Aug 8, 2012
Contrary to public opinion, most Muslims end up gaining weight during Ramadan. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food and water from sunrise to sunset. Although, this sounds like a good diet, seldom does it turn out to be.
Traditionally, Muslims are supposed to eat two meals; after sunset and prior to sunrise. While in most Muslim majority countries this works out well, in the US it doesn’t. In Muslim majority countries the entire country reverses their daily schedule. They don’t do much all day, and stay awake at night so they have time to eat a morning meal.
Here in the US, most Muslims indulge after sunset and don’t wake up to have an early meal. Busy work schedules and busy lifestyles promote this bad eating behavior. This is a major contributor to gaining weight.
The human body is very smart. The body figures out that it is only getting one meal a day and decides that it needs to store everything. So everything you eat gets stored as fat. The best practice would be to remember to wake up early and have a sensible meal, but that may not always work out.
You can easily use the occasion of Ramadan to lose some weight and shed some pounds. You don’t have to stop eating or avoid going to dinner break-fast parties (Iftars). You just have to follow a few guidelines.
First of all, avoid eating too many carbohydrates. Muslims love carbohydrates. Most Iftar dinners are composed of a ton of carbohydrates. Pasta, rice, bread, sweets and sugars are the most common culprits. Try to avoid these. No your host will not be offended. Instead of eating a ton of rice with the red sauce, try to cut the rice out totally and just have the sauce. Load up on salad and drink diet pop. Carbs are the worse thing person can eat if they are trying to lose weight.
Secondly, eat lots of protein. If you avoid carbohydrates and eat tons of protein, you will stop feeling hungry and end up eating less. And even if you eat tons of proteins, you will still lose weight. Eat chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, veal, eggs, and seafood. Contrary to popular belief an all meat diet will decrease your cholesterol and blood sugar. Recent studies in the New England Journal of Medicine and other reputable medical journals have proven this time and time again.
Thirdly, eat some fiber. Green, leafy vegetables are great for getting your system flowing. Have all the salad you want. Don’t use “fat free” dressing. Fat free usually means “tons of sugar”. It’s the sugar that is making us fatter. Also, avoid fruits, a piece or two a day is fine, but they usually contain a lot of sugar.
Avoid sugary drinks. Tea, coffee, pop, and juices all contain tons of sugar. Try to drink diet drinks and use Splenda as a sugar substitute. It is made of real sugar and tastes like real sugar, but does not make you gain weight nor does it have the side-effects of other sugar substitutes.
Following this high protein diet, your body will turn into a fat burning machine. Your body doesn’t get the sugar from the diet, so it has to burn fat to make fuel. Even while you sleep the fat will burn right off.
Along with extra prayers and spirituality, this is a quick easy way to get the most out of your Ramadan.
Note: Always check with your doctor before beginning any diet and exercise plan. This article does not constitute medical advice.
Aug 8, 2012
By: Br. Abu Dharr
Based on Ibn Rajab’s “Lata If Al-Maarif” and other sources © Islaam.com
The first part of this is based on an extract from Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali’s Lata’if al-Ma’arif (pp. 179-182), quoted by Fahd bin Sulaiman in Kayf Nastafeed min Ramadan (pp. 48-50). The advice given in this article is all the more important now that we are in the last ten nights of Ramadan. Imam Bukhari reports from ‘Aishah that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) would tighten his waist-cloth (i.e. detach himself from his wives), spend the night in worship and awake his family, during the last ten nights of Ramadan. Ramadan is nearly over, so make the most of this precious opportunity!
Ramadan has a special relationship with the Qur’an, of course:
“The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Quran was sent down, a guidance for mankind, clear proofs for the guidance, the Criterion; so whoever amongst you witnesses this month, let him fast it.” (cf. Surah al-Baqarah 2:185)
The word ‘so’ (fa) in this ayah leads to the following paraphrase of one aspect of its meaning: “Fast this month because it is the one in which the Qur’an was sent down” — see Fasting in Ramadaan by Ali al-Halabi & Saleem al-Hilali, Al-Hidaayah, 1414/1994, pp. 11-12.
