, your brain is truly like a sponge and it is the best time to memorize verses from the Quran :).

5.30AM – 6.00am: Fajr Salat & Dhikr

If you are a brother, and can get to a mosque no matter how far – go for it! The beauty of praying Fajr in the masjid is hard to describe. I prefer walking to the Masjid Vs. driving (cycling is good as well ;) since you get a chance to breath in the fresh morning air; Allah says in the Quran: “And the Dawn as it breathes away the darkness” (Chapter 81, Verse 18)

After Fajr Salah, sit back, relax and enjoy performing the post Salah Dhikr and morning supplications.

6.00 – 6.30am: Recite, Read or Exercise

1. Quran Memorization/Recitation

Recite and/or Memorize Quran as mentioned previously, or if you have a good tafsir book, then reading the meaning of at least one page of the Quran is a great bonus!

2. Reading

Spend this time reading Islamic material. I stress that the reading must be Islamic, because as I mentioned previously, your mind is like a sponge at this time and is highly active. You want whatever you’re reading to be truly embedded into your mind & soul inshaAllah.

Suggested books to read: Hadeeth books, Stories of the Prophets, Seerah, etc…

3. Exercise

Another option is a quick 30 minute exercise. This could be jogging around the block, cycling, using a treadmill, some aerobics/cardiovascular exercises and anything that builds your stamina.

6.30AM – 6.45: Plan Your Day

This is where I plan the rest of my day, of course, using the Taskinator ;). Sometimes I check and send e-mails around this time as well to help me plan my day or set out tasks for myself and team members.

6.45AM – 7.00: Get Ready For Work

Shower, get dressed, and gather your paper work, (although organizing your items the night before makes this 15 minute process of getting ready a lot smoother!) Put things where you can find them so that you don’t waste time searching for them.

7.00AM – 7.10: Duha Prayers.

Nothing sets your day straight like Duha prayer, as mentioned in the “Top 7 Spiritual Productivity Habits” to adopt. Nu`aym ibn Hammar (Allah be pleased with him) relates that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: “Allah Most High says: O child of Adam, don’t fail to perform four rakahs in the beginning of your day, and I shall be your sufficiency at its end.” (Abu Dawud (1289) and Tirmidhi (475).

7.15AM – 7.30AM: Breakfast

Reward yourself for a ProductiveMorning with a big FAT hearty (healthy) breakfast! Try to avoid caffeine and have a fibre filled bowl of goodness to set you in good stead.

7.30AM – 8.00AM: Commute to Work

Don’t forget my tips about commuting ProductiveMuslim style! ;)

Imagine if all your mornings were like the above… how much will you gain spiritually? How much knowledge will you acquire? What will your mood be like for the rest of the day? Try the above, just for one day, and let me know how it goes inshaAllah.

This article has been taken from: http://www.productivemuslim.com/

Inviting the Angels of Mercy

By Zehrah Yakoob

Imagine having angels descend from heaven to one’s place. Angels of blessing entering a house day and night; angels sent by Allah to the house of His favourites; angels praying for one while he/she’s involved in recitation of Quran; seeking useful knowledge or even when he/she is simply sleeping in a state of wudu. Angels covering the house under their wings of the one involved in zikr of Allah, the Almighty. Who wouldn’t want all this? So if there’s just this one little hindrance stopping these angels of mercy from entering your house, wouldn’t you want to remove it? Wouldn’t you want to have a blessed home? Wouldn’t you want your house to shine for those in the heaven like the stars shine for us?


Hanging up pictures of animated beings is that very hindrance which deprives people of such a great blessing that is the entrance of angels into their house. It has been narrated by Abu Talha that he heard Allah's Apostle (S.A.W.) saying; "Angels (of Mercy) do not enter a house wherein there is a dog or a picture of a living creature (a human being or an animal)." [Muslim]


As tough as it may sound to those who have their rooms filled with pictures of animated objects, the task to get rid of something the All-Mighty detests is actually not that hard at all. In fact, the old quotation “when there’s a will, there’s a way” works amazingly well when the task at hand is something you are doing for the Love of Allah or for the love of His Prophet (S.A.W.).


