Rain: The Bads and The Goods. // 🌧

Untuk pertama kalinya lagi setelah beberapa-sekian-abad gue ngga ngepost, gue akan mulai ngepost lagi dengan membahas tentang hujan.

Ngga akan pernah abis gue bikin post-an tentang hujan, karna ngga akan pernah ngerti juga gue sama musim hujan ini. Untuk beberapa banyak orang menganggap hujan itu sebagian dari berkah, which is true. Bahkan ada yang bilang waktu terbaik untuk berdoa adalah ketika hujan turun, makanya waktu hujan alangkah baiknya jika kita berdoa sebanyak-banyaknya; bahkan gue sampe membuat catatan demikian..

"Ketika hujan turun, berdoalah.."

To be honest, I'm not a big fan of 'rain'. Bukannya ngga bersyukur atas hujan ini apa gimana, tapi emang hujan ini bisa dibilang musim / cuaca yang paling "musuhan" sama gue. Entah karna sistem imun gue yang terlalu lemah atau gimana, tapi emang-selalu-pasti-dan-sudah-ditetapkan kalo setiap musim hujan gue selalu flu atau pilek atau jadi 'bocah ingusan'. Lebih tepatnya flu. Flu. Flu..

Memang sudah menjadi penyakit menahun.. Nggadeng itu lebay, lebih tepatnya memang sudah menjadi penyakit musiman. Bukan, bukan "musiman" dengan artian kata "mengikuti trend" tapi emang musiman yang berarti "langganan tiap musim".

Contohnya ya kayak sekarang ini nih. Bulan Oktober - November - Desember emang udah dinobatkan sebagai bulan dimana hujan lagi "rajin-rajinnya" turun membasahi bumi. Lebih spesifiknya sih membasahi Indonesia. Dan bahkan mungkin bisa sampe bulan Januari dan Februari, kaya yang udah-udah..

Di bulan-bulan itu juga udah menjadi langganan gue yang mulai breath heavily (re: nafas tetep pake idung tapi terhalang oleh ingus). Suka sedih emang kalo ngeliat sistem imun gue yang teramat-sangat lemah dan bermusuhan dengan musim hujan ini. Udah susah nafas, berisik pulak harus nyedot-nyedot ingus mulu. Belum lagi kalo udah ditambah sama batuk berdahak, beeeeuh rasanya pengen dicopot aja ini kerongkongannya. Nyiksa lahir dan batin. //rada lebay tapi emang bener//

Bukan cuma karna sakit aja alesan gue bermusuhan sama musim hujan ini, entah kenapa masih ada beberapa hal lainnya dimana hal-hal itu membuat gue semakin males kemana-mana kalo udah musim hujan kaya sekarang ini.

● Pertama, gue adalah makhluk-pembenci-air kedua setelah kucing. Atau mungkin ke-sekian-berapalah setelah makhluk-makhluk pembenci air lainnya yang tercatat dalam catatan orang-orang yang mau mencatat siapa aja makhluk pembenci air di dunia ini.... Intinya gue termasuk dalam golongan makhluk-makhluk tersebut dimana air adalah musuh mereka. //kecuali air buat minum//.
"Terus lo mandi gimana?" jika pertanyaan itu yang muncul di benak kalian pertama kali setelah membaca pernyataan gue tersebut, berarti kalian termasuk golongan orang-orang normal. Dan menyebalkan. Bilang gue jorok, tapi emang pada kenyataannya gue bukan orang yang gemar mandi. GUE-TETEP-MANDI-OKEY. Tetep. Tenang aja. Cuma disini gue-males-banget kalo harus kena air. Kalo ngga ada planning kemana-mana pada hari tertentu, jujur aja gue ngga akan mau repot-repot menapakkan kaki di kamar mandi bila hanya untuk kepentingan mandi. Big-NO. Sekian. :-)

● Kedua, mengingat gue termasuk dalam golongan makhluk pembenci air, ada kalanya gue ngga mau kena hujan sa-ma-se-ka-li kalo tujuan yang akan gue tuju pada saat itu bukanlah rumah gue. Gue ngga pernah suka feel dimana ketika hujan yang turun cuma gerimis-gerimis ucul dengan udara lembab yang "khas"-nya banget itu deh. Entah gue ngga pernah suka aja sama suasana lembab kaya gitu, ditambah kalo tangan (atau seluruh badan) gue habis kena basah karna air hujan terus udah gitu jadi lengket lengket gimana gidu gara-gara udaranya begitu. Aduh udah deh, udah pasti banget gue bakalan ngerasa ngga nyaman sa-ma-se-ka-li. Pasti bakalan jadi risih sendiri entah kenapa. Kecuali kalo habis basah gitu gue langsung ketemu kipas angin / AC, itu masih gapapa banget. Emang pasti banget bakalan masuk angin, tapi bagi gue lebih baik begitu daripada begini... apasih. Intinya ya gitu, mendingan gue kering gara-gara kipas angin / AC daripada harus kena angin/udara/cuaca/suasana atau apalah namanya yang lembab gitu.

● Ketiga, Jakarta adalah tempat dimana bahkan ketika hujan ngga turun aja macetnya udah bikin pengen sholat taubat nasuha. Entah kutukan apa yang menimpa daerah ini, tapi gue ngga pernah ngerti sama sekali kenapa kalo habis hujan itu jalanan malah makin tambah parah macetnya? Karna banjir? Mungkin.. Tapi ternyata bukan itu faktor utamanya. Bahkan ketika ngga banjir-pun jalanan-jalanan ini masih tetep macet ngga karuan ketika dan atau sehabis hujan. That's totally-and-absolutely sucks.

● Keempat, ketika sudah masuk musim hujan kita "tercinta" ini, kulit gue-pun ikutan berubah seperti kondisi kesehatan gue. Kenapa? Dia berubah menjadi kering keronta nan menjijikan. Tiba-tiba aja gitu jadi ngelupas sana dan sini, terutama dibagian muka and mostly, telapak tangan. Pada bagian ini mungkin kalian udah bisa mengambil kesimpulan kalo "ah, lo mah kekurangan vitamin C itu tandanya!" Ya, ya, kalian ngga salah. Awalnya juga gue mengira begitu. Tapi ternyata tidak begitu. Kalo emang gue kekurangan vitamin C, kenapa cuma pas musim hujan aja hal-hal ini terjadi? Apa karna perubahan musim yang cukup ekstrim? Ngga ekstrim juga sih, karna rata-rata orang di lingkungan gue pada ngga begitu mempermasalahkan kondisi mereka yang masih pada sehat-wal-afiat. Beside, I'm also not a big "fan" of Vitamin C. Why? Karna, entah ini sugesti apa gimana, tapi emang pada dasarnya setiap gue habis minum vitamin C, malah setelahnya gue jadi sakit. Makanya gue rada takut (dan lebih kearah jadi males gitu) kalo udah disuruh minum vitamin. Jadi gimana gue mendapatkan vitamin C? Makan buah, terutama jeruk. Seharusnya hal ini bisa membantu karna lebih alami. Tapi ternyata ngga juga, karna udah pada dasarnya aja tubuh gue ngga bisa berkawan dengan musim ini. Hm.

● Kelima, lumpur dimana-mana. Sudah dapat dipastikan, lumpur dan tanah-tanah basah ada di-ma-na-ma-na. Jujur gue paling "iyuh" kalo udah ngeliat hal-hal kotor dan basah dan becek kaya gitu. Call me "sok" but that's the truth. At least, there must be something that disgust you in this world, and that's what disgust me most. Mungkin lo bakalan bilang "elah lo mandi aja jarang sok-sokan jijik sama hal-hal jorok." Astaga ini beda sama masalah mandi, okey? Beside, kalopun gue ngga mandi juga gue ngga bakal kemana-mana kok. Pasti bakalan stay aja dirumah. Dan kalopun harus keluar rumah juga pasti gue bakalan mandi. So, what's the problem anyway? //mad face//

● Keenam, petir. Simple-nya aja, gue takut sama petir. Takut banget. Entah itu dari bentuknya, maupun dari efek suaranya. Efek suaranya sih yang paling takut. Tapi bentuknya juga... Intinya takut. Udah gitu aja..

