Motivation: #Life

Life changes with each day, some days are; when we are very energetic and active and at times we all lack motivation and desire to do anything. We are easily distracted and fear failure. Ultimately, put off our tasks.

If we are not motivated we cannot do our work with interest. Motivation is result of both internal and external factors like; needs, goals and expectations that stimulate the desire to do something.


This word cloud is generated by using www.jasondavies.com

“We can say that motivation is a force that drives us to do something.”

There are so many theories in the world about motivation. But I think there is a lot of motivation in religion. When we worship our Lord without any material gain, I think this is also a powerful motivator in itself.  

As a Muslim I can write about few of sources of motivation in Islam.

• – Quran (Holy Book )
• – Hadith ( Way of Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H)
• – Nature
• – Life after Death.

Islam always teach us to do good and tells us about the rewards that are kept for us in this life and here after. If we think about the rewards then it keeps us going.

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts –­ Eleanor Roosevelt

How to be motivated?

Believe it or not, all of us have motivated our self many times in life. So, we do not need to go out to get it, but it is inside us, we have to find it or wake it up. At times you have to #PushYourself. As a human we love to start new things in our life. It gives us a sense of freshness, hope, courage, confidence and excitement depending upon the case. That is why we are always happy and excited about our new jobs, meeting new people and going to a new place.

You can have #inspiration and #motivation if you try to;

• –  do something new and different with every passing moment of life.
• –  to be one that can help society and humanity in every possible way.
• – work hard to raise the standards of your life and nation as a whole.
• – help your country grow.

These actions can help us to get some energy and #motivation when we feel down.

The secret of getting ahead is getting started – Mark Twain

Remember:

I believe that we feel down or less motivated or even not motivated at all when we cannot think about rewards and success. These are triggers that stimulate our motivation. If we remember that;

• – All the good deeds that we can do to benefit our; religion, country or nation can be key to success here and here after.
• – All the prayers in front of Allah can be source of peace, satisfaction and fulfillment.

These are the best rewards that we can have, when we will keep eye on these rewards our each new day will give us a new start and desire to do something new and amazing.

What to do?

With the passage of time and on the basis of experience we must ingrain gradually new attitude towards things in us. When we will keep on changing our way of looking at things. Every time we will find something new in everything. It will give us a feel of freshness like we are starting a new thing. We will be excited and motivated, with a strong will power to do something new and good to benefit us and others.

We must understand the value of discipline in our life, if we are disciplined it can bring a lot of success and motivation.

If we want something, we have to work for it. There is no short cut or magical way for it. We have to overcome our fear and use it to advantage us and give strength. If we see a snake, we get frightened, we have to run from there or kill it (in critical situation) to save our life.

Exercise to motivate :

• – Clear your mind from negative thoughts.

• – If you have put off a difficult task, it is like humans. All you need now, is to, try and complete all pending tasks that have lowered your energy level. Sometimes we put off task and later when we start, feel that easy and finally finish it. We think for a while about the delay and say, “ Why I was putting this off?”

• – We have challenges in life and try to avoid them, but today, try to challenge your challenge.

• – Always try to keep an eye on the end. No matter how you start, when you will finish the task, it will bring a lot of happiness as reward. To get that reward forget about the fears and get started.

• – Above all, in times of depression, when you feel you lack motivation, a silent prayer or time with God (Almighty Allah); a bow, can bring all the lost energy and motivation back within a second. He is the one who knows; all the feeling and causes of depression and is only one who can fix things and has solution of our every problem and can give peace and motivation to us.

Now it's your turn to tell what you do to keep yourself motivated?

Click here to read related posts;

CONCEPT AND METHODS OF MOTIVATION IN ISLAM

Human Motivation:Islamic Perspective.

17 Ways To Motivate Yourself To Do Great Things.

Images are taken from;

motivationgrid.com

quoteswords.com

http://bestcoverpix.com/

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Ramadan, Now and Then

Eid-ul-Fitar has just passed and now we are about to enter month of zilhaj, signifying the arrival of Eid-ul-Azha. Still the jamboree of Eid, its charm and happiness is with all Muslims and we are heading towards another. I would like to say the greatest day of sacrifice. Not in sense of any kind of fight/war but for the obedience of Allah the Creator of Universe. Eid-ul-fitar is a gift from God for all those who fast in holy month of Ramadan. This eid is celebrated at the end of Ramadan. 

What is Ramadan?

Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) said for Ramadan, narrated by Anas bin Malik " One night in this month which has commenced, is ( in the point of dignity and honor) superior to one thousand months. Whoever deprives himself from attaining its auspiciousness is deprived of every facility" he added, "Only an unfortunate being is deprived of its facility"( transmitted by Ibn-e-Maja)*

Ramadan is month of blessings when God opens the gates of Heaven and closes all gates of Hell. Commencement of Ramadan brings many rewards with it. This is a month of charity, forgiveness, blessing, generosity. Its days and nights are best throughout the year. Ramadan is holy month when all Muslims are advised to fast from dawn to dusk. This month is for Ibadah ( worship God )for asking forgiveness from Him and to get Jannah ( heaven). Muslims are supposed to pray and recite as much they can. Each prayer offered in month of Ramadan is worth many in other months. This is the month when Allah completed the revelation of  Holy Quran ( the noble book). This month is hiding inside the treasure of the holiest nights of Laylatul Qadr. This month is a gift for all the Muslims, it teaches many things like; controlling our minds, hearts, our desires, to believe God strongly. 

Few decades before the Muslims were happy by listening to announcement of Ramadan and use to prepare themselves for long nights of worship, confession, obedience and days with fasting and reciting.

They enjoyed their long days of fast with hunger and thirst in world’s most hottest areas with out much facilities. They had less food to open and close fast. All night Muslims used to stand in front of God to pray and trembled in fear of hell. They wished if whole year could be Ramadan. They use to fast no matter if they are dying of sickness or hunger etc. They used to isolate and pray to make their God happy.

Contrary to that if we see around today we can understand very quickly that this month is losing its concept. Now Muslims are not taking it as a religious month for offering prayer but as month of festival. Today we emphasize more on decorating our houses , buildings and markets. We are happy with the festivity and enjoy feast of Ramadan. Now we do not emphasize much on fasting and find ways to get rid of fast and enjoy fast food and drinks. We have forgotten the fact that if we miss any fast deliberately we can not get that reward even fasting throughout year. We have uncountable dishes on our dinning tables to start or break our fast. We are enjoying our nights out in

Malls and enjoy; shopping and parties. One who will get best offers during shopping consider him/her to be the luckiest. We wait for Eid-ul-Fitar from first day of Ramadan. We are happy to socialize as much we can in Ramadan to be happy. Sadly, many companies wait throughout the year to make money during this month. Media is also playing its role to attract more people towards markets and have advertised this holy month as some type of commercial festival rather than a religious one. 

We have totally deviated from true spirit of Ramadan.

I wish we sit back and analyze our behavior as a Muslim and try to understand what we were supposed to do and why we were sent to this world. To be happy and enjoy or to make our God happy with our actions. Let us prepare for this month like companions of Holy Prophet( P.B.U.H). Take best out of this holy month by improving your grades in front of Allah. The rewards of fasting can not be measured and performing Umrah is equivalent to performance of haj.

May God bless all of us with many holy months of Ramadans and we utilize its each moment to its fullest. We can make our Ramadan productive by checking this card by productivemuslim.com. 

Here you can see some amazing pictures of Ramadan from different countries of the world. 

Images from:

www.islamicnet.com

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7149890.stm

http://www.alquranclasses.com/

Website is mentioned on one picture.

*. Reference used from a book: Kitab us Sayyam by Iqbal Kilani
Check some pictures of Ramadan here.

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Harassment and Hijab

During last couple of weeks I am coming across many videos on Facebook shared by friends in which females walk through streets to show the way they are harassed. Firstly, the video(1st below) was filmed and many saw and shared it around the world.  It was about the harassment that female face during daily life. So today the topic is; Harassment and Hijab!

After watching these video(2nd) many have recorded their responses and mostly said,” If after wearing hijab girl should have walked in same area, where she came across some remarks before. This could have given us a better insight into the matter.”But I think that each type of people are present everywhere and even if she walked in same place, for sure those people were not there, waiting for her to return.

I am observing Hijab from 2007 and then for the first time I experienced in my life; when a woman wear Abaya she mostly remains unnoticed as no one see any attraction in her. It really feels great. 

As per my personal experience I can say this for sure, women in Hijab are not targeted much, sometimes they face problems as if someone feel pressure or fear to see them around. Otherwise it is great protection. Wearing Hijab or Niqab is according to law of Islam and in many countries of Muslim world it has become tradition. You can find the post about dress code of Islam here.  

