Note: The standard openings and closings of a Khutba are not included, assuming that Khateebs are familiar with these elements.

Introduction

Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an:

“God decrees that there are twelve months—ordained in God’s Book on the Day when He created the heavens and earth—four months of which are sacred: this is the correct calculation. Do not wrong your souls in these months- though you may fight the idolaters at any time, if they first fight you—remember that God is with those who are mindful of Him.”

(9:36)

• Many of us may have memorized the names of the Islamic months when we were kids, or taught our own children the song that lists out all the Islamic months. 
• Over time though, we forget—how many of us can confidently list the 12 Islamic months in order, the 4 sacred months, and also which month it is?
• This is because aside from a few important dates like Ramadan, Eid, Arafah, and Ashurah—the Islamic calendar doesn’t play much of a role in our lives other than as a cultural artifact.

Reconnecting ourselves with the Islamic calendar can be a way of also reconnecting ourselves to Allah and following the sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ). 

Following the Islamic calendar is a form of worship, and facilitates worship

Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an:

“He is the One Who made the sun a radiant source and the moon a reflected light, with precisely ordained phases, so that you may know the number of years and calculation ˹of time˺. Allah did not create all this except for a purpose (haqq). He makes the signs clear for people of knowledge”.

(10:5)

Expounding on ḥaqq, al-Qurṭubī (d. 671 AH) states: “Allah did not intend to create the moon except with wisdom and accuracy, as a means to display His creation and wisdom, as evidence for His will and knowledge, and to reward all those who follow it.” Ibn ʿAṭīyah (d. 541 AH) defined al-dīn al-qayyim as “the law of God and following it.” Thus, the scholars did not view use of the Islamic calendar merely as a tool to measure time, but also as a form of worship¹.

• We usually find ourselves making good preparations for Ramadan. When it comes to the fasting of Arafah or Ashurah however, many times we are caught completely off guard that those important days are coming. It’s usually not until the Juma before if the khateeb mentions it that we then quickly make plans to fast on those days. 
• Reconnecting with the Islamic calendar allows us to plan for those days and other important events like the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah the same way we might plan for important holidays or breaks on the Gregorian calendar. 
• Simply knowing when the sacred months are can help us earn more good deeds when we make the intention of doing more because of being in a sacred month. Ibn Abbas (ra) said, ‘In all (twelve) months, Allah then chose four out of these months and made them sacred, emphasising their sanctity, making sinning in them greater, in addition to multiplying the rewards of righteous deeds during them’. [Tafseer Ibn Katheer]
• The Prophet (ﷺ) gave a sermon during his hajj and said: Time has completed a cycle and assumed the form of the day when Allah created the heavens and the earth. The year contains twelve months of which four are sacred, three of them consecutive, viz. Dhul-Qa’dah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram and also Rajab of Mudar which comes between Jumadah and Sha’ban.²
• While Ramadan has special blessing, it is not the only month in which there is extra Barakah. Reconnecting ourselves to the Islamic calendar equips us to seek that. 

Following the Islamic calendar allows us to fulfill sunnah actions we might otherwise ignore

• The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to command us to fast the days of the white (nights): thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth of the month. He said: This is like keeping perpetual fast.³ We can only follow this sunnah consistently if we are following the Islamic calendar.
• It is a sunnah to go out and look for the new moon for the month, and there is even a dua associated with it—at the sight of the new moon (of the lunar month), the Prophet (ﷺ) used to supplicate: “Allahumma ahillahu ‘alaina bil-amni wal-iman, was-salamati wal-Islam, Rabbi wa Rabbuk-Allah, Hilalu rushdin wa khairin (O Allah, let this moon appear on us with security and Iman; with safety and Islam. (O moon!) Your Rubb and mine is Allah. May this moon be bringing guidance and good).”⁴
• Tracking the monthly cycles of the moon (and thus the Islamic calendar) also gives us the ability to truly practice upon the ayaat of the Qur’an that push us to reflect on the cycles of the moon, and how perfectly they move in orbit. 

Distancing us from an Islamic identity is a trick of Shaytan to misguide

Of the characteristics of those who are misguided are:

“Those who prefer the life of this world over the life to come, who turn others from God’s way, trying to make it crooked: such people have gone far astray.”

(14:3)

• One of Shaytan’s biggest tricks is to make people feel that anything aligned to guidance is somehow backwards, or unsophisticated (i.e. to make it appear crooked). 
• Alignment to a Gregorian calendar can be considered easier, and even more conducive to business. We should stop and ask ourselves why we are willing to accept another calendar as superior, or willing to compromise to make it easier for others rather than the other way around. 
• We look to convenience but we ignore the cost—what are the consequences of following a Gregorian calendar? It forces us into a consumer mentality that encourage us to constantly spend to mark occasions—Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Prime Day, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and on and on. 
• Contrast that with the impact of following a calendar that forces you to consider your acts of worship, when to increase your fasting, when to increase your good deeds, when to increase your recitation of the Qur’an, when to plan for Hajj, and so on. 
• It may seem like a small act, but following an Islamic calendar in our personal lives is a way to reject the secular and reclaim the Divine. 

Conclusion

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said:

“Know that whoever revives a tradition from my Sunnah if it has died out after me, he will have a reward like those who act upon it without diminishing any of their rewards. Whoever innovates a misguided heresy not pleasing to Allah and His messenger, he will have a sin like those who act upon it without diminishing any of the people’s burdens.”

Sahih Muslim

• While some may ask what’s the point, or if it is even worth the hassle, we should know that there is immense reward in reviving any sunnah of the Messenger (ﷺ). 
• We can reconnect ourselves to the Islamic calendar in numerous ways—putting one up in the house, changing our phone display to show a Hijri calendar, or even going out regularly to look for the new moon each month. 
• When we reconnect ourselves, our families, and our communities to the Islamic calendar, we all can play a role in reviving this special sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ). 

1. The Months Ordained by Allah: Reviving the Islamic Calendar ︎
2. https://sunnah.com/abudawud:1947 ︎
3. https://sunnah.com/abudawud:2449 ︎
4. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:1228 ︎

Acknowledgement

You can follow Omar’s work at http://ibnabeeomar.substack.com. To invite him to conduct Khateeb and public speaking training in your community please visit https://www.ibnabeeomar.com/speaking.

The post #GoHijri Friday Sermon appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

Normally, you’d use the classic Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks according to their importance and urgency. Anything important and urgent, you’ll try to get done first and then you’ll focus on important but not urgent before getting to the urgent but not important.

While the above tool is useful – however, it has two shortfalls:

1. Most important/urgent tasks are set to you by others (your boss, family, colleagues, etc). So you’re constantly reacting to the never-ending external demands on your time, leaving little room for activities you care deeply about that may not fit into other’s demands.
2. You constantly find yourself in firefighting mode, trying to get rid of urgent tasks and caught in the rat race of life – not having time for those impactful and meaningful projects that truly matter in the long run.

In our busy schedule, when do we have time to prioritize activities beyond the urgent and immediately important? When do we have time to prioritize tasks that align with our deepest intentions or have an impact beyond ourselves? 

Introducing The Intention-Impact Matrix

The intention-impact matrix is a conceptual tool we’ve developed at The Productive Muslim Company to help individuals align their tasks and actions with long-term impact and underlying intention. This is particularly aligned with our Barakah Culture approach to productivity.  

This tool encourages us to reflect on the deeper reasons for undertaking tasks and their potential impact instead of reacting simply to what’s urgent and important at the moment.

It’s a 2×2 matrix with intentions on the y-axis and impact on the x-axis. 

• Intentions can be high or low. Intentions are high when they are spiritually driven, hereafter focused, and sincerely for Allah SWT. Intentions are low when they are worldly-focused and ego-centered (I discuss this hierarchy of intentions in more detail in my book The Barakah Effect, order here).
• Impact can be high or low. Impact is high when it affects others positively or will resonate beyond one’s lifetime. Impact is low when it only impacts yourself or has very short-term consequences. 

