ISLAMIC TIPS TO DEAL WITH STRESS

Stress is a common problem in today's Materialistic and fast life where everyone is busy and running behind money and caring more about feeding the body instead of feeding the soul. despite having everything people are finding it hard to find real happiness and stay away from stress. In this article I will share some Islamic tips that will help you to get rid of stress and start feeling happy and calm.

1 Start Praying If you don't pray:Believe me the peace and satisfaction that you will find in offering Salah and doing Zikr is not present in any other thing. When you will start offering Salah regularly and do Zikr of Allah SWT it will take you away from stress.

2 Be grateful for what you have:start thanking Allah SWT for what you already have instead of worrying about what you don't have. start counting your blessings everyday. that will give you great joy. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him has taught us to see towards that person who has less money than us instead of seeing towards those who are more richer. doing so will make us appreciate what we have.

3 Care more about hereafter instead of this world: Remember your real destination is hereafter and you are in this world temporarily for a test. this will bring a great change in you.

4 Stop comparing yourself with others: If you are comparing yourself with others you are taking yourself towards stress and you are also insulting yourself. you don't need to compare yourself with other people in anyway.

5 Keep less expectations from others: Often we keep high expectations from other people and when they don't fulfill them we get hurt. so you don't need to expect much from others. 

6 Exercise and walk daily: this is a great tip to find stress keeping yourself active physically. doing exercise and walk helps us in many ways Including Improving our health, confidence and ending stress.

7 Read Holy Quran With Translation:start reading the Book of Allah SWT with translation and understanding. that will bring positive change in you.

8 Involve in welfare activities: Get yourself involved in activities of helping other people. that will greatly help you.

6 STEPS TO GET YOU CLOSER TO ALLAH (SWT)

Here are some tips to achieve closeness to Allah (glorified and exalted be He):

1. Dua’a (Supplication)

We forget that we need Allah’s help and strength to guide us. When we get too caught up with dunya (this life) we often think we can do it on our own without His help. We have to know that nothing changes without the strength and power of Allah. We need to ask Him for His help, even if it is to get closer to Him, or become better at worshiping Him. We need to seek refuge in Allah in everything. It could be negative thoughts we have, our lack of productivity or even our lack of faith. We need to ask Allah to help us and guide us to the Straight Path. Allah says in the Qur’an:

”And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me – indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided”(2:186).

2. Stay Away from Poisons

You need to get any poisons out of your life. Poison has many forms. Fix your heart, by staying away from anything that Allah doesn’t love. If you are around friends that make you sin and make you disappoint Allah, then you need to get them out of your life.

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “A good friend and a bad friend are like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith: The perfume-seller might give you some perfume as a gift, or you might buy some from him, or at least you might smell its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might singe your clothes, and at the very least you will breathe in the fumes of the furnace.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

3. Get to Know Allah [SWT] Through His 99 Beautiful Names

How can you love Allah and want to get closer to Him if you don’t know Him that well? We fall in love with people as we get to know them more and realize that they have a lot of beautiful qualities and characteristics. Of course Allah is above any analogy, but you need know Him more. Wanting to get closer alone won’t do you any good without falling in love with your Creator. Start with the name of Al-Wadud, the Ever-Loving. Allah’s love for you is unconditional. He does not need or want anything from you in return. He loves you so He keeps giving you even if you disobey Him. Ask Allah with His 99 Names.

He is the One who is closest to you (Qareeb). So ask Him to bring you closer to Him. Call on Him using the name Al-Wadud and ask Him to love you more and make you love Him more. It’s as simple as that. We tend to overthink stuff and forget that if we seek refuge in Allah, He will make everything easier on us.

Abu Huraira narrates that the Prophet (pbuh)  said, “If Allah loves a person, He calls Gabriel saying, ‘Allah loves so and-so; O Gabriel! Love him.’ Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven. ‘Allah loves so-and-so, therefore you should love him also,’ and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him, and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari]

4. Dhikr (Remembrance of Allah)

Remembering Allah is essential in achieving closeness to Him. You can remember him by engaging in dhikr (remembrance) and tasbeeh (praise).

