International Islamic University Malaysia DIP MOHAMMAD SALEM

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Table of Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Importance of Salah (five daily prayers) ........................................................................................ 3
Illustration of Surah Al-Adiyat (100) ............................................................................................. 5
The seven major sins in Islam ......................................................................................................... 6
2. Committing murder, ............................................................................................................. 6
4. Consuming Riba................................................................................................................... 6
5. Consuming orphans’ wealth. ............................................................................................... 6
Good Manners ................................................................................................................................. 8
Motivation ....................................................................................................................................... 9
Characteristics of a believer .......................................................................................................... 10
Sexual Desires ............................................................................................................................... 11
Control your tongue ...................................................................................................................... 12
Husband and Wife Relationships .................................................................................................. 13
Productive Muslim ........................................................................................................................ 14
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 15

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Introduction

To start with, the ideal Muslim character is distinct and balanced and it embodies the teachings
of the Qur’an and the Hadith. It consists of many different relationships; with his Lord, his own
self, his family and the people around him. One of the most distinguishing features of a Muslim
is his deep faith in God and his conviction that whatever happens in the universe and whatever
befalls him, only happens through the will and the decree of God.

The Muslim is closely connected to God, constantly remembers Him, puts his trust in Him and is
obedient towards Him. A Muslim also pays as much attention to his spiritual development as to
his physical and intellectual development. He does so in a precisely balanced fashion which
does not concentrate on one aspect to the detriment of others. For this reason, the life of a
Muslim revolves around the worship and remembrance of God; five daily prayers, fasting the
month of Ramadan, etc.

Importance of Salah (five daily prayers)

The establishment of five daily Salah is one of the major topics upon that holy Quran
emphasized more than anything else. Salah is a gift to us given by Allah SWT. It is really
important that we consider it as a gift. Some people consider it a burden. And as a result, it seems
so difficult for them to perform and even if they do, they do not really enjoy it and they lose the
blessings of Salah. There are several categories of people with regard to Salah. The first is those
who do not perform daily prayers at all and yet they call themselves as Muslims, however, the
prophet mentions in a hadith that “the distinguishing factor between us and nonbelievers is
Salah.” So when a person does not perform the daily prayers properly and in order, there is really
something wrong with his belief ( Iman).

The second category of people is those who do perform the daily prayers but they consider it as a
burden. They are lazy. They go to the masjid at last and they leave first. Or sometimes they do
not just even bother to prayer in congregation (Jamah). So these people pray because they have
to and that’s all for them. However, they should improve their link with Allah. There is more to
salah than just reading it and fulfilling the duty. And lastly, the third group of people is those
who prayer because they want to prayer and they enjoy it. These people will try their best to pray
five daily prayers in congregation. They put their full attention in and out of the Salah in
perfecting it. “Stand for the sake of Allah with full submission”. They pay close attention to the
mentioned verse of holy Quran. The prophet said in a true Hadith that if a person prays in
congregation, the reward is 27 times more than that if he would have prayed alone.

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In other Hadith, it is mentioned that if a person prays Salah fajar and then solat zuhur and then
continue praying all five daily prayers, Allah will forgive all of his minor sins if he commits in
between the prayers. That’s such a marvelous reward which the almighty bestowed upon us. We
often commit so many wrong actions which we do not realize,( provided they are not major sins),
with just performing the five daily prayers, Allah will forgive all of those minor sins and this is
an outstanding privilege as well as we should not miss this golden opportunity.

To end with, In Quran Allah Almighty stressed upon Muslims learn to offer Salah regularly.
There are various verses of Quran which indicate the benefits of offering Salah as well as the
punishment for not doing so. As we pray, we gain so many benefits which are beneficial for us in
this world and hereafter such, invoking Allah ( asking for help ), leading to Taqwa, staying
connected with Allah, protection from Satan, reward in the afterworld, calmness in this world,
dismantling pressure, stress and anxiety and prevention of wrongdoings.” Indeed, performing
Salah abstain you from doing wrong actions”.

Recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed,
prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And
Allah knows that which you do. (29:45)

A good Muslim should pay attention to the daily prayers in order to gain Allah’s mercy and
forgiveness in this world and in the hereafter. This vital topic is covered in a 15 minutes video
presented by Mufti Menk whose brief biography has been mentioned in one of the video reports.

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Illustration of Surah Al-Adiyat (100)

This Surah of the holy book talks about exploring the incredible logic of the Quran and the
beautiful creative way which Allah sets up an argument; it is obvious that the message of the
Quran is very simple as well as straightforward, however, the power of Quran is not in just what
it says but how it says it. And this is a stellar example of how Allah presents an argument, how
he sets up the mind of the listener and conveying a message to them in a powerful way.

To begin with, the major factors discussed in this Surah are the attitude of the human beings, the
greed of the human beings, the carelessness of the human beings, the heedlessness of the human
being and the things that he does on this earth without the fear of any consequence. Furthermore,
Allah has given human beings so much ability and intellect and favors, so that everything on
earth can be used by them for their benefit, including such loyal animals, mentioned in this
surah.

With all these favors - they have to be thankful and obey their own Master. Yet what is people
doing is being completely unthankful as well as disrespectful to their lord. Allah starts the Surah
with an Oath. And the oath consists of two parts; the object of the oath which is the thing being
sworn by, for instance, I swear. And the subject of the oath which is the answer to the oath i.e. (I
swear). I will surely help him. Taking an oath implies that the speaker is serious, to grab your
attention (especially if the listener does not usually listen attentively), to talk about something,
they (the audiences) like.

This surah has been explained and illustrated by USTAD NOUMAN ALI KHAN (Nouman Ali
Khan is a Muslim speaker and the CEO and founder of Bayyinah Institute, an Arabic studies
educational institution in the United States. His early education in Arabic started in Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia and continued in Islamabad, Pakistan and Lahore, Pakistan. Nouman Ali Khan
founded Bayyinah in 2006. He also lectures internationally on the matters of Tafsir and learning
Arabic to understand the Quran) in two distinct videos.

The way he explains things made me understand a lot. Although I understand Arabic to some
extent and I knew from the very beginning the meaning of the surah, I realized that only by
knowing the literal meaning of Quran it is hard to analyze and come up with a broad
understanding of this holy book. Lastly, the speaker is great. He talks clearly and goes really
deep on some certain issues which made me understand a whole lot more.

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The seven major sins in Islam

Major sins are the acts that have been forbidden by Allah SWT and his messenger PBUH. Allah
SWT says in the Quran that” if you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden, we will
remove from you your lesser sins and admit you to a noble entrance into paradise.” Quran 4:31.
So it is vitally important to know these major sins and avoid them. There are over 70 major sins
however 7 out of them are the most dangerous and big. So to be a good Muslim it requires us to
avoid these sins. As a result, I discovered a half an hour tremendous video presented on the topic
by SHAYKH ABDULLAH ALI. After watching the video, I have realized them and here is my
understanding and justification of the video.

1. Associating partner with Allah (shirk)

Allah SWT mentions in several verses of the holy book that I will not forgive those who
associate partners with me and I will forgive anything lesser than that.” Indeed, Allah does not
forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he
who associates others with Allah has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin.” Quran 4:48

2. Committing murder,

The act of killing one whom God has declared inviolate without a just cause, Allah says “And
those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to
be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should
do that will meet a penalty.” Quran 25:68

3. Practicing black magic

The third major sin is black magic and Allah SWT mentions that in the following verse. “And
they followed [instead] what the devils had recited during the reign of Solomon. It was not
Solomon who disbelieved, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic …” Quran 2:102

4. Consuming Riba

Taking interest is a major sin and it is essential to avoid. It may be selling one hundred dollars
for one hundred pounds, or for ten pounds, to be paid at another time, and it is not taken in that
sitting. This is called Riba and it is one of the gravest of major sins.

