Muslima Success

When I first thought about the question posed in a program I watched today about the most important characteristic of success – a lot of things came to mind – vision, passion, patience – but once the speaker explained that it is in fact adaptability, I understood its importance. The case made by the speaker for adaptability being the most important characteristic of success was that change is the only constant we have in life.  Nothing is guaranteed. We can plan, and execute, and persist; but ultimately, things may not happen the way we expected or wanted. Thus, the case for adaptability.  In order to be successful and overcome the odds, challenges, surprises that you encounter, adaptability can be the single most important characteristic of success. The speaker gave the example of Farouq Al-Baz – who believe it or not – was actually one of the  forerunners of helping man land on the moon.  He was an Egyptian Muslim who grew up in the country-side in Egypt and dreamed of being an amazi...

I came across this article and thought it was absolutely interesting.  I am personally not an introvert so I will leave it to you to guess what I am:) I wanted to post this though as a source of encouragement for any of my sisters who are categorized as ‘introverts’.   That what is sometimes labelled as shyness, fear, shame should not hold you back from going forth with your dreams and aspirations in sha Allah, and that in fact you have a unique set of talents and skills to offer. The Prophet peace be upon him also said “Whomever believes in Allah and the last day, let him say that which is good, or stay silent….” (Al Bukhari & Muslim) and we have many other proofs from the Quran and Sunnah about the importance of reflection and to be thoughtful of what we say.  So, I hope the enjoy the article:) The Secret Power Of Introverts Taken from:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2012/01/26/the-secret-power-of-introverts/ Jenna Goudreau , Forbes Staff ...

  Some say religion is the root of all the conflict in the world But if we were to take a moment to pause and ponder We may realize that it can in fact be the reason for peace in our world Peace…justice…morality….these are the principles that religion calls to so I wonder What happened to love for your brother what you love for yourself….Treat your neighbours with kindness…Honour your Parents This is some of what my faith has taught me It has not taught me to hate, it has not taught me to judge, it has not taught me to do evil It has taught me to love, it has taught me to forgive, it has taught me to do good How could we dismiss our common humanity? How could we threaten each other with such vanity? Where have our hearts gone? Why does everything seem so wrong? If we were to look into our hearts, we would know We would know the truth… We would know that religion can be a beautiful thing That it can bring us together, rather than tear us apart Tha...

Brotherhood, Sisterhood, We’re taught from day one until Soon thereafter I start to wonder if we really fit the bill Love for your brother what you love for yourself We repeat it many times but again I wonder when When will we honour it day in and day out When will we look at ourselves before we look out When will we think before we act When will we understand that a hurtful word uttered can never be taken back When will we care about each other like we said we would When will we be as helpful as we could Perfection I know does not belong to anyone For it only belongs to the Creator who created everyone Created us with faults and shortcomings and weak But also created us with the ability to empathise and speak Speak to one another in a way that shows respect Speak to one another in a way that shows what we expect Expect the best of one another and remember the prophet professed Allah is Gentle and loves gentleness. Allah is Gentle and loves gentleness.    

  Your alarm rings at 6:15am.  You have to pray, prepare breakfast and lunch, get dressed and head out quickly so you’ll arrive at work and start jumping from one meeting to the next, making phone calls, replying to emails, and dealing with your boss and co-workers all day.   Besides your fajr prayer in the morning, what else do you do during the work day to remind yourself of Allah and keep your faith high? It’s hard enough to keep your sanity at work sometimes and barely get dhuhr prayer in.   Balancing our faith and work life is certainly not an easy equation.  Here are some tips that may at least set us on the right path:   1) Renew Your Intentions and Perfect Your Work   Islam lays great emphasis on work. In many places in the Qur’an it is made clear that time should not be wasted.  The Qur’an directs a message to humanity that it should contribute positively to the earth meaning we should traverse the universe and make use of all the abundant resources that have bee...

When was the last time we told our children they can accomplish anything they want in the world, no matter how big it seems or how impossible it may be?   Do you think that a six year old could raise enough money to build a well inAfricaand 12 years later continue to fundraise until he has built 500 hundred water projects in 16 countries, bringing water and improved sanitation to over 620,000 people?   Well this six year old really exists – his name is Ryan Hreljac and he has his own international non profit organization called the “Ryan’s Well Foundation”.  Over 12 years ago, after his grade one teacher told him there are children dying inAfricabecause they don’t have clean water, he went home to his parents and demanded that he do something about it.  I heard his mother, Susan Hrejlac, recently share her experience at an event, and she relates that they did not take him seriously until one night at the dinner table, Ryan looked her and his dad straight in the eye, ...

When you think of it, our lives are a series of relationships. From the moment we are born, there is an instant relationship with our mothers and it is indeed one of the most beautiful relationships.  In Islam, the relationship between us and Allah (SwT) is also instantly commenced when the  Athan (the call to prayer) was softly made in our ears shortly after our birth.  Then we start to form relationships with other close relatives, friends, neighbours, teachers, and employers. And then, in sha Allah, we form one of the most important relationships in our lives, which can be the basis for a healthy and strong family and society – and that is the relationship with our spouses and children. Allah (SwT) beautifully describes the relationship between spouses in the Quran by stating: “ And among His signs is this that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put  love and mercy   between your (hearts); verily in that ...