The Qur’an is the only Book which has mentioned several worlds:

The material world in which we are all living now

The universe

The mother’s womb is a nine month aboard

The tomb where all dead bodies will lie

The  illiyin and the sijjin

The Akhrirah – paradise or hell

Th reality on earth is an illusion. It is temporary. Allah has created it with a fine balance and has established multiple species in terms of animals, birds etc and also angels, jinns and human beings. All these co exist together to understand polarity which is called Al Meezan ( a fine balance )

This world is an illusion made up by many darknesses [zulumat]. It has many stages of darkness and this darkness envelopes the mind, the soul and the brain. This is why bad people use the jinns to overpower believers with dark energies.

Of course, this current era is witnessing more darkness and as such, people are undergoing many tests and trials which are often unbearable.

There is a lot to write and discuss about Jinns. But, most importantly is that we have to believe in their existence.

If you put your faith completely in Allah, He will arrange for your sustenance in the same way as He provides for the birds. They go out in the morning with their stomachs empty and return filled in the evening. (Tirmidhi)

This hadith shows us the importance to have total faith in Allah. It is not an easy thing to do because shaytan plays various tricks upon us. He whispers all sorts of negative thoughts and doubts.

In order to be able to trust Allah, we need to train ourselves through constant effort and ask Allah for His help and Generosity

Allah is the Sustainer of all. He provides for all.

Let us pray to Him that He gives us our provision daily and remember: the best of provision is TAQWA

by Khushi

Stress affects all of us and can show its manifestations in various forms. We cannot avoid it altogether, but what we can do is follow some of these hints to reduce stress from our lives. Here is a list of ten quotations and how we can interpret these to experience a happier and stress free tomorrow.

1) Cry a river; build a bridge; get over it.

Let go of past failures, sadness and people whom we remember but who no longer care for us. This sounds so easy but it’s easier said than done. We all have gone through our share of heartaches and sadness. But when we constantly remember the pain and suffering we had endured, we are allowing that sadness to gain an upper hand over us. What we must realize is that what has happened, has happened. It’s over and done with. People change and times change. Moving on in life is very difficult but it’s the first constructive step to a better you.

2) Everything happens in its own time.

There are things that we do and expect to be rewarded for which does not happen. In offices, there might be a promotion that we might have wanted, a high score on a test, or a job offer that we were sure that was to be given to us that never worked out. At such times we lose perspective and blame our luck and become despondent. We need to realize that there is a time for everything that happens in our lives. And when the appropriate time comes, things will start working the way they were supposed to work.

3) You are the only person who can make yourself happy.

Think of « your » happiness, too, and be kind to yourself. In life, all of us have goals and ambitions. But in the pursuit of those goals, we lose sight of the bigger picture that we are doing these things to make ourselves happy. This is seen especially in the case of mothers who are doing so many things for their kids and family that they don’t remember when the last time was that they did something for their own happiness.

It happens to all of us. Be more gentle with yourself. Make yourself happy, and that can be done in so many ways. Treat yourself to some ice cream, buy a book that you were dying to read, spend a day lolling in the bed doing nothing. We deserve it and so do our bodies.

4) Laughter is the best tranquilizer with no side effects.

Laugh each and every day of your life. Humorous situations happen to us every single day. Whether you choose to enjoy the moment or not is your decision. There are so many excuses in our day-to-day life to have a good laugh. All we need to do is just look at the lighter side of life and enjoy the moment. When you laugh, don’t think whether people are watching you or how much you laugh. It’s their problem that they cannot find the humor in the situation that you have found.

5) Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

As we make our journey through life, we have so many things to savor and experience. There is no such thing as instant happiness or happiness that can be found somewhere. Live your life each day, the same way you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point.

6) Do today what others won’t so you can live tomorrow like others can’t.

So many times we are faced with duties and work that we are not happy doing or performing. In those times, instead of hating or shirking from that work, we can try and make use of the thought that somehow, whatever we are doing will prove beneficial to us one day or another. Maybe the results won’t be seen tomorrow, but surely we will benefit because we did something that no one was willing to do. An example would be the people who started companies which are million dollar establishments today. They dared to venture and put their money in something that their colleagues would not have been willing to do, and today their work is paying off rich dividends.

