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Learn from Quran the year round

Date: April 15, 2016

A human being’s caliber and knowledge lies in his bio and gene. Some of us excel in mathematics, some in social studies etc. by profession we will be doctors, engineers, scientists, politicians etc. by hobby, we will be coin collectors, riders, cookers etc. profession, wishes, character and everything may be different. But ultimately, each Muslim has a clear singular goal. It is nothing but, aspiring to the character of Prophet Muhammed. If you are physically clean for the day, you should read Quran on that day. If it is possible, a Muslim should read Quran every day. And there is a belief that Muslim should read Quran during the holy month of Ramadan. But you should read it before, during and after the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is meant for intense character training and its lessons are applicable for the year round. In the holy month of Ramadan and there after we should attempt to focus on the wisdom of Quran and the idealistic ways of Prophet Muhammed. In addition, we should engage with two greatest miracles of life through prayer, those are reflection and action. We should always be in remembrance of Allah and we should learn Quran and its teachings before, during and after Ramadan.

Precious Gifts a Person Leaves Behind

"The best of what a man leaves behind are three: a righteous child who supplicates for him, ongoing charity the reward of which reaches him, and knowledge that is acted upon after him."

Sunan Ibn Mājah

Angelic Daily Prayers for Generosity

"Every day two angels come down from Heaven and one of them says, 'O Allah! Compensate every person who spends in Your Cause,' and the other (angel) says, 'O Allah! Destroy every miser.'"

Sahih Bukhari

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Benefits of Fasting

How quickly time flies…just about three weeks ago Ramadan began and Muslims around the world commenced their first fast and today it is approaching its last ten days. Now of course we all know that fasting is important spiritually as it teaches us to be patient, be self-aware, and to have restraint (“O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint.” al-Qur'an 2:183). But did you know there are many physical and mental benefits of fasting? Let’s start with physical benefits: • weight Loss - Normally, the body uses glucose for energy and keeps fat as “reserve” energy. But while fasting the body begins to use fat as its main source of energy. Why does this matter? Essentially you are burning fat which entails to weight loss. However, keep in mind due to this occurring, the food you eat before and after fasting is absorbed much more quickly and powerfully. So if you break your fast with fried fatty foods, you will gain more weight than you will lose. In the same way, if you eat more nutritionally rich foods, then you will be much more energized. • Giving your body a break - As you fast your metabolism slows down and less of your energy is directed towards breaking down food. 650f your body’s energy is directed towards digesting your food in a day. In a way, you are resting your body by fasting! • Repairing the body – Since less of your energy is directed to breaking down food, the body spends more time repairing the body by producing more white blood cells. White blood cells are the body’s main source of protection against diseases and ailments. This helps tremendously for patients recovering from cancer as during chemotherapy many of the white blood cells are destroyed in the cancer cell eradication process. • Detox – As you fast the toxins stored in your body are dissolved. No special juice or greens needed. Alright now that we’ve listed a few great physical benefits let’s move onto some mental benefits: • General mental well-being – After a few days of fasting, the production of endorphins increases tremendously leading to a happier sense of self and increased alertness. • It decreases feelings of depression – BDNF (Brain-derived neurotic factor) is a protein that interacts with neurons in the parts of the brain that regulate memory, learning, and higher cognitive function and helps to spur synapses (which pass signals from one neuron to the next) and new neurons. Depression occurs when there is a lack of serotonin production as well as a miscommunication between the synapses. Since the brain can focus on functions other than food digestion, it can produce more BDNF. • Aids in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s – Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s are neurodegenerative diseases. This means that they occur when the brain is not producing enough neurons. Fasting could help mitigate this issue; since the brain produces more BDNF while fasting (which aids in the production of neurons and synapses) then it will be more unlikely for a person to be deficient in neurons. • More Sleep – A study in 2003 by Michaelson et. al. found that after 8 days of fasting those who fasted were much more likely to get better sleep than those who did not fast. Time and time again Islam proves itself as an enduring religion. Whether it is through salat or fasting, Islam continues to show us the many faceted benefits of our way of life. Sources: 1. "Fasting and Your Health." - Live Well. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2014. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Healthyramadan/Pages/fastingandhealth.aspx 2. "Fasting for Mental Health: Does It Work? - Mind the Science Gap." Mind the Science Gap RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2014. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting-brain-function/axzz37MsEbQbn 3. "Fasting for Mental Health: Does It Work? - Mind the Science Gap." Mind the Science Gap RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2014. http://www.mindthesciencegap.org/2013/04/10/fasting-for-mental-health-does-it-work/

Focus on our blessings

This is part of Mufti Menk’s powerful speech on the topic “Focus on What You Have”, an understanding of our achievements and thanking Allah almighty for that. Are you happy with the blessings you have today? Let’s give it a check. Most of us run behind the ones we desire to get but never remember to thank Allah (SAW) for what we have. Yes, that’s the fact. Comparing ourselves with others is the reason for our unhappiness. Just try to list out your blessings on a paper and you will find it as an endless one and you will have to keep adding things to it. Let’s compare us with the kings of the past to focus on our achievements we have today. They might have had a luxurious life and abundance in quantity but quality wise we live a better life. To mention a few we have lights, fans, air conditioners, fridge, cars etc all these are our luxury while the kings had all these done for them by their subordinates. Still we crave for more. So isn’t it the time for us to think on how we live today and how blessed we are. So why wait! just rush to thank Allah (SAW) for giving us such a happy and blessed life. Do listen to his words as he is giving us a golden opportunity to focus on our “LIFE “.