Percayalah, gue udah berusaha buat minum segala obat yang menjanjikan "flu reda!" dan atau apalah itu. Tapi emang ngga tau kenapa obat itu ngga membantu sama sekali. Beda banget sama kalo ketika gue sakit pas bukan musim hujan, itu yang namanya minum obat baru sekali alhamdulillah besoknya langsung mendingan banget. Dan gue sudah dapat mengambil kesimpulan kalo "flu hujan" ini ngga akan berakhir kalo musim hujan juga belum berakhir..


Buat sebagian orang, hujan ini adalah waktu yang sangat tepat buat mereka bergalau-ria. Katanya, sambil mandang kearah hujan, kemudian diiringi oleh lagu-lagu sendu yang emang udah ada di playlist dengan judul "Hujan Melagu". //sumpah ini bukan pengalaman pribadi//

"Hujan; setiap tetesnya mengandung kenangan." Petikan kalimat dari salah satu temen gue pas di kampus itu yang masih banget nyantol di otak gue sampe detik ini. Sakit sih, tapi emang bener.. //kalo yang ini baru berdasarkan pengalaman pribadi hm//

Setiap tetes dari hujan itu emang mengandung kenangan, terutama buat mereka yang hatinya sedang/masih rapuh.. //hiks// Kenapa gitu? Perumpamaannya gini, buat kalian para pengendara motor pasti kalian pernah ngerasain dimana pas lagi dijalan itu hujan, terus mau ngga mau itu kaca helm kalian buka dan membuat tiap tetes hujan kena muka kalian. Kadang tetes hujan itu bikin seger, tapi ngga jarang juga tetesan-tetesan itu bikin sakit/pedih kalo "nyerempet" kulit; sama kaya kenangan, kadang bikin seger, bikin seneng, tapi ngga jarang bikin perih di hati. Iya ngga sih?

#FunFactsHujan memiliki kemampuan untuk menghipnotis manusia untuk meresonansikan ingatan masa lalu. Dan tanpa bisa mendapatkan bukti ilmiah, para ilmuan hanya bisa menyimpulkan Di dalam hujan, ada lagu yang hanya bisa didengar oleh mereka yang rindu.

Mungkin ini salah satu alasannya kenapa hujan identik dengan "waktu menggalau" bagi mereka para "penikmat kegalauan". For me? Dealing with influenza yang ngga sembuh-sembuh ini aja udah cukup banget menyiksa raga dan jiwa. Percayalah, jadi "bocah ingusan" sepanjang musim hujan itu sooper-dooper ngga enak. Asin. :-(

//say "hi!" to random-doodle-guy right there!//

Untuk membuat post-an kali ini lebih bermanfaat, gue akan memberikan Fakta-Fakta Menarik Tentang Hujan yang diambil dari beberapa sumber (yang semoga) terpercaya. Check diz out meh..

☞ Dalam satu detik, kira-kira 16 juta ton air menguap dari bumi. Air-air ini yang kemudian dinamakan "hujan" setelah mengalami berbagai-macam proses diatas awan sana dan kemudian turun kembali membasahi bumi.

☞ Butiran air hujan berubah bentuk ratusan kali tiap detik. Jadi dari awal mulai hujan turun sampai nantinya berhenti, bentuk butiran/tetesannya ngga ada yang sama.

☞ Kalau butiran air hujan dibekukan, maka akan membentuk kepingan kristal yang luar biasa indah, tidak seperti air biasa yang dibekukan di freezer/kulkas.

☞ Ketinggian minimum awan hujan adalah 1.200 - 10.000 meter. Efek yang ditimbulkan oleh satu tetes air hujan yang jatuh dari ketinggian tersebut sama dengan benda seberat 1 kg yang jatuh dari ketinggian 15 cm.

☞ Air hujan juga memiliki fungsi untuk membersihkan udara. Biasanya setelah hujan pertama turun, udara akan jadi lebih bersih dan segar. Tidak lagi terasa panas dan gerah.

☞ Air hujan yang turun pertama kali sangat-tidak-baik untuk kesehatan. Jadi kalo kalian pengen main ujan-ujanan, pastiin mainnya 5 menit setelah hujan turun.

☞ Rata-rata kecepatan jatuhnya air hujan hanyalah 8-10 km/jam, hal itu disebabkan oleh titik hujan yang memiliki bentuk khusus yang meningkatkan efek gesekan atmosfer dan membantu hujan turun ke bumi dengan kecepatan yang lebih rendah. Andaikan bentuk titik hujan berbeda, atau andaikan atmosfer tidak memiliki sifat gesekan sehingga menyebabkan kecepatan air hujan beberapa km/jam lebih cepat dari biasanya, bayangin aja kalo bumi akan mengalami kehancuran setiap kali hujan turun..



Beralih ke sisi yang sedikit-lebih religius, sekarang kita akan membahas hujan menurut Islam

Emang udah jelas disebutin dalam Al-Qur'an bahwa hujan memiliki peranan penting bagi semua makhluk hidup. Hujan juga menjadi salah satu "prasyarat" untuk aktivitas kehidupan disuatu tempat.

Di dalam ayat kesebelas Surat Az-Zukhruf, hujan dinyatakan sebagai air yang diturunkan dalam “ukuran tertentu”.
“Dan yang menurunkan air dari langit menurut kadar (yang diperlukan) lalu kami hidupkan dengan air itu negeri yang mati, seperti itulah kamu akan dikeluarkan (dari dalam kubur).” (QS. Az-Zukhruf, (43):11)
“Kadar” yang disebutkan dalam ayat ini merupakan salah satu karakteristik hujan. Secara umum, jumlah hujan yang turun ke bumi selalu sama. Diperkirakan sebanyak 16 ton air di bumi menguap setiap detiknya (seperti yang udah kita bahas diatas). Jumlah ini sama dengan jumlah air yang turun ke bumi setiap detiknya. Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa hujan secara terus-menerus bersirkulasi dalam sebuah siklus seimbang menurut “ukuran” tertentu.

Bagaimana hujan terbentuk tetap menjadi misteri dalam kurun waktu yang lama. Hanya setelah ditemukannya radar cuaca, baru deh kita bisa memahami tahapan-tahapan pembentukan hujan. Pembentukan hujan terjadi dalam tiga tahap; Pertama, “bahan mentah” hujan naik ke udara (air laut), kemudian terkumpul menjadi awan, dan akhirnya, tetesan-tetesan hujan pun turun.

Believe it or not, tahapan-tahapan tersebut ternyata secara terperinci sudah tertulis dalam Al-Qur’an sejak berabad-abad tahun lalu sebelum informasi mengenai pembentukan hujan disampaikan:
“Allah, Dialah yang mengirimkan angin, lalu angin itu menggerakkan awan dan Allah membentangkannya di langit menurut yang di kehendaki-Nya, dan menjadikannya bergumpal-gumpal: lalu kamu lihat hujan keluar dari celah-celahnya, maka apabila hujan itu turun mengenai hamba-hambanya yang di kehendakinya, tiba-tiba mereka menjadi gembira.” (QS. Ar-Rum, (40):48)
Sekarang, coba kita liat tiga tahapan yang telah disebutkan dalam Al-Qur'an :

Tahap pertama: "Allah, Dialah yang mengirimkan angin..."


Gelembung-gelembung udara yang tidak terhitung jumlahnya dibentuk oleh buih-buih di lautan yang secara terus-menerus pecah dan mengakibatkan partikel-partikel air tersembur ke udara menuju ke langit. Partikel-partikel ini –yang kaya akan garam– terbawa angin dan bergeser ke atas menuju atmosfer. Partikel-partikel ini (yang juga disebut dengan Aerosol) membentuk awan dengan mengumpulkan uap air (yang naik dari lautan sebagai tetesan-tetesan oleh sebuah proses yang dikenal dengan “JebakanAir”) di sekelilingnya.


Tahap kedua: "...lalu angin itu menggerakkan awan dan Allah membentangkannya di langit menurut yang di kehendaki-Nya, dan menjadikannya bergumpal-gumpal..."

Awan terbentuk dari uap air yang mengembun di sekitar kristal-kristal garam atau partikel-partikel debu di udara. Karena tetesan-tetesan air di sini sangat kecil (dengan diameter antara 0,01-0,02 mm), awan mengapung di udara dan menyebar di angkasa sehingga langit tertutup oleh awan.

Tahap ketiga: "...lalu kamu lihat hujan keluar dari celah-celahnya..."

Partikel-partikel air yang mengelilingi kristal-kristal garam dan partikel-partikel debu mengental dan membentuk tetesan-tetesan hujan. Sehingga, tetesan-tetesan tersebut, yang menjadi lebih berat dari udara, meninggalkan awan dan mulai jatuh ke tanah sebagai hujan.

