“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” – Gandhi

This sentence speaks volumes and makes a perfect opening to Carl Honoré’s book — In Praise of SLOW: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed.

In the spirit of Ramadan and one’s desire to enjoy every minute of this blessed month, it seems quite intriguing to find a global movement that calls upon people to “slow down” and enjoy their lives.

In a world where people are sold the idea that “faster is better”, the idea of slowing down seems almost impossible. However, this book offers a prescription for escape.

I would like to make a small request at this point. With all the haste and chase, people do not even slow down to read and digest properly. To this end, I would like to challenge you to read this article at a moderate pace and truly derive its full benefit.

Living in the Right Tempo

Now, this book is not a “declaration of war against speed”. No, it is an exploration of how to savor every aspect of life — to live with purpose and balance.

There is a ‘slow’ movement that advocates that “slow often means better — better health, better work, better cuisine, better family life and better business”. It is about seeking the tempo giusto — the right speed. It is about challenging the underlying mentality that sets our daily metronome.

In the book, Honoré details the ill effects of mindless speed on individuals, as well as society, by using his own personal encounters and anecdotes to set an intimate tone. However, he never fails to offer his considerable research and statistics. His investigation reveals how we can live more productive, fulfilling lives by embracing the philosophy of ‘Slow’.

Book Gems

One of the book’s most poignant moments is Honoré’s realization of what had inspired him to write it. He was prepared to buy a set of one-minute bedtime stories “to accelerate the bedtime ritual with his two-year-old son so he could hurry on to the next thing on his agenda”.

“Scrooge with a stopwatch”. This pretty much sums up all our lives at present. We are all about saving every minute or second, packing more into every hour.

One needs to realize, however, that this is not the essence of productivity. We have to plan and choose how we spend our time, so we make time for all things and live with balance.

That said, remember that all efforts must be governed by a high consideration and link to akhirah.

“In Praise of Slow” examines the slow movement around the world, as it gains currency by promoting the pleasures of better health, better working conditions, better cuisine and better family life.

The idea of slow food to slow cities to slow medicine (CAM – Complementary & Alternative Medicine) to slow work (work sharing/flexi time) to super slow exercise (yoga/walking/weights) to leisure (knitting/gardening) and parenting is gaining momentum in the challenge to break the mold, as people take back their lives from the new-age economy, where life is dictated by the clock.

Admittedly, some of the examples cited reek of relentless optimism, like the “thirty-something married couple who work together in a Manhattan marketing firm” and who after a holiday in southern Europe suddenly enjoy a huge improvement in their dining habits, relationship, golf swings and overall health when they return.

However, that perspective — broad social change via the cultivation of individual pleasure — sums up much of the slow philosophy Honoré explores.

One very important fact that is highlighted, which is the connection between speed and the impoverishment of human relationships, is hard to dispute.

With everyone rushing through life, trying to beat the rat race in this besieged age, where is the time to simply shoot the breeze with neighbors and friends?

Abu Hurayra said about the Prophet that: “When he faced someone, he faced him completely. When he turned away, he turned away completely. I have never seen anyone like him and I will never see anyone like them.” [Adab-al-Mufrad]

So the plethora of ways to join the slow movement is not displaced in any way when it holds that by initiating one form of slow, it filters through to the rest of your life and the difference it makes is visibly positive.

Reflection on the Morale

In understanding the main purpose of the slow movement, one comes to know that it is not about becoming luddites or wanting to turn the whole planet into a lazy holiday camp.

On the contrary, the slow movement knows and understands that we still need speed on the odd occasion — it can be fun and drives productivity to some degree.

Still, finding the balance between when to go fast and when to slow down to really live in the moment, is the true essence of the slow movement’s charter. To remain calm and unflustered even when all about is in a state of flurry and haste, yet still speed up….’Slow’ly.

In the end, it is the tortoise, not the hare, that won the race!

Pick up your copy of the book and share your thoughts on the slow movement in the Comments section below.

The post [Book Review] In Praise Of Slow appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

Personally, I’m a paper book reader so it was a tad tedious getting through the first few e-pages. Bear in mind, I did not know this author, but the name had been mentioned somewhere before, so I did have a slight curiosity to her writings.

I slowly trudged through the Intro as it mentioned early mornings and the most forbidden word in my dictionary: e-x-e-r-c-i-s-e.

Suddenly, halfway through the 4th page my mind did a double take and I sat up to take note! Laura Vanderkam had captured my attention with this: “In a world of constant connectivity, of managing global organizations, the day can quickly get away from you as other people’s priorities invade — sometimes even those of the people you love dearly and share a home with.”

YES! YES! YES! My mind shouted! This is what happens! This is why we can’t focus, this is why we can’t get our MIT’s (Most Important Tasks) out of the way. It’s not simply a time management issue; it’s bigger than that and this is the secret!