Here’s a brief explanation of the four quadrants in your Intentions/Impact Matrix:

• High Intention/High Impact: These are activities taken with the highest intentions that have a substantial positive impact on others and/or resonate beyond one’s lifetime. It could involve social work, charitable acts, or significant projects with long-term benefits.
• High Intention/Low Impact: These involve personal practices that are important on an individual level and are done with pure intentions but may not have a broad or lasting impact on others. This includes personal rituals or habits contributing to one’s spiritual, physical, or mental development. e.g., exercise, reading, and private acts of worship like prayer and fasting.
• Low Intention/High Impact: Here, the actions have the potential for a significant positive impact, but the underlying intentions may not be spiritually driven. You might do the action for worldly gain or reputation and fame. If you find actions in this quadrant, it’s a call for you to reevaluate your intention to align potentially impactful actions with higher intentions.
• Low Intention/Low Impact: Activities that fall into this quadrant are neither driven by high intentions nor do they result in significant impact. These are often trivial or time-wasting activities that one should aim to reduce or eliminate, e.g., scrolling through social media or watching non-beneficial videos online.

How do you use this matrix to prioritize your activities?

Take stock of all your projects, tasks, and activities you have in life, and ask yourself where they fit in the above matrix.

You’ll need to ask two important questions about each activity you are engaged in:

1. What’s my intention?
2. What’s the impact?

• For high intentions/high impact activities – prioritize them and focus on them on a daily/weekly basis. 
• For high intentions/low impact activities – maintain what you can from them, but don’t go overboard or at the expense of high intentions/high impact activities.
• For low intentions/high impact activities – upgrade your intentions and make them sincerely for God and not just for worldly gain/ego satisfaction.
• For low intentions/low-impact activities – minimize or eliminate from your life as much as possible.

Compare the above to the Eisenhower matrix which focuses on just urgent/important and you’d realize that the Intention-Impact matrix adds a layer of spirituality and long-term thinking, leading to more Barakah in one’s life.

Practical tips for implementing the Intentions-Impact matrix in your life

1. Use our Barakah Journal to set daily/weekly intentions for the day. This will make you constantly think about your “intentions list” vs. “to-do list” each day/week. 
2. Try to upgrade your intentions on any activity you’re engaged in – you want to constantly connect all that you do (from the mundane to the most profound) with the higher intention of serving Allah SWT. (see discussion on how to elevate intentions in this Barakah Journal workshop video)
3. Try having at least one activity in your day in the high intention/high impact quadrant. The activity doesn’t have to be big; it can be helping a friend, visiting a sick person, or caring for an older person.

FAQs about Intentions-Impact Matrix

1. Does low impact mean low value?

No! Low impact does NOT mean low value. It means that its circle of impact is much smaller than the high-impact activities.

Moreover, you NEED some of the ‘low impact’ activities to recharge your spiritual, physical, and mental energy to handle high-impact work.

For example, a low-impact activity may be praying, fasting, or exercising… they are essential activities, and we need to do them. However, we should not use them as ‘excuses’ for not doing the high-impact work.

What’s important with low-impact activities is to keep the intentions for them for Allah’s sake and not let our intentions slide to low ego-centered intentions.

2. Can mundane activities become high-intention activities?

The short answer is yes. We discussed this in detail with Dr. Abdallah Rothman in the video below. We talked about how making coffee or doing doing the laundry can be a high-intention activity. Check it out below (starting around the 30-mins mark):

3. What if my season of life doesn’t allow me to focus on high intentions/high-impact activity?

Sometimes, you go through a season of life where you need to take care of young children or an elderly parent, or you’re going through a tough physical/financial time in your life. 

You might feel that you’re ‘missing out’ on doing the high-intention/high-impact work, especially if you’re active in social work. 

This is where you need to reframe the situation: You need to reframe your responsibility as your high-intention/high-impact activity during this season of life; so reframe taking care of kids, or your elderly parent, or the health/financial challenge as a spiritual quest that you know if you fulfill with sincerity and Ihsaan, you’ll be getting the reward for doing high impact work. 

Remember, the story of the young man who wanted to fight in the cause of Allah with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and the Prophet (peace be upon him) advised him to serve his parents because his parents needed him at that time.

I hope you find this tool useful and impactful. I’d love to hear your feedback on this matrix and what decisions it helped you make.

The post Beyond Urgent: Prioritizing Life Using The Intention-Impact Matrix appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

Strategies, Tips, And Tools To Design Your Next Best Self Post-Ramadan

Ramadan ended a few weeks ago, and by now you’re probably starting to settle back to your post-Ramadan routine.

You may have been able to keep up with some of your Ramadan resolutions (fasting a bit more, praying some parts of the night, giving charity often), or you may have crashed post-Ramadan and found it really hard to pick yourself up again – spiritually, physically, and socially.

If you’re someone who wants to maintain consistent improvement post-Ramadan and win the battle of life against your Nafs and Shaytaan (which seems to come back stronger after Ramadan), then you’ll find this useful.

Begin with Next Ramadan in Mind

Fast-forward to the 29th day of Sha’baan of next year, you’re hours away from knowing if Ramadan is tomorrow or not. You’re excited. Maybe a bit nervous. Busy with typical Ramadan preparations.

Unfortunately, the Angel of Death comes and takes your soul in those hours, and you’re deprived of witnessing the next Ramadan.

How do you feel?

The reason I bring this thought up is to help frame this article in your mind: Although you’re not guaranteed to live to witness another Ramadan, this does not mean that your journey of self-development and improvement should be on hold until next Ramadan comes.

There are many things you can do in between now and then and this is what this article is about.

A Framework To Develop Yourself Post Ramadan

The Productive Muslim Company is big on building frameworks that help us tackle some of our most profound self-development challenges. And one of the frameworks that we often use in our training and coaching is the following one:

This framework simply states that if we want to design the next best version of ourselves post-Ramadan, we need to think of the Mindsets, Values, and Rituals that would help us make those changes post-Ramadan.

Mindsets: How You Think Affects How You Behave

It’s common knowledge among psychology circles that our thoughts have an impact on our actions (and vice-versa. More on that later). [“How Thoughts Influence Actions”. Psychology Today]. So how you think about your post-Ramadan period will impact how you behave. Below are 3 mindset shifts that you need to think about to help you upgrade your post-Ramadan experience.

1. Think Realistically

There’s an equation that I learned from a time management expert that helped me a lot manage my stress levels:

Expectations > Reality = Stress

Simply stated, when expectations exceed the reality, you’re only setting yourself up for stress and failure.

How do we do this post-Ramadan? Have you heard yourself say things like: After Ramadan, I’ll pray tahajjud every night, I’ll fast every Monday and Thursday, I’ll give charity every day, etc.? What happens when you don’t live up to those expectations? You fall for the classic Shaytaan trick of making you feel terrible that you didn’t live up to your expectations and fall for another psychological trap called the “What the hell effect.” [“How the What the Hell Effect Impacts Your Willpower”. Psychology Today]

Here’s how the what the hell effect works: You decide to eat healthily and stop eating sugar, and for the first few days, you’re doing great. Then you get invited over to your friend’s house, and they have an incredible dessert spread. Initially, you resist, but your friend insists, and you have a small piece of Halwa. Next think you know, you say to yourself, “What the hell, let me try everything else, I’ll restart my diet tomorrow.” Next day you feel so bad that you break your new diet, and another “what the hell” moment hits you, and you give up entirely on your new diet.

Think of how many times the “what the hell” effect impacted you when it came to your prayers, to voluntary fasting, to being present with your children. Allah SWT captures this phenomenon when he tells us about not following the steps of Shaytaan in a number of verses, like:

” O you who have believed, enter into Islam completely [and perfectly] and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.” (Qur’an 2: 208)

So how do you tackle these two traps: setting high and unrealistic expectations, and falling for the “what the hell” effect? The key is to set small, realistic expectations and then guard them with all your might until they become solid habits before you set higher expectations.