Ibn ‘Abbas narrates “that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was the most generous person, and he would be at his most generous in Ramadan because Jibril would come to him every night and he would rehearse the Qur’an with him.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Eng. trans. 6/486)
This hadith contains recommendation of the following:
- Studying the Qur’an in Ramadan;
- Coming together for this purpose;
- Checking (one’s memory/knowledge of) the Qur’an with someone who has preserved it better;
- Increasing recitation of the Qur’an in Ramadan;
- That the night time is the best time to recite, when other preoccupations decrease and it is easier to concentrate, as in Surah al-Muzzammil 73:6.
Further, Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated from her father (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), who told her that Jibril would rehearse the Quran with him (in Ramadan) once every year, and he did so twice in the year of his death. (Bukhari 6/485)
After mentioning the above aspects of the Sunnah, Ibn Rajab talks about the situation of the Salaf (the early Muslims) during Ramadan:
“… Some of the Salaf would complete reciting the whole Quran during the night prayer of Ramadan every 3 days, others every 7 days e.g. Qataadah, others in 10 days e.g. Abu Rajaa’ al-Atardi. The Salaf would recite Quran in Ramadan in Prayer as well as outside it. Al-Aswad would finish the Quran every 2 nights in Ramadan; Ibrahim an-Nakh’I would do likewise in the last 10 nights specifically, & every 3 nights during the rest of the month. Qataadah would regularly finish the Quran in 7 days, but in 3 days during Ramadan, when he would study the Quran especially, and every night during its last 10 days. Al-Zuhri would say when Ramadan began, ‘It is recitation of the Quran and feeding of people.’ When Ramadan began, Imam Malik would cease narrating Hadith and sitting with the people of knowledge, and stick to reciting the Quran from its pages, while Sufyan al-Thawri would leave other acts of worship and stick to reciting the Quran. ‘Aishah would recite from the pages of the Quran at the beginning of the day in Ramadan (i.e. after Dawn), until when the sun had risen, she would sleep. Zayd al-Yaami would bring copies of the Quran when Ramadan began and gather his companions around him. …”
Ibn Rajab later continues, “The forbiddance of completing recitation of the Quran in less than 3 days applies to this being made a regular practice, but as for favoured times such as Ramadan, esp. the nights in which Laylat al-Qadr is sought, or favoured places such as Makkah for the visitor, it is recommended to increase reciting the Quran to avail the time and place. This is the view of Ahmad, Ishaq & other Imams, and the practice of others indicates this too.”
The purpose here is not to discuss whether or not the latter view is correct or not, since that is purely academic for most of us, as we do not get anywhere near reciting the whole Quran in three days! However, the practice of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), his Companions, and those who followed their path, should be clear enough. As a further example, Bukhari (3/79) quotes from the noble Companion Zaid bin Thabit who answered the question, “How much time was there between the pre-dawn meal and the Dawn Prayer?” by saying, “Enough time to recite fifty ayat”; since the practice of the Arabs was to measure time in terms of everyday actions, this shows that the Sahabah were pre-occupied with the Qur’an, especially in Ramadan.
Compare all this with our sad state, when we talk so much about establishing Islam, implementing the Quran, etc. and yet have such little contact with it, maybe not completing its recitation ever at all since childhood, or perhaps never! Hence we become imbalanced in our understanding of Islam, because there are ayat which we rarely or never hear or think about; we repeat only certain selected ayat over and over again; we lost the context of the verses, the overall flow, argument and balance of the Quran, all of which is beautiful & miraculous. Because of this ignorance we go astray from the Straight Path, split up into sects, lose the blessings of Allah …
“We took a covenant from those who said: we are Christians, but they forgot part of the message with which they had been reminded, so we ingrained amongst them enmity and hatred until the Day of Judgment…” (Surah al-Ma’idah 5:14)
In Sahih Bukhari (6/521), there is an amazing piece of advice from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): “Recite the Quran as long as your hearts agree on it; if you disagree about it, stop reciting it (for the time being)” — studying the Quran should bring people together!