Say Astaghfirullah a lot to erase your sins.

Say Alhamdulillah so Allah will give you more.

Look outside your window and say Subhan-Allah about His beautiful creations.4

The most elegant form of remembering Allah is by looking at His creations. When you are in between tasks like driving or walking, remember Allah. Listen to Islamic lectures or Islamic poetry that talk about Allah’s glory. Surround yourself with people who remind you of Allah. Attend halaqas or religious circles in masjids or you can even create your own gathering of remembrance. The more you remember Allah, the more He will remember you. See what happens when you are sitting in a gathering that is filled with Allah’s remembrance.

Allah’s Messenger [SAW] said:

“Whenever some people gather in one of Allah’s houses (mosques) to recite the book of Allah and study it among themselves – then calmness (tranquility) descends upon them, the angels surround them, mercy covers them, and Allah mentions them to those who are with Him.” (Sahih Muslim)

5. Follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad

By following the Sunnah of our prophet (pbuh)  we will gain the love of Allah. When you gain the love of Allah, you will get closer to him. Following the sunnah of the Prophet makes you a better person. You will have better manners and ethics. Read more about the Prophet (pbuh) ; fall in love with your Messenger. After all, he was a mercy to all mankind. Allah says so in the Qu’ran:

“Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (3:31)”.

6. Stay Connected to the Qur’an

Reading or memorizing the Qur’an alone is not enough. Understand it and act upon it. Try your best to act the way we were asked to in the Qur’an. Strive for the best. Reflect on its meanings; it will give you answers to your daily life’s complications. When you read the Qur’an and understand it more you will be more likely to reach the level of ihsan. You will want to do everything right. In the form of a man, Gabriel/Jibreel (as)  once entered a gathering where the Prophet (pbuh) was sitting. One of the questions the angel asked was to elaborate on the term “ihsan”, Prophet Muhammed (pbuh)  said, “That you worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you don’t see Him then truly He sees you.”(Bukhari and Muslim)

Wrapping It All Up

Be productive, seek knowledge and take action. The more you love Allah, the more you will do to get closer to Him. The more you get closer to Him, the more He will get closer to you. The more you will want to learn about the sunnah and the Qur’an and want to get even closer to Him, the closer you will become to reaching the level of ihsan. When you reach that level you will feel Allah’s love and you will be satisfied with everything He gives you. You will be productive because you won’t want to waste time without pleasing Allah. You will be confident in anything that you do in your life, because you will have full trust in Allah. May Allah guide us to the path that takes us closer to Him. Ameen.

10 SECRETS OF SUCCESS

1 How you think is everything: Always be positive. Think success, not failure. Beware of a negative environment.

2 Decide upon your true dreams and goals: Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.

3 Take action: Goals are nothing without action. Don't be afraid to get started now. Just do it.

4 Never stop learning: Read books; more and more books. Get training and acquire skills.

5 Be persistent and work hard: Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.

6 Learn to analyze details: Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.

7 Focus your time and money: Don't let other people or things distract you.

8 Don't be afraid to innovate; be different: Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.

9 Deal and Communicate with people effectively: No person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others.

10 Be honest and dependable; take responsibility: Otherwise, Numbers 1-9 won't matter.

10 TIPS ON HOW TO CONCENTRATE DURING SALAT (PRAYERS)"

10 TIPS ON HOW TO CONCENTRATE DURING SALAT (PRAYERS)"

1. Before standing up for Prayer, try to deal with all the minor urgent matters which demand your attention. If you are pressed by
hunger, eat first; if you are pressed to attend to the ...call of nature, relieve yourself; if you are
the parent of an infant, feed him or her, or keep him or her busy.

2. Perform your wudu’ (ablution) well, paying due care and attention.

3. Approach the Prayer with zest and passion as if it is the last prayer in your life before dying. Actually the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us that we
could do nothing in this world that could ever surpass Prayer in merit and excellence.

