Ramadan Marathon! Are You Ready? Psychological Approach to AchievingYour Goals

MM Treasures are posts on MuslimMatters that we believe are overlooked
'gems' that NEED to be read, especially by our new readers.
Most people slack off all year religiously and wait for Ramadan to get
a new boost of spiritual energy. These individuals are spiritually
out of shape & religiously flabby- not praying any sunnah prayers,
lacking khushu (sincerity), barely having time to read the Quran. They
come into Ramadan completely depleted of iman, breathlessly crawling
towards the month in order to resuscitate themselves before they
spiritually die. It's a vicious cycle that a lot of people experience,
yet very few address.
What usually happens with these individuals whoare so religiously out
of shape? It takes them 2 weeks to get in the groove– the first week
will be filled with headaches and grogginess until the new schedule
falls into place, then when they finally get accustomed to the new
program, Ramadan is over. The abundance of blessings are so
overflowing during Ramadan that anyone who puts forth even the
smallest amount of effort will reap the rewards. However; they are
getting the bare minimum amount of blessings and missing out on an
ExtremeSpiritual Makeover !
What if we changed our perspective and started planning for Ramadan
the way we would plan for a marathon? How different will our
experience be if we were already prepared,sprinting into Ramadan with
full iman gusto? The way we can do that is by training way in advance
in order to build our spiritual stamina. Whether we are preparing for
Ramadan or any other event in our life there are a series of steps we
need to take in order to achieve our goals:
"A goal without a plan is just a wish." Larry Elder
1. Write down the goals, prioritize based on importance and make a plan.
Break down large goals into small, achievable goals. For instance, if
one of our goals is to completethe Quran during Ramadanthen make a
plan to read for instance 4 pages after each prayer. This will make
it easy to achieve. By starting ahead of time and taking small steps
towards the goal, once Ramadan comes along we will be prepared &
trained.
To start with the end in mind means to have a clear understanding of
the destination. Stephen R. Covey
2. We need to focus on what we want to achieve and what kind
ofoutcomes we want. Visualize achieving the goals. We need to see
ourselves overcoming our temptations, reaching our goals and having
success. See yourself achieving attainable goals for Ramadan.
What the mind of man canconceive and believe it canachieve! Napoleon Hill
3. Ask yourself good questions : The questions we ask or the questions
we fail to ask shapes our destiny. The way we evaluate our life is by
asking questions; therefore if we ask good questions then our mind can
come up with good answers which will affect our interpretation of
events. We need to ask what is good about this situation? What can I
learn from this test? How can I bring out the best in this person?
How can I make the most of Ramadan?
It's not the events that shape our life that determine how we feel and
act, but rather, it's the way we interpret and evaluate our life.
Anthony Robbins
4. Be optimistic: Having a nice, positive attitude makes all the
difference in achieving any goals. Whena person is hopeful, puts trust
in Allah and makes the necessary effort, anything is possible.
Right now we need to start implementing the steps to achieving our
Ramadan goals in order to get the maximum benefit:
1. Start fasting Mondays and Thursdays to prepareyour body for Ramadan
– this would be equivalent to 2 intensive work outs during a week to
prepare for a marathon.
'A'isha said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, used to take care to fast on Mondays and Thursdays."
[at-Tirmidhi]
2. Increase your baseline in worship by simply increasing your
worship, so if you currently only pray the obligatory prayers, start
praying sunnah and also do the dhikr afterwards – this would be like
increasing the amount of weight you are pumping in the gym.
3. Set goals for reading Quran daily - reading the Quran nourishes the
soul the way healthy, nutritiousfood rejuvenates the body.So start
feeding your soul!