7) It is never too late to be what you might have become.

There are several factors that cause us to end up doing the work we do. Many of us, at some point of time, would have definitely wanted to make a career change and thought that it’s too late to do it. But the truth is it’s never too late. You can start doing whatever we want to do because it’s your life and your decisions. Think of the people who attend college in their late 60’s and 70’s because they always wanted to do it. Such people are the ones who truly believe in this adage.

Treasure the love you receive; it will survive long after your gold and good health have vanished.

We always seem to cherish our material possessions more than we should. But life can take a lot more from us. Today we might have good health, family love and a good home to go back to. What we forget is that there are so many calamities that can take away all our comforts, but love is something that can never be taken away. We need to be more demonstrative of our love towards others and treat our loved ones with more kindness and affection.

9) The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.

Any huge task that needs to be done seems very daunting at first. But if we analyze the task carefully, and do it step-by-step, we will find that things get resolved very quickly and easily. But we need to be bold enough to take the first small step. Once that is done, we just need to proceed with additional small steps towards our goal.

10) Always have something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

These three things are what will keep the flame burning within all of us. Something to do will keep us busy, something to love will keep us motivated and something to hope for will take us faster towards our goal

Allah (swt) said: “Spend, O son of Adam, and I shall spend on you.”

Many of us are very fortunate in having substantial bank balances, successful jobs, thriving businesses, powerful positions, nice holidays and comfortable houses to live in. There is nothing wrong in possessing and using these, as they are Allah’s blessings, which He likes to see on His servants. “ But the bounty of your Lord-rehearse and proclaim.” (Quran 93;11). We as Muslims have also been told to ask Allah (swt) for His fadhl- His favour, grace and bounty.

However, along with this, we have been warned against extravagance. In the Quran, we are told: “But spend not wastefully (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift. Verily spendthrifts are brothers of the Shayateen (devils); and the Shaitan is ever ungrateful to his Lord.” (17;26-27)

We have also been told to be grateful to Allah and this gratitude is to be shown not just through our hearts and tongues, but also through our deeds. This means that we are meant to use the blessings Allah has bestowed upon us in His Cause and to share these with the less privileged people around us. In the Quran, we are told: “And in their wealth and possessions (was remembered) the right of the (needy) him who asked and him who (for some reason) was prevented (from asking).” (51;19)

We have also been told in the Quran about man: “But he has not attempted to pass on the path that is steep. (i.e. the path that will lead to goodness and success). And what will make you know the path that is steep? (It is) freeing a neck. Or giving food in a day of hunger, to an orphan near of kin. Or to a Miskin (poor) cleaving to dust (out of misery). Then he became of those who believed (in the Islamic Monotheism) and recommended one another to perseverance and patience, and (also) recommended one another to pity and compassion.” (90;11-18)

Many of us think that by fulfilling our duty of giving zakah – our obligatory charity, we have fulfilled our responsibility to the needy and do not think of going beyond this. However while this is a basic requirement, the non fulfillment of which make us sinners, in the Quran, Allah instructs the Prophet (saw): “They ask you how much they are to spend; say: “What is beyond your needs.” (2;219) This verse is indeed very thought provoking. These ‘needs’, for us may be sending our children overseas for education, their lavish weddings, giving them each a house or at least a plot of land and the list goes on and on… While making sure that we spend and save enough for their basic needs, remembering what our Prophet (saw) said: “When a Muslim spends something on his family intending to receive Allah’s reward it is regarded as Sadaqa for him.”(Bukhari), we must strike a balance between this and what we give away to the needy.

When we find ourselves leaning more towards accumulation of wealth beyond our reasonable needs, we should remind ourselves of the hadith where our Prophet (saw) said, “Who among you considers the wealth of his heirs dearer to him than his own wealth?” They replied, “O Allah’s Apostle! There is none among us but loves his own wealth more.” The Prophet (saw) said, “So his wealth is whatever he spends (in Allah’s Cause) during his life (on good deeds) while the wealth of his heirs is whatever he leaves after his death.” (Bukhari) There is also a hadith narrated by Aisha (raa) that once they slaughtered a goat (and distributed most of its meat). Then the Prophet (saw) said: “What is left now?” Aisha answered: “Nothing except a shank.” He (saw) remarked: “(In fact) all of it is saved except the shank.” (Tirmizi)

