11 Benefits of Reading Books

11 Benefits of Reading Books
“From Boosting Your Brain to Soothing Your Soul”

1. Reading can help ease feelings of anxiety and grief.

2. By keeping your mind occupied with a good book, you’re less likely to fall for falsehoods.

3. Regular reading habits can prevent you from wasting time with idle or inactive people.

4. Reading regularly can help improve your speaking skills and communication clarity.

5. Reading can help develop and purify your thoughts.

6. It boosts your knowledge, memory, and understanding.

7. You can benefit from the experiences and wisdom of others by reading books written by scholars.

8. You can expand your knowledge in different fields and learn how to apply them in your life.

9. Reading books by practitioners of your faith can help strengthen your beliefs and guide you towards goodness.

10. It’s a great way to relax and unwind from daily distractions.

11. Reading helps improve your vocabulary, sentence construction, and ability to understand concepts.

Remember, nourishment for the soul comes from concepts and meanings, not just food and drink!

Source: kitaabun.com

Beginners guide to Surviving University

Source: As-Sabiqoon Monthly Magazine Issue 9 Sept 2006

Before you is a concise step-by-step guide about surviving at Uni! All I write is based upon my very own experience which has advice in dealing with it life at Uni. It’s worth noting that (as I write) I am a first year and in no way have I experienced all the problems, and due to the nature of the problems mentioned, my advice is not the only advice available. I recommend you to stick to the advice of the scholars and students of knowledge; in other words, it’s just an introduction into surviving the first year! It’s split into two main sections: general advice (which includes advice on handling the workload itself) and Islamic advice, which highlights the main problems faced by every Muslim what to do should in these positions.

General advice

Step1: know your role!
The first step is to actually understand why you are at Uni and what you want to get out of it. Whether you want to go to Uni or you’re being forced to go, make sure you have aims and objectives and actually work towards it. Have an idea of what field (roughly) you wish to go into. Carefully study the course description and individual module description so that you know what to expect and what you should achieve at the end. If you don’t like it, it’s not too late to switch courses or individual modules. Many students switch within the first semester (term) and the Universities expect this.

Step two: your surroundings!
As soon as you start Uni, it’s important that you have a good circle of pious Muslim friends- also maybe non-Muslim friends whom you can give Da’wah to. SubhanAllah, this is so important as you’ll find within a few weeks the majority of non-muslim students heading to the pubs and clubs drinking a few pints and then heading off to the library to do some work. Alhamdulillah many Unis have an ISOC and a dedicated prayer room where you’re more then welcome! In fact, ISOCs have a dedicated group to bring people to the prayer rooms and also start off their talks and Jumua’h Khutbah with short and sweet Naseeha (advice) regarding surviving Uni. The prayer room should be your refuge without distracting you from your purpose to work; so make sure you have good friends, be a regular prayer room user and have a separate place to study.

Step three: do your work!
It’s really easy to be distracted from doing your work. Many students suffer from the whole Uni-cliche lifestyle of going out, partying, having ‘fun’ and plenty of brothers and sisters organise events or invite you to eat with them at restaurants. It’s very easy to just give up and leave your work for later and join them, though quite frankly, if you don’t do your work, you will fail! Uni is very independent and it’s up to YOU to commit yourself. I found that dedicating the day for work and evening for maybe extra/remaining work and going out worked best; make a schedule try stick to it!

Step four: Do your best
Be sincere in what you do; do it to help Muslims climb the society ladder so that we can have an impact on the world again. Be the best (or one of the best thereafter) in your class so that you have good prospects and also so that you can use your position to give Da’wah. And it’s not that hard! A few words here and a few there, people will automatically flock to you to ask for help. Just do your best and remember the results is with Allah (swt):
‘Be mindful of Allah, you will find Him before you. Get to know Allah in prosperity and He will know you in adversity. Know that what has passed you by was not going to befall you, and that what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and ease with hardship.’
(Imam Tirmizi, Imam An Nawawi’s 40 Ahadith)

Step 5: make the most of it
If you have any problems with your work, go to your lecturers and ask for help. Don’t be afraid to ask during or after the lectures and don’t pretend to understand! If something is explained to you and you still don’t get it, tell them – pound them till you finally get it. If it’s the lecturer you can’t understand then find a PhD student or someone in the same or year above and ask- there’s plenty of them in the Prayer Room.

