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January O6th, 2014. Colombo.

The All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU) announces that their Division for Halaal Certification will stop to issue certificates effective 31't December 2013 while a separate company limited by guarantee founded by reputed, respected professionals in Sri Lanka will be managing compliance audits and certification.

This development comes as a result of the Expressions of Interest called from the public to facilitate the national need for contributing towards social cohesion and Sri Lanka's economic development.

The role of ACJU in the future with regard to Halaal compliance audits and certifications would be, in providing consultations on any technicalities of the concept of Halaal compliance, as a social obligation and responsibility towards the Sri Lankan society while facilitating global requirements.

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'Who we keep company with is reflective of who we are'

For as far back as I can remember, my parents would always admonish me and my siblings to keep good company. My Dad specially had a favorite saying, "Show me your friends and I'll tell you who you are."

Needless to say, I was always very conscious, and careful about choosing the right people to surround myself with. In Islam it is doubly true and essential to surround yourself with righteous companions, because they will help to keep your feet planted on the straight path, while doing otherwise may lead you astray.

It was Ahmad ibn Harb, rahimahullaah, who said, "There is nothing more beneficial to a Muslim's heart than to mix with the righteous and to watch their actions, while nothing is more harmful to the heart of the Muslim than mixing with sinners, and watching their actions." No matter who you are, or how strong or independent you may feel, no man, or woman, is an island, and you can't make it through this life alone. This is why Islam so stresses the Jama'ah, or the congregation. The sayings that there is strength in numbers and that it is the lone sheep that gets devoured by the wolf are true.

Therefore we need to adopt correct manners, in that we try ardently never to do an action or to befriend anyone without knowing whether the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala is in it or not, and never loving and hating for worldly reasons. For the Prophet of Allah Ta'ala, sallallahu alayhi wassalaam said, "Whoever loves for Allah, and hates for Allah, gives for Allah and withholds for Allah, has completed his faith." (Abu Dawud) So who should be our companions?

First of all they should be good Muslims, who believe in Allah and His Messenger. For Allah Ta'ala says in the Qur'an, "And who so obeys Allah and the Messenger [Muhammad, sallallahu alayhe wassalaam], then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His Grace, of the Prophets, the Siddiqun (those followers of the prophets who were first and foremost to believe in them), the Martyrs, and the Righteous. And how excellent these companions are." [4:69]

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පූජාපිටිය

අඹතැන්න මුල්ලේගම වෙලේකඩේ පිහිටි මස්ජිදුල් ෆලා මුස්ලිම් දේවස්ථානයට පසුගියදා ගල්මුල්වලින් පහර දීමේ සිද්ධිය සම්බන්ධයෙන් සැකපිට තරුණයෝ පස් දෙනෙක් කටුගස්තොට පොලිසිය විසින් අත්අඩංගුවට ගනු ලැබූහ.

http://www.lankadeepa.lk/index.php/articles/199672

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Allah, The Most Exalted, says:

“…they prefer others above themselves even though poverty becomes their lot…” (Qur’an -Al-Hashr 59: 9)

The Messenger of Allah(peace be upon him) is reported to have said:

“He who believes in Allah and the Last Day should honour his guest according to his rights. He was asked: What are his rights ? The Messenger of Allah(peace be upon him) answered: A day and night of generous treatment and hospitality of three days. That which you may offer beyond this will be regarded as charity.”  (Hadith-Bukhari and Muslim)

Note: Entertaining a guest is an important feature of Islam which signifies the respect and concern of a host towards his guest. It is obligatory upon every Muslim to welcome his guest whether rich or poor with a cheerful countenance and without least expression of unpleasantness. Being hospitable to neighbours and guests can increase societal ties as well as unite an entire community. Most importantly, Allah Ta’ala commands Muslims to be hospitable to neighbours and guests. There is a great virtue in doing so.

