Qur'an for Kids!

...Imagine a world where each child has a favourite book - a book they hold dear to their lives - a book which gives them comfort when they are upset, confused or feel lonely. A book which is like a gold mine - or a treasure box - and when they open it all the jewels and gems come pouring out and immerse their pure tiny souls. A book which is so precious that its words become embedded in their hearts and their tongues flow with such beautiful wisdom.

*Reflection and Pondering Moment*

We've all had a childhood favourite - mine were (and still are) 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe' (I secretly imagine heaven to have a mixture of talking animals and trees and a sweet river of chocolate with everlasting gobstoppers - niiiiiiice - oh and I still love the original movies!).

These books - or whichever was (is) your favourite transports us from 'reality' as we know it into our 'own world' and there everything is just as we imagine and wish for it to be. Our books give us comfort, love, joy and a chance to explore and use our imagination which some adults (clearly not me - read above) forget they even have. This is where and when we develop a sub-conscious understanding of events and life - and though we may not understand it then - it stays with us and can have a profound effect on our lives, choices and actions - if our childhood experiences were extremely intense, that is.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if each child had a chance to develop the love for the words of Allah (swt) with such and same passion as they do with other books? Their tiny hearts memorising all the words - in their chosen language (if its not English) and developing a sub-conscious understanding of the Qur'an?

Some people may disagree - well you're more than welcome to disagree and I'm sure you have your reason and I respect that - we agree to disagree i guess - and say that there are many books written by fantastic writers about stories from the Qur'an and how children memorise Qur'an from a young age and its been happening for centuries. Yes it has, and yes it should continue - i fully support this - and I myself, like most of you reading this post, memorised some portions of the Qur'an (usually Juz Amma) at the young and innocent age.

But what I am referring to here is a full Qur'an translation in, for instance, the English language - which all the children can understand as it is written in child friendly or basic English language - simple and straight forward.

When the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet (pbuh) 1400 years ago, young children understood the message and strove hard to implement it in their lives - they understood the language.

Today, children are not exactly taught Arabic in the child friendly way - if it is not their first language - and so will not understand the same message, in depth message until at a much older age.

Children should still learn Arabic and the Qur'an in its pure form and they should still memorise it - even from that young age.

However, I believe that each child should also have a treasure book - in the language they understand - in basic and clear language - so they can master its meaning from a young age and become the true geniuses that they (or we all) have been created as.

Comments and thoughts welcome and do spend some time with your Qur'an today! :)

So - which of our Lords favours will we Deny?

...And we complain - well we're human right? So we have a right to claim that, right? As soon as we have what we want we're happy and forget who provided it for us and when some 'calamity' strikes then we complain, question God, and feel sorry for ourselves - because everyone else in the world is so better off than us...

Please watch this Video - post this on all your social networks and send it to all your loved ones - for all I can say is; 'Which of the Lords favours can we all deny?...

To Question or not to Question?

...Which one peeps?

To Question or not to question?

'What?', I hear you all say, from around the Globe.

Today's post is about 'questioning' - but who exactly, you are all wondering, and questioning about what.

This post is about personal development, so do read on :)

We think that sometimes little children are so cute when they question us about everything, then we eventually feel frustrated about all their questioning and wish they would stop and let us get along with our 'busy and important' lives. But we forget that as children we did exactly just that, question, and we did it why? (Oh yes, the 'why' question) because we were exercising our minds (like we do physical exercise for our bodies) and by doing this we were getting all the answers to all our questions.

OK, so kids basically get an answer from us adults, but its still a form of exercise for their brain.

Now, lets get back to us adults - as this personal development is for us all.

Ever had a problem and you almost pulled your hair out? But you still didn't get a solution?

The simplest way to deal with any problems or issues we have are to question our brains - for a solution.

So we don't say, 'such and such happened or I've no hope left', but you ask your brain, 'this project failed at this point now what can i do to make a change and make it successful' - our brain is a muscle and when you pose it a question it will suddenly get to work and start digging for answers. Be conscious and aware of the self as you get the answers and solutions. Also out brain keeps working through the night so you may wake up with a solution (keep a pen and paper handy).

A point to note here is that the whole questioning method can also be used negatively - so please watch your thoughts as they become actions and negative thoughts will create negative actions!

If you ask, 'why doesn't anyone love me or why doesn't anyone want to marry me?' - then off goes your brain, searching and digging for an answer - and it will give you an answer - and obviously the one that you didn't want it to tell you!

So there you go - simple - on this blessed Monday (or Tuesday or Sunday - depending what time you read this) - question yourself (brain) into a solution to your problems.

It's a tried and tested method - not only by myself but many renowned self-help gurus out there in the world - so go ahead and try it :)

Mobile Phone

Mobile Phone

By Shaykh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullah

Etiquettes of the Mobile Phone:
Islam has never been opposed to advancement. However, certain advancements are such that together with their benefits come much harm. Whilst mobile technology and the mobile phone in particular has revolutionised the way we live, it is important that we utilise such technology appropriately.

Crude Manners:
It is important to realise that there are certain etiquettes of speaking on the phone. For example when calling someone, many people do not first ask the person they are calling whether it is convenient for them to speak at that very moment. They simply begin a long conversation without any regard for the inconvenience they cause the person they have called. There are yet others who, whilst in the company of others, answer phone calls and begin to casually converse with whoever has called them. Doing this is akin to turning your face away from those in your company whilst in the middle of a conversation and engaging in conversation with someone else without any explanation or apology to the first. Such behaviour is indeed inappropriate and a reflection of crude manners.