Setiap tahap dalam pembentukan hujan disampaikan dalam Al-Qur’an. Terlebih lagi, tahapan-tahapan tersebut dijelaskan dalam runtutan yang benar. Seperti halnya fenomena alam lain di dunia, lagi-lagi Al-Qur’an lah yang memberikan informasi yang paling tepat tentang fenomena ini, selain itu, Al-Qur’an telah memberitahukan fakta-fakta ini kepada manusia berabad-abad sebelum sains sanggup mengungkapnya..


Eventho I'm kind of a "summer person", tapi, jatuhnya hujan ke dunia ini juga bukan semata-mata pengganggu bagi manusia, melainkan memberikan banyak manfaat. Karena itulah kita harus selalu mensyukuri nikmat yang telah diberikan Allah. Adapun Kumpulan Hadits Rasulullah tentang hujan ini, diantaranya adalah :

1. Ketika hujan turun, bacalah doa "Allahumma shayyiban naafi’aa."
كَانَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا رَأَى نَاشِئاً فِي أُفُقٍ مِنْ آفَاِق السَمَاءِ، تَرَكَ عَمَلَهُ- وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي صَلَاةٍ- ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ عَلَيْهِ؛ فَإِنْ كَشَفَهُ اللهُ حَمِدَ اللهَ، وَإِنْ مَطَرَتْ قَالَ: “اللَّهُمَّ صَيِّباً نَافِعاً”
“Nabi SAW jika melihat awan yang berkumpul di bagian ufuk langik, maka beliau menghentikan aktifitasnya, bahkan walaupun sedang shalat sunnah. Lalu setelah itu beliau kembali melanjutkan aktifitasnya. Jika awan tersebut berlalu maka beliau mengucapkan hamdalah, dan jika turun hujan maka beliau mengucapkan Allahumma shayyiban naafi’aa.” (HR. Bukhari)
2. Lebih baik bersyukur ketika kita terkena hujan / kehujanan.

عن أنس رضي الله عنه قال: ( أصابنا ونحن مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مطر، قال: فحسر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ثوبه حتى أصابه من المطر. فقلنا: يا رسول الله لم صنعت هذا؟ قال: لأنه حديث عهد بربه تعالى) رواه مسلم“Kami pernah kehujanan bersama Rasulullah, lalu beliau menyingkap bajunya hingga terguyur hujan. Kemudian kami berkata: Wahai Rasulullah kenapa engkau melakukan hal itu? Rasulullah pun bersabda: Karena hujan ini baru saja diciptakan oleh Allah.” (HR. Imam Muslim)
Maksud hadits tersebut adalah ; Hujan adalah rahmat dari Allah karena dekatnya antara waktu penciptaannya dengan waktu turunnya. Oleh sebab itu Rasulullah SAW mengaharap berkah dari Allah dengan turunnya hujan tersebut. Hal itu sebagaimana dijelaskan oleh para ulama terhadap hadits tersebut di dalam syarah shahih Muslim. Wallahu A‘lam..

3. Dianjurkan untuk berdo’a ketika turunnya hujansebagaimana diriwayatkan bahwa Nabi shallallahu ’alaihi wa sallam bersabda,
اُطْلُبُوا اسْتِجَابَةَ الدُّعَاءِ عِنْدَ ثَلَاثٍ : عِنْدَ الْتِقَاءِ الْجُيُوشِ ، وَإِقَامَةِ الصَّلَاةِ ، وَنُزُولِ الْغَيْثِ
“Carilah doa yang mustajab pada tiga waktu yaitu ketika dua pasukan telah berhadapan, ketika menjelang dilaksanakannya shalat wajib antara adzan dan iqomat, dan ketika hujan turun.” (HR. Muslim)

ثِنْتَانِ مَا تُرَدَّانِ الدُّعَاءُ عِنْدَ النِّدَاءِوَ تَحْتَ المَطَرِ
“Ada dua doa yang tidak akan ditolak oleh Allah yaitu setelah adzan dan ketika turun hujan.” (HR. Hakim)

اللَّهُمّ حَوَالَيْنَا وَلَا عَلَيْنَا,اللَّهُمَّ عَلَى الْآكَامِ وَالْجِبَالِ وَالظِّرَابِ وَبُطُونِ الْأَوْدِيَةِ وَمَنَابِتِ الشَّجَرِ
Doa Rasul ketika hujan turun: “Ya Allah turunkanlah hujan di sekitar kami bukan untuk merusak kami. Ya Allah turunkanlah hujan ke dataran tinggi, bukit, perut lembah dan tempat pepohonan tumbuh.” (HR. Bukhari)


Apapun yang Allah berikan kepada kita, gimanapun juga kita wajib mensyukuri segala kehendaknya. Karna percayalah, apapun itu yang diberikan Allah adalah yang terbaik buat kita. Yang perlu kita lakukan hanyalah bersyukur, bersyukur, dan bersyukur.

Gue ngga pernah lagi mengeluh kalo lagi sakit kaya gini, apapun penyakitnya (sebisa mungkin) gue tahan dan mencoba buat ambil hikmahnya aja. Mungkin aja gue sakit tiap musim ujan gini karna emang guenya yang kurang bisa jaga kesehatan. Bisa jadi juga karna aktifitas gue yang padet dan ditambah kondisi badan gue yang lagi kurang fit. Bisa jadi juga ini karna Allah sayang sama gue, makanya Allah ngasih gue sakit kaya gini biar gue bisa lebih banyak istirahat dirumah, dan secara ngga langsung gue juga jadi bisa jaga makan dan jadi lebih bisa care sama diri gue sendiri.

See? Apapun yang Allah berikan sama kita, coba kita ambil aja hikmahnya. Karna apapun itu, selama kita masih dikasih cobaan, itu tandanya Allah masih sayang sama kita.

Apapun itu, jangan lupa mengucap Alhamdulillah.. ♥

۞25 Ways to Get the Most Out of Ramadan۞


❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋

A few intoductory and complementary notes:

☀ Ramadan is an auspicious opportunity for believers to renew their commitment to their Creator and the Sovereign of the Day of Recompense. This commitment must be both outward and inward, so that a Muslim not only recites more Qur'an and offers more units of prayer, but that she or he does so with reflection, humility and attentiveness.

☀ Muslims must ensure they are not formalists who concentrate only on the outward. Achieving Allah's acceptance must be a believer's priority and is not easy. "Indeed, Allah only accepts from the righteous [who fear him - al muttaqoon]." [Qur'an 5:27]

☀ Ramadan is a wonderful opportunity for accounting of one's sins and making repentance. If one does not repent in Ramadan, when will he or she do so?

☀ Muslims should strive to worship Allah as best as they can from the beginning of the month, for that increases chances of the end of the month being good as well.

☀ Muslims should consider what is it that they truly want to achieve in Ramadan, whether they want to be from the winners or from the losers, and should make sure they do not perform acts of worship simply because it is the surrounding people's custom to do so.

☀ Muslims must be firmly aware that Ramadan is only a means and not an end.

Twenty Five Ways to Get the Most Out of Ramadan
From the book "Khulaasatul Kalaam" by Shaykh Jarullah.

1. Fast Ramadan with belief and truly seeking the reward of Allah the Most High so that He may forgive you your past sins.

2. Beware of breaking your fast during the days of Ramadan without a valid Islamic excuse, for it is from the greatest of sins.

3. Pray Salat ut-Taraweeh and the night prayer during the nights of Ramadan - especially on Layatul-Qadr - based on belief and truly seeking the reward of Allah, so that Allah may forgive you your past sins.

4. Make sure that your food, your drink and your clothing are from halal means, in order that your actions be accepted, and your supplications answered. Beware of refraining from the halal while fasting and breaking your fast with the haram.

5. Give food to some fasting people to gain a reward similar to theirs.

6. Perform your five prayers on time in congregation to gain the reward and Allah's protection.

7. Give a lot of charity for the best charity is that of Ramadan.

8. Beware of spending your time without performing righteous deeds, for you will be responsible and reckoned for it and will be rewarded for all you do during your time.

9. Perform `umrah in Ramadan for `Umrah in Ramadan is equal to Hajj.

10. Seek help for fasting during the day by eating the sahoor meal in the last part of the night before the appearance of Fajr.