If Allah helps you, none can overcome you; and if He forsakes you, who is there after Him that can help you? And in Allah (Alone) let believers put their trust. [Surah Al- Imran 3:160]


We can simply replace the wall hangings of animate objects with inanimate ones. Frames of verses, hadiths, quotations, natural scenery or/and your certificates etc and they are all acceptable. Almost EVERYTHING nowadays comes with pictures, Shaitan will easily fool you, making believe that it’s almost impossible to stay away from this bad nowadays so it’s okay not to fret about it but the trick is simple: keep all framed or hanging pictures lying around your house faced the side without pictures, or if they have pictures on all sides then keep it in closed places like cupboards, drawers etc. 


Newspapers commonly have the most pictures in them. Find the page that has no picture in it and keep it faced up on that side. Dispose off soap, toothpaste and other pictured product boxes as soon as possible. Gather your own pictures lying around and set them in albums. (Note: It’s preferable to completely get rid of stuff with animate pictures but as a start you can begin with these recommendations) It is also worth noting here that one should strictly avoid hanging pictures of the dead. This is very common around us. Doing so is not only prohibited in Islam but also renews the grief. Let us recall that shirk in old times was usually initiated when people set up pictures of the dead ones who had lived righteously. And eventually the people of the later generations started praying to them and giving them higher status than the very Creator, Himself.


And the people of Moses made in his absence, out of their ornaments, the image of a calf (for worship).  It had a sound (as if it was mooing).  Did they not see that it could neither speak to them nor guide them to the way?  They took it for worship and they were zalimun (wrong-doers). [Surah Al-A'raf 7:148]


Similarly, just as we’re not supposed to keep pictures in our homes, we’re also not supposed to DRAW pictures of living things either. But that’s a whole new topic in it of itself. A hadith to be keep in mind is that the Prophet (S.A.W.)  said: “Every image-maker will be in the Fire, and every image that he made will be made to appear to him and will torment him in Hell.”


It is sad, however, that us, Muslims are living in such ignorance that we don’t even know this strict ruling against pictures in Islam. Ask yourselves; what kind of Muslims are we, really? We are Muslims who keep pictures of animated creatures for ‘decorative’ purposes or for the ‘remembrance’ of other people. We are ready to replace the Rehmat of Allah Ta’ala with the satisfaction we get from seeing pictures of strangers, relatives, our own selves and/or even animals. We are Muslims who are ready to lose the Rehmat of Allah being sent on us by putting up immodest boards (especially lawn boards) all over the city. Then we cry over how miserable our lives and the conditions of this country are. How can one expect to be in peace in a place where there’s no Rehmat of Allah Ta’ala?


We can’t achieve anything without Allah Ta’ala’s Help and Mercy on our sides. So may Allah help us remove pictures of all living things and animated beings from our homes and from all over the country. And may Allah take us out of our ghaflat. May Allah grant us the taufeeq to seek and implement on the knowledge regarding what our Lord has commanded and what our Prophet (S.A.W.).


“We turn to you Ya Allah, we beg you to save us from the ghaflat that we are in. We are ashamed of having broken your rules; please turn us into your obedient slaves. Aameen.”

رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
[الأعراف :23]
Our Lord! We have wronged our own souls: If thou forgive us not and bestow not upon us Thy Mercy, we shall certainly be lost.
[7:23]

Anything good written here is from Allah and any mistake is from myself. 

Better than a revolution

Corruption, killing, robbery, lies, deceit, bribery, adultery have all become regular items of our news. Perhaps our people are now so blinded with only their self-interest in mind that a life only has value as long as it is one’s own. Our people are being slaughtered like goats and cows and what’s worse is that nobody is willing to change things because they are worried about what will happen to their own selves. Our morality is going down the drain. Our television shows ridicule our leaders and draw humor out of it whereas our leaders have been ridiculing us for even longer, what people don’t understand is that “hum sab umeed se nahin hain balke hum sab behiss hain.” Perhaps they should make a show on that.