In Surah al-Mu’minoon (23:53), there is mention of the people before us (in whose footsteps we would follow), who broke up their Deen into sects (zuburan), each party rejoicing in what it had. One understanding of this, from the word zuburan meaning literally ‘books’, is that each sect left the Book of Allah, & concentrated solely on the books of its own sect, so “they split their deen up into books”!
The most twisted, ridiculous, shallow ideas, innovations and superstitions are propagated amongst Muslims when they are away from the Quran, because any little knowledge of the Quran would be enough to dispel them.
Hence, O slave of Allah, leave aside secondary books and concentrate on studying the Blessed Book of Allah in this Blessed Month (use a good translation/commentary if needed), for it is the source of all Knowledge in other books, and keep away from wasting time, especially in futile discussions and arguments which lead nowhere, for that is a sure sign of being misguided, as the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Whenever a people went astray after they had been on guidance, they were given to argumentation (jadl).” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah – Sahih al-Jami’ al-Saghir, no. 5633)
Finally, remember that the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) will complain to Allah on the Day of Judgment that his people neglected the Qur’an (Surah al-Furqan 25:30). Neglect of the Qur’an is of different levels, as Ibn al-Qayyim writes:
- not reciting or listening to it;
- not studying and understanding it;
- not conveying its message;
- not judging by it in personal and communal matters, at all levels of society;
- not believing in it.
- All Praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.
Abu Dharr, Ramadan 1415.
Jun 26, 2012
le mois de ramadan arrive à grand pas! Prenez l’habitude de multiplier les bonnes actions et voici 10 idées qui vous serviront insha’Allah :
- Donne un Coran à quelqu’un et chaque fois qu’il lit dedans tu collectes des Hassanates. Masjid As-Salam peut vous aider a envoyer les Qurans.
- Apprends à quelqu’un une Dou’a ou un verset du Coran, à chaque fois qu’il le récite tu collectes des Hassanates.
- Donne un outil à un Hôpital ou une association (ex: chaise roulante) et chaque fois qu’un malade l’utilise tu collectes des Hassanates.
- Partage des Lectures constructives avec les autres.
- Aide un enfant dans ses études (cours particuliers ou financement des études).
- comme cadeau un CD de Coran, Hadith ou Dou’a.
- Participe à la construction d’une mosquée.
- Donne à manger aux démunis.
- Plante un Arbre. Chaque fois qu’une personne en mange les fruits, utilise son ombre, ou qu’un oiseau en bénéficie, tu es gagnant.
- Partage ce texte avec tes frères et soeurs filillah, si quelqu’un applique ce qu’il y a dedans tu récoltes des Hassanates innombrables jusqu’au jour de la résurrection insha Allah.
Feb 24, 2012
Allaah Almighty Says what means:“You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allaah. If only the People of the Scripture had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient.“ [Quran 3:110]
Islam is the best tool for relieving humankind of its ills. When we look at one another as individual beings with our diverse capacities and ideas we should be able to see the beauty of Allaah’s handiwork. But too often we fall into the trap laid by Iblees (Satan) when Allaah created Aadam. Iblees (Satan) became haughty and arrogant and felt that he was the best of creation. Allaah Almighty Says what means: “And [mention] when We said to the angels, “Prostrate before Aadam”; so they prostrated, except for Iblees. He refused and was arrogant and became of the disbelievers.“[Quran 2: 34] Here Allaah Almighty mentions that rejection of faith lies in refusal to obey Allaah’s command through haughtiness. Many of us are haughty due to having pride in our accomplishments, our acquisitions and our positions in comparison to our fellow human beings. But is this what Allaah placed us on earth to do?
He, Almighty, tells us in Quran (what means): “…Had Allaah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good. To Allaah is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.“ [Quran 5:48] Obviously, His plan was to make us different types of people so that we could realize our diversity and put forth every effort to lead one another to the Almighty. Being different only obliged us to work as one people to promote the good and forbid the wrong.