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Allah’s Plan for You and Me

Allah had a plan for youbefore you were born, andHe still has a plan
for you. Allah's plan for you is necessary and glorious. Hisplan is
vital to your successand important to the world.
Allah's plan is not set in stone, as if we were robotspre-programmed
in the factory. That would strip us of free will and deny our natures.
Rather, I believe that Allah has a flexible plan for each human being:
a plan that allows that person to benefit the world with his/her
unique talents.
This is in fact the Islamic view of al-Qadar, or predestination. There
is nodoubt that Allah has decreed everything that happens in the
universe from the beginning of time to the end, and that Allah has
written it all in al-Lawh al-Mahfooz (the Book of Decrees).
"Know you not that Allahknows all that is in the heaven and on the
earth? Verily, it is (all) in the Book (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfooz). Verily,
that is easy for Allah" (Quran, al-Hajj 22:70)
In Saheeh Muslim (2653) itis narrated that 'Abd-Allah ibn 'Amr ibn
al-'Aas (may Allah be pleased with him)said: I heard the Messenger of
Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: "Allah wrote
down the decrees of creation fifty thousandyears before He created the
heavens and the earth."
Everything happens by thewill of Allah. Whatever He wills happens, and
whatever he does not will does not happen. However, as Sheikh Muhammad
Saalih Al-Munajjid explains ,
Belief in al-qadar does not contradict the idea that a person has free
will with regard to actions in which he has free choice. Sharee'ah and
real life both indicate that people have this will.
Allaah says concerning man's will (interpretation of the meaning):
"That is (without doubt) the True Day. So, whosoever wills, let him
seek a place with (or a way to) His Lord (by obeying Him in this
worldly life)!" [al-Naba' 78:39]
(and other similar ayaat)
These verses confirm that man has a will and the ability to do what he
wants and not to do what he does not want.
With regard to real life, everyone knows that he has a will and the
ability to do what he wants and not to do what he does not want. And
he can distinguish between the things that happen when he wants them
to, such as walking, and those that happen without him wanting them
to, such as shivering. But the will and ability of man are subject to
the will and decree of Allaah.
Sheikh Al-Munajjid's last paragraph is the key to understanding
Al-Qadar: walking (voluntary) versusshivering (involuntary). Other
scholars have explained it as two types of Qadar, fixed and flexible.
The fixed Qadar is that which happens to us from beyond our control.
For example the time and place of our birth, any illnesses and natural
disasters that befall us, etc.The flexible Qadar is that which is
within the realm of our free will. Whether we do good or evil, and
what we choose to believeand how we choose to live. Sheikh-ul-Islam
Ibn Taymiyyah wrote:
There are two types of provision and lifespan: the first type has
already been decreed and is written in Umm al-kitaab, and cannotbe
changed or altered. Thenext type of qadar, Allah has informed His
angels of His decrees. This is the type where provisions andlifespan
may increase or decrease. Hence Allah the Almighty says what may be
translated as, "Allah blots out what he wills and confirms [what He
wills]. And with Him is the Mother of the book." (Surat Ar-Ra'ad,
verse 39) The mother of the Book (Umm al-Kitaab) is
Al-Lawhal-Mahfoodh, in which Allah has decreed all things as they will
always be without change. However, the decrees contained in the books
of the angels, such as lifespanand provisions, may increase or
decrease according to various circumstances; thereafter, the angels
will re-write a person's provision and lifespan. If a person upholds
the ties of kinship,his provisions and lifespan will be extended,
otherwise they will decrease." [See Majmoo'al-Fataawa 8/540]
So Allah has a plan for you,but fulfillment of that planis up to you:
the choices you make, as well as your degree of faith, persistenceand
determination.
Allah's plan for you is important to the world because Allah created
nothing in vain. Look at His creation. Everything has a purpose, from
the sun that heats our world, to the bacteria that consume waste.
You are the same. You have a purpose. You are necessary to the world.
If your presence were not vital in some way, then you would not have
been made.
Discovering Allah's Plan
Allah's plan for us is not always what we might wish it to be.
How do we discover Allah's plan for us? Where do we find it? How do we
realize it in our lives?
It's not as difficult as we might think. It wouldn't make sense for
Allah to have a plan for us and then leave us stumbling in the dark.
Allah's plan doesn't have to be a mystery.....