And this, is how I managed to read an e-book — cover to cover.

Laura’s style is light and fun. This book was an enjoyable read, with a practical aspect incorporated and just the right combination of facts and anecdotes to provide good motivation and keep the practicality do-able.

Time management expert Laura Vanderkam says using our early mornings wisely can make our lives happier and more productive. After all, this is exactly what our beloved Prophet Muhammad prayed for:

It was narrated from Sakhr Al-Ghamidi that the Messenger of Allah said:

“O Allah, bless my nation in their early mornings (i.e., what they do early in the morning).” [Ibn Majah]

Outline

The high value activities that successful people do before breakfast are mentioned early in the book, so one is not kept guessing.

That’s another thing I noticed about Vanderkam’s style, she gets straight to the point.

“We all have 168 hours per week” she says. This also happens to be a title of another of Laura’s books. As an experiment, Laura kept time logs for every activity that she did throughout each day for a week. This highlighted a distinct pattern and gave the author reason to believe that mornings were made for getting things done. Add to that the matter of willpower and you get a good supply of energy.

By now, you know what high value activities the most successful people do before breakfast, you know they do it in the morning, then there’s the added ingredient called willpower, and a good supply of energy … so what does that mean?

Up to this point, you basically just learned the recipe for a fresh batch of optimism and internal motivation. These are 2 key factors when attempting activities or goals that have no immediate payoff or no worldly reward. Now this is only the means to an end. The emphasis is all on willpower. The more you conserve, the better the rest of your day gets. Conservation of willpower can be achieved by developing habits or rituals for your core competencies.

At this point, you really want to get committed and circumvent any distraction that could cause an oversight of all the immensity that follows. The next 2 chapters address the real nitty-gritty. This is where all the success stories, habit changes and tangible secrets emerge. The 3 core competencies, from which the high value activities of the most successful people originate, are revealed. The 3 areas of life to nurture for success are detailed.

Then, the finale is presented in a practical 5-step process that helps you take back your blessed hours and make over your mornings for success.

Conclusion

The purpose of this book is best summed up in these words:

Mornings: A new chance to do things right.

The most successful people know that the hopeful hours of mornings are too precious for semi-conscious activities.

When you make over your mornings, you make over your life.

The post [Book Review] What Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

I opted to review this book based solely on the title. I had never heard of the author AlimaAshfaq before, nor did I know that she had several other publications, was a presenter on Unity FM, had worked with AlMaghrib Institute and conducts seminars and workshops across the UK as an instructor and owner of her own company, while also posting on 2 blog sites!

Du’as of the Superstars: Formulae for Success, third edition, encompasses a whole lot more than the title suggests. It is not just another book of du’as. It is a treasure trove of gems. When I read the preface, I thought to myself: ‘I know this formula; everyone does.’ Although the ‘secret formula’ that Alima addresses in this book seems to be common knowledge, she puts the message forth in a different dimension. What you think you know, concepts that you have probably read about before and duas that you have you read a myriad of times in the Holy Quran, is presented in Du’as of the Superstars in a new perspective that keeps you paging.

Alima’s conversational tone makes this book an easy going read. The book consists of only 10 Chapters. The first 9 are very crucial and need to be thoroughly completed before moving on to Chapter 10 which has 27 components.

This book will benefit not only adults, but teenagers and our tender aged youth, who are advanced beyond their years. It is an innovative way to keep them inclined to achieve SuperStar status in Islam throughout their lives. The language is simple enough for anyone to relate, yet profound enough to motivate even the most stubborn adult. Both the general reader and the academic will find this book refreshing.

Upon receipt of my copy of Du’as of the Superstars, I opened it to find two colourful, laminated cards which contained a short du’a on each. I stuck it up on the refrigerator and encouraged my family to learn both. Once I got into reading the book, I had to take it down to use as bookmarks as I found myself going back and forth to different places in the book all the time. Like I said, this is not a once off reading book; keep your markers handy.

Outline

Being at a spiritual turning point, the thought of delving into a publication that talks about ‘Superstars’ making du’a, had me captivated instantly.  To my astonishment, the book does not contain stories of Michael Jackson accepting Islam or naming his favorite du’a.  Rather, I received a pleasant surprise when I discovered that the ‘Superstars’ in the book are none other than our very own Nabi Muhammad , the esteemed Sahaba and many more Greats from Islamic History.

Alima says that her secret formula is not so secret: du’a coupled with action. Seems simple enough to my mind. The real question, is how to apply this formula to all aspects of your life and achieve the success you dream of. This is the solution that the author shares with us in her book.

Starting with introducing the concept of du’a, its importance, as well as the etiquette for making du’a, the book moves on to the du’a wow-o-meter – my favourite part!

