🏢7 Tips for Muslim Businesses

1. MAKE PROFIT THE SECONDARY AIM 

The first goal of a Muslim business should not be cashing in on a Muslim market. It should be pleasing Allah and establishing Halal as a way of life.

Seeking profit is not a bad aim, but it should be secondary.

By making Allah the goal, and implementing Islamic rules of honesty, truthfulness, and good behavior with customers, Insha Allah, any Muslim business is bound to boom.

2. BE TRUTHFUL AND HONEST 

The Prophet has said the the honest and truthful businessman will be in Jannah amongst the Prophets the Truthful and the martyrs. Honesty and truthfulness are essential in this business. And when it comes to Muslim businesses, it means building a relationship of trust with customers, which cannot be done with lies and deceit.

How To Fight With Your Spouse

Fights happen in marriage. It’s a normal part of the deal. Marriage consists of two people, and as such, they will naturally differ and disagree on things from time to time.

The real question is: HOW do we disagree? 

What should these arguments or fights look like?

Should they be a free for all?

Or are there some ground rules, guidelines for how to conduct ourselves as husbands and wives when we do fight?

Here is what I’ve learned from my own marriage and the marriages I’ve seen around me: Do not fight dirty.

What’s fighting dirty?

Some people, when they get mad, aren’t able to contain their anger or control themselves. They feel their anger building and let it rage into a blazing inferno, raging out of control. In this state, they let loose, allowing themselves to say whatever comes to their angry mind. They deliberately target what they know their spouse is sensitive about, what will devastate and wound the spouse. They go for the jugular. They have no filter in that moment and will say literally anything and everything they can think of in order to hurt the other person and “win” the fight.

But there is no winning like this. Even if you “win” like this, you’ve lost .

You’ve lost the trust and love of your spouse, you’ve damaged the relationship, you’ve sacrificed your marriage to score some cheap points in the heat of anger.

This is fighting dirty.

5 Qualities to look for in a Friend

From Imam Ghazali’s رحمه الله  Bidayatul Hidayah (The Beginning of Guidance):

You should first consider the stipulations of companionship and friendship so that you will establish the relationship of brotherhood only with those who are fit for brotherhood & friendship. 

The Messenger of Allah ﺻﻠﯽ الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ ﻋﻠﯿﮧ ﻭﺍٓﻟﮧ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ  said:

“A man is upon the religion of his best friend, so let one of you look at whom he befriends.” (Sunan Abu Dawud 4833-Sahih)

1️⃣ Intelligence 

Sayyidina Ali رضي الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ عنه  said:

Do not be in the company of an ignorant friend; Beware of him & let him beware of you.

How often an ignorant man has brought destruction to a forbearing man who has befriended him.

🏠HOLIDAYS CAN BE REAL FUN!!!

Some ways of making your kids vacation more fun & rewarding…

By Umm Ammarah

Dad what can I do next???...Mum I'm BORED!!!  For parents vacations can be really demanding keeping our children occupied. Vacations pose a great challenge for many parents. However holidays can be great fun if parents are positive, creative and interactive. Also during the vacation there is a good opportunity to recharge our kid's spiritual batteries and start afresh in daily activities. It is a joyous period and a unique break from our busy schedules. We should welcome vacations for its fun.

The excitement surrounding vacations and family trips usually kicks off with strong excitement. However, after only a short time away from the daily routines of school, one phrase parents dread hearing begins to creep into the language of children almost instinctively: "I'M BORED"!

THE POST EXAM PERIOD

By Abu Muhammad Yusuf

Our children are a trust given to us by Allah Ta'ala. Depending on the upbringing we give them, we may nurture them to be morally good and upright persons or if they are just left uncared and untrained they may become innocent victims of the environment we are living in and left to become morally bereft.

There is a great responsibility that has to be borne by both parents and guardians.

Allah Ta'ala says :"O you who believe! Save yourselves and your families from the fire.." 