To work as one people striving to Allaah we must overcome our desire to use our ethnicity or race as a means to divide us. Every race struggles to hold on to, their inherited identity but in so doing, in the long run, we may encounter the risk of eliminating an aspect of our lives that will make us better people.
Poverty syndrome
Poverty separates people. At times we look to display our accomplishments in ways that glamorize and tickle the fancy of others. Everything looks well put together and organized, but when we take an in-depth look behind the scene, we may have overlooked some critical factors. Why aren’t there more people of color present at the event? Were they included in the planning stages? Was every effort made to get their input? As an observer of this phenomenon, all too often, I notice that more times than necessary, poverty is a factor. The fees to attend many programs are out off the scale for poor Muslims. Also, location plays a pivotal role in attendance. Every Muslim does not have a car and many rely on public transportation to get around. And, in a predominant white America, how does this apply to Muslims? The reality is that many Muslims of fair complexion are more comfortable being recognized as Caucasian rather than people of color.
Consciously, our brethren don’t use this as a factor but subconsciously it is used in the workplace, in the public sphere and in the most sacred place for the Muslim, the Mosque. If one grew up in America during the 50s, 60s and 70s, it was emphasized that the one with the lighter skin complexion would have a better chance of being mainstreamed in with their Caucasian counterpart and therefore apportioned some of the fruits of that community. The stigma that was placed on the darkness of ones’ skin became synonymous with failure. This was also taught to people of other countries before they came to America. The mantra was “stay away from the black Americans”.
Unfortunately, people of color tend to be among the poorest around the world. Their struggle has been documented throughout history. But, the one theme among this impoverished group has been to strive in the fact of adversity.
If you can read you can learn and if you can learn you can succeed. Yet the opportunities for success do not always be within the reach of all.
A community that is largely Caucasian has a greater chance of opening the door to advancement for its residents than a community wherein the population is primarily African-American. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. If the prosperous community took their ideas into a seemingly hopeless community as a means to inform them of the potential for success rather than deride them for their lack of motivation, working with them and pushing them to see that they too can thrive, a step toward equality can begin.
Now, let us substitute Muslim for prosperous and look at ourselves to see how some of us have neglected the less-fortunate in our midst and we will see where the genuine work of a believer belongs.
Knowledge
“What you don’t know can kill you” is a saying attributed to ignorance. Allaah, the Almighty, tells us in the Quran (what means): “And [mention O Mohammad] when your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority.” They said, “Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?” Allaah said, “Indeed, I know that which you do not know.” And He taught Aadam the names – all of them. Then He showed them to the angels and said, “Inform Me of the names of these, if you are truthful.” They said, “Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise.”“[Quran 2:30-32]
Clearly, without a true understanding of why we do something we will continue to have impoverished souls. The example of Aadam before the angels can be compared to the truly intelligent and the analytical among us. A scholar made the point that the intelligent one is aware of Allaah’s mercy to His creation, submits to it and obeys wherein the analytical one has not yet grasped the glory of Allaah and still questions His Omnipotence seemingly looking for a way out. Knowledge enlightens the soul and nurtures humility. Taking the position of slave/servant to Allaah broadens our perspective and invokes in us the will to submit willingly to His commands. Acknowledging our similarities and differences as assets rather than losses will bring us closer to Allaah and closer to one another.
In order to remove subtle racism there has to be an admission that it exists. Then steps must be made to heal and rekindle a relationship that predates modern man. Our community can regain its place as leaders of the world, but only if we accept our destiny as a unit of one Ummah in a race towards the everlasting bounties of Allaah.
Feb 21, 2012
Forgive?!?!
(But I can’t let go!)
Sometimes we get offended, and even though we have
the opportunity to forgive, our pride/honor gets in the way.
The Prophet (s.a.a.w) said:
وما زاد الله عبداً بعفو إلا عزاً
…Allah doesn’t increase a slave in anything when he pardons except honor / respect…
(Part of a larger hadeeth in Saheeh Muslim: Book #032, Hadith #6264)
So fear of a decrease in honor should never be an
obstacle because forgiveness does just the opposite!
