“This is not enough,” firmly whispers back my heart. “It is not enough for me to pump and beat. You have to make me do more than just that. I have been created to do more than that. I am the place where your belief and faith in Allah reside. You need to keep me clean and welcoming for Him.”

Remember! Allah says,

A day when there will be no benefit in wealth or children, but only in he who comes to Allah with a pure heart [Qur’an: Chapter 26, Verses 88-89]

“It is easy to do this when everything’s going just fine,” I reply to my heart. “I am very tired of fighting despair, hopelessness, anxiety, panic all the time these days. Where will I find the strength to polish and clean you now?”

“Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured [Qur’an: Chapter 13, Verse 28] ,”

recites my heart…

I know my heart is telling me the truth, the absolute truth. I have felt this peace in my heart on many occasions. It’s like finding shelter while a storm rages around. It’s like knowing, no matter what happens around me, I am safe for now.

I have memories of the time gone by when all was going well for me, my heart was like a vessel that was filled with laughter, joy and happiness. It forgave easily and was filled with hope and plans for a bright tomorrow. All it knew was to give; give love, share laughter, spark hope and spread the love… But then, it encountered one trial after another. I had hardly recovered from one trial when another one struck me hard. My carefree happy heart became a battleground. Fighting a constant battle with hopelessness, despair, anxiety and panic. It lost its battle many times, and I had to keep on reviving it. Each time I revived it, it grew weaker. I knew I had to do something fast. I had to make it strong enough to fight its battles and win more and lose less.

If you are reading this and going through a ‘trial’ in your life and can relate to what I have said so far, then let me say this to you: “It’s ok. You are going to be ok.”

I know this because if I am able to write this article, it is because I have somehow managed to keep my heart alive during my trials.

And if I can do it, then you can too!

Let me share with you some tips that I have found always work in keeping my heart alive during whatever comes my way.

1. Talk to your and my Lord, Allah

During the course of my short life, I have realized that one gets weary of listening to someone go on and on about what’s going wrong in their lives. But more importantly, one gets weary of speaking about it all the time too! I came to a point where I felt I could not bring myself to speak to anyone about my troubling thoughts, and I was ready to crumble with their weight. I was in utter despair. Then like a ray of light which pierced the darkness that was surrounding me, I came upon this ayah:

And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me – indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. [Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 186]

I can tell you, with utmost truthfulness that there is nothing better and more comforting than having a conversation with Allah . Place and time don’t matter. Just talk to Him. Say what you feel or fear. Speak about your darkest of thoughts, admit your deepest worries. He already knows everything and He won’t judge or psychoanalyze you. Allah will comfort, accept and fix you. It’s a promise He made in His Book.

2. Ask, ask and ask Allah

What my conversations with Allah led to was dua. I begged Allah to help me keep my heart alive. I told Him I feared that my heart could not withstand the constant revivals anymore. Did He answer my dua? Yes, in the best possible manner. Doors of healing and strength opened for me. Some from places I knew of and some from where I never expected. Allah opened the door for me. Walking through it always remains my choice.

3. Walk through the door of healing and strengthening

Close your eyes and ask yourself, “What could possibly be the best way to heal and keep my heart alive?”

Go on. Do it.

Qur’an…

That was my answer. And it was true.

“And We send down of the Qur’an that which is healing and mercy for the believers…” [Qur’an: Chapter 17, Verse 82]

Pick it up.
Open it.
Read it.
Ponder over what it says.
Implement it.

Even if it’s one simple command that you can, just do it.

For there can never be any other source of life for the heart other than the Qur’an. It is just the way Allah has created it.

4. Salah,  never miss it

No matter what, whether your heart is in it or not, don’t miss your salah. It breathes in life to the heart that is fighting its battles for you. Pray sitting, pray lying down.Pray. Pour out your troubles to Allah while in prostration.

5. Help someone

As cliche’ as it may sound, helping someone in need, doing good pumps life back into the heart. Maybe it’s their prayers of gratitude for you, or that Allah is happy with you for doing a good deed, nut it always works. A phone call to an elderly or sick person, making something nice for someone, charity, anything that you can do. If you can make this a routine for yourself, then it is going to be even better!

6. Develop a gratitude habit

Nothing polishes the heart faster than gratitude. No matter how hard our circumstances, there is always something to be grateful for. Even if it’s just a breath that we can take to ask Allah to forgive us. Personally, for me, it always helps me feel better when I stop crying and just look at all the favors of Allah instead.

7. Do what you can and leave the rest for Allah

When my heart feels overwhelmed with worry, I tell myself, or rather my heart tells me:

…Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves… [Qur’an: Chapter 13, Verse 11]

Do your bit to get out of the situation that you are in. Remember the hadith where the Messenger of Allah told the bedouin: “tie her and trust in Allah ” regarding his camel? [Jami at-Tirmidhi]

8. Keep going

Keeping the heart alive is a process that will keep going on until there is a single breath left for us to breathe. There will be lows and highs. Celebrate the highs and plow through the lows. There will be times when you will feel your heart wants to stop beating and there will be darkness all around. Don’t despair. Allah is Near. Just pick up yourself and revive your heart. Trust me, Allah fixes hearts in the most beautiful manner.

My dearest friend, I know what you feel. I have been there and I am there right now. The best news that I can give you is, never worry as you are never alone. Even in the darkest moments of your life, Allah is Near. Always.

I leave you with a gem that the Messenger of Allah left for you and me. Use it and use it well:

“O Turner of the hearts, keep my heart firm upon your religion.”

Shahr bin Hawshab said,

I said to Umm Salamah : “O Mother of the Believers! What was the supplication that the Messenger of Allah said most frequently when he was with you?”
She said, “The supplication he said most frequently was: ‘O Changer of the hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion (Yā Muqallibal-qulūb, thabbit qalbī `alā dīnik)’ and I asked him why did he supplicate it so frequently.”
“He said, ‘O Umm Salamah! Verily, there is no human being except that his heart is between Two Fingers of the Fingers of the Almighty, so whomsoever He wills He makes steadfast, and whomever He wills He causes to deviate.’ ” [Jami` at-Tirmidhi]

May Allah dispel all darkness and despair from your heart and light it with His light, ameen!

What are your productive tips to keep your heart alive during trials and tribulations? Share them with us in the comments!

The post My Heart’s Story: How I Revived my Heart during Tough Trials appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

As Muslims, it is completely normal to have our highs and lows in our faith. When you feel like you are low in your levels of faith, try to think about all the barakah that Allah already has blessed you with. Barakah can be in our health, time, money, and every other aspect in our lives. Reminding ourselves of these blessings will surely increase your imaan again.

In the Arabic language, the word barakah covers three main concepts: a thing that has barakah will grow and increase; it will continue to grow and increase above and beyond expectations; and these two qualities will not go away.

I had barakah, and then I lost it. I searched high and low, but I could not find it. I was sad and dejected; I sat down, almost on the verge of losing hope of finding it again, and I talked to my Lord. I told Him that I desperately needed barakah in my life. I needed it in my health, my relations with my family and friends, my wealth, but most importantly, I needed it in my faith. Suddenly, I felt something stir inside me: a sudden urge to check my mail. I ignored it, mentally chiding myself for becoming an e-mail addict, but the urge only grew stronger! Finally, it overpowered me, and I checked my email. What did I see? An email from my editor asking me if I wanted to write about the concept of barakah!

“What?!” I exclaimed to my Lord, “Me? How can I do it? I can’t. I don’t have barakah any more”. I dejectedly closed my phone and mentally made a note to mail my editor to excuse me this time from writing. I did not email back, and then something strange started happening.

I started noticing the barakah that I did have, one that I was ignoring. The biggest barakah that I had was in my health. Being a one time cancer survivor and a current cancer fighter, the fact that I was able to live my life almost as normal cancer-free people, was the most absolute amazing barakah in my life.

Slowly, I started noticing the pockets of barakah in my familial relations, intellect, wealth, and my faith. My Most Merciful Lord had not taken barakah away from me, although it was no way near to the amount I desperately needed. This prompted me on a self-discovery quest, where I looked deep within myself, my past, my present, and the future that I wanted.

