Discover the Many Beauties of Islam

 

What do you consider to be a beauty of Islam?

I asked this question to dozens of my revert friends, and everyone had various things they found beautiful about Islam.

I got numerous replies to my question, and I would like to share the most common answers.

So, what do people find beautiful about Islam?

Let’s find out!

Simplicity of the Concept of God

Tawheed in Islam focuses on the oneness of Allah, with no intermediaries to repent to unlike in Catholicism where you confess your sins to a priest, or ask Jesus to forgive you for your sins.

Say, “Who is Lord of the heavens and earth?” Say, “Allah.” Say, “Have you then taken besides Him allies not possessing [even] for themselves any benefit or any harm? (13:16)

Allah is not born, nor does He have offspring, nor needs to fulfill any human desires such as eating, drinking … etc. Allah is the personal name of the One True God. Nothing else can be called Allah. “Allah” cannot be made plural. He is ONE, and is All Hearing, and All Knowing of all things.

Allah tells us about Himself, so that we are not left to question Him:

Say, “He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent. (112)

Clear Concept of Worship

Islam is a complete way of life, and thus requires believers to follow the Quranic and Sunnah teachings in all matters, including how to worship. Islam regulates human life on all levels including but not limited to: the individual, social, political, economical, and the spiritual aspects of life. All activities are forms of worship, as long as they are done according to his guidance and instruction.

Allah has told us how to worship Him, and gave Prophet Muhammad the revelation, and made him the perfect teacher for us. Our ways of worship are clearly defined in the Quran and Sunnah.

We are not left wondering which way we should worship, because anything that is added to the religion in matters of worship is rejected as an innovation. If we worshiped however we please, we would find people making statues, and believing that only imams are qualified to “talk to Allah”.

Worship is an all encompassing term for everything that Allah loves of our sayings and actions that are following His guidance.

Personal Relationship with Allah

Each and every individual has a personal relationship with Allah. No mediators to speak on our behalf, and if we are in need of something, we ask Allah directly. It is a personal matter, and no one else has the ability to interfere with your life, and your relationship with your Creator. Allah is most merciful and is more loving and kind than a mother to her child. His love cannot be compared to another for His creation.

Muslims do not require a hierarchy of priests, bishops, cardinals, and popes to converse with Allah. We speak as individuals, directly to Him!

Allah is so close with each of us, that He knows what we are thinking. This means He knows when we are thinking of Him, and He responds to us directly, although we may not recognize His response to us. He tells us:

And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein. (50:16)

The Quran – A Guide for Mankind to Live by

The Quran is divine revelation given to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as an instruction manual for us that tells us how to live our lives. Islam is a way of life, and none is worthy to tell us what is good or harmful to us other than Allah, after all He did create us, and He knows best, and even tell us so:

…And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings. (16:89)

Agreement with Human Logic

…I have created My servants as one having a natural inclination to the worship of Allah but it is Satan who turns them away from the right religion… (Muslim, 2865)

Islam is often referred to as the deen al-fitrah, the religion of human nature, because its laws and teachings are in complete harmony with the natural inclination of humans to believe in and submit to the Creator.

All humans are born in a natural state of submission to Allah, but become misguided to believe and worship as believers of another religion. If we resort back to that natural state, then we are in a state of Islam.

Purification of the Heart and Soul (Tazkiyah)

Islam nourishes the heart and the soul. Purifying ourselves is easily accomplished by reading and contemplating the meanings found in the Quran and Sunnah, and holding to the five pillars.  Prayers wash away our sins.

Equality and Respect

Islam teaches mankind to be respectful of all people on Earth, regardless of their skin color, social status, etc. Allah tells us that no one is greater than the other except in piety.

Balance

Allah makes it clear in the Quran when He told past nations to avoid extremes, because it results in changing the religion from what He gave us.

Say, “O People of the Scripture, do not exceed limits in your religion beyond the truth and do not follow the inclinations of a people who had gone astray before and misled many and have strayed from the soundness of the way. (5:77)

Islam is balanced in all things: belief, worship, conduct, and legislation. This is the straight path which is distinct from all the others. Balance is not only a general characteristic of Islam, it is a fundamental landmark.

The Prophet Muhammad teaches us that Islam is a middle path, which we are supposed to remain upon instead of leaning towards one extreme or the other.

Ruined, were those who indulged in hair-splitting. He (the Holy Prophet) repeated this thrice. (Muslim, 2670)

Imam An-Nawawi commented that this referred to those who were excessive in utterance and action, resulting in loss of this life and the Hereafter.