11. Hasten breaking your fast after the sun has truly set in order to gain the love of Allah.

12. Perform ghusl before fajr if you need to purify yourself from the state of major impurity so that you are able to do acts of worship in a state of purity and cleanliness.

13. Seize the opportunity of being in Ramadan and spend it with the good that has been revealed in it - by reciting the noble Qur'an and pondering and reflection of its meanings so that it be a proof for you with your Lord and an intercessor for you on the Day of Reckoning.

14. Preserve your tongue from lying, cursing, backbiting and slander for it decreases the reward of fasting.

15. Do not let fasting cause you cross your boundaries by getting upset due to the slightest of reasons. Rather, fating should be a cause of peacefulness and tranquility of your soul.

16. Upon completion of fasting, be in a state of taqwa of Allah the Most High, being aware of Allah watching you in secret and in public, in thankfulness for His favors, and steadfastness upon obedience of Allah by doing all what He has ordered and shunning all that He has prohibited.

17. Increase in remembrance of Allah, seeking of forgiveness, asking for Paradise and protection against the Fire, especially when fasting, while breaking the fast and during suhoor, for these actions are among greatest causes of attaining Allah's forgiveness.

18. Increase in supplication for yourself, your parents, your children and Muslims, for Allah has ordered making of supplications and has guaranteed acceptance.

19. Repent to Allah with a sincere repentance in all times by leaving sins, regretting those that you have done before and firmly deciding not to return to them in the future, for Allah accepts repentance of those who repent.

20. Fast six days of Shawwal, for whoever fasts Ramadan and then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if he fasts all the time.

21. Fast on the Day of `Arafah, the 9th of Dhul Hijjah, to attain success by being forgiven your sins of the last year and the coming year.

22. Fast on the day of `Aashuraa', the 10th of Muharram, along with the 9th, to attain success by being forgiven your sins of the past year.

23. Continue being in a state of iman and taqwa and perform righteous actions after the month of Ramadan, until you die. "And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty (i.e. death)". [Qur'an 15:99]

24. Ensure that you attain the positive effects of your acts of worship such as prayer, fasting, zakat and hajj, sincere repentance and leaving of customs that are in variance with the Sharee`ah.

25. Invoke a lot of salawat and salam upon the Messenger of Allah, may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him, his Companions and all those who follow them until the Day of Judgment.

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O Allah make us and all Muslims of those who fast and stand in prayer during the month of Ramadan based on belief and truly seeking Your reward so that we are forgiven our past and future sins.

O Allah make us of those who fasted the month, attained full reward, witnessed Layatul-Qadr and attained success by permission of the Lord, Blessed and Most High.

O Allah, verily you are Forgiver, like to forgive, so forgive us.

O Lord, accept from us, verily you are the All-Hearing, all-Seeing, O Living, O Independent, O Owner of all majesty and honor.

And may Allah's blessings and peace be upon Muhammad, his family and his Companions. Aamiin..

۞The Missing Soul of Productivity۞


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Over the last 9 years, I’ve dedicated myself to learning the science of productivity. I read over a 100 books and articles on how to lead and live a productive lifestyle, and tried and tested tens of productivity apps, tools, and systems to make my life more efficient. Looking back, it seems that all productivity resources I came across can be categorized in one of three ways:

    1. Hack Your Way to Productivity: These are tips, systems, and apps that make it “automatic” for you to be productive without giving it much thought. They are meant to hack the way your brain works and ‘trick’ you in doing things you’d normally not do if you didn’t have them.
    2. Manage Your Physical Well-Being: These are the tips that focus on improving your health – eating well, sleeping well, and getting enough exercise. The basic premise here is that if you take care of your body, you’d be in a better shape to be productive and deal with life stresses.
    3. Manage Your Environment: This school of thought focuses on how the space around us help us be productive. They look at noise, distractions, colours, furniture, and other factors that might affect our productivity and try to optimize our environment to boost our productivity.

All three categories have merit and are backed by years of research and scientific experiments. Yet the more I read and explored productivity research and all the latest tips, techniques, and apps that promise us to lead efficient and productive lives, I felt that there’s something missing in this discussion that’s fundamentally human but rarely do productivity experts engage in.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about – I’m talking about the soul. That neglected side of our lives that’s always present but we never seem to care about it as much. My contention in this article is that we’re not giving due attention to our soul when discussing the science of productivity.

The soul is the essence of the human being without which he/she loses their value. Think of a person who today is alive and kicking, has a character and personality, and people who love him/her and respect him/her. The moment that person dies, it’s as if it’s not him/her anymore. We rush to bury the person and only keep lingering memories of them in our photos and minds. We even refer to the dead person as “the deceased” and not even by their first name anymore.

Just like we know that our bodies need nourishment, sleep, and exercise, have we ever thought about the needs of our soul? And what would happen to our productivity if we understood the needs of the soul and started tending to them?

But first, let’s deal with the elephant in the room.

Why we don't talk about the soul anymore?

I was inspired by the work done by Professor Malik Badri in his book “Contemplation” where he challenges the way modern psychology (and by extension, social sciences) have discounted the spiritual elements of the human being in the name of science. He argues that in the interest of emancipating Western societies from the grip of religion and in order to mould something as complex and variable as a human being into a scientific cast, modern human sciences tried to “dehumanize” the human by explaining human behaviour in one of three ways:

    1. Behaviorism: Human beings are mere machines that, when exposed to specific stimuli, would react with responses which the researchers could control and predict.
    2. Freudian Analysis: Human behavior is fully determined by one’s unconscious sexual and aggressive impulses
    3. Biological determinism: Any human behavior is fully governed by our inherited genes, nervous system, and inborn biochemistry.

Because of the above categorization, all human sciences –  including productivity – has been drawn from the above sciences. For example, when we speak about “How to arrange our environment to make us more productive”, we are essentially subscribing to Behaviorism. When we talk about the foods and exercises we eat and their effect on the brain and our ability to focus, we’re drawing results from Biological determinism.

I am not saying that these sciences aren’t helpful in explaining some human behavior, yet my contention is that these sciences are not the ONLY way to explain human behavior since the human being is a complex creature that cannot be reduced to a chemical or physical data in a lab experiment. Moreover, modern science may have mastered how the body works, and how our brains function, but they don’t give a satisfying answer to how the soul works and what its needs are that if fulfilled – can help us lead meaningful and productive lives.

Understanding the needs of the soul

It is true, that it is hard to define the soul and it is hard to “touch it” or “feel it” or “smell it” or “taste it” or “see it” But just because it’s hard to define what the soul is – do we deny its entire existence and ignore such a huge important element of our lives that we all intuitively feel exists?

In Islam, we are taught that the Soul is the matter of the Unseen and we would not really understand the soul:

And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the soul. Say, “The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little.” [Quran: Chapter 17, Verse 85]

However, we are taught to recognize its needs and desires and to feed the needs of the soul regularly. Just like the body and brain needs food, water, and a distraction-free environment to get its best work done.. the soul has needs as well and if we don’t fulfill its needs we risk leading meaningless, purposeless lives.

So what are the needs of the soul and how can these needs boost our productivity?

Essentially, there are four main needs of the soul that we can draw from an Islamic perspective:

    ★ A clear/well-defined purpose that gives meaning to everything we do: You’ve probably heard about the importance of finding meaning at work and how it makes us more productive. But even though finding meaning at a micro-level and our day-to-day work is powerful, we need to go a step further and find an all-encompassing meaning and purpose that integrates our entire lives together and not just meaning and purpose at work. What’s the point of only having meaning and purpose at work when our family lives or personal lives don’t have a clear meaning?  The link to productivity is that meaning and purpose drive our intrinsic motivation. A study by Yale’s Amy Wrzesniewski and her team concluded that “Helping people focus on the meaning and impact of their work, rather than on, say, the financial returns it will bring, may be the best way to improve not only the quality of their work but also – counterintuitive though it may seem – their financial success”. Our souls yearn for meaning, an all-encompassing meaning that covers all areas of our lives. In Islam, this all-encompassing purpose is worshipping Allah (swt), not only in terms of rituals but in everything we do, we are supposed to be conscious of Allah (swt) from the moment of waking until we sleep. Allah says in the Quran: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”  If we feed our soul with meaning and purpose, it’s amazing what it gives back in terms of motivation, sacrifice, and hard work for the meanings we truly believe in.