The realizations that dawned upon me were mind blowing. The sources that guarantee barakah in our lives is true!

In this article, I share with you how I looked for the barakah that already existed in my life, and my journey to find out how to keep it there and increase it.

Faith

Imaan, faith, is the cornerstone of our emotional and physical well being. Without it, we would be lost. Without it, I would not have survived the trauma of dealing with cancer, and the anxiety that I have of it destroying my happy life again. There were some things that I did which helped me stay connected to Allah and not lose hope, even in my darkest, murkiest hour. I found barakah in:

1. Attaching myself to the Qur’an

I had enrolled in a Qur’an class to learn tafseer and translation a couple of years before I was diagnosed. I did not let go of my classes, even when my treatment started. I told them about my situation, and they were kind enough to give me pardon me from attendance, tests, and assignments. I have a huge list of tests, assignments, and lectures to make-up, and it feels really overwhelming, but I cannot quit. It is my lifeline. Qur’an is like a rope that is thrown to a drowning person to pull them ashore. Fighting the battle that I had, along with the normal challenges of life, was very difficult. The only successful way in which I found barakah and did not give in to despair and hopelessness, was the loving, soothing, encouraging words of Allah .

2. Surrounding myself with people of the Qur’an

Alhamdulillah, due to my classes and interests, I met people who were deeply connected with the Qur’an. Their encouraging words, advice, and sharing of duas to recite, is another way that I managed to stay afloat.

3. Talking to Allah

I love talking to Allah . When I am trying to be a good person, I do this in the last third of the night or the officially blessed early morning hours; the effect is priceless. I talk, literally pour out my thoughts, musings, complaints, problems, ideas, everything. There is so much barakah in talking to Allah . The calmness that is infused in the heart and the clarity of thought that follows is awesome.

Time

Barakah in time is the most elusive of all, isn’t it? For me, barakah in time only comes when I do this:

1. I did not sleep after fajr. I stayed up and studied or worked.
2. I recited all my morning athkar after fajr salah while sitting on the prayer mat itself.

Health

They say that health is wealth. I have very closely seen how absolutely true this statement is, when I underwent treatment for cancer in 2014. After regaining my good health, it was a huge disappointment, when I once again found out I have cancer in 2015. Refusing the treatment plan offered to me by my doctors in 2015 was a huge decision. It is now August 2016, and I am still alive and kicking, with the permission of my Lord, in spite of very little conventional treatment. How did I get barakah in my health, and what can you do get it too?

1. Istikhara

If I am walking, talking, and writing this, it is only because of the barakah of istikhara. I took each step after seeking advice from Allah . I absolutely relied on Him as I took the plunge. I upset some of my dearest ones with these decisions, but so many months have gone by, and alhamdulillah I am fine. I call myself the “Istikhara Girl”. I earnestly recommend to everyone to turn to Allah , for His counsel. I even do istikhara when I am in a “fight-mode” with my husband and don’t know what to do. The results? Needless to say, they are amazing.

2. Saying Alhamdulillah

Each time I catch myself doing things that normal healthy people do, I say alhamdulillah.

Allah says, “And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.'” [Qur’an: Chapter 14 : Verse: 7]

3. Sunnah foods

I started incorporating all the sunnah foods in my diet. These include, but are not limited to, dates, milk, raw honey, olives, and black seed and barley. Of course these foods are extremely healthy, but merely following the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad is enough to bring barakah into my life.

Relations with family and friends

One of the biggest sources of peace and happiness is to be surrounded by loving family and friends. By being patient with difficult relatives for the sake of Allah and trying hard to forgive and forget their mistakes, as Allah wants us to do, I saw the barakah increase in our relationships.

Wealth

If I had any barakah in my wealth it was because of the charity I was giving.

As you can see, the barakah was there all along – especially when you worship Allah daily. However, the single thing that caused me to stop seeing the barakah was the most fundamental mistake: I reduced saying Alhamdulillah!

This one single step made me stop seeing and benefiting from all the barakah that my Most Merciful Lord had blessed me with. Being thankful to Allah creates a positive thinking, strengthening us to deal with the difficult situations and tests in life. In addition, Allah increases barakah if we are grateful to Him.

At the end of this journey of self-introspection, I have come up with a few simple daily actions that I will add on to the ones I did in the past to ensure barakah stays in my life.

1. Be prompt in answering the call of Allah : Offer salah as soon as it’s time until it becomes a habit.
2. Have good intentions: Having sincere intentions to do good for the sake of Allah will give us more barakah in all areas of our lives, including keeping good family ties.
3. Be more vigilant of saying Bismillah before beginning any task: The very name of Allah has barakah in it. Why miss out on this?
4. Eating the Sunnah way: Avoid overeating and eat more well balanced meals.
5. Weed out time wasters: Identify the places that you waste time and use focused working techniques to increase barakah in your time. For example, reduce screen time by only checking messages.

The single most powerful act that should be done at all times to guarantee that we keep getting barakah, no matter what, is, the tool of Du’a. Ask Allah to grant us the Ultimate Barakah in our lives, to lead a life that is full of barakah, and to leave a legacy of good work behind us that continues to increase our good deeds long after we are gone. May Allah make all of us from those whose life is infused with His Barakah and that it stays with us until we reach our eternal home, Jannah. Ameen!

I ask you to begin a journey of your own to discover the barakah in your lives and to figure out what you need to do to get more! Have you identified where there is barakah in your life? What have you been doing to get it there and what will you implement to keep it there? Share your tips in the comments below!

The post ​Looking at Life Through the Lens of Barakah appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

Ramadan is coming up and Alhamdullillah that we are alive to begin preparing for it. Coming up is another chance to earn Allah’s mercy, seek forgiveness for our sins and gather all the barakah that we possibly can. Alhamdullillah!

Unfortunately, I missed fasting during Ramadan last year; I was too sick to even attempt to keep fasts. I was undergoing chemotherapy and my last session was a day before Eid.

But the truth is that these fasts are not the only ones I have missed in my life. Thinking back, I have missed fasts in previous Ramadans, due to traveling, sickness or pregnancy. Some fasts are from a few years back that I have yet to complete.

Yikes! That is a lot of fasts.

Are you in a similar situation like me? The fact is that sisters will inevitably miss fasts due to reasons like pregnancy, breastfeeding and menstruation. If we don’t keep track of these fasts, sooner or later you will lose count of the number of fasts you have missed. What we need is a method to count and a plan to make up missed fasts. Are you feeling a little jittery about the number of fasts that you have to make up? (I know I am!)

Come on, grab a pencil, paper, and a calculator and follow along my simple method for counting missed fasts. We’ll then learn the rulings on when missing fasts is allowed, and explore the various ways in which we can make them up to get make up as many of them as we can before Ramadan, in sha Allah.

Are you ready? Bismillah!

We should first ask ourselves: “Why do I want to or need to make up the missed fasts?”

Allah says:

“…Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.” [Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 185]

Alhamdulillah, Allah grants us concessions when we are traveling, sick or pregnant, but fasting during Ramadan is obligatory, so we must make up these missed fasts as soon as possible, preferably before the next Ramadan begins. Reminding ourselves of this will renew our intention and make us firm in our aim. If of course, like me, you have missed fasts from many previous years, the first step is to secure your intention to make them up and then count the missed fasts.

Counting Missed Fasts

1. Draw a table with five columns:

Year: the year in which you may have missed fasting

Completed Fasts: how many fasts you did manage to complete that year

Missed Fasts: how many fasts you missed during the Ramadan of that year

Reasons for Missed Fasts: the reason for which you missed the fast (see below)

Done: where you will make a note of missed fasts that have been made up

2. In a vertical list, make rows, writing down the year from which you officially started fasting (the year menstruation began) and end the list at 2014.

3. Now, before we begin calculating the number of missed days, it would help to remind ourselves of the situations that make it permissible to skip fasting during Ramadan. This will refresh our memory and remind us of any circumstances we have faced in past Ramadans that we might have forgotten about.

According to scholars, one is allowed to give up fasting during Ramadan if they are: 

• sick
• menstruating
• traveling
• pregnant or breastfeeding (if your health does not allow you to continue fasting)
• in old age
• suffering from intense hunger or thirst
• under compulsion

So, with these in mind, start with the most recent year (as it will be the freshest in your mind) and recall if you faced any of these circumstances and write the number of missed days in 2014.

