Origin of the Hadra – Shaykh Babikir Babikir

Shaykh Babikir Ahmed Babikir explains importance and etiquette of dhikr as well as the history behind the Hadra practice.

The Sunnah of Mental Focus

Source: blog.islamiconlineuniversity.com

By: Abdul-Baseer

Everybody has, at some point of time in their lives, woken up in a state of sluggishness, laziness, weakness, fatigue, or felt like a dark cloud has come over their heads.  Perhaps Shaitan visited you during your sleep in a dream or otherwise, perhaps you are ill or perhaps the ebb and flow of life has balanced the abundance of good feeling with some bad.  But we, as active healthy Muslims, must take our affairs into our own hands with the knowledge and strength that Allah  has blessed us with.  Our bodies are a trust that Allah  has bestowed us with, which we must take care of. We must also take our Prophet ﷺ (who was strong, powerful, capable, adaptive and elegant) as the guide whom Allah  sent to remind us. The main difference is that Prophet ﷺ was taught directly by Allah  through the angel Gabriel  while we are blessed in a way that is indirect (through the Qur’an and his Sunnah which has been passed down through generations.)Let us start at the beginning of the day, as that is what generally makes us or breaks us.  ‘Ubaidullah bin Mihsan Al-Ansari  reported:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whosoever begins the day feeling family security and good health; and possessing provision for his day is as though he possessed the whole world.”  [At- Tirmidhi].

Basheer Jones – Changing the world one young person at a time (Video)

 This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Understanding our youth, identifying their point of reference and relating to them.

Basheer Jones is a poet, speaker and author. As the founder of the “Be the Change” leadership series, his life’s focus has been to inspire young people to see beyond their current situation. Jones shares his life experiences with the hopes of inspiring them to be the change that they want to see. Born in New York, a graduate of Martin Luther King High School, and Morehouse College, he is trying to change the world one young person at a time.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
More lectures…

The Barometer of Islamic Society

Source: blog.islamiconlineuniversity.com

By: Abdul-Baseer

In many countries, a yearly address is given to highlight the current status of society such as the State of the Union address delivered annually by the President of the USA.  These addresses tend to focus on economics as economics is the largest factor in voting and politics, as though money is not a measure of happiness in life, it correlates with political satisfaction.  Yet, as Muslims striving in the cause of Allah , we should have our own criterion to determine if our society is in a positive state or in a decline.  We should not depend on rulers or mass media which are not always honest or may be under coercive measures and far from independent, to avoid bias or false perceptions.

How Successful People Stay Productive and In Control

Source: talentsmart.com

By: Dr. Travis Bradberry

TalentSmart has tested more than a million people and found that the upper echelons of top performance are filled with people who are high in emotional intelligence (90% of top performers, to be exact). The hallmark of emotional intelligence is self-control—a skill that unleashes massive productivity by keeping you focused and on track.

Unfortunately, self-control is a difficult skill to rely on. Self-control is so fleeting for most people that when Martin Seligman and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania surveyed two million people and asked them to rank order their strengths in 24 different skills, self-control ended up in the very bottom slot.

And when your self-control leaves something to be desired, so does your productivity.

8 Daily Habits That Will Make 2015 Explosive

Source: entrepreneur.com

By: Timothy Sykes

The new year is here and most entrepreneurs are looking at how they will raise their game in 2015. Many of you may want to ramp up your personal development and productivity to a whole new level to reach some major goals.

When it comes to finding success and achieving your goals, many times the most important struggle is the one that you encounter in mundane daily life. To truly find success in your life, it is important that you take the time to do the little things that matter most. Small changes to your daily routine can translate into monumental success in all of your endeavors.

Here are eight things that you should be doing, if you aren’t already, habitually.

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.

More than 2,800 embraced ‪‎Islam‬ in ‪Dubai‬ last year

Source: futureofdubai.com

More than 2,800 people from 91 nationalities embraced Islam in 2014, the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai (IACAD) said.

The New Muslims Section in IACAD said 2014 witnessed the conversion of 2,815 people to Islam, 2,047 of whom were women, while the remaining 768 were men.

‘IACAD works in light of the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, that Dubai becomes a beacon of peace and religious tolerance, and an example of coexistence,’ Dr. Omar Al Khateeb, CEO of Islamic Affairs Sector in IACAD, said.

The department dedicates resources to New Muslims Section’s projects. Its projects include specially designed programmes and various activities, which are held not only in the department’s buildings and Islamic centres, but also in clubs, shopping malls, and other public sites. And there are also the printed and electronic publications that focus on Islam’s teachings and its moderate and global message.

5 Islamic Tips To Improve Focus, Fight Procrastination, And Increase Efficiency

Do You Want To Improve Your Focus As A Muslim?

Source: http://islamiclearningmaterials.com/

By: Muttaqi Ismail

Do you want to fight procrastination? Would you like to increase your efficiency?

Many Muslims are stricken with the twin evils of laziness and procrastination. These twin sisters kill productivity and endanger our ability to increase our Islam and Imaan.

To be a good Muslim, and to truly please Allah takes work.