    ★ A belief system that helps us interpret the world: Secularists and people who don’t believe in faith, will cringe at the notion of a belief system when discussing productivity. However, whether we like it or not, as human beings, we are deeply spiritual beings that have a continuous longing to be connected with an inner experience or our Creator. Religions or a belief system provides the necessary nourishment to the person’s soul and helps the person tap into their spiritual being more regularly. Moreover, a belief system provides the soul with a unique set of lens to help it deal with life events such as death or illness and improves relationships with people around him/her. On the contrary, not having a belief system makes one feel confused, lost, and not able to comprehend how to react when “bad things happen”. Another powerful positive reason for religions in general is that they provide a community and a personal identity for the person following the religion thus making the person feel more valued and grounded in values and principles that adds to their positive mindset and thus their productivity. As a final Divine message for mankind, Islam provides that coherent and complete belief system that helps a person connect to Allah (swt) and understand the world around him/her from the perspective of the Quranic message and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This by itself is a blessing that helps us lead productive lives if we truly internalize its meanings and outcomes.

    ★ Spiritual/meditative rituals that are done on a daily basis: Rituals ensure that our soul get a daily healthy dose of feeding just like our bodies get a healthy meal every few hours. That’s why in Islam, we’re required to pray 5 times a day, as a way to continuously feed our souls as well as remember Allah often throughout the day. It’s been proven that rituals and meditative practices have immense benefit to our productivity – even though at the outset, they seem like a “waste of time”. Studies have shown that meditators for example report having less headaches, chronic digestive disorders, chest pains, and other psychophysiological symptoms after engaging in their meditative practices. All of these positive symptoms, help boost our productivity. Moreover, for us as Muslims, these useful activities are religious duties, and even though we enjoy their positive psychological and physiological benefits in this world, their true benefit will be the pleasure of Allah in the Hereafter.

    ★ Ethics and values that help us make better soul-driven decisions: With a large purpose, a belief system that helps you fulfill that purpose, rituals that remind you of your purpose consistently, you can live an ethical lifestyle with values and principles you believe in. Moreover, by being reminded of these ethics and values through the stories of the Prophet or great companions or scholars of the past, the soul is always reminded of living a higher, more disciplined life, and avoid the downward spiral of living a hedonistic “dog-eats-dog” life. I argue that “The pursuit of productivity without a clear set of guidelines or ethical values can destroy the human being – either literally through physical illness and fatigue or mentally and emotionally through depression, stress and anxiety. Islam comes values and guidelines that are not imposed by an external force, but self-applied out of a person’s own will and submission to Allah”  Imagine if you don’t have an ethical system to lean on? how would you make decisions that make you feel comfortable that you did the “right things in life”?

I urge us all – as modern global Muslims – to start thinking about this topic more often, to have more discussions about it in our workplaces and schools, and come up with meaningful ways as individuals and organizations to boost our productivity by feeding our souls.


Do you think we are doing enough to promote the needs of our soul in today’s society?

Lastly, next time, before you feed your brain with the latest hack, or feed your body with the next fortified energy bar, ask yourself: What does my soul need? How can I feed it to boost my productivity?
xx, Z.


۞7 Spiritual Productivity Habits۞


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1. Recite one hour of Qur'an.
Not necessarily one juz or one surah!

2. Supplications before sleep.
For beautiful sleep and ease in waking up for Fajr inshaAllah.

3. Dhikr after salah.
Use pocketbooks or mobile apps (takes only 5-7 minutes!).

4. Sunnah prayer.
(Extra points!++) Before and/or after obligatory prayer.

5. Duha prayer.
Reward is similar to giving charity in behalf of every bone in your body! (After sunrise.. till before the sun reaches its zenith.)

6. Night prayer.
Attend taraweeh each and every night - no excuse!

7. Morning / Evening dhikr.
Before sunset & before sunrise; the sunnah is to recite these dua's.
✿ Stress relievers.
✿ Energy boosters.
✿ Blesses the day or evening.

Let's make this Ramadan to the fullest, Dorkies! xx, Z.

۞Healthy Fasting During Ramadan۞


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Don't break your fast with a feast or you may put on weight instead of losing it.

If you are not careful, food eaten during the pre-dawn and dusk meals can cause some weight gain.

Dr Razeen Mahroof, an anesthetist from Oxford says, feasting during the non-fasting hours can be unhealthy. He recommends approaching the fast with discipline, or an opportunity to lose weight and be healthier could be wasted.
 
"The underlying message behind Ramadan is self-discipline and self-control," he says. "This shouldn’t fall apart at the end of the day".

A balanced diet
Those observing the fast should have at least two meals a day – the pre-dawn meal (Suhoor) and a meal at dusk (Iftar).

Dr Mahroof says your food intake should be simple and not differ too much from your normal diet. It should contain foods from all the major food groups:

✿ Fruit and vegetables
✿ Bread, cereals and potatoes
✿ Meat, fish or alternatives
✿ Milk and dairy foods
✿ Foods containing fat and sugar

Complex carbohydrates are foods that help release energy slowly during the long hours of fasting. They are found in foods such as barley, wheat, oats, millet, semolina, beans, lentils, wholemeal flour and basmati rice.

Fibre-rich foods are also digested slowly and include bran, cereals, whole wheat, grains and seeds, potatoes with the skin on, vegetables such as green beans, and almost all fruit, including apricots, prunes and figs.

Foods to avoid are the fast-burning, heavily processed foods that contain refined carbohydrates (sugar and white flour), as well as fatty food (such as cakes, biscuits, chocolates and sweets such as Indian mithai).

It's also worth avoiding caffeine-based drinks such as tea, coffee and cola. Caffeine is a diuretic and stimulates faster water loss through urination.

Wholesome Foods
Suhoor, the pre-dawn meal, should be a wholesome, moderate meal that is filling and provides enough energy for many hours.

“Suhoor should be light and include slow digesting food like pitta bread, salad, cereal (especially oats) or toast, so that you have a constant release of energy,” Dr Mahroof says.

“It’s important to have some fluids with vitamins, such as fruit juice or fruit. Some people have isotonic drinks (such as Lucozade) to replace any lost salts.”

It's customary for Muslims to break the fast (Iftar) with some dates, in accordance with the Prophetic traditions.

Dates will provide a burst of energy. Fruit juices will also have a similar, revitalizing effect. Start by drinking plenty of water, which helps re-hydration and reduces the chances of overindulgence. Avoid the rich, special dishes that traditionally celebrate the fast.

Foods To Avoid
✿ Deep-fried foods – such as pakoras, samosas and fried dumplings.
✿ High-sugar and high-fat foods – including sweets such as gulab jamun, rasgulla and balushahi.
✿ High-fat cooked foods – such as parathas, oily curries and greasy pastries.

Healthy Alternatives
✿ Baked samosas and boiled dumplings.
✿ Chapattis made without oil.
✿ Baked or grilled meat and chicken.
✿ Homemade pastry using just a single layer.
✿ Milk-based sweets and puddings, such as rasmalai and barfee.

Cook Methods To Avoids
✿ Deep frying.
✿ Frying.
✿ Excessive use of oil.

Healthy Cooking Methods
✿ Shallow frying (usually there is little difference in taste).
✿ Grilling or baking is healthier and helps retain the taste and original flavour of the food, especially with chicken and fish.

Avoid Carbon Monoxide Poisoning While Cooking
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that has no smell or taste and which, when breathed in, can make you unwell and can kill. Cooking for large numbers of people using oversized pots on gas stoves has been shown to cause the build-up of carbon monoxide in some homes, particularly those that aren't well ventilated.

Therefore, if you are planning to cater for large numbers of people at your home – for example, at a pre- or post-Ramadan gathering – it's important that you don't use oversized pots on your gas stove and don't place foil around the burners.

Healthy Meal
These healthy meal ideas will give you a varied and balanced diet during Ramadan. They include ingredients from the five major food groups.

The meal plan has been written by medical experts in consultation with Islamic scholars.

Fluids (water and juices) and dates should be added to each Suhoor (pre-dawn meal) and Iftar (dinner – the meal that ends the day's fast). The fast is broken with dates, followed by dinner.

Suhoor: a bowl of porridge with milk, one slice of toast and a handful of unsalted nuts.
Iftar: pitta bread with chicken, salad and hummus, and one or two pieces of baklava.

Suhoor: wheat-based cereal with milk, a plain scone or crumpet, and an apple or banana.
Iftar: chicken with boiled rice, vegetable curry and mixed salad, followed by fruit salad with single cream.