For me, it would be 30. So in the column for “Completed Fasts”, I put 0; for “Missed Fasts”, I put 30 and for “Reasons for Missed Fasts”, I put sickness.

Following these steps, work backwards, thinking of all the reasons that excuse one from fasting and fill in each column. If you didn’t fast during Ramadan due to pregnancy, then simply write the number of days corresponding to the year of birth of your children, with the same method being applied to any years that you were breastfeeding.

It will look something like this:

What if you don’t know exactly how many fasts you have missed in the past year?

If you are counting fasts missed from many years, it may be difficult to remember how many you missed and why. In this case, you need to think hard and estimate the most likely number of fasts that you have missed. Generally, sisters are aware of fasts they miss due to menstruation, so these should be fairly easy to remember.

Commit to Making Up Missed Fasts

So, have you finished counting the number of days you did not fast?

Does it look like it’s a lot? Well, mine looks overwhelming too!

But not to worry, in sha Allah, Allah will make easy for us anything we are sincere about, as He says in the Qur’an:

“Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope” [Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 286]

Let’s begin preparing our game plan on how to reduce this number, in sha Allah. It’s important to remember that it would help to start with small, manageable goals rather than big ones, as the latter have a greater chance of failing.

When I finished chemotherapy and started getting better, I planned to complete missed fasts during the following December, so that all my missed fasts for 2014 would at least be completed.

But I was in for a huge disappointment. I couldn’t do it.

And I blame my failure on my “big” plans more than my health. Had I made small goals and started sooner, I would have been able to manage them!

Organize your timetable and yourself for fasting

Fasting and managing normal life is so much easier in Ramadan, due to the atmosphere of Ramadan, everyone around us is fasting and of course, because the month of Ramadan is filled with Allah’s blessings!

So during the year, if we begin with a focused approach and planning, fasting will not only be easy, but also enjoyable.

1. Mark the days on the calendar in which you plan to fast: Begin now and continue even after Ramadan ends. Fast in small manageable chunks (2 or 3 days a week), to develop a solid routine where you check off fasts that you have made up. Planning in advance will also give you a heads up so you can plan your groceries, cooking and appointments accordingly.

2. Grab a lunar (Islamic) and a solar (Gregorian) calendar: Mark the days on the solar calendar that coincide with al ayyam al beed, the white days (13, 14, 15th of each Islamic month) in the lunar calendar and also prioritise fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, in accordance with the Prophet’s sunnah.

3. Get your dua book ready: This is something that I would really like to do this Ramadan. In this dua book, write down all the duas that you want to make in your own language, for yourself, spouse, children, parents, friends, cousins, the ummah, mankind, any issue that is troubling you and something that you really want. Organize recommended duas from the Qur’an and Sunnah so that you become familiar with them now until they are second nature to you during Ramadan. Try to go through these duas after praying tahhajjud, after salah, on Jumu’ah and after iftar, as duas are readily accepted at these times.

4. Create a “Make Up Missed Fasts” club: This can be easily created both virtually (via Whatsapp groups, Facebook groups etc) and physically in person (with your mother, sisters or friends). Ask sisters whom you know if they also want to make up their fasts. It is so encouraging when others are doing it too; you can motivate each other by taking turns to wake the others for suhoor, check up on how fasting is going, and send duas at Iftar time. You will feel a real sense of sisterhood, In sha Allah!

Commence!

Now you are ready to begin fasting!

The ideal time to make up fasts is during the winter months when the day is shorter. Of course, that is past now, and summer is well and truly settling in. Take this opportunity to get a hang of fasting in Ramadan, as the timings now will be very similar.

Depending on your routine and engagements, you can either fast for a week consecutively or you can break it up and fast on the days mentioned earlier. As you start fasting, keep a tally on the number of fasts in the fifth column of the table titled ‘Done’, starting with 2014 and moving backwards.

Does it all seem a tad overwhelming to you too?

Sometimes when I see my list, it seems just so daunting and I ask myself, “how can I do it?” I don’t really want to die with any fasts pending in my account. But you and I should not and cannot think like this! As long as we really want to do it, Allah will make it easy for us. It may take many months to complete missed fasts from the previous years, but we just need to keep going. Either we succeed or die trying, together in sha Allah.

So come along dear sisters, grab your pens, paper, calendars and du’a books and get to work! May Allah accept our fasts from us and make them easy for us, ameen.

This article was originally published on Apr 27, 2015

The post Make Up Your Missed Fasts Easily Before Ramadan: Count, Commit and Commence! appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

We now know well the story of how our father, Prophet Adam and his wife Hawwa [alayhassalam] fell for the trap of shaytan and then repented to Allah .

Allah , the Most Merciful and the Accepting of repentance, accepted their repentance [Qur’an: Chapter 7: Verse 23]. Then, Allah told them to go down to a place that He had created for them and their offspring. This place is called al-ard (the earth).

Allah said, “Descend, being to one another enemies. And for you on the earth is a place of settlement and enjoyment for a time. Therein you will live, and therein you will die, and from it you will be brought forth.” [Qur’an: Chapter 7: Verse 24-25]

Yes, this is the same place that you and I call “home” today: our beloved Planet Earth.

Now, this part of the series has lessons that were eye-opening for me. I hope you’ll benefit from them, as well.

Let’s begin.

19. The etiquette of our “vacation” on Planet Earth

“We hope you enjoy your stay with us”, says the receptionist as you are handed the key to your hotel room. You take in the ambiance of the hotel lobby and look forward to exploring your room and then hitting the tourist circuit.

This is similar to what Allah told our father Adam and Hawwa [alayhassalam] when He was sending them to Earth.

“And for you on the earth is a place of settlement and enjoyment for a time.” [Qur’an: Chapter 7: Verse 24]

However, the reality of this world is lost when we occupy ourselves with digging our feet in it and forgetting that we’re only here for a short stay.

Think about it. Do you book a hotel for the duration of your vacation, or do you think you’re buying a house? Of course you only book a hotel room for a limited duration.

We tend to forget applying the same concept to our time on this planet… until it is too late.

Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, an Islamic poet, says, “This world is a passing dream which the sleeper is convinced is real, until unexpectedly the dawn of death frees him from this fantasy.”

If this world really was a place to become attached to, Prophet Muhammad would have enjoyed its immense luxuries too. Instead, he turned down the mountains of gold he was offered and chose to live in poverty.

This is the lens through which we should view everything in this world.

So, revel in your “hotel” room, unpack only that much stuff that is needed for your stay, and enjoy your vacation on Planet Earth.

Now, when you prepare for a vacation, you pack the most appropriate clothes and accessories that you need, right?

Similarly, when Allah sent Adam and Hawa [alayhassalam] to this planet, He packed for them the clothing they need and said:

“O children of Adam, We have bestowed upon you clothing to conceal your private parts and as adornment.” [Qur’an: Chapter 7: Verse 26]

This takes us to our next lesson.

20. Thank Allah for all the clothes you have

Don’t we all like to wear clothes that flatter our physical looks and please our fashion sense?

Sisters, you would agree with me if I say that we love clothes. Won’t you?

What can be a greater mercy from Allah that He has made for us something that we are inherently inclined to love? This is a source of His blessing to protect us from the harsh and changing environment, and as a means to beautify us.

It has been reported that Prophet Muhammad said that Allah said, “All of you are naked unless I have clothed you, so ask Me to clothe you and I will clothe you.” [Al Adab Al Mufrad]

There is a dua to say when you wear new clothes. That is:

“O Allah, praise is to You. You have clothed me. I ask You for its goodness and the goodness of what it has been made for, and I seek Your protection from the evil of it and the evil of what it has been made for.” [Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi]

Reciting this dua when you wear new clothes and thanking Allah for your old ones is a great act of worship and gratitude, it is a great opportunity to connect with Allah and remember Him always.

21. Aim for the “best dressed” award

We all want to look our best at all times. There is a secret to achieving this, in sha Allah, and it is right there in the Qur’an.

