Do not Be Sad

October 28, 2011

 So do not become weak [against your enemy, nor be sad... (Quran 3: 139)

 And grieve not over them, and be not distressed because of what they plot.(Quran 16: 127)

 Be not sad, surely Allah is with us. (Quran 9: 40)

 Referring to true believers, Allah informs us that:

Upon such shall come no fear, nor shall they grieve. (Quran 2: 38)

Sadness enervates the souls will to act and paralyzes the body into inactivity. Sadness prevents one from action instead of compelling one towards it. The heart benefits nothing through grief the most beloved thing to the Devil is to make the worshiper sad in order to prevent him from continuing on his path.

Allah, the Exalted, says:

 *Secret counsels [conspiracies] are only from Shaytaan [Satan], in order that he may cause grief to the believers. (Quran 58: 10)

In the following hadith, the Prophet (bpuh) said:

 ”In a company of three, it is forbidden for two to hold secret counsel to the exclusion of the third, since doing so will be a cause of sadness for him.”

 Contrary to what some believe (those who have an extreme ascetic bent); the believer should not seek out sadness, because sadness is a harmful condition that afflicts the soul.The Muslim must repel sadness and fight it in any way that is permissible in our Religion.

 There is no real benefit to sadness; the Prophet (bpuh) sought refuge from it in the following supplication: “O Allah, I seek refuge in you from anxiety and grief.”

Grief is coupled with anxiety in this hadith. The difference between the two is that if a bad feeling is related to what is going to happen in the future. Then one is feeling anxiety. And if the cause of this feeling concerns the past, then one is feeling grief both of them weaken the heart, causing inactivity and a decrease in will power. Read the rest of this entry »

2 Comments | HADITH, Islamic Psychology | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by SAKINA AND SARA

Fasting In the First Nine Days of Dhul Hijjah

October 28, 2011

عن هنيدة ابن خالد عن امرأته عن بعض أزواج النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قالت “كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يصوم تسع ذي الحجة ، ويوم عاشوراء ، وثلاثة أيام من كل شهر : أول اثنين من الشهر وخميسين “صحيح أبو داود وصحيح النسائى

Hunaydah ibn Khaalid narrated upon the authority of his wife who said: “Some of the wives of the Prophet sallAllaahu 3Alayhi wa sallam told me that the Prophet sallAllaahu 3Alayhi wa sallam used to fast the Day of 3Aashoorah, the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah, and three days out of every month*….” (1)

(*13th, 14th, and 15th of every month)

Imaam An-Nawwawee said with reference to fasting the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah: “It is extremely preferable to do so”.

Shaykh 3Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy upon him) was asked about fasting the first [nine] days of Dhul-Hijjah?

He replied: “Fasting the first [nine] of Dhul-Hijjah is from the righteous actions without doubt. And the Prophet sallAllaahu 3Alayhi wa sallam said,“There are not any days in which righteous actions are done that are more beloved to Allaah than these ten days.” They said, “Oh Messenger of Allaah, not even jihaad in Allaah’s cause?”

He said: “Not even jihaad in Allaah’s cause,Except for a man who left out with his self and his wealth, and he did not return with either.”

So fasting is included in the general context of this hadeeth. And there appears a hadeeth stating that the Messenger of Allaah sallAllaahu 3Alayhi wa sallam used to fast the first ten of Dhul-Hijjah, not counting the 3Eed [in other words, the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah]. Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a Comment » | ARTICLES, FASTING | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by SAKINA AND SARA

How Should a Muslim Husband Behave Towards his Wife

October 19, 2011

This has got to be one of the cutest videos I have seen in a while.  ”Its complicated”

1 Comment | LIFE/LIVING, WOMEN'S ISSUES, YOUTUBE VIDEOS | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by SAKINA AND SARA

Productive Muslim Sleep Routine

October 7, 2011

Every once in a while I come accross an article which really strikes me and leaves a strong impression.. This one did… maybe because my household really needs this information and to IMPLEMENT IT not just understand its value.  I hope that this will help many other people as well, and in the end it will not only make life more productive, but easier, healthier and happier for all.  Time is a thing that once gone cannot come back so we need to make the best use of what God gave us. 

