Ismail Kamdar

Ismail Kamdar is the Founder of Islamic Self Help and Izzah Academy, author of over a dozen books, and the operations manager of Yaqeen Institute.
Ismail Kamdar is the Founder of Islamic Self Help and Izzah Academy, author of over a dozen books, and the operations manager of Yaqeen Institute.
12
Aug
2016

The Paradox Of Working Smarter

By Sarah Masud

“His command is only when He intends a thing, He says to it “Be”, and it is.” 
(Surah Yaseen 36:82)

Nothing is impossible for Allah. If he wished he could have established Islam by saying ‘Be’. If he willed he could have had every person be born as an obedient Muslim. Yet it was Allah’s plan that things should take their natural course. From Prophet Adam (pbuh) to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), many generations passed. Many civilizations came up, and were destroyed.

So many prophets and messengers appeared through the course of establishment of Islam, not one without a story of struggle and patience. Pondering upon this fact made me wonder. If someone of utmost supremacy did not apply any shortcuts to establish His religion, then what makes us, the humans, think that we can take shortcuts to success. Haughtiness and stupidity, I guess.

The phrase ‘work smarter, not harder’ has become the anthem for today’s generation. Some of us are ready to gamble money in lottery to become rich overnight. Others are willing to take unapproved medicine to lose fat, without any exercise. We are fooling ourselves in the alchemy of success, without investing an iota of time on self improvement. We have become a short sighted generation, focused on instant gratification.

But these shortcuts to success are momentary. They in turn cut short our chances of success, depriving us of a lifetime of achievements and contentment. These shortcuts to success bring more harm than good. They are a digression from the path of righteous. And who does greater wrong to himself, than he who digresses and is led astray by the Satan.

Working Hard and SmartWorking Hard

Working smarter cannot be a substitute for hard work. These two aspects are not antithesis of each other. In fact, they are complimentary. One has to work hard to achieve success. It is only during those years of earnest hard work does one realize his strengths and weakness, leaving room for improvement. It takes years to learn the tricks of any trade, and become smart. In short, you first work hard to attain smartness, and then work hard to sustain that smartness.

Learning to be smart at work is like a return on investment on the hard work you put in. The more you work hard, the smarter your working becomes. So stop roaming the blind alleys of shortcuts. Be smart, and work hard.

“And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives, and that his effort is going to be seen. Then he will be recompensed for it with the fullest recompense.”
Surah An-Najm 53:39-41

About the author: Sarah Masud is a Data Science intern at Red Hat Inc. She loves to read and write in her spare time.

Posted by Ismail Kamdar in Productivity
02
Aug
2016

25 Islamic Quotes About Adversity

Adversity – Life is a TestIslamic Quotes

Allah created this world to test us. This test separates the people of Paradise from the people of Hellfire. As a result, we should all be ready to be tested in different ways. Sometimes we are tested with success and sometimes we are tested with adversity. To help you deal with the latter, here are 25 Islamic Quotes to remember when dealing with adversity.

25 Islamic Quotes about adversity

10 Quotes from Quran:

  1. “Then Indeed, with difficulty there is ease. Indeed, with difficulty, there is ease,” (Surah Al-Inshiraa 94:5-6)
  2. “Verily, We shall test you with some fear, and hunger, and with some loss of wealth, lives, and offspring. So give good news to those who are patient. Those who say, when inflicted by hardship, ‘Verily to Allah we belong, and verily to Him shall we return,’ Upon them is the blessings of Allah and His mercy. And they are the rightly guided.”(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:155-157)
  3. “Verily, We created man from a drop of mingled sperm so that We may test him; and We granted him the ability to listen and observe. We have indeed shown him the way, so he (may choose to) be grateful or ungrateful.” (Surah Ad-Dahr 76:2-3)
  4. “And when the believers saw the Confederates, they said: ‘This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger had spoken the truth,’ and it only increased their faith and submission.” (Surah Ahzaab 33:22)
  5. “Verily, We have made whatever is on the earth beautiful for it, so thatWe may test them as to which of them are best in deeds.” (Surah al-Kahf 18:7)
  6. “Allah does not test a soul with more than it can handle. For it is what it has earned and against it is what it has earned. Our Lord, do not hold us accountable when we forget or make mistakes. Our lord, do not place on us such burdens like how you placed those before us. Our Lord, do not make us bear that which is beyond our abilities. Overlook us, Forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Lord, so assist us against the disbelieving people,” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:185)
  7. “And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out. And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies on Allah, then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose.” (Surah At-Talaaq 65:2-3)
  8. “Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor is He displeased. Definitely, what is to come is better than what has passed. Soon your Lord will grant you, and you will be pleased. (Surah Ad-Duha 93:3-5)
  9. “Oh soul in a state of inner peace. Return to your Lord, pleased and pleasing. So enter among my worshipers, and enter my Paradise,” (Surah Al-Fajr 89:27-30)
  10. “And those who had Taqwa of their Lord will be led to Paradise in groups. Until, when they reach it, its doors will be (already) open, and its guards will say: ‘Peace be upon you! You have done well! So enter it forever!'” (Surah Az-Zumar 39:73)

