I think you meant “hole” rather than “whole” in the statement “… left a major whole in our team.” A really simple yet reminder!

Interview with Productive Muslim – Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
Dec 12, 2010 09:22 pm | ProductiveMuslim

_Alhamdulillah, We had the privilege to speak to Dr. Bilal Philips to get an
insight into productive life._

Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips was born in Jamaica, but grew up in Canada, where
he accepted Islam in 1972. He completed a diploma in Arabic and a B.A. from
the College of Islamic Disciplines (Usool ad-Deen) at the Islamic University
of Madeenah in 1979. At the University of Riyadh, College of Education, he
completed a M.A. in Islamic Theology in 1985, and in the department of
Islamic Studies at the University of Wales, he completed a Ph.D. in Islamic
Theology in 1994.

Abu Ameenah taught Islamic Education and Arabic in private schools in Riyadh
for over ten years and for three years he lectured M.Ed. students in the
Islamic Studies department of Shariff Kabunsuan Islamic University in
Cotobato City, Mindanao, Philippines. Since 1994 he has founded and directed
the Islamic Information Center in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (which is now
known as Discover Islam) and the Foreign Literature Department of Dar al
Fatah Islamic Press in Sharjah, UAE. Presently, he is a lecturer of Arabic
and Islamic Studies at the American University in Dubai and Ajman University
in Ajman, UAE.

Read more about his [1]Islamic Online University
Links:
1. http://www.islamiconlineuniversity.com

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Race Towards Good Deeds
Dec 13, 2010 11:49 pm | ProductiveMuslim

A neighbour of mine had a knee operation about a month ago, and for a month
I’ve been telling myself to go visit him. Everyday I delayed it till the
next day, and never got around it. Last week, I made the utmost preparation
to go see him and I told myself “No excuses! I have to visit this
brother.” I go pray Maghreb planning to see him after salah and subhanaAllah
– there he was in the mosque before me with the rest of the brothers feeling
better and able to walk.

_May Allah forgive me_

I felt so bad, and couldn’t stop rebuking myself for missing such a huge
reward and opportunity to visit a neighbour, a Muslim brother, in his time
of need. I remembered the Hadeeth Qudsi where Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala)
would say to a person on the Day of Judgement: “O son of Adam I was sick and
you did not visit Me. He would say: O my Lord; how could I visit You and You
are the Lord of the worlds? Thereupon He would say: Didn’t you know that
such and such servant of Mine was sick but you did not visit him and were
you not aware that if you had visited him, you would have found Me by
him?” (Muslim).

_May Allah forgive me_

Sometimes we keep putting off good deeds, and delay performing them but can
any of us guarantee we have tomorrow? I remembered the hadeeth of the
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) which promised great reward for someone
visiting the sick, He (Peace be upon him) said: “There is not a Muslim that
visits another in the morning except that 70,000 angels ask forgiveness for
him until the night, and if he visits him at night then 70,000 angels ask
forgiveness for him until the morning, and he will have earned a garden in
paradise” (At-Tirmidhi).

_May Allah forgive me_

Reflecting deeply on the failure to hasten towards good deeds on this
occasion, I remembered the hadeeth, where the caller of heaven would say to
the person visiting the sick: “You have done well and your walk was good
also, and you have earned a place in paradise” (At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah).
So why do we still not run towards opportunities to do good deeds presented
before us?

_May Allah forgive me_

Brothers and sisters, the most important lesson to take away is that we
should not delay, and hasten towards good deeds.

Allah says in the Quran: “Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your
Lord, and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and
of the earth, prepared for the righteous” (Al-Imran, Chapter #3, Verse
#133). We should not forget that our brothers and sisters in Islam have
rights over us, and there should be no excuses to seek those good deeds out.
You might have a busy life, but if you want to know what true productivity
means in Islam, it’s making sure that you do not miss these
“opportunities” and “golden” moments to be with your brother and sister in
their time of need. Ultimately it might be an act which saves you in the
Hereafter. Make time for them and Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) will reward
you, bless you, and make time for you inshaAllah.

I hope that this message to race towards good deeds reaches you and and that
it becomes a mean for Allah to forgive me.

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7.

Walaykum Salam,

Jazak Allah Khair for pointing out. The spelling has been corrected now. May
Allah reward you, ameen.

ProductiveMuslim.com

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QURAN AND PRODUCTIVITY

Nuh and Fighting Mockery
And it was revealed to Nuh (Noah): “None of your people will believe except those who have believed already. So be not sad because of what they used to do.
And construct the ship under Our Eyes and with Our Revelation, and call not upon Me on behalf of those who did wrong; they are surely to be drowned.”
And as he was constructing the ship, whenever the chiefs of his people passed by him, they mocked at him. He said: “If you mock at us, so do we mock at you likewise for your mocking. [11:36-38]

Nuh (Peace be upon him) was made fun of for building an ark in the middle of the desert. But Nuh knew what was coming and saw the end in sight and realised who will be truly laughing in the end.

