Beating Procrastination: Keeping a Daily Relationship with the Quran

Source: http://productivemuslim.com/

Procrastination affects us all – however, the most serious procrastination is the one that keeps us away from Allah’s path and away from good deeds.

It’s interesting how people normally procrastinate to do good deeds or beneficial actions, but would rarely procrastinate when it come to bad deeds or useless tasks! It reminds me of what Imam Zaid Shakir said in our recent interview with him, he said clearly ”procrastination is from shaytaan”.

I want us to tackle a growing problem amongst many Muslims today: It’s the procrastination from reading/reciting the Quran on a daily basis. We call it procrastination, but in some cases, it can be called complete abandonment (may Allah protect us).

Lack of Self Motivation?

Source: http://www.sunniforum.com/

Do you find that you have a lack of self motivation at times? You can learn a hundred ways to improve your life, but then hesitate to act. Something less important catches your attention, or you just don’t feel like doing what you need to do. Even if you are normally a motivated person, there may be times when you have a hard time getting started on an important task.

There is a solution. Actually, there are probably dozens of solutions. Here are six of the best. These are self-motivation techniques that work for others. Try them, and if you find even one or two here that work for you, you’ll be on your way.

The reason why there is no unity

By: Oyon Ajmain

A lot of the times we complain as to why the Muslims lack unity and why we fight one another? We often wonder, why can’t we all just listen to one another, take advice and give advice to each other without the need to hate each other?

This is because everybody in society likes to be the leader and nobody wants to take orders. The same way, the elder sibling always wants to have authority over the younger sibling even if the younger sibling may be more qualified. The older sibling will exert his authority every now and then on the younger sibling by annoying or hitting him. He will get jelous when the younger sibling proceeds him in anything.

This is how the muslims have become, everyone thinks they have become the older sibling just after gaining a tiny bit of knowledge. In reality we should all act like the younger sibling and humble ourselves in front of everyone else and treat them as elder siblings. Verily there is wisdom and reward in the patient young sibling.

Is indigestion ruining your Ramadan?

By: Anisa Abeytia

Source: http://www.onislam.net/

Your digestive tract is a self contained unit that does not (when working optimally) allow the food you consume to be absorbed and distributed to the body without first sterilizing, identifying and processing it. Without proper digestion there cannot be health. Not only is the health of the gut important for commonly known reasons, but the digestive tract is also home to a large part of the immune system.

During Ramadan, digestive issues can be put at the forefront due to the types of foods we choose, how fast we eat them, and the lack of sufficient chewing.

There are many steps you can take to ensure that digestive distress does not ruin your Ramadan this year. They are simple and can make a large difference if done consistently:

• Drink water. Water is needed for digestion as well as to make HCl. – Chew your food well. This will enable the body to do less work. – Eat in a calm and relaxed manner. – Do not combine carbohydrates and proteins. People with digestive issues find this combination difficult to digest. The classic example is beans. – Start with a salad. Salad prepares the digestive tract to work. – Take a full spectrum enzyme supplement right before your meal (make sure it is vegetarian).
• Do not over stuff yourself. Eat in stages. – Avoid white rice and white bread. They are inflammatory foods and can cause lose bowel movements and other digestive issues. – Avoid overcooked food. – Avoid black tea, coffee and soda as these are diuretics. – Have a cup of chamomile or mint tea after your meal. This will help ease digestion.

Usually, the symptoms of digestive distress are there before Ramadan begins, but surface with a vengeance during this time. Common signs of digestive problems are:

• Gas – Bloating – Nausea – Constipation – Diarrhea/loose stool – Burping – Food allergies/sensitivities – Poor appetite – Fatigue after eating – Abdominal cramps
• Indigestion up to three hours after a meal – Mood swings – Poor memory – Joint pain
• Hives, skin rashes and eczema – Chronic nasal congestion – Headache – Heart burn
• Sour taste in the mouth

Many of these symptoms are associated with a lack of gastric juice, beneficial gut flora (bacteria), or digestive enzymes. These are symptoms of a larger problem occurring in the body and should not be medicated away. If they are only masked by taking pharmaceuticals, the problem will become worse.

There are many reasons for symptoms associated with digestive problems. Some of the most common are:

• Food allergies/sensitivities – Leaky gut – Poor quality of gut flora – Insufficient digestive enzymes – Low hydrochloric acid (stomach acid)

Food Allergies/Food Sensitivities

What are commonly called food allergies are really not “true” food allergies, but rather food sensitivities. The reason for this is that eating a food your allergic to causes a very specific and immediate response, it can also result in a medical emergency.