10 Quotes from Hadith:

  1. “Amazing is the affair of the believer. Definitely, all of his life is good and this is not for anybody except the believer. If something of good happens to him, he is grateful and that is good for him. If something harmful befalls him, he is patient and that is good for him.” (Saheeh Muslim)
  2. “I am as My servant thinks of Me. I am with him when he remembers Me. If he mentions Me within himself, I mention him within Myself. If he mentions Me in an assembly, I mention him in a better assembly. If he comes near to Me a hand-span, I come near to him the distance of a cubit. If he comes near to Me the distance of a cubit, I come near to him the distance of two outspread arms. If he comes to Me walking, I come to him running.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
  3. “Be in this world like a stranger or a traveler passing by.” (Saheeh Bukhari)
  4. “Young man, I will teach you some words. Be mindful of God, and He will take care of you. Be mindful of Him, and you shall find Him at your side. If you ask, ask of God. If you need help, seek it from God. Know that if the whole world were to gather together in order to help you, they would not be able to help you except if God had written so. And if the whole world were to gather together in order to harm you, they would not harm you except if God had written so. The pens have been lifted, and the pages are dry.” (Sunan At-Tirmidhi)
  5. “Allah the Almighty has said: ‘O Son of Adam, as long as you invoke Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O Son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and you then asked forgiveness from Me, I would forgive you. O Son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the Earth, and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it [too].” (Sunan At-Tirmidhi)
  6. “Verily Allah has pardoned for me my ummah: their mistakes, their forgetfulness, and that which they have been forced to do under duress.” (Ibn Majah)
  7. “(The most severely tested people) are the prophets, then those closest to them in piety, then those closest to them in piety. A man is tried according to his religion. If he is firm in his religion, then his trials will be more severe. If he is weak in his religion, then he is tried according to his strength in religion. The servant will continue to be tried until he is left walking upon the earth without any sin.” (Sunan At-Tirmidhi)
  8. “Verily, Allah has one hundred portions of mercy. From one portion the creation has been given mercy between themselves and ninety nine portions are reserved for the Day of Resurrection.” (Saheeh Muslim)
  9. “When Allah decreed the creation, he wrote in his Book with him on his Throne: My mercy prevails over my wrath.” (Saheeh Bukhari)
  10. “Our Lord descends to the heaven on the last third of every night, and he says: Who is calling upon me that I may answer him? Who is asking from me that I may give him? Who is seeking my forgiveness that I may forgive him?” (Saheeh Bukhari)

5 Quotes from the Salaf:

  1. “He whom Allah has predestined to enter Paradise, the reasons which will cause his entrance shall spring from calamities. And he whom Allah has predestined to enter the Hellfire, the reasons which will cause his entrance shall spring from lusts.” (Ibn Al-Qayyim)
  2. “A calamity that makes you turn to Allah is better for you then a blessing which makes you forget the remembrance of Allah” (Ibn Taymiyah)
  3. “There is a blessing in calamity that the wise man should not ignore, for it erases sins, gives one the opportunity to attain the reward for patience, dispels negligence, reminds one of blessings at the time of health, calls one to repent and encourages one to give charity.” (Al-Fadl Ibn Saleh)
  4. Imam Shafi’ee was asked: “What’s better for the believer, to be tested, or to be given power (to do good)?” He said: “And how can one be given power for good without first being tested? Allah tested Yusuf, peace be upon him, then He gave him power.”(Imam Shafi’ee)
  5. “The soul will never become pious and purified except through undergoing afflictions. It is the same as gold that can never be pure except after removing all the base metals in it.” (Ibn Al-Qayyim)

May Allah grant us all patience at times of difficulty, and gratitude at times of ease.

Learn more about overcoming fear and dealing with difficulties in our eBook ‘Best of Creation‘

Best Of Creation

Posted by Ismail Kamdar in Inner Peace, Positive Thinking
30
Jul
2016

Homeschooling: Are You “Trending”?