Allah says:

“But the clothing of [taqwa] righteousness – that is best. That is from the signs of Allah that perhaps they will remember.” [Qur’an: Chapter 7: Verse 26]

Taqwa (being conscious of Allah ), shines through a person’s conduct. A person who has taqwa will exhibit good manners and be fair when dealing with other people. This is his/her clothing: their good manners.

Can you recall what everyone was wearing at a gathering long ago? Probably not. However, you most likely remember who the best mannered person was at the gathering; what they did and/or what they said is what matters and lasts the longest.

“Verily for the Muttaqeen (people of taqwaa) is success (paradise)” [Qur’an: Chapter 7: Verse 31]

22. Do not be excessive

As humans, we tend to have passions and desires. This is what makes us human. It is in our nature to get caught up in fulfilling these desires. However, more often than not, we go overboard in satisfying our passions.

That is why Allah reminds us:

“O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.” [Qur’an: Chapter 7: Verse 31]

If we thank Allah for all our clothing and our blessings that He bestowed upon us, then it is more likely that we will increase the taqwa in our hearts. As long as our hearts are filled with Allah ’s remembrance, the chances of being excessive or arrogant become less.

There is a “machine” in our hearts that twinges when we begin to be excessive in fulfilling our needs. It is important to react to these twinges. Otherwise, this machine will stop working, and we will not twinge when we become excessive.

These verses and their lessons remind us of the most important lesson of living in this world: We are tourists, and we are only here for a short stay. So, remember that we’re on a short trip, wear the clothing of taqwa, and remember Allah with much remembrance.

Keep in mind, eventually this trip will an end and to Allah we all will return.

I would like to leave you with the wise words of Ali to ponder upon. He said: “Verily the dunya is coming to an end, and the akhirah is coming to a beginning and they both have children. So be the children of the akhirah and don’t be the children of the dunya. For verily today there is action with no account and tomorrow there’s account with no action.”

What are the lessons that you have cherished the most from this series? please leave us a comment below.

The post [Surat Al-A’raf Series – Part 7]: Living on This Planet as Tourists appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

The last couple of lessons from Surat Al-A’raf were an “iman rush”. They motivated us to focus on Allah by aiming high, strengthening our determination and working towards rising in Allah ’s Sight.

Now is a suitable time to acquaint ourselves with the force that is extremely determined and focused on not letting us achieve our goal of Allah ’s pleasure.

In fact, this force never gets tired or loses its focus on us. Allah warns us about him, shaytan, and says:

“Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy. [Qur’an: Chapter 6: Verse 142]

Prophet Muhammad said, “For indeed the shaytan flows through one of you as the blood flows.” [The companions] said: “And you?” He said: “And me, but Allah helped me over him, so I am safe.” [Tirmidhi]

Iblees has declared a war against us. He said,

“Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them grateful [to You].” [Qur’an: Chapter 7: Verse 17]

It is no doubt that this is a war we are fighting daily. It is imperative that we win the war, because the result of losing is an eternal home in the hell fire with Iblees being our companion. Of course, that is something none of us wants!

Sun Tzu, author of the ancient and influential Chinese book on military strategy, says, “It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.”

In the previous articles, we had started introspecting and working on ourselves to become more like the people who Allah loves. We also looked into Iblees’s character.

Military strategists always want to know how the enemy is planning to attack. This helps them in preparing their counter attack in a better manner.

Allah , in His infinite mercy, has told us Iblees’s plan of action and has also shown us what we need to do to combat him and win. This shows us that we have Allah on our side, alhamdulillah. Allah is ready to help us when we need. On the other hand, Iblees is alone in his war against us. So, from the beginning, we stand to win this. If we lose, it’s because we messed up.

Are you ready to look into Iblees’s plan and Allah ’s awesome counter-plan?

Let’s begin!

16. Build your fortress. Protect the treasure

What is the first thing to do when you hear of an upcoming attack?

Secure the perimeter and appoint guards at the most vulnerable and precious places.

So, what is the most precious and vulnerable place that we have?

It is the heart.

Prophet Muhammad said, “Verily, there is a piece of flesh in the body, if it is healthy, the whole body is healthy, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. Verily, it is the heart.” [Riyad-Us-Saliheen]

If our heart falls prey to Iblees, then we have lost our advantage in this war.

Let’s look at a few ways we can strengthen the perimeter around our heart:

1. The waking-up routine

Untie the knots that Iblees ties.Prophet Muhammad said, “When any one of you goes to sleep, the devil ties three knots at the back of his neck, sealing every knot with: ‘You have a long night, so sleep’ So if one awakes and mentions Allah , a knot will be loosened. If he performs ablution, two knots are loosened; If he prays, [all] knots will be loosened, and in the morning he will be active and in good spirits. Otherwise, we will be in bad spirits and sluggish in the morning. [Muslim]

2. The morning and evening duas

This is the first line of defense that is laid right at the beginning of the day. The stronger it is laid, the weaker the attack of Iblees.

Ibn al-Qayyim said: “The morning and evening adhkar play the role of a shield; the thicker it is, the more its owner will not be affected. Rather, its strength can reach to such an extent that the arrow shot at it will bounce back to effect the one who shot it.”

And Sheikh Uthaymeen said: “The morning and evening adhkar are a stronger fortress than the wall of Yajooj and Majooj, for the one who says it while his heart is present.

3. The daily duas

These are said before eating, entering the washroom, sleeping, the general habit of saying ‘Bismillah’ before beginning any task, the duas after each obligatory salah, the duas before sleeping…all of this further strengthen the defense that we prepare.

Ibn Salah said: “Whoever maintains the morning and evening adhkar, the adhkar after the prayers, and the adhkar before sleeping will be written among those who remember Allah much’.”

4. The habit of being grateful

If we are not able to see and thank Allah for the immense blessings that Allah has showered upon us, then we are leaving a door open for Iblees to come and attack us. It is as if we are literally inviting him to come and live in our hearts, just like he told Allah he would.

The Qur’an says, “Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them grateful [to You].” [Qur’an: Chapter 7: Verse 17]

Gratefulness increases the productivity of a person and also his general well-being. Get into the habit of thanking Allah daily for all that has been blessed to you.

17. Be mindful of Allah’s clear commands

Another door that lets Iblees break our defense is the door of doubt. When we are not sure of what is right or wrong and we’re in the grey area, Iblees sneaks in quietly. Keep that door shut and sealed with the Qur’an and sunnah. They include crystal clear guidelines about what to do and what not to do.

For example, didn’t Allah tell Adam ,

“but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers.” [Qur’an: Chapter 7: Verse: 9]

“This” is a CLEAR command.

Access to these commands can be found in the Qur’an and sunnah. Therefore, it is time to get back to the books, get the information we need and use it to strengthen our defense against Iblees.

Every time Iblees sneaks in and tries to tempt us by saying things like

“Indeed, I am to you from among the sincere advisers.” [Qur’an: Chapter 7: Verse: 21]

But we are smarter, are we not? Alhamdulillah that Allah informed us about his plan. We are prepared for his tricks.

18. Run to Allah when you fall

With all the intelligence Allah ingrained in us, we are still human who make mistakes. In spite of all the clear commands we are given, we still make the wrong choices. Adam did it too.

But do you know what the best part is?

Prophet Muhammad said,

“Were you not to commit sins, Allah would create people who would commit sins and ask for forgiveness and He would forgive them”. [Muslim]

So, it is alright to make mistakes. What is not acceptable is to do what Iblees did after committing a sin. He was arrogant and blamed Allah for his mistakes.

We should follow the legacy of our father and mother, Adam [alayhis] and Hawa [alayhas]. They taught us what to do when we sin.

“Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.” [Qur’an: Chapter 7: Verse 23]

They turned to Allah in repentance.

And it just gets better!

Did you know that Allah loves those who repent?

“Truly, Allah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves.” [Qur’an: Chapter 2: Verse 222]

Truly, what more could we ever want? We have the Most Merciful, Loving and Forgiving Lord, alhamdulillah.

We are truly blessed to be the nation of the Messenger of Allah . Alhamdulillah!

Ibn katheer said, “Wear the ‘coat’ of adhkar so it can protect you from the evils of humans and jinn. And cover your souls with istighfar so it can erase the sins of the night and day.”