Use the library, Internet, lab sessions, revision classes, etc. Find a few brothers and sisters who have been through the course who can help and sell you their books for proper discount prices. I bought a 40 pounds book off a brother for just 10 pounds…bargain!

Islamic advice

Uni is literally buzzing with Fitnah, from the people who go there to some of the buildings and books in the library. It’s used as an excuse to propagate false ideas and brainwash the masses…so there must be a few things to beware of:

1. The prayer room
Although (generally) the ISOC is not the problem, the prayer room is always buzzing with people with twisted views and next ideologies. You meet Muslims from many different countries and backgrounds which have influenced the way they think and many of these sects and named-groups operate in the prayer room. Some even call to their beliefs and love to argue and will spark the argument with everyone and anyone. Despite this, you meet the most amazing and sincere people you’ll ever meet who really help you in everyway possible. Not everyone who has a slight difference in mentality to yourself is your enemy and Uni is a good platform to verify all the slander you hear about these groups. If you really want to know what they’re upon… just ask them!

2. The debates
Just as we’ve mentioned, there are those who really love debating, whether it’s about Islam or worldly things. Some named-groups and sects even debate over things that are not only out of their own capabilities of understanding as a layman, but also in matters that a Muslim must not go into whether a layman or the greatest scholar. Therefore, it becomes necessary for you to learn your Deen from trusted sources and be sincere in gaining that knowledge. Learn with evidences from the Qur’an and Sunnah as this not only increases your general understanding of Islam but also creates certainty and it certainly eradicates doubt.
Also, beware of speaking without knowledge. It’s easy to fall into Shaytan’s trap of disagreeing with someone based upon the fact that they belong to one of these groups or sects and not because you yourself know that. You might be arguing on an issue in which they are correct about and you are wrong.

Seeing as everyone in Uni (especially Muslims, sociology, history and philosophy students) begin to act like philosophers they will be more open to ideas. Alhamdulillah this is a great platform to give Da’wah especially collectively, like writing for the student magazines or entering writing competitions and relating it to Islam, its merits and Muslims and their positive impact upon the world. Many Muslims do this and win essay competitions and have their articles publicised; it really does work!

3. The Pubs, etc
Don’t be fooled by the fact that some Muslims hang-out in the pubs staying away from drinking alcohol only playing pool, snooker, table-football and other such activities. Stay away from the pubs and clubs otherwise there’s no doubt that eventually you will either start to ‘loosen up’ in established matters of Islam or maybe even reject it and commit Kufr (disbelief).

4. The library
The more philosophical the subjects are at your Uni are, the more ‘random’ the library materials are. Recently I found the whole set of Salman Rushdie’s books including ‘Satanic Whispers’ and even more recently I found a shockingly western-biased account on Islamic Spain. Much of the books and History are anti-Islamic although we are now seeing a slow emergence of Muslim writers being recognized in the west and having their works published and put into the bookshelves of Universities. Know your religion with certainty; make sure you are grounded in Islam if you bother with such books.

I hope that this advice helps but again I recommend you to the advice of the people of knowledge and the Islamic Societies. They know how to help and go out of their way to do so. You can also go Uni for the lectures and do your work at home. Make the most of all that’s available to you and enjoy your time there. It really does open up your mind and isn’t as bad as some people say.

May Allah (swt) raise your rank and bless you in this world and the next and may He (swt) change our condition for the better and allow us to be the forerunners in this blissful task, Ameen!

Make the difference for every child

Below is an incident that occurred in a maktab in (KZN). It was really inspirational to hear this story and the need was felt that it must be shared with all teachers, hoping that it will inspire one and all. May Allah Ta’ala grant us the taufeeq to also act in the same manner. Sometimes we are quick to write off a student. We feel that he is not capable and thus ask him to leave the Madrasah. Think for a moment, how will we answer to Allah Ta’ala if He asks us, “A child came to your door searching for ME and you turned him away. Why?” How will we answer? May Allah Ta’ala forgive us.

NOTE: The names of the children and the madrasah have been changed.

At the beginning of 2018, a new child enrolled at Madrasah Atfaal. He seemed to be very disturbed. What was really surprising about this boy was his violent behaviour. No child could pass him without being punched, slapped or kicked. The other children in his class were terrified of him. By the third day, four children left the madrasah and the Apa was now going crazy in her class. No one could control this boy. He was extremely disturbed and his behavior was beyond anyone’s control. By the fourth day, the Apa was ready to hand in her resignation saying, “Either he remains in the class or I remain. The way things are going, it seems as if all the children in the class will leave. Some drastic action has to be taken immediately.” The poor Apa could not be blamed for this, since most others in a similar situation would have probably done the same.