5. Consuming orphans’ wealth.

The orphan is someone whose father has died when he is young and has not yet reached puberty.
We should treat kindly, protect their wealth, make it grow and handle it with proper care. The
one who spoils the orphan’s wealth and consumes it unlawfully is subject to a stern warning

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because the orphan is weak and he has transgressed against him and consumed his wealth. Allah
has warned us to avoid taking an orphan wealth.

6. Fleeing from the battlefield.

When the Muslims meet the disbelievers in battle, the one who flees and deserts his brothers on
the day of battle, when the disbelievers march against the Muslims or the Muslims march against
the disbelievers, Someone who flees and deserts his brothers is subject to this stern warning
“unless it be a stratagem of war, or to retreat to a troop (of his own)” Quran 8:16

7. Slandering chaste, innocent believing women.

“And those who accuse chaste women, and produce not four witnesses, flog them with eighty
stripes” Quran 24:4. The one who slanders chaste women, which means accusing them of Zina
(fornication or adultery) by saying: So and so committed Zina but he is lying – this is one of the
seven sins that doom one to Hell and for which one deserves to be given eighty lashes. The Same
rule applies if someone slanders a chaste man.

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Good Manners

How to be the best of believers? How to be the dearest and nearest to our beloved prophet
Muhammad PBUH? How would you attain a guarantee from the prophet that you have a house
in paradise? Sir ABDUL RAHEEM starts the video with these questions. And the answer to all
those questions lies in one action, he says, which is having good manners. The prophet says in
hadith that “the best of the believers in faith among Muslims is the one with the best manners”.
And in the other hadith he mentions “the most beloved of you to me and the closest of you to me,
on the day of judgment, is the one who possesses the best manners among you ( Akhlaq) “.
Nothing can be as glorious as this achievement, great success in the hereafter. We know that if
you are close to the prophet and most beloved one to him, you are a truly successful person. May
Allah SWT grant us good manner.

In addition, By having good manners, we are not only achieving success in the hereafter, it earns
people’s trust, wins us friendships, earns us money, makes us happy, grants us fame and
reputation. We are social animals and we need others in our life. One of the basic human needs is
being appreciated and loved by others. To obtain that need, we have to possess good manners
and behavior.

In another beautiful hadith, the prophet says “The most actions that will help people enter
paradise are not but the two, fear of Allah and good manners”. Say good things to people. Do not
use detrimental words. Don’t abuse others. Smile. Treat people with salaam and smile. Help
others without expecting them to do a favor to you in return. Make other people feel good by
appreciating them. Most importantly, be good to your family and parents. These are some of the
vital actions that are said in simple sentences because they are that powerful actions which do not
need to be said in the compound and complex sentences. They are magical if applied, can bring
you joy and cheerfulness in this world as well as in the hereafter.

Moreover, some of the giant attitudes we have to develop to have good manners are
Truthfulness, sincerity, unselfishness, humility, forgiveness, patience, purity and cleanness. And
Quran puts them beautifully in these verses: "Allah loves those who are patient." (3:145),
"Pardon (people) and overlook (their faults). Don't you love that Allah should forgive you."
(24:22), "The servants of the Beneficent (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in humility."
(25:63), "It is most hateful in the sight of Allah that you say things which you do not do." (61:3),
"O you who believe, keep your duty to Allah, and be with the truthful people." (9:119).

Lastly, Sir Shaykh Abdur-Raheem McCarthy, in this outstanding reminder, explains the
importance of good manners and how to achieve them. I personally viewed the video many times
as it is one of my favorite videos ever been posted on YouTube. After watching the video, I have
gained even more motivation and courage to behalf ethically and morally with people regardless
of how they treat me. I have had this wrong perception, “treat them the way they treat you’’ and I
lived it for a long time. However, the video reminder helped me understand that we have to be

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good to people regardless of their behavior and treat them with good manners. I feel really happy
and accomplished that I watched this video hence it taught me a life important lesson.

Motivation

As students, we do go through so many challenges and difficulties in university or college life.