Fasting is a Means of Self-Purification

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent _O Believers! Fasting is decreed for you as it was decreed for those before you, so that you may remain God-fearing. Fast for a certain number of days. But whoever of you is ill, or on a journey, shall fast, instead of the same number of days later on. Those who find fasting a strain too hard to bear may compensate for it by the feeding of a needy person. He who does good of his own account does himself good thereby, for to fast is to do yourselves good, if you but knew it._ (The Cow, “Al-Baqarah” 2: 183-4) Fasting is a manifestation of man&8217;s determined will and his relationship with his Lord which is based on total submission to Him. It is also a demonstration of man&8217;s deliberate disregard of all his physical needs in order to win Allah&8217;s pleasure. These are necessary elements in the training of the believers so that they are able to bear the hardships of the way they have chosen. On both sides of it, there are all sorts of pleasures and temptations which beckon its travellers, trying to force them off their course. Fasting has numerous advantages for health which continue to be discovered as time passes. It goes without saying that Allah takes into consideration the physical constitution of man. Allah relalizes that man requires help and motivation in order to respond to duty and fulfill it regardless of its benefits. It takes time for man to get used to a certain duty and to be convinced of its wisdom. Hence, the decree of fasting starts with the address made to the believers which reminds them of their essential quality, that is, they believe in Allah. They are then told that fasting has always been a duty required of the believers. Its principal aim is their education and training so that their hearts acquire a high standard of sensitivity and purity and that the fear of Allah is well established in them: “Believers, fasting is decreed for you as it was decreed for those before you, so that you may remain God-fearing.” Fear of Allah To fear Allah, then, is the great aim of fasting which looms large before our eyes. As the believers fulfill this duty, in total obedience of Allah and in pursuit of His pleasure, they feel the quality of fearing Allah to be a life within them. This is indeed the quality which guards their hearts against spoiling their fasting by indulging in sin, even if it is of the type which only passes through the mind. Those who are addressed by the Quran are fully aware of the value Allah attaches to this quality of fearing Allah and being conscious of Him. Its acquirement is something for which they yearn. Fasting is a tool with which it is achieved. Hence, the Quran raises it before them as a noble objective. Allah Wishes to Make Things Easy They are then told that fasting is prescribed only for a certain number of days. Exempted from it, however, are the sick until they have recovered, and the travellers until they have settled: “Fast a certain number of days. But whoever of you is sick, or on journey, shall fast instead the same number of days later on.” Taken at its face value, the statement concerning the exemption of the sick and the travellers is general, unrestricted. Hence any illness or journey is a good reason for exemption from fasting, provided that compensatory fasts are held when those reasons no longer obtain. The purpose of the exemption is that it is Allah&8217;s wish to make things easy, not hard, for man. We cannot claim to have full knowledge of the divine wisdom behind relating this exemption to sickness and travelling generally. There may be some hardships which may not immediately appear to us or we may tend to overlook. Since Allah has not attached this exemption to any particular reason, we refrain from making any judgment concerning it. We obey any statement Allah has made, even if its wisdom does not appear immediately to us. What is certain is that there is a wisdom behind it, whether we recognize it or not. Using the Concessions Some people may fear that such an opinion may cause people to neglect their worship for any reason indeed, this is what has prompted Islamic scholars to adopt a more strict attitude and to lay down conditions. Islam does not compel people to be obedient. Its method is to implant in them the consciousness of Allah so that they obey Him. The acquisition of the quality of fearing Allah is the particular aim of this worship. He who tries to use a certain concession made by Allah in order to evade fulfilling a duty is, in the first place, devoid of goodness. With such an attitude, the aim behind the religious duty cannot be fulfilled. We must not forget that Islam is a religion laid down by Allah. Allah knows best that this religion achieves a perfect balance between the relaxation of certain duties and strict adherence to duty. A certain concession may serve a certain interest which cannot be served otherwise. Indeed, this must be the case. Hence, the Prophet has ordered Muslims to make use of the concession Allah has allowed them. As for the exemption from fasting in cases of illness, it appears that the exemption applies to every case which may be reasonably described as illness, regardless of its nature or intensity. It is compulsory for anyone who makes use of exemption to compensate for the days of Ramadan for which he missed the fasting due to illness or travelling. Each day is compensated for by fasting one day any time during the year.