Brotherhood & Sisterhood

The connection between the believers is a strong bond that should never be broken. We must respect and honor our brothers and sisters in Islam, and when they face hardships, we are all responsible to relieve them. Muslims should consider each other as a single unit as the Prophet explained:

A believer to another believer is like a building whose different parts enforce each other.” The Prophet then clasped his hands with the fingers interlaced (while saying that). (Bukhari, 2446)

Elevated Status of Women

Before the revelation of the Quran, women were subjected to unfair treatment by man, and Islam raised the status of women, giving them roles and rights that were previously unheard of.

Before Islam, women were transferred like property, taking the names of their husbands as a sign of “ownership”. Women were not allowed to hold positions of authority, to own property, to vote, and many other things. It wasn’t until after Islam that women were lifted to have a status in society.

Equality

Islam grants equality to mankind in more than one form. Islam declares that all people are equal, regardless of their skin color, nationality, ancestry, rich or poor, or even male or female. They can only be viewed differently based on their piety.

If any do deeds of righteousness,- be they male or female – and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them. (4:124)

Prophet Muhammad stated in his last sermon:

All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action.

Charity for the Poor

Islam implements a poor tax (zakah) that is due from every Muslim that has the means to pay it.  Islam is a mercy on the poor by not requiring them to give a prescribed amount, if they are unable to provide for themselves, and make them qualified to be the receivers of the poor due.

Muslims also have an optional charity (sadaqah) that is not obligatory, that is given to the poor, and can be given to any cause worthy of assistance. All forms of charity bless the giver with rewards from Allah in this life as well as the hereafter.

Blessings of Fasting

Fasting is a deep act of personal worship to God in which Muslims seek to raise their level of God-consciousness. It is a special act of worship because it is a purely secret sacrifice of an individual, that only that person and Allah knows is done, and can’t be done to show off, because only they know if it is upheld or not.

The act itself redirects the heart away from worldly things and activities and towards the remembrance of God. It is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer and doing of good deeds.

Fasting improves one’s self-discipline, self restraint and generosity. It reminds the believer of those who are less fortunate and instills mercy and empathy into their hearts for others.

Indeed, anyone who fasts for one day for Allah’s Pleasure, Allah will keep his face away from the (Hell) fire for (a distance covered by a journey of) seventy years. (Al-Bukhari 2840)

Islam Has a Solution to Every Problem

In Islam, there is a solution to all problems we might encounter in either the Quran or the Sunnah, but it is up to us to seek those solutions out. Allah promises us in the Quran:

…Whoever fears Allah – He will make for him a way out.  And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah – then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a [decreed] extent. (65:2–3)

May we all find the inner beauties of Islam, and implement them in our lives, and open the minds and hearts of all non-Muslims to the glory of Islam.

Ameen.

-aboutislam.net

Beyond Hope and Fear: Learning to Love Prayers

 

Placing Fear in Context

Skipping Prayers is, alas, something common among many Muslims. As you mentioned, the reason why many, many Muslims keep going back to prayers, nonetheless, is their fear of Allah, Majestic in His praise.

In its endless stations, faith is, at the outset, connected to fear; and this applies and is beneficial for someone without a firm ground in religion.

Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali (may Allah be pleased with him) elucidates this matter by making a parallel between such a state and that of a child. This is how a child is taught not to touch fire. Or, one makes it clear that if the child does such-and-such, he or she will be punished, to properly learn the lesson.

I will leave it to the wisdom of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to answer your question on what happens to one who skips prayers.

Get the book Riyad As-Salihin (The Meadows of the Righteous), by Imam An-Nawawi, and read the section “On the Command to Persevere in the Prescribed Prayers and the Strongest Prohibition Against Abandoning Them.”

With regards to fear, our master and Prophet, based on his incomparable knowledge of Allah and spiritual reality, said, “Truly, I am the most God-fearing among you,” despite his unparalleled scrupulousness and him being granted Allah’s utmost love and satisfaction.

That is not all of it. In fact, as believers, the essence of faith should not be based solely on fear.

It is a stage, an element, a function maybe central for many, including myself, in our path to Allah; seeing the nature of our egos, psyches, and worldliness. The human soul is created with basic fear and it should be dealt with and used to straighten it in order for one to traverse to Allah.

Hope Should Outweigh Fear

Having said that, still, hope should always outweigh fear.

