Purification of Mind and Soul in Islam

As it’s a known fact that heart is the most important part of a person as it depicts the “inner self” of the person. In the language of Quran, the inner self is better termed as “Qalb” or the “Heart”. What is more important to any Muslim is the sight of Allah in the state of our heart. What will finally save us on the Day of Judgement is our pure heart. Therefore, it is said that heart is playing an important role in any one’s life and it has an amazing position in Islam.

In the Islam religion, improving on one’s character has always been kept on priority. According to the words of Prophet, “Nothing is heavier on the believer’s scale on the Day of Judgement than good character” (Tirmidhi). As per the above saying, we can conclude that on the judgment day a person’s good character and divine heart will matter the most. In another Hadith ‘Abu Huraira’ the messenger of God said: “Allah does not look at your figures or your attire but he looks at your hearts and accomplishments.”

Therefore, it’s always suggested to focus deliberately every day on improving the state of heart helps in gaining the good character which helps in increasing the overall productiveness. Below mentioned are some tips from holy Quran and Sunnah which helps in making your heart purer and soul more divine.

• Concentrate on your Inner thoughts: In your inner thoughts keep Allah Almighty so close to your mind is known to Allah (SWT).May it be good or bad though, it’s well known to Allah Almighty. In the holy Quran, it is said: “And we have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him and we are closer to him than (his) jugular vein” (Quran 50:16). Whenever you are feeling accountable to Allah for our inner thoughts, we desperately judge the matter with our understanding. We should always pay attention to our inner thoughts which helps in inspecting different aspects of life and things about which we are focussing. As we do this, we are surely working towards increasing our productivity, happiness and mentality comfort.
• Start with Repentance: Sins and restrictions that restrain the chances to do the good work begin with the journey of purifying heart and soul with our genuine repentance. In Holy Quran, Allah Almighty says “Allah loves those who constantly repent” (Quran, 2:222). We can attain Allah’s blessings and love while you are repenting. Our dear Prophet (SAW) said that: “The best of creation, would seek repentance over 70 times a day; repentance from a sin reduces its sweetness – it discourages you from doing it again.”
• Increase the acts of Kindness: When are trying to focus on our own mistakes rather than other tasks, then we are becoming more aware towards our deeds. Once we are purifying our heart we are adding much good and beautiful things to our heart. Allah Almighty states in holy Quran, “Take from their wealth a charity by charity by which you cleanse them and purifying them, and invoke blessings upon them.” (Quran 92:103). When we are discussing on Charity that does not only means giving wealth but it also includes how much time you are giving to people, your effort and even a smile or a kind word.
• Always Offer Obligatory Prayers: Performing obligatory prayers is the most obvious act that should be done on an everyday basis. Better actions are originated from better states. If you are striving to keep up your prayers, just take a look at spiritual causes and that may be hindering your access in gaining the blessing from Allah. Actions are always based on the personal intentions. Allah says in Quran, “He has succeeded who purifies himself, who remembers the name of his Lord and prays.” (Quran 87:14-15)
• Always Read Quran Daily: Make a routine to read the Quran daily, no matter its one page or few pages or even if you read easily the one after other the obligatory prayers daily. Allah Almighty said in Quran, “Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.” (Quran 13:28). Reading Quran daily is the highest form of Dhikr (Remembrance of Allah).

In a nutshell, we can say that to attain the high level of productivity, our heart should be light and beautiful. For purifying the soul and heart the above-mentioned points should be followed. Ameen!!

Healthy Habits to start on this Ramadan

The holy month of Ramadan is celebrated to increase your ibadah and another act of worship is performed in this holy month in the hope to continue the good habits all the year round. As other people make a resolution when New Year comes, Muslims use this Ramadan month to take up the resolutions. This is considered the perfect time to build and create healthy habits which will last all throughout the year. As people are having limited time to eat and make healthier food choices which will render them more energy and nourishment throughout the day. Some of the below mentioned healthy habits are recommended to follow from this coming Ramadan month:

Drink Plenty Water: As much as your body requires food for nourishment, it also needs water to keep it hydrated. It has been suggested in a study that one must drink approx 8-12 glasses of water in a day. But during this Ramadan month, you can face challenges in to drink enough water during the non- fasting hours but it is doable. Start to replace all the sweet and sugary beverages with water. Intake of beverage such as juice can add up the calories and sugar.

Eat Mindfully: As you have not eaten anything in the whole day so it may be possible that you may get tempted to eat as much as you can. Before doing so, slow down and you should keep in mind that overeating can leave you unpleasant after having your meal. Always try to have your meal mindfully and you can only do this by focussing on enjoying every bite you take in rather than eating quickly and without chewing properly.

Limited Fried Food: Fried food items as samosas, pakoras, and spring rolls are always kept on the iftar table, yet this is not the healthiest option that you can opt for. If your iftar plate primarily consists of fried options than you may find yourself eating the whole plate. But having it on regular basis for a month can add the extra fat and calories. This is the major reason of gaining fat as well as weight during the month of fasting.

Eat More Vegetable: As you fill almost half of your plate with vegetables, you will be more likely to take a smaller quantity of other eatables such as fried items. Selection of varied food items can help in getting varied nutrients in your diet. Vegetables are rich in fiber and help in feeling your tummy full, it helps in managing your blood sugar levels and also helps in managing your weight. Try cooking your vegetables in different ways like baking, steaming or eating it raw.