The principal phoned his mother and asked her if she could come in immediately. When she arrived half an hour later, her son’s behaviour at the madrasah was spelt out to her. She burst into tears saying, “I don’t know what to do with him anymore. The school principal expelled him last week. His father has a terrible temper and beats me up at home. He sees his dad behaving in this manner. What you are seeing him doing is an imitation of what he sees his father doing.”

“I’m sorry, we won’t be able to keep him in the madrasah,” said the principal. “He’s going to chase all the students away from here.” A senior Apa at the Madrasah happened to overhear this conversation. She came forward and said softly, “How can we send a child away from our madrasah when he came here to learn the knowledge of Deen? How will we answer to Allah Ta’ala for this? Let me take him in my class and I will try my best to work with him.”

The next day she took the little boy into her class and made dua to Allah Ta’ala to help her with this child. The first thing the Apa did was contact the mother. She said to her, “We are going to fight this battle together, and we are going to win Insha Allah. But we have to do this together. Are you prepared?” The mother assured her co-operation. The Apa then gave her the following guidelines;

“Firstly,” said the Apa, “I want you to wake up every night at the time of Tahajjud and make dua for your son. Remember, the duas of a mother are readily accepted. I will also wake up at the time of Tahajjud and make dua for him.”

“Secondly, I’m going to give you a book. It’s written by a great Aalim, Hadhrat Moulana Muhammad Zakariyya (RA). The name of the book is Fazaail-e-Aamaal. Every night sit with your son and read to him the Ahaadith contained in this book. This book contains valuable advice. Reading the Hadith of Rasulullah in your home will bring about great peace and barkat in your home and in your life. Try to practice on whatever you read.”

“Thirdly, I’m going to give you a CD of Hadhrat Moulana Yunus Patel (rahmatullahi alayh). The CD contains Hadhrat Moulana’s zikr. Play the CD at home every night and sit with your son on the musalla. With full concentration make the zikr of Allah Ta’ala in your home.”

“Fourthly, I want you to take him to an educational psychologist for an assessment. Because of his unsteady childhood, he may need some medical help as well.”

With the above four advices from the Apa, the little boy’s mother undertook the arduous journey with her son to try and rectify the situation. Every night after the Esha Salaah, they sat together reading the advices from Fazaail-e-Amaal and making zikr of Allah Ta’ala. At the time of Tahajjud she would awake from her bed and make special dua for her son. Can we imagine the effect of this dua. The dua of a mother and that too, at the time of Tahajjud.

Its six months since that day and the young boy is a completely different child. He sits quietly in his class and learns his sabak every day. He adores his Apa and has all the time in the world for her. His mother says that when he comes home, the only thing he speaks about is “My Apa told me this and my Apa told me that.” He doesn’t speak anything about school or the sports he plays at school. The thing he really enjoys in life is his time at the Madrasah.

On the last day of the madrasah term before the children could leave for the holidays, his Apa bought burgers for all the children in her class as a treat for them. One child commented, “Apa you only bought us a burger. Where is the coke?” The little boy was very upset with this statement. He immediately retorted, “That’s being ungrateful. You should at least say JazakAllah to Apa for buying us a burger.”

This is the power of a maktab Apa. Outwardly it may seem that she has only 15 children in front of her whom she can make an effort on, but in reality, she has 15 families before her. She can make that difference in the homes of all these children. That is why our elders tell us that when we sit in the classroom, make niyyat (intention) for the hidaayat (guidance) of the entire mankind. Who knows that through one child Allah Ta’ala will cause the winds of hidaayat to blow on the entire mankind.

In this instance, the Apa managed to introduce ta’leem and zikr in the home of that child and also got the mother to wake up for Tahajjud daily.

No child is a Write-off. We cannot chase any child away. As a teacher, YOU can make that difference in the life of that child.

May Allah Ta’ala inspire us all to be an inspiration for our students in the classroom and guide us to be a true reflection of our beloved Rasul.