Here’s how this works: You want to pray tahajjud every night? Start by committing to pray 1xrak’ah of witr prayer after Isha prayers and before you sleep. It’s a small commitment, but you want to do it no matter what. Even on days you don’t feel like it or you’re tired. Don’t get on the slippery slope of missing 1 day and thinking “what the hell, I’ll never be able to pray tahajjud in my life.” And even if you do slip 1 day, don’t fall for the “what the hell” effect and instead pick yourself up the next day, stronger than ever. Once you’ve established this routine long enough and it has become part and parcel of your life, upgrade yourself and aim to pray 3 rak’ahs of witr, etc.

2. Think Holistically

The second mindset shift to consider is to think about your personal development journey holistically.

During the Productivity Masterclass, we help individuals and teams think of how to live the next best version of themselves across all their roles, i.e., what does your next-best version of yourself look like as a Dad/Mom? as a professional? As a neighbor? As a Muslim? Etc.

Thinking holistically removes the mind-trap that post-Ramadan self-development is only about rituals. It makes us recognize that the rituals form the bedrock and scaffolding to help us build our next best version across our roles.

To help you think holistically about your self-development, complete our Productive Muslim Self-Assessment tool to figure out where you are today – spiritually, physically, and socially and where you need to go.

Launch Self-Assessment

3. Think Long-Term

One of the primary reasons people give up their post-Ramadan resolutions is that they measure their success or failure based on a very short time frame, i.e., they measure how well they are performing in the first 2-3 weeks post-Ramadan. If they see no improvement, they give up!

Someone might say, “I tried fasting Mondays and Thursdays after Ramadan, but it was too hard, so I gave up.”

What if we expanded our self-development journey beyond these first 2 weeks instead? What if we asked ourselves – how can I develop this new habit/routine in 12 months?

Here’s a thought: We tend to overestimate what we can do in a short period but underestimate what we can do over a long period.

Yes, waking up for fajr might seem hard in those first 2-3 weeks, but if you focus on developing this habit over 3, 6, 9 months, you’ll eventually crack it, and it’ll become easy for you.

A good metaphor for thinking long-term is that of a gardener. When the gardener plants his seed, waters his garden, and works hard all day on his farm. He doesn’t expect to see a mature tree the next day! He understands that growing a tree takes time, and a lot of energy, focus, and time goes into becoming a tree. Similarly, new habits and routines take time to take root, nurture and grow, if you think of them as a long-term project, and work on it daily, you’re more likely to succeed.

PRACTICAL TIPS

1. Think of your long-term goals post-Ramadan across all your roles
2. Think of the obstacles you might face to achieve your goals (be realistic)
3. Think of how to overcome those obstacles – one step at a time.

Values: What Beliefs are driving your post-Ramadan life?

This section talks about a subtle but essential spiritual element when it comes to achieving a post-Ramadan goal. And that is to do with our Hearts and how connected we are with Allah SWT when it comes to achieving our post-Ramadan Goals.

Every day in our prayers we recite this verse →

“You Alone We Worship, and You Alone We Seek Help From” (Qur’an 1: 5)

This is a foundational concept in our faith that is critical for all our self-improvement endeavors. It involves two aspects:

1. You Alone We Worship: All your goals, all your self-improvement, and self-development, should be connected to the concept of you wanting to become the best ‘Abd’ (Slave) to Allah SWT. During the Productivity Masterclass, we speak in detail of the Islamic-psychospiritual model of the human being and how being an ‘Abd’ (slave) of Allah SWT is such a foundational concept that we need to revive in our hearts to help us live the best version of ourselves.
2. You Alone We Seek Help From: This is the recognition that as part of us acknowledging that we’re slaves of Allah, then we need to ask Allah’s permission and tawfeeq (success) in all the goals that we want to achieve.

Let’s be honest; sometimes, the goals we set for ourselves post-Ramadan can be all about developing our self-esteem and self-image. We forgot the ‘why’ that should drive these goals, and hence we give up on them too quickly. If I’m trying to wake up for tahajjud just because I see it as another milestone in my self-development journey, and not as an act of worship that would get me closer to Allah SWT, I need to revise my intentions.

So how can we practically develop these beliefs/values in our lives:

1. Set Good Intentions: When you set any post-Ramadan goal, ask yourself – why am I doing this? Who’s this for? How can I become a better ‘Abd’ to Allah through this goal?
2. Always Ask Allah To Help With Your Goals: Make your goals as spiritual quests. Ask Allah SWT to help you stay physically healthy post-Ramadan, to fast regularly, to pray tahajjud, etc. Don’t be arrogant and rely on your means – you need Him. Ask Him.
3. Work Hard: Good intentions and prayers don’t work on their own. Allah SWT would like to see the effort from you and He’ll take care of the results.

Rituals: What You Do Impacts How You Think and What You Believe

Earlier I mentioned that just like our thoughts have an impact on our actions. So does our action have an influence on how we think?

Here’s a simple experiment: Let’s say you’re upset, or in a bad mood. Grab a pencil and bite it between your teeth, forcing you to smile. Notice how your levels of happiness will increase, and you’ll feel better.

What does this mean for us, post-Ramadan?

This means that whether we feel like it or don’t feel like it – we need to commit to some rituals post-Ramadan that’ll help us improve how we think about ourselves and what we believe is possible post-Ramadan.

There are 3 key concepts to keep in mind though to ensure that you stick to your rituals post-Ramadan:

1. Choose To Focus on Not More Than 3 New Rituals Post-Ramadan: It’s so tempting after graduating from Ramadan to feel that you can change your life 180 overnight and introduce so many new routines in life. Although it is doable, it’s tough and I’d rather you focus on a winning strategy instead. The winning strategy is to focus on 3 new rituals post-Ramadan, and once they become part of who you are, add some more.
2. Start Small: This is critical. The smaller the change in your life, the longer it lasts. Start small but have the intention that you’ll want to grow this ritual over time.
3. Celebrate Progress: When you do your small ritual – celebrate it. Feel good about it. Thank Allah SWT that he enabled you to make one small step towards the next best version of you and being His ‘Abd.’ Celebration will reinforce this ritual in your brain as something pleasant to be done again.

What should happen when I make the above shifts in my Mindsets, Values, and Rituals?

Fast forward your life to the 29th of Sha’baan next year, it’s a few hours before Ramadan might be announced. You’re excited and giddy and can’t wait to find out.

You’ve spent the entire year, slowly but surely, upgrading your mindsets, values, and rituals and living the next best version of yourself: spiritually, physically, and socially.

You feel more ready than ever for Ramadan and for the next spiritual boost.

However, the Angel of Death comes to you in those hours before Ramadan and takes your soul away.

Do you have any regrets?

Or do you feel that you’ve done all you can to be a true Abd of Allah SWT throughout the year and you are ready to meet Him?

The post How to Pick Yourself Up Post Ramadan appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

But we don’t see this level of leadership in the Muslim world today, instead we’re seeing a rapid decay of world impact. We’re witnessing a serious inferiority complex growing in our Ummah; As individuals, we feel inferior to non-Muslims. As businesses and organizations, we feel inferior to mainstream corporations. As an Ummah, we feel inferior to other Nations.

Why is this happening and what can we do about it? Read on…

Inferiority Complex is Real

To know your weaknesses in comparison to others is to be insightful and humble but to harbour a lingering sense of inferiority as a result of this awareness is dangerous. For example, knowing that your colleague is great at public speaking is not the same as feeling that your public speaking skills are worthless and will never improve in time regardless of how hard you try.

In today’s world, we’re immersed in a culture whereby looks, wealth, status and all things materialistic are used as the metric for success. Deep down we know that our spiritual values guide us away from idolising or chasing the material world but at the same time we’re saturated on the outside by people seemingly living exciting, glamorous and beautiful lives. It can be all too tempting to compare our own lives with the façade of today’s hyper-airbrushed world and this constant comparison quickly erodes away at our confidence and spirituality.

