Monday, January 13, 2014

[Pindi-Islamabad:94706] Story: A Thousand Camels


In the times of Umar (Radiallahu Anhu) there was a severe famine. All the people of Madinah were suffering due to the shortage of food. A caravan made up of a thousand camels loaded with a large stock of food grains belonging to Uthman (Radiallahu Anhu) arrived from Shaam (Syria). Several merchants offered to buy all of it. He asked them what profit they would pay. "Five per cent," they said. He answered that he could get higher profit than that. They began to argue with him, saying that they did not know of any merchant who would offer him more than their quote. He said to them, "I know of one who repays a profit of more than seven hundred to a dirham (Arabian currency)." He then recited the verse of the Noble Quran in which Allah Ta'ala mentioned this profit. "The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the Way of Allah, is as the likeness of a grain (of corn); it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He pleases. And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knower." (2:261).

"O traders! Bear witness with me that I donate all this to the poor people of Madinah!" said Uthman (Radiallahu Anhu).

Source: Related by Shaikh Habibullah Mukhtaar in his book "Bringing Up Children in Islaam" in the chapter of Generosity.

Dear readers, what ever we give for the sake of Allah is really ours because it is converted into hasanat (Naikian) which is the only currency of aakhira..... And whatever we keep with us will one day be someone else's. Let us follow the footsteps of our Prophet Peace be Upon Him and the pious Sahabah, with whom Allah was pleased with, by helping the needy ones
 .

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[Pindi-Islamabad:94705] Gandhi's Top 10 Fundamentals for Change

The Positivity Blog  henrik@positivityblog.com via aweber.com to me:

 Hi! Today I would like to share a post I wrote on my blog a couple of years ago. It is one of the absolutely most popular things I have ever written. I hope you'll find something helpful and inspiring in it.

Mahatma Gandhi needs no long introduction. Everyone knows about the man who lead the Indian people to independence from British rule in 1947. So let's just move on to some of my favourite tips from Mahatma Gandhi.

1. Change yourself. "You must be the change you want to see in the world."

"As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves."
If you change yourself you will change your world. If you change how you think then you will change how you feel and what actions you take. And so the world around you will change. Not only because you are now viewing your environment through new lenses of thoughts and emotions but also because the change within can allow you to take action in ways you wouldn't have - or maybe even have thought about - while stuck in your old thought patterns.
And the problem with changing your outer world without changing yourself is that you will still be you when you reach that change you have strived for. You will still have your flaws, anger, negativity, self-sabotaging tendencies etc. intact.
And so in this new situation you will still not find what you hoped for since your mind is still seeping with that negative stuff. And if you get more without having some insight into and distance from your ego it may grow more powerful. Since your ego loves to divide things, to find enemies and to create separation it may start to try to create even more problems and conflicts in your life and world.

2. You are in control. "Nobody can hurt me without my permission."
 What you feel and how you react to something is always up to you. There may be a "normal" or a common way to react to different things. But that's mostly just all it is.
You can choose your own thoughts, reactions and emotions to pretty much everything. You don't have to freak out, overreact of even react in a negative way. Perhaps not every time or instantly. Sometimes a knee-jerk reaction just goes off. Or an old thought habit kicks in.
And as you realize that no-one outside of yourself can actually control how you feel you can start to incorporate this thinking into your daily life and develop it as a thought habit. A habit that you can grow stronger and stronger over time. Doing this makes life a whole lot easier and more pleasurable.

3. Forgive and let it go. "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."
"An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind."
 Fighting evil with evil won't help anyone. And as said in the previous tip, you always choose how to react to something. When you can incorporate such a thought habit more and more into your life then you can react in a way that is more useful to you and others.
You realize that forgiving and letting go of the past will do you and the people in your world a great service. And spending your time in some negative memory won't help you after you have learned the lessons you can learn from that experience. You'll probably just cause yourself more suffering and paralyze yourself from taking action in this present moment.
 If you don't forgive then you let the past and another person to control how you feel. By forgiving you release yourself from those bonds. And then you can focus totally on, for instance, the next point.

4. Without action you aren't going anywhere. "An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching."
Without taking action very little will be done. However, taking action can be hard and difficult. There can be much inner resistance.
And so you may resort to preaching, as Gandhi says. Or reading and studying endlessly. And feeling like you are moving forward. But getting little or no practical results in real life.
So, to really get where you want to go and to really understand yourself and your world you need to practice. Books can mostly just bring you knowledge. You have to take action and translate that knowledge into results and understanding.