Actually, at times, we really need motivations and some people who motivate us. So in this
segment of the assignment, I watched a lecture presented by NUMAN ALI KHAN (whose brief
biography has been mentioned previously). In this lecture, he discusses the motivation for youth
and colleges students specifically. This is one of the most liked videos of NUMAN ALI KHAN I
have ever watched. I HAVE gained a whole lot more motivation and encouragements after I
viewed this lesson. The speaker is fantastic in terms of setting up his arguments and supporting
the key elements of the lecture with Quranic verses and prophet sayings, that’s what makes his
lectures so powerful. I personally really liked the video.

The gist of the video is that we, as Muslims, cannot afford mediocrity. We were, we are, and we
have to be people of excellence in all aspects of our lives. If it is being a student, an employee or
a CEO of a famous company, we are to work harder and pursue excellence. “We MUST excel in
our tasks and duties. Muslims are ordered to be the best regardless of the type of action. As a
student, do not look for average, nobody likes average and it is boring, why not getting the
highest grade while you can afford it”. This part of the lecture is deeply my favorite of all. It
pushes me to work hard and it is an awakening up MESSAGE after all.

Muslims are supposed to push themselves to better, day by day, year by year and even minute by
minute. We should not waste the limited time we are given on watching TV or playing video
games, we ought to do something which helps us and the Muslim communities. “Think big, do
great and work for the best you can”. This is a great motivational message I can quote from his
speech. Generally, this lecture encourages people (youth specifically) to strive for the better, For
instance, Study better, exercise better, eat better, and the list goes on and on. He emphasizes on
younger people a lot, the reason is simply that the young generation is the power of now and the
leaders of future.

To have a better family, city, country and even world, there is a supercritical need for having
better and well trained young generation. Another fabulous message from this reminder to youths
is that we have to consider the talents and health which Allah SWT had given to us. The talents
and power given to us must be used properly as well as efficiently because we are going to be
asked about it. A great example would be the policy applied by the universities and all other
educational institutions, they offer you with lectures and materials and you are examined at the
end of the day to be scored based on your effort. Allah SWT provided us all we need to for a
living and surely he will reward or punishes us according to our deeds. So we must use our
health, wealth, and life effectively and efficiently. To end up, as Muslims we must do whatever

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we do at best we can, let it be religious task or worldly matter. We need to delete the mentality of
accepting the AVERAGE. AVERAGE is not good however if you work for the best regardless
of thinking about the result where you put your full potential in work and you get average, that’s
what Allah planned for you and it is absolutely the best for you.

Characteristics of a believer

“Hurry and compete with each other and be quick for the forgiveness of Allah SWT and entering
paradise” SHAYKH ABDUL BARI YAHYA. Who are the believers? Allah says, “ those who
spend in times of ease and in times of hardship”. And Prophet Mohammad describes a believer
so beautifully in the following hadith. “Blessed is he who earns his living through lawful ways
and he whose inward status is good, outward is decent; spends his surplus wealth in charity;
abstains from excessive talking; people remain safe of (any) evil from him; he treats others with
justice. Surely whoever believes in Allah fears Him, and whoever fears Allah guards himself
against the evils of this world.” That means they are generous, they are consistent. A true
believer is generous and offers help to others all the time. It does not have to be financial aid
solo. Each person is able to offer something to someone. We just need to have little motive and
courage to give. Somebody is rich financially and can help others with his wealth. Someone else
could offer physical, social, personal assistance. And even just a smile to others is considered to
be charity in our religion. So we should assist others in any form we are able to.

To illustrate more, a true believer should make his living through lawful means and does
righteous deeds, and as a result, he leads a successful life both in this world and in the hereafter.
A believer improves his moral behavior. In fact, real happiness and a good life are achieved
where we have good morals and we treat other creatures of Allah well. And also, Holy Prophet
Muhammad (s) praises faithful men who are simple-hearted. For instance, “he who bear no evil
in his heart towards anyone nor is hypocritical, hasty or deceitful, but whose heart is pure and his
self is cleansed against any filth or evil”

Another characteristic of a believer who deserves a fulfilling life and pleases Allah SWT is in the
way of speaking. Controlling the tongue deletes all bad chatting and preserves one from
interfering in or provoking any hostility. A believer does not say anything which displeases
Allah SWT, and he does what is righteous.

