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!

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~A Revert Story to Remember~

September 29, 2011
Faisal mosque

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 My name is Cassie, I am 23 years old. I graduated as a qualified nurse this year and was given my first position as a home nurse.

 My patient was an English gentleman in his early 80′s who suffered from Alzheimer’s. In the first meeting  with the patient  I was given his record and from it could see that he was a convert to the religion of Islam, therefore he was a Muslim.

I knew from this that I would need to take into account some modes of treatment that may go against his faith, and therefore tried to adapt my care to meet his needs. I brought in some ‘halal’ meat to cook for him and ensured that there was no pork or alcohol in the premises as I did some research which showed that these were forbidden in Islam.

My patient was in a very advanced stage of his condition so a lot of my colleagues could not understand why I was going to so much effort for him, but I understood that a person who commits to a faith deserves that commitment to be respected, even if they are not in a position to understand.

Anyway, after a few weeks with my patient I began to notice some patterns of movement. At first I thought it was some copied motion he’s seen someone do, but I saw him repeat the movement at particular times; morning, afternoon, evening.

The movements were to raise his hands, bow and then put his head to the ground. I could not understand it. He was also repeating sentences in another language, I couldn’t figure out what language it was as his speech was slurred but I know the same verses were repeated daily. Also there was something strange, he didnt allow me to feed him with my left hand {I am lefthanded}.

Somehow I knew this linked to his religion but didn’t know how. Read the rest of this entry »

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Sincerity in Islam: a Sermon by Abu Bakr As-Siddiq

July 15, 2011

From: Quran & Science

A Sermon by Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (radi Allahu anhu) on Sincerity and drawing Lessons

Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (radi Allahu anhu) gave a speech once and started it with praising Allah and thanking Him, then said:

“Verily, Allah does not accept deeds except those which were performed for the Sake of His Face only. Therefore, seek Allah’s Face by your actions. Know that whatever action you do with sincerity to Allah is an act of obedience that you performed, a good share that you earned, a duty that you fulfilled, and a reserve that you keep from perishable days to everlasting days. At that time you will be most in need and in anticipation (for these good deeds).”

 O slaves of Allah! Draw a lesson from those who died before you. Think about those who lived before you. Where were they yesterday? Where are they today? Where are the tyrants who were noted for the wars they waged and earned victories in battle? Time has eliminated them and they disintegrated to dust. The only things that remain from them are their evil statements, and verily, evil statements are for evil people and evil people are for evil statements. Where are the kings who ruled on the earth and inhabited it? They have become a thing of the past and their memory has been forgotten. They have become nothing. Yet, Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored, has kept for them the evil burden of their deeds, but ended their streak of lusts. They perished, but the deeds they committed remained theirs even though the world has become for others. We were created after them, so if we draw lessons from their fate we will attain deliverance. Otherwise, if we were deceived by all of this, we will earn a fate similar to theirs.

 There are the bright faces of those who were deceived on account of their youth? They have turned into dust, but what they committed of shortcomings remained with them as cause for sorrow. Where are those who built cities, fortified them with walls and collected wonders? They left all this for those who came after them; there you see the remains of their cities, they have not been inhabited after them. Meanwhile, they are in the darkness of graves: {“Can you find a single one of them or hear even a whisper of them?”} (19:98)

Where are those whom you knew among your forefathers and brethren? Their lifetimes came to an end and they joined their deeds and actions. They are residing after they died either in the dwelling of happiness or misery.”

 “Verily, Allah is One and has no partners in worship. There is no tie of kinship between Him and any of His creation that warrants granting goodness or fending off evil on account of that kinship. There is only the obedience of Allah and abiding by His Commandments. Know that you are subservient slaves (of Allah) and that what He has can only be earned through obeying Him. Is it not time for one of you that the Fire be taken away from him, while Paradise is not made far from his reach?”

[Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah, by Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir, and At-Tarikh, by At-Tabari, vol. 3, p. 311]

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Enjoining What is Right, Forbidding What is Wrong

April 23, 2011
"Dongxiang minority student discussing a ...
Image via Wikipedia

Article written by Muhammad Alshareef.

Ashaab As-Sabt – the people of Saturday. They were a townsfolk from Bani Israel who were tested with the Sabbath, the day when they were to leave their worldly affairs and be devout to Allah. All week long they would go fishing with scant return. But on Saturdays, when they were required to put aside their activities, the fish would come in abundance. A test from Allah!

“Ask them (O Muhammad) concerning the town standing close by the sea. Behold! they transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath (i.e. Saturday). For on the day of their Sabbath their fish did come to them, openly holding up their heads, but on the day they had no Sabbath, they came not: thus did We make a trial of them, for they were given to transgression.” (Surah Al Araf 7:163)

A group of the townsfolk transgressed, not satisfied with Allahs commandments devising a scheme to by-pass the commandment. They would put out their fishing nets on Friday, and then on Sunday they would come and pick the nets up. Now all the Saturday fish would be caught.

The townsfolk divided into 2 groups when they saw the grave evil and sin that was befalling. The first group tried to advise the transgressors and warn them of the horrific consequences of their action – commanding the good and forbidding the evil.

Thinking they had no responsibility for what was taking place, the other group just went about minding their own business, holding that Allah would eventually destroy the sinners.

And when a community among them said, “Why do you preach to a people whom Allah is about to destroy or to punish with a severe torment?”

Listen carefully to the reply of the first group.

“When some of them said: “Why do you preach to a people whom Allah will destroy or visit with a terrible punishment?”- said the preachers: “To discharge our duty to your Lord, and perchance they may fear Him.”" (Surah Al Araf 7:164)

So the first group spoke out against the disobedience that was taking place for two reasons: One, so that they would be pardoned before Allah because they tried to hold back the transgressors. And two, so that perhaps the transgressors may hear the reminder and turn back to Allah. It was only this group that survived.

“When they disregarded the warnings that had been given them, We rescued those who forbade Evil; but We visited the wrong-doers with a grievous punishment because they were given to transgression. When in their insolence they transgressed (all) prohibitions, We said to them: “Be ye apes, despised and rejected.”" (Surah Al Araf 7:165-166)

In one sweeping night, the punishment rained down and they were transfigured into pigs and monkeys.

Dear brothers and sisters, it is the nature of a human being to feel the need to do good or feel the drive to indulge in evil. Even if we were to be alone, deserted and secluded, we would still feel a drive to do good or indulge in evil.

But as for our ummah, it should of our characteristic to only do good. And we should not only do good ourselves, but we must encourage others to do good; we must be the driving force. And we should not only distance ourselves from vice, but we must forbid others from doing it also, we must be the obstacle.

Dear brothers and sisters, if we all had Muslim identification badges, and the badge was valid, the description that would go on the badge would read: This man/woman commands the good and forbids evil, for this is how Allah described us.

“Ye (true believers in Islam) are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah…” (Surah Ali Imran 3:110)

Good and evil. When it comes to encouraging one or the other, there are two groups of people. The first are those who encourage others to do good and advise them to stop the evil they may be committing. These are the muminoon and muminaat, the believing men and women, the ones that shall be favored by Allah’s Mercy:

“The Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another: they enjoin what is just (al-maruf), and forbid what is evil (al-munkar): they observe regular prayers, practice regular charity, and obey Allah and His Apostle. On them will Allah pour His mercy: for Allah is Exalted in power, Wise.” (Surah Al Tawbah 9:71)

The second group of people are those who encourage others towards evil and stop them whenever they see them doing acts of virtue. These are the munaafiqoon and munaafiqaat, the hypocrite men and women who Allah shall shun.