5. Take care of this moment. "I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following."
 The best way that I have found to overcome the inner resistance that often stops us from taking action is to stay in the present as much as possible and to be accepting.
Why? Well, when you are in the present moment you don't worry about the next moment that you can't control anyway. And the resistance to action that comes from you imagining negative future consequences - or reflecting on past failures - of your actions loses its power. And so it becomes easier to both take action and to keep your focus on this moment and perform better.
 How can you reconnect with the present moment? One of the simplest ways is to focus on your breathing for a minute or two. Just those breaths in and out and nothing else. By doing so you align yourself with the present moment and what is happening right now again.
 And remember that reconnecting with and staying in the now is a mental habit - a sort of muscle - that you grow. Over time it becomes more powerful and makes it easier to slip into the present moment.

6. Everyone is human. "I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps."
"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err."
 When you start to make myths out of people - even though they may have produced extraordinary results - you run the risk of becoming disconnected from them. You can start to feel like you could never achieve similar things that they did because they are so very different. So it's important to keep in mind that everyone is just a human being no matter who they are.
 And I think it's important to remember that we are all human and prone to make mistakes. Holding people to unreasonable standards will only create more unnecessary conflicts in your world and negativity within you.
It's also important to remember this to avoid falling into the pretty useless habit of beating yourself up over mistakes that you have made. And instead be able to see with clarity where you went wrong and what you can learn from your mistake. And then try again.

7. Persist. "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
 Be persistent. In time the opposition around you will fade and fall away. And your inner resistance and self-sabotaging tendencies that want to hold you back and keep you like you have always been will grow weaker.
 Find what you really like to do. Then you'll find the inner motivation to keep going, going and going.
 One reason Gandhi was so successful with his method of non-violence was because he and his followers were so persistent. They just didn't give up.
 Success or victory will seldom come as quickly as you would have liked it to. I think one of the reasons people don't get what they want is simply because they give up too soon. The time they think an achievement will require isn't the same amount of time it usually takes to achieve that goal. This faulty belief partly comes from the world we live in. A world full of magic pill solutions where advertising continually promises us that we can lose a lot of weight or earn a ton of money in just 30 days.
 Finally, one useful tip to keep your persistence going is to listen to Gandhi's third quote in this article and keep a sense of humor. It can lighten things up at the toughest of times.

8. See the good in people and help them. "I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won't presume to probe into the faults of others." "Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men." "I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people."
 There is pretty much always something good in people. And things that may not be so good. But you can choose what things to focus on. And if you want improvement then focusing on the good in people is a useful choice. It also makes life easier for you as your world and relationships become more pleasant and positive.
 And when you see the good in people it becomes easier to motivate yourself to be of service to them. By being of service to other people, by giving them value you not only make their lives better. Over time you tend to get what you give. And the people you help may feel more inclined to help other people. And so you, together, create an upward spiral of positive change that grows and becomes stronger.
 By strengthening your social skills you can become a more influential person and make this upward spiral even stronger.

9. Be congruent, be authentic, be your true self. "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." "Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well."
 I think that one of the best tips for improving your social skills is to behave in a congruent manner and communicate in an authentic way. People seem to really like authentic communication. And there is much inner enjoyment to be found when your thoughts, words and actions are aligned. You feel powerful and good about yourself.
 When words and thoughts are aligned then that shows through in your communication. Because now you have your voice tonality and body language - some say they are over 90 percent of communication - in alignment with your words.
 With these channels in alignment people tend to really listen to what you're saying. You are communicating without incongruency, mixed messages or perhaps a sort of phoniness.
 Also, if your actions aren't in alignment with what you're communicating then you start to hurt your own belief in what you can do. And other people's belief in you too.

10. Continue to grow and evolve. "Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position."
You can pretty much always improve your skills, habits or re-evaluate your evaluations. You can gain deeper understanding of yourself and the world.
Sure, you may look inconsistent or like you don't know what you are doing from time to time. You may have trouble to act congruently or to communicate authentically. But if you don't then you will, as Gandhi says, drive yourself into a false position. A place where you try to uphold or cling to your old views to appear consistent while you realise within that something is wrong. It's not a fun place to be. To choose to grow and evolve is a happier and more useful path to take.

