Blog Archives
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.
Why does Allah allow suffering and evil in the world?
Source: islamonline.net
By: Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi
Indeed Allah is All-Powerful (Al-`Aziz) and He is able to do all things (Allahu ‘ala kuli shayin qadir). The Quran has mentioned this hundreds of times. It is also mentioned in the Quran that Allah is the Creator and He is the Best Creator. Glory be to Allah, the best Creator. (Al-Mu’minoon: 14)
But then the question comes why do pain and sufferings exist in the world. We find sickness, old age and death. We see things that are ugly, people who are insane and foolish. There are storms, earthquakes, floods, draught and famine. We also see people commit sins, show disloyalty, unfaithfulness, greed and insincerity. We see people commit rapes, murders; they fight and make wars. We know all these and many more problems. There are evils caused by human beings and there are natural disasters. There are suffering for individuals and there are those that involve a large number of people.
But we also know that this is not the whole story. Besides all these negative things, we also see beauty, health, prosperity, life, birth, wisdom, intelligence, growth and progress. We also see goodness among people, faith, sincerity, charity, love and the spirit of sacrifice. We also see a lot of virtue and piety. It is wrong to see one side of the coin and not to see the other side. Any philosophy that concentrates on one aspect of the creation and denies or ignores the other side is partially true and partial truths are no truth at all.
The Purpose of Life in an Hour and a Half
Source: sandala.org
By: Hamza Yusuf
Given the choice, I would rather read a book than listen to a lecture. Books are wonderful companions: they offer their opinions, and if you disagree, they don’t seem to mind. I can reread when I find difficulty with what is written, and the book doesn’t think I’m stupid or get annoyed that I’m asking it to repeat itself, sometimes again and again. From a great author, I can acquire in a few hours what took him or her a lifetime of reflection and insight to realize. Despite that, on occasion, I have heard lectures that have moved me deeply. Recently, someone sent me a lecture insisting that I watch it. It was by an American convert to Islam (I don’t like the word “revert,” as we don’t revert to Islam; we convert – unless one was a Muslim, left it, and then returned), Dr. Jeffrey Lang, about the purpose of life. I found this lecture to be the most powerful I have ever heard from an American Muslim.
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.
Charlie Hebdo: We cannot let the Paris murderers define Islam
Source: theguardian.com
By: Ed Husain
The killing of journalists in Paris on Wednesday was not only an attack on France but also an assault on Islam and the very freedoms that allow 30 million Muslims to prosper in the west.
Free speech is not a western concept: it is a universal craving of the human soul. The gunmen ran away shouting that they were “avenging the prophet Muhammad”. How dare they? We cannot let the murderers define Islam.
In sixth-century Mecca, it was the prophet Muhammad who fought for free speech to proclaim one God as the creator of life and worthy of worship. The city’s pagans were his violent persecutors.
IS WIKIPEDIA RELIABLE? ART OF CONNECTION WITH BELAL KHAN
Some people feel that Wikipedia isn’t trustworthy because it’s a platform on which you can go in and change information.
That’s true, but only to a degree.
Source: muslimmatters.org
The reality is that if you change information on Wikipedia and you don’t have any kind of history or you’re new to the game, understand that majority of these pages have gatekeepers.
These are people who are dedicated to the page and the content that’s on the page so if you make any changes they’ll be alerted of it and revert back the changes and flag you if you didn’t follow any one of the guidelines.
The real issue with Wikipedia is that it’s a reference index.
UNDERSTAND YOUR IDENTITY AND GAIN SELF CONFIDENCE: ART OF CONNECTION WITH BELAL KHAN (VIDEO)
Source: muslimmatters.org
By: Belal Khan
John Hopkins basketball coach was quoted saying,
“People often fail because they give up what they want most for what they want now.”
The challenge that a lot of us have, especially growing up in the US and the times we live in today where there’s a lot of connection and communication, is answer the question, “What’s the identity that we want to adapt?”
Knowing the answer will lead to self confidence needed to stand for something.
Proof that press conferences are a sham, bankers are dishonest (Video)
Proof that press conferences are a sham, bankers are dishonest, and there are still some excellent real journalists out there.
PASS THE KNOWLEDGE (LIGHT & LIFE) 