First, as Imam Al-Ghazali mentions, continuous dependence on fear undoubtedly leads to despair. At any stage, one should have a little more hope than fear.

Works based on hope are so much better than ones based on fear. This is why traditional scholars of Islam say that throughout life, Muslims should not think that they are destined for salvation and Paradise; but when on the deathbed, Muslims should believe otherwise — Allah will be pleased and will accept them into Paradise.

Still, neither fear nor hope is the highest rank that believers should aim for. Ihsan (excellence), as explained by our most beloved Prophet, is:

…worshiping Allah as if you see Him. (Muslim)

This is the highest form of worship. It consists of many more aspects than mere fear or hope: love, satisfaction, absolute submission to Allah, infinite certitude, and intent for closeness.

Practical Solutions for a Real Problem

Now that fear in relation to skipping Prayers is contextualized, what are the most practical and functional ways to deal with this problem?

First, repent.

There is no solution without repenting immediately without a second of delay.

Despite all the tricks that our egos and Satan play on us, there is no difference to delay repentance between this very second and any other to come.

The spiritual reality we live is the same; Allah is Allah, worthy of absolute worship eternally. It is just demonic tricks to further exhaust, distract, and hinder us from ultimately being a loving obedient servant of Allah, Most Sublime.

Second, see the incentive.

No one can be convinced and firm in carrying out such a great task (attending to the subscribed Prayers) that easily, unless there is an incentive for doing it.

Prayers are a matter that involve committing to doing something five times a day, waking up at dawn, washing, clarity of mind, etc.

That also is a better solution to answering your question on wanting to know what happens to those who do not pray, along with the ranks and reward for those who do.

Here is something practical that should make things easier. No one can do such a great task without knowing its worth.

Read the chapter on Prayers from the book Ihya’ `Ulum Ad-Din (The Revival of Islamic Sciences) by Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali, a book of tremendous benefit.

If you do not have it, then buy it. It is better if you read it in Arabic; if that is not possible, there is an online translation that will do the job.

Through reading the chapter, based on an insightful understanding of many scholars, which is derived from the verse that reads what means:

 And Allah has created you and what you make (Quran 37:96)

And the hadith of the Prophet:

“The heart of a believer lies between two fingers of the Merciful” (Muslim)

Among many other proofs, you will be able to repent and internalize the significance of praying.

Third, make dua.

You should make lots of continuous heartfelt and genuine supplications to Allah to help you, expressing your neediness to Allah’s guidance.

Fourth, be grateful.

Many scholars, whom I have the honor to study with, give the following words of advice based on the verse:

And when your Lord proclaimed, “If you are grateful, I will give you more.” (Quran 14:7)

Whenever Allah allows for believers an act of worship, they should be grateful to Allah for it. I would advise that, at least in the beginning, you invoke “al-hamdulillah” (all praise be to Allah) a hundred times a day until Allah grants you success in being consistent with keeping Prayers on time.

Fifth, try to build the habit of prayer in 40 days.

One of the methods that Sheikh Nuh Keller prescribes as a cure for this problem — a solution that has also been traditionally followed — is based on the genius of the divinely inspired Prophetic wisdom in the tradition:

Whoever prays to Allah 40 days catching the first Takbir [the opening invocation] in a group would have two clearances; a clearance from Hell and a clearance from hypocrisy. (At-Tirmidhi)

This solution is also inspired by the numerous hadiths related to continuing an act of worship for that period and also the period of the spiritual retreat of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) that is mentioned in the Quran. Human nature can break a habit and start one anew if practiced for 40 continuous days.

Try to promise yourself to perform Prayers without missing any for 40 days. Every time you break the sequence, start from the beginning.

Also for men, praying in congregation (jama`ah) — with all its rewards and spiritual and psychological benefits — is a great method to overcome this problem.

Another idea is to punish your ego with ascending measures.

For example, every time you miss a prayer, pray it immediately and then pray two extra rak`ahs. If it happens again, pray four, then, eight, then sixteen, etc. (All of which will be in the form of two rak`ahs) This way our ego will be tamed, depending on the seriousness and sincerity we put into doing so.

Finally, to love prayers look beyond the ritual

Whether in the prescribed Prayers or other ones, deal with them as something you do with love. Deal with prayers not out of fear, nor just as a fulfillment of a compulsion but love.

Wear your best clothes, use incense in the room, perfect your ablution (wudu’), memorize all Prophetic invocations in the different parts of Prayers, pray in your favorite spot, take your time, do your post-Prayers invocations and supplications, and fully annihilate all worldly concerns in your presence before Allah Almighty; pray with all your heart.