I hope this email will inspire you to keep changing your life and world for the better,
Henrik

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[Pindi-Islamabad:94704] 10 Benefits of Being Organized


Are there really any benefits to being organized? Isn't it more fun to live on the edge and fly by the seat of your pants? If you have ever asked yourself those questions, then you may not be aware of the many benefits there actually are to being organized. It's not about taking the fun or spontaneity out of life, but about getting the best from your life that you can. Here are 10 benefits to being organized:


1.You will have more time for yourself, your friends and your family.
When you live an organize life, you get things done faster. You spend less time looking for lost things and more time with the people you love. Freeing up your time will also allow you to read that book you've been meaning to get to for the past year or taking that tennis class. We never get yesterday back. Make sure you get the most out of each day.

2.You will save money.
You'll always use up what you have and not buy duplicates because they are lost in the back of a cabinet somewhere. No more last minute purchases, which can add up very quickly, when you are organized.

3.You will achieve balance in your life.
You can spend less time on the little things of life and more time on the big things, like your health and your family. Achieving balance sets the stage for an amazing life.


4.You and your family will be healthier.

You'll have more time to prepare healthy meals and exercise.

5.Your professional life will improve.

Not only will you make a better impression on your co-workers and boss, but you will feel great about yourself. When you feel like you have it all together at work, your professional life can take off and you can achieve things you have always dreamed of.

6.You will reduce the clutter around you.

Being surrounded by clutter is like dragging heavy chains around with you all day. It slows you down, makes you tired and is just stressful. Getting rid of the clutter will help you to experience a sense of freedom.

7.You will have more energy.

Most organized people are full of energy. Why is that? Because they take better care of themselves inside and out.

8.You won't mind last minute visitors in your home.

Not everyone likes people popping in on them, but for those of you who do, your friends and family could do so without you breaking into a cold sweat. You can invite them to sit down in a clean living room and even offer them something to eat and drink. Your home will feel inviting and comfortable.

9.You will be able to set and achieve your goals.

People who write down their goals are much more likely to achieve them. Being organized can help you recognize what your goals are and map out a plan to achieve them.

10.You will be an example to those around you.

Your children are watching and learning from you everyday. Showing them how to be organized and get the most out of each day will be a lesson they can take with them for the rest of their lives. If you don't want your children to be raised in chaos, make it your goal to get life under control. They will someday thank you and appreciate everything you did for them


How to stay organized?

1.     Use files or folders to place all your Personal documents. Segregate your documents and place different kind of documents in different files. For example utility bills, educational documents and purchase receipts to be placed in three different files. If you want you can scan (or take a picture from your mobile) and put it in your email for quick reference. Make sure your password is safe! Advantage: Saves time and avoid stress to find the relevant document.

2.    Differentiate between urgent and important tasks. Important tasks sooner or later will come out to be either very fruitful (if you have given them proper attention) or would be a complete disaster (if you have avoided them). Advantage: Attending Urgent tasks in timely manner will ensure healthy outcome in terms of family, personal, financial or professional life. You may want to read my article at http://paradigmwisdom.blogspot.com/2012/01/learn-to-differentiate-between-urgent.html  

3.    You need to closely observe your Time stealers. the routine tasks which takes away a lot of time but do not produce real good results should be optimized. Advantage: You will have more control on your time and arrange it for family & self matters.

4.    Place your things at right locations. Allocate proper drawers, boxes, cabinets, Files, balcony for accessories. Advantage: you don't have to waste your time when you need something.

5.    Google Calendar is a great service which sends you email and SMS for any event which you store in your online Calendar. You can set reminders for next car service, tires replacement, remembering birthdays & anniversaries and so on. Advantage: you will save money by avoiding disasters (car malfunctioning etc), you will have healthy family relations (birthdays etc)

6.    Make a to-do list. Maintain it on daily/weekly basis. Use 'post-it' notes for shopping list. Advantage: Critical tasks will not be missed. Unnecessary market revisits will be avoided.

7.    If you are Muslim, your Prayers timings can make you punctual and give you the convenience to organize a lot of events in-between two prayers. You can become a role model for others by being organized this way.