Suhoor: a bowl of shredded wheat or muesli and a pear or orange.
Iftar: baked fish with roasted vegetables, or fish curry with rice followed by sweet vermicelli or one piece of jalebi (an Indian sweet).

Suhoor: cheese, then one teaspoon of jam with crackers or toast, and a handful of dried fruits.
Iftar: pasta cooked with vegetables and chicken or fish, and a slice of plain cake with custard.

Stay healthy during Ramadan, Dorkies! xx, Z.


۞12 Tips Controlling Your Mouth۞


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Many hadith of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) have warned us against letting the tongue be free, yet we still find amongst us many struggling to leave back-biting, slander, swearing, cursing, lying and all those traits which are not befitting for the character of a Muslim.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (ie. Allah will not accept his fasting.)” [Bukhari]

Here are some tips to control your tongue and gain the most of your fasting :

1. Leave that which does not concern you.
The first tip to master is to leave that which does not concern you. Don’t enquire about something that is not necessary like what someone else may have said or done wrong.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “From the excellence of a man’s Islam is leaving that which does not concern him.” [Bukhari]

2. Remember, ‘Silence is golden’.
Before you speak, start by asking yourself a few questions:
✿ Will this benefit or harm?
✿ Is it necessary?
Often it takes this mere moment of reflection to identify whether your speaking is necessary or useless. And as the proverb goes: ‘If talk is silver then silence is gold’. (You can write that and hang that up on your desktop!)

3. Conceal faults of others.
Covering the faults of others is part of the virtue of safeguarding the honour of Muslims.
Once the Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked: “O Messenger of Allah, which of the Muslims is best?” And He said, “He who the Muslims are safe from his tongue and his hand.” [Riyadh as-Saliheen]
We’re quick to disclose others' faults and conceal our own, yet we should remind ourselves of the time when we would wish our faults would be concealed. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever conceals (the fault of) a Muslim, Allah will conceal his fault on the day of Judgment.” [Muslim]
Our society is filled with many rumours that create disunity as well as animosity so always presume good of others and be part of the solution.

4. Eliminate unproductive ‘chit-chat’.
We are all culprits of talking rubbish at times, yet as Muslims we know that Allah is always listening to us. Ask yourself what topics often come up in your conversation? Are they about matters which would be pleasing to Allah? or are they just about worldly matters and boastfulness?
We have to ensure it is not always the latter, instead discuss topics that are beneficial, it may be social awareness, about a hadith you have learned, about Muslims who need help. Often I plan mentally in advance what I may say to someone new I am meeting, or consider topic areas of interest we may discuss at gatherings.

5. A slip of the tongue?
Our societies are fragmented and our families sadly ‘not on talking terms’ because someone said something without thinking or in a heated moment. We know from the narration of the Prophet (peace be upon him) it is prohibited to stop taking to one who has displeased us for more than 3 days; yet some Muslims go years on end without talking to relatives/family members despite the curse incurred as a result of cutting off such relationships. Often it occurs on the basis of what can be a ‘slip of the tongue’ – so take it upon yourself to say sorry if you wronged someone or forgive them if it was a slip of the tongue.

6. Don’t spend your ‘Free Minutes’ on TalkTalk.
Our social culture and major mobile corporation networks tell us that conversing is ‘free’ so we should take advantage of it – but every minute comes at a big price to your deen, dunya and akhirah. Check what your going to say is beneficial and the time spent- otherwise you just fall into the trap of talking without any meaningful purpose.
Cut out your talking time after iftaar and whilst your fasting and don’t let a minute be wasted. Instead, use those minutes to see how your family are, call to speak to those who you have not been in touch with for a while and get in touch with others to invite them to good. Allah (Subahanahu Wa Ta’la] says, "Verily by time, man is in loss, except for those who believe and do righteous deeds, and recommend one another to the truth, and recommend one another to patience." [Surah Al-Asr 103: 1-4]

7. Evaluate how much time you’ve spent talking.
Here’s an experiment to try for one day: Equipped with a timer, keep a tab on how many hours/minutes you speak each day, ideally per topic you cover as well. Then at the end of the day, evaluate your results looking at total time spent talking, how many hours/minutes spent on productive talk vs. unproductive talk, etc. The results can be revealing.

8. Sponsored Silence.
We all know a friend or two who has the ‘gift of the gab’ as they say, or you might be thinking “that’s me!” – try a sponsored silence day this ramadan! Where you don’t talk to anyone from dawn to sunset (Facebook barred too!). You can raise for a cause and learn a new trick (how not to talk..) which can help you to reflect on exactly how useful silence is. Indeed the prophetic teachings tell us that we should remain silent especially if we do not have anything good to say: “Anyone who believes in Allah and the Last Day, should speak good words or be silent” [An-Nawawi].

9. Check before you send!
With the advent of technology, our conversations have evolved such that we ‘speak’ to people via email conversation, skype, teleconferences, mobile, video messaging, facebook, twitter, line, whatsapp, etc. The speed of it all makes us sometimes hit the send button before we evaluate what we have to say.
Here’s a quick tip to avoid this:
✿ For e-mails, save the message in draft and read after one hour before you send it.
✿ For Instant Messaging, switch to something else (a small 10 minute task for example) then switch back and see if you still want to hit the send button. Always check before you send!

10. Replace the bad with the good.
One way to atone for any slandering/lying/backbiting is identifying who you spoke about wrongly, and either seek their forgiveness this Ramadan (or if this will cause more animosity), mention them well and praise them in the same circles of people you use to slander/lie/back-bite them in.

11. Mention the Name of Allah (Subahanahu Wa Ta’la).
Make it your habit to make mention of Allah (Subahanahu Wa Ta’la) in your conversations. Without this there is little protection from falling into the traps of shaytan and us losing control of our tongues. Every word we say will be held to account, and as Ibn Qayyum Al Jawziyyah says: “Every gulp of air that goes out in a cause other than the cause of Allah (Subahanahu Wa Ta’la) will turn to sorrow and regret on the Day of Judgement.” Don’t let your speech be the source of regret in the Hereafter and as the hadith says: “Make your tongue moist with remembrance of Allah”.

12. Seek protection from the Hellfire.
As mentioned at the beginning of this series, our tongues are the cause of our destruction or our salvation, so protect yourself from saying that which is wrong. Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “Do you know the thing which most commonly brings people into Paradise? It is fear of Allah and good character. Do you know what most commonly brings people into Hell? It is the two hollow things: the mouth and the private parts.” [Bukhari]

So, what are you waiting for? Let's make this Ramadan to the fullest!

NOTE: This info is a great reminder during Ramadan, but let's take it further and implement these points all year round inshaAllah.. 
xx, Z.

Originally posted by : muslimahsmusings.blogspot.com

۞Ramadan Planner۞


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Ramadan Planner

1. Pray 5 Salah in the Masjid: especially Fajr and Isha (for women to pray in it's earliest time at home, if preferred)
2. To avoid wasting time with friends and using Internet/TV/Mobile
3. To do all actions according to Sunnah (i.e. eat, sleep, use miswaak etc)
4. Adhkaar (words of remembrance) after every Fard Salah*
5. Perform all Sunnah and Nawafil Salah
(optional Prayer i.e. Ishraaq, Duha and Tahajjud)
6. Spending an hour in the Masjid/room in seclusion (individual worship)
7. Morning and evening Isti'adha and Adhkaar★
8. To recite a minimum 1 Juz of the Qur'an (or specify personal target)
9. Supplicating (making Du'a) at the times of acceptance★★
10. Sadaqah (initiating Salam, to smile, to spend what you love)
11. To learn something new (e.g. Quran, Hadith, Du'a etc)
12. Showing outstanding character and support to family and others
13. Guarding the Tongue (from lying, backbiting and futile Speech etc)
14. Guarding the Eyes and being Modest (in appearance and character)
15. Maintaining concentration and devotion in Salah (Khushoo')
16. add your own goal!

(★) Adhkaar: Optional Dhikr (suppliccation) chunks i.e.100x Shahada, 100x Istigfaar and 100x Darood Sharif.
Note: specify your own amount, it is known that Abu Hurayra (ra) would make tasbeeh of 12000 Daily!