Sometimes in life, we can be considered strangers; praying 5 times a day, not having “fun” (defined as drinking alcohol, going clubbing, outside marriage relationships..etc) and people mock us day and night. They see us ‘too serious’, tell us to take a ‘chill pill’ and enjoy life to the fullest. But we keep the end in sight, see the bigger picture and understand Whose path we’re following.

Mockery is probably the biggest challenge to people becoming productive, especially becoming productive for the sake of Islam and doing dawah-related work. Sometimes this mockery can be from the closest people, including parents and siblings. But if you remember Who you’re doing this for, and see the bigger picture of rewards in Akhira and Allah’s (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) pleasure, it should be easier for you to fight this mockery just like Nuh (Peace be upon him) did and keep treading the path to Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) with determined action.

SEERAH AND PRODUCTIVITY

In the 6th year of Hijrah, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) gave us a powerful example of the leader who has a long-term view of success rather than a short term one. He (Peace be upon him) saw a vision wherein he entered Makkah and circumambulated the Ka’aba. The vision did not specify a date or year of when he’ll enter Makkah, but Prophet Muhmmad (Peace be upon him) commanded his men to prepare for Umrah.

Before reaching Makkah with his companions, the people of Quraish came and met with the Prophet (Peace be upon him) urging him not to make Umrah this year. Quraish made a pact with him stipulating that the Muslims shall not perform their pilgrimage this year but shall wait till next year. And no man shall come from Quraish without the authorization of his master seeking refuge with the Muslims but he shall be returned to Quraish. And that no man from the Muslims shall come to Quraish seeking refuge but he shall be allowed to stay with Quraish. They also agreed to refrain from fighting for ten years and that whosoever wished to enter into Muhammad’s pact and treaty could do so, and whosoever wished to enter into Quraish’s pact and treaty could do so. Muhammad (Peace be upon him) agreed to this truce which was named “The Truce of Al-Hudaibiyya”.

When the Muslims saw the Prophet (Peace be upon him) accept this pact they were dumb-struck. How could he possibly accept such a one-sided and unjust treaty (in their estimation)? However, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) commanded them to return and they did.

Little did the Muslims know at that time, that this treaty was the secret of success for the Prophet’s conquering of Makkah in a few years time. The truce gave the Prophet and his companions a breathing space to concentrate their efforts on giving Dawah instead of defending Medina and fighting Quraish. This won the Prophet (Peace be upon him) many allies whom he could called upon when Quraish broke their treaty and Muhammad (Peace be upon him) decided to enter Makkah.

Morale of the story: As a leader, always look for long-term gains rather than short-term success.

PRODUCTIVE ANCESTORS

Imam An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him)

Many of us have come across the treasures created by this productive ancestor. Imaam Muhyee al-Din Aboo Zakariya Yahyaa bin Sharaf al-Nawawee was born in the village of Nawa in the vicinity of Damascus in 631 AH. He grew up in Nawa and at the age of nineteen went to study in Damascus which was considered the center of learning and scholarship.

During his stay at Damascus, Imaam Nawawee studied from more than twenty celebrated teachers, regarded as authorities in their fields and disciplines. He studied Hadith, Islamic jurisprudence and principles, syntax and Etymology from great scholars.

Imaam Nawawee had an endless thirst for knowledge. He used to read twelve lessons daily and wrote commentaries on every lesson. Whatever books he read, he would write marginal notes and explanations on each book. His intelligence, hard work, love, devotion and absorption in his studies amazed his teachers and they became fond of him and began to praise and admire him. Allaah (Subhanhu wa Ta’ala) had also conferred upon him the gift of fast memorization and depth of thought. Imaam Nawawee made full benefit of these blessins and potentialities and earned the highest degree of honor. Imaam Nawawee led a life of singular piety, righteousness and simplicity.

Imaam Nawawee had a short life but during this short period, he had written a large number of books on different subjects. Every work has been recognized as a valuable treasure of knowledge. Among them are, Riyaad as-Saaliheein, Arba’een and al-Adhkaar.

Lessons:

1. Have sincere intentions
2. Make notes on what you read
3. Develop a love for good knowledge
4. Work hard to excel at what you do
5. Use your skills and gifts from Allah for spreading good

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9th annual RIS Convention returns this winter from Dec. 24-26, 2010 – Come listen to international speakers discuss this year’s theme “Rules for the Road of Live: Reviving the 10 Commandments in the Modern World” – visit http://revivingtheislamicspirit.com for more information.

New Posts:

Friday Naseeha: http://www.youtube.com/user/productivemuslim

Increasing Productivity: Lesson No. 2- Noble Company: http://www.productivemuslim.com/increasing-productivity-lesson-2-noble-company/
Guest Post: 18 Ways to Achieve Greatness through Gratefulness: http://www.productivemuslim.com/18-ways-to-achieve-greatness-through-gratefulness/
Productivity Lessons from the Hijrah (Part 2): http://www.productivemuslim.com/productivity-lessons-from-the-hijrah-part-2/
Guest Post: Combating Negative Thinking!: http://www.productivemuslim.com/combating-negative-thinking/
Interview with Productive Muslim – Baba Ali: http://www.productivemuslim.com/interview-with-productive-muslim-baba-ali/

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