Received from Talimi Board (KZN)

Etiquettes of seeking ‘ilm

Source: Madrassah Al Zahra Publication – Al ‘Ilmun Nafi’

Before one sets out to seek knowledge we must bear in mind there are etiquettes for seeking knowledge. Only when one attains knowledge according to them, will the knowledge gained be beneficial. If we have no respect for the knowledge that we gain, that knowledge will merely remain information. Knowledge can only be beneficial for us if we gain it according to the following guidelines:

  1. Be patient – To gain ‘ilm is not easy and a lot of hard effort and sacrifice is required. For this reason it is very important that one remains patient.
  2. Pure intention – Before the commencement of an act one must ensure that an analysis of one’s intention is undertaken. The conclusion of this analysis should be that one is performing this action to gain the pleasure of Allah Almighty and not for show. If the latter is the case, then one needs to rectify one’s intention in order to gain beneficial knowledge.
  3. Act upon the knowledge one gains – It is important that one acts upon what they know; only then is the knowledge that one has attained beneficial. By not acting upon what one knows, disrespect is being shown to the knowledge that has been obtained.
  4. Bear in mind Allah سبحانه و تعالى is Watching – It is important that one keeps this in mind at all times as only then will one think twice before commiting a wrong deed. By continuously remebering Allah سبحانه و تعالى, a person will always make Du’aa and obtain closeness to Allah سبحانه و تعالى. Insha’Allah, any difficulties in attaining ‘ilm will then be removed.
  5. Utilise Time to the Best of One’s Ability – Knowledge does not come with ease. Therefore, it is vital that one uses their time well. When given the oppurtunity to obtain knowledge, one should not reject it as one does not know when they shall taste death. One must understand the struggle our pious Predecessors went through to gain ‘ilm and so one must not take for granted that which is so easily accessible today.
  6. To be very cautious – When beginning to attain knowledge one should not spend too much time argueing with others on topics and getting ones self confused. Rather one should spend maximum amount of time trying to fully undestand individual topics in order to become fully competent in these topics.
  7. To be precise and certain – It is good to memorise certain things. Before committing anything to memory one should ensure what is being learnt is correct by clarifying with ones teacher. Then one should memorise and go over what has been taught to ensure nothing is forgotton.
  8. Studying a variety of books – When one is confident in quite a few fields then one should study a variety of books on one topic to increase ones knowledge in a variety of ways on that particular topic.
  9. Good company – Pious company and friends should be kept so that one can attain their good qualites. It is also good to keep company with those who have a great zeal for knowledge instead of those who do not. This is so that one can never be put off wanting to learn more. The ‘Ulama state, that in order to gain good habits and to acquire beneficial knowledge, it is vital to stay in the presence of good and pious people. If one is not able to be in the company of the pious, then one should read the books written by these pious people.
  10. Respect and have good conduct with the teacher – One should ensure that respect is always shown towards the teacher. One cannot gain all knowledge from books without the guidance of a good teacher.

Surviving at University

by a Muslim Brother

There were beer mats everywhere. The whole corridor was covered in an intriguing pattern of small cardboard squares called Carlsberg. There were eight rooms in the corridor but only one kitchen, one toilet and one shower. I had expected the place to be a bit more lively but my friend explained to me that it was always quiet on Friday and Saturday nights. ‘They invite me along with them as well,’ he said with a sigh, ‘but all I can do is laugh and politely decline.’

Welcome to the world of the university campus, the place where a significant number of Muslim students will spend at least the first year of their university life. Away from home and away from family and friends, the three years on average spent by most students pursuing a degree is a crucial time for the development or deterioration of one’s Imaan. All students whether they choose to remain at home or stay elsewhere experience the onslaught of ‘Fresher’s Week’ before they even begin their studies. Fresher’s Week is supposedly a week full of events designed to allow those beginning their university career to acquaint themselves with their new surroundings as well as with their fellow students. In reality Fresher’s Week is a hedonistic 7 days which the pubs and nightclubs utilise to attract their prospective clientele for the following year. Flyers and posters advertising nightclubs, bank loans, mobile phones and a whole host of other organisations, societies and clubs bombard students during these first few days. Even though the Islamic Societies of most universities make a determined effort to attract Muslim students away from such temptation, it is sad to say that for many Muslims the Islamic Society stall is last on their list of places to visit. Fresher’s Week is a severe trial and only those come through unscathed that have a strong bond and connection with Allah S.