Stay organized for a concrete grip on your life starting today.
Source: DailyTenMinutes

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[Pindi-Islamabad:94703] Miswak: A Cultural, Religious And Scientific Heritage

Dear Fellows
 
I will post a series of articles comprising different aspects of
MISWAK/SIWAK/ARAK sticks. My articles will comprise the historical
background, islamic relevance and scientific importance including the
composition, pharmacological activity, medical uses and proper way to use
miswak. My primary objective is to promote the usage of Miswak globally as
the matchless alternate to toothbrushes and toothpaste
. i supply miswak
sticks in fresh moist vacuum sealed hygienic packaging. Brothers who are
interested to start the Sunnah business of Miswak can contact me. My
contact details are mentioned below as well as you can contact me through
brother Shami sb.
 
Miswak: A Cultural, Religious And Scientific Heritage
 
Dental caries and periodontal diseases are the two main afflictions to
mankind. Bacterial plaque is solely responsible for the initiation and
progression of periodontal diseases. The methods available for the
maintenance of oral health are mainly mechanical and chemical. Toothbrushes
and dentifrices are widely used for cleaning teeth. The traditional
toothbrush or chewing stick is deeply rooted in Islamic culture. This
article gives a brief cultural and historical background of the subject and
review current literature on Miswak.
 
 
*Definitions*
 
 
Pencil-sized sticks of various plants are fashioned from certain plant -
parts and are chewed on one end until they become frayed into a brush. The
brush-end is used to clean the teeth in a manner similar to the use of a
toothbrush. When used in this manner, they are commonly referred to as
chewing sticks or Miswak. The conventional meaning of Miswak is 'stick used
on teeth and gums to clean them.' Its various names are Miswak and Siwak as
used in the
 
Middle East,
 
Mswaki in Tanzania,
 
Mefaka in Ethiopia and
 
Datun in India and Pakistan.
 
 
Although Siwak or Miswak is used to describe Arak *(Salvadora persica), *
the stick which the Prophet Muhammad - Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon
Him (PBUH) - used to clean his mouth with, miswak is a more general term which includes all types of sticks used as tooth cleaning aids.
 

 
*Types of Miswak*
 
In the Middle East, the most common source of chewing sticks is Arak *(Salvadora persica). *In West Africa, the lime tree *(Citrusaurantafolia) *and the orange tree *(Citrussinensis) *are used. The roots of senna (*Cassia
vinnea) *were used by Black Americans, and those of African laburnum *{Cassia sieberianba) *were used in Sierra Leone. Neem *(Azadirachta indica) *is widely used in the Indian subcontinent.
 
Arak, a tree used for Miswak, is also known as "tooth brush tree" and
"mustard plant". Although the miswak is usually obtained from the roots of
the Arak tree, some sticks are made from its branches and bark.
 
 
*Salvadora persica *is an upright evergreen small tree or shrub, seldom
more than one foot in diameter reaching maximum height of three meters. The leaves are small, oval, thick and succulent with a strong smell of cress or
mustard. The fresh leaves are eaten as salad and are used in traditional
medicine for cough, asthma, scurvy, rheumatism, piles and other diseases.
The flowers are small and fragrant and are used as a stimulant and are
mildly purgative. The berries are small and barely noticeable; they are eaten
both fresh and dried.
 
 
*Historical and Cultural Background of Miswak*
 
The use of Miswak is a pre-lslamic custom, which was adhered to by the
ancient Arabs to get their teeth white and shiny. It also contributed to
ritual purity. This custom was adopted and Islamized by Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) around 543 AD. This kind of toothbrushing has been used by the Arabs, the Babylonians some 7000 years ago,2 the Japanese called it Koyoji, while the Romans used mastic to rub their teeth and as a toothpick. Ancient
Egyptians and the Jews also used it.3 It is in use throughout the Islamic
countries.
 
 
*Religious Background*
 
Islam introduced basic oral hygiene by incorporating it as a religious
practice. Islam teaches the importance of cleanliness of the body as well
as of the mind. Several quotations are found in the compendium of the
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), as to the benefits of Miswak in oral hygiene.
 
 
For example: *Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), said: "Siwak purifies the mouth and
pleases Allah'and said:*
 
*Were it not to be a hardship on my community, I would have ordered them to
use Siwak for every **ablution.'*

<https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-MUssZCt49Es/UtD_u1AS2QI/AAAAAAAAAdM/DWhAcRfbXME/s1600/Miswak+brochure+3-resized+3.jpg>
 
 
Dr. Imran Masood
imranmasood82@gmail.com
92-300-8457982
Lahore,Pakistan

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Sunday, January 12, 2014

PAID CONTENT