The essence of our religion that is rightfully veiled from many is love; have not we listened to the hadith qudsi that says,

There is nothing that My servant approaches Me with that is more loved by Me than what I made obligatory on him. (Al-Bukhari)

And nothing is more important in this religion than Prayer, especially when performed on time.

May Allah help us and all Muslims perfect our Prayers.

-aboutislam.net

The Importance of Jumuah (Friday Prayers)

 

Jumuah or Friday prayers are a congregational prayer that a Muslim has to observe. On this day the mosques are occupied and the Imam of the community gathers the people for the Salah. In the Holy Quran and the Hadiths it is mentioned that Friday is one of the important days of the week. The one who offers Salah and performs good deeds is indeed rewarded by the Almighty and all the sins are forgiven.

It is a true saying that Allah the Almighty does not like any other act better than Salah (Prayers). The Jumuah Prayers is a congregational prayer offered by the Muslim men and women. On this day the people have to go to the mosque and pray with the Imam (the leader of the community). These prayers include the Khutba that is specially prayed on this day as a preaching in the Islamic tradition. All the localities of the city have to gather in a mosque with true respect and attend the prayers. Women are also allowed to come to the mosque as a special place is provided for them in the mosque where they can offer the Salah with other ladies as well.

The Prophet has also mentioned in his Hadiths that offering five times prayer a day and also Friday Prayer results in the expedition of sins. But only to offer the prayers on Friday and leave the rest does not mean that the Muslim should indulge in sins and think that it would be cleared any how by praying the Friday Salah. It has been mentioned by the Prophet that the best day when the sun has risen is Friday and also on that day Adam had been created by the Almighty. It is so believed that the Day of Judgment would be Friday and so people should be aware and should regret of their sins and turn towards the Almighty with due respect and obliquity.

There are many prayers suggested on this day from the Holy Quran. Some of them are as follows.

1. Surah Zilzaal - According to the Prophet it is said that praying this Surah on Thursday night would 15 times will protect him from the pangs of death and Allah will ease his punishments on the day off Judgement. Also if you pray this 4 times the reward given by the Almighty is equal to that of praying one whole Quran.
2. Surah Aalah - It was the habit of the Prophet to pray this Surah in his Salah and also on the eve of Jumuah. The Prophet always used to pray this Surah before going to sleep.
3. Surah Dukhaan - Praying this Surah on Thursday night or on the day of Jumuah, the person will be blessed and 70 thousand angels will pray for him and ask forgiveness for him until morning. All his sins and bad deeds would be pardoned by the Almighty if a person prays this Surah.
4. Surah Kahf - this is to be prayed on the day of Jumuah, it is said that a person who prays this Surah a shining light is created for him between his place and Makkah. All the minor sins committed by him from last Friday till today would be forgiven.
5. Surah Jumuah - This Surah is recited especially on this day as many times you can, as it increases your rewards and forgive sins.

How to Prepare Yourself for Jumuah Prayers

It is very essential and a vital aspect for a person who wishes to go for a Salah, to prepare himself and purify himself before going to the mosque.

1. The first act to start with is to get purified by having a shower and also ablution should be performed that is called as Wuzu in simple Arabic terms.
2. Dress yourself with clean clothes. It is very important that you should change your clothes if you have been to the office or anywhere wearing the same clothes.
3. The application of Itr (Perfume) is also one of the main things or you can apply Kajal or Surma in your eyes as well.
4. Leaving early from the house towards the mosque and waiting in the mosque for the prayers to begin is one of the good deeds that Allah likes and so he rewards accordingly.
5. Give away alms to the poor and give charity in the name of Allah is considered to be a noble act.
6. Greet your parents and take their blessings on this day.
7. If you can visit the mosque during the day after the prayers, do not stay behind because each of your step taken towards the mosque is rewarded and your sins are forgiven.
8. Maintaining decorum and not talking between the prayers is a kind of etiquette one should follow.
9. If there is a place in the front rows of the Imam you should sit there close to him whenever possible.
10. A person should avoid stepping over people to get a particular spot in the mosque.

Follow the above mentioned steps to prepare yourself for Jumuah prayers so that Allah showers lot of blessings on you. Be consistent in offering Salah on Jumuah, perform good deeds and follow holy Islamic path in right manner. - indiaparenting.com

What is the Qadr of Allah?

What is the qadr of Allah? The qadr of Allah is what Allah wills for us. When we fully understand this concept it is very beautiful.