When I initially applied to university I remember being told at college that university was a place of experimentation, of experience and of widening one’s views of the world. For a Muslim this experience can be extremely difficult as many of the activities used for this social experimentation are either makrooh or haram and illegal. Social experimentation and finding the ‘real you’ seem to be prime goals for many students. For Muslims, university can be quite a lonely time as many of the events and functions organised by their peers involve activities which are albeit legal under the laws of this country but illegal i.e. haram from an Islamic perspective. Promiscuous relationships, ‘pub crawls’ (whereby a number of pubs are visited in one outing) and a whole host of other unbelievable activities are the order of the day. And all this is practiced by those who the rest of society deems as being ‘the leaders of tomorrow’.

I remember my disgust when I initially visited my university at the lack of scope in the lecturer’s jokes. Alcohol and the price of alcohol were the only two topics discussed. It was quite a disturbing experience to be the only sombre person in a room full of 400 laughing 18 year olds. It was not that I did not understand the jokes, it was the fact that drinking and in reality alcoholism were deemed to be an acceptable part of the student lifestyle regardless of a person’s belief. In my opinion, this is the crux of the difficulty for Muslims studying at university; the question of maintaining and retaining a distinct Muslim identity. This is the point where many of us fail as we try to reconcile our faith with the demands and pressures of the environment surrounding us. Do you pray Zuhr Salaah during your lunch hour or do you make it Qadha and attend that lunchtime optional seminar which might look good on your CV? It is in such matters that students should turn to the ‘Ulamaa in order to find out how to reconcile these differences.

And it is during these times that one realises the true advantages of having a spiritual mentor. Having a spiritual mentor or Shaykh to which one can turn to for guidance and encouragement can make all the difference when confronted with a dilemma.

However, many students are unable to do this, mainly because of the fact that the only contact they had with the ‘Ulamaa was during their pre-teens when attending the evening maktab. No contact or relationship was maintained with the ‘Ulamaa and in many cases with the Deen of Islam after these initial few years. But, alhamdulillah there are still a significant number of students who do maintain contact, right until and after the time they enter university. Their knowledge and zeal for Islam can prove to be a boon for others searching for the truth – and there are many searching for and returning to the truth. The number of sudent reverts and Muslims whose interest in Islam is reignited while attending university and the existence of student Islamic Societies bears testimony to this.

Islamic Societies are voluntary organisations run by students to cater for the needs of Muslims who may be attending the university or living in its vicinity. They typically provide a prayer room with wudhoo facilities in most cases, and organise a variety of Da’wah and educational events. Partly funded by money from the university’s student union and partly by private donations, Islamic Societies bring together Muslims from around the world. In my first Jumu’ah prayer at university I was met with a scene which made me reminisce of how the times of the Prophet s must have been. The Imam was an African, the mu’azzin an Arab, and the remaining rows a mixture of Muslims from almost every other country in the world.

This diversity however, can prove to have a weakness in the sense that it can provide an ideal cover for deviant sects bent on spoiling the Imaan as well as ideology of Muslims. Many students are unaware of these sects and are highly impressed by the seemingly knowledgeable and sincere words of their protagonists. Once again the lack of knowledge regarding our authentic scholars and their achievements causes quite a majority of us to feel inferior when faced with such people.

Another point which surprised me very much was the little effort that was being made on the Muslims at the University. It seemed like Da’wah was to be practised on non-Muslims only. I attended one of the meetings held to discuss the organisation of the Islamic Awareness Week at the university. Even though I half expected the meeting to be mixed I had not anticipated what I saw. Many of the sisters wore scarves, but the way they and many of the brothers as well, were dressed, left little to the imagination. However most of these sisters were extremely sincere and it soon became obvious that they played a key role in the running of Islamic events at the university. On asking one of the brothers why this was the case he replied that most Muslim male students did not bother volunteering and consequently this void was filled by the sisters. In my opinion this was an extremely dangerous situation as many of the events that were being organised involved the free mixing of males and females albeit with a good intention. This is another point where most of us fail due to our lack of knowledge and correct guidance. We presume we are doing something acceptable in the Sharee’ah based upon what little knowledge we may have of the Sharee’ah ourselves.