Feb 2, 2012
When Allah makes something prohibited He does so with our well-being in mind and not because He wants to inflict on us undue hardship. Allah has neither permitted anything except what is pure nor has He prohibited anything except what is impure. That which Allah has prohibited is both unnecessary and dispensable. In addition, when something is prohibited Allah provides alternatives which are better and which give greater ease and comfort to human beings.
This point has been explained by the Islamic scholar Ibn al-Qayyim:
Allah has prohibited seeking omens by drawing lots but has provided the alternative of istikhara (Islam teaches that if the Muslim faces a problem he should consult with others and seek guidance fAllah. The meaning ofistikhara is to ask guidance from Allah in making a choice between two conflicting decisions. For this there is a salat and a du’a (supplication) which is a supplication for seeking Allah’s guidance.
He has prohibited usury but has encouraged profitable trade. He has prohibited gambling but has permitted betting on forms of competition which are useful for their (the Muslims) religious striving, such as horse or camel racing and competing in marksmanship.
He has prohibited (to men) the wearing of silk but has given them the choice of other materials such as wool, linen, and cotton.
He has prohibited adultery and fornication but has encouraged lawful marriage. He has prohibited intoxicating drinks in order that they may enjoy other delicious drinks which are wholesome for the body and mind. And He has prohibited unclean food but provides alternative wholesome food.
(Rawdah al-Muhibbeen, p. 10, and A’alam al-Muwaqq’in, vol. 2, p.111.)
Thus we can say with confidence that when Allah prohibits a few things, there is a much wider range of more wholesome alternatives which are good for us. With this in mind we should seek to avoid that which inflicts harm on us and be satisfied with what Allah has made permissible.
Which brings us to the topic of drugs. The Arabic word khamr signifies any alcoholic drink which causes intoxication. The prohbition of consuming any alcoholic drink is clearly stated in the Quran and there is no controversy regarding this opinion. The Quran clearly says, “O you who believe! Truly, intoxicants and gambling and divination by arrows are an abomination of Satan’s doing: avoid it in order that you may be successful. Assuredly Satan desires to sow enmity and hatred among you with intoxicants and gambling, and to hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from salat. Will you not then desist?” (5:93-94)
As you can see from the wording of these verses the reason for this prohbibtion is due to the destructive nature of alcoholic drink. But many people make the mistaken assumption that drugs are not specifically mentioned in the Quran and since Allah is silent on this issue therefore drugs are permissible.
But one may ask the question, why was alcoholic drink prohibited in the first place and what affect does it have on one’s mind?
The answer to this question is found in the above Quranic verses. Under the influence of alcoholic drink people lose the ability to think correctly and commit all kinds of actions for which they are later sorry.
In addition, the Prophet has stated that “Every intoxicant is khamr, and every khamr is haram.” (Reported by Muslim) Which means that anything which intoxicates the mind is forbidden and since drugs fall into that category they are also forbidden. Umar bin Khattab, the second Khalifah, declared from the pulpit of the Prophet, “Khamr is that which befogs the mind.” (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim) There should be no ambiguity or doubts regarding this question. Any substance which has the effect of befogging or clouding the mind, impairing its faculties of thought, perception, and discernment is prohibited in Islam.
But if we were to stop there it would be ending on a negative note. As stated at the beginning, when Allah prohibits something He does so for our own good and provides us something even better as a replacement. Allah says in the Quran, “And do not kill yourselves; indeed, Allah is ever Merciful to you” (4:29), and “And do not be cast into ruin by your own hands….” (2:195). Furthermore, the Prophet said, “Do not harm yourself or others” (Reported by Ahmad and Ibn Majah), which is what one does when they consume illicit drugs.
But can you see, dear Muslim, that in all of these statements of prohibition Allah only wants what us best for us and to protect us from harm? The Quran states that, “Allah wants ease for you and not hardship” (Al-Baqarah 2:185) so it is an act of mercy when He warns us to stay away from that which will do us harm.
May Allah help us to be satisfied with what He has made permissible and avoid that which He has forbidden.
Part 2 of this article will discuss “Temptation and Drugs.”
By: Yahya Abdul Rahman