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CULTIVATING ONE'S CHARACTER

'A believer plants a palm tree and fears that thorns will grow'

We have to constantly search our behavior to insure its consistency with that of the believers.

While walking in the market not so long ago, I happened to see a group of foreign Muslim sisters heading my way. Needless to say I was very happy, because it is not often that I run across other Muslim women when out and about.

From the manners of giving the salams, I greeted them first. To my dismay, they all looked at me from the top of my khimar-clad head to where my Abaya (outer garment) pooled around my feet with a look of total disgust, and walked away without uttering a word in response. I was so hurt and shocked that all I could do was stand there with my mouth wide open behind my niqab.

It never ceases to amaze me how many of us claim to follow the Qur'an and Sunnah, yet our actions are in total contradiction to what we say we believe. It was part of the manners of those who lived with the Prophet, Sal-lallahu alayhe wasallam, that they would constantly search their thoughts, hearts and behaviors, to make sure they were consistent with those of the believers, and to discard those things which were characteristic of the hypocrites.

For Allah Ta'ala says, "They say, 'We believe in Allah and in the apostle, and we obey:' but even after that, some of them turn away: they are not (really) believers." [24:47]

Along with this, Allah Ta'ala paints for us a complete picture of the believers when He says, "Those who turn (to Allah) in repentance; that serve Him, and praise Him; that wander in devotion to the cause of Allah; that bow down and prostrate themselves (in salah); that enjoin good and forbid evil; and observe the limits set by Allah - so proclaim the good tidings to the believers." [9:112]

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In this deadline-demanding, rat race society, it seems like we’re pushed to run and run everyday beyond our capacity. Suddenly, one day passes like an hour, and an hour seems like a passing mosquito. But now, instead of making stress a scary green monster that’s ready to eat you alive, we’re going to find out how to manage stress and keep it under control.

1. Address the Root Problem
What would you do if suddenly in the middle of night, your fire alarm rings? Would you switch off the alarm and go back to sleep? Of course not! You’ll search the house and try to find the source and spring into action to douse it out.
Likewise, your stress. You don’t just slap a “this too shall pass” attitude then turn on the TV comedy show to distract yourself from the problem. Stress is merely a smoke, and fanning the smoke alone won’t save your house from the fire.
Now do a quick contemplation: write down the things that stress you. Stuff you have to accomplish, including those you must do but you’re just “finding no time” to do. Just write them all down, from big stuff like “I want to publish a novel!” to something as trivial as giving your cat a bath. This is only the start. Next you’ll have to:

2. Reassess Your Priorities
The cause of stress is typically poor self management and time management. Very often, we get mixed up between which stuff needs a higher priority than others. We lack self discipline and try to do several things at once or end up switching between tasks because the others are not desirable enough to do. We end up getting lazy and procrastinate, opting to rush within the last minutes.
In one of the productivity seminars I attended, the coach inserted some pebbles to a jar. He inserted all the bigger pebbles first, then the smaller ones, then the sand, until the jar was full. He asked the participants, “What message can you get from this?”.
“You can multi-task in between your schedule”, one participant replied.
“No”, he answered. “The message is: you must prioritize your bigger goals first, the bigger pebbles. If you inserted all the sand first, or the smaller pebbles, there wouldn’t be enough room for the bigger pebbles.
“Likewise, your time. If you keep wasting it for insignificant goals, you’ll lose your valuable asset for life, and you’ll lose in the long term.
“What is your bigger goal in life? How do you treat and value your time according to it?”

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Become an active member of the ProductiveMuslim community and enrich it with your thoughts. Leave a comment at the end of this article - The Road to Homeschool Success and with it, your presence. We look forward to seeing you in the comments.

The Road to Homeschool Success | Productive Muslim

Photo by Kathryn Depew: flickr[dot]com/photos/cottonridgecreate/

"What have I gotten myself into?" If you are a homeschooling parent and find yourself pondering this question. a bit more often than not. here are 6 splendid ideas on how to help make homeschooling your kids more productive this year, In sha Allah.