The Prophet said: “The supplication (du’a) is the essence of worship.” [Tirmidhi]

The wow-o-meter chapter really makes you sit up and go: “WOW”! It hit me slap-bang in the middle of the forehead that all this time I have been reading and reading the same du’as I had memorized in youth and yet expected different results now in adulthood! I have done the etiquettes of du’a, I have fulfilled my compulsory obligations, I have changed my conduct for the better, I am striving to be a better Muslimah, I am learning to be a Productive Muslim, and still I have not progressed to where I wish to be: because I had not expanded my du’a list to match my requirements, because I had not measured my du’a status, because I had not made dua with ihsan (excellence). These are all the facts I learned from Chapter 4.

After this chapter, the book takes you on a 360 degree spin; from du’a to goal-setting!  The beauty of Sr Alima Ashfaq’s writing style comes forth now, as the switch in subject matter is made with such graceful progression.

Chapters 6, 7 and 8 are really the toolbox part of this book. This is where the practical element kicks in on turbo. The linking of dunya to akhira is so eloquent in these chapters. Forget all the self-help books, courses, seminars and videos you may have experienced pertaining to goal setting. This is a different concept of goal setting.

Ashfaq asks: ‘…what is the purpose of making a lot of amazing du’a, if you don’t have amazing goals to achieve? …’  Whether for this world or the next, you need to be working towards something of purpose or else you are just wasting precious time on earth.

The author continuously makes reference to Qur’an, sunnah and stories from Islamic history throughout each chapter; it is like finding little gems on your pathway, as you progress through the book. I personally found it comforting, being able to relate to trials and tribulations experienced by the Superstars of the past and, to learn the du’as made by them, is as though I have encountered an oasis after a long drought.

I never realized the intensity of how truly blessed we are. Not only to be the Ummah of Nabi , but that the du’as of the great men and women in Islam have been immortalized in the Holy Qur’an and given to us as a gift by our Creator, Allah .

The final part of the book – Chapter 10 – encompasses 27 duas from the Qur’an, each with its own description and meaning; 27 pearls waiting to be discovered.

Conclusion

The last verse in the book really brings it home for me. It sums up the purpose of this book beautifully.

And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and in fear without being apparent in speech – in the mornings and the evenings. And do not be among the heedless. [Qur’an: Chapter 7, Verse 205]

Du’as of the Superstars is available for purchase at I am Alima.org or through Amazon; a worthy buy that is going to pay for itself many times over.

Evaluation

In my opinion, this is not just a good read, it also entails a technical aspect. I found it to be more of a work(ing) book rather than a reader.  The tools provided are easy to follow, practice and understand. The way in which the author takes time to introduce each step of a process and link it to a story of one of the Greats of Islamic History incites one to feel a connection with our deen on a different level.

The exercises and practical tips are beneficial and exciting to implement (as the Testimonials witness) and the book contains examples, in case you need a kick-start to making some duas to take your productivity to the next level!

The post [Book Review] Du’as of the SuperStars: The Formulae for Success appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

“Stop the world! I want to get off!”

Can you relate?

This can be a very overwhelming feeling. You see, our humanity has this flaw that you will not find in other creation. We want to do all things, all at once! Multi-tasking, they call it. Supposedly a super human trait; but is it really? If so, then why do we need multivitamins and supplements to help us stay awake and alert? Why do we not get our proper 6-8 hours of sleep required to keep our bodies healthy? Why are so many of us suffering from stress and depression?

We do not function optimally because we do not serve our purpose. What is our ultimate purpose in life? Serving Allah and His deen (religion).

“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” [Qur’an: Chapter 51, Verse 56]

Learning About Life from Salmon

Animals know their path and stick to it. Bears hunt and feed in summer, then hibernate in winter. The salmon, WOW! What an amazing creature!  A salmon’s life purpose is to be born in the fresh water lakes where its parents die. Then a young salmon journeys to the vast ocean to feed on the nutrients available there until it becomes full grown. Only to make the journey back to the spawning grounds, in the fresh water lakes where they were born. This is no easy feat. The swim upstream is already a challenge in itself; but they cannot make this journey without falling prey to the many perils along the way: predators at every turn, shallow waters, late rains and many more. The salmon cannot move on in their journey if the rainfall does not fill the rivers and create flow. All the while, their bodies are adjusting to the change from salt water to fresh. Many are not strong enough and their bodies will not survive. The low levels in the rivers mean they will easily be spotted by bears and foxes on the hunt. Their numbers steadily decline. Suddenly the season changes, the rains come, the rivers fill up and the salmon’s journey continues. Eventually they will reach the spawning grounds in the great lakes; tired, energy depleted, but their purpose must be fulfilled. They must immediately lay their eggs. This, the waters of their birth, of their predecessors’ death, will deal them the same fate, but it is not in vain. Their protein and nutrient enriched bodies will serve as food for humans and animals alike. The dead salmon will wash to the edges of the water and decompose to provide food for plants and birds too.