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The Quran and the Atmosphere - What roles does ozone play in the atmosphere and how are humans affected?

The ozone molecules in theupper atmosphere (stratosphere) and the
lower atmosphere (troposphere) are chemically identical, because they
all consist of three oxygen atoms and have the chemical formula O 3 .
However, they have very different roles in the atmosphere and very
different effects on humansand other living beings. Stratospheric
ozone (sometimes referred to as"good ozone") plays a beneficial role
by absorbing most of the biologically damaging ultraviolet sunlight
(called UV-B), allowing only a small amount to reach the Earth's
surface. The absorption of ultraviolet radiation by ozone creates a
source ofheat, which actually forms the stratosphere itself (a region
in which the temperature rises as one goes to higher altitudes). Ozone
thus plays a key role in the temperature structure of the Earth's
atmosphere . Without the filtering actionof the ozone layer, more
ofthe Sun's UV-B radiation would penetrate the atmosphere and would
reach the Earth's surface. Many experimental studies of plants and
animals and clinical studies of humans have shown the harmful effects
of excessive exposure to UV-B radiation.
http://www.ozonelayer.noaa.gov/science/basics.htm
A ton of more references and articles could be given about the Ozone
layer and its importance and benefit for us humans, the main important
point is that the Quran precisely already informed us about the
atmosphere's helping handfor us humans!
The help doesn't just come from the Ozone layer; for instance the
atmospheric layer known as the stratosphere also benefits us humans:
Commercial airliners typically cruise at altitudes of 9-12 km in
temperate latitudes, in the lower reaches of the stratosphere. They do
this to optimize jet engine fuel burn, mostly thanks to the low
temperatures encountered near the tropopause. It also allows them to
stay above any hard weather, and avoid atmospheric turbulence from the
convection in the troposphere . (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratosphere#Aircraft_flight )
Then we have the other layer of the earth's atmosphere, the
mesosphere, although not much is known about the mesosphere, what we
do know is that this is the area where meteors burn and break up,
which largely benefits us as well:
What do we know about the mesosphere? Most meteors from space burn up
in this layer. A special type of clouds, called " noctilucent clouds
", sometimes forms in the mesosphere near the Northand South Poles.
These clouds are strange because they form much, much higher up than
any other type of cloud . There are also odd types of lightning in the
mesosphere. These types of lightning, called"sprites" and "ELVES",
appear dozens of miles above thunderclouds in the troposphere below. (
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Atmosphere/mesosphere.html
)
Then we have another layer of the atmosphere known as the thermosphere:
Much of the X-ray and UV radiation from the Sun is absorbed in the
thermosphere. When the Sun is very active and emitting more high
energyradiation, the thermosphere gets hotter and expands or "puffs
up". Because of this, the height of the top of the thermosphere (the
thermopause) varies. The thermopause is found at analtitude between
500 km and 1,000 km or higher. Since many satellites orbit within the
thermosphere, changes in the density of (the very, very thin) air at
orbital altitudes brought on by heating and expansion of the
thermosphere generates a drag force on satellites. Engineers must take
this varying drag into account when calculating orbits, and satellites
occasionally need to be boosted higher to offset the effects of the
drag force. ( http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Atmosphere/thermosphere.html
)
Then you also have the ionosphere, which also benefits us:
Our society has learned to use the properties of the ionosphere in
many beneficial ways over the last century ( radio, television,
satellite communications, etc. ), but there is still a great deal to
learn about its physics, its chemical makeup and its everyday changes
because of solar radiation. (
http://www.uaf.edu/asgp/hex/ionosphere.htm )
So in conclusion the Quran got it completely right when it said the following:
And We have made the heavens as a canopy wellguarded : yet do they
turn away from the Signs whichthese things (point to)! (21:32)
It is Allah Who has made for you the earth as a resting place, and the
sky as a canopy , and has given you shape- and made your shapes
beautiful,- and has provided for you Sustenance, of things pure and
good;- such is Allah your Lord. So Glory to Allah,the Lord of the
Worlds! (40:64)
Indeed, modern day science has proven that theabove two statements
could not be more right!
And Allah certainly knows best!