And on this happy note, I take your leave to meet next time with more gems from the Qur’an and sunnah. Feel free to comment below and share your thoughts on the defense mechanisms against shaytan that we mentioned above.

The post [Surat Al-A’raf Series – Part 6] How to Beat Shaytan appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

1. “This is difficult . I don’t know how I will do it any more”, I said to my husband after my 3rd cycle of chemotherapy. He replied,“You should thank Allah that this time chemo is not as bad as the one you took in 2014”.

Reaction: Directed angry looks at him and thought, “ he never understands me, it’s so easy for him to say that!”

2. Excuse me sister/brother, your talking in the masjid is really loud and is distracting me and others from salah, please could you stop talking whilst in the masjid?

Reaction: Who do you think you are to tell me what I can or can’t do? I’ll talk if I want to, now leave me alone.

3. A parent saying to the child, “You are not working hard enough, you need to study more, when I was your age…”.   Child’ response, “You don’t understand anything that is going on in my life! Times have changed, okay! I have so much stress that you don’t even know about, life isn’t the same as it was back in the days, stop putting pressure on me.”

Reaction: An angry household full of parents complaining about ungrateful children, and children complaining about demanding parents.

4. “Scolding (and spanking) the kids is not beneficial. Try to be patient and it will be better for them,” said a mother-in-law when she saw her daughter-in-law scolding the three-year-old child.

Reaction: Silently fuming : “They did the same and it worked with us, now they are advising us to do the opposite!  I can raise MY children the way I want, who is she to get involved?”

Now, look closely at each of those scenarios. The advice given actually seems fair, however, it was hard for me to take it.

Have you ever been in similar situations where you know deep down that the advice is beneficial, but something stops you from accepting it?

Our goal, as productive Muslims, is to make ourselves better than what we were yesterday. Well-meaning advice is actually a part of the beneficial provision that Allah has ordained for us.

Allah says, “…so give good tidings to My servants. Who listen to speech and follow the best of it. Those are the ones Allah has guided, and those are people of understanding.” [Qur’an: Chapter 39 , Verse 17-18]

We need to ask ourselves: what are the reasons we find it difficult to accept advice? Do we see ourselves as better than others? Or do people give advice in a really frustrating way that we end up overlooking what they say because of how they said it?

Let us discuss the reasons why it might be hard for us to take advice, and discuss means to resolve that.

Reason #1: Arrogance

The “I am better than you” syndrome we might sadly suffer from. Taking advice feels like admitting that we don’t really deserve our high status. The dangerous part here is thinking that we are better than someone else. If we don’t want to accept advice from someone, very often we think about the flaws of that person and use that to disqualify them from being in any position to give us advice. But, can any of us really say with certainty that we are better than other people? Even the ones who commit sins openly, do we know what they are like in private? No. So, why do we only allow those we deem as ‘good enough’ to offer us advice?

Remember the Prophet said: “Whoever has a mustard seed’s weight of pride (arrogance) in his heart, shall not be admitted into Paradise.”[Jami` at-Tirmidhi]

Solution: Let’s humble ourselves before Allah first and foremost.  Humbleness is the opposite of arrogance. Once we realize our actual worth; how helpless we are without HIS guidance and mercy, we will be more humble towards the people in our lives too. Let us also be more forgiving towards others, and rather than judge the person, let us judge the content of their words. Too often we take things as a personal attack, this stops us from recognizing the pearls of wisdom that could be embedded in the advice given.

The Prophet said, “..no one will humble himself for Allah’s sake except that Allah raises his status.” [Muslim]

Reason #2: How the advice is given

More often than not, the advice we receive is given in a manner that makes our skin crawl; the arrogant look, the judgmental tone, the place at which the advice is given, the timing…you name it!

So what ends up happening is confrontation. You get offended rather than benefited. It is very hard to filter the content when it seems like harsh criticism, but that is when we need to remember the importance of patience and keep our cool.

A person may sound like they are passing judgement, but what they are saying might actually lead to you gaining more reward from Allah ?

Solution: Thank Allah for bringing this person into your life because he/she is helping you gain more hasanat. Another way to overcome this is to recognize that a lot of times, people give their unsolicited opinion in order to gain a reaction, when you give the expected annoyed reaction, it fuels them. So, rather than have a confrontation, thank them for their words, smile and move on with your life. A lot of us are probably trying to seek forgiveness for the mountains of sins that we have, let’s not add to that by getting involved in an unnecessary confrontation.

Let this uncomfortable scenario be a means for you to earn hasanaat through your patience, and acquire Allah’s forgiveness.

“…And let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” [Qur’an: Chapter 24, Verse 22]

Reason #3: Wrong timing

This is one of my current favorites. You see, I’m currently going through my second chemo in two years. I have a short fuse, and when my well-intended friends who love me dearly send messages about being strong in trials and making the most of the difficult period and so on, I just blow up!

I calm down quickly, but I do blow up!

( Psst… they don’t know about it, so let this be a secret between us, OK?)

Solution: Don’t rush to react. Take a deep breath and divide the advice into 2 parts: the actual advice and the emotional drama that unfolds within you. Store the advice in your mind for later, and work on controlling the emotions first. In sha Allah, by time and practice, you will become an expert at controlling your emotions and you’ll manage to extract the advice and benefit from it. Honestly speaking, after silently shedding some tears of frustration upon reading those messages, I swear I feel better because of that very same advice that made me blow up. They get me more determined to be “productive” in my trying times. I say alhamdullilah for receiving advice because, otherwise, I would have gotten lost in self pity.

Reason #4: Laziness and fear of failure

Yes, you read it right: laziness. Even though we attend productivity lectures, we don’t follow through with what they teach us, as we are too lazy to leave our comfort zone and try something new. Or we may be too afraid to fail. For example, when my husband got me a new laptop with a different operating system, I was pretty upset about learning how to use it!

Solution: Conquer your laziness. Be more determined to make the changes and always learn from them. If we want to be better human beings, we have to make a lot of changes in our habits and attitudes. Once we decide to do that, advice will be easy to accept and implement, in sha Allah. A lot of times, people want to do a massive overhaul of their character, thinking they will make a dramatic change in their lives. When they are unable to achieve or sustain this process, they give up completely.

Change is easiest when we work on small habits. Dropping bad ones and picking up small good acts and remaining consistent. The Prophet said “Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately and know that your deeds will not make you enter Paradise, and that the most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant even if it were little.” [Sahih]

Reason #5:The generation gap

When the advice comes from elders, we tend to feel, “what do they know about the struggles we face today.” If the advice comes from youngsters, we tend to feel, “ how can they advise us, they have no experience,” and then we ignore the advice.

In reality, however, the elders have that magical ingredient called “experience” that makes what they say correct at least 50% of the time, and the youngsters have knowledge that we didn’t have access to when we were young.

Solution: Realize where the advice is coming from. If the advice is coming from someone who loves you; your parent, siblings, spouses, friends…etc, know that they mean ONLY good for you. Listen carefully to their advice. It doesn’t matter whether they are young or old, just pay attention. At no point in our lives do we ever become experienced enough that we can no longer receive advice. If we ever feel like we have reached that point, we run the risk of becoming arrogant, and seeing ourselves as better than others. Musa was a Messenger of Allah , yet he accepted that Khidr had knowledge which he didn’t have and tried his best to pay attention. The Prophet frequently took advice from his companions and wives regarding important matters.

Remember also that if/when the advice comes from your parents, you must show the best of patience towards them. Sometimes it can be very frustrating and we feel like our parents have no idea on the kind of struggles we go through today, but Allah says

“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.” [Qur’an: Chapter 17, Verse 23] .

One thing to bear in mind each time we answer back to our parents, if Allah set the mere expression of ‘uff’ as forbidden and not allowed, imagine the sins that could be piled up when we actually answer back rudely!

And last but not the least…

Remember the companions of the Prophet

They had to literally leave many habits and activities after they accepted Islam, and they were constantly advised on how to be better Muslims. If they stopped taking the advice that was coming their way, or rejected it on the basis of the age/status of the one giving advice etc, would they have become who they’ve become? No. They were grown men holding important positions, yet they constantly humbled themselves and took the beneficial advice that came their way. Islamic history is strewn with this type of examples.