 And so it is with us:

“And He is the one who gave you life; then He causes you to die and then will [again] give you life. Indeed, mankind is ungrateful.” [Qur’an: Chapter 22, Verse 66]

The journey in between is our life. The ocean is our early life full of salt (knowledge and lessons). Hasan al-Basri said:

“The effect of learning at an early age is like engraving on a stone.”

Swimming upstream is our challenges in life. The danger and the perils of predators that attack are our bad habits like procrastination, worrying, cowardice, depression and the delusion of this life like the verse of the Qur’an says:

“Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.”  [Qur’an: Chapter 3, Verse 185]

Our spiritual selves will suffer many deaths if we are not strong and don’t do the right things to keep our souls revived through dhikr, Qur’an and salah. The shallow rivers are our times of adversity and tests:

“And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient.” [Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 155]

To survive and find the strength to persevere, we must be patient and remember our Creator, our purpose. The rains are like the blessings and favours from Allah :

“For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.”  [Qur’an: Chapter 94, Verse 5-6]

The lake is our mature life: fresh water being the cleanliness of our souls if we have lived true to our purpose. We leave behind our offspring, who, if taught the deen correctly, will have an easier journey and avoid the pitfalls along the way. Our good works like charity and spreading knowledge are the nutrients left to enrich those we leave behind.

But there is one very important lesson we learn from the salmon: the salmon’s wait in the shallow rivers is similar to the time we face severe adversities and tests, and the way to survive that is be patient (sabr) and remember our Lord and our purpose.

“O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.” [Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 153]

To be productive, we can use the ‘downtime’, ‘resting’ or ‘solitude’ as a time to recuperate from the ‘active’ or ‘working’ time. This is not ‘holiday’ or ‘weekend’ or ‘fun’ time.  This is different. Just as we divide our circle of life into work, study, play and rest, we further divide the ‘rest’ portion to include ‘solitude’. The purpose of solitude is to be alone. We are borne in the womb alone and we will go to our grave alone. Why then do we not set aside time in the midst of our lives, to be alone?

Benefits of a Solitude Routine

Solitude is a time to find joy for your soul: to re-energize the body and mind. To begin with, you must be alone. No disturbances. Retreat to your favorite place – a place where you normally find peace and quiet or a place that makes you happy. Lie down and just be. Listen to all the sounds you usually miss in a busy day. Do you hear the birds chirping? The wind in the trees? The sound of your heart beating? Feel the rhythm of your breathing. Now begin with Allah’s name and match it to your rhythm. You feel everything leave you. Your mind will be free of any thoughts; your body will be free of all tension. This is your solitude zone. You have eliminated the world.

It is in this time that you must do the things that will bring joy to your soul:

• your favourite dhikr will be more meaningful
• your favourite surah will impact you more deeply
• your journal writing will be most honest
• your power nap will be more energizing
• your reflection and contemplation will be more valuable (soul searching/listening to your heart)
• this is the perfect time to introspect and hold yourself accountable for all your words and deeds
• your goal setting will be clearer

Our soul/nafs (self) can be likened to a snake. If we do not control it and tame it, it can be a danger to us. When kept in check, coupled with salah, dhikr and good deeds, it is like the snake that is frozen beneath snow. However, should we not make the time to reign it in and keep it under control, it will be as though the snow has melted and the heat has agitated the snake. It will now become wild and unrestrained and this will lead to temptation and sin. We will let shaytan win his battle without a fight and we will be responsible for our own downfall.

Umar said: “ Criticize and appraise your selves before you are criticized and appraised on the Day of Judgement, and weigh out your deeds before  they are weighed out for you.” [Ahmad]

How to Make Time for your Solitude Routine

If we perpetually perform this ritual of solitude and spark the joy in our souls by appraising ourselves and affording our souls the joy of experiencing worship without distraction, we will be successful in our lives, our spirituality and Hereafter.

1. Try to incorporate your solitude routine in to your schedule much the same as you would your other regular meetings. This way you commit time for it that cannot be taken away.
2. Decide how often you wish to have your solitude time. It is not prescribed for any particular interval, but just as you do a bi-annual dental check-up or annual medical or quarterly vacation, so too you should establish your frequency of this important time too.
3. Ensure that your chosen time cannot be compromised. If so, make it flexible so that if it is hijacked in the morning, you can still do it in the evening. It is however better that there is no compromise. Look at it like an appointment that once cancelled, will be charged double rate.
4. Plan ahead of time the activities that you will do in this time; this way you don’t waste time wondering what to do. Preparation is key. Also plan activities for everyone else so you have no disturbance; preferably away from you.

Hasan al-Basri said: “Son of Adam, you are nothing but days. Whenever a day passes away, a part of you passes away too.”

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