Post-colonialism seeded the idea that our western counterparts are somehow better. Although this may not be a conscious thought, it can manifest in our thinking and action in many ways. We can look at the lives and success of our western peers and so easily be drawn into the fantasy that they have the upper edge in this dunya. Sadly, left unattended this feeling can develop into an inferiority complex not just on an individual level, but an Ummah level as well. 

Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi describes the decline of Muslim leadership and causes in his book Islam And The World (pg 173):

Dazzled by the power and progress of Western nations, Muslims began to imitate Western social and economic institutions regardless of the consequences, although they were much inferior to their own and consisted of little more than the ardent pursuit of material success. The prestige of religon was diminished. The teachings of the Prophet ﷺ were forgotten. All those ideals of life, which truthfully displayed within themselves both the spiritual and the temporal aspects of life and did not subordinate the former to the latter, ceased to impress the minds of the great mass of Muslim society. Their place was taken by ideals far inferior to them. Life was filled with frivolous desires and occupations to a degree that it had to eschew religious and spiritual craving and activities. If one were to compare the daily occupations of present-day Muslims with those of the aforementioned specimens of the old Islamic civilization, one would find it hard to believe that both professed the same ideology or that only a few generations separated one from the other.

Along with the distractions of this dunya constantly tugging at the soul, we’re also subject to the whisperings of Satan, who’s sole mission is to make us unappreciative beings.

[Satan] said,  “For leaving me to stray I will lie in ambush for them on Your Straight Path. I will approach them from their front, their back, their right, their left, and then You will find most of them ungrateful.” (7:16-17)

If we’re not mindful of his influence and don’t take precautions to fortify our heart and mind with God-consciousness, we become even more vulnerable to his evil ploys. One of the ways he tries to enter the heart is by weakening the mind.

What is an Inferiority Complex?

An inferiority complex is a feeling of inadequacy that’s not based on any rational judgements. It’s an emotionally-led feeling that holds us captive to constant comparisons which may drive us to wanting to be and act like others, and have what they have in order to feel good enough. 

This feeling turns us into thirsty travelers on a desert land, constantly chasing the ‘mirage’ of what others have but never quenching our thirst with the water bottle that’s around our neck.

We can see examples in our Islamic history of people who rather than holding esteem in their faith, turned towards external factors to find a sense of self worth. 

When Musa (as) and the children of Israel were saved from the tyrannical grip of Firoun (Pharoah), they witnessed first hand the Divine help of Allah SWT.  They were freed from oppression and could live in peace under the prophetic leadership of Musa (as). But not long after the miraculous passage across the Red Sea, they came across a group of people who had taken up idolatry worship and the ignorant amongst them turned to Musa (as) and asked him to “make for us a God just as they have Gods.”

They forgot Allah and fell prey to the insidious idea that the faith they possessed was inadequate in comparison to what they perceived the people they encountered had in terms of faith and provisions. The seeds of inferiority had taken root within them. 

“We brought the Children of Israel across the sea and they came upon a people devoted to idols. They demanded, “O Moses! Make for us a god like their gods.” He replied, “Indeed, you are a people acting ignorantly!” (7:138)

In the tafsir of Ibn Kathir (r) he said:

“It appears that the Children of Israel probably asked these people why they worshipped these idols, and they most likely told them that whenever they seek help from them they help them, and that they seek their provision from them. The ignorant ones among them may have been tempted to believe it, and so they asked Musa (as) to make a similar god for them as well.”

This is an example of how in the absence of God-consciousness we can falsely conclude that happiness and success lies in the superficial platforms promoted in a Godless society. 

We can see parallels of how the inferiority complex is playing out in individuals, organizations and in Muslim society at large today. Let’s take a closer look at each of these levels. 

Inferiority complex in Muslim Professionals

Have you ever stepped into work with feelings of trepidation? Feeling very conscious that you’re different; acutely aware that the sound of your name is different, the colour of your skin is different and that you have a set of rules and a value system that is not aligned with your workplace peers. 

If we bring sharp focus to this, what can it stir inside a person?

For my client, Aisha, it made her feel like she didn’t belong at her workplace. She was a teacher working in an affluent neighborhood surrounded by a predominantly white upper class community. Rather than seeing herself as the intelligent, capable person that she was, she subconsciously felt second-rate to her colleagues and so therefore always felt inferior. This inferiority complex rooted itself in her words and behavior; she would always aim to be agreeable even if she held a different opinion and felt the need to prove her self-worth in everything she did. 

“Never think that you’re not good enough. A man should never think that. People will take you very much at your own reckoning.”

Anthony Trollope

As this quote suggests, we teach people how to treat us. If we see ourselves as inferior, it makes it more likely that we will be seen in this way by others too. 

Moreover, the state of the believer is to know that there is khayr (good) in every situation as related in the following hadith: 

“Amazing is the affair of the believer, verily all of his affairs are good and this is not for no one except the believer. If something of good/happiness befalls him he is grateful and that is good for him. If something of harm befalls him he is patient and that is good for him” (Muslim)

Staying mindful of this helps us to elevate our thinking by the mere act of seeking the khayr in all situations, creating awareness in the heart of the blessings and opportunities present in the moment as opposed to dwelling on the negatives and how we’re perceived. 

With this in mind, Aisha and I discussed an alternative perspective; perhaps Allah had given her an opportunity to be a role model and dispel myths surrounding the Muslim stereotype, that she showed great courage by the sheer fact that she goes in to work every day and upholds her values concerning manners and dress code. Immediately, this fresh perspective gave her more confidence in her true identity and strengthened her connection to Allah. The inner critic that would constantly compare her to others started to wane and she no longer felt the compulsion to fit in. 

This feeling of not fitting in is all too familiar for the Muslim professional working in a predominantly western environment. The term “cultural cringe” is defined as an internalized inferiority complex that causes people to dismiss their own culture as inferior to the cultures of other countries. Inadvertently, we may feel the “cultural cringe” factor with our religious orientation too. In not wanting to feel alienated from social groups or hindered from potential work opportunities, a person might dismiss some of their spiritual practices and strive to adapt to the more commonplace practices of their environment in order to fit in and feel on par with their colleagues. 

Regularly missing prayers, not requesting time out for Jumu’ah, feeling awkward about wearing a hijab or growing a beard, dropping inhibitions and placing oneself in inappropriate environments may be some of the casualties of such sentiment. In reality, this can create an internal conflict between one’s spiritual values and the desire to be like others, resulting in anxiety, stress and internal worry. Social anxiety: the fear of being rejected by others, can be one of the biggest triggers for the inferiority complex.

With these emotions brewing inside, the inferiority complex can feature front and center. Feeling that no matter what you do, you just can’t hit the mark or won’t be seen as worthy by others. Even high achievers can feel like failures and imposters. The constant second guessing and feelings of being a second-rate worker hinders performance levels. Confidence dwindles and this can branch off in two ways. 

1. Shying away from opportunities out of fear of being “caught out” and not speaking up with authentic thoughts

2. Overcompensating behavior such as bragging to mask the feelings of insecurity.

Both these positions invite the ego to lead the way and we’re then left with ego-led behavior.

The Messenger of Allah (saw), said, “The strong are not those who defeat people. Rather, the strong are those who defeat their own ego.”

Sharḥ Mushkil al-Āthār 1645

A sense of inferiority is not a cognitive thing, it’s an emotional sense that is carried around privately and painfully. The emotions that can arise range from hopelessness and helplessness to anger, resentment, envy and defensiveness. 

A person can feel completely incompetent at her job even though objectively they’re great at it but that’s the nature of the beast – there’s no rational thinking. You can be completely disconnected from the objective perceptions others may have of you to the extent that there is an outright refusal to see any evidence to the contrary of your beliefs, placing one squarely in the victim-mindset.

