Islam

Never label. Human beings are not two-dimensional that you can slap a label onto them and classify them. One of the best ways to destroy ties between people, groups, and organizations is to label them. Even if they deserve it, don’t do it. When you find yourself applying a label to someone, ask yourself: Will this action please Allah (سبحانه وتعالى)? When you find others who label, back away. You don’t want to involve yourself with people like that.

In one of the battles in the time of the Khulafa Rashideen, the Muslim armies attacked a fort behind a trench. With a trench, defenses spread thin: 500 people need to guard all points of the trench. So in any given area, you have only a few guards. How did the Muslims succeed? They find the one lazy guy–if the trench is eight feet deep and six feet across, they find the location two feet deep and one foot across–and focus the entire army towards that one location, all the hundreds or thousands of mujahideen.

If you have an idea, execute it, even if it won’t turn out perfect. Ihsaan is not perfection, it’s excellence. Strive your best, but tolerate mistakes as well. Only Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) is perfect. Don’t be like the shopkeeper who keeps the door to his shop closed all the time in order to keep it clean. No customers enter. If you’re always closed and looking for perfection, you’ll shut down.

Surah Fatiha contains almost all the Arabic letters that the English language lacks: ‘Ayn (ع), Saad (ص), Daad (ض), Taw (ط), Qaf (ق), and 7a (ح). Once you learn to pronounce these letters correctly, you practice them 17 times a day, every day, in every state of mind. Bi ithnillah, once you learn them, practice, and you will master them quickly.

If you know your tajweed (Qur’anic rules of beautifying recitation) but feel a bit rusty or need to review them, this website explains it very well. The website helps more if you already know tajweed but need a refresher. It’s very difficult to learn tajweed without a real, human teacher. May Allah accept our reading of the Qur’an as ‘ibadah. Ameen.

Learn all about the etiquettes and adab of du’a here. Highlights include: Make du’a at times of trouble and of joy. Repeat the du’a three times Make du’a in a moderately low voice And remember, with du’a, three things can occur: Allah can accept your du’a! Alhamdullilah. Allah will save it for you until the akhira. Allah will avert evil from you. In any case, you benefit.

Consultation, or shura, is a fundamental leadership technique in Islam. You consult with the experts, and you implement it, and you close the issue. Shura means consultation. It also means the consulted group. Shura is a fundamental technique in leadership. The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم), the best and most knowledable and noble of people, practiced shura with his companions–and who knew better than he? How can the rest of us believe we don’t need shura?

The dedication of sahaba is no joke. They strove beyond the physical limtations of their bodies. When they couldn’t stand, or open their eyes, they continued. Their dedication to Allah transcended their bodies. In the battle of Yamamah, when Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (RA) lay in the nursing docks after one battle, he heard a shout from outside–ya ahlil ansar, “o people of the Ansar”. He spotted an ansari nearby–a man critically injured, couldn’t walk, incapacitated, being nursed.

The illustrious sahaba (companions of the Prophet), may Allah be pleased with all of them, competed in righteousness. They did not compete for the largest house or the biggest family. They competed, among other things, for the honour of guard ingthe Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) in battle. They divided into tribes and competed with other tribes. The amirs, too, competed with each other. For example, in the campaign in Ash-Sham, the two armies competed–who could be the fastest to fight their way to the key city?

Happiness lies in rememberence of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) and His blessings. It keeps you happy. One guy performed Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) once, and complained about the crush of the crowd. But would you be happy if you were the only Muslim there? No way. You’d hate it. So remember the blessings even when Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tests you with difficult tests. Tip: When you say Al-Hamdullilah, mean it. Think about a specific blessing Allah blessed you with.