4. Visualize that in your Prayer you
are going to have a special audience with Allah, Lord of the worlds, and that you are enjoying a direct communion with Him—which,
in fact, is true.

5. Think of the Prayer you are performing as if it were the last Prayer of your life. In fact, it
could very well be the last one, since no one is given a guarantee that he would live to perform another Prayer.

6. Picture the scene of the Last Day
when people will be lined up into two groups, one destined for Heaven, and another for Hell,
and ask yourself where you would be placed.

7. Focus your mind on what you are reading in your Prayer and recite simple suurats that you understand it's meaning and ponder on the
meaning whiles u recite.

8. If, in spite of your best efforts, your mind is still wandering, seek refuge in Allah and bring your mind back to Prayer.

9. Pray to Allah and beg Him to grant you true the joy of concentrating in your Prayer and
protection against the wanderings of your mind.

10. Place your eyesight to the one spot where you will be making your sujuud while you recite and avoid taking your eyes from that spot.

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'' THE CAMEL HUMP HIJAB STYLE "

'' The Camel Hump Hijab Style.''

''BEWARE MY SISTERS IN ISLAM, AVOID WEARING MODERN WAYS OF HIJAB'S KEEP IT NICE, SIMPLE AND WELL COVERED.''

Many Muslimahs are taking this trend and forgetting that it is wrong for them to wear the Hijab in the camel hump style. The bigger you do the hump the more you look like an alien! Muslimahs that wear the camel hump style are cursed.

The Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wasallam also stated,

“There will be in the last of my Ummah, scantily dressed women, the hair on the top of their heads like a camel’s hump. Curse them, for verily they are cursed.” [At-Tabarani and Sahih Muslim]

Abu Hurairah relates that the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wasallam said,

“There are two categories among the inhabitants of Hell whom I have not encountered. The first are people who carry whips like the tails of cows and beat the people with them. The second are women, clothed yet naked, drawn to licentiousness and enticing others to it, their heads like the swaying humps of camels. They will neither enter Paradise nor even smell its fragrance, though its fragrance can be found to a great distance.” [Sahih Muslim]

Think about the way you dress. Is it to please others? Or is it to please Allah?

Islam, the name of our beautiful religion, simply means “submission” to Allah alone. He is aware of our intentions, which must be aimed to be done for Him, simply due to the fact that He is our Creator and He has ordered it. As is said in the Qur’an,

“And He is Allah, [the only deity] in the heavens and earth. He knows your secret and what you make public, and He knows that which you earn.” [6:3]

Allah clearly illustrates how a woman should wear it properly in the Qur’an,

“And say to the believing women to lower their gazes, and to guard their private parts, and not to expose their beauty except what is apparent of it, and to extend their headcovers to cover their chests, and not to display their beauty except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their husband’s sons, or their brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their womenfolk, or what their right hands rule (slaves), or from the men who have no physical desire, or the small children who are not aware of the private aspects of women, and not to stomp their feet (on the ground) so as to make known what they hide of their adornments (jewelry). And turn to Allah in repentance together, Oh Believers, so that you may succeed.” [24:31]

PLEASE SAVE YOURSELF FROM THE TORMENT OF THE HELLFIRE!!

"25 WAYS TO ENTER JANNAH"

1. "Whoever meets Allah without ascribing anything to Him will enter Jannah."[Bukhar­i]

2. "Whoever believes (has Imaan) in Allah and His Messenger (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), and establishes the prayer and fasts the month of Ramadan, it is incumbent upon Allah that He enters him in Jannah." [Bukhari]

3. "Whoever builds a masjid seeking by it the Pleasure of Allah, Allah will build for him a similar place in Jannah." [Bukhari]

4. "Whoever prays the two cool prayers (Asr and Fajr) will enter Jannah." [Bukhari]