We are a diverse nation with Balochis, Pathans, Siraikis, Gujratis, Memons, Punjabis, Urdu speaking and people from many other areas and somehow these differences are now causing conflicts. And how could they not when we seem to have lost the binding force that united us in the very first place? The basis on which we all united was, is and will always be superior than any difference could ever be; we united for Islam and for a nation in which we could freely practice Islam. What is ironic however is that the country for which so many lives were sacrificed is now  a place where human blood is cheap, where Islam was supposed to be practiced has become a place where even humanity is unseen and unheard of.

Perhaps, it is as though we’ve entered the dark ages once more. Yet there is still one cure and one source that can heal the damages done and prevent all future ones; that source is Islam. And the Only Being Who can save us from the tyranny of these landlords, corrupt leaders and corrupt officials is the Most Supreme Being; Allah. Higher education, technology, MUNs and all such things can only take us so far; however, we will only become HUMAN BEINGS once again in the very true sense once we start following Islam properly. We now more than ever need to turn to Allah for help, for acceptance, for forgiveness and for seeing the truth as it is.  We are struck in distress and natural calamities have, as if, taken a toll on us and it is nothing but the fact that we have angered Allah but He, the Rahman, the Raheem, still gives us another chance; every day, every minute, every second. So expensive is our time yet we take ALL of it for granted; laughing it off, sitting on facebook, talking about vain things so on and so forth.

We are meant to live for so much more yet we have lost sight of our purpose. Our purpose isn’t to get a good college degree or a good job, those are just supposed to assist us in our living. Our actual and primary purpose is to please our Lord, the Creator of all things; for He hasn’t created the human beings and the jinn for any other purpose but to worship Him. And the irony is that our lives seem to revolve around all things but seeking the pleasure of Allah. We have to squeeze out time to pray to Allah, in between our very “busy” schedules.

Islam is not just a religion, it is a light. Without it, there can be no morality.

“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp, the lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He wills. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things.” –Surah Nur, Verse 35.

We need to come back to Islam. Start from the basics if you have to, or more so, start from simply learning about Islam. But know that Islam IS the answer to all our problems and the only answer to it as well.  We can’t change the world and nobody is asking us to either; we can only change ourselves first and then the ones in our circle of influence. If all of us just do this alone then this, in it of itself, will bear fruits which will be better than any revolution.

“ And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives”- Surah Najam, Verse 39.

Value time, value opportunities, seek the truth, learn about Islam and spread it. And then leave the rest to Allah and see what miracles happen!

Quran: Learn, Love and Live to recite

The excellence of love for the sake of Allah.

Excerpt from a page:

These are ahadith regarding the excellence of love for the sake of Allah and encouraging it, and a man who loves another informing him of that and what he says to him when he informs him  The excellence of love for the sake of Allah:

375. Anas reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Anyone who possesses three attributes will experience the sweetness of belief: that he loves Allah and His Messenger more than anything else; that he loves someone for the sake of Allah alone; and that he hates the idea of reverting to disbelief as much as he would hate being thrown into a fire." [Agreed upon]

376. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "There are seven whom Allah will shade with His shade on the day when there is no shade but His shade: a just Imam, a youth who grows up worshipping Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, a man whose heart is attached to the mosque, two men who love each other for the sake of Allah, meeting and parting for that reason alone, a man who refuses the advances of a noble and beautiful woman, saying, 'I fear Allah', a man who gives sadaqa and conceals it so that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives, and a man who remembers Allah when he is alone and his eyes overflow with tears." [Agreed upon]

377. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah Almighty will say on the Day of Rising, 'Where are those who loved one another for the sake of My majesty? Today, on the day when there is no shade but My shade, I will shade them.'" [Muslim]

378. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "By the one who has my soul in His hand, you will not enter the Garden until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I point out to you something which will make you love one another if you do it? Make the greeting widespread among you." [Muslim]



Reference:
http://www.sunnipath.com/library/Hadith/H0004P0046.aspx

A bitter comparison

Every child is asked the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Of course, the reply is not taken seriously when we’re young, but this very same question later becomes the subject of our lives with everything revolving around it. Honestly speaking, I have never cared much about studies; I’ve always studied just as much as was needed to get a decent grade to save myself from uncalled for embarrassment and scolding. Yet, during my A’ levels, I was constantly asked about which university I wanted to go to, what were my future plans etc that even I saw myself being horribly worried. 

