Speed and Slow

"Speed is from satan." (Tirmidhi)

"The Last Day will not be established until …time will pass quickly." (Bukhari)

"The Last Hour will not come before time contracts, a year being like a month, a month like a week, a week like a day, a day like an hour, and an hour like the kindling of a fire." (Tirmidhi)

Powerful Teaching

I am currently enrolled in a certificate program in adult training and development, at the University of Toronto. Still have a couple of courses left. I took it because I felt that my passion lies in teaching, and that this program would give me the credentials, contacts, and guidance I needed to pursue such a career path. AlhamduliLlah, Allah opened a door for me to complement my academic training with real work experience by working as a teaching assistant for a reputable online Arabic program. 

The challenge for me, as it is perhaps for all instructors, is to keep the students motivated, engaged, and committed. Without a motivated/engaged student, the transfer of knowledge between instructor and student won’t occur. There are so many reasons for lack of motivation/engagement, and here is sample of them:

Giving advice, and Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil

We all impart advice and guidance on a regular basis, whether it be to our children, colleagues, spouse, or even strangers. And if done properly, it can be a virtuous act, for the Prophet ﷺ said, "Religion is sincere counsel." (Muslim), and Muslims have been commanded to "enjoin good and forbid evil" [3:104].

If done improperly, however, the act of giving advice, or enjoining good and forbidding evil, can result in more evil. If the advisor/admonisher is boastful, condescending, lengthy in speech (i.e., lecturing), causing embarrassment to others, backbiting, or presumptuous, the advice does more harm than good.

Advice for Husbands and Wives

AlhamduliLlah, one of my close cousins recently got married. I spoke at his walima to share some advice on marriage. Here's what I said:

Free: The Procrastination Pill

For those of you who haven't noticed it yet - or are not connected to the Prophetic Principles Facebook fan page, I am giving away my ebook, "The Procrastination Pill" for free! All you have to do is 'like' my Facebook page, and click on the tab "Free ebook!", which will then redirect you to the pdf file. You can 'like' my Facebook page directly from the side bar Facebook widget of this site.

I'm giving this away for free because I want Muslims to succeed and grow, through removing the barrier of procrastination from their path.

In the book, you'll learn:

• The precise definition of procrastination, and if you have this condition 
• The root causes of this life-inhibiting habit 
• The prescription you need to cure yourself of procrastination and become productive 

My only request from the reader is to implement the material presented in the book, otherwise the book won't help you! Although this book is being given away for free, I'm quite excited by all the content packed into this book and the potential change it can bring into your life.

Let me know what your thoughts are on The Procrastination Pill in the comments section.

Itikaf Survival Guide Part 1

One of the many blessings Ramadan brings is the opportunity to perform i'tikaf during its last ten days. AlhamduliLlah, I had the opportunity to perform i’tikaf this recent Ramadan.

Halal Food Fest 2013: A Review

Despite living in Toronto for almost all their married life, my parents were always strict about eating halal. Therefore, even as a child, the juicy Big Macs, scrumptious KFC chicken, and oowey goowey good pepperoni pizza that I saw on billboards, television, and school, were forbidden for me. During lunchtime in school, while I saw classmates and friends eating, well, yummy food, I had to settle for jam and butter sandwiches (the odd time I also received qeema sandwiches!). At home, we ate the typical Pakistan dishes… everyday.

Planning for a Parental Leave

Wouldn't it be nice to have a seventeen week leave of absence from work, fully paid? Recently, I was in that very situation. Kind of.

House versus Condominium

Should one purchase a house or a condominium? The answer might be obvious to most people: all things being equal, a house would be the ideal form of residence because of the several perceived benefits it offers, including (but not limited to):

Love for the Quran in Children

AlhamduliLlah, I have just prepared my first video blog. Although this three-part screencast presentation is quite simple, quite a bit of effort was involved. Hopefully, through the learning experience gained through preparing this video blog, I can automate much of the steps if/when I create my next video blog. InshaAllah.

I think the topic is an important one - how to motivate our children to read the Quran, and how to inculcate in our children a love for the Quran in general. I accidentally got hold of a book called 'Drive', by Daniel Pink, and I thought that the motivation theory he presents offers some insight on how to motivate our children to read the Quran. Let me know what you think about this screencast and please share with others, especially Quran teachers.