5. "Whoever goes to the masjid (every)
morning and in the afternoon (for the congregational prayer), Allah will prepare for him an honorable place in Jannah with good hospitality for (what he has done) every morning and afternoon goings." [Bukhari]

6. "Whoever can guarantee (the chastity of) what is between his two jaw-bones and what is between his two legs (i.e. his tongue and his private parts), I guarantee Jannah for him." [Bukhari]

7. "Whoever prays 12 rakaat in the day and night, a house in Jannah will be built for him." [Muslim]

8. "Whoever treads a path in search of
knowledge, Allah will make easy for him the path to Jannah." [Bukhari]

9. "Whoever repeats after the muadhdhin
from his heart (i.e., sincerely) will enter Jannah. [Abu Dawud]

10. "There is not one of you who perfects his wudu and prays two rakaat setting about them with his heart as well as his face except that JANNAH would be mandatory for him." [Abu Dawud]

11. Whoever says: “I am pleased with Allah as my Rabb, and with Islam as my Deen, and with Muhammad (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) as my Prophet, Jannah would be mandatory for him." [Abu Dawud]

12. "Whosoever last words are: LailahailAllah, will enter Paradise." [Abu Dawud, Saheeh]

13. Whoever says “SubhanAllah al-Adheem WA biHamdihi, Glorified and Exalted is Allah, The Great, and with His Praise”, a date-palm will planted for him in Jannah." [Tirmidhi]

14." Whoever dies and is free from three:
arrogance, grudges and debt will enter
Jannah." [Tirmidhi]

15. "Whoever raises two girls, he and I will
enter Jannah." [Tirmidhi]

16." Whoever calls the adhan for 12 years,
JANNAH will become mandatory for him." [ibn Maajah]

17. Whoever asks Allah for Jannah three
times, Jannah will say: “O Allah, enter him into Jannah.” [Tirmidhi]

18. "Whoever visits an ailing person or a
brother of his to seek the Pleasure of Allah, an announcer (angel) calls out: May you be happy, may your walking be blessed, and may you be awarded a dignified position in Jannah." [Tirmidhi]

19." Indeed, truthfulness leads to
righteousness and indeed righteousness leads to Jannah." [Bukhari]

20. "Allah guarantees him who strives in His Cause and whose motivation for going out is nothing but Jihad in His Cause and belief in His Word, that He will admit him into Jannah." [Bukhari]

21. "O people, spread the salaam (greetings), feed the hungry, and pray while the people are asleep, you will enter Jannah in peace." [Tirmidhi]

22. "(The performance of) Umrah is an
expiation for the sins committed between it and the previous Umrah; and the reward of Hajj Mabrur (i.e., one accepted) is nothing but Jannah." [Bukhari]

23. "Allah has ninety-nine Names, one
hundred minus one, and whoever believes in their meanings and acts accordingly, will enter Jannah." [Bukhari]

24. "I saw a man going about in Jannah (and enjoying himself) as a reward for cutting from the middle of the road, a tree which was causing inconvenience to the Muslims." [Muslim]

25.“If somebody recites this invocation
during the day, and if he should die then, he will be from the people of Jannah. And if he recites it in the night, and if he should die on the same day, he will be from the people of Jannah.” [Bukhari]

"Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta
Khalaqtani WA ana 'abduka, wa ana 'ala 'ahdika wa Wa' dika mastata'tu abu'u Laka bi ni 'matika wa abu' u Laka bidhanbi; faghfirli fa'innahu la yaghfiru-dh- dhunuba ill a anta. A'uidhu bika min sharri MA sana'tu,abu'u Laka bini'matika 'alaiya, wa Abu Laka bid Hanbi faghfirli innahu la yaghfiru adhdhunuba illa anta"

"O Allah, You are my Lord, none has the right to be worshipped except You, You created me and I am Your servant and I abide to Your covenant and promise as best I can, I take refuge in You from the evil of which I committed. I acknowledge Your favor upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for verily none can forgive sin except You."