The brother whom I quoted at the beginning of the article was a clean shaven youngster when he started university. He has since kept a beard. I asked him the reason for this and he replied, ‘I was looking for Muslims and I thought let me look for someone with a beard. The thought suddenly hit me that I myself do not have a beard, would anyone recognise me as a Muslim?’ There are many brothers and sisters who dress in full Islamic clothing when attending university and it can be honestly said that there is probably no greater form of giving Da’wah to both Muslims and non-Muslims than this; the full adoption of Islam. As many of us know Allah S has commanded us to enter into Islam totally. This is what I think is needed for the regeneration of the student community. Rather than trying to unify with university culture Muslims need to be unique, unique both internally in manners and character and externally in dress and appearance, and be proud of this uniqueness. Simplicity coupled with the adoption of the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah and the ways of the Companions y, under the guidance of the ‘Ulamaa, the experts in the field, seems to be the only way to achieve this uniqueness and in reality restore our confidence. Reliable organisations such as the Islamic Da’wah Academy and many others are already taking part in this regeneration by holding meetings with student leaders and trying to address their specific needs. More interaction such as this is needed at both school and college/university level.

For me university has proved to be quite a revealing experience in the sense that it has made me appreciate how little many non-Muslims and, in some unfortunate cases, Muslims themselves know about Islam. For a significant number of non-Muslim students the only contact they have had with Muslims is via the TV or the newspapers i.e. they have never met a Muslim before. We, as Muslim students need to be trained and given the opportunity to learn how to practice and propagate Islam adequately and to deal with situations which we may have not encountered before in our lives. Only recourse to the ‘Ulamaa and the masha’ikh can help to solve such dilemmas.

We need to take the opportunity to adopt the company of the pious, especially the ‘Ulamaa and take part in reliable religious movements so that we gain the true understanding of Islam. Only then will we become true individuals, independent and free from the shackles of a non-Islamic culture. And only then will we be able to, in the words of the Sahabi Rib’ee Ibne mir t, work towards delivering mankind from ‘the slavery of man into the slavery of the Lord of man, and from the narrowness of this world to the vastness of the Hereafter.’

May Allah S give the writer first and then the readers the ability and the inclination to practice what has been written. May Allah S help all students whether studying in religious or secular institutes to achieve their goals and cause all of us to attain His pleasure and live and die as true Muslims upon Islam. Ameen.

Source: Islamic Da’wah Academy

Exam Tips

by Ahmed

Format of exam
Understand the format of the exam. Is section A compulsory to answer? Do you have a choice of 2 questions from 4 in Section B? I recall our tutor mentioning that some students would answer more questions than actually required, it pays to know how many questions to answer!

Attempt all parts of the question. Even if you don’t get the exact correct answer for A, attempt the other parts, examiners are looking for your ability to interpret and analyse your result as well.

Timing
Keep an eye on the time during the exam and ensure you don’t spend too long on a particular question, otherwise it will only leave you less time for the others.

Presentation
Write neatly and leave white space (an empty line) between paragraphs/ points in your answer. This will make it easier for the examiner to mark and you’ll find they are more ready to give 10 marks to 5 smaller spaced blocks of writing than 1 huge block of endless lines.

Reading
Read the requirements/ question first and then read any background or case data provided. This will give you a flavour for what is important and relevant in the text provided. Many a times I would read the data first and highlight what I thought was important and then after reading the question requirement realise most of what I highlighted was irrelevant!

Re-read the requirement and make sure you understand what is required from you. It’s possible that in a panic to answer the question you fail to:
1, understand the question
2, fail to answer the question being asked

Understand what the wording of a question is trying to ask of you, e.g. state and explain, explain and critically evaluate. The word ‘and’ in such cases splits the requirement into 2 and the format of your answer could reflect this (e.g. state your point then explain, with reference to real life examples/ studies, or a sub-section to explain a theory and another sub-section to critically evaluate the theory).

Pay no attention to those around you who start writing within seconds of being told they can start the exam.

If you don’t make answer plans at least note down a few words for points/ ideas on the question sheet. This may help jog your memory later, as you write the answer, for other points to include.

Practise of the method/s above and speed reading the text during your revision is invaluable.

Never, ever leave the exam room early! It’s too late to add something you remember to your answer if you left the exam hall 10 minutes ago with an hour and a half of the exam left to go.

If you get stuck for ideas, go back and read over what you have already written. This way you recheck your answer as well as trying to jog your memory for any additional points to add.

After the exam
Don’t analyse the exam with your friends, if as a result of this you realise a mistake you will only get yourself down, and its not like you can put it right anyway. You may actually think you did really well from talking to friends and this will just make you feel proud. Pride is not something you should have in Islam anyway, and you might just be setting yourself up for a fall when results come out.

Rather just walk away and spend a little time doing Hamd and Shukr to Allah swt that the exam went as well as it did.