Replace Your Dessert with Fresh Fruits: If you crave for eating sweet, then here’s a tip for you. The next time when you want to have something sweet then you can have some fresh fruits as berries or mangoes. Just like vegetables, the fruits are also filled up with the fiber and it has numerous nutrients. Cutting the fruits on your dinner table can allure your whole family.

These healthy eating habits are great to start within this Ramadan and always try and follow these habits throughout the year. Start by selecting one of the healthy tips which you can implement in your routine life. Once one of these above-mentioned points becomes your habit then incorporates another one in your daily life to make it a healthy habit.  

The Power of My Dua.

The question that comes to our mind always is that “What’s happening to my Dua?” But have we ever realized where the fault lies? Allah the Almighty is always there for us. He is always waiting to ask our concerns to fulfill it. But are we worthy of it? The answer for all these points is yes, for maximum people. It’s a great feeling when we see how great Dua is. In one of the Hadith which is recited by Abu Hurayrah, the prophet stated, “In the court of Allah, there is nothing greater than Dua”.

There are certain benefits of making Dua, and they are as under:

• The Loss of Arrogance: Someone who is frequently making Dua, arrogance is something which will just vanish from their characteristics because when one preaches Allah, he is assuring his powerlessness.

• The fulfillment of Dua: As your Dua gets fulfilled your faith becomes deeper. For the people who sometimes see that their Duas are not being answered, then either they have a option that their Dua will be accepted in the later part of their life or the option that the Dua will be accepted by another medium as one of the Hadith stated, Jabir narrates from the Prophet, “Whoever does duaa to Allah, Allah fulfils his seeking or in exchange averts misfortune until the dua is not related to sin or breaking some relation.”

• Dua has the power to change the destiny (only the minor Qadr- not major ones such as the signs of the Day of Judgement) – Salman Farsi recited what Prophet has said, “Dua turns away destiny and good deeds lengthen age.”

• The doors of mercy are opened: The divine words of Prophet are narrated by Abdullah bin Umar, “For whomever, the door of Dua opened, for him the door of mercy is also opened.”

There are some things that should be kept in mind before making the Dua:

• Prophet once said, “Dua is Ibadah.” Since the type of worship is performed by almost everyone. This is even to the extent that the Prophet said, “Allah is extremely displeased with the person who does not do duaa to Allah.”

• As mentioned before, Dua is mandatory. But, nowadays we only perform Duas when we have a need and considers it as the last resort if everything else gets failed. Prophet said, “Whosoever desires that Allah answers his Duas in unfavorable and difficult conditions, he should make plentiful Duain days of ease and comfort.”

• Try and make Dua for others as if you do so, the same thing may happen to you also.

• After completing the conviction with Allah will accept the Dua as if you don’t do it there is a high chance of not getting accepted. Prophet said, “Oh Allah! Forgive me if you want”, Have mercy on me if you want”, “Give me subsistence if you wish”.

• The best times to offer Dua is when you are observing Sujood, which refers to the time between Adhan and Iqamah as indicated in the Hadith.

May the points mentioned above strengthen your Dua and may it benefit you in several ways. 

Basic Rights of Wives in Islam According to Quran and Hadith

Once Prophet Muhammad said, “Such a woman when her husband sees her; she should please him and when her husband orders her, she should obey him and she should not adopt a manner of chastity and property which should displace her husband”. According to Hadith, there is an importance of husband in wives’ world but as per the Islamic laws, there are certain rights of wives’ in the husband’s life. Below, some of them are mentioned:

• As per the command of Allah Almighty in holy Quran, the basics are to feed her and to spend on her. In one of the hadith by Prophet Muhammad (SAW); “Give charity.’ A man said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I have a Dinar.’ He said: ‘Spend it on you.’ He said: ‘I have another.’ He said: ‘Spend it on your wife.’ He said: ‘I have another.’ He said: ‘Spend it on your son.’ He said: ‘I have another.’ He said: ‘Spend it on your servant.’ He said: ‘I have another.’ He said: ‘You know best (what to do with it).”
• In the holy Quran (SWT) Allah has stated about the rights of dowry to the wife. “And give women their dowries as a gift. Then, if they are pleased to give some of it to you, consume it with good health and enjoyment.”(Quran, 4:4)
• One of the most important rights of the wife over her husband is the support. As per the statement of Allah Almighty in holy Quran, “And upon the father is the mother’s sustenance and her clothing according to what is reasonable. No person shall have a burden on him greater than he can bear” (Quran, 2:233)
• To save her and to be kind to her is also counted as the vital duty of her husband. As per the statement of Prophet (PBUH) in one of the Hadith, “The perfect man in his faith among the believers is the one whose behavior is most excellent, and the best of you are those who are the best to their wives.”
• The husband should never disclose any secret of his wife to anyone. The Messenger of Allah stated, “The wicked among the people in the eye of Allah on the Day of Judgment is the man who goes to his wife and she comes to him, and then he divulges her secret.” (Sahih Muslim)
• Any Muslim must never curse or swear on his wife or insult on her looks.
• Any Muslim man should never hate his wife. As per Allah’s messenger, “A believer must not hate (his wife) believing woman; if he dislikes one of her characteristics he will be pleased with another”.

In a nutshell, it has been proven that the Islam religion renders enough rights to the women as the religion, but it depends on the men to further to attain their law f equality which women deserve. May Allah Almighty bless us with the life that all the women around the world deserve according to the Islamic teachings? Ameen!!