Allah Almighty say in glorious Quran in
Chapter no:9
Verse no:72 that,
“Allah has promised the believing men and women estates with rivers flowing beneath it, in which they will abide, and pleasing homes in the gardens of Eden. And the acceptance from Allah is the most important; such is the greatest success.”

Dr Zakir Naik

IS IT NECESSARY TO HAVE YOUR PANTS ABOVE ANKLES

We hear it very commonly that according to Islam, it is necessary for males to keep your pants (or whatever you are wearing on your lower body) above your ankles. i.e., it should not be hanging below your ankles. Is their any authentic Hadith that confirms it or is it more of a tradition thing?

Further, is there any different ruling regarding this during Salat?

Wearing one's lower garment below the ankles (for men) is known as isbāl(from sa-ba-la which means to lower). There are dozens of authentic ahadithfrom the Prophet (saws) prohibiting isbal. For example, here are two well-known ones:

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (saws) said “Whatever is below the ankles of the izār is in the fire.”

Narrated Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, the Prophet (saws) said “Whoever trails his garment out of pride, Allah will not look at him on the Day of Judgment.”

Both of these ahadith are in Sahih al-Bukhari.

Before getting to the scholarly opinions on this issue, a little bit of history to get some context to better understand this will help. In the society of the Prophet (saws) most people were poor. Clothing was one way the arrogant and rich among them would flaunt their wealth. They would lower their lower garments so that the bottom would get soiled, as if to say “Oh I don’t care if this garment is dirtied, I have dozens more like it at home.” For the Arabs of that time, their status symbol was wearing garments below the heels and letting it drag behind them in the dirt.

However, within two generations this custom was gone. Arab society grew prosperous and this practice lost its place as a status symbol. Now this is interesting because this was the time of the great imams and fuqaha. The position among the scholars at the time and since then was that pride was prohibited but not the garment itself (one that goes below the ankles).

Today there are two major opinions on the issue of isbal. There is unanimous consensus that isbal when done out of pride or arrogance is haram and in fact it is a major sin due to the explicit punishment prescribed in the Hereafter in the hadith. When it is not done due to pride, the opinions of the scholars are as follows:

Minority opinion: Practising isbāl out of habit or custom is harām. This is the opinion of Imam ibn Hajr, Imam ibn al-’Arabi and a minority position among the other madhhabs. Two of their proofs are the hadiths of ibn ‘Umar (ra) and Abu Huraira (ra):

Abdullah ibn ‘Umar narrated that the Prophet (saws) said : “Whoever trails his garment out of pride Allah will not look at him on the Day of Judgment.” Abu Bakr said “One of the sides of my garment drags below [the other] unless I protect myself against that.” The Prophet (saws) said “You don’t do that out of arrogance.” [Bukhari]Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet (saws) said “Whatever is below the ankles of the izār is in the Fire” [Bukhari]

Majority opinion: Practising isbāl out of habit or custom is makruh (disliked and not recommended). This the standard position of all four madhhabs as well as that of Imam ibn Taymiyya and Imam an-Nawawi. They have 3 major proofs:

From a fiqhi standpoint, they consider the unconditional hadith (e.g. Abu Huraira’s hadith above) as being conditional to ‘arrogance’ due to the other hadith. So it’s important to put all the related hadith together and view them that way.Some of the salaf understood that if isbāl was done for a valid reason it would be permissible.Considering the historical context above, isbāl no longer holds the cultural significance it once did.

The reason why the second group of scholars still categorizes this asmakruh is due to the quantity of hadith on this matter. It cannot be mubāh (permissible).

Reference:

Precious Provisions taught by Yasir Qadhi, AlMaghrib Institute, 2009.

7 beneficiary ways to help you stay up after Fajr for the blessings and success.

1. Go to bed early and rest

After the Isha prayer, the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) would not like to engage in unnecessary talk and would take to his house to go to sleep. This is the similar life-style for many communities where electricity has not created a false sense of daylight. Societies that maintain going down with the sun inevitably rise with the sun, making the most of their morning to do ‘ibaadah or secure their livelihood. If you need to fit in more sleep, try taking a nap before or after Zhuhr.