Inferiority complex in Muslim organizations

Muslims look to the west and see successful companies: The Googles, Apples, and Teslas of the world Often these companies adopt practices that are foreign to our traditional ways and sometimes these practices are against Islam – yet as mentioned previously, the generalized feeling of inferiority stemming from the idea that we are inadequate and that our ways of doing things are not good enough, can make us blindly follow in the footsteps of these companies as a result. And in the pursuit of success, we may become negligent of our spiritual obligations.

For example, we’re seeing a burgeoning growth in the Muslim entrepreneurial space. There are now Muslim companies competing in the Fortune 500 arena and the Muslim spend is now worth trillions of dollars and is a recognized sector on the world business platform. Although there is this growth, we can also see symptoms of the inferiority complex growing alongside this trend. 

In today’s world, we see Muslim organizations and companies:

• Fully immersed in hustle culture, working staff to the bone
• Relentlessly following formulas of mainstream organizations and copying Silicon Valley and corporate America in hopes of achieving the same high levels of success.
• Feeling a general sense of inferiority to the western world and as a result producing substandard products and services – believing this is all they are capable of? 

What if, instead, Muslim companies adopted sunnah practices with yaqeen (certainty) that Ar-Razzaq (The Provider) will deliver barakah-filled results? A few examples of such practices are: 

• Adopting an Abundant Mindset of mutual benefit and cooperation when dealing with competitors vs. the Scarcity mindset of cut-throat competiton.
• Adopting a Gardener Mindset with work where you set good intentions, work hard, but detach yourself from the results.
• Fulfilling the Sunnah of paying workers before their sweat dries (a concept now known as Pay On Demand)
• Working with staff to develop them spiritually, just like we develop them professionally.
• Organizing and structuring the day and meetings around prayer times 
• Organizing business plans around the hijri calendar (#GoHijri) and even paying staff and offering holidays according to Hijri calendar. 
• Being at the forefront to protect female employees from sexual harrassment and ensuring safe and mutually respective working relationships between genders whether online or in-person
• Creating time for employees to take a Qailulah (short mid-day nap) as was the practice of prophet Muhammad (saw).
• Making the intention of the business not purely about financial gain and profit but about service to the community and Ummah at large.

The above ideas may seem ‘crazy’ in our modern corporate world, and may feel “unprofessional” – but what if thinking of the above as ‘crazy’ or ‘unprofessional’ is actually your inferiority complex talking to you? Yes, maybe not all of the above ideas are practical on a day to day level – but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be encouraged to explore and experiment with ways to grow our business with Barakah!

My point is this: Instead of feeling like the success formulas of corporate America and the like were the only valid ways to create successful companies, what would happen if Muslim organizations placed more faith in aligning the structure of their company and workday with faith-based practices such as the ones mentioned above? With the doors of barakah opened, imagine how this could yield even greater results. 

Inferiority complex in the Ummah on a global stage

In the same way that the children of Israel began to develop a sense of inferiority and feeling “second-rate” to the community of pagans they encountered, we can see parallels in our modern day society with the Muslims of today experiencing similar emotions. The media surrounding our religion is awash with labels such as Muslim terrorists and extremism. Muslims are under constant scrutiny, and this has made us sensitive and defensive. As a nation what impact might this have on our mindset and how are we responding as a result?

Here’s a few ways in which the inferiority complex has taken root in our ummah today. We may find ourselves:

• Desiring to imitate aspects of non-Muslim lifestyles even though it is prohibited for the believer
• Minimizing the importance of certain aspects of our religion because it’s not convenient and feel it will hinder our life goals
• Not standing up for Muslim suffering globally due to political and economic pressure.
• Judging Islamic principles through a liberal secular lens.
• Find ourselves viewing certain practices as outdated concepts and not fit for purpose in today’s world
• Only valuing a practice in Islam if the science community or an academic validates it. For example, we know that fasting Mondays and Thursdays is a highly regarded sunnah, but did we only take it seriously when western scientists concluded that the 5:2 diet was a legitimate practice?

Very often the inferiority complex is on a subconscious level, so most people are not even cognizant to it. However, we need to take a very conscious look at our intentions, choices and actions in order to determine whether we have mindlessly adopted some of these frames of thinking. 

Islam is the last Divine Message to Mankind. We have the blueprint to live a life that is the most balanced,  wholesome, and decent. Yet as a nation, we may have drifted away from this way of life because we have fundamentally forgotten who we are, where we came from and our ultimate purpose in this world. 

And in this lies the antidote. 

The antidote to the inferiority complex

An inferiority complex is fueled by the desire to attain the same levels of power, status and success as those perceived to be in superior positions. In order to shatter this complex, we need to bring our hearts and awareness to the ultimate source of power and honour. 

“Whosoever desires honour, power and glory then to Allah belong all honour, power and glory…”?!

[ 35:10]

For the sincere believer, it is known that only in obeying Allah can one find honour, power and glory in this world but more importantly in the next. Holding tight to this reality, secures the heart of the believer from ever feeling inferior to any other culture or creed. It removes the temptation to yearn for what others have in the worldly sense as faith in Allah is what brings a level of contentment that far outweighs the love for anything else this world has to offer.  

We are the children of Adam. 

We are from the ummah of Prophet Muhammad (saw).

We can call ourselves Muslims because of the greats in our history; the noble prophets, the companions of the prophet and the generations to follow who sacrificed their lives so that we can practice today. 

We have been given tawfeeq (direct guidance) to believe in the Oneness of Allah whose guidance and Help we know is always with us. 

With this identity deeply embodied in the very fabric of our soul, we can stand confidently in any environment holding tight to our values and be fearless of worldly judgement. We can navigate any workspace or social gathering with firmness in our Muslim identity. Our hearts will steer away from feeling any form of inferiority complex or victim-mindset or FOMO (fear of missing out) because there is peace and contentment found in the promise of Allah: 

“So do not become weak, nor be sad, and you will be victorious if you are indeed true believers.”

[ 3:139]

Alongside this understanding, it’s essential to create time for muhasabah (self-evaluation) in order to become more self aware, to be aligned to your fitra and increase in confidence that is rooted in Allah. 

And it is for this reason that I developed the Confidence Masterclass – a transformational 6-week journey that combines Islamic spiritual practices with modern psychology to help Muslim professionals develop spiritually-centered confidence and remove any feelings of insecurity and inferiority.

During this masterclass, you will be guided through the Belief Model framework – a systematic process designed to help you strengthen in all aspects of life pertaining to spiritually rooted confidence.  

For example, Imran decided to join the masterclass to work on his spiritual confidence using the Belief model framework. Prior to this training and despite having a good job, family and comfortable lifestyle, most days he would wake up feeling uneasy and unsettled. He was feeling the pressure of constant comparisons and spiritually weakened by the busyness of life. However, after he completed this training, he described feeling more internal peace as a result of developing a stronger reliance upon Allah and how increased self-awareness gave him more control, emotional grounding and confidence in himself and life choices.

Let’s take a deeper look at Imran’s outlook before the training and how he felt at the end of the masterclass training…

After working his way through the Belief model, Imran is a more confident, healthy, balanced individual who is still ambitiously working towards his life goals but with an active focus of how his work in this world can connect to the next. He’s no longer as concerned with external judgment or trying to fit in; his heart, mind and soul have found contentment in his deen and his feelings of self worth are rooted internally by his connection to Allah.  

“Verily, Allah does not look at your physical features nor your wealth, but Allah looks at your hearts and actions.” (Muslim)

When we keep our sight firmly fixed on Allah, the fear of others dissipates. The inferiority complex disappears and what’s left is an energy, focus and determination to create meaningful lives with the hope that the reward will come in this life and extend to the next.

The post How Inferiority Complex Is Hurting You and the Ummah (and How We Can Fix This) appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

Although there are lots of books and resources that discuss how to run successful meetings, in this article, I’ll explore how we can approach meetings from a spiritual perspective and the impact our spirituality has on the quality of our meetings. 