(★★) When Du'as are accepted:
✿ When it rains
✿ Between Adhan & Iqamah
✿ After fard salah
✿ In sujood
✿ Midnight and the last portion of the night
✿ When oppressed
✿ Whilst travelling
✿ After wudhu

Instructions:
Print it off, jot it down and please rate each act on a daily basis between 1 - 5; 
1 being extremely poor and 5 being outstanding effort.
 
❁ Adhkaar after Fard Salah: to recite Ayatul Kursi, including the last 3 Surah's of the Qur'an and the Tasbeeh Fatimi; to recite "Subhaan Allah" 33 times, "Alhamdulillah" 33 times and "Allahu Akbar" 33/4 times (to equal 100)
❁ Isti'adha means to seek protection. There are many Du'as from the Qur'an and Hadith for seeking the protection of Allah from the Hell fire, shaitaan and other evils or calamities. (refer to Hisnul Muslim or Fortress of a Muslim)

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Why do this Daily 'Ibaadah Planner?
The main purpose of this daily 'Ibaadah Planner is to help one to get into the habit of these highly regarded acts of worship, and to steadily improve on them until one reaches a good level of consistency which will inshAllah result in improvement of your Imaan and relationship with Allah SWT.

How long shall I do this for?
In order for one to really benefit from this 'Ibaadah planner he/she must set a duration (i.e. 1 month) with a personal target in mind to improve themselves by monitoring their acts of 'Ibaadah on a daily basis before he/she retires to sleep; this is known as Muhaasabah (to take account of ones actions).

What attitude shall I maintain throughout each day?
When you wake up in the morning, do not expect to see the evening, live as though today is all that you have. Yesterday has passed with its good and evil while tomorrow has not yet arrived.
Your life span is but one day, as if you were born in it and will die at the end of it. During this day you should
pray with a wakeful heart, recite the Qur'an with understanding and remember Allah SWT with sincerity.
Organize the hour's of each day so that you make years out of minute's and month's out of second's.
Profit from every moment of your day by developing your personality, expanding your abilities and purifying your deed's.
 
Engrave onto your heart one phrase: Today is my only day.

۞Cerita: Wanita Perang Bercadar۞


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Oleh: Balmindra

Perang tidak jua kunjung berhenti, padahal mereka telah menawarkan kehancuran, kematian, kelaparan dan kesengsaraan abadi. Anaknya telah tiada akibat ditembus besi panas, suaminya mati dalam seretan penyiksaan. Kini siapakah orang yang akan menjadi tumpuan kebahagiaan dalam hidupnya?

Kiri kanan rumah-rumah telah rubuh bagai abu, padahal di seberang sana dahulunya warung kebab daging kambing. Tapi kini apa, di sana sekarang hanyalah reruntuhan berjejakan darah manusia tak berdosa.

Ia terus berjalan di antara reruntuhan bangunan yang berasap tanah gurun, mata cokelatnya berlinang air mata. Angin sepoi-sepoi mengibarkan jubah nan hitam, mulutnya yang selalu melafadz nama Allah ditutup cadar abu-abu yang berasal dari sorban almarhum sang suami. Tanganya menggenggam karung berisi bebatuan.

Si wanita menghentikan langkahnya sejenak, dipandangnya langit biru putih yang dipijar sang matahari.

“Ya Allah ya Tuhanku, Yang Maha Agung, Yang Maha Halus, nan mampu menembus hati hambanya, jika ini jihad, hamba rela mati atas namaMu,” tangisnya bergelimang, dengan hati gemetar dia lanjut berucap, “Jika hari ini adalah hari terakhir bagi hamba Ya Allah, relakanlah besok menjadi hari dimana kebenaran bertemu selatnya, berdiri di puncak gunung yang menembus langitmu. Amin.”

Berjalanlah wanita itu, bergerak menanjaki aspal yang telah kupak karena dilalui mesin perang. Langkahnya bagai angin, tanpa alas kaki, ia biarkan telapak kaki dibakar jejak panas matahari. “Allahuakbar, Allahuakbar!” terdengar suara sorak umat manusia di mana-mana, mereka semua berjihad melawan para tentara zionis yang bersenjata lengkap. Sedangkan kaum jihad hanya bersenjata alat-alat seadanya saja.

Tanpa lupa mengucap asma Allah, si wanita berlari menembus pasukan jihad yang tengah melawan tentara zionis. Tembakan tentara zionis melayang satu persatu, menumbangkan para penjihad kebenaran itu. Tapi hati si wanita tak surut, dilompatinya mayat-mayat yang tumbang, dilontarkanya batu-batu dalam karung seumpama Nabi Ibrahim As melontarkan batu ke wajah syaitan.

Pakaian hitam panjangnya bergemuruh kencang akibat melawan arah angin. Cadar abu-abu yang berasal dari sorban peninggalan sang suami terlepas, seiring dengan tembakan peluru tajam yang menembus dadanya. Darah seketika menyeruak dari mulut wanita malang itu, penglihatanya berkunang-kunang. Dengan suara serak yang telah berimpit tetesan air mata. Sang wanita tetap mengumpulkan tenaganya.

“Ya Allah biarkan batu terakhir ini menjadi tanda terakhir bagi hamba. Allahuakbar!!” soraknya menggema siang nan terik.
Dilemparkanlah batu terakhir dengan sepenuh tenaga, hingga menghantam kepala seorang tentara zionis dan menjadikannya tumbang.

Si wanita pun ikut terjatuh menelentang, kini tiada lagi tenaganya. Rubuh di antara puluhan mayat. Sesekali para pejuang jihad lain melompati raganya yang tak berdaya.

“Lailahailallah Muhamaddarasulullah....”

Matanya terpejam untuk selamanya, kini dia telah beristirahat di pangkuan Allah SWT. Menghadap Allah sebagai tentara wanita terhormat yang baru menang usai perang. []

Source: www.islampos.com

۞Stay Healthy During Ramadan۞


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"O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (Pious)" [al-Baqarah 2:183]

Ramadan is a Detox.
★ The digestive system absorbs nutrients that every system in our body requires.
★ According to doctors, fasting cleanses our body systems by removing harmful toxins that accumulate from normal everyday life, helping absorb nutrients faster and more effectively.
★ This gives us better overall health and even radiant, glowing skin!

Eat Healthy!
There is no excuse to eat poorly. Why? You are already putting your body in deprivation mode which cause stress due to the lack of food. The worst thing you can do to yourself is to go feed yourself oily, fried, low nutrition-dense foods when being in a deprived mode all day (stress). It's far more important WHAT you eat then WHEN you eat it during fasting period.
★ Avoid simple carbohydrates such as sugary foods, cookies, cakes, crackers, chips, potatoes, white bread, white rice, and pasta.
★ Too much food, as well as unhealthy diet will also sap your energy and give you a stomachaches or even headache.
★ Go easy on the fried, oily, and spicy foods.

Avoid Caffeine Beverages.
Limit drinking teas, coffees, and energy drinks. Consuming these kind of drinks after iftar will cause your body to remove water (diuretics) which is not a smart thing as it increases chances of dehydration during the day.

Here is 6 foods (/fruits) that keep you hydrated:
Cucumbers has 96% water
Zucchinis has 95% water
Tomatoes has 94% water
Pineapples has 87% water
Watermelons has 92% water
Strawberries has 92% water

Don't forget to always-always-always consume 8-12 cups of water (fluid) /day!
Try to connect your water with your prayer. How?
❁ Wake up and prepare for suhoor ➡ Drink 1 or 2 cups of water
❁ Iftar - Break fast ➡ Drink 1 or 2 cups of water
❁ Pray maghrib and dinner Drink ➡ 1 cup of water
❁ Pray isha Drink ➡ 1 cup of water
❁ Make sunnah shalat and prepare for tarawih ➡ Drink 1 cup of water
❁ After pray 1 part of tarawih and during the break ➡ Drink 1 cup of water
❁ Break between tarawih rakaats ➡ Drink 1 cup of water
❁ Before going to bed ➡ Drink 1 cup of water

Divide your meals into 3 ➡ Suhoor, Iftar, and Dinner.
Eat foods that complex your carbohydrates, such as; whole wheat bread, brown rice, veggies & fruits!
Don't binge right after iftar! Eat slowly and chew properly.
Avoid ➡ Fried foods & fatty foods! It causes sluggishness and fatigue.