I personally am giving myself advice through this article. The benefit that I hope for you and me is that we become better people and become among those Allah called as ‘people of understanding’ [Qur’an: Chapter 39, Verse 18].

May Allah make us of those who accept beneficial advice; those whose goal is to be guided and be people of understanding. Ameen.

Please share with us your thoughts and reflections below.

The post Why We Don’t Take Advice Productively and How to Solve That appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

In Part 1 and 2, we began our journey into Surat Al A’raf to look for productivity lessons. In Part 3 and 4, we began the story of Adam and Iblis. Now, in Part 5, we go further into the incident to pick up more productivity lessons .

Allah said, “Descend from Paradise, for it is not for you to be arrogant therein. So get out; indeed, you are of the debased.”  [Quran: Chapter 7: Verse 13]

Lesson: Take note of his pride…and ‘our’ pride!

Iblis wanted to rise high, higher than another creation of Allah . However, he actually fell low, lower than all the creations of Allah . He exhibited pride, which made him low and disgraceful. Let us take a pause from talking about Iblis and his failings and look within ourselves for a minute. Have you ever sat in a gathering of any kind and felt, “well, I am better than some/most people here?”

Be truthful. It is very important to be honest, otherwise, these gems will not benefit you. They only work for those who are honest and are willing to change. It pains me terribly to say that many of us are guilty of the “I am better than him/her” attitude to various degrees; ranging from our looks to our worship. Some say it verbally with confidence and assertion, others follow it with a joke to take the edge off the words, and there are those who say it behind the closed doors of their hearts.

This is narcissism!

13. Remember: I am better than…no one!

It is time we looked at Allah and realized how small and helpless we are in front of Him and His creations. We should take a lesson from the consequences of Iblis’s narcissism. He refused to follow the command of Allah . He disobeyed Allah because he was not looking at Allah , rather at the creation of Allah . He was looking at Adam and felt, “I am better than him”.

We make this same mistake too. We look at the creations of Allah and think about what’s lacking in them. If someone has a crooked nose, a bad sense of dressing, or lacks organizational skills, we instantly think we are better than them. By doing this, we are actually inviting disgrace upon ourselves. Iblis got expelled in disgrace from Jannah because of his arrogance.

There are many serious diseases of the heart that arise from this one single problem of not focusing on Allah . If this is not addressed and taken care of, then these serious diseases can become “terminal” and consume our good deeds like the fire that spreads and destroys everything that it touches.

14. how humbleness keeps us on track

Now that we have decided to weed out narcissistic thoughts from our heart, it’s time to water the plant of humbleness. Once this happens, in sha Allah, it will fill our heart with light and show us the correct way to rise high in Allah’s sight. Just as narcissism makes us falsely believe what we are not and leads us astray, humbleness gives us a clear vision of ourselves and keeps us on the right track. It is a reflection of what we ask Allah for each day at least 17 times in our salah: “Guide us to the straight path.”[Quran: Chapter 1: Verse 6]

Prophet Muhammad  said, “Allah has revealed to me that you must be humble, so that no one oppresses another and boasts over another [Abi Dawud].

The best place to start practicing humility is in our salah. It’s the best place to accept the fact that we are nothing in front of Allah . He is our Master to whom we must all submit. It’s also important to teach our children to be humble, as Allah recorded Luqman ’s advice to his son,

“And do not turn your cheek [in contempt] toward people and do not walk through the earth exultantly. Indeed, Allah does not like everyone self-deluded and boastful.” [Qur’an: Chapter 31: Verse 18]

But what should we do about that inherent competitive streak we might have?

15. Be a productive forerunner

This inherent competitive streak that gives rise to narcissism, pride and jealousy if used intelligently, can actually make us a forerunner. Allah says,

“And the forerunners, the forerunners,those are the ones brought near [to Allah]” [Qur’an: Chapter 56: Verses 10-11].

These forerunners are people who rush to do good deeds in general, but when they see someone doing good, they race to increase their good deeds to stay ahead of them. However, while racing, they do not harbor any ill feelings for their “competitors”, and when they see their “competitor” slowing down, they don’t run away with glee. Instead they slow down to pull their competitor along with them towards the finish line.

They do this because Allah says in Surat Al Asr about those who are successful that they “advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.” [Quran: Chapter 103: Verse 3]

There is this sister in Islam whom I am very pleased and blessed to know. In many ways, she is far ahead of me in her degree of religious knowledge and Arabic studies. However, her humility never ceases to amaze me as she listens to me give a halaqa with utmost attention. When she is asked about her knowledge in Arabic grammar- which sadly I’m still learning- I feel this twinge in me and I tell myself to go back home and pick up my mushaf and study the grammar with more concentration so that one day I can be like her.

I have examined this “twinge” on many occasions, and I know it arises from that competitive streak in me, but I only feel it in occasions when her superior knowledge is evident. Other than that, whenever she exhibits better manners than me, my love for her increases. I want to develop those habits in me without that twinge!

Does this remind you of the friendship and competition between Abu Bakr and Umar ? They were the best of friends who greatly loved and respected one another. And yet, Umar always competed with Abu Bakr in doing good deeds.Though generally Abu Bakr seemed to be ahead many times, this did not make Umar jealous of Abu Bakr . In fact, it made him love and compete with him more towards goodness.

Today, let us make a pledge to ourselves to be forerunners. A forerunner in this world will be a forerunner in the next too. Identify such forerunner friends in your life. Allah has placed them in our lives to help us push and pull each other towards Him. I ask Allah to facilitate for all of us righteous friends. Ameen.

This article calls for a lot of introspection. In my experience, introspection has been very beneficial, though at times embarrassing too. It has made dealing with some issues easier as I understood myself better. In the end, I am happy and my heart is full of light and hope for a better tomorrow for me.

Grab a cup of coffee, curl up in your favorite place and think. Look within yourself. Think of this as “spring cleaning” of your heart. Get rid of the clutter of arrogance and pride; make room for humbleness. Once done, you will find yourself full of new energy to run this race, as you need to be a forerunner.

So, let us race together until the end!

You coming? Let us know in the comments section.

The post [Surat Al-A’raf Series- Part 5]: Be A Productive Forerunner! appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, we embarked on our journey into Surat Al-A’raf in search for productivity lessons to apply in our lives, thus strengthening our relationship with Allah and His book. In Part 3, we reviewed the often-told story of Adam and Iblees for the same purpose. Here, in Part 4, we’ll further explore the incident to learn more important lessons for our lives, in sha Allah.

What do you do when somebody says “no” to your face? Your child, spouse, relative, employee or friend?

I know what I do, but I regret it.

Why? Because I learned an immense lesson from how Allah responded when Iblees said “no” to Him.

10. Make an effort to understand

What did Allah do? He asked “why”.

“[Allah] said, “What prevented you from prostrating…” [Qur’an. Chapter 7, Verse 12]

Allah is the All-Knowing, yet He asked Iblees for the reason behind his disobedience.

Looking back at my life, I regret not taking a “pause” to understand the “why” behind the refusal to my requests and the way people acted toward them. Had I done that, the outcome would have been so much better.

When we take that “pause” we can:

1. Put a lid on the feelings of hurt, anger and frustration that bubble up.
2. See the rest of the iceberg instead of just the tip (refusal).
3. Respond in a way that is more tactful and sensible, thereby increasing our chances of getting what we want done in a better manner.

For example, if I asked my daughter to put away her school bag and she refuses, I need to know “why”. Is it because she is very hungry and in the middle of eating, or is it because she is reading her book and is at the climax scene, or is it because she is simply being lazy?

If she is eating or at the climax scene, I will let her continue and leave the task for her until she is done (which should not take longer than 2 minutes) or do it myself. But I will also tell her very firmly that it shouldn’t happen again. However, if it’s simply for the reason that she is being lazy, then she is responsible for the deduction of some reward points! That will surely make her scramble up to put it away.

By taking that “pause”, I saved myself from wasting energy due to feeling frustrated and yelling, which I did a lot, and actually understood what made her do it.

4. Accept the refusal without feeling bad

For instance, once I asked my husband for something really important to me and he said he couldn’t do it. How did I feel? Well, hurt, angry and upset to say the least. And how did I react? Not very well. “How could you say no?” “You don’t care about me!”