Food sensitivities are relatively rare. They are not usually life threatening and many people develop them over time. The most common food sensitivities are to soy, corn, dairy and wheat, although one can have sensitivity to any food. There are lab tests that can determine if you have specific food sensitivity and which foods are causing it.

However many people have an idea that they may be sensitive to a food already. If this is the case, simply remove that food/foods from your diet and see if your symptoms resolve (see list of symptoms above).

Leaky Gut

Intestinal permeability or leaky gut is a condition in which the lining of the intestines has become damaged allowing the contents passing through them to “leak” out into the blood stream. The most common cause of leaky gut is food sensitivities.

Over time foods that are irritating to the digestive tract cause “openings” to appear in the lining of the gut. As this occurs, large food molecules enter the blood stream and trigger an immune response (causing inflammation).

Every time the offending food such as wheat, milk or corn is ingested, the body becomes conditioned to recognize it as a harmful substance and flu like symptoms occur.

Leaky gut can cause many complications such as malabsorption of nutrients and food allergies. It can also trigger an immune response and cause auto immune disorders.

Removing food sensitivities can ease the symptoms, but it does not resolve the problem or stop the consequences. In order to improve your condition and start the healing process you will need to seek out a competent nutritionist.

Gut Flora

Our gut harbors many “non-native” organisms that can be beneficial, benign or harmful. The beneficial flora such as lactobacillus, which can be found in yogurt, help prevent opportunistic organisms, like yeast, from occupying the lining of the large intestine and causing an over growth, or pathogens from anchoring in the large intestine.

When this happens, these pathogens can compete with the host (you) for nutrients, causing a vitamin or mineral deficiency. The metabolic wastes of these pathogens can also overwhelm the body’s detoxification system and cause a toxic buildup in the body that can cause health issues.

There are many available probiotic supplements that will help restore the beneficial bacteria. You can also eat fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and olives. However, you will first need to find a holistic practitioner to work with in order to remove the harmful bacteria.

Low Hydrochloric Acid

Low stomach acid allows pathogens to enter the digestive tract. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) sterilizes the contents of the stomach and eliminates any harmful substances prior to entering the rest of the digestive tract. Many people that are diagnosed with acid reflux are surprisingly actually acid deficient, and often fall prey to chronic infections, like Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that can cause peptic ulcers.

A quick home test to check if you have sufficient stomach acid is to drink a carbonated beverage and if within a minute you belch, you have enough stomach acid. You can also have a doctor check your levels of HCl.

Insufficient Digestive Enzymes

There are many types of enzymes in the body, but here we are concerned with the digestive enzymes that are made in the pancreas. These enzymes help us digest fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

Raw and fermented foods contain the greatest amount of enzymes. When food is overcooked, the enzymes are destroyed and the food becomes more challenging to digest. In order for digestion to take place much energy is needed, when we supply the body with enzymes, it frees up the body’s energy to carry out other functions.

During Ramadan we are given a wonderful opportunity to allow the body to heal and carry out functions that it was not able to carry out due to excessive eating and digestion. Adding in a digestive enzyme (if you need to) will add to the physical benefits of fasting.

Bullying reflects your lack of self confidence & self-respect.

 Bullying reflects your lack of self confidence & self-respect.
 Bullying refleja su falta de confianza en sí mismo y amor propio.
 Pesten weerspiegelt je gebrek aan zelfvertrouwen en zelfrespect.
 L’intimidation reflète votre manque de confiance en soi et le respect de soi.
 Mobbing spiegelt Ihr Mangel an Selbstvertrauen und Selbstachtung.
 Qīlíng fǎnyìngle nǐ quēfá zìxìn hé zìzūn.
 Mobbning speglar din brist på självförtroende och självrespekt.
 Zapugivaniye otrazhayet vashe otsutstviye uverennosti v sebe i samouvazheniya.
 Zorbalık kendine güven ve öz-saygı eksikliğini yansıtır.
 Bullismo riflette la vostra mancanza di fiducia in se stessi e rispetto di sé.
 Bullying mencerminkan kurangnya kepercayaan diri & harga diri.

Jealousy makes you want what someone has got, but deep down you know its due to a lack of self love that makes you ill.