1. Establish Respectful Discipline Methods

Determine how to handle misbehavior and incomplete class work and homework assignments. Many teachers eagerly confide that often the greatest difficulty with teaching is managing behavior rather than teaching the material itself.

Knowing effective ways of managing your child's misbehavior can help simplify the teaching process significantly. If you can get your child to cease talking, sit in his seat and follow along with your instructions, you will have accomplished a major part of your teaching job. There are many ways to respectfully encourage your child to comply with your directives. One remarkable way is delaying an exciting and desirable activity until the end of the class period or end of the day.

Let's say you are teaching a science class and part of the lesson is to collect an assortment of leaves from outside. Children generally enjoy participating in outdoor activities. Remind your child that if he stays seated throughout the lesson and follows along in class, the two of you will be able to complete class a few minutes early and go outside to gather the leaves. Perchance he periodically still needs reminding, let him know, casually, that whenever you have to stop the lesson to correct him, this takes away from the extra time you two might have. This discipline technique not only encourages appropriate conduct, it also teaches your child to self-manage his own behavior. You accomplish two goals in one!

It is reported the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said, "Allah did not send me to be harsh or cause harm, but he sent me to teach and make things easy." [Sahih Muslim]

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Productive Muslim - Towards a Productive Ummah!

[Productive Thinking Series - Part 4] Feel the Fear and Be Productive

Become an active member of the ProductiveMuslim community and enrich it with your thoughts. Leave a comment at the end of this article - [Productive Thinking Series - Part 4] Feel the Fear and Be Productive and with it, your presence. We look forward to seeing you in the comments.

[Productive Thinking Series - Part 4] Feel the Fear and Be Productive | Productive Muslim

This is the fourth of a series of 7 articles on 'Productive Thinking'. The series aims to address the challenges that Muslims face on many different levels when it comes to productivity. These levels include: the mental, emotional and physical levels. This series will tackle thinking and mindset on the mental level; negative emotions like anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, fear, etc., on the emotional level; and habits on the physical level. (Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3)

This article covers the underlying fears that we have when it comes to taking action and being productive. I will also share practical strategies to deal with and overcome any fears.

A few of the main challenges when it comes to productivity are procrastination, being overwhelmed and self-sabotage. Most people try to learn new systems, tools and techniques to overcome these challenges without fully understanding the challenges. In the first article, we talked about the four dimensions that we live in, namely spiritual, mental, emotional and physical. Tools and techniques are important but if we don't understand the unconscious fears that are triggering these fear responses, then we will not be as effective as we could be in doing our best to be productive.

So why are we talking about fear? It is because fear is the reason behind why we procrastinate and the underlying factor behind many things that we do to procrastinate. By understanding and having some awareness around what fear is and how fear get to us, we'll be more aware and better equipped to deal with any challenges. Awareness is the key. With awareness, change is possible.

The Nature Of Fear

• Most common fears that cause us to procrastinate are:
• Fear of failure
• Fear of rejection
• Fear of loneliness
• Fear of criticism
• Fear of making a mistake
• Fear of making the wrong decision
• Fear of unworthiness
• Fear of success
• Fear of disappointment
• Fear of the unknown
• Fear of being uncomfortable
  More...

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1 – On the authority of Ash‘ath ibn Qays[1], may Allah be pleased with him, he saw ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ood[2] eating on the day of ‘Aashooraa, so he (Ash’ath) said to him, “Oh Abu ‘Abdur-Rahman, indeed today is ‘Aashooraa.” So he (‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ood) said, “This day (‘Aashooraa) people used to fast[3], and that was before the legislation of Ramadhaan.  However, once fasting the month of Ramadhaan became obligatory; fasting the day of Aashooraa was abandoned[4].  So, if you were eating (i.e. not fasting), continue to eat.”[Muslim#1127]