(Quran-Surah 66 -6)

The Noble Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon Him) said :"Lo! All of you are leaders and shall be questioned on the day of Judgement in respect of your trust. So, the king is head unto his subjects and shall be question in respect of them, the husband is a head unto his wife and shall be questioned in respect of her, the wife is a head unto her husband's house and the children, and shall be questioned in respect of them all; the slave is-a watchman unto his master's effects and shall be questioned in respect of those. So you all shepherds and you shall be questioned in respect of that entrusted to you." (Bukhari - Muslim)

An Earnest Appeal to Parents 

The Worthlessness of this World

Sayyiduna Mustawrid bin Shaddaad (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that he heard Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) mention, “ By Allah! The (shortness of the life of this) world, compared to the (eternal life of the) Aakhirah, is like the example of one of you dipping this finger of his into the water of the ocean (saying this, Rasulullah [sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam] indicated to his index finger). (On removing the finger from the water,) he should look at how much water remains on it (i.e. the miniscule amount of water that remains on the finger is like the life of the dunya, which is absolutely insignificant compared to the vastness of the ocean which is like the life of the Aakhirah). ” (Saheeh Muslim #7197)

If a person has to submerge his finger into the ocean and thereafter remove it from the water, he will find that only a very small amount of water will remain on his finger, equivalent to perhaps one or two drops at most. Such is the minuteness of a drop of water (0.05ml) that it takes 20 000 drops of water to fill just one litre!

6 Reasons Why You Don't Wake up for Fajr?

You wake up only to realise with great horror you have 30 mins left for school / uni / work, and you haven't even prayed Fajr yet! 

What happened though? It felt like you literally just closed your eyes two minutes ago and now you're brushing your teeth, walking around in the house rushing here and there!

But let's break it down, why is it that we tend to miss Fajr more and more these days? 

#6️⃣Late nights 

I am sorry but going to sleep at midnight is not considered "an early night"

Is There a Creator?

☀You see a model of a solar system in a science fair. Is it possible for this little model to have arranged itself? What about the actual complex solar system? Is it possible for the Sun and the planets to revolve in harmony on their own without a Creator?

🚲You walk by a simple bicycle on the road which someone uses for transportation. What is the chances that this bicycle manufactured itself? Zero. Now, you look at a horse which is also used for riding. Is it possible for this horse to manufacture itself? 

🎐You look at a colourful kite flying in the sky. A little boy is controlling it from the ground. Would you believe that this kite formed itself from a piece of paper? Now look at a colourful bird flying in the sky with dynamic flying abilities. If a simple kite cannot create itself from paper, would you believe that the bird created itself? 

Seven Moral Values to Teach our Children

As schools will open soon, learning will restart. Our children will learn certain things in their classrooms. However, our responsibility to teach does not end with dropping off the child at the school gates. In the home, parents have to set a good example in their conduct and realise that children are good observers of their actions. Parents have to be keen in making sure that their children grow up with sound moral values and not influenced by negative traits picked up here and there along the way and from amongst peers.

The Messenger of Allah Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam is reported to have said: Allah Ta’aala will ask every caretaker about the people under his care, and the man will be asked about the people of his household .” (Nasa’i and Abu Da’ud) 

Good upbringing of children in our care is a responsibility and teaching of manners is central to it.

A famous saying of Abdullah bin al-Mubarak (Rahmatullahi Alaih) goes: “I spent thirty years learning manners, and I spent twenty years learning knowledge.” In no particular order of importance, below are a selected seven moral values that we can bequeath to our children, yielding returns without measure, insha-Allah.

A Pious Wife

It is reported from Hadrat Abdullah Bin Amr (Radiallahu Anhu.) that the Prophet (Salallaahu Alaihi Wasalaam) is reported to have said:

 "The entire world is in its entirety a provision, and (among them) the best provision is a righteous wife " (Saheeh Muslim)

It is said that a man without a woman is an incomplete man. When we look at Hadrat Adam (Alaihis Salaam) in Jannah surrounded by all its luxuries, pleasures and comforts we find that he was still lacking in something. Allah Ta’ala, created Hawa (Alaihas Salaam). Not only did she complement his existence but also she completed him. Thus the above holds very true that a man remains incomplete in a bachelor state.

So whilst a woman in the life of a man is greatly needed to complete him, she also holds the potential of destroying him. She could either enhance his life or mar or scar his life, sometimes irreparably. The state of countless marriages today bear ample testimony to the above fact. Because of the wrong choices many a man has made today his wife is no longer a source of peace, tranquillity and untold joy in his life. His life has become a living-hell filled with pain, hurt, misery and untold anguish. She no longer is his crown that he proudly wears. Instead she has become his crown of thorns.

