I hate routine. Except when it comes to morning routines :) That’s something I try and stick to! ;)
There’s something about starting your day on a number of pre-planned actions that really set your day straight. Below I describe the ‘ideal’ ProductiveMuslim morning routine. (Note: I assume that Fajr Athan is at 5.00am and that work starts at 8am, feel free to ‘adjust’ the routine below to suit your timetable inshaAllah)
4.00AM – 5.00AM: 5 Essential Actions
1. Wake up!
Perhaps the first and most important step to having a great morning routine is waking up early! And it is in that moment of indecisiveness – whether you should wake up immediately or enjoy your nice comfy bed for ‘5 more minutes’- wherein lies the secret to either a great day or a crazy one. Here’s a tip that always works with me for waking up: You know how shaytaan whispers in your ears “just sleep for 5 more minutes”… I simply whisper back to myself “just wake up for 5 minutes” ;) Yup, you can imagine the rest. As soon as you’re awake and begin reciting the Adkhar and making wudhu, you can imagine what happens to sleep – (Gone! Left the building!).
2. Make the Dua(s) for waking up and recite last 10 verses of Surah Al-Imran
Alhamdulillah, we have a beautiful set of “waking up” supplications which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught us. A collection of Wake Up Supplications can be found on MakeDua.com. My favorite is the recitation of the last 10 verses of Al-Imran (Chapter 3 of the Quran). You can almost feel your heart coming to life and being ‘juiced’ when the first thing you do as soon as you wake up is remember Allah & recite His Glorious Words from the Quran.
3. Make Wudhu
We can all agree, there’s something about wudhu that really focuses your positive energy and cleanses you inwardly as well as outwardly. I had a friend who used to call this feeling “WuBuzz!” short for the “Buzz” you feel after wudhu ;) Don’t forget to say Bismillah before starting wudhu and the dua after finishing wudhu! The 8 gates of Heaven will be opened for you, (not a bad way to start your day ;) and you’ll feel refreshed and ready for the day ahead.
4. Tahajjud & Witr
Tahajjud or Qiyaam has been described as the “honour of the believer”, because who else would go through what you just did (wake up, wudhu..etc) just to stand up and pray? The beauty of Tahajjud is hard to describe; from the feeling of tranquility in your heart and understanding the Quran better at this time, to feeling closer to Allah at a time of isolation from others and wishing that you would never get up from that prostration, to self-reflection moments that we rarely get a chance to exercise in our busy world… all of them and more come from Tahajjud! Finally, praying Witr after Tahajjud and making sincere dua to Allah is a true booster to your day!
5. Istighfar moments
Don’t forget to use the last 5-10 minutes before Fajr to ask Allah for forgiveness and making lots of istighfar so that you are among those Allah mentioned in the Quran:“And in the hour of early dawn, they (were found) praying for Forgiveness” (Quran, Chapter 51, Verse 18).
5.00AM – 5.05 AM: Fajr Athan
Say as the muaddhin (The person who calls to Prayer) says and don’t forget the Dua after athan. Supplications Related to Athaan can also be found at MakeDua.com
5.05AM – 5.30AM: Between Athan & Iqama
1. Pray the 2 rak’ahs Sunnah of Fajr
Don’t miss this! Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The two rakahs before the dawn (Fajr) prayer are better than this world and all that it contains. (Riyad-us-Saliheen (Hadith # 1102). Just think about this hadeeth for a moment; 5 minutes of your time to pray 2 short rak’ahs are better than this whole wide world with all its’ lands, people, treasures, nature and beyond! SubhanaAllah!
Also, if this is the importance and merit of the Sunnah of Fajr, what about the obligatory Fajr prayer itself? (There is a heartwarming video reminder to those who neglect Fajr Salah called: ‘Are you neglecting the Fajr Prayer?’)
2. Dua
Did you know that the time between the Athan & Iqama is a prime time to make dua? Make the most of it! Narrated Anas ibn Malik: “The supplication made between the athan and the iqamah is not rejected.” (Sunan Abu Dawood, Book #2, Hadith #0521)
3. Lie on your right side
Narrated ‘Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her): “Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) used to pray two light rakahs before the morning (compulsory) prayer after the day dawned and the Mu’addhin had finished his adhan. He then would lie on his right side till the Mu’addhin came to pronounce the Iqama.” (Sahih Bukhari, Book #11, Hadith #599)
4. Brainstorm session
I sometimes use this time to either plan my day, or brainstorm ideas for ProductiveMuslim/articles or just reading and writing. You’ll be surprised how active your brain is at this time! You’re awake, alert and kicking ;)
5. Quran memorization
Speaking of your mind being active, memorizing Quran at this time is incredible as well. I have tried memorizing Quran after Asr/Maghreb when I’m tired and back from work Vs. after Fajr. The difference is overwhelming, SubhanaAllah! After Fajr, your brain is truly like a sponge and it is the best time to memorize verses from the Quran :).
5.30AM – 6.00am: Fajr Salat & Dhikr
If you are a brother, and can get to a mosque no matter how far – go for it! The beauty of praying Fajr in the masjid is hard to describe. I prefer walking to the Masjid Vs. driving (cycling is good as well ;) since you get a chance to breath in the fresh morning air; Allah says in the Quran: “And the Dawn as it breathes away the darkness” (Chapter 81, Verse 18)
After Fajr Salah, sit back, relax and enjoy performing the post Salah Dhikr and morning supplications.
continue reading at http://www.productivemuslim.com/whats-your-morning-routine/
Muslim Couples Required to Plant Trees Before Marriage
Muslim couples in Indonesia are now required to plant two trees before receiving their marriage permit
Here at Green Prophet, we are eager to promote all things green in love and marriage. As well as a green guide to Valentine’s Day (not long now!), we have published our top tips for a green Muslim wedding. The authorities in Muslim Indonesia, however, have taken green love one step further with new couples being required to plant a tree before they are granted their marriage permit.