When a small girl becomes few years old she tries on her mother’s niqab as she always see her mother in niqab or hijab. I have a 3.5 years old daughter and she always see me when I am going out I am in hijab and now when I ask her to get ready she runs and brings my abaya and sometimes ask me to help her and teach her how to wear it and normally asks me to buy her an abaya. The point, why I have mentioned this personal experience here is; it is all about how we do and how we teach our kids. If we teach our daughters to wear hijab we can also teach our sons to lower their gaze.

Many complain that if there are so much restrictions for female Islamic dress then why there is no problem for men to wear any kind of western dress. According to Law of Islam men are also advised to lower gaze and dress modestly. It is not just women who are told a lot to follow, about every aspect of Life. BTW women are allowed to wear whatever they want inside their homes and asked to dress herself properly and nicely for her husband. 

Where there is emphasis on modest dressing for both of Muslim women and men a need for eye Hijab is also expressed. It is necessary for men to wear eye Hijab and are asked not to stare at women.

Lot of Muslim women around the world, including Muslim countries  aren't wearing hijab. They claim that we're free women. But I feel freedom is not the name of running, getting rid of or breaking the codes or rules of religion. Like if, we are staying in any country we have to follow its rules, if we will not abide by any law we will be punished  for it. Same is the case of Islam, if we are in this religion, we must believe that all the rules are made to benefit us and for our safety. As the supreme power who has created us knows best about us; our needs or demands, likes or dislikes, problems and their solutions.  Anyone who do not follow rules cannot be an open minded person.Religion teach us to follow Hijab/ niqab, what someone choose to wear can be different. I am from Pakistan and no one from my close relatives wear Hijab including my mother but we wear a long piece of cloth( Dupatta) according to our tradition and we are not pushed by anyone to wear that. God has given us free will to chose and follow. He has mentioned both paths; Right and Wrong. Now, it is up to us , what we chose and how we benefit from it. At the end we will be responsible for our acts and face the consequences. It is not men for whom, women wear Hijab/ abaya, God wants a believer women to wear it as He has mentioned many times in Quran and its interpretation can be read in the Hadith. Hijab/Abaya is not something new but came with the beginning of Islam.

But wearing Hijab makes a big difference as I have mentioned before that I have started Hijab from 2007 and I met same people before and after wearing Hijab, I personally felt, great difference in behaviour of people towards me.  I can say that you will certainly see a change in men’s DISGUSTING behaviour!  

If we see the history then we will come to know, how this Hijab/Abaya started after Islam, “It was asked from Muslim women to wear it when they leave the home so , they can be identified.” Islam also teach us to be nice to other religions and its believers. So if a non-Muslim women is not wearing Hijab, no matter what dress she choose for her she do not deserve to be harassed. This is also a fact, even many women who are wearing Hijab still sick of men shaming her. If there is not problem in women outfit, if it is according to Islam, we cannot over look the problem with the men who do not follow Islam. So  to remove problems of the society is it also necessary for men to lower their gaze.

To all the interested people; It might seem foreign because in our world the focus has become more about how Muslim women should dress and the discussion of how Muslim men should dress got dropped or how they must act while seeing a women.

On another note, It’s not that over the years even a Hijabi has never experienced being followed or so many cat calls or wolf whistles. All women have to deal with Disgusting behavior and cat calls of men all around the world. We must teach our children how a woman walking alone would be treated. In many cases women are being followed by educated men and in some cases men try to give their phone number. Sadly, I can only write up to the bunch of ignorant and disrespectful people being idiots, and cannot point anything to the race or religion or the country, such type of men belong.

So the message that comes from these videos, cover yourself while going out of homes, if you don't want to be bothered. But I also believe that it is needed for the parents to educate boys to respect  women, do not take women as objects of pleasure. Women is accepted to be the most respectful in all her relations like; Mother, Wife, Daughter, Sister etc. in all religions of the world. She is not supposed to be abused .

Again, I feel that these videos are pointing out the calling for Islamic dress. I believe if Islam teaches women to wear Hijab there is some logic in that. If someone who do not like women to see in Hijab tries to find faults in Islam and prove it by some actions of few who do not actually bother about religion but have a tag on them and damage the image of certain religion. Today, when many Muslim women are facing problems while practising their religion there are many western women who have come forward to stand with them and accept their right to live freely, you can check a post here. In this (3rd) video you can check the views of people about women wearing hijab. This picture from Facebook tells what is the duty of man in real. 

If you have decided to wear Hijab, that is your choice and no one can force you to do so. I hope that you can make best choice for yourself. We must not waste our energy to find inconsistency of any message but try to act wisely and be safe. We must let God judge, and think with your mind to be on safe side. 

Came across a post about street harassment in Arab News.