Remember you’ve done your ‘bit’ now, turn to Allah in supplication and ask Him to grant you success for He alone is the All Powerful.

A Message to University Graduates

Earlier this week I was part of a group that was invited to attend a University Graduation ceremony. Someone dear to me will also be graduating soon and some very good general advice was given at the ceremony I attended, so I decided to write this little message up to Muslim University Graduates.

Graduation day is the culmination of 3-5 years of studying a particular subject in depth at degree level. You have spent these years studying because you realise that education is a means to attaining a good career and perceive it to lead to a better way of life.

At this significant stage in your life, you are experiencing the transition from being a student through to a professional who will soon be working in the ‘real’ world. With this transition comes the need to prepare yourself in dealing with issues that may arise in the workplace, not due to trivialities such as race etc but mainly because of your religion.

Whilst many undergraduates become closer to their deen at university thanks to the efforts of ISOCs and associations, for those of us who will be going out into the workplace where their will be a minority muslim workforce or where contact with fellow muslims will be limited, it is especially vital for us to hold on to our deen; That is YOUR ISLAM.

If during your university days, you were unable to ‘get involved’ with the Muslim community, make this the starting point of change in your life.

“The one who treads a path seeking therein knowledge, Allah eases his path to the Garden.” [Sahih Muslim]

We must fully realise that our ultimate purpose in this dunya is to serve Allah Ta’ala and that our ultimate goal is to reach Jannah in the akhira (hereafter). Therefore your focus should now, be on adopting the means to achieve this eternal goal, i.e. adopting the teachings of Islam and following the Sunnah of our beloved messenger Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم).

This does not mean that you have to become a hermit and retreat to some remote jungle to spend the rest of your days engaged in ibaadah. In fact we must live in the dunya but work for the akhira. What does this mean? This means that we must attempt to the best of our ability to seek deeni knowledge into at least the basic fundamentals of our religion. For example start from the basic fiqh of cleanliness and prayer and then move onto more advanced areas of the shariah such as the etiquettes of trading and business, especially for the field of work that you will soon enter into. You may also decide to study the fiqh of Nikaah and Talaaq because sooner or later if not already you will be approaching the stage where you will marry and eventually settle down with a family. These are just suggestions that hope to serve as an example of how YOU can tread that path to bring you closer to your Lord Allah Ta’ala and how you can balance the work of this world with the work of the akhira, Inshallah Ta’ala.

Whilst we have covered the importance of learning about our religion to benefit us in the hereafter, it is also necessary to learn about Islam so that we may be in a position to answer any questions that non-Muslim work colleagues may pose to us genuinely or out of curiosity.

Islam is in the spotlight; the media reports and the people see. Hence situations are bound to arise where you will be asked questions about Islam. It is therefore important that we should be equipped with the correct answers and teachings of Islam rather than substituting it with your own logic. Using your own logic in most cases will mean that you won’t be sharing the ‘true’ teachings and views of Islam and instead could be causing confusion and misinterpretation of our beautiful deen. Remember, what you say/ utter is what most people will think of Islam; so think before you speak.

Graduation also means that you have acquired a certain status in society as well as now being able to place certain letters after your name. One should, however, remember that in Islam there is no superiority of one over another except through taqwa.
“…Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa. …” [Surah Hujurat V13]
Also, never look down upon anyone or let pride set into your heart as a result of your education. Any status we can obtain in the world is of no value whatsoever if Allah is displeased with us. Remember we should look at the people below us in the dunya, so that we may make shukr for what Allah Ta’ala has given us, and we should compete with the people above us in the matters of deen so that we may become closer to Allah Ta’ala.

After graduation some of you may return to your home town/ city whilst others remain living away from home to continue studies or work. We should reflect on how we travelled away from home to acquire our worldly education and if need be we must prepared to travel to acquire ‘deeni education’ and benefit also. We are aware of how our pious predecessors would travel years and years to obtain deeni knowledge, but that was a sacrifice that they were willing to make. We have vast arrays of modern technology to aid us, not only that; we have Masjids and Khanqahs where we can learn from the pious. Make the most of the means and resources that Allah Ta’ala has blessed you with.

I pray Allah Ta’ala fills our working lives with blessings and they are not a distraction to us from striving to achieve taqwa and, ultimately, jannah in the hereafter.

Jazakallah to Sister Mujahidah for her help in putting together this article.