“The Hypocrites, men and women, (have an understanding) with each other : They enjoin evil (al-munkar), and forbid what is just (al-maruf), and are close with their hands. They have forgotten Allah; so He hath forgotten them. Verily the Hypocrites are rebellious and perverse.” (Surah Al Tawbah 9:67)

The Quran tells us that the winners, those that attain success, are those Muslim men and women who command the good and forbid the evil. And Allah teaches us that He cursed nations before us because they lost this characteristic of encouraging good and forbidding evil:

“Curses were pronounced on those among the Children of Israel who rejected Faith, by the tongue of David and of Jesus the son of Mary: because they disobeyed and persisted in excesses. Nor did they (usually) forbid one another the iniquities which they committed: evil indeed were the deeds which they did.” (Surah Al Maidah 5:78-79)

Read the rest of this entry »

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Advice for Marriage

February 18, 2011

Salam,

I hope this information will give us all some good background information on what an ideal husband or wife should behave like.

1. Fear Allah: It was the noble practice of Nabi (SAW) to be conscientious about the fear of Allah before performing a Nikah by reciting the verses (Nisa v14, Ahzab v69, Aali-Imraan v101) from the Quraan. All the verses are common in the message of Taqwa (fear of Allah). The spouses will be first committed to Allah before being committed to their partner. There can be no doubt in the success of a marriage governed by the fear of Allah.

2. Never be angry at the same time: Anger is the root cause for all marital disputes. One Sahabi came to Rasulullah (SAW) and sought some advice. Rasulullah (SAW) replied, control your anger. The same advice was rendered three times. (Mishkaat pg.433; HM Saeed)

anger is one letter away from danger
3. If one has to win an argument, let it be the other: Nabi (SAW) said: “Whoever discards an argument despite being correct shall earn a palace in the center of Jannah. (Ibid pg.412)

4. Never shout at each other unless the house is on fire: Luqman (AS) while offering advice to his son said: ” and lower your voice for verily the most disliked voice is that of a donkey”. (Surah Luqman v19)

5. If you have to criticize, do it lovingly: Rasulullah (SAW) said, ‘A Mu’ min is a mirror for a Mu’min.’ (Abu Dawud vol.2 pg.325; Imdadiyah) Advise with dignity and silently.mirror

6. Never bring up mistakes of the past: Nabi (SAW) said: “Whoever conceals the faults of others, Allah shall conceal his faults on the day of Qiyaamah.” (Mishkaat pg.429; HM Saeed)

7. Neglect the whole world rather than your marriage partner:Nabi (SAW) confirmed the advice of Salman to Abu-Darda [RA] for neglecting his wife. “Verily there is a right of your wife over you.” (Nasai Hadith2391)

8. Never sleep with an argument unsettled: Abu Bakr [RA] resolved his dispute with his wife over-feeding the guests before going to bed. (BukhariHadith 602)

9. At least, once everyday, express your gratitude to your partner: Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] said, ‘Whoever does not show gratitude to the people has not shown gratitude to Allah.’ (Abu Dawud pg.662; Karachi)

10. When you have done something wrong, be ready to admit it and ask for forgiveness: Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] said, ‘All the sons of Aadam commit error, and the best of those who err are those who seek forgiveness.’ (Tirmidhi Hadith 2499)

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DOES ISLAM PROMOTE POLYGAMY?

February 13, 2011

‎21. Does Islam promote polygamy?

No, polygamy in Islam is a permission not an injunction.

Historically, all the prophets except Jesus, who was not married, had more than one wife. For Muslim men to have more than one wife is a permission which is given to them in the Quran, not to satisfy lust, but for the welfare of the widows and the orphans of the wars.

In the pre-Islamic period, men used to have many wives. One person had 11 wives and when he became Muslim, he asked the Prophet Muhammad (P), “What should I do with so many wives?” and he said, “Divorce all except the four.” The Quran says, “you can marry 2 or 3 and up to 4 women if you can be equally just with each of them” (4:3).

Since it is very difficult to be equally just with all wives, in practice, most of the Muslim men do not have more than one wife. Prophet Muhammad (P) himself from age 24 to 50 was married to only one woman, Khadija.