Not that it is wrong to worry in such matters, in fact I respect the people who take their studies seriously without losing their senses completely but the only thing that bothers me is that how something which is so much more important than all this is subsided. How come I wasn’t ever told to be concerned about my relationship with God, yet always made to worry about this world and how I would survive in it?

This is the bitter comparison that all of us shy away from. Some of us have been lucky that our families have retained at least some essential values of Islam and passed them onto us but most of us see Islam as nothing more than a backward ideology. We make no efforts to learn anything about Islam and form our opinions based on other peoples’ opinions which are based on some other peoples’ opinions whose own opinions are faulty to begin with. Our concept of striking the perfect balance between Islam and this world is of that person who focuses on the success of this world but also remembers God sometimes as per his/her need.

Is it really balance in wanting to excel in all things worldly and doing even less than the bare-minimum in religion? Is the concept of the prayer just to peck our heads on the ground like crows or is it an experience that brings us closer to God? When we learn about a theory we study it first and then look at its criticisms, yet with Islam we believe the criticisms first and then never even bother studying what Islam actually stands for. This is what we call balance! 

And then if someone makes even a little bit of an effort to get on the right track then people start being “concerned” for him/her. How come such concern is only shown when someone strives for religion and not when they strive for this world? In fact, we are told to strive for competition in the world. They say only the fittest survive, well  if the fittest are the ones who rob, abuse, oppress, corrupt, cheat, lie and do all such wonderful things then I’m happy that they believe they came from apes, for verily such traits cannot and should not be seen in human beings.

It is the right of every single person to study Islam because ignorance is verily not bliss and ignorance can never be equal to knowledge. Learning about Islam is our job and giving guidance is Allah’s job and Allah is perfect in whatever He does. We cannot just blindly follow our whims and believe things that random people say about Islam. Look up and study about Islam for yourself and then whatever you decide to believe in will at least be your choice, not somebody else’s choice that they made for you.

Working on implementation

The purpose of learning about Islam is not just to increase one’s knowledge but to act on that knowledge as well. As Shaykh Kamal El Mekki said, “Knowledge is just a tool for application, if you spend your whole life preparing the tool, then when are you going to use it?” So even though we all love talks and lectures on Islam, still very few of us are able to practically apply Islam in our lives. So here is an attempt to In shaa Allah follow some steps which can help us incorporate Islam into our everyday lives.

The first and foremost step before doing any and everything is to have the right intention. If you are even doing something as simple as switching off the lights before leaving a room, do it with a “niyyat” that Allah does not like extravagance. One thing that can help here is to make a habit of saying Bismillah before starting any and everything. Doing this also helps keep one in check because you can obviously not say Bismillah before listening to, watching or doing anything inappropriate.

Secondly don’t undervalue any good deed, even the smallest of deeds done with a pure intention carry a lot of weight. Also the best of actions in the eyes of Allah are those that are consistent. So be consistent.

Furthermore, our “ikhlaq” i.e. our behavior towards others is of immense importance as well, Muslims cannot and should not have pride and thus should be humble and loving towards one and other. Smiling is a sunnah and a good character is essential to being a good Muslim.

Find beauty in sunnah, observe the sunnah and give sunnah its due importance. Shaykh Kamaludin said in one of his lectures that sunnah is not sunnat in its importance. Meaning that in order to become good Muslims, we NEED to follow sunnah. So value sunnah and strive to follow as many sunnats as you possibly can. Start with the basic ones like always saying salam when you meet someone and also when you bid farewell, don’t drink water right after finishing a meal, sit on the floor while eating, smile at your brother/sister etc.

We should also always remember Allah and remember the fact that this life is temporary and that all things in this life will be left behind except our deeds. We should remember that Allah is always present and He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing and this should In shaa Allah keep us away from sins.