Advice to University Students

Mufti Hussain Kamani offers some beneficial advice to Muslim students going to/ currently at university.

Love for books and reading

In one of his books entitled Said al-khatir an auto biographical memoir, he writes:
I may state here my own cast of mind. I am never tired of reading of books and my joy knows no bounds whenever I find a new book… It would appear to be an exaggeration if I say I had gone through 20,000 books during my student days. I came to know of the courage and large heartedness, erudition and tenacious memory, piety, and eagerness for prayer cherished by savants of the old, which I could not have learnt without reading those books.

The study of the books in those days also revealed to me the shallow knowledge of the scholars in our times and the dull spirits of the students nowadays.
Hafiz ibn al Jawzi

May Allah increase our love for books and reading, increase us in beneficial knowledge (ilm) and aid us in getting closer to Allah, ameen.

Etiquettes for the Seeker of Sacred Knowledge

Etiquettes for the Seeker of Sacred Knowledge and the Snare of Shaytan
Shaykh Nazim Mangera, sunniforum.com

For a long time I have wanted to discuss some etiquettes about reading Islamic literature and listening to speeches delivered by scholars. We should read and listen with the intention of benefiting from their writings and their speeches. Whatever our intention is, that is what we will get from it. If we read and listen with the intention of increasing our knowledge and trying to act upon it, Insha Allah that is what we will gain. If we read and listen with the intention of criticizing and taking out mistakes and finding faults, then we will find mistakes and faults and that is the only thing we will get from it. It’s very easy to criticize destructively and it is often said that it’s easier to haul down than to build.

Scholars elaborate this by citing the following example: Two types of animals are set free in a garden; one is a bird and the other is a swine. The bird will look for clean and pure sustenance, whereas the swine will look for filth and dirt. Whatever intention they have, they will get. So the bird enters the garden and finds clean and pure sustenance and the swine/pig enters the garden and searches for filth and garbage and dirt and finds it because no garden is filth free. They both got what they wanted.

Another point the scholars make is that we should read and listen with the desire and urge to increase our knowledge and act upon it and propagate it to others. If we have no desire to increase but rather we think we know everything, then we will hardly benefit from their writings and speeches and eventually we will only be harming ourselves.

The following example is cited:
If an empty glass is put under a tap, and the mouth of the glass is facing down, then it does not matter how fast the water is coming out, the glass will never get full for obvious reasons. But if that same glass is facing the correct way and the mouth of the glass is facing up, then it does not matter if the force of the water is low, but a time will come that the glass will be full of water.

If we have the intention of benefiting, then we will benefit tremendously. And if we have the intention of finding faults and mistakes, then we will find them. For sure, there will be times when there will be grammatical mistakes in the writings. There will be mistakes of wrong word usage. But is that a good reason to get happy over the mistake? That is nothing but the Shaytan’s method of preventing you from benefiting from a scholar’s advice. Being happy over a person’s mistake is either a sign of pride or jealousy- two of the most devastating sins of the soul. If we get happy at a mistake of another, it is a sign of a spiritual sickness. There will be times when your writings will be better than a scholar’s writings; there will be times when you will speak better than the scholar. But that gives us no reason to be put off by the scholar’s advice.

There could be many reasons why your writings or your method of speaking could be better than a scholar’s writing. One reason is usually in the Madrassah’s run by Asian scholars, very little attention is paid to the English language. The majority of our lectures were either in Urdu or Arabic. That trend is slowly changing though. Another reason could be that the scholar does not spend much time in English speaking countries. Now when the scholar will speak, there might be a stutter or an accent or the pace will be slow. But that should never be a reason to ignore the scholar’s advice. It is the content of the speech which really matters. Just because a person is an eloquent speaker does not mean that the content of the speech is correct as well. Being eloquent is one thing, and being correct is a completely different matter.

Another point I wish to clarify is that after reading an article or listening to a speech, some things might not be clear to us or go against our prior view on the matter. In this case, in a polite manner, ask the scholar that this is what I understood from your speech but I thought it was supposed to be like this. Am I correct in my understanding or not? I’m sure the scholar will not mind if we have any questions on the topic. Never hesitate to ask questions because two types of people never increase in their knowledge: A proud person and a shy person.

Also, if we think that the scholar has made a mistake somewhere, then bring up the point with the scholar in a polite manner and discuss it. We all are prone to mistakes. Only Allah is free of all blemishes and faults.

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