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Posted by Lea at 11:36 AM

Good morning dear friends,
A fresh steamy cup of foglifter coffee is before me. (ahhh)
I've been out wateringall morning, and..... it'sgetting old.
Some of my plants andflowers.. I'm about ready to just let go.
The potted plants have taken a nose dive.
They look like death row on our front steps.
With all the watering in the garden, I really need to weedeat around
the perimeter, but with it so dry out in the yard, it's scary mowing
and even weedeating for fear ofsparks. On a happy note: Our
tomatoes are the one thing doing amazing. They're mulched heavily
with old hay and I just use the waterhose and soak around each stem
coming out of the ground. Maters seem to love it hot n steamyso long
as they don't get dry ...and it has definitely been hot n steamy.
The picture above is an ear of the strawberry corn, growing at my Happy Place.
The stalks are dying off now and finally thelittle ears are turning.
These shades of pinks -to the burgundy could be my new favorite
colors. -- Especially next to the creamy white husks. Hey; wouldn't
they look great with some turq on the side?!!
The little postage stamp garden there ispretty much done for the
year. The flowers are spent, and the onlything left- a handful of
small sunflowers, and the ornamental corn. I'll let them all hang out
for the rest of the week, then finish pulling up the stalks to save
for decorating this Fall. The morning glories were doing aweseome,
but I thinkthe bunny who lives there has taken to making "morning
glory" his evening salad.
It's okay though... he's just a nibbler. I think when it cools down
inSeptember, I'll plant some kale, mustard, and other fresh
greensthere. ;)
Our best sweetcorn was the patch by our barn. I'm still watering
there, as we have pumpkins and the moon and stars watermelon growing
in the corn rows. We have coons in the cornnow but they have
canwhat's left. So long asthey don't get any cravings to have
some"chicken" along with it... they're welcome. It's funny, they pick
anear of corn and eat it and leave it lay on the ground in the rows.
I don't know if they suck on the cob or what coz they're kindawet and
the funny thing is our banty hens eat any of the leftovers like they
struck gold or something. It's funny how excited they sound when
they discover... one of those wet cobs when I turn them out first
thing of the morning. They make these happy clucking noises and then
everyone else comes running to see what the fuss is allabout. "Corn
on the cob! Yahoo!"
It looks strange to see an empty pasture still.
In some ways... it's a relief.
Still no rain... and the 10 day forecast is most days over 100 and I
think one or maybe two days of 20 percent chance afternoon
thundershower. No matter what they say.. I know God's bigger than
all that.
He's got us covered,
no matter what.
I leave you with a verse sent to me from a friend yesterday.
Thank you friend! xoxo
"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes onthe vines,
though the olive crop fails and thefields produce no food, though
there areno sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will
rejoicein the Lord. I will be JOYFUL in God my Savior."Habakkuk
3:17-18
Yet I will rejoice in myLord,
Lea
xoxo

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Advise

Here are 5 Easy ways to earn even after death.
1) Give a copy of Quran to someone. Each time one reads from it, u gain.
2) Donate a wheelchair to ahospital. Each time sick person uses it, u gain.
3) Participate in building a Masjid.
4) Place water cooler in a public place.
5) Plant a tree. U gain whenever a person, animalsits in its shade or
eats fromit.inform every one about this......jazak Allah.

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* 11069 The Quraan and its Sciences Why does the Qur’aan not mention the story of Haajar and Zamzam?