I’ll also try to answer the question: how can our meetings be conduits of Barakah (Divine Goodness) for ourselves and organizations and even a means of personal and team-wide spiritual development?

This article will be useful for team leaders, managers, and really anyone who wants to see more Barakah in their work meetings insha’Allah.

Meetings As Spaces Where Souls Meet

The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said, “…souls are like recruited soldiers, those that recognize one another unite in harmony and those that do not recognize one another are at an aversion”.

[Muslim]

To understand the above hadeeth, we need to understand that the beginning journey of our soul is not the moment we entered this world. Instead, the origin of all souls was when they were created by Allah SWT, and made us witness His Divine Existence. Allah SWT says in the Quran:

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنۢ بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ ۛ شَهِدْنَآ ۛ أَن تَقُولُوا۟ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَـٰذَا غَـٰفِلِينَ

And [mention] when your Lord took from the children of Adam – from their loins – their descendants and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them], “Am I not your Lord?” They said, “Yes, we have testified.” [This] – lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, “Indeed, we were of this unaware.”

Quran 7:172

So in that pre-existence world, some souls met each other while some did not. That connection carried into this realm which explains how sometimes you may walk into a meeting and ‘click’ with someone even though you never met them before, or, the opposite happens – you try hard to work with someone and even though they are a nice person, you feel some kind of unexplained aversion to them.

To be clear, this is not an excuse to avoid working with some people because you don’t like them or create in-groups and cliques with people because you enjoy working with them. Instead, we should understand this hadeeth from two perspectives:

1. When we enter a space, we don’t just bring our professional selves to work; we bring our whole soul to work. And our soul may or may not connect with those in the room.
2. Just because we don’t connect with someone at a spiritual level doesn’t mean I should shun them; instead, we should see their presence as a test of our character and spiritual development. And if we can learn to work with them with ihsaan, that can only benefit the whole team as we’ll be able to learn from each other dispite our diverse and different way of thinking and being.

When You Bring Your Whole Soul To A Meeting

Dr. Abdallah Rothman, in his article “What Islam Offers to Modern Self-Help: An Islamic Paradigm of Psychology,” shares the following structure of the soul: 

He argues that unlike popular conceptions within modern psychology, an Islamic perspective of the soul includes multiple aspects, namely: body, mind (Aql), spiritual heart (Qalb), spirit (ruh), and self (nafs). These aspects integrate together to form the spiritual being we know as a human being. 

Therefore, when a soul attends a meeting – they bring these different aspects of their soul to the meeting. Moreover, each of these aspects can be impacted by the interactions that happen during the meeting. Below are examples of how each aspect of a soul can be affected during a meeting:

• Qalb (Spiritual Heart): If the Qalab is spiritually healthy and not sick, it’ll be able to perceive the spiritual reality of what’s happening in a meeting and maybe be given insights (baseerah) that can be very beneficial to the team or organization. However, if the spiritual heart is sick with a spiritual disease such as envy or arrogance, it may filter through into the meeting in the form of office politics or toxic behavior.  
• Aql (Mind): If the mind is sound – not just mentally but spiritually sound – a person will use their Aql to make spiritually-intelligent decisions during the meeting. For example, instead of just performing a cost/benefit analysis of a project from a Dunya (wordly) perspective, they’ll consider the Akhira (hereafter) perspective of a project and its long term benefit, thus using their Aql to make a spiritually intelligent decision for this world and the next.
• Nafs (Self): Perhaps the part that is most ‘active’ in meetings is the Nafs (Self) which, if not disciplined, can be self-centered, territorial, and egotistic. We’ve all witnessed how the Nafs, if left unbridled by the Qalb and Aql, can wreak havoc in meetings. On the other hand, if we keep our nafs in check during meetings, we might go through tough conversations without feeling threatened or blamed by what is said.
• Spirit (Ruh): This is the antidote to the Nafs. The pure part of your soul that wants to pull you up to higher meaning and purpose. It wants to connect to the Divine and heavenly realities instead of earthly desires. It can be idealistic at times – but it’s precisely this idealism that makes it an important voice to hear during meetings.
• Body: Let’s not forget the physical side of our being – our bodies – which are the vessels of our soul. If we give our body its right – with rest, nutrition, and exercise – we’ll show up to a meeting in a much better state than if we are tired or unhealthy (We cover the topic on how to take care of your body in detail in our Wellness Masterclass). Also, simple things like dressing up and being well-groomed for a meeting will impact your performance and presence during the meeting vs. showing up scruffy (or wearing your PJs on zoom calls!).

Suppose we accept that meetings are spaces where souls meet and that each soul has different aspects which can be affected in various ways during a meeting. In that case, we need to design our meetings as conducive environments where we bring the best aspects of our soul to a meeting and reduce the triggers that may bring out the negative aspects of our soul. 

Moreover, let’s not forget that in addition to managing our souls, we have an archenemy that wants to negatively influence us, whom we need to be aware of – and that is Satan (Read the article: How Satan Impacts Workplace Productivity).

Practical Tips to Design Meetings for Barakah

If you’ve been following our blog for a while, you’ll know that we advocate for individuals and organizations to adopt Barakah Culture instead of Hustle Culture.

Barakah Culture is God-centered, hereafter focused, and purpose and impact-driven. Whereas Hustle Culture is ego-centered, worldly-focused, and material results-driven.

If we want to fuse our meetings with Barakah – we first need to adopt the Barakah Culture worldview as a team and then design our meetings as opportunities for whole soul development.

Below are ideas for designing such meetings that we brainstormed with our community members during our weekly calls (a meeting that was in itself full of Barakah!).  

We collected ideas on what to do before, during, and after the meeting to maximize Barakah – whether we meet in-person or virtually. I summarize the key points from our discussion below:

Before the meeting 

• Set the intention for the meeting: Why are you conducting/attending the meetings? What’s the intention behind it? How can you level up your intention for the meeting, so it’s more God-centered, Akhira-focused, and purpose/impact driven? (Hint: Use the Barakah Journal to help you level up your intention for the meeting).
• What Barakah Culture mindset, value, or ritual will you fuse into the meeting? You can use our Barakah Culture Cards as a tool to help you pick a mindset, value, or ritual to practice in the upcoming meeting. For example, if you decide to practice an “Abundant” mindset – you’ll be conscious of sharing your ideas and not hoarding information. 
• Schedule the meeting outside of prayer times: Make sure meetings don’t clash with prayer times and if for some reason you can’t avoid the clash, make sure that you schedule prayer breaks during the meeting or you inform the meeting host that you’ll need a 10-15 mins break for your prayers. Meetings should not be used as excuses to miss or delay prayers.
• “Tie your camel” and prepare for the meeting thoroughly: Don’t try to wing it at your meeting; it shows a lack of adab and respect for all attendees. If you’re the host, send the agenda early with relevant documentation. Make sure that the tech equipment and space are suitable for the meeting, etc. If you’re attending the meeting, read about what will be discussed during the meeting, have your own notes ready, and ask questions before the meeting if things are unclear.

During the meeting:

وعنه عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏: ‏ ‏”‏ما جلس قوم مجلساً لم يذكروا الله تعالى فيه، ولم يصلوا على نبيهم فيه، إلا كان عليهم ترة؛ فإن شاء عذبهم، وإن شاء غفر لهم‏”‏ ((رَوَاهُ التِّرمِذِيُّ وَقَالَ: “حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ”))‏.‏

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Whenever a group of people sit in a gathering in which they do not remember Allah the Exalted, nor supplicate to elevate the rank of their Prophet, such a gathering will be a cause of grief to them. If Allah wills, He will punish them, and if He wills He will forgive them.”

