A few quick lessons from the Bihar results: It's a victory for development. The decisive triumph of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), with Nitish Kumar re-elected to serve a third term as Chief Minister, is clearly a vote for his strong message of "vikas" (development). It was Nitish, in his earlier stints as Chief Minister,who brought "bijli, sadak, pani" (good roads, electricity and safe drinking water) to large areas of that had been deprived of those basic amenities, as well as pro

What does it take to stay Muslim, married and extremely happy today? As oxymoronic as that just sounded, believe it or not, it’s absolutely possible! Marriage, especially for Muslims, is a lot more than having someone to call a husband or wife. The marital relationship is an incredible blessing and divine sign, as Allah  says in the Qur’an: “And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection and m

LONDON: Drinking just two glasses of sweetened drinks every day is linked to a higher risk of heart failure in men, a new study has found. Regular consumption of sweetened drinks has been associated with changes in blood pressure, insulin levels, and inflammatory markers, as well as weight gain - factors implicated in metabolic syndrome, diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke. In a bid to assess whether there might be a link between heightened heart failure risk and sweetened drink co

Are you worried that your child spends more time on their devices than with you? Do you think they’re obsessed with their (or your) smartphones: your little one’s watching YouTube cartoons or playing games non-stop, and the older one is looking at it every few minutes, texting friends all the time, checking to see how many “likes” they’ve got after they’ve posted on social media, refusing to put their phones to one side round the dinner table? Well, I share your concerns – and so do many other p

We all try to avoid the dreaded “S” word, but sometimes it just creeps up on us and our loved ones. Yes, we all want to lead productive lives and accomplish many honorable things, but we do not want to develop high blood pressure, sleep problems, or reduced immunity in the process. We all know from all the medical research that has been done that stress can do all of that and more.So how do we strike a balance? Is there even such a thing as balance anymore? Here are my thoughts on how t

In the previous post Productivity Lessons from the Hijrah (Part 1), we explained how the Hijrah of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) from Makkah to Medina was a productive act by the Prophet since he didn’t just sit in Makkah and give up after all the hardship he faced in spreading the message to the people, rather he was proactive to find avenues where his message could flourish and transform the world. In this post, I want to pick up from where we left off and take snippets fro

10th of Muharram (the day of Ashura / Ashoora) is observed as an important day by both Sunni and Shia Muslims – however, for differentreasons. Most scholars believe that Ahsura is named as such because of “tenth” of Muharram (ten is translated as “Ashara” in the Arabic language) Sunni Muslims look at Ashura as a day of “respect and gratitude” (for Prophet Moosa and his nation), while Shia Muslims believe that day to be a day of mourning and sorrow. The following is an explanation of

Cigarette smoking and heavy alcohol use cause epigenetic changes to DNA that reflect accelerated biological aging in distinct, measurable ways, according to research presented at the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) 2015 Annual Meeting in Baltimore. Using data from the publicly available Gene Expression Omnibus, Robert A. Philibert, MD, PhD and colleagues at the University of Iowa and other institutions analyzed patterns of DNA methylation, a molecular modification to DNA that af

With the beginning of each Islamic year, our scholars and Imams remind us of the story of the momentous Hijrah (migration) of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companion Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) from Makkah to Medina which they undertook over 1400 Years ago. This Migration was a very special journey and a turning point for Islam and Muslims in that it was chosen to mark the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Although there are many lessons that one

This is Part 4 of UmmahHub’s series on Being Your Own Boss that reveals the keys to help you become a successful entrepreneur and be the best you can be in business and in life, In sha Allah. In part 3, we ventured into writing your business plan, by answering a set of questions. In this part, we will go forth by discussing the next step. When starting your business, you most likely will have these top 3 as priorities: finding capital, building a product and getting customers. After you

This is Part 3 of UmmahHub’s series on Being Your Own Boss that reveals the keys to help you become a successful entrepreneur and be the best you can be in business and in life, In sha Allah. In Part 2, we’d discussed how you can find a business idea that will serve the market and your personal goals and included a real life case study to show you how. In this part, we’ll explore how to write a business plan based on your answers to a set of 14 questions. Once you have a business idea, wha

This is Part 2 of UmmahHub’s series on Being Your Own Boss that reveals the keys to help you become a successful entrepreneur and be the best you can be in business and in life, In sha Allah. In Part 1, we’d discussed the fundamental importance of developing an entrepreneurial mindset for the success of any business. In this part, we’ll explore how to identify and narrow down on the right business idea: one that will serve the market and your personal goals. When beginning your entrepreneu

LONDON:  A commonly used over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drug and a herbal product may provide alternative options for treating urinary tract infection, one of the most common conditions in adult women which is currently treated with antibiotics, say researchers. With antibiotic resistance rising, reducing the use of antibiotics where possible is one of the top priorities among health professionals. To assess the effectiveness of the anti-inflammatory drug and the herbal product called

By Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam, I am returning to this column after a long while. The occasion for writing this piece is the coming Eid al-Azha within the next few hours in our part of the world. This is the time to renew our commitment to Islam, which respects the Abrahamic tradition so much that it has adopted the day of Abraham’s (PBUH) intended sacrifice of his son Ismail (PBUH), also known as Ishmael in other Semitic religions, for celebration and remembrance of God. Briefly, Abraham (PB

Note: This article presents a summarized version of the steps involved in Hajj. More details are available at the end of the article. Hajj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam – i.e. one of the five obligatory duties of a Muslim. Allah (SWT) says in the Quran: “And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka’bah ) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses (for one’s conveyance, provision and residence); and whoever disbelieves [i.e. denies Hajj (p

LONDON:  Eating a Mediterranean diet or other healthy dietary pattern, comprising of fruit, vegetables, legumes and nuts, is associated with preventing the onset of depression, according to s new large study. The study of 15,093 people suggests depression could be linked with nutrient deficits. The researchers compared three diets; the Mediterranean diet, the Pro-vegetarian Dietary Pattern and Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010. Participants used a scoring system to measure their adh

Quick question to refresh our minds: who was Prophet Muhammad ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him)? As Muslims, we believe he was the last and final messenger of the Creator to mankind. His life is an example for generations after generations until the end of time on how to live in a pure and humble way, with the worship of Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He) the Creator as our purpose and pivotal role. The word “sunnah” is used to descri

Have you missed some of the precious time of the previous Ramadan? Do you feel you could have done more in that blessed month? Are you disappointed with your performance during the last ten days of Ramadan and feel an overwhelming yearning for the spirituality of Laylat Al Qadr? Well, you have another chance! It is out of Allah’s mercy that He bestows upon us blessed times in which rewards are multiplied. These seasons of goodness recur time after time, so that we can recharge our spiritual