In the western society, some men who have one wife have many extramarital affairs. Thus, a survey was published in “U.S.A. Today” (April 4, 1988 Section D) which asked 4,700 mistresses what they would like their status to be. They said that “they preferred being a second wife rather than the ‘other woman’ because they did not have the legal rights, nor did they have the financial equality of the legally married wives, and it appeared that they were being used by these men.”

From the series most common question asked by non muslims, feel free to share the full album, copy paste this link your status. http://on.fb.me/f3SpKp

 

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To Celebrate or Not to Celebrate… That is the Question

February 12, 2011

By Asma bint Shameem

 

Some of us celebrate it with great devotion and diligence, while some of us are against it with an equally great vengeance. Some say it is our religious duty while others say it is nothing but bid’ah.

People argue about it. Families split up, friends forsake each other. And sometimes people literally fight over it and hurt one another.

So what is it that I am talking about?

I am talking about celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam), the Mawlid or Milad, as some of us say. Yes, the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal came and went. But, ever wondered….. what is the reality regarding the celebration of the birth of our beloved Prophet anyway?  Let’s examine the facts.

First of all, whenever a Muslim is faced with a problem or confusing situation, what are we supposed to do? Allaah tells us:

“O you who believe! Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allaah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination” [Nisaa’:59]

Referring it to Allaah and His Messenger means to turn to Allaah’s Book and the Sunnah of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam).

1. What does the Qur’aan say about the Mawlid?

Nothing. Yes that’s right…..NOTHING.

There is absolutely nothing in the Quraan that tells us to celebrate the birthday of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam). Not one single ayah.

You see, all acts of worship are tawqeefi which means that they are not subject to personal opinion and it is not permissible to do any acts of worship except those which are approved by Shareeah.

So, for example, I cannot pick a special day or time, say the 22nd of every month, and start celebrating that day as a form of worship.

Why?

Because there is nothing in the Shareeah that permits me to do that. Read the rest of this entry »

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MAKING THE MOST OF 25 MINUTES

January 31, 2011

Time:  where does it go???  In the past few years, time has become a rare commodity; it runs- sometimes flys- away and we are left running after it to catch as much of it as we can.  At the end of the day we ask ourselves, “what have I accomplished?!”  ”Have I done something new or learned something different from the day before?”  I once read in a book that we should not leave one day to be the same as the day before it.  We should always strive to improve ourselves; learn something new, take care of the poor, visit lonely friends or family, strengthen the bonds of relatives, spread some good news and refrain from spreading bad.

Some of us take classes to learn how to better manage the precious time that we have in order to increase our productivity or simply, our enjoyment of time– OF LIFE!  Therefore, when I came across this post I felt it’s too good to not share.  Also, as an ending note; I will never forget how Siraj Wahaj told us in a conference how he used to even read a small mus-haf during the one minute at traffic lights.. he has gone thru several of those small Quran mashallah… what a great example for us to follow.

Good Deed for the Day: Every minute counts – what can you do in 1 minute?

by Quran & Science on Monday, January 31, 2011 at 11:49pm

Life is short and it’s transitory. We to make the most of now – that is, make the mostevery minute possible. Hence, got a list of things that can be done in one minute, by the permission of ALLAH (SWT), and would like to share the same list with you – 25 things to do in 25 minutes everyday (and maybe more times in a day too!) and would love it if you could ADD TO THE LIST as well under comments:

 

time clock

1. In one minute you can recite Surah al-Faatihah 3 times, reciting rapidly (yet clearly) – silently or aloud. The hasanahs one can gain, not to mention, the right Guidance from ALLAH, are incomparable rewards to anything we can get from this material world.

 

2. In one minute you can recite Surah al-Ikhlas (Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad) 20 times, reciting rapidly (yet clearly) – silently or aloud. Reciting it once is equivalent to one-third of The Qur’an. The rewards for this are well-known.

 

3. You can read one page of The Qur’an in one minute.

 

4. You can memorize a short Aayah from The Qur’an in one minute.

Read the rest of this entry »

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