It is also important to remind ourselves whenever we find ourselves reluctant to spend in charity that Allah tells us in the Quran: “Shaitan threatens you with poverty and bids you to conduct unseemly. Allah promises you His forgiveness and bounties and Allah cares for all and He knows all things.” (2;268) He also tells us: “And those saved from the covetousness of their own souls, they are the ones that achieve prosperity.”(64;16)

Sadaqa i.e. charity has many benefits for us. In addition to earning us Allah’s goodwill and His pleasure, it is a shield against calamities. Our Prophet (saw) said: “Give the sadaqa without delay for it stands in the way of calamity.” (Razin). “Sadaqa protects you from a painful death and difficulties.” (Ahmed)

By giving the sadaqa, we may be saved from such calamities which can drain our resources. They could be health problems – ours or our family members, which can eat away our bank balance or our ability to enjoy what we have, loss of employment or our business success, our children getting divorced after spending so much on their weddings etc. (God forbid) – and the list of possibilities goes on… If we are willing to invest in locker fees to safeguard our valuables or a security guard for our houses to protect our lives and possessions, why do we not have enough foresight to think of sadaqa as this same security measure? In fact, sadaqa, unlike these expenditures and things such as insurance premiums is actually a ‘win-win’ situation. We are depositing our wealth with Allah where it cannot be burnt, stolen or drowned and has a guaranteed return!

Depositing our money with Allah i.e. giving in charity is the best investment we can ever make. He tells us in the Quran: “So fear Allah as much as you can. Listen and obey; and spend in charity for the benefit of your own souls. And those saved from the covetousness of their own souls, they are the ones that achieve prosperity. If you loan to Allah a beautiful loan, he will double it to your (credit) and he will grant you Forgiveness: For Allah is All-Thankful, Most Forbearing.”(64;16)

At a time when there is so much suffering in our country, there is no justification for extravagant spending on our part. Our generosity to others should be at its peak when there is so much misery all around us- people with no roofs over their heads, some paralysed from the neck or waist down, some with no limbs, and with no certainty of their future or their survival. This is a real trial and test of conscience for all those around who have so much while others have so little. We need to learn from what our Prophet (saw) said: “You see the believers as regards their being merciful among themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it.” (Bukhari) “A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim.”(Bukhari) “Whoever fulfilled the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs; whoever brought his (Muslim) brother out of a discomfort, Allah will bring him out of the discomforts of the Day of Resurrection.” (Bukhari)

What more guarantees could we need to encourage us to spend, spend, spend… Let us do what Allah commands us in the Quran: “O you who believe! do your duty to Allah, seek the means of approach unto Him and strive with might and main in His cause, that you may prosper.” (5;35) Let us too, seek with the (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on us, the Home of the Hereafter and attain that everlasting success – Paradise about which Allah says: “Gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein forever and beautiful mansions in gardens of Eden.” (9;72)

When our Prophet (saw) was asked what Paradise was constructed of, he (saw) replied, “A brick of gold and a brick of silver with mortar of strong-scented musk; its pebbles are pearls and rubies and its soil is saffron. Those who enter it will be in affluent circumstances and will not be destitute, they will live for ever and not die, their garments will not wear out, and their youth will not pass away.” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi ) “Then rejoice in the bargain which you have concluded: that is the supreme achievement.”(Quran 9;111)
What more could we ask for?

Tips: keep a box or tin and regularly put in your sadaqa or lillah

Whatever people may say or think, Islam has the greatest population. 

Indeed, despite what some media have been writing against Muslims and Islam, Islam remains the most popular, the most talked and the most adhered religion. The word Islam has never left anyone indifferent. Just mention the word Islam in a group, everybody will react, either positively or negatively. It does create a reaction. This means that nobody is indifferent to it. And surely, in the years to come, we will witness the conversion of thousands of people to Islam.” – Ammaara Uddeen

“The Last Day will not come until Islam has

 entered every single house on the earth.”

 says the prophet [p.b.u.h]

” When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest,

And you see the people entering into the religion of Allah in multitudes,

Then exalt [Him] with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. Indeed, He is ever Accepting of repentance.” Surah An Nasr, Qur’an