2 – On the authority of ‘Aaishah[5], may Allah be pleased with her, “The Quraysh (polytheist) would fast the day of ‘Aashooraa before Islam.  The Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace be upon him, would also fast ‘Aashooraa.  Once he, prayers and peace be upon him, arrived in al-Madeenah, he, prayers and peace be upon him, fasted ‘Aashooraa and commanded his companions to do the same.  However, once Ramadhaan became obligatory he, prayers and peace be upon him, said, ‘Whoever wants to fast (‘Aashooraa) then fast, and whoever doesn’t (want to fast ‘Aashooraa) then leave it off.’” [Muslim # 1125]

3 – On the authority of Ibn ‘Abbaas[6] , may Allah be pleased with him, “The Messenger of Allah,  prayers and peace be upon him, would fast on ‘Aashooraa, so the Companions said, ‘Oh Messenger of Allah, indeed ‘Aashooraa is a day the Jews and the Christians revere.’  So he, may prayers and peace be upon him, said, ‘Then next year we’ll fast the day before (9th of Muharram) if Allah wills’.  However, the following year, the Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace be upon him, passed away.” [Muslim #1134]

4 – On the authority of Abu Qataadah[7], may Allah be pleased with him, “The Messenger of Allah, may prayers and peace be upon him, was asked about fasting on the Day of ‘Aashooraa. So he, prayers and peace be upon him said, ‘it expiates (the sins from) the previous year’” [Muslim #1162]

5 – On the authority of Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, “The Messenger of Allah, may prayers and peace be upon him said, ‘Fast ‘Aashooraa and be different from the Jews in doing so.  Fast a day before (‘Aashooraa) or a day after (‘Aashooraa), and in another narration ‘Fast the day before (‘Aashooraa) and the day after (‘Aashooraa).’” [Al-Bayhaqi][8] Scholars differ on the authenticity (see footnotes)

Points of Benefit from these Narrations:[9]

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Golden Key to Successful Homework Completion

A Golden Key to Successful Homework Completion | Productive Muslim

Photo by WoodleyWonderWorks: http://www.flickr. com/photos/wwworks/

“Did you do your homework?” Sound familiar? Well, it is that time of year again – school books, pencils, homework, and report cards… school is back in. If you think one of the most challenging aspects of the school year is getting your kids to do their homework timely and regularly, you are not alone. But do not fret… there is hope! Here are several things you can do to make homework time less stressful and more enjoyable this year, In sha Allah.

Initial Checks

The first thing you want to do is rule out if your child has a learning disability. Some kids do not want to do their homework because they have special learning challenges. These children may need additional instruction or one-on-one help. Your child’s teacher should be able to help you determine if your child has a learning disability.

Reward

If a learning disability is not causing your child’s lackluster homework performance, try offering him something that will be an incentive to do his homework. Using an Incentive Chart is one of the best ways to motivate your child to do something he has little desire doing.

Of course, incentive charts and rewarding children for proper behaviour have become a controversial issue as of recent. Some are of the opinion that rewarding your child for good behaviour can send the wrong message. They feel that children should behave properly simply because this is the suitable thing to do. They also contend that it can make a child dependent upon being rewarded whenever they are encouraged to behave properly. There is validity in all of these points. However, throughout the Qur’an Allah (glorified and exalted be He) reminds us often of the reward we will receive for being righteous and obeying His laws.

“But those who heed their Lord will have Gardens through which rivers flow, to live in forever as a welcome from Allah. What is with Allah is better for those who are truly good.” [Qur’an: Chapter 3, Verse 198]

“But whoever comes to Him as a believer having done righteous deeds – for those will be the highest degrees [in position]:” [Qur’an: Chapter 20, Verse 75]

Adults with their full mental faculties receive encouragement from Allah (glorified and exalted be He) to obey His rulings. Children, who are of less sound mind, can benefit from incentives, as well.