Why does the Quran, whereas the Bible does, not make a mention of
theinstitution of circumcision as well as the story of Hagar and the
miraculous well of Zamzam?
Praise be to Allaah.
You might as well ask, why does the Qur'aan not explain the number of
prayers during the day and night, and the number[of rak'ahs in] each
prayer, and what should be recited in the prayer, and how the prayer
should be done... And why does it not speak in detail about zakaah, and
Hajj, and fasting, and so on?
Allaah has made the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) the detailed explanation of that which is
mentioned ingeneral terms in the Qur'aan. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):
"And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad) the Dhikr [reminder
and the advice (i.e. the Qur'aan)], that youmay explain clearly to men
what is sent down to them"
[al-Nahl 16:44]
The matters which you mention are explained in the Sunnah, and both of
them - the Sunnah and the Qur'aan - are wahy (revelation) from Allaah.
Shaykh Sa'd al-Humayd
There follows the story of Haajar and Zamzam from the Sunnah, so that
you will have no need of the Bible, of which we cannot be sure that
the content is correct.
Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated the story of
Haajar, the wife of Ibraaheem and the mother of his son Ismaa'eel. He
said:
Ibraaheem brought her and her son Ismaa'eel while she was suckling
him, to a place near the Ka'bah under a tree on thespot of Zamzam, at
the highest place in the mosque. During those days there was nobody in
Makkah, nor was there anywater. So he made them sit over there and
placed near them a leather bag containing some dates, and a small
water-skin containing some water, and set out homeward. Ismaa'eel's
mother followed him saying, "O Ibraaheem! Where are yougoing, leaving
us in this valley where there is no person whose company we may enjoy,
nor is thereanything (to enjoy)?" She repeated that to him many times,
but he did not look back at her. Then she asked him, "Has Allah
ordered you to do this?" He said, "Yes." She said,"Then He will not
neglect us," and returned while Ibraaheem went on his way. When he
reached al-Thaniyyah, where they could not see him, he faced the
Ka'bah, and raising both hands, prayedto Allaah in the following
words:
"O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in an
uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House (the Ka'bah at Makkah) in
order, O our Lord, that they may perform As-Salaah
(Iqaamat-as-Salaah). So fillsome hearts among men with love towards
them, and (O Allaah) provide them with fruits so that they may give
thanks"[Ibraaheem 14:37 - interpretation of the meaning]
Ismaa'eel's mother went on suckling Ismaa'eel and drinking from the
water (she had). When the waterin the water-skin had all been used up,
she became thirsty and her child also became thirsty. She started
looking at him (i.e. Ismaa'eel) tossing in agony (or he said: kicking
with his heels). She left him, for she could not endure looking at
him, and found that the mountain of al-Safa was the nearest mountain
to her on that land. She stood on it and started looking at the valley
keenly so that she might see somebody, but she could not see anybody.
Then she descended from al-Safa and when she reached the valley, she
tucked up her robe and ran in the valley like a person in distress and
trouble, till she crossed thevalley and reached al-Marwa where she
stoodand started looking, expecting to see somebody, but she could not
see anybody. She repeated that (running between al-Safa and al-Marwa)
seven times.
Ibn 'Abbaas said: the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said, "This is the source of the tradition of the walking between
them (i.e. al-Safa and al-Marwa). When she reached al-Marwa (for the
last time) she heard a voice and she asked herself to be quiet and
listened attentively. She heard the voice again and said, "O (whoever
you maybe)! You have made me hear your voice; have you got something
to help me?" And she saw an angel at the place of Zamzam, digging the
earth with his heel (or his wing), till water flowed from that place.
She started to make something like a basin around it, using her hand
in this way, and started filling her water-skin with water with her
hands, andthe water started flowing out after she had scooped some of
it."
http://islamqa.info/en/ref/11069

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The revelation of the Qur’aan in seven styles (ahruf, sing. harf)