Moreover, a believer never harms others. People will feel safe and secure when they live with
him because he is the doer of good deeds, who shows his love of good by performing it and his
dislike of evil by avoiding it. Another beautiful characteristic of a believer can be seen in prophet
Yousef’s story mentioned in the Quran where his brothers threw him into the well. When he was
asked about it, he did not mention that my brothers threw me here and he had forgiven them. In

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other words, a believer forgives and forgets when someone does something bad to him because
he understands that when you are kind to others, Allah will have more mercy on you and will
forgive you. Last but not least, the video lecture where characteristics of a believer are discussed
is presented by SHAYKH ABDUL BARI YAHYA in a 20 minutes video.

Sexual Desires

To begin with, the video which I have watched for this episode of the assignment is about sexual
desire that also USTAD NUMAN ALI KHAN represents in his weekly YouTube videos under
the title Quran weekly. And following is my analysis of the video. This is the 32nd ayah of Surat
al-Isra', the 17th surah. "‫"وال تقربوا الزنا إنه كان فاحشة وساء سبيال‬

In this particular ayah, Allah says don't even go near fornication/adultery. Don't even go near it.
He does not say "do not do adultery" or "do not commit adultery". He says do not go near it. In
other words, there is the act itself, and then there is a series of smaller acts that lead to it. It's got
a parameter around it, and you cannot even go close to it.

Allah is telling us that there are certain things that in and of, themselves are not haram. You're
not going to be able to pinpoint it and say "it is wrong". But, when you get involved in it, you're
going to get stuck in a gravitational field, and it will pull you in slowly, and surely, little by little
by little, and it'll get you. Eventually, it will come at you. You know, one of the things we learn
about Satan, that is remarkable, is that he is extremely patient. He will not get you [in] one shot.
He will come at you and he will put a little bit effort to make you commit something bad, and the
next time a little bit more and more until he destroys your character. In other words, when you
listen to him a little bit, you grant him a little bit of power. When you listen to him a little more,
you grant him a little more power. And if you keep on listening to him, he gets to the point where
he can command you and that's where you will do whatever he says.

Allah describes adultery as a path, a horrible path. In other words, a path has steps. You have to
identify which step you are in and cut off its roots. For instance, take care of your gaze because
this is where the awful path starts. Frankly, this indicates that how a small sin leads to a huge
supercritical crime (adultery).We're supposed to be those people who guard themselves with
covering, and we dignify others by not looking at them. Even if they do not have dignity for
themselves, we should have dignity for them and not look, because they are, in the end, a
creation of Allah.

To sum up, unhealthy Interaction with the opposite gender is one of the hottest issues of today's
world. With the advancement of technology and the internet, where everyone has access to the
various types of technologies, and sadly misusing of technology (social media particularly) has
created a lot of trouble cases where girls have been raped, used and thrown away. On the top of
that, there are a lot of horrific fornication websites out there which are leading our youth and

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even adults to miserable, dissatisfying, unproductive and having an unsuccessful life. So this
video is a wonderful reminder to all of us to watch out for all of the actions and deeds we do.
Because we believe that there is a judgment day and we are going to be asked for all of our
actions regardless of being it good or bad. Lastly, the video discusses an important issue and the
speaker has done a marvelous job.

Control your tongue

Ismail Ibn Musa Menk also is known as Mufti Menk is a Muslim cleric and Mufti based in
Zimbabwe. Mufti Menk was born in Harare where he took his initial studies and pursued a
degree in Shariah Law at the Islamic University of Madinah. Following that, he went on to
specialize in Jurisprudence in Gujarat, India. He is the director of the Daar ul Ilm (Islamic
Educational Centre) of the Majlisul Ulama. He is very popular and been known especially in
eastern Africa and also teaches internationally.

