Muslims believe that Allah (God) sent a series of prophets to earth, to teach about His nature and His guidance for human beings. From Adam to Muhammad, they all shared the same message.
Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim)
Muslims honor the Prophet Abraham, and the Qur'an describes him as "a man of truth, a prophet."
Prophet IbrahimThe father of the Prophets
The birth of a Great Prophet
Ibrahim was born in a house of idolaters, in the kingdom of Babylon. His father Aazar was a well known idol sculptor that his people worshipped. As a young child, Ibrahim used to watch his father sculpting these idols from stones or wood. When his father was done with them, Ibrahim would use them as toys, riding on their backs, and kicking them at times. Then after a while, he would see these same statues in the temple, and people prostrating in front of them! Ibrahim asked his father: "Why do you take these toys to the temple?" His father said: "They are statues that represent our gods. We worship them, we ask favors from them, and we offer them presents." Ibrahim's mind rejected this idea, and he felt a repulsion towards the idols.
In search for the Truth
Time went by, and Ibrahim became a young man. He still could not believe that his people were worshipping the statues. He laughed whenever he saw them entering the temple, lowering their heads, silently offering the statues the best of their food, crying and asking forgiveness from them. He started feeling angry towards his people, who could not realize that these are only stones that could neither benefit nor harm them. They could not be gods, they have no power. God is Greater than what his people were worshipping, Most Powerful, Most Magnificent. One could not find Him sitting on a table in a temple!
One night, Ibrahim went up to the mountain, leaned against a rock, and looked up to the sky. He saw a shining star, and told his people: "Could this be my Lord?" But when it set he said: "I don't like those that set." The star has disappeared, it could not be God. God is always present. Then he saw the moon rising in splendor and told them: "Could this be my Lord?" But it also set. At daybreak, he saw the sun rising and said: t "Could this be my Lord, this is bigger?" But when the sun set he said: "O my people I am free from all that you join as partners with Allah! I have turned my face towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to Allah." Our Lord is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and everything. He has the power to make the stars rise and set. Ibrahim then heard Allah calling him: "O Ibrahim!" Ibrahim said trembling: "Here I am O my Lord!" "Submit to Me! Be a Muslim!" Ibrahim fell on the ground, prostrating and crying, he said: "I submit to the Lord of the universe!" Ibrahim kept prostrating until night came again. He got up and went back to his home, in t peace, full of conviction that Allah has guided him to the Truth.
Ibrahim invites his father to Islam
A new life started for Ibrahim. His mission now was to call his people to the Truth. He would start with his father who was the closest person to him, and whom he loved so much. He said to him in the softest and kindest voice: "O father! Why do you worship that which doesn't hear, doesn't see, and cannot avail you in anything? O father, I have got knowledge which you have not, so follow me. I will guide you to a straight path." His father replied angrily: "Do you reject my gods, O Ibrahim? If you don't stop I will stone you. Get away from me before I punish you." Ibrahim said: "Peace be on you! I will ask forgiveness of my Lord for you."
Ibrahim confronts his people and rejects their idols
He left his father after he lost hope to convert him to the right path, and directed his efforts towards the people of the town, but they rejected his call and threatened him. By Allah, he said, I shall plot a plan to destroy their idols. He knew that a big celebration was coming soon, where everybody would leave town for a big feast on the riverbank. After making sure that nobody was left in town, Ibrahim went towards the temple armed with an ax. Statues of all shapes and sizes were sitting there adorned with decorations. Plates of food were offered to them, but the food was untouched. "Well, why don't you eat? The food is getting cold." He said to the statues, joking; then with his ax he destroyed all the statues except one, the biggest of them. He hung the ax around its neck and left.
How big was the shock when the people entered the temple! They gathered inside watching in awe their gods broken in pieces. They wondered who might have done this? Then they all remembered that the young Ibrahim was talking evil of their idols. They brought him to the temple and asked him: "Are you the one who has done this to our gods?" Ibrahim said: "No, this statue, the biggest of them has done it. Ask them if they can speak." "You know well that these idols don't speak!" They said impatiently. "Then how come you worship things that can neither speak nor see, nor even fend for themselves? Have you lost your minds?"
They kept silent for a while, for he got a point there. Their minds and their senses were telling them that the Truth is with Ibrahim, but their pride prevented them to accept it, and reject the idols they were worshipping for generations. This they thought would be total defeat. They started yelling at him and shouting: "Burn him! Burn him! Take revenge for your gods !"
The Miracle: Allah saves Ibrahim from the fire.