Al-Tirmidhi

• Attend the meeting in a state of spiritual purity: Right before the start of a meeting, I recommend that you make wudu (ablution), so you reduce the influence of Shaytaan upon you during the meeting. If you’re able to – ask your colleagues to do the same and come to the meeting with wudhu. If you have more time, pray 2 rakats and ask Allah for ease and facilitation during the meeting. Also, seek forgiveness often before the start of a meeting so your personal sins don’t impact the meeting outcome.
• Say Bismillah consciously: Start the meeting with an audible and conscious Bismillah – truly internalize that you’re starting this meeting “In the name of Allah”. If you can, after Bismillah, begin the meeting by thanking Allah (hamd) and sending peace and blessings upon Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to add more Barakah to your meeting.  
• Start with a Mindful check-in: If you are the meeting host, ask all team members to check in and share where they are at a personal level. This helps you assess people’s emotions and spirituality and may inform how the meeting is conducted. E.g., If someone is having a bad day, as a leader, you can ease the pressure off them during the meeting until they are in a better state. (BONUS: You can try a Mindful Practice advocated by our Mindfulness Masterclass Instructor, Wadud Hassan. He asks attendees to take 3 deep breaths and then explore how they are arriving with their mind, body, and heart. 
• Be vigilant of Shaytaan: Be conscious of Shaytaan trying to create animosity between your team members or fuel anger and arrogance in the room. Saying “Audhu-billahi min ash-Shaytaan-in-Rajeem” when arguments rise helps – or asking teammates to change their positions if things get heated up can help.
• Make proper shura: The purpose of meetings is to discuss topics thoroughly and not force your ideas on the team. Make your case, but be open to changing your mind or adopting decisions you may not like. 

فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ ٱلْقَلْبِ لَٱنفَضُّوا۟ مِنْ حَوْلِكَ ۖ فَٱعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَمْرِ ۖ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ

By an act of mercy from God, you [Prophet] were gentle in your dealings with them- had you been harsh or hard-hearted, they would have dispersed and left you- so pardon them and ask forgiveness for them. Consult with them about matters, then, when you have decided on a course of action, put your trust in God: God loves those who put their trust in Him.

Abdul Haleem 3:159

• Pause for Athan/Salah: I once attended a meeting with a leader of a large Islamic bank. When the athan went off – he went quiet and paused the meeting. After the athan, he asked that we take a break for Salah and resume the meeting after Salah. This was a  powerful example of Barakah Culture in an organizational setting.
• End the meeting with the kaffartul-Majlis dua: 

وعن أبى هريرة رضى الله عنه قال‏: ‏ قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏من جلس في مجلس، فكثر فيه لغطه فقال قبل أن يقوم من مجلسه ذلك‏: ‏ سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك، أشهد أن لا إله إلا أنت، أستغفرك وأتوب إليك، إلا غفر له ما كان في مجلسه ذلك‏”‏ ((‏‏رَوَاهُ التِّرمِذِيُّ وَقَالَ حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صحيح)).‏

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Whoever sits in a gathering and indulges in useless talk and before getting up supplicates: ‘Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika, ash-had an la ilaha illa Anta, astaghfirullah wa atubu ilaika (O Allah, You are free from every imperfection; praise be to You. I testify that there is no true god except You; I ask Your Pardon and turn to You in repentance),’ he will be forgiven for (the sins he may have intentionally or unintentionally committed) in that assembly.”

At-Tirmidhi

After the meeting

• Pray istikhara: At the end of the meeting, once you have all the key decisions, pray istikhara either as a team leader or an attendee on all the decisions made and ask Allah SWT for Barakah in those decisions.
• Thank people: Send a thank you note to people who impacted you during the meeting. Maybe they shared something that inspired you or went the extra mile with their part of the presentation. The thank-you doesn’t need to come from the team leader only; it can be amongst team members themselves – privately or publicly.
• Seek forgiveness: Sometimes, in meetings, we say or do something that may be inappropriate. Reach out to the person you may have unintentionally offended and seek their forgiveness. If it’s something that you feel impacted the whole team – write/speak to them individually or as a group and seek forgiveness. Don’t let Shaytaan run between you and cause enmity. 
• Give sincere naseeha and feedback: Sometimes, you may notice a behavior from someone they may not be aware of that negatively impacts the meeting, e.g., showing up late always, or rolling their eyes when someone disagrees with them, or constantly interrupting the speaker. After the meeting, speak to them privately about the behavior and how it impacts the meeting. Give them sincere naseeha regardless if they are the CEO or the youngest intern. 
• Take action and take responsibility for the decisions made in shura: When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) conducted shura on what to do before the battle of Uhud (whether to stay in Madinah or leave the city walls). The decision was made to go out of Medina – which wasn’t his personal preference. However, once the decision was made, he put on his armor and prepared to leave. Even when the companions felt bad that they convinced the Prophet to do something that he didn’t prefer – he didn’t change his mind but committed to the decision made in shura.
• Pray for your team: After the meeting ends, and perhaps after your istikhara prayers, take time to pray for your team privately. Ask Allah to bless them, ease their affairs, inspire them, and not let Shaytaan come between you all. These duas will be the spiritual glue that will keep the team harmony together.
• Reflect and introspect: Take some time to reflect and hold yourself accountable for your performance during the meeting. Not only from a professional point of view but also from a spiritual point of view. How was your qalb during the meeting? How was your nafs? What can you do differently next time to improve your professional and spiritual performance? (Hint: Use the end-of-day reflections in the Barakah Journal to help you with this exercise).

The above is not an exhaustive list of things you can do to attract Barakah to a meeting. However, I hope it’ll inspire you and your team to start thinking of meetings not as dreaded time-wasters but as opportunities to cultivate Barakah for yourself and organizations, insha’Allah.

If you’re interested in cultivating Barakah Culture for your organization, get in touch with us to learn more about our faith-based productivity and leadership training for teams. 

The post When Souls Meet: How to fuse Barakah into your meetings? appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

If you’re more of a visual/auditory learner, check out the webinar below, where we’ll go in-depth on how to use this framework to live a Hijri first lifestyle:

Why #GoHijri?

For fifteen centuries, the Islamic calendar was the primary calendar for Muslims globally. Unfortunately, it lost its status in the last 100 years and became a secondary calendar for many of us, only referring to it for Ramadan, Eid, and Hajj. 

Last year, The Productive Muslim Company launched the #GoHijri campaign to save the Islamic calendar from being a forgotten relic of the past. In an article titled “Why the Islamic Calendar Matters More Than You Think,” I made the argument that we stand to lose much when we neglect this powerful calendar, including: 

• Not aligning ourselves with the Divine Order: The Islamic lunar calendar is the chosen calendar aligned with Allah’s Divine Order. Allah says in the Quran: “Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred…” [Quran 9:36]. When we don’t align ourselves with the chosen calendar of the Divine – we become misaligned with the Divine Order.
• Losing touch with our Islamic civilizational identity: The Islamic calendar is the last institution we have as a global Muslim society that connects the Ummah. Look at how we come together for Ramadan, Eid, and Hajj (differences of moon sighting aside). It’s a time system that has lasted for fifteen centuries, and we need to take responsibility to revive it.
• Forgetting the spiritual rhythm of the past: The Islamic calendar creates a spiritual rhythm to life by alternating between sacred time and non-sacred time. Moreover, there’s a rhythm of fasting created by the waxing and waning of the moon as we’re encouraged to fast on the 13th, 14th, 15th of each Islamic month.

Going Hijri is not All-Or-Nothing

A year after launching the #GoHijri campaign, I reached out to #GoHijri enthusiasts to ask about their experiences going Hijri-first (a term we coined to mean that you prioritize using the Hijri calendar in your life more than other calendar systems). Below is a sample of their responses:

The #GoHijri Adoption Framework 

Shifting our lives from being Gregorian-first to Hijri-first, can be challenging. However, we can make this shift in stages. 

Below is the #GoHijri Adoption Framework that we developed at The Productive Muslim Company to help individuals shift from being aware of the Hijri calendar to fully adopting it. Enter your name and email below to download it.