However, since then, I have learned my lesson; even though it is not easy to hold back the dramatic “arrow piercing my heart” scene, I tried. As a result, I had a more empathetic, contented and successful relationship than before.

This is an immensely important lesson which I learned after many embarrassing moments in my life. I intend to always keep this gem from Surat Al-A’raf close to me when dealing with people in my life.

Do you intend to do that too?

11. Focus on Allah

This is a different type of focus than the focus we referred to in Part 1.

Living in this world according to the commands of Allah seems tough. Why? Because of the distractions that keep popping up in our lives in the form of glamour. Sometimes, I wish I could literally wear blinders like a horse, so that I am unable to see!

Isn’t it hard to forgive the wrong that has been done to you and be nice to people, just as Allah commanded? And what about letting go of the opportunity to take revenge when you are in the perfect position to do so? And what about wearing hijab or praying salah wherever you are? It’s all quite tough!

Allah said, “What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?”  [Qur’an: Chapter 7, Verse 12]

This summer, my husband and I took our kids to a museum and had to walk on a bridge that had a revolving drum around it. It was an optical illusion to make you feel as if the bridge was swaying. At the end of the tunnel was a painting. The illusion was so strong, that even though we knew for sure that the bridge was not moving, we still felt dizzy and scared! Since my daughter wanted to do it many times, I focused on the painting ahead of me to quell the nauseousness.

And I did it!

Oh, how I wish it was that easy in the real world! After looking at the various incidents in the lives of the prophets and our pious predecessors, I actually think it’s not as difficult as we think it to be! They did it.

What made it easy for them? Did they wear some kind of “blinders”? Yes.

They did. They wore “blinders” that made them only focus on one thing: Allah and His word, the Qur’an.

Perhaps one of the best examples of this can be found in the story of Yusuf . The way Allah made Yusuf fulfill his dream of seeing the sun, moon and the stars bowing to him, despite being thrown in the well then sold as a slave and eventually thrown in prison. All Yusuf did was focus on Allah .

If Allah said it, then that’s it. All the seeming hardship of the tasks that I mentioned above or those that I face collapse in comparison to Allah commands.

That’s what Allah says to Iblees in other words: “Where were you looking, at ME or Adam?”

To answer Allah question, “What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?”

Iblees said, “I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.” [Qur’an: Chapter 7: Verse 12]

“This is the ‘essence of the problem’ with Iblees,” said my teacher. “He could not accept the superiority of anyone over him.”

He was not focusing on Allah  and this created a seed in his heart to grow roots that took over his heart and sprouted many other evil acts.

Moving on, Iblees in his arrogance and ignorance, rejected the superiority of Adam because Adam was made from clay and that same clay is what made Adam superior to Iblees!

There is a very important lesson for us to learn from the fact that we are made from clay.

12. Clay is tough and so are you

It is not easy to change habits and attitudes that we’ve had for years. It takes effort, and sometime we fail and lose confidence. We wonder if we are strong enough to change.

The answer to this question is “YES”. You and I are strong enough to do this, because Allah created us to be strong and handle difficulties.

A friend of mine finds it very difficult to continue doing good things for people who clearly want to “take her for a ride.” She struggles with her feelings of “calling them out” or having a “face-off” with them, because she tries to focus on Allah and do as He says.

Allah says, “And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend.” [Qur’an: Chapter 41: Verse 34]

It is very hard for her since “patiently enduring” has never been her strongest trait. She continues to fail and whine about how hard this is, yet she picks herself up after a good cry, squares her shoulders, repeats these above verses like a mantra to herself and moves on; this time, being more patient and repelling more evil with good.

How is she able to do this? Does she have something different in her than what you and I have? No! Just like you and me, she inherited the qualities of adapting and changing oneself from our father Adam . He was created by Allah in His infinite wisdom from clay, a very strong yet malleable material. No matter what circumstances befell him, he only continued to grow and change himself to be a better person.

Whatever age or stage of life we are at, it is neither too late nor impossible to change ourselves, because Allah made us malleable. All we need is the will to change.

I struggle in my way to Allah . I have my weaknesses, immense weaknesses. I get distracted, lose focus and look elsewhere.

And yet, I know that every time I look back at my focal point, Allah , I find Him there, with His immense Love and Mercy for me.

And so, I know it is not easy to make an effort to understand when the emotions are whirling in our hearts, or to take a pause when the pain is excruciating from the blow we just faced. Gather all your strength and ask yourself: Who am I looking at, Allah or this world?

For as long as our focus is correct, we are safe. And with that, I take your leave until we meet again, in sha Allah, to continue our journey into Surat Al-A’raf. There is something I have for you, which is what the Messenger left for us:

“O Allah, I ask You for the delight of gazing at Your Countenance and the eagerness of meeting You.”  [An Nasai]

Which productivity lesson was your favorite or stood out to you in this part? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

The post [Surat Al-A’raf Series – Part 4] What are you focusing on? appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

Previously (Part 1, Part 2), we embarked on our journey into Surat Al-A’raf to look for lessons that could be applied in our lives, thus strengthening our relationship with Allah and His book. In Part 3, we begin the story of Adam and Iblees to study and extract productivity lessons from it as well, in sha Allah.

How has the journey into Surat Al-A’raf been so far? Good? Alhamdulillah.

Tired? No? Alhamdulillah!

Today we stand in front of a door which when opened, will take us into a different time. A time of angels, a unique creation, paradise, arguments, threats, hope and of course our Beloved Allah .

Before we open this door, let’s take stock of our supplies that we gathered at the beginning of the journey: pure intentions, dua, determination and refuge in Allah from the accursed shaytan. Let’s replenish what is lacking and beseech Allah to grant us extra refuge from shaytan as we are about to read his story, where he and his plans will be exposed for us to see.

Done? Let’s continue to uncover the hidden gems. Bismillah.

Productivity Lesson #8: Know your real enemy

There is a place called paradise. It is the most beautiful place, beyond anyone’s imagination, where rivers of honey, milk, water and wine flow. Its trees bear fruit that we have never seen. It has been created by Allah for those who work hard in this world to gain His pleasure.

Our story takes place there, many many years ago.

Once upon a time, Allah created and fashioned a unique being, man. He called him “Adam”. Allah commanded all the inhabitants of paradise to prostrate to him.

All did, except for one. His name was Iblees. Disobedience is disliked by Allah . The angels who resided in paradise never disobeyed Him.

Yet Allah in His infinite mercy, asked Iblees:

“What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?” Satan said, “I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.” [Qur’an: Chapter 7, Verse 12]

Allah then commanded Iblees:

“Descend from Paradise, for it is not for you to be arrogant therein. So get out; indeed, you are of the debased.” [Qur’an: Chapter 7, Verse 13]

Knowing how merciful Allah is, Iblees asked Allah :

“…reprieve me until the Day they are resurrected.” [Qur’an: Chapter 7, Verse 14]

Allah said:

“Indeed, you are of those reprieved.” [Qur’an: Chapter 7, Verse 15]

Iblees has openly declared war on us since then, yet many of us succumb to his whispers every now and then. Know that he is your no.1 enemy, fight him with daily remembrance, worship and Qur’an and be wary of even setting foot on his luring path or mindlessly fulfilling his wish: to turn us away from Allah and join him in hell-fire, na’uthu billah.

Productivity Lesson #9: Believe in yourself and others

A very simple translation of the word “sawwarnakum” in Surat Al-A’raf (verse 11) is “fashioned”.

Allah did not only create us, but He also made us in the most beautiful form.

I am beautiful and so are you. Absolutely, breathtakingly gorgeous. Yes, with the crooked nose and all!

How many times do we look in the mirror and wish that we looked “better”? Why? So that people would accept, appreciate and compliment us more?

Well, it’s time we changed our perspective. Allah made us all beautiful, you, her and I.

It’s time we accepted, complimented, and appreciated ourselves and others on the way they looked. It’s also time we stopped commenting, rejecting, ridiculing ourselves and others for the way they looked.

Why, you may ask? That’s because Allah says:

“We have certainly created man in the best of stature.” [Qur’an: Chapter 95, Verse 4]

Is there anything left to say now?

