In one of his articles, Dr. Bilal Philips (a famous Islamic scholar)  narrates a story that involves tragedy, drama, and joy. The story is about an Egyptian teacher whose photograph appeared in a local newspaper. The picture showed his smiling and happy face with his hands stretched out and both thumbs sticking up; his father was kissing him on one cheek and his sister on the other cheek. The newspaper narrated his story about working as a teacher in Bahrain. After a brief visit back home in

We all have our eyes on the ultimate goal, the biggest prize…Al-Firdaus, right? It’s the highest level of Jannah (paradise) – in it what no eyes have seen, no ears have heard and no human has ever imagined. But what exactly do we have to do to attain this lofty and honourable level? Jannah: a short reminder Let’s refresh. What does paradise hold for Allah’s  believing slaves? When talking about Jannah, Allah  promises, “They will have whatever they wish therein, and with Us is more.” [Qur’an:

Relationships are the lifeblood of our journey through this world. Good relationships not only can help us navigate through the challenges of this life more easily but they can be fulfilling and as well invigorating. Bad relationships on the other hand can put one’s life dead in its track. Ask a divorced person who has left a married life – or a person who ended up changing his work due to bad relationships – or ask family members devastated and shattered due to family squabbles. They will all a

It isn’t that we have anything other than good intentions when we ask questions of others. We want genuine connection, after all. It’s that the questions we rely upon to accomplish this are tired at best and wholly ineffective, verging on alienating, at their worst. So…go on asking the same old, boring, expected questions that elicit equally uninspiring responses? Or adopt fresher, juicier, more insightful versions of said questions that (bonus!) actually have the potential to generate meanin

An article from the Telegraph (source) which highlights the dangers of vegetable oils. This is contrary to decades of official advice from the experts to avoid butter and turn instead to vegetable oils: Scientists warn against the dangers of frying food in sunflower oil and corn oil over claims they release toxic chemicals linked tocancerCooking with vegetable oils releases toxic chemicals linked to cancer and other diseases, according to leading scientists, who are now recommending food be fri

In the first part of this series, we spoke about different ways in which employees can have a productive lunch break at work. However, many of our loyal readers may not yet be in employment, but still working their way through high school, college or other educational institutes. Although many of our productive tips in the first part of the series are interchangeable, a student’s break can be used in a few other ways. While many employees are able to separate their work life from their lives

For people who want to control their weight or reduce their intakes of sugar, sodium and saturated fat, tap water may be what the doctor ordered. A new study that examined the dietary habits of more than 18,300 U.S. adults found the majority of people who increased their consumption of plain water -- tap water or from a cooler, drinking fountain or bottle -- by 1 percent reduced their total daily calorie intake as well as their consumption of saturated fat, sugar, sodium and cholesterol.

Whether you are at work or school, a break is a must, even if it is only for a few minutes to disconnect from the task-filled environment. However, a break is not a license to slack or waste time. Breaks can be used productively, perhaps not for work- or school-related tasks, but for self-enrichment. This two-part series will explore the many tasks that can be done during our breaks at work or school. Part 1 includes 8 suggestions for activities that can be done during our work break, n

This part in the series is lengthy due to the nature of the subject being discussed. It will be very educational and greatly rewarding if you take the time to read through it all with deliberation. As we have already learned that cancer is really a breakdown of the immune system's ability to routinely eliminate abnormal cells, it is important that we look at all causes and factors that trigger off processes which facilitate the development ofcancer. In an earlier part in this series we spoke a

Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) delivered his last sermon (Khutbah) on the ninth of Dhul Hijjah (12th and last month of the Islamic year), 10 years after Hijrah (migration from Makkah to Madinah) in the Uranah Valley of mount Arafat. His words were quite clear and concise and were directed to the entire humanity. After praising, and thanking Allah he said: “O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am say

Continuing from Part 3, wherein we explained that every body develops cancer cells and that a healthy immune system efficiently removes those cells: In fact, microscopic tumours may develop in many people but then disappear without even being detected at all because the immune system managed to dispose of them. Thus, individual cancer cells may be eliminated straight away or may develop into microscopic tumours which are eventually eliminated but are never significant enough to be detected or im

Those above 40 or with a family history of the silent disease that can cause blindness should get regular check-ups, advise opthalmologists Those seemingly harmless eye-drops, readily available over the counter and used for common conditions such as conjunctivitis can cause glaucoma — a fact that has been documented in multiple studies over the years but lack of awareness has ensured that the use of such medication continues. Glaucoma can cause blindness and is an irreversible condition. W

Many times, when we hear success stories of inspiring individuals, we cannot help but compare ourselves to them. How did they have the time to do that? What is their secret? How did they stay motivated?Wondering about that could be a good thing. If your intention while doing that is to evaluate yourself and see how to improve and be further motivated, then give yourself a pat on the back. Allah encourages us to compete in righteousness. “So race to [all that is] good. To Allah is your re

Continuing from Part 1 and Part 2 we will now develop thecancer development process in a bit more depth. It is pretty much clear that there is no one particular cause forcancer, just as the cure for it does not lie in any one particular thing. Rather, there are many inter-related and inter-dependent factors which contribute to the development ofcancer and these factors vary from person to person. It may be the case that two people have the exact same type ofcancer yet the causative factors or

n Part 1 and 2, we began our journey into Surat Al A’raf to look for productivity lessons. In Part 3 and 4, we began the story of Adam  and Iblis. Now, in Part 5, we go further into the incident to pick up more productivity lessons .  Allah  said, “Descend from Paradise, for it is not for you to be arrogant therein. So get out; indeed, you are of the debased.”  [Quran: Chapter 7: Verse 13] Lesson: Take note of his pride…and ‘our’ pride! Iblis wanted to rise high, higher than another cr

In Part 1, we outlined the process through which cancerdevelops in the body in a simplistic, generalized way and this will be expanded upon in future parts. We can emphasize the main lesson from the first part by giving a simple analogywhich demonstrates different approaches towards the diseaseof cancer. Most modern cars have computerized systems which alert the driver or owner of some underlying systemic problem. Usually this is communicated through the dashboard or on-board computer system.

The nature of religious faith is quite mysterious. As part of their religious faiths, people believe in a variety of deities. There are peoplewho have religious faith in the unseen supreme transcendental power and then there are others who believe in some humans as Gods, animals (e.g. monkeys), fire, idols made of stone, and the list goes on. A lot is associated with having a religious “faith”. Part of it has to do with beliefs passed on through generations. People’s identities therefor

The traditional view has been that cancer is a bump or alump which has developed in the body over a period of time due to cells going out of control. Upon this understanding, it is conventionally treated by cutting (surgery), poisoning(chemo) or burning (radiotherapy) or a combination thereof. In most cases, the cancer growth returns, usually more aggressively because these treatments act very harshly upon an already immunocompromised body which is what allowed the cancer to develop in the first