The #GoHijri Adoption Framework is divided into three levels:

Level 1: Awareness

The awareness level is when a person becomes consciously aware of the Hijri calendar and its changing seasons. Below are five indicators that you’re at the aware level:

• You know which Hijri year you’re in (e.g., 1443H)
• You know which Islamic month you’re in (e.g., Muharram 1443H).
• You know the exact date according to the Hijri calendar (e.g., 1st Muharram 1443H)
• You are aware of the sacred months of the Hijri calendar and when they’ll occur during the year.
• You track the moon-sighting in your local area and are aware of the start of each Islamic month based on your locality.

Level 2: Alignment

The alignment level is when you proactively align your personal and professional life to the Hijri calendar. The five indicators that you’re at the alignment level are:

• You plan your voluntary fasting according to the white days of each Islamic month.
• You increase acts of worship during the sacred months.
• You are extra vigilant from committing sins during the sacred months.
• You’ve added the Hijri calendar to your phone/computer calendar system.
• You align special events in your life (wedding, new job, etc) with special dates in the Hijri calendar.

Level 3: Adoption

Level 3 is when you start living the Hijri first lifestyle. You think, plan, and organize your life around the Hijri calendar. Below are five indicators that you’ve adopted the Hijri calendar:

• You plan your month according to the Hijri calendar.
• You plan your year according to the Hijri calendar.
• You adopted your Hijri-calendar age as your true age.
• You communicate with family and friends in Hijri-first
• You adopted a Hijri-first mindset, i.e. you’re more comfortable dealing and interacting with the hijri calendar than the Gregorian calendar

How to use the #GoHijri Adoption framework? 

The #GoHijri adoption framework is a valuable tool to help you assess where you are in your journey of living a Hijri-first lifestyle and where you need to be.

At the beginning of each Islamic year (or any time you’re ready to #GoHijri), assess yourself against the above framework. This would give you a benchmark to measure yourself and work towards a higher adoption level by the next Islamic year.

Living a Hijri-first lifestyle requires conscious effort in the first few weeks, however, after a while you’ll be surprised how you naturally gravitate towards a Hijri-first life and prefer it even to the Gregorian calendar.

The post The #GoHijri Adoption Framework: A practical tool to living a Hijri-first lifestyle appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

Among the Barakah Culture rituals we introduced in our Barakah Culture Cards is “Praiseworthy Planning”. Simply put, it’s about linking good intentions to your daily/weekly/life plans and having complete trust in Allah in the outcome and results.

To achieve praiseworthy planning, we’ve developed our new free PDF planners to help you with your daily, weekly and routine planning, as well as with tracking your habits. Click here to download them all today.

For more guidance on how to use these tools, we’ve recorded the videos below explaining in detail the rationale behind the planners and how to reap the most results from using them, with the Will and Permission of Almighty Allah .

So, feel free to download and print the planners, watch the short tutorial videos below, and definitely share this resource with all your friends, colleagues and family members who can benefit from these free essential tools in their lives.

How to Use the Daily Planner

How to use the Weekly Planner

How to use the Habit Tracker

How to use the Routine Planner

If you found these resources beneficial, then do not forget to share them with those who can benefit. Send people this link and spread the Barakah!

The post [Download Free Planners] Experience Barakah in your Planning without Overwhelm or Stress! appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

The ProductiveMuslim Company is thankful and pleased to announce that, as per our readers’ suggestion, we’ve created downloadable Barakah Culture Manifesto posters for your electronic devices.

We pray that this is a powerful reminder for you daily to live life with Barakah. This can also be a great conversation starter and a means to spread the Barakah movement all around you, insha’Allah.

And may Allah put Barakah in all your efforts.

Click below to get the Manifesto in high-quality 18″ x 24″ poster for your office, school or home.

Learn more about the Barakah Culture here, and find out the inspirational story behind writing the Barakah Culture Manifesto in 100 words here.  

The post [Download Now] Barakah Culture Manifesto Wallpapers for Your Devices appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

The intention behind this Calendar

We wanted to develop a highly functional calendar with beautiful aesthetics to deepen your awareness of the Islamic year and its spiritual seasons whilst helping you keep track of your annual to-dos and goals.

The calendar is great for personal and professional development planning. You can plan your spiritual activities (Umrah, I’tikaaf, Hajj) as well as personal and professional activities all in one place and see deadlines as they approach so you can prepare for them early.

Calendar features

• The calendar spans 12 months Gregorian (2020) and Islamic months (1441-42H).
• Larger boxes for writing inside each day.
• Highlighted Days for Ramadan, Voluntary Fasting (Mondays and Thursdays, and the White Days, the 13th, 14th, and 15th) of each Islamic calendar month.
• Designed to an optimal print size of 18 x 24 inches that fits at home, office, school, or mosque.

Download for FREE or Order from our Online Store

1. You can download the calendar for free from here. OR
2. You can order a high quality printed version from our online store and we’ll deliver right to your door.

This is a beautiful tool that will help you throughout the year insha-Allah. Grab your copy today and also gift it to those whom you care about.

The post [Available Now] Grab Your Productive Muslim 1441-42H/2020G Wall Calendar Today appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

The young engineer in me wanted to fix “everything”, apply all I learned to overhaul my mornings, evenings, and daily schedules.

Then, the older battle hardened 9-5er kicked in and said “whoaaaa there, shouldn’t we be a bit more cautious?  I mean I don’t want to be over committing here”.

Both sides of my personal improvement equation were right.  Urgency is important, but so too is doing so in a disciplined approach.

All too often do we take off to change the world only to return frustrated by lack of progress.

As such, I decided to apply some of my professional training in my personal life.

Ask Shiekh Google about continuous improvement and he will share with you several methodologies, the two most relevant to me are Lean and Six Sigma.

Both methodologies were born out of the manufacturing industry, and look to help organizations improve their processes to maximize the quantity or quality of their outputs while maintaining or reducing their inputs.

This methodology has been tried and tested over generations and across multiple industries (i.e. aviation, healthcare, and banking), so why not my personal life?

A tool that stood out to me right away was one by the name of “Leader Standard Work”.

Its purpose is to enable an individual to document what is important for them, track how often they achieve it, and why if they didn’t.

Sounds perfect right?

I took to task designing one that better aligned to what life I was looking to achieve: a productive Muslim one!

Below is a sample of what I created.

How to use this tool

The tool is designed to be a daily task organizer mixed with my ongoing priorities.

On the far left is a column for daily objectives.  As mine was geared towards my family and spiritual life I focused on before and after work.

I had pre-typed those actions that I wish to occur consistently on a daily basis.

Below it I have left some room to hand write that which is important the day of.

On the far right is the same but for the week.  The actions typed I would like to occur sometime during the week.

If it is something I would like to occur multiple times in the week but do not wish to tie to a specific day, I make multiple entries for.  As such as any of my actions over the course of the day/week are completed, I check them off.

Now comes the most important part.  In the centre of the sheet is a column titled “Flow interrupters” or as Brother Faris has coined “Shaitan interrupters”.

This column is meant to be used daily as a way to reflect what occurred during the course of the day/week that prohibited or did not allow me to check off a task I was supposed to do.

In my case, some of my Shaitan interrupters are Netflix (oh Daredevil why must you be so good?), ad-hoc Business meetings, and going to bed too late.

Now a novice would stop here and feel good with the knowledge of what is in their way.

But an expert like you would go further and answer the question: What must I do differently tomorrow/next week to reduce/eliminate the risk of this interrupter from happening again?

Or what action can I regularly do to proactively stop this issue from occurring?

In my above examples, some proactive solutions are: Setting a timer on my Wi-Fi to stop it at a certain time of the night. (Be sure to get agreement on what that time is from anyone sharing the connection!). Plus, pre-blocking repeatable times in my work calendar for spirituality/family priorities.

As you can see this tool is very versatile and can be reformatted to be used for your professional duties, or reformatted to be focused on your monthly tasks.

The longer the cadence the more strategic versus task oriented the tool becomes.

I pray this tool helps you too, happy planning!

The post How to Practically Set Personal Work Standards appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.