Today, let’s look in the mirror and say Alhamdulillah, and more importantly, let’s compliment someone on their looks, especially those people whom we have been publicly or privately dismissing as “not” beautiful!

Productivity Lesson #10: Be among the obedient

Let me ask you a question. Why do you think shaytan got himself kicked out from paradise?

1. For not prostrating to Adam
2. For disobeying Allah

Spot on! The correct answer is 2.

Allah dislikes disobedience. So what is the lesson for us here?

How many times do we feel that Allah’s commands ‘don’t make sense’ to us? What do we do then? Sometimes, we make fun of them, call them “too impossible”, “redundant”, “old-fashioned” and ignore them.

What does that get us? Happiness, freedom and independence? Maybe, for the little time that we have in this world. But in the long run, we stand to lose out. Our place in paradise is at stake here…our hereafter, our eternal abode.

How sad do you feel when your children disobey you and break the rules that you have set for their own well-being? As a mum, I know that feeling of anguish very well!

The pleasures of this world are like a mirage; we keep running after them but are never able to catch them. Do we really want to forgo the oasis that Allah has made for us to run to after the mirage? I guess not.

So what is the best manner of obeying Allah ?

By obeying His Messenger , as he said:

“Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah, and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah…” [Sahih Bukhari]

It’s quite simple. We just have to obey, copy and follow the Messenger of Allah who is our best role model. There are some amazing resources on ProductiveMuslim on the seerah and the sunnah that you can benefit from, in sha Allah.

Today, I want to leave a question for each of you to ponder on:

Do I really want to disobey Allah and miss out on a paradise as wide as the heavens and earth for something that I know is not permanent, i.e. this world? Think about what makes you sometimes disobedient or heedless and how you can lessen or eliminate these influences from your life.

In sha Allah, we will meet again in the next article and explore the same story from another perspective that will help us act more wisely in our daily interactions.

The post [Surat Al-A’raf Series – Part 3] Take Heed of Iblees appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

Do these words ring a bell? They are all words used to describe people like you and me.

So, who am I?

I may be a mother, a wife, a professional or a student. But before all of these roles, I was a daughter; you and I have been one all of our lives.

This is an insignia that I was born with. The others – wife, mother, friend, student – are fairly new.

I sailed through life, as we all do, cocooned in the warmth of my mother’s love and protection. I turned to my father whenever I fell down, secure in my knowledge that somehow he could always make it better.

It never crossed my mind that as I grew older, they grew old.

This is until one day, I just couldn’t ignore the growing wrinkles on her face, the slowness in his walk, their soft complaints when I forgot to send pictures of the kids to her or when I didn’t call, and the traces of loneliness vanishing each time I spoke to them.

That’s when I knew that I just had to up my game as a daughter. I had to stop blaming the physical distance, time difference and my busy life and make it work. Although the other roles in my life are extremely important, I knew I truly could not please Allah if my parents were not pleased with me. As we grow older, it’s natural that becoming students, professionals, wives and mothers ourselves can increase the distance between us and our parents, especially if we have to move to a different town or country.

In this article, I invite you to join me in my quest of being a good daughter to my parents, as I collect various ways in which each one of us can be the daughters that our parents raised us to be, focusing on how we can be good daughters when we live far away and also have our own family to run. I have used the good practices of my friends, family and believe it or not, my own daughter, to put together these ideas by which we can strive to make our parents happy in sha Allah!

1. Make dua for your parents

Ask Allah to grant them health, faith and forgiveness of any mistakes that they made in the course of their lives in every single dua you make throughout the day, especially if, like me, one or both of your parents have returned to Allah . There is no greater gift than that of a sincere dua.

The beauty of the Qur’an never ceases to amaze me. It is a friend who always holds our hand and guides us to what we need the most. The most glorious duas for parents can be found in the Qur’an:

“My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small.” [Qur’an: Chapter 17, Verse 24]

“Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents, and (all) the believers on the Day when the reckoning will be established.” [Qur’an: Chapter 14, Verse 41]

2. Obey them

When we are grateful to our parents and obey them (when their commands are in accordance with the commands of Allah and His Messenger ), we are in turn worshiping Allah Himself, as Allah says:

“And We have enjoined on man to be good and dutiful to his parents.” [Qur’an: Chapter 29, Verse 8]

This may get harder if you live far away or are married. Try to show them that you are still available to them and are willing to help as much as possible. With the growing use of technology, it is not impossible to serve them even if you are far away. For example, I still send emails for my mother and I used to sort out bills for my father, even though I don’t live with them anymore.

3. Show them affection and care in every form

It simply amazes me how little it takes for us to please our mothers.

A phone call, sending pictures of the kids, a small gift, a glass of water as they enter the house, taking the heavy bags from them, giving up the more comfortable seating for them, answering them with a polite yes when they call out to us and asking them about their day are all simple ways of showing them affection and love.

I know of a daughter who is always sending pictures of the food she has cooked and the places she has visited. She also answers the phone at the time appointed to call, thus easing the anxiety of her mother as she is studying far away from home. Consistency in these actions requires patience and kudos to this daughter for doing that. She inspired me a lot!

You should always make it a point to call, update your parents regularly and do the small personal chores when visiting them.

If you do live close, starting an activity together is a great idea! Some mother and daughter duo ideas include joining Islamic classes, cooking classes and spa days. With the increasing use of technology, doing some of these things online is also very enjoyable: join an Islamic class online which you both attend together; you will share something unique (and immensely rewarding!) between the two of you.

4. Listen to them patiently

It’s so incredible that just as we had a lot to say when we were kids and our parents listened to us, now it’s our parents who have a lot to tell us about the daily things in their lives. Now, we should listen with attention and care. It shouldn’t be too hard, as we have grown used to our kids or siblings or friends who always have so much to tell us!

How many of us are guilty of speaking with impatience or rolling our eyes in front our parents or behind their backs?

To be honest, even now when I don’t agree with her opinions, I constantly get those silent looks which clearly tell me that I am “not listening” to my mother.

In another case, I observed how two daughters reacted differently to their mothers’ anger: one sat quietly next to her mother while the other one argued back the whole time!

Which one do you think ended up earning both Allah’s reward and her mother’s good will?

Of course, the one who didn’t argue back!

So our motto from now on is: no arguing with parents! Allah says in the Qur’an:

“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.” [Qur’an: Chapter 17, Verse 23]

5. Visit them

If you are married and live in the same city, it is important to have an agreement with your husband to visit your parents or invite them at least once a week, in order to have a routine and something for you all to look forward to. If you live in a different country, always have the intention to visit your parents and make dua for Allah to facilitate this.

6. Stay connected

If you are like me and live far away from them, call them often, very often. Even if it’s a five-minute call, do try to fit it in. Especially make use of video chat apps and devices. I personally don’t like clicking pictures as I go about my day, but I realized that seeing those pictures of me and my family going about our lives has helped ease the pain of distance and time in my mother’s heart. Seeing pictures of my kids as they leave for school, of us going to a party, or just simply of the mess that I need to clean up, makes my mother feel a part of my everyday life. And all it takes is a click and a flick of the send button on WhatsApp.

7. Aim to be more righteous

Striving to be a better Muslim is always productive, as it benefits so many people especially your family, as Prophet Muhammad said:

“When a person dies, all action is cut off for him with the exception of three things: sadaqa which continues, knowledge which benefits, or a righteous child who makes supplication for him.” [Al-Albani]

Do you feel that bittersweet emotion of being a daughter too? On one hand, daughters can be more of a friend and confidante to parents than sons, but on the other hand, we feel sad because of our inability to live and serve them freely due to the responsibilities we have towards our husbands and children. But there is no need to despair, sister!

There are so many ways in which we can still serve our parents even if we take on other roles in life. Do you have any additional ideas or tips on how you serve your parents from a distance? Please share your story with us, so that we may also learn more ways to be more productive as daughters and sons too, in sha Allah. I comfort myself by thinking this is the decree of Allah . I ask Allah to bless our parents and guide us in fulfilling our duties to them in the best possible manner. Ameen!

The post Keeping In Touch: A Daughter’s Perspective appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.