 Jealousy makes you want what someone has got, but deep down you know its due to a lack of self love that makes you ill.
 Los celos te hace querer lo que uno tiene, pero en el fondo sabes que es debido a una falta de amor propio que te hace mal.
 Jaloezie maakt je wilt wat iemand heeft, maar diep van binnen weet dat je haar te wijten aan een gebrek aan zelfliefde die je ziek maakt.
 La jalousie vous donne envie ce que quelqu’un a obtenu, mais au fond vous savez son dû à un manque d’amour de soi qui vous rend malade.
 Eifersucht macht Sie wollen, was jemand haben, aber tief wissen Sie, seine durch einen Mangel an Selbstliebe, die Sie krank macht.
 Jídù ràng nǐ xiǎng yào shénme de rén dédàole, dàn nèixīn shēn chù nǐ zhīdào tā de yuányīn shì quēfá zìwǒ de ài, shǐ rénshēng bìng.
 Svartsjuka får dig att vilja vad någon har fått, men innerst inne vet du det på grund av brist på själv kärlek som gör dig sjuk.
 Revnost’ delayet vy khotite, chto kto-to poluchil , no v glubine dushi vy znayete yego iz-za otsutstviya lyubvi k sebe , chto zastavlyayet vas bol’nym.
 Kıskançlık birisi var ne istiyorum yapar, ama derin aşağı sen hasta yapar kendini sevgi eksikliği onun yüzünden biliyorum.
 La gelosia fa ciò che vuole quello che qualcuno ha, ma in fondo si sa la sua causa di una mancanza di amore di sé che ti fa male.
 Kecemburuan membuat Anda ingin apa seseorang telah mendapat, tapi jauh di lubuk hati Anda tahu yang karena kurangnya cinta diri yang membuat Anda sakit.

Have trust in yourself, others will find it hard to trust in you, if you show a lack self approval.

 Have trust in yourself, others will find it hard to trust in you, if you show a lack self approval.
 Tener confianza en sí mismo, otros les resultará difícil confiar en ti, si muestra una aprobación auto falta.
 Heb vertrouwen in jezelf, anderen zullen het moeilijk vinden om vertrouwen in je, als je een gebrek zelf goedkeuring te tonen.
 Ayez confiance en vous-même, d’autres auront du mal à faire confiance en vous, si vous montrez une approbation de l’auto de manque.
 Haben Sie Vertrauen in sich selbst, andere finden es schwer, in der Sie vertrauen, wenn Sie eine fehlende Selbst Zustimmung zu zeigen.
 Bìxū xìnrèn zìjǐ, biérén huì juéde hěn nàn xìnrèn nǐ, rúguǒ nǐ biǎoxiàn chū quēfá zìwǒ rènkě.
 Ha tillit till dig själv, andra kommer att få svårt att lita på dig, om du visar en brist självgodkännande.
 Имейте веру в себя, других будет трудно верить в вас, если вы покажете отсутствие собственного утверждения.
 Kendine güven var, diğerleri bir eksikliği kendine onay göstermek eğer zor, size güven bulacaksınız.
 Abbiate fiducia in voi stessi, gli altri troveranno difficile fiducia in voi, se si mostra un self approvazione mancanza.
 Memiliki kepercayaan pada diri sendiri, orang lain akan merasa sulit untuk percaya di dalam kamu, jika Anda menunjukkan persetujuan diri kurang.

Jealousy makes you want what someone has got, but deep down you know its due to a lack of self love that makes you ill.

 Jealousy makes you want what someone has got, but deep down you know its due to a lack of self love that makes you ill.
 Los celos te hace querer lo que uno tiene, pero en el fondo sabes que es debido a una falta de amor propio que te hace mal.
 Jaloezie maakt je wilt wat iemand heeft, maar diep van binnen weet dat je haar te wijten aan een gebrek aan zelfliefde die je ziek maakt.
 La jalousie vous donne envie ce que quelqu’un a obtenu, mais au fond vous savez son dû à un manque d’amour de soi qui vous rend malade.
 Eifersucht macht Sie wollen, was jemand haben, aber tief wissen Sie, seine durch einen Mangel an Selbstliebe, die Sie krank macht.
 Jídù ràng nǐ xiǎng yào shénme de rén dédàole, dàn nèixīn shēn chù nǐ zhīdào tā de yuányīn shì quēfá zìwǒ de ài, shǐ rénshēng bìng.
 Svartsjuka får dig att vilja vad någon har fått, men innerst inne vet du det på grund av brist på själv kärlek som gör dig sjuk.
 Revnost’ delayet vy khotite, chto kto-to poluchil , no v glubine dushi vy znayete yego iz-za otsutstviya lyubvi k sebe , chto zastavlyayet vas bol’nym.
 Kıskançlık birisi var ne istiyorum yapar, ama derin aşağı sen hasta yapar kendini sevgi eksikliği onun yüzünden biliyorum.
 La gelosia fa ciò che vuole quello che qualcuno ha, ma in fondo si sa la sua causa di una mancanza di amore di sé che ti fa male.
 Kecemburuan membuat Anda ingin apa seseorang telah mendapat, tapi jauh di lubuk hati Anda tahu yang karena kurangnya cinta diri yang membuat Anda sakit.