The decision to burn Ibrahim to death was affirmed by the priests and the king of Babylon, Nimrod. The news spread like a fire in the kingdom, and people were coming from all places to watch the execution. A huge pit was dug up and a large quantity of wood was piled up. Then the biggest fire people ever witnessed was lit. The fire flames were so high up in the sky that the birds could not fly over it for fear of being burned ! Ibrahim's hands and feet were chained, and he was put in a catapult to throw him into the fire. At that time, Angel Jibreel came to him and said: "O Ibrahim! Is there anything you wish for?" Ibrahim could have asked to be saved from the fire, to be taken away, but no, he said: "I only wish that Allah be pleased with me." The catapult was released, and Ibrahim was thrown in the heart of the fire. But Allah would not allow His Prophet to be killed, He ordered the fire: "O fire! Be coolness and safety for Ibrahim!" And the miracle happened. The fire obeyed and burned only his chains. Ibrahim came out from it as if he was coming out from a garden, peaceful, his face illuminated, and not a trace of smoke on his clothes. People watched in shock and said: "Amazing ! Ibrahim' s God has saved him from the fire!"
Ibrahim debates the Babylonian king, Nimrod
Ibrahim's notoriety grew bigger after this event and the king of Babylon felt that his throne was in danger, and that he was loosing power, because he was pretending that he was a god. He sent for Ibrahim. He wanted to debate with him and show his people that he, the king is indeed the god, and Ibrahim was a liar. He asked Ibrahim: What can your god do that I cannot?
-My Lord is He Who gives life and death." Ibrahim said-I give life and death. I can bring a person from the street and have him executed, and I can grant my pardon to a person who was sentenced to death and save his life." The king said proudly-Well my Lord Allah makes the sun rise from the East. Can you make it rise from the West?The king was confounded. He was beaten at his own game, on his own territory, in front of his own people! Ibrahim left him there speechless and went back to his important mission, calling people to worship the one and only God, Allah.
Allah blesses Ibrahim with a son to become a prophet
Only a woman named Sarah and a man named Lot believed in Allah, and followed Ibrahim. He realized that nobody else would listen to him, and decided to emigrate for the cause of Allah, and to spread His Message elsewhere. Before leaving, he tried once again to convert his father to Islam, but to no avail. Ibrahim said to his father and his people: "We are free of you and of whatever you worship besides Allah. We have rejected you and there has arisen between us and you enmity and hatred forever unless you believe in Allah and Him alone."
Ibrahim, Lot and Sarah started their long travel. They crossed Babylon, went through Syria and Palestine calling people to Allah, helping the poor and doing good deeds. By that time Ibrahim married Sarah. Their hope was to have children who would spread the Message of Allah after their death. As for Lot, he emigrated to the land of Sodom and settled there.
Time went by and no children were born to Sarah. She realized she was sterile. She accepted her fate and submitted to the will of Allah. Ibrahim and Sarah moved to Egypt where the king gave Sarah a woman to be her servant. The woman's name was Hajar. Sarah was seeing Ibrahim' s hair getting white, and it grieved her to see his chance of having any child slipping away. She offered Hajar her servant as a wife to her husband, and prayed Allah to bless Hajar and Ibrahim with a child. And so came Ismail, a baby boy born to Hajar. How unselfish Sarah was! For her, the need to have an offspring who would carry the Message after Ibrahim was greater than her pride. Fourteen years later Allah rewarded Sarah with a son, Ishaq in spite of her old age.
Young Ismail and his mother alone in the desert of Makkah
Ibrahim woke up one day and asked Hajar to prepare herself and baby Ismail for a long travel. Ibrahim and Hajar kept walking, crossed a fertile land followed by barren mountains till they arrived at the Arabian desert. Ibrahim brought Hajar to a high hill called al-Marwa, made her and her baby sit under a tree, placed a bag of dates and some water near her, and set out homeward. Hajar ran after him and said: "Are you going to leave us in this desert where there is no one to keep us company?" She repeated this many times but he would not look back at her. She asked: "Has Allah ordered you to do so?" He said yes. "Then He will not neglect us." She said. Ibrahim walked away until he got out of their sight, he raised his hands and prayed Allah: "O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring dwell in a valley with no cultivation, by Your Sacred House, in order that they may offer prayers. So fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and provide them with fruits, so that they may give thanks."
Zamzam
Hajar went on nursing Ismail and drinking from the water until it was all used up. She became very thirsty and the child was crying. She left him on the al-Marwa hill and hurried to the nearest hill, as-Safa. She stood there and started looking at the valley keenly so that she might see somebody, but she could not see anybody. She descended from as-Safa, crossed the valley running and reached al-Marwa hill. She stood and started looking but could see nobody. She kept running between as-Safa and al-Marwa seven times. When she reached al-Marwa for the last time, she was exhausted, she sat next to the baby. Then she heard a voice. She stood up and said: "O whoever you might be! Have you got something to help me?' She saw an angel, Angel Jibreel, digging the earth until water flowed ! She built a little basin around it. She scooped water with her hands, drank, filled her water-skin, and nursed her baby. The place from which water flowed was Zamzam. Muslims till this day drink from the holy water of Zamzam, and during Hajj they walk between as-Safa and al-Marwa seven times to commemorate this event.