Many people who struggle with waking up early, realize that how and when they slept the night before has an impact on their morning routines the next day. This is why we advocate the importance of not just a morning routine, but a productive night routine as well! The sleep routine is derived from the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and what he used to do before he sleeps (Peace be upon him). Check out the sleep routine here: http://bit.ly/sle-ep

by ProductiveMuslim63 Comments

Posted on Sunday, March 13, 2011 in Articles

If you’ve started waking up early and working in those early hours of the day as we recommend at ProductiveMuslim.com, you’ll find that it’s pretty hard to be consistent each and every day with this routine. And when you search for the reasons for this inconsistency, you’ll realise that it’s mainly because it’s hard to regulate your sleep; one day you sleep well, so you wake up early and can work hard. Other days, you don’t sleep so well and those early hours are pretty difficult to maintain.

ProductiveMuslim Sleep Routine

Sleep, as any other activity we do as humans, can be optimized by planning well in advance and following a particular routine each night. You might think: “Dude, I just crash and sleep”. Well, that’s one way of doing it, but here’s another routine. Try it out and tell me if sleep doesn’t become a rewarding, spiritual and fulfilling experience for you after this.

The following sleep routine requires you to prepare for it at least 90 minutes BEFOREyou actually sleep. And it’s basically dividing those 90 minutes into 3 parts:

  1. One third for Your Lord
  2. One third for Your Self
  3. One third for Your Sleep

1. One third for Your Lord:

This starts with you making wudhu, brushing your teeth, putting on nice clothes and perfume and praying Tahajjud and Witr for Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) (Note: If you prefer to wake up before Fajr to pray these night prayers then definitely go with that. However, if you can’t trust yourself to wake up that early, it’s better that you pray Tahajjud and Witr Salah BEFORE you sleep). This is my favourite part of the sleep routine and favourite part of the day!

It’s such a calming experience after going through a long hard day, to stand in front of your Lord, recite His verses, supplicate to Him and ask Him of whatever you desire in this world and the Next. Do this for a couple of nights and you wouldn’t want to give up doing it! In fact, throughout your day, you’ll be anticipating this moment and looking forward to it!

2. One third for Your Self:

This is where you prepare yourself for sleep by putting on your pyjamas, getting into bed and reading a good book for at least 30 minutes. If you’re like me, ideas and thoughts will keep popping into your head as you read, and you will want to save them for later. For these, I have a plain notebook and pen/pencil next to me to scribble anything (and I mean anything) that pops in my head! You’ll be surprised how many great ideas originate from these 30 minutes.

Alternatively, instead of reading, you may spend these 30 minutes brainstorming on a plain notebook any ideas,plans, and projects you have in mind. You don’t have to come up with the ‘perfect’ idea/solution, but simply brainstorm as much as you can then literally “sleep on it” (as the saying goes). In the morning, you’ll be surprised at what your sub-conscious mind brings forth for you.

3. One third for Your Sleep:

I’ve said that this is a third for your sleep, but truly this is a third for your Lord to bless your sleep, and basically this involves going through the duas and verses that one should recite before sleeping as per the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). These include reciting Surah Al-Mulk and Surah Al-Sajdah and other supplications recommended before sleeping. For me, this last part of the routine is like the cherry on top of the cake! Nothing fills you with more tranquility than to sleep having uttered the words of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala).

So there you have it, the ProductiveMuslim routine for Sleep. You may think it’s lengthy, but there has been no day that I’ve followed it, except that I’ve slept peacefully and woken up peacefully.

Hope it works well for you and that you have a productive sleep – Sweet dreams!

PS: The ‘ideal’ ProductiveMuslim morning routine

Given that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was THE most productive man that ever lived, I think emulating him and his habits day and night would go a long way to helping us become more productive inshaAllah!

1 Comment | ARTICLES, HEALTH, LIFE/LIVING | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by SAKINA AND SARA

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