Talk to Allah (swt)

Source: hibamagazine.com

By: Binte Aqueel

There are times in life when we feel confused – when our mind seems to be an endless cycle of thoughts and emotions, which just seem to be driving us crazy. There are times when we feel sad about how people treat us; when we feel hopeless about how things are; when we feel that the world is just not on our side, and when we feel completely alone.

At times like these, we often forget that there is one Being, Who is always with us and never leaves us – Allah (swt)! Allah (swt) says in the Quran:

“And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor).” (Al-Baqarah 2:186)

There is a beautiful Hadeeth-e-Qudsi narrated by Abu Hurairah (rta): “The Prophet (sa) said: Allah (swt) says: ‘I am in accordance with the thoughts of My slave about Me; and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I also remember him in Myself. If he remembers Me in a group, I remember him in a better group (i.e., angels); if he draws near Me by the span of a palm, I draw near him by a cubit. If he draws near Me by a cubit, I draw near him by the space covered by two hands. If he walks towards Me, I go to him running.’” (Bukhari and Muslim)

This is the love Allah (swt) has for us!

6 Steps to Achieve a Quality Salah

Source: productivemuslim.com

By: Abu Umar

Alhamdulillah, achieving a quality salah is something we, as Productive Muslims, are all striving towards. None of us likes to recite Quran during our salah without having our faith refreshed. We would all like for us to feel that peace from showing our obedience to Allah .

We’re all leading busy lives and this can affect the time we spend in worship to Allah . Therefore, in the little time we spend worshiping Him, we want to make sure this is done right and in a way that is pleasing to Allah . This will help benefit us in this life and our worldly duties, as well as the hereafter.

Here are a few points which, inshallah, will help you improve the quality of your salah in terms of improving the prayer itself and also bearing in mind what can harm it.

Ways to Build Self-Esteem

Source: productivemuslim.com

By: Anum Ali

Self-Esteem is the value that we give ourselves and the opinion we have of ourselves. Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) blessed us with an all-encompassing way of life called Islam over 1400 years ago, and it advocates the rights of all creation (men, women, elderly, children, animals, and our own ‘self’).

Status of the Qur’an

Source: blog.islamiconlineuniversity.com

By: Arshul Mohammed

In modern times, we have become wonted to living on our own; as if God does not exist. Many of us feel that religion is no longer apposite; books of religious teachings have been replaced by modern books of science and “progressive” thinking. The Qur’an – Is it relevant today? Or has it gone into the oblivions of the past as have many other books?

Allah  says in the Qur’an:

And the Messenger has said, “O my Lord, indeed my people have taken this Qur’an as [a thing] abandoned.”(Al-Furqān, 25:30)

How many of us would like that to happen on the Day of Judgement? He  left behind the the word of God, the sempiternal miracle, the words of Allah  between our hands, and we have simply left it on shelves to collect dust!

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOR THE UNMOSQUED – ART OF CONNECTION WITH BELAL KHAN (VIDEO)

I read an interesting article recently by Mohamed Abdul-Azeez, the former head of the Salam Center in Sacramento on the “Crisis of Imams in America”

Source: muslimmatters.org

By: Belal Khan

Due to the way Muslim communities have been developed, the challenges they face are different from that of other faith communities.

Among the Christian community you find one of two types of models.

Model 1 – Corporate Franchise Clergy Structure

Model 2 – Local Visionary

The American Muslim community for the most part doesn’t follow any of these two models.

Typically you have a bunch of local folks that want to establish a place to pray. They come together, form a board, write out the policies, buy some real estate and make that a place to pray.

Then they realize they need to get an imam, and they end up hiring one of two types.

Function of the Pineal Gland

Source: newhealthguide.org

The pineal gland is one of the smallest and most important endocrine glands in the body. Located in the center of the brain close to the more well-known pituitary gland, the pineal gland gets its name from its characteristic pine cone shape. It is also known as the pineal organ, the pineal body or the “third eye”. This small gland controls your body’s sleep-wake pattern. However, due to lots of factors, calcification of pineal gland can occur, hampering brain function. Remedies to decalcify the brain should immediately be taken.

Ebola the Grant Lie

Source: iternchange.wordpress.com

We all heard many times. it is on the radio, TV and Newspaper 24/ so that you better don’t forget. Ebola Ebola Ebola, and then when a pop singer like Chris Brown voices his opinion he becomes the genius of the century. In 50 years Africa is going to be the continent with the biggest population just making this connection one will understand the bigger picture. UN predicted 10 thousand deaths every week ????

Good Advice for New Muslims

Source: suhaibwebb.com

By: Brother Alex

1. Practice Islam as much as you can

“He who loves my Sunnah has loved me, and he who loves me will be with me in Paradise.”

-The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) (Tirmidhi)

As a new Muslim, you will have trouble keeping up with prayers every day, fasting during Ramadan, and the many other practices in this religion. The struggle that we face, with such a radical change in lifestyle, is difficult and will take some time. Awkward moments are bound to happen, don’t fret. You are not expected to wake up at 4am every morning to pray tahajjud (extra night prayers). If you have problems with certain practices, then gradually work yourself into the mindset of worship. A counsellor once told me when I was young, “How do you eat an elephant? Just One bite at a time.” Think of it as one step at a time. Pray to Allah and ask for Him to make it easy for you and the rest will come naturally.

Keeping up with your devotional practices is something that will strengthen your faith immensely. Read the Qur’an whenever possible. Find a collection of hadith, such as Riyadh us-Saliheen, and read it often. You will start to feel a connection to Allah and you will become used to Islam as a religion and way of life.

Documentary: Jihad On Terror (Video)

 In a documentary produced by the Bridges Foundation, a brief background about Islam is explained and the proper definition, historical context, and current interpretation of jihad in Islam are expounded upon by Muslim scholars and leaders including Imam Suhaib Webb, Fadel Soliman, and Shaykh Abdullah Hakim Quick. They are also joined by academics and scholars from various universities such as Dr. Robert Pape, Dr. Gunnar Westberg, and Dr. Samuel Pierce who share current research and information about terrorism and it’s lack of connection to Islam.
More documentaries…