Qualities of a Believer

Tolerance                                                            
A Bedouin urinated in the mosque, and the people rushed to beat him. God’s Apostle told them to leave him alone, let him finish and poured water over the place where he has passed urine.

The Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) then explained to the Bedouin calmly, “This is a place of worship, in it is the worship of God and the reading of Qur’an.” After the Bedouin had left, the Prophet then said to his companions, ”You have been sent to make things easy (for the people) and you have not been sent to make things difficult for them.”
(Bukhari, Muslim)

Equality
The Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) said: ‘There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab, nor for a non-Arab over an Arab, nor for a fair-skinned person over a person with dark skin, nor for a dark-skinned person over a person with fair skin. Whoever is more pious and God-fearing is more deserving of honour.’( Musnad Ahmad)

Gratitude
The Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) said: ‘Contemplate those who have less than you and not those who have more than you, lest you belittle the favors of Allah conferred upon you’.(Bukhari, Muslim)

10 Examples of How Rasulullah (ﷺ) Treated Children

The sunnah contains many examples of how Rasulullah (ﷺ) dealt with children.

Why is this important? Because he’s our uswah, our role-model, our example to follow. Many of his companions met him once or twice, saw him doing something once or twice, and as a result, would keep doing that thing until they died. Not because he told them to, but because they loved him, and sought to follow him as much as possible.

We should also try and follow him as much as we can.

On to the examples.

Anas ibn Malik’s Ten Years of Service

I served the Prophet for ten years, I lived with him for ten years and not once did he rebuke me. Not once did the word “uff” come from his mouth. He never said to me, “why did you do this?” or “why didn’t you do that?” : (Bukhari 5691,Muslim 2309)

Anas ibn Malik was a well known scholar among the sahaba. His mother gifted him to Rasulullah (ﷺ) while he was a young child, in order to give him the best possible upbringing and Islamic education.

15 Incentives for Wudu

The wudu of a believer is indicative of the position that cleanliness holds in Islam. Being the key to Salah, a mu’min will perform wudu at least 5 times a day. Therefore, utmost care should be taken in perfecting it. By implementing the following sunnats and guidelines extracted from the noble Ahadith of Rasulullah (sallallahu’alayhi wasallam), one would Insha Allah be able to achieve maximum reward for the wudu.

 

 1)If a person recites the following du’a before commencing wudu, the angels will continue recording reward for him as long as he remains in that wudu:

Bismillahi wal Hamdulillah 

Translation: In the name of Allah, all praise is for Allah.

(Al-Mu’jamus Saghir li Tabarani, vol.1 pg.73, Allamah-al-Haythami rahimahullah has classified the chain of narrators as “Hasan; soundly authentic, Majmaúz zawaid, vol.1 pg.220)

 

What Are You Striving for: Dunya or Akhirah?

Many of us seem to spend an incredible amount of time and energy chasing the dream job. Afterall, a bigger paycheck often translates into a better car, a bigger house and a higher worldly social status.

What Are You Striving for: Dunya or Akhirah?

But we are warned about this in The Qur’an:

“ Rivalry in worldly increase distracts you (from the remembrance of Allaah), till you come to the graves” (102: 1-2).

“ Your wealth and your children are but a trial, and Allaah has with Him a great reward.” (64:15).

Ever think of the results of all of your worldy efforts?

”It will be, on the Day they see it, as though they had not remained [in the world] except for an afternoon or a morning thereof.” (79:46)

How I came to Islam

Radko, Ex-Atheist, Czech

I once knew an atheist who claimed he'd never believed in God's existence. In his view, believers were supposed to be people of weak character who felt the necessity to find a crutch for their inability and laziness, so they attended church. He felt agitated if, when the debating religion, he could not persuade the opponent with his arguments. He despised believers in an almost hysterical way. He had, however, a very good friend who believed in God. They agreed to refrain from discussing religion whenever together.

One day this man, probably in a rare moment of weakness, accepted the invitation of his friend to visit his church. To himself, he laughed at the thought of speaking out in the middle of mass and laughing and pointing his finger at the believers from the pulpit. However, as we know, God works in mysterious ways. He went to church, stood in the back benches, and stared at the people praying.

THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE

In the faint light of the attic, an old man, tall and stooped, bent his great frame and made his way to a stack of boxes that sat near one of the little half-windows. Brushing aside a wisp of cobwebs, he tilted the top box toward the light and began to carefully lift out one old photograph album after another. Eyes once bright but now dim searched longingly for the source that had drawn him here.

It began with the fond recollection of the love of his life, long gone, and somewhere in these albums was a photo of her he hoped to rediscover. Silent as a mouse, he patiently opened the long buried treasures and soon was lost in a sea of memories. Although his world had not stopped spinning when his wife left it, the past was more alive in his heart than his present aloneness.

Setting aside one of the dusty albums, he pulled from the box what appeared to be a journal from his grown son's childhood. He could not recall ever having seen it before, or that his son had ever kept a journal. Why did his wife always save the children's old junk? He wondered, shaking his white head.

Maktab/Madressa Resources

 As salaamu alaikum Warahmatulaahi Wabarakaatuhu. 

Below is an excellent list of information for Maktab/Madrasah teachers and for those who want to teach or learn the basics of Islam. Also included is the pdf of the full syllabus. 

May Allah Ta'ala reward those who put this website together, abundantly, Ameen.

Newsletters and Posters for Maktabs

http://talimiboardkzn.org/?page_id=654

Maktab Worksheets

http://talimiboardkzn.org/?page_id=964#tab-f8d4f80f979015d48d6

Maktab and other Documents/Forms

My Journey to Islam - Raphael Narbaez, Jr. – Former Jehovah’s Witness Minister

A forty-two-year-old Latino, Raphael, is a Los Angeles-based lecturer. He was born in Texas where he attended his first Jehovah’s Witness meeting at age six. He gave his first Bible sermon at eight, tended his own congregation at twenty, and was headed for a position of leadership among the 904,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in the United States. But he traded in his Bible for a Qur’an after having braved a visit to a local mosque.

On November 1, 1991, he embraced Islam. He speaks with the urgency of a new convert, but one who can make immigrant Muslims laugh at themselves.

He told his story mimicking a cast of characters.

I remember vividly being in a discussion where we were all sitting in my parents’ living room and there were some other Jehovah’s Witnesses there. They were talking about : “It’s Armageddon! The time of the end! And Christ is coming! And you know the hailstones are going to be out here as big as cars! God is going to use all kinds of things to destroy this wicked system and remove the governments! And the Bible talks about the earth opening up! It’s going to swallow whole city blocks!”

The Somersaults of the Heart

On one occasion, Sayyidah Ummu Salamah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), the respected wife of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), was asked, “ *Which du‘aa would Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) make the most when he was with you (in your home)?”* She replied, “The du‘aa that he would make the most was:

يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوْبِ ، ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِيْ عَلَى دِيْنِكَ

Transliteration: Ya Muqallibal Quloob! Sabbit qalbee ‘alaa deenik

Translation: O the Turner of hearts! Keep my heart firm on Your Deen!”

Sayyidah Ummu Salamah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) asked Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) as to why he made this du‘aa in such abundance. He replied, “ O Ummu Salamah (radhiyallahu ‘anha)! Every person’s heart is in the complete control of Allah Ta‘ala. Whomsoever Allah Ta‘ala wishes, He keeps steadfast, and whomsoever He wishes, He allows to go astray.” (Sunan Tirmizi #3522)

ISLAM AND SIMPLICITY

As Muslims, we must strive to implement simplicity in every area of our lives, as it is a very important virtue in Islam. Simplicity can have many positive influences on our lives. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) said in a hadith:

“ Simplicity is a part of faith.” (Abu Dawud)

Living a simple life is better for us as it involves not needing to worry about having to live up to society’s expectations about different parts of life. For example, there are expectations about timeframes in which milestones should generally be achieved in, standards about the possessions we own, types of career, status and reputation in the community, and so on. The more we focus on the opinions of other people, the more likely it is for those opinions to essentially dictate our lives. We read in the Holy Qur’an:

“ And the worldly life is not but amusement and diversion; but the home of the Hereafter is best for those who fear Allah, so will you not reason?” (Qur’an 6:32)