We have to truly understand this concept to know that the qadr of Allah is so merciful for us. It may be that it is a bad thing that is happening to us but it is still a mercy for us.

One of the biggest tests we face is when we pray so hard for something we want and we don’t get it. To accept that this is what Allah wants for us and knows what is best for us shows great faith.

When we accept the qadr of Allah without any resentment or anger shows how much we believe that Allah knows what is best for us. Even if the outcome is not what we wanted it is what we needed.

So how does qadr and freewill go together? Qadr is what Allah wants to happen to us. Freewill is Allah putting us in the time and place for us to be able to receive that.

- aboutislam.net

Reflect on the Mercy of the Most Merciful

Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatu Allah wa Barakatuh.

This is your sister Danielle LoDuca. We’ve been discussing the beautiful Names of Allah Almighty and in this short talk we’ll be taking about the name Ar-Rahman, The Most Merciful.

In Sahih Muslim, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) explained that Allah Almighty created mercy in 100 parts and He gave the earth one part (1%) and He kept the remaining 99% with Himself, and it is because of that 1% of that mercy that He created that even an animal avoids trampling its yank.

You know that feeling when you scroll around in front of your car when you’re driving on the road and you step in your breaks and swerve and do anything you can to avoid killing it? That’s one mercy you have on an animal is from that 1% of the mercy that Allah Almighty has given the creation on earth.

Now think about every act of mercy that has occurred since there has been a life on earth until the end of the earth. We’re taking about millions of years, we’re talking about billions and billions of people and animals… It’s unfathomable.

And that’s 1% of the mercy that Allah Almighty created and the rest of it is with Him. So that leads us to His beautiful name Ar-Rahman (the Most Merciful).

The type of mercy that are embodied in this name Ar-Rahman is the mercy that Allah Almighty gives freely to all of His creation, not limited only to the believers for example.

This mercy covers so many things that we can never enumerate them all.

Whether we’re rich or poor, whether we’re sick or disabled or healthy, whether we live peace or we live in conflict… Allah’s extensive mercy reaches each and everyone of us.

Think about the universe, think about the stars and the way that they decorate the skies, think about gravity, the fact that we’re not crushed by the atmosphere…

What about the food that we eat, the fact that it tastes good? Can you imagine a food had no taste? Or the taste is terrible that we still need it for survival? What about the sensation of the relief that we feel having been thirsty drink of water Allah’s mercy…?

Our sight, our arms our legs, our hearing… the fact that our bodies care themselves when you get a cut, it heals.

When our bodies infected with bacteria or viruses, our commune systems spring into action and fight them off.

We haven’t asked for any of these things, we haven’t done anything to deserve any of these things yet Allah Almighty has given them to us.

How about the time we didn’t even know what’s going on.. I found out that I was wearing my contact lenses too much and because of our corneas in our eyes need oxygen and it get it from the air, mine were not receiving enough oxygen from the air… my body produced capillaries to deliver oxygen to the eyes and I had absolutely no idea what’s going on but Allah Almighty is providing a solution to the problem I didn’t even know existed. Alhamdulillah.

So Allah talks about a lot of these kinds of mercies and the chapter that is entitled Ar-Rahman after His beautiful name. But He also talks about Jannah.

So while in chapter Ar-Rahman where He’s talking about His mercy on Humanity, why would He talk about Paradise when not everyone is going to Paradise? That’s because out of His mercy, He has actually created a place for each and everyone for us in Paradise, and He’s given everyone the opportunity to achieve Paradise.

He’s provided us with fitrah (intrinsic human feature) signals to us that we have a purpose headed by a sovereign power, greater than anyone can observe.

So He’s saying: “Look around, there so much mercy that Allah Almighty has given you, so which of these favors would you deny?”

And He said “I even created a place for you in Paradise where there is no cold, where there is no hunger, where there is no fear, no grief, there is happiness for eternity.”

But when you look at the chapter Ar-Rahman, you notice something: Before He mentions all the mercy that He gives us on earth, before He mentions this eternal gold and mind-blowing opportunity to live in Paradise, He mentions something else. He says:

{Ar-Rahman. He has Made known the Quran.} (55:1)

Perhaps this is one of the Allah’s greatest mercies on mankind.

Just imagine you need to get somewhere you’ve never been but you want to go there, can you imagine how difficult it would be to find your way? Now think about the same scenario but this time you have GPS; step by step directions to reach your destination.