I have read that during the third Khalief, Oethmaan, a committee under
supervision of Zaid ibn Thabit has been ordered to make an official
editorship of the whole Koran. But this"Oethmanian" text didn't give
yet a uniform reading.
Because early arabic language didn't have vowels and also some
consonants had the same or almost the same form. New signs were
introduced to seperate thedifferent letters. But this still did not
stop the different ways of reading.
In the first half of the fourth/tenth century the 'imaam of the Koran
readers' in Baghdad, Ibn Moedjahid, gave a solutionto this problem. He
said that the word harf should be put equivalent to kira'a.He declared
seven ways ofreading correct. Because according to him the saying of
the Prophet (PBUH) that the Koran wassend in seven ahroef means that
seven ways of reading are inspired.
Nowadays only to ways ofreading are in use, Warsj of Nafi' and Hafs of 'Asim.
Could you tell me more about these different waysof reading? Are there
ahadieth about this?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly :
you should note, may Allaah bless you, that the Qur'aan was revealed
in one style at the beginning,but the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) kept asking Jibreel until he taught
himseven styles, all of which were complete. The evidence for that is
the hadeeth of Ibn 'Abbaas who narrated that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Jibreel taught me one style
and I reviewed it until he taughtme more, and I kept asking him for
more and he gave me more until finally there were seven styles."
(narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3047; Muslim, 819)
Secondly, what is meant by styles (ahruf, sing. harf)?
The best of the scholarly opinions concerning what is meant is that
there are seven ways of reciting the Qur'aan, where the wording may
differ but the meaning is the same; if there is a different meaning
then it is by way of variations on a theme, not opposing and
contradiction.
Thirdly:
Some of the scholars said that what was meant by ahruf was the
dialects of the Arabs, but this is far-fetched, because of thehadeeth
of 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab who said: "I heard Hishaam ibn Hakeem
reciting Soorat al-Furqaan in a manner different from that in which I
used to recite it and the way in which the Messenger of Allaah
(peaceand blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught me to recite it. I
was about to argue with him whilst he was praying, but I waited until
he finished his prayer, and then I tied his garment around his neck
and seized him by it and brought him to the Messenger of Allaah
(peaceand blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, 'O Messenger of
Allaah, I heard this man reciting Soorat-al-Furqaan in a way different
to the way you taught it to me.' The Messenger of Allaah (peaceand
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him, 'Recite it,' and he
recited it as I had heard him recite it. The Messenger of Allaah(peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, 'It was revealed like
this.' Then he said to me, 'Reciteit,' so I recited it and he said,
'It was revealed like this.' This Qur'aan has been revealed in seven
different ways, so recite it in the way that is easiest for you.'"
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2287; Muslim, 818)
It is known that Hishaam was Asadi Qurashi (i.e., from the clan of
Bani Asad in Quraysh) and 'Umar was'Adawi Qurashi (i.e., from the clan
of Bani 'Adiyy in Quraysh). Both of them were from Quraysh and Quraysh
had only one dialect. If the difference in ahruf (styles) had been a
difference in dialects, why would two men of Quraysh have been
different?
The scholars mentioned nearly forty different opinions concerning this
matter! Perhaps the most correct is that which we have mentioned
above. And Allaah knows best.
Fourthly:
It seems that the seven styles were revealed with different wordings,
as indicated by the hadeeth of 'Umar, because 'Umar's objection was to
the style, not the meaning. The differences between these styles are
not the matter of contradiction and opposition, rather they
aresynonymous, as Ibn Mas'ood said: "It is like one of you saying
halumma, aqbil or ta'aal (all different ways of saying 'Come here')."
Fifthly:
With regard to the seven recitations (al-qiraa'aat al-saba'), this
number is not based on the Qur'aan and Sunnah, rather it is the
ijtihaad of Ibn Mujaahid (may Allaah havemercy on him). People thought
that al-ahruf al-saba' (the seven styles) were al-qiraa'aat al-saba'
(the seven recitations) because they happened tobe the same number.
But this number may have come about coincidentally,or it may have been
done deliberately by Ibn Mujaahid to match what was narrated about the
number of styles (ahruf) being seven.....

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