Homeschooling

Homeschooling: Are You “Trending”?

Guest Post by Umm Warda

A decade ago, homeschooling was relatively unknown, at least in my area.  On hearing that someone had decided to homeschool their children, the responses would typically range from confusion and incomprehension, to actual outrage that parents would “deprive” their children of a “real” education.

Today, homeschooling is a much more familiar phenomenon in many communities, with most people knowing someone who is going the homeschooling route.  More and more books are being published on the topic, and there is a growing market for resources for homeschoolers.  This is, no doubt, a good thing.  However, like any other change in society, it needs to be set in the correct context.

Some time ago, I read a post by a sister who had been homeschooling her daughter.  She was delighted at the fact that her 14 year old daughter had been accepted into college to study Art.  The post raised several questions and doubts in my mind, especially the question of why we are homeschooling in the first place.

Following a Trend

Humans are, by nature, social creatures, and they tend to copy the behavior of their peers.  When something starts becoming popular in a small group, you will soon see it rippling outwards and becoming popular among the larger community.  It seems to be – and I may be wrong – that homeschooling is in the early stages of becoming such a trend.

While there is nothing wrong with spreading good and beneficial practices. In fact, it is recommended in Islam. We must be careful to adhere to the original goals of homeschooling and not simply get caught up in “what’s in”.  As Muslims we should not be trend-followers.  The Prophet (SAW) had said, “Do not let yourselves be ‘Yes-men’ (i.e. following whatever the people do)…”[1]  We do specific things because they serve a specific purpose and have a beneficial outcome.  So before we begin homeschooling, we should think about our intentions and make sure we are doing it for the right reasons.

What are the Right Reasons?

Homeschooling has become popular amongst both Muslim communities and non-Muslim ones, but for different reasons.  Most non-Muslims like the fact that teaching only a few children means a better quality of education for each child. Which means getting into a good university (preferably at a younger age than their peers). Which in turn means getting a good job and a big salary. Basically, everything that they would define as success.

This “success”, however, is limited to this world.  As Muslims we should be planning for the Aakhirah.  Everything we do now should be done with the intention of it contributing to our Hereafter.

With this in mind, each parent needs to ask themselves: “What do I want to get out of homeschooling?”  If it’s only so that your child can have a diverse range of learning experiences, or score the highest marks on the board exam, or be the youngest in his year at university; then I’m afraid you need to recheck your priorities.

Yes, as Muslims we should aim high, and try and be the best at everything we do. This includes “worldly” studies.  But we must be clear about what takes precedence in our and our children’s lives.

Be Beneficial

The Prophet (SAW) said: “The best people are those most beneficial to [other] people.”[2]

Therefore, we should encourage our children to go into the areas that are most needed in our communities.  Look around for areas in which there are too few Muslims – Midwives?  Counsellors?   Fitness instructors for women?

If you have children whose characters may be suited to those fields, encourage them to go in that direction.  At the same time give them a strong Islamic foundation. There is little difference between a secular Muslim doctor and a non-Muslim one.

Furthermore, you can guide your children’s education in such a way that whatever he chooses to become, it can still contribute to his Aakhirah.  Does your son have head for business?  Instil in him a love for sadaqah, and the virtues of sponsoring the scholars and Imams.

Every characteristic that your child has should be moulded and shaped so that it can be beneficial to the Ummah, and not just so that he does what he enjoys for the sake of enjoyment.  Our children are seeds that have been given to us. We need to water and nurture them so that they can reach their full potential and help uplift this Ummah. Not waste their time in careers that are, let’s be honest, pointless.

Finding Balance

Of course there is room for hobbies in relaxation time, but they should not become the focus.  There is a big difference between playing soccer once a week with friends, and becoming a professional soccer player!

Therefore each parent needs to ask themselves the following questions:

“What do I truly want for my child(ren)?” and,

“What will best serve that goal?”

If we answer these two questions completely honestly, we will have a clearer picture of why we are homeschooling, and what we want our children to get out of it.

Allah (SWT) says in the Quraan: “…but of mankind there are some who say, ‘Our Lord!  Give us (Your Bounties) in this world!’ and for them there will be no portion in the Hereafter.  And of them are some who say, ‘Our Lord!  Give us in this world that which is good, and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!’  For them there will be allotted a share of what they have earned, and Allah is Swift at Reckoning.” [Suratul Baqarah 2:200-202][3]

May Allah help us to make homeschooling a means of us being in the second category and not the first, Aameen.