2. Untie your three knots

”During your sleep, Satan knots three knots at the back of the head of each of you, and he breathes the following words at each knot, ‘The night is, long, so keep on sleeping,’ If that person wakes up and celebrates the praises of Allah, then one knot is undone, and when he performs ablution the second knot is undone, and when he prays, all the knots are undone, and he gets up in the morning lively and in a good mood, otherwise he gets up dull and gloomy. ” (Bukhari)

It is not a surprise that Shaitan is trying to prevent us from the worship of Allah and prevent us from a productive morning. However, Alhamdulillah, we were given the prescription to combat his whispering:

a. Celebrate the praises of Allah by saying:

Alhamdulillahi allathee ahyaanaa ba’da maa amaatanaa wa ilayhin nushoor.

‘All praise and thanks is for Allaah who gave us life after having taken it from us and unto Him is the Resurrection.‘

b. Perform ablution

c. Pray

Then after you have prayed, do not allow yourself to get back into bed. Perhaps splashing your face with cold water, having a bite to eat, or drinking some water or fruit juice will help brush off any drowsiness.

3. Perform the prescribed dhikr after Fajr

If you still have the urge to jump back into your warm comfy bed after Fajr, remember that the best extension of the prayer is the dhikr that you perform afterwards.

”The angels keep on asking Allah’s forgiveness for anyone of you, as long as he is at his Musalla (praying place) and he does not pass wind (Hadath). They say, ‘O Allah! Forgive him, O Allah! be Merciful to him.” (Bukhari)

Plus, the longer you stay up, the less likely you will go back to sleep (and the less likely you will be able to fall asleep).

You can find the dua to say after prayer and in the morning.

4. Aim to pray Duha

Duha prayer is an extra voluntary prayer you can pray approximately 20 minutes after sunrise until 45 minutes before Zhuhr prayer.

In the morning charity is due from every bone in the body of every one of you. Every utterance of Allah’s glorification is an act of charity (Subhan Allah). Every utterance of praise of Him is an act of charity (Alhamdulillah), every utterance of profession of His Oneness is an act of charity (Laa ilaha ill Allah), every utterance of profession of His Greatness is an act of charity (Allahu Akbar), enjoining good is an act of charity, forbidding what is disreputable is an act of charity, and two rak’ahs which one prays in the forenoon will suffice. [Muslim]

Who wouldn’t want that reward?

By the time it is allowed to pray Salat-ul-Duha, you will be more awake and will have already completed your morning dhikr.

5. Recite/reflect/memorize Quran

After Fajr prayer is an amazing time to be alone with the Quran. Before the day’s distractions set you off course, use this time to recite, reflect and memorize The Quran. If you are like me, if I do not read my daily dose of the Quran in the morning, I find it incredibly difficult to sit after work or at the end of the day to try to get some quality time with the Quran. Believe me, you will feel the benefit when you start your day remembering Allah.

Establish prayer at the decline of the sun [from its meridian] until the darkness of the night and [also] the Qur’an of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed. (17:78)

6. Exercise

An early morning walk or stretches will get your blood moving and you will find that you have the energy to stay up and make the most of your day insha’Allah
.

7. Have a list of tasks ready

Has this ever happened to you? You are awake, bright and early, feeling particularly productive. You look around…and you begin to ask yourself what to do. If you do not have a plan for your morning, then you will inevitably waste time wandering and half-completing tasks. Use the morning wisely by writing your To-Do List first thing after Salat-ul-Duha, or even better, the night before. Aim to complete 3-5 tasks before you set off to work or school.

You will energized and fantastic having recited Quran, remembered Allah (dhikr), performed an extra prayer, and knocked off items from your To-Do List…all before you go to school or work! And you will still have the whole day ahead of you in sha Allah