What do you believe about such videos, do they really give insight about the matter or just edited accordingly, to do some business? Can they help modify the image related to any issue and help in awareness about cause??


Images: I have prepared these images by using Canva. 

Happy New Islamic Year , 1436 AH.

I  got an email from a friend, wishing me New Year, couple of days before.  I was surprised, if my friend is mad as it’s October, then I opened the image and got to know that it was start of Islamic year. I hurried to my Facebook and updated a status, wishing all, a Happy New Islamic Lunar Year, a storm of wishes started coming towards me and then I came across some messages from Pakistan where friends made me to realize that new year has not started yet.

I checked in Google and saw that it will start on the evening of 24^th October 2014 . So Hijri new year has started in Middle East but seems Pakistan is behind and surprisingly this time the gap is of two days. 

So now we are in new Islamic year 1436 AH.  

Islamic lunar calendar starts with crescent moon sighting. Crescent moon may appear one or two days later the new moon, poor weather can delay the sighting. The AH  – "Anno Hegirae" which is Latin  or  you can simply say "After Hijrah" The meaning of  hijrah–emigration. The word Hijri is taken from Arabic language.

Hijri Calendar first started with the emigration of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) from (Mecca to Medina ) Makkah towards north, 270 miles to Madinah in 622 AD. Prophet Muhammad migrated towards Medina to establish a place where he, with his companions can practice the laws of Islam without any problem.

First month of Islamic calendar is Muharram, and Islamic year has 354 days in 12 months.The month of Muharram has special importance for Muslims but the 10^th day has it’s own significance. Many Muslims fast on 9^th, 10^th or 10^th, 11^th of Mahram to mark Ashura, this day marks the death anniversary of Hussain Ibn-e-Ali, grandson of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) who was beheaded during the battle in Karbala that is now in Iraq. The fasting on these days is not obligatory. With the start of Muharam you can listen about the importance of days in Islamic history from the surrounding Masjids if you are living in any Muslim country. In their speeches, scholars and clerics emphasize the importance of first 10 days of Muharam. These days are considered as the days of mourning and peace. Islam forbade Muslims to fight in four months throughout the year and this is first month in which fight is forbidden. This is a month of non-violence.  

Sunni and Shia sects in Islam mark these days in different ways. Shia’s celebrate whole month of Muharram as a month of mourning and flagellate themselves with knifes, rods , chains, strike their chest and backs and cry. Sunni Muslims celebrate it to mark victory of Prophet Mosses over Pharaohs of Egypt.

Many Islamic organizations organize conferences and seminars to highlight the importance of historical event in this particular month, many television channels broad cast special transmission and lectures are delivered by scholars marking the martyrdom of Harzrat Hussain on 10th of Muharram. In few countries of the Muslim world there is holiday on 10th of Muharram. 
 

Astronomical calculations are used to find future dates in many countries of the world and some get them by the glimpse of the crescent moon. The calendar that is used in Saudi Arabia is called Umm al Qura, it is also followed by few other Middle East countries. Muslims from around the world follow same festivals on different dates in Muslim countries. But many countries just follow Saudi Arabia to follow Ramadan and Eid festivals.  In Pakistan the people of province , Khyber Pakhtoon Kawa (KPK) start fasting with Saudi Arabia and also celebrate Eid with it but rest of country start Ramadan and celebrate Eid by actual sighting of moon. That normally appears with the difference of one or two days. For the first time, in my life, Eid –al-Adha, 2014  was celebrated in Pakistan  with the gap of two days, from Saudi Arabia. Muslims have only two Islamic holidays throughout the year and they are on festivals of Eid-al-Fitar and Eid-al-Adha.

Expected first day of new Islamic year in 2015 is Thursday, October 15.

 

You can check a post of Washington times for 1436 and importance.  Celebration of Muslim new year is a cultural tradition , not the religious one. This celebration is much different from the Georgian New year celebration, it is actually so quiet. People mostly pray during the day and repent for their sins of last year and ask for forgiveness from God. This year 1436 started on Friday that is marked as an important day of the week.    

Islamic calendar is mostly followed to check the dates for Islamic festivals and holidays. So I would like to say a Happy New Year to all Muslims around the world and my friends who follow Georgian calendar, I wish you in advance.  I wish this year will bring prosperity and success for whole world and we will rise up, forget about differences and start living peacefully. May this year bring abundance of  blessings and may God shower us with Taqwa ( fear of God).

Thank you Ahsan Rafique for a beautiful picture of Masjid-e-Nabwi Madinah Manawara , Saudi Arabia. 

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