In this video, MUFTI MENK talks about usages of the tongue, the gist of the video is that how
should a Muslim individual use his/her tongue. It is a wonderful gift of Allah S.W.T to us so it
must be used correctly and effectively. Basically, the tongue is one of the most vital organs of
the human body, at the main time a great enemy of human beings if not enough attention is given
to its usage. Consequently, the successful man will use it to his benefit whereas the unsuccessful
fellow will fail in doing so. Allah gives human beings one tongue and two ears. It’s not a just
random thing, the truth is that we ought to speak less and listen more “say good things or be
silent”.

As a Muslim, we are supposed to make double sure to use the best words and tone of voice to
not offend people. In contrast, we must speak softer and do not shout. Because when you speak
too loud or yell, you are going to lose people’s respect.

Moreover, we should not lie. A prophet saying says: “when a man wakes up in the morning, all
other organs of the body beg the tongue, please be careful and not put us in troubles”. So this
saying clearly indicates that we should use our tongue wisely. Furthermore, lying is one of the
major sins, we should abandon ourselves from it. The point which the speaker was really
insisting is that we must think wisely before we say anything, putting ourselves in the shoes of
the listener and considering if we want to hear what we are about to say. Applying this would
absolutely assist us in abstaining using the rugged words and disrespectful tone voice.

Lastly, while talking to others, we should make sure that we use the positive, correct, and
respectful words as well as using a soft tone of voice. To end with, Mufti Menk is one my
favorite scholars and he is awesomely talented MASHALLAH. His published videos are
amazing on a variety of hot issues of our current societal norms.

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Husband and Wife Relationships

As it is self-evident that average person spends one-fourth of his life with his/her wife/husband.
In this 15 minutes video, Sir Mufti Menk whose biography had been mentioned earlier is
explaining the relationships between husband and wife which is imperative that to be well
mastered by everyone.

First of all, we need to make sure that we marry the right person. Well, how would we choose?
The Quran and sayings of the prophet made that clear beautifully for us. “The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: (Women may be married for four things: wealth,
beauty, lineage and religious commitment.” This hadith is not only for men whereas the same
criteria are applied while a woman is set to decide with whom to get married and spending her
life with. So basically this hadith sets the benchmark for Muslims to consider when they want to
marry someone. Hence the gist of the video presentation is about the rights of the husband and
wife, therefore, the speaker has not been discussing whom to marry further. At this stage, he is
assuming that the couples are already married to the right person according to religious norms.

There is no doubt that women and men are complementing each other. None can survive and
proceed to have a fulfilled life without the other one. They have certain rights upon each other.
The wife has financial rights over her husband as well as non-financial rights, such as the fair
division between co-wives, being treated in a decent and reasonable manner, and not being
treated in a harmful way by her husband. The scholars of Islam have agreed that it is obligatory
for husbands to spend on their wives, on the condition that the wife makes herself available to
her husband. The rights of the husband over his wife are among the greatest rights; indeed his
rights over her are greater than her rights over him, because Allah says: “And they (women) have
rights (over their husbands as regards living expenses) similar (to those of their husbands) over
them (as regards obedience and respect) to what is reasonable, but men have a degree (of
responsibility) over them [al-Baqarah 2:228].

This verse explicitly teaches us that married life has to be based on mutual understanding and
respect; not only looks and worldly matters. Both male and female should know, in the details,
the rights of their counterparts. However, only knowing is not adequate. Despite being aware of
each other’s rights, those rights must be implemented effectively. In addition, they should take
into account and be truthful to each other and put their full attention in raising a healthy and
cheerful family with well-behaved children. Furthermore, the speaker persists that men should
master the rights of women upon him whereas women do master the rights of the husband.
Consequently, they are going to definitely have a better, happier and prosperous life together.
Lastly, the video is of great quality and Sir Menk elaborated the key elements of the subject so
well. That being said, mutual respect and understanding our partner’s rights as well as
implementing them are extremely important in order to have sustainable relationships.