References

[1] Jami’ at-Tirmdhi, Vol.4, no.2007 – Hasan

[2] As-Silsilah As-Saheehah, no.426 – Hasan

[3] Sahih International Translation

Umm Warda is wife, mother, and student of knowledge. She is currently in the 4th semester of IOU’s BAIS program and intends to seek knowledge until her last breath. Umm Warda grew up in a family of writers and thus had an appreciation for the written word instilled in her from a young age. She hopes that Allah makes her writings a source of guidance for others.

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Posted by Ismail Kamdar in Homeschooling
27
Jul
2016

The Mindful Muslim: Awareness and Acceptance

The Mindful Muslim – Guest Post by Hannah Morris

Think of a big yellow truck. The biggest, brightest, yellowest truck you can imagine.

Have you got that picture clear in your mind now?The mindful Muslim

How many times have you thought about a bright yellow truck like this in the last few days?

Now, grab a stopwatch, or just your watch will do, and time 1 minute. For that 1 minute, your challenge is to not think of that big yellow truck…

Times up! Did you do it? If you are like most people then probably not. How many times did you think of the big yellow truck in the last minute? How many times have you thought about a bright yellow truck in the last few days? Probably not at all.

Trying not to think

Most people find themselves thinking about things they are trying not to. This is why it is likely that you didn’t think of a bright yellow truck at all in the last few days. Because you were not trying to suppress this thought. In the last minute, however, you were trying not to think about it. So it most likely it kept coming to your mind as you tried to stop it.

In fact, ironically, people often find themselves thinking about something even more when they are purposefully trying not to think about it. It is this kind of thought pattern that can lead to psychological and emotional burnout. This emotional burnout can be detrimental not only in managing the difficult situation, but will spill over into all areas of life too such as relationships and work. It will also hinder the ability to think rationally of all available options in times of crisis.

We know from research that our emotional reactions can have a significant effect on our health. It is easy to manage our emotional system when life is going well, but it becomes very hard when life gets difficult.

Of course, there are times when it is best to try and avoid a thought or feeling. Therapists will work with their clients to work out ways of helping them to change their maladaptive thought patterns. But there are also times when it is useful to simply accept the thoughts and feelings and simply allow them pass.

Dealing with difficult thoughts

Avoiding difficult thoughts and feelings can be a lot of hard work and can often only add to the distress that is faced anyway. Facing them, whilst uncomfortable at first, can in many cases, be a way to speed up the process of acceptance and recovery. It can encourage more adaptive thought processes about how to regulate emotions and thoughts regarding a difficult situation.

Fighting emotions will only contribute to this feeling over being overwhelmed by emotions. Because you will be fighting so many at once, especially in the initial stages. Avoiding them means you might actually be completely unaware of which emotions you are actually feeling. How can you address them if you don’t know exactly why you’re thinking and avoiding?

You might be putting so much effort into pushing the bad emotions away that you are also pushing away any good feelings you have also. If you don’t allow yourself to experience emotion and thoughts, this will happen. Allowing yourself to experience it means you are in control and therefore you are reducing the impact of a difficult situation. When you focus so hard on avoiding and blocking out bad emotions it is possible to completely overlook anything pleasant in your life.

Of course, it’s natural to want to defend yourself and avoid unpleasant situations, but this can create a defensive or reactive response to the situation. Awareness and acceptance is another way to respond to a difficult situation too. Being aware and accepting opens you up to more opportunities that may be more rational and proactive, ultimately resulting in a more healthy and adaptive response in many difficult situations.

Psychological research has found this approach to be particularly useful for people managing the psychological response to chronic physical illness such as asthma, arthritis and cancer for example (Bohlmeijer et al., 2010; Grossman et al., 2004 to name a couple). Quite often thoughts relating to the illness are actual facts and therefore it is less useful to challenge such thoughts and subsequent feelings.

Acceptance

Islam teaches us about the importance of acceptance of Allah’s Will and we can apply this to acceptance of our thoughts and feelings too.

“Say, “Never will we be struck except by what Allah has decreed for us; He is our protector.” And upon Allah let the believers rely.” (Qur’an: 9:51)

This can help us to move through the process of accepting difficult situations that Allah may send our way. Certainly, sometimes these thoughts might be those we know are not useful such as ingratitude and the ‘why me?’ response.

We all go through these feelings in the face of adversity at some point. Accepting such thoughts and feelings as a normal initial response is quite ok and can facilitate the move to more adaptive thoughts about the situation that are compatible with our Islamic beliefs.