Robber of Time:
The mobile phone, whilst being a very useful item, can prove to be a robber of time too. People feel obliged to utilise the free minutes and texts they have within their contract. If one has an allowance of 500 minutes or 500 texts within his talk plan, it is not necessary to utilise all these minutes or texts. By calling people or texting them only to use up the allowance, we are wasting valuable time which could have been utilised in productive activities.

Text Messages:
Nowadays, many people send 'Jumu‘ah Mubarak' text every week to friends and associates. The contents of many of these texts are not authentic and sometimes not in line with Islamic teachings. One needs to be cautious before forwarding any message of this nature. Many people forward these messages just because they apparently sound good irrespective of the message being incorrect. Do not forward any message until you are sure of its authenticity.

If you are keen to propagate the beau­tiful teachings of Islam by using the text facility then make sure it is something beneficial, correct and authentic. Moreover, the day of Jumu‘ah should not be fixed for this; any day and every day should be made mubarak by conveying a piece from the teachings of our beautiful dīn.

Name at the End of Text:
Whenever you send a text message, it is important to write your name at the end of the text, because it is possible that the person you are texting has not saved your number on his mobile. As a result, he will be confused and inconvenienced when he receives the text due to not knowing who the sender is.

In The Masjid:
When attending the masjid one should switch off his mobile. Failure to do so will result in one being disrespectful to the house of Allāh as well as being a means of disturbance to others if the phone were to ring. It is prudent not to even leave the phone in vibration mode. In this situation if the phone were to receive a call during salāh, not only will it divert the phone owner's attention it will also disturb the person next to him. Many people immediately after the completion of salāh check their phones for possible missed calls or messages. This shows that although one was physically standing in the court of Allāh, mentally he was elsewhere. Thus we should switch our phones off before entering the masjid and not pay attention towards them until we leave.

Haram Sharīf:
Many people would not even dream of answering a phone call whilst in the masjid when they are in their localities. However we observe the very same people freely using the mobile phone in the Haram Sharīf in Makkah and Madīnah. One should make a firm resolution and refrain from this for this leads to neglect and many other wrongs whilst in blessed places.

Musical Ring Tone:
We should make sure that we have an appropriate simple ring tone on our mobile phone. To keep a musical ring tone is harām as the playing of music, or being a means of it being played is a sin. It is quite unfortunate that even when in Haramayn Sharīfayn whilst performing tawāf or presenting salām to the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam, the musical tones of mobile phones are heard.
This is harām and a major sin. Safeguard yourself from such things that distance you from the Creator.

'Islamic' Ring Tones:
The adhān, salām, tilāwah of the Glorious Qur’ān, nāt and nashīd are used as ring tones by many on mobile phones. The adhān has a set time and a purpose and should only be announced at the time for the stipulated purpose. Salām also has a specific purpose which is to greet one another. The Glorious Qur' ān is the word of Allāh and has been sent for guidance of mankind. The Shari’ah has stipulated many rulings in regard to this great book. Nāt and nashīd are recited to inculcate and increase the love for our beloved Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam in our hearts. None of these should be used to inform us that someone is calling us. This is disrespectful. One should merely keep a simple ring tone for this purpose.

How Many Rings:
If when ringing someone one finds that the phone cuts off after a few rings or diverts to an answering machine, then the caller may try again. One should retry a maximum of three times for it may be that the person was busy and as he approached the phone it stopped ringing and thus he was unable to answer. However, there are some phones that do not divert or cut-off and keep ringing. In such cases the caller should let it continue ringing for that duration which would be considered normal, approximately ten rings. If the call is not answered then put the phone down because not answering indicates that the person is either occupied or does not wish to speak. Do not cause inconvenience by compelling.

Mobile and Teachers:
It is not permissible for teachers at madrasah or school to use the mobile during their working hours for the madrasah and the school has purchased that time from them. This time does not belong to them; it has become the property of the employing establishment.

The Ingredients!

'D-S-T'

...and these are the three ingredients you will need if you want to learn and memorize the Qur'an.

I was looking for more tips on hifz - memorization of the Qur'an and one of my researchers gave me the following link:

http://pearlsofamuslim.wordpress.com/2007/11/16/tips-on-memorizing-the-qur%E2%80%99an/

The article above is by Sheikh Muhammaed al-Shareef and in it he lists some tips one can use and apply when embarking on the mission to memorize Qur'an. He also gives his top ingredient which he calls: D-S-T.

To find out what D-S-T is and how you can apply it (as he applied it and now I'm going to apply it) click on the link above and read. Its fantastic masha'Allah - so have a read and I hope you benefit from it as much as I did.

To further aid you in your memorization you can download Qur'an audios from the following link:

http://english.islamway.com/sindex.php?section=erecitorslist

I hope you benefit from the above two sites as much as I have.

May Allah (swt) grant you success in your Qur'an memorization - ameen! :)

The Message of Islam

A website I would like to recommend to you all.

It's called 'The Message of Islam' and it has some fantastic articles - from topics relating to jurisprudence to manners - manners in eating and drinking, to treating ones books and seeking knowledge.

I have to say I love this website and it is about to become my new best friend!

So please check it out and I hope you enjoy it and benefit from it as much as I do and please do let all your loved ones know about this website.

Have a fantastic productively and spiritually fulfilling week and may all your endeavours be blessed with immense success - ameen!

http://islamicstudies.islammessage.com/Default.aspx