Well, not only does the Quran provide the information on where we need to go, where we’re supposed to be going, it tells us why we need to go there and how to get there as well.

In spite of the fact that so of human beings will deny Him despite the fact that so many people continue to associate partners with Allah Almighty and attribute to Him children and deficiencies and qualities that are beneath His majesty and perfection, He continues to provide from His mercy for all of them.

So if we are to truly understand this name Ar-Rahman, it necessitates love. When someone shows us so much mercy, how can we do anything beside love that being?

Knowing about Allah’s unfathomable mercy for us, as believers, don’t we feel a sense of shyness when we disobey Him, when we do what He dislikes?

He showered on us so many blessings that we can’t even count them, so many blessings that we don’t even know about, or be aware of them… doesn’t that make it more difficult to disregard His guidance?

When we think about how merciful Allah is to us, even though we don’t deserve it, even we’ve done nothing… this should lead us to be more merciful to others as Allah Almighty tells us: {Pardon people and overlook their faults. Do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.} (24:22)

How can we judge and say that others are not deserving of our mercy when we ourselves don’t deserve the mercy that we receive on a daily basis from Allah.

Thinking about Ar-Rahman does make you feel that you can never repay Him? Like you can never fulfill His rights? Like you can never do enough worship?

So let us be driven by that feeling to strive to know what Allah loves and hates.

Let us embrace one of the greatest mercies that He has sent for us, the Quran.

Let us strive to implement it in our lives to get closer to our Lord through it.

May Allah help us to be amongst those who are grateful for His mercy on us by showing mercy to His creation, by loving to please Him and by fearing His displeasure.

Ameen.

About Danielle LoDuca

Danielle LoDuca is a third generation American artist and author. Drawing inspiration from personal life experiences, her writings highlight the familiarity of Islam in a climate that increasingly portrays the Islamic faith as strange. She holds a BFA from Pratt Institute and has pursued postgraduate studies in Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Foundation for Knowledge and Development. LoDuca’s work has been featured in media publications in the US and abroad and she is currently working on a book that offers a thought-provoking American Muslim perspective, in contrast to the negative narratives regarding Islam and Muslims prevalent in the media today

-aboutislam.net

Adjusting to Islamic Lifestyle as a New Muslim

 

After accepting Islam, new Muslims begin the life-long journey of transforming their life to lead it in accordance to Islam.

Finding the best method to approach such changes is important to make the implementation of what is learned easy for the growth process.They must undertake a massive transformation process that will continue for the rest of their lives.

While some new Muslims can immediately change things in an instant without hesitation, not all can follow suit, and need to adapt gradually. Each person has a very different situation, environment, and circumstance than the other.

Since there is not a cut-and-dry procedure to follow, we will focus more on suggestions on how to approach the concept of change instead.

Do What Works for You

Everyone and their cousin will tell you how to do everything if you let them, and you will feel overwhelmed and doomed before you even begin.

Onlookers simply shouldn’t tell you: “you must do this immediately, this way.” What works for one person, may not work for another. You must avoid allowing such pressure to phase you. You have to do what works for you.

When you look at the changes that you will ultimately need to face, and realize you don’t have the means to do some things currently, focus instead on what you can do in the present. This will take pressure off of your shoulders for the first changes to make. Tackle the easy things first.

By shifting to the easy things first, you can be more positive and reach goals more easily. This can be in the form of changing things that don’t make a dramatic difference that will affect you too much, and instead are more personal changes.

Examples would be to stop drinking, and clubbing, etc. These things are easy to do, and can be done overnight with ease.

Over time, you can add an article to your wardrobe in stages, and eventually will have a modest wardrobe.When you think of the more complex changes, ponder over the various approaches you can take to change them. Maybe you don’t have money to buy a new more modest wardrobe, but you do have some more reserved articles that can be matched up to take you at least one step in the right direction towards dressing more modestly.

But, just because you can’t change it all at once, shouldn’t prevent you from avoiding doing the small changes that you can do, gradually. If you wait for the time to come to do it all at once, you may never see that time approach.

The 5-D’s in Approaching Life Changes

Get a journal to take notes and make a plan for yourself, and set timed goals that are reasonable, to keep you focused on your progress and try to stick to it.

So, first, make a list of the changes that you know you need to make and follow this process for each item and write your thoughts for each item. 

1- Define the Change to Make

Before you can analyze change, you need to define what it is you need to change about your current lifestyle.

2- Discover Options Phase – Here you need to look for the best options/approaches, and what is currently working well and expand on that.