How To Maintain Your Fitness During the Holy Month.
Good fitness is 20% exercise and 80% nutrition. With that being said, there's a clear lack of nutrition during the fasting state. Although you probably don't want to hear this, but working out shouldn't be your priority. This is simply because that while you're fasting, working out can actually be more detrimental than beneficial. However, I'm not a fitness person, but here I give you some tips that I recently read on the articles that I found on Pinterest.

Work on the inside.
Your KEY objective during ramadan is to build your inner strength (im'man). I must highlight this part because your inner strength will allow you to create an amazing foundation for your mindset when seeking your perfect physique year-round. Building your physique comes through tenacity, dedication, and willingness. These characters can be developed or enhanced during this month and carried forward throughout the year.

Don't workout during fasting period.
The best time to do a weight-training is NOT while fasting. You should avoid training while fasting because it leads to dehydration. Being dehydrated inhibits performance, recovery, an ultimately increases risk of injury.

Train after breaking your fast.
The protocol to your training should be the following:
❁ No more than 3x resistance training workout /week.
❁ 30-40min routines.
❁ At intensity level of 60%.
❁ Full body routines.
❁ Consume a moderate-high carbohydrate drink.

Here's the TOP 5 Ramadan health tips! :
Keep it simple! Break your fast with some organic dates and raw nuts - the protein in nuts slows the release of sugar into your bloodstream.
Don't overheat. Always start with a light starter such as soup and salad. After a long period of fasting, you need ease back into eating without overdoing it.
Stay hydrated. Like what I said before, don't forget to consume 8-12 cups of water per-day!
Keep moving. Light exercise, such as walking for 15-20 minutes. It's best done in the evening hours, or immediately prior to iftar.
Skip the sugary desserts. Eventho we knew that we should "break fasting with the sweet foods/drinks" but, don't over doing it. I mean, eat some fresh and naturally sweetened organic fruit instead. Such as Kurma! The best fruit in the world.
Rest-up. Erratic sleep patterns will only make you feel more exhausted during a fast so make sure you get enough sleep!

Remember, healthy inside, fresh outside! Happy Ramadan, Dorkies! xx, Z.

۞Perintah Allah۞


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Seberapa sering kita denger orang bilang,

“Sholat jum’at bakalan nambah ketampanan seorang pria beberapa persen.”

“Tau ngga sih? Selama gue puasa, berat badan gue turun. Banyak-banyak puasa senin kamis deh, lama kelamaan pasti lo dapet tubuh ideal.”

Ok, kita ngga mengingkari manfaat apa yang bakalan kita dapet setelah melakukan amal ibadah, kita pasti bakalan nemuin banyak manfaat-manfaat setelah beribadah.

“Tau ngga sih kalian? Saat kalian bersujud dalam sholat, darah akan mengalir ke kepala dan bisa meningkatkan kecerdasan seseorang.”

“Tau ngga sih, air wudhu itu bisa menghaluskan wajah, membuatnya lebih cerah, sehat, dan kinclong?”

Ok, ok, okkk. Tapi yang jadi pertanyaan, seperti itukah kita mengenalkan Islam kepada orang lain? Kepada saudara kita? Kepada teman-teman kita? Kepada adik-adik kita? Seperti itukah?

Begitukah cara kita beragama?

“Lo tau ngga? Saat lo mulai menghafal Al-Quran, pelajaran lain pun akan lebih mudah masuk ke otak?”
“Iya kah? Ok, gue mau masuk Islam, mungkin bisa memperbaiki nilai akademik gue.”

What? Begitukah cara kita memperlakukan Islam? Apa kita membuat Islam seolah-olah menjadi pelayan untuk hidup? Kalo kaya gitu, coba kita mikir lagi..

Kalo kita tau apa-apa aja manfaat yang bakalan kita dapetin dari ibadah yang kita lakuin, yaa itu sih bagus. Tapi, jangan sampe kita punya pikiran kalo hal itu bisa jadi hal yang kita prioritasin.

Apa yang bakalan terjadi?

Kita bakalan mulai mempertanyakan segala manfaat "keduniaan" yang ditawarkan oleh Islam. Kita mulai mempertanyakan apa manfaat Islam untuk segi ekonomi, kesehatan, dan semacamnya. Secara ngga langsung, kita akan mulai bertanya seberapa berguna Islam untuk membuat kita menjadi kaya.

Seberapa besar fungsi Islam untuk membuat umur kita panjang..

Sekali lagi, Islam ada bukan untuk melayani kita. Kita harus sadar dengan posisi kita; kita ini adalah seorang hamba.

Kita harus memenuhi hak Allah untuk disembah.

Gimana kalo manfaat yang kita cari itu ngga kita dapetin? Allah akan mulai menguji kita dengan kemiskinan, dengan penyakit, dan sebagainya.

Kalo itu yang kita utamain, kita akan mulai menyalahkan Allah atas segala hal yang menimpa kita.

Kita menyalahkan Islam atas musibah yang menimpa kita.

Dan secara ngga langsung kita akan mulai mengeluh, "mana yang katanya sholat bisa membuat sehat? Yang ada malah tambah parah."

"Gue udah banyak-banyak sedekah, tapi masih gini-gini aja usaha gue ngga ada kemajuan. Malah makin sepi pelanggan."

Bakalan ada banyak keluhan pada diri kita. Ngga ada yang salah sama Islam, tapi kita mulai menyalahkan atas kekeliruan yang kita bangun sendiri sejak awal. Tentang gimana kita meperlakukan Islam. Tentang gimana cara kita beragama. Dan tentang gimana kita mengenal Islam.

Saat Allah memerintahkan wanita untuk memakai hijab, adakah wanita di zaman Rasulullah yang menanyakan, "Ya Rasulullah, kenapa Allah mewajibkan hijab untuk kami? Apa manfaat hijab untuk kami? Apakah agar kulit kami terlindung dari sinar matahari?"

Adakah dari mereka (wanita) pada zaman Rasulullah yang menanyakan hal itu? Engga. Terus apa yang mereka lakuin? Mereka langsung nyari kain untuk menutupi seluruh tubuh mereka (termasuk kepala).

Atau saat Allah memberi kejelasan tentang keharaman khamr (minuman keras). Apa yang mereka (para sahabat nabi) lakuin? Apakah mereka bertanya, "Ya Rasulullah, kenapa Allah mengharamkan khamr kepada kami? Keburukan apa yang akan kami dapatkan saat kami meminumnya? Apa keuntungan buat kami saat kami menjauhinya?"

Dalam sebuah kisah, diceritakan saat turun wahyu tentang keharaman khamr, salah seorang sahabat langsung memuntahkan khamr yang diminumnya yang sudah masuk dalam tenggorokannya. Mereka langsung memecahkan kendi-kendi yang berisikan khamr tersebut di rumah-rumah mereka.

Atau saat Allah menyuruh nabi Ibrahim AS menyembelih anaknya (Ismail), adakah pertanyaan yang dilontarkan kepada Allah "Ya Allah, kenapa engkau menyuruhku menyembelih anakku? Apa manfaat yang aku dapatkan setelahnya? Apakah engkau akan menggantikannya dengan yang lebih baik?"

Apakah nabi Ismail AS menanyakan kepada ayahnya, "Wahai ayah, kenapa Allah menyuruhmu menyembelihku? Apakah ada manfaat yang kau dapatkan dari tubuhku? Atau kau mengumpulkan darahku untuk membuat sesuatu yang lebih baik daripada aku?"

Engga. Nabi Ismail hanya mengatakan, "jika Allah yang menyuruhmu, maka lakukanlah."

Subhanallah...

Terus gimana dengan Hajar dan anaknya Ismail yang masih sangat kecil, ditinggalkan oleh nabi Ibrahim AS di tengah-tengah padang pasir seperti tak ada tanda kehidupan atas perintah Allah. Tapi saat Hajar mengetahui kalau ini adalah perintah Allah, dia hanya menuruti apa yang dikatakan oleh nabi Ibrahim kepadanya, dan dia hanya mengatakan "Allah tidak akan menyia-nyiakan kami jika ini perintah-Nya."

Ya, itulah bentuk penghambaan yang luar biasa sekali. Yang seharusnya bisa kita ambil sebagai contoh dan bentuk pembelajaran agar kita bisa menjadi hamba yang taat akan perintah-perintah Allah Ta'ala. Kita harusnya paham akan posisi kita, bukan malah menuntut ini dan itu.

Semoga artikel ini bermanfaat dan bisa menjadikan kita hamba yang lebih taat pada perintah Allah SWT.

Wallahu a’lam bishawab..