“The policy has a noble purpose, and it is necessary to support the government’s tree-planting program,” Iwan Zulhami, an official at the religious affairs office, told the BBC. The policy is only being applied to the Sumatran capital in Medan and in a number of districts on Sulawesi Island. Couples will get two seedlings when they register and the trees must then planted in the couple’s home before the marriage permit is granted.
One official estimated that Medan will get at least 2,000 new trees as a result of the plan which starts in March. The initiative was announced by the religious affairs office, which is where Muslim couples intending to marry must register.
Indonesia is the largest forest nation in South-eastern Asia with an estimated 120 million hectres of rainforest. Illegal and legal logging, forest fires as well as the pressures of a growing population have all had a negative impact on their forests. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, Indonesia lost an estimated 18.7 million hectres of forest every year between 2000 and 2005.
In the last couple of years, the Muslim community in Indonesia has been playing an important role in promoting environmental conservation in the region. Indonesia’s Muslim scholars formed an organisation called Dignifying Environment Institution in 2011 with the aim of protecting the country’s forests from harmful practices causing deforestation. Certain madrasahs in Indonesia have also been lauded for their work promoting environmental awareness through Islamic teachings.
Muslims against terrorism.
“If anyone harms (others), God will harm him, and if anyone shows hostility to others, God will show hostility to him.” - Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 1625.
In Islam, Muslims are not allowed to kill innocent human beings. They are only allowed to fight back, those who fight them first. And I repeat fight back, those who fight them first.
It can be summarized like this:
- No killing of women, children or innocents - these might include hermits, monks or other religious leaders who were noncombatants;
- No wanton killing of livestock or other animals;
- No burning or destruction of trees and orchards; and
- No destruction of wells.
Please forget about all the misconceptions you have about Islam. Ask an actual muslim about Islam instead of taking your knowledge from Islamophobic sources. If you really want to know how a muslim is supposed to lead a war, then read the free PDF file called “Islamic rulings on warfare”. You’ll understand everything much better.
Terrorism, hostage taking, attacking non-muslims first, killing innocent human beings, killing animals for the fun of it, torturing any creature etc. is forbidden. Check out this website called Answering-Extremism.Don’t judge a religion based on it’s followers. It’s not religion that motivates these awful actions, but hate. Islam is perfect but muslims are not. If you really want to know who Muslims are supposed to follow & be like, then please watch this video, it’ll mend your heart: The Mercy of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) - Bilal Assad.
Here are also some wonderful websites that refute misconceptions about Islam: Almost all misconceptions, the 10 most common misconceptions about Islam, Islam & Tolerance & Top 10 Misconceptions About Islam.
Remember that every single religion has it’s extremists & misguided followers, Islam is unfortunately no exception.
If you’re not Muslim, please take a second to read this. Even if you might have doubts about something in our religion, just read this or ask someone! We’re nice people, I swear.
I. The Beginning Steps
There are a number of steps that must be taken at the onset of memorizing, and it may be that one cannot be successful without fulfilling these requirements:
- Pure intention: A pure intention is the key to the acceptance of our deeds. If the intention is lacking…
As far as the concept of helping the orphan is concerned, Islam not only agrees to it but even highly recommends it. In all types of charities, the orphan are mentioned as the prime eligible recipients for such help.
In case of the rights of the orphan children, Allâh is very…
Ali (ra) narrates,“I cannot understand how a person, who is a Muslim, and owner of reason (intellect) can spend the night without reading Ayatul Kursi. If you knew the benefits of it, then you will never discard it under any condition”.
- The Prophet(SAW) said: “Whoever recites the first 4 ayats of Suratul-Baqarah, then Ayatul Kursi & then the last 3 ayats of Suratul-Baqarah, will not be inflicted with any kind of difficulty in his wealth or himself, Satan will not come near him and he will not forget the Qur’an”
- One who recites Ayatul Kursi every morning will be in the protection, safety of Allah until the night.
- If one ties this to ones wealth or children, they will be safe from Sata.
- For those of our dear ones who have passed away, recitation of Ayatul Kursi and giving it as Hadiya to them, gives them light (noor) in the grave.
- Frequent recitation makes ones own death easy.
- The Holy Prophet has said: If one recites Ayatul Kursi before going to sleep, Allah will send an Angel to come and look after you and protect.
‘Allahu laaa ‘ilaaha ‘illaa Huu. ‘Al-Hayyul-Qayyuum. Laa ta’-khuzuhuu sinatunw-wa laa nawm. Lahuu maa fissamaawaati wa ma fil-‘arz. Man-zallazii yashfa-‘u’indahuuu ‘illaa bi-‘iznih? Ya’-lamu maa bayna ‘aydiihim wa maa khalfahum. Wa laa yuhiituuna bi-shay-‘im-min ‘ilmihiii ‘illaa bimaa shaaa’. Wasi-‘a Kursiyyu-hus-Samaawaati wal-‘arz; wa laa ya-‘uuduhuu hifzu-humaa wa Huwal-‘Aliyyul-‘Aziim.
Quran Recitation
The Holy Quran consists of 114 Surahs (Chapters). The second chapter is the largest, while the latter chapters are smaller in size. The Quran has been preserved in its original form in Arabic throughout the centuries. The Arabic recitation you will hear in this audio is the…