3- Dream about the Possible Outcomes

Think of the “what might be” and how you can take the positives you identified in the Discovery Options phase, and reinforce them to identify strengths and weaknesses that may exist in each.  Once you have finished the dream goal for an action, you can then move to designing a plan for it.

4- Design a Plan

Look at the practicalities needed to support the dream, and start to drill down the types of stages, processes, and strategies that will enable the dream to be realized.

5- Deliver

The implementation phase requires a great deal of planning and preparation. Keep the dream as the focal point in your actions taken. Make a commitment to deliver by a particular date if you need to set one for yourself and stick to it!

Perfectionism is a set of self-defeating thoughts that push you to try to achieve unrealistically high expectations for yourself.Overcoming All-or-Nothing Thinking

While we all want to accomplish everything with high expectations, excessive perfectionism can do more harm than good. It can be damaging to your self-esteem if you can’t do things at the rate you would like to.

Adaptive perfectionists work on developing themselves with optimism and desire to improve, which is healthy, but others are maladaptive perfectionists that are never satisfied with what they achieve.

They face fear of failure, and doubt, and low self-esteem, and lots of negative emotions, and see their mistakes as focal points for others to criticize them as a failure.

Simply avoid the idea that you must be perfect overnight, and don’t focus on what others will think of you. Allah is the one that knows your situation, and what you are capable of and not at any particular time.

Don’t Let Fear of Change Prevent You from Moving Forward

When you are afraid of failing at something, you may avoid even trying. When you do this, you are subconsciously undermining your own efforts to grow in Islam. You must resist the urge to stay in your comfort zone, and to push for goals in practicing better.

Everyone has different benchmarks for values and belief systems. Everyone is afraid of failing at something, but we must not allow that fear to stop us from moving forward to achieve our goals.

There are numerous causes that instill fear in people, such as unsupportive parents, friends, or lack of friends holding the same values and beliefs, or past traumatic events such as a failed marriage. These things are leading factors that prevent us from picking ourselves up and starting fresh.

Are you afraid of failing in becoming a good Muslim?

If you self-sabotage by being a procrastinator, have excess anxiety, or lack of motivation, low self-esteem, or low self-confidence, or reluctance to try new things, you are most probably afraid to move forward out of fear of failure.

Failure is not always a bad thing. It’s entirely up to us to decide how to look at it though. You can either view it as an “end of the world” matter leaving you feeling inadequate, or you can look at it as an amazing learning experience, which is usually the case. Remain positive thinking!

Five Tips to Reducing Fear of Change:

1- Analyze Potential Outcomes

2- Think More PositiveAcknowledge what can happen, and not happen. It will reduce any chance of a surprise.

This will help reduce your tendency to self-sabotage your efforts.

3- Worst Case Scenario

Know what could happen, and mentally prepare yourself. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

4- Have a Back-Up Plan

Always have a plan B if your first plan fails.

5- Set Small Goals

Set goals that are small, but not overwhelmingly challenging. Consider them “early accomplishments” to boost your confidence.  Smaller goals will lead to larger goals, but don’t expect to leap from the start to the final without passing through stages.

Facing Fears of Inadequacy and Self-Doubt

You may sometimes find yourself questioning: “Should I have become Muslim, because I can’t seem to do it right?”

You may feel like a fraud, or as if you are just going through the motions. You may worry that others may see you as pretending to be a Muslim because of your own self-doubt or if you can go through with what is expected of you, not because you don’t want to, but because you are feeling inadequate or un-motivated.

If you find yourself having these thoughts, you should know that most new Muslims go through this stage of feeling inadequate and having self-doubt about if they can ever become a fully practicing Muslim. Don’t let yourself feel down.

As you learn more and more, you will also learn about what you don’t know yet that you need to learn. The gaps will appear, and you will know what you need to fill… it just takes time and motivation.

If you feel like you are a fraud, don’t worry, because it actually means that you are not, you just need time and patience, and a little self-encouragement!

Anytime you start something new, like a job, a hobby, sport, etc. you will always feel inadequate in the beginning, but if you stay focused on what you need to do, you will learn what it takes to reach that desired outcome.

No one is born a success, it is a matter of nurturing and growing oneself! So, don’t be your worst enemy!

(From Discovering Islam’s archive)

- aboutislam.net

The Hijab as Da'wah

 

 By Dr Aisha Hamdan

Most Muslims are familiar with the various reasons that Allah has required women to wear hijab: The hijab reflects modesty, purity and respect; it lessens temptation so that more serious sins will be avoided; it protects women from the harm and molestation of evil men; a woman who wears hijab will be evaluated for her intelligence and skills rather than her appearance.