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Productive Muslim

Productive Muslim! the word “Muslim” really is important in this simple statement. Because The
Muslim part of the statement guides the productivity. As Muslims we have to have a great link
with Allah SWT, That’s where everything else takes shape from and finds meaning. Without
having a good link with our creator, it is extremely difficult to be productive because we will not
be having a clear purpose and path to follow. Moreover, Muslims are obliged to believe in the
oneness of Allah, worship him and surrender to him at all situations throughout life. To be
particular, we are given a life and we will be asked about it in the hereafter and, as Muslims,
that’s what we believe. That being said, the importance of productivity in everyone’s life is
crucial and no one would argue otherwise.

The prophet Muhammad states in a hadith that one of the most important things that we are
going to be asked on the day of judgment, is the time we are given, (specifically the time when
we are young). We have to utilize our time wisely to be productive. Time management is a very
hot topic and thousands of books and blogs prof that. Our religion is so beautiful and
comprehensive. One can find no topic or matter not being discussed and given solutions for and
being productive is the core value of a Muslim individual and it had been fully documented in
Quran and prophetic sayings. For instance, consider the five daily prayers that Muslims are urged
to perform. I personally really am smitten by the timing of the prayers. We start the day early for
performing the Salah Fajir. Waking up early has hundreds of benefits which today even science
prof that, and then followed by Zuhur, ASR, MAGHRIB, AND ESHA. We only have to ponder
about the timing of the prayers, perform them at the given time and we are set for having a
productive day ahead of us.

Mufti Menk in this one hour video on productive Muslim discusses a lot of other related topics
as well which is impossible for me to include a page of report however, the gist of the video is
that, as Muslims, we have to do best, be best and use our time and live our lives effectively and
efficiently, become aware of our actions, habits, customs, goals and try our best to live a life
which is prosperous in this world and grant us success in the hereafter. Therefore, what I have
learned from this video is one of the most important lessons I have ever learned in my three years
of university life. The key to being productive is using the time wisely and having self-discipline,
and a complementary supplement for achieving them is the courage and motivation that keep us
on track. A simple formula or steps that I came up with after watching the video on being
productive and worked wonders in my productivity since then is as follows.

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1. Have Fixed Times for anything you do.

2. Put a Stop to Time Wasters, spend time with those who help you and are passionate.
3. Say “NO” for Procrastination. NO excuse! First things first!
4. Stay Busy at All Times and do what you out to.
5. Invest in Productive Activities.
6. Share knowledge with others and be humble.
7. DO NOT FORGET EXERCISE!!

Conclusion

Nothing is created without purpose and if anything is done with no particular purpose is fruitless.
Frankly speaking, I used to watch to watch a lot of Islamic videos and discussions as a daily
routine. However, I have never paused the video and to think that why I am viewing this or what
am I going to learn from this? It was just a passing time or something that I used to spare time at.
Thank god and thank for the personality assignment which assisted me to give a purpose for
what I basically view every day (particularly Islamic videos).

After I was assigned with the developing an Islamic personality assignment, I started to listen to
the video I would view and concentrate on learning something to enable me writing a page of
video report. At the beginning, it was just that and I was listening to the speaker to just write the
report however by the third week, I felt that something is different and I no longer view the
videos purposeless. I realized this beautiful thing which is concentrating on whichever video I
view. This is one of the positive attributes of the assignment which I will be forever grateful for.

Secondly, it enables me to increase my Islamic knowledge in general as well as about certain

matters. It helped me to work on my shortcomings and try to improve my character as a Muslim
youth. Specifically, from these ten videos which I watched, there are few imperative things
which I learned and want to highlight. I watched ten videos on completely different topics. Such
as motivation, productive Muslim husband and wife relationships, control your tongue, so on and
so forth. These are the hot issues that actually everyone experiences at times. I have learned from
these videos that I should have complete knowledge about my own rights and others too. Most
importantly, I have gained the courage to implement them in real life. As it is clear that
knowledge is as bad as not knowing unless it is implemented.

So to develop an Islamic personality, there are generally many categories that a Muslim
individual should consider in order to possess an Islamic personality and some of the crucial
aspects to consider perfecting are:

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i. His Attitude towards His Self; Mind, Body and Soul

ii. His Attitude towards Allah SWT

iii. His Attitude towards People

iv. His Attitude towards other creatures

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