Some Arabs traveling through Makkah saw birds flying around alMarwa. "They must be flying around water." They said. When they arrived at the water, they found Hajar and asked her: "Would you allow us to stay with you, and use the water from your well?" She agreed and was pleased by their company. The people sent for their families, settled there and became permanent residents. The whole valley became alive. Ismail grew up, learned Arabic, and later married a woman from amongst the Arabs.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim who had not seen his son since he was a baby, came back to Makkah to visit him. Upon arriving, he heard that Hajar had died, but Ismail was still living there. Ibrahim was yearning to see his son whom he loved and missed a lot. He saw Ismail under a tree near Zamzam, sharpening his arrows. When he saw his father, Ismail rose up, hugged him and greeted him. It was the happiest moment for both father and son. But Allah wanted to put them to test, and it was a tough test indeed. During one night, Ibrahim had a dream. He came to Ismail and said: "O my son ! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you as a sacrifice to Allah, so what do you think?" They both realized that this was an order from Allah. Ismail said without hesitation: "Do what you are commanded, you shall find me very patient insha Allah." They had both submitted to the will of Allah. Ibrahim laid his son prostrate, put his forehead on the ground and directed a sharp knife towards his neck. At this very moment, Allah called him: "O Ibrahim! You have fulfilled the dream! Thus do We reward the good doers !" A big sheep was sent down from heaven to be slaughtered instead of Ismail, which Ibrahim did, and they both had a big celebration that day. This event is celebrated every year by all Muslims. It is Eid al-Adha where we slaughter the sacrificial sheep.
Ibrahim and Ismail kept on calling people to worship Allah. At that time there was no place built for the worship of Allah. Ibrahim wished there could be such a place where people would be in peace, and concentrate solely for the worship of Allah. His wish was answered when Allah ordered him to build the Sacred House, the Ka'bah. Ibrahim said to Ismail: "O Ismail, Allah has given me an order, will you help me execute it?" "Yes I will." Ismail said. "Allah has ordered me to build a house here." He said, pointing to a hillock higher than the land surrounding it. They went towards the place and started building the foundations of the Ka'bah Ismail brought the stones and Ibrahim built the walls, and when the walls became high, Ismail brought a large stone and put it in front of his father who stood over it and carried on building, while Ismail was handing him the stones. Both of them went on building and going around the Ka'bah, saying: "O our Lord accept this service from us." When they finished the building, Angel Jibreel descended from heaven and showed Ibrahim the rituals of Hajj. Then Ibrahim stepped on the stone and called on people: "O people obey your Lord." This large stone which Ibrahim stepped on is still there to this day near the Ka'bah. It is called Makam Ibrahim.
Thus ends the story of Ibrahim, the father of the prophets. From him descended all the prophets who came later, including Muhammad, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam. Ibrahim devoted all his life calling others to the True religion: Islam. Alone he stood against his people, his father, and even the mighty king of Babylon, and never flinched. Yet his method was always to gradually persuade them by bringing irrefutable proofs, that most often embarrassed those who refused to accept the Truth, but as Allah said: "Any whom Allah leaves to stray, there is none to guide !"
A message in its most general meaning is an object of communication. It is something which provides information or message; it can also be this information or message itself.
The Multiplying Power of Encouragement
Find someone to encourage. Of all the gifts you possesstruly one of the greatest is the ability to build up andhelp another person to do the best they can.
An interesting thing happens when you give of this specialgift -- much in the same way a magnet works, you begin topull into your life people, opportunities and lifeexperiences of a positive nature.
To better understand this, consider the wise words whichstate simply, yet profoundly: "You reap what you sow". Inshort, what you put out to the world makes its way back toyou. My friend, if you'll concede that there's truth in thatwouldn't it make sense to be proactive when it comes tolooking for ways to encourage others? I think so!
Going forward begin to look at your life as though you arean artist with the ability to paint on your canvas amagnificent masterpiece. While this in itself is incredible-- consider that you also have the added advantage ofliterally being able to start a new work of art at will.
In the moment you find yourself on a path which doesn'tserve you, you can choose to course correct. You have theability to succeed at whatever you desire. Let go of thebroken idea that it has to happen overnight in order to bedeemed a success.
Take joy in your achievement journey, knowing that as longas you stay in the game, and allow yourself to learn thelessons which can be gleaned from any challenges which maypop-up along the way you will reach your intendeddestination.
You were made for greatness - believe it and live your lifewith an outlook of exploration and a willingness to let yourgifts and talents flow.
An interesting thing happens when you give of this specialgift -- much in the same way a magnet works, you begin topull into your life people, opportunities and lifeexperiences of a positive nature.