One important aspect that is often overlooked, however, is that the hijab is a symbol of Muslim identity. A woman who covers her head is making a statement that she is a member of the Muslim community and that she follows a particular code of moral conduct.

Allah says: "O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women to draw their outer garments around them. That is more suitable that they will be known (as Muslims and chaste believing women) and not be abused." [Qur'an, 33:59]

"...that they will be known..." In America, where Islam is the fastest growing religion (alhumdullilah), many people are coming to know what this head covering really signifies and to understand the religion that mandates it. The hijab, in effect, is an amazingly powerful tool for dawah; one that Muslims themselves are probably not even aware of. As with any tool, the key for effectiveness is appropriate and knowledgeable use.

The most obvious first step would be for Muslim women to actually wear the hijab. It is a tragic and upsetting phenomenon to see so many Muslims dressing in the manner of the disbelievers (blue jeans, T-shirts, short skirts, even shorts). The Prophet, sallalahu allahe wa salam, said; "Whoever resembles a people is one of them." (Abu Dawood). This is not only happening in America and other Western countries as people attempt to assimilate and adopt the practices of the prevailing culture, but it is also occurring in Muslim countries at an alarming rate.

A woman who refuses to wear the hijab is disobeying Allah and committing a serious sin, putting worldly pleasures above spiritual attainment, and neglecting her duty to the religion of Islam. Many scholars agree that the only reason a Muslim may live in a non-Muslim country is to conduct dawah and bring people to the true religion. How can a woman perform dawah for Islam when she is not even practicing it herself? To do this would be a form of hypocrisy and it will not be successful.

Once a woman begins to wear hijab she completes a large portion of her responsibility for dawah with very little effort. Each time that she goes to the grocery store, the library, to work, to school, or to any other public place, she is spreading the magnificent message of Islam. This is not only because of the outer hijab that she wears, but more importantly, the modesty of her behavior that accompanies it. When a woman refrains from flirting with men, limits physical contact, and is reserved and respectful, people may become curious and want to learn more about this intriguing faith. It may just sow the seeds of something wonderful.

At the University where I teach (which happens to be a private, Catholic school), women are often interested in my manner of dress and demeanor. Each semester I have at least one student who requests my involvement in a project for another class, usually comparative religions. They are surprised when they learn the rationale for this injunction and the fact that it was part of their religious heritage as well. If I chose not to wear hijab, I would miss these wonderful opportunities to share the beauty, peace and universality of my faith.

When there is the possibility for further discussion with those who are interested, knowledge and understanding of the topic are imperative. A very effective technique is to relate the concept to something that is familiar to the other person. Some examples of questions that could be posed include:

•"Did you every wonder why Mary, the mother Jesus (alayhes salam) wore clothing very similar to that of Muslims?"

•"Why do Catholic nuns dress the way they do?"

•"Did you know that in the Canon laws of the Catholic church today there is a law that requires women to cover their heads in church?"

•"Have you read in I Corinthians (Bible, 11:3-10) the verses that Paul wrote: 'Every man who prays of prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. And evey woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head - it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman doesn't cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or shaved off, she should cover her head."

•"Did you know that there are some Christian denominations, namely the Amish and the Mennonites, who still require women to wear the head covering?"

•"Were you aware that is was the custom of Jewish women to go out in public with a head covering and that some denominations still practice this today?"

These discussion points demonstrate the obvious fact that the head cover was not introduced by Islam, but rather that this requirement has been in place for thousands of years. This can also be a cogent segue to more crucial topics such as the fact that Moses, alayhes salam, Jesus, alayhes salam and Muhammad, sallalahu allahe wa salam, were all prophets of the same God and that they each carried the same basic message. Islam corrected the errors that had been introduced into previous revelations by humans and completed the process that was planned by Allah.

We should be proud to be Muslim. We should also be grateful for the gift that Allah has given to each one of us: The perfect truth of Islam that is our key to paradise. All others are being deluded by Satan and following paths to destruction. With our gift comes the responsibility to share the truth with those who are less fortunate. We are all responsible to carry the light of Islam. The hijab is an outward manifestation of this light that burns within, and it can be an effective tool for fulfillment of our obligation. We choose whether to develop this light into a bright, radiant star or let it be extinguished by foolish and selfish desires. 

May Allah guide each of us to the true path.Ameen! - mission islam