Incompatible Thoughts

It might be that these thoughts and feelings are those that you know to be incompatible with Islam. Waswas, for example. Using this approach of acceptance, lets you simply notice the thoughts and feelings.

Pay attention to them and let them pass, rather than fighting them, especially because as you now know, the more you try to push them away the more you think about them. Besides, how do you even really know if they are good or bad feelings/thoughts if you keep pushing them away and don’t let yourself actually experience them?

Allowing yourself to experience these thoughts without putting huge efforts into fighting them will allow them to pass more quickly and easily, leaving you with the energy to worship Allah more devoutly than if you drain yourself fighting such thoughts. Rather than beating yourself up about the thoughts, accept them, see them from an Islamic perspective. Notice the thoughts and feelings, and allow them to pass rather than using all your energy to fight them, which can at times in fact only make these feelings stronger.

So, next time you’re facing difficult times and notice yourself fighting hard to avoid the negative thoughts and feelings, give yourself a break. Try giving yourself the space to allow yourself to observe these thoughts and feelings. (including the good ones) Give yourself the mental energy to manage your response to difficulty in a more adaptive and effective way.

Hannah Morris holds a Masters in Health Psychology and Psychological Science. She has a history of working in psychiatric facilities for adults with enduring mental health problems. Hannah is currently counselling and teaching Psychology with Islamic Online University. She is the Founder of Active Mind Care.
References

Bohlmeijer, E., Prenger, R., Taal, E., & Cuijpers, P. (2010). The effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy on mental health of adults with a chronic medical disease: a meta-analysis. Journal of psychosomatic research, 68(6), 539-544.

Grossman, P., Niemann, L., Schmidt, S., & Walach, H. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits: A meta-analysis. Journal of psychosomatic research, 57(1), 35-43.

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Posted by Ismail Kamdar in Inner Peace, Positive Thinking
25
Jul
2016

The Power of Thoughts – Why You Are What You Think!

Guest Post by Ayesha Shoukat

The Power of Thoughts

The power of thoughts cannot be understated. In fact, they are so powerful that they shape the world around us. What we focus on and think about most is attracted towards us i.e. the law of attraction holds true universally.

Like attracts like and we are all akin to transmission towers that transmit different frequencies that reach beyond cities, countries into the universe. The pictures we receive from the transmission are not shown over the television screen – they are the pictures of our life.The Power of Thoughts

If you want to change anything in your life, change the frequency and change your thoughts. If you see yourself living in abundance, you will attract abundance soon. And if you perceive yourself as being boring and stupid, you will soon become someone like that. The power of thoughts!!

Whatever we think is returned back to us as our experience and a picture of our life. Then do we really need to think about all the negative thoughts that come to our minds? After all we’re always thinking about something whether we are driving or talking to someone.

As such negative thought can flip our world upside-down. The answer is no, not really. Because affirming thoughts are much more powerful than negative ones. Constant negative thoughts over a long period of time can however, make things go wrong us.

The Secret

Rhonda Byrne in her book ‘The Secret’ explains how thoughts can create a new world around us. But at the same time the question that springs to one’s mind is ‘Why are so many people not living a life of their dreams?’ The answer is as simple as that too many people think about what they don’t want to happen instead of focusing on what they want. The law of attraction does not take into account any words of negation; that is how it is interpreted:

“I don’t want to spill anything on this outfit.”

It means:

“I want to spill something on this outfit and I want to spill more things.”

A lot of our time and energy is focused in thinking about what we don’t want and that same thing keeps coming up over and over again. Why does it happen with so many people and all the time? Because we have shifted our focus to what we don’t want instead of focusing on what we really want.

Whereas positive thoughts have the power to change lives: ourselves and of others. Every teacher and every revolutionary in the past was aware of the law of attraction and used it to get what they wanted. Facebook was just a thought in the mind of Mark Zuckerberg and he wanted to be able to share pictures with his friends. Today, it is this thought that has revolutionized the world of social networking.

Thoughts of Gratitude

Think and think again about what you want and be grateful for what you already have. Without being thankful for your present you cannot explore what is hidden in the future.

Gratitude opens the door to more opportunities. Not only does saying, “thank you” constitutes good manners, but showing appreciation can help you get new prospects. Acknowledging the life and the contribution of other people’s in your life can lead to a better future.

Article originally posted here. Republished with permission from the author.

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Posted by Ismail Kamdar in Positive Thinking