One more thing we need to do is that we need to be regular in salah and we should not just “pray” salah but rather we should “establish” it. Because when Allah Ta’ala mentions salah, He doesn’t use the words “pray salah”, but instead He says “aqeem-us-salat” that is establish salah. How is establishing salah different from just praying it? When we establish salah then our actions and deeds outside our salah start becoming better as well because salah then acts as a reminder rather than just a ritual.

And the last and the final step: keep praying to Allah for guidance because whomsoever Allah guides, no one can misguide and whomsoever He misguides, no one can set aright. May Allah guide all of us! Aameen!

Sleep and time management.

So these are some notes that I've made while attending an online workshop on "sleep and time management" by Zaynab Academy. They are very informal and I'm only putting them up here so that In shaa Allah it may be of benefit.

Introduction; Significance of time:

               

      ·      We won’t be able to make this excuse to Allah that we didn’t have enough time. Because that is one blessing that has been given to everyone.

      ·         Everything (youth packages, media, etc) is centered on the youth because young people have the most time!!

      ·         Most of us take time for granted. And we let time take control of us rather than us controlling it.

      ·         Prophet S.A.W. said: “Value five things before five things; value youth before old age, health before sickness, affluence before poverty, free time before occupation and life before death.”  

      ·         There is one regret that even the people of jannah will have and that will be of any time that passed them in which they did not remember Allah.

      ·         How to manage time and sleep? Through effort and barakah.

Asbab of barakah:

There are four asbab of barakah; taqwa, dhikr, dua and being attached to elders.

(1) Having taqwa is the key element in attaining barakah of Allah. Example: Prophet S.A.W. was able to bring about the strongest revolution in just 23 years and Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, this was all due to Allah’s barakah.

(2) The more dhikr we do, the more barakah we’ll have in our lives. And if we plan to do a lot and are not able to do as much as we planned then we shouldn’t be disappointed as that is from shaitan. We should instead thank Allah for any progress that we’ve been able to make.

(3) And then we should also pray to Allah to shower our lives with barakah.

(4) We should be attached to our elders as that also brings barakah in our lives.

Why does barakah leave our lives?

Barakah leaves our lives due to the following:

·         Committing sins,

·         Misdirecting the gaze,

·         Not having the right/sincere intention for doing the right things.

How to make barakah enter our lives?

              

      ·      We should always have our gaze on Allah Ta’ala and realize that we are naaqis and that only Allah can    make our efforts worth anything and everything. And that on our own we cannot do anything.

      ·         Understanding efforts. Meaning that nothing is possible without putting effort and hard work into it. “Man can have nothing but what he strives for”- (53:39),

“As for those who strive on Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with those who excel.”- (29:69)

      ·         One thing that can change our lives is changing our sleep schedules. “If we master our nights, then we’ll master our days.”- Shaykh Kamaluddin Ahmed.

      ·         Everything is in an order; measured and perfect in proportion and balance.

      ·         Average optimum level of sleep is 6 hours. And eight hours or more are just too much!

      ·         And if we cut down on 2 hours every day of sleep then we will have 90 days being added to every year of our lives!!!

      ·         Decrease sleep by fifteen minutes every day and check if we still feel fresh. And when we stop feeling fresh then we should stop.

      ·         Also the way we sleep also has an impact on how many sleeping hours are optimal for us. And if we sleep at the right time, the right way then 5.5 or 6.5 hours are optimal for us.

      ·         So when should we sleep? Prophet (S.A.W.) hated sleeping before Isha, as in after isha azaan and before namaz. We shouldn’t start something fresh after isha. 

Importance of not sleeping after fajr!

       ·         DO NOT SLEEP AFTER FAJR.

       ·         SLEEPING AFTER FAJR IS OUT OF THE QUESTION.

       ·         The Prophet (S.A.W.) said, “Barakah has been kept for my ummah in the early hours of the day.” And this is something that even the non-Muslims have recognized.

       ·         And the Prophet (S.A.W.) prayed to Allah to keep barakah in the early hours of the day for his ummah. And sleeping after fajr is khilaf-e-sunnat. Aur subah majlis hua karti thi after fajr in the morning in the time of the Prophet (S.A.W.).

       ·         Sleeping in the early hours of the day puts a barrier on our rizk. And rizk does not just refer to monetary rizk.

       ·         Samuel Walton used to plan from 4:00 to 6:00 a.m. And he used to play tennis at 12:00 pm and then he would take a sunnat qaylula nap after lunch.

       ·         Allah has not prescribed fajr salah JUST to disrupt our sleep!! But one of the maqasid of fajr salah is to wake us up early in the morning and to make us START our day with the dhikr of Allah Subhanu-wa-Ta’ala.

       ·         Our body clock recognizes the difference between natural light and artificial night, and our body relies on the natural light.

       ·         When we're not organized, we have fights/arguments at home.

       ·         Vicious Cycle: when we don't have time to work, we don't have time for ibadah, we don't do zikr, we don't follow the sunnahs, we barely even do the farz... causes a complete breakdown.

       ·         Disturbs our relationships with people and causes frustration.

Importance of Qaylula:

• Qaylula is a mustaqil sunnah of nabi kareem (s.a.w) and also of the sahaba. 
• Circadian rhythms fall out at afternoon time. It's natural. We get angry at feeling sleepy and we drink CHAI.  :P
• We suppress our natural urge to sleep.
• If you want to wake up for tahajjud, you should sleep in afternoon.
• Qaylula is for 30-45 minutes, anytime between zawal (12-12.30) and asar.
• Power naps are extremely refreshing!!
• Most mammals sleep in two periods. So are humans programmed, but we try to be so over efficient. :P

      ·         Napping is very important and can also be done without properly lying down. Like napping in the car or napping while putting head on the desk etc. Yaani we should try and make a habit of napping, no matter what. We should bring this sunnah back alive in our lives and pray to Allah to make it possible for us to do so.

      ·         Many businesses have also started encouraging naps.

How to develop good sleep?

     ·         Un-clutter bedroom!!

     ·         Reduce in-take of caffeine and soda before we go to sleep. Like not drink them from around 3-5 hours before sleep.

     ·         As for soda imagine someone else is making money off our health.

     ·         Do regular exercise as it helps in the production of serotonin- serotonin is also known as the happy hormone.

     ·         After qiyam-ul-layl, we CAN sleep after ishraq time!! But right after fajr ko sona is like really bad!

     ·         Sitting is killing us!! L L

     ·         Start with 30 minutes exercise 3-4 times a week!! Then build it up slowly!!

How to manage time?

      

      ·         Allocate time slots for different activities like, for example this time to this time we should answer emails, from this to this time we should study, from this to this time we should recite Quran etc.

      ·         Be conscious of time and this can be seen by the break-down of duas with relevance to time, as well.

      ·         Everything we need to and that we do should be guided by a mission!

      ·         Things shouldn’t be random in our lives and EVERYTHING should be scheduled!!

      ·         Prioritizing is very important!

      ·         Schedule activities around our salahs.

      ·         Friday is supposed to be an eid for momins.

      ·         Regularity is very important. Each thing that Prophet S.A.W. did had a specific time limit.

      ·         We should find sukun and peace in our salahs and through other breaks as well

Conclusion:

       VALUE TIME. Especially for the ones who are young and youth is from 18 years to 40 years.

       ·         And we should always plan and write down everything we have to do in a day before it starts and we should NOT let random events run our days. We should have a daily list of things to do, a monthly list and even a yearly list!! To value time and to see progress.

      ·         We should write down even the smallest of things that we have to do!!

      ·         Set deadlines for things! There should be a limit for everything. “facebook pe bethe hain toh bethe hain!!” L

      ·         Have activities for stress relief- ibadah, dhikr, exercise, leisure.

      ·         Keep trying and keep making dua to Allah and keep saying “Lahawla wala quwatta illahbillah hil ‘aliyyil azeem” and don’t get sad but rather work on your nafs and get angry when you don’t make any progress but thank Allah even if we make a little progress.

      ·         How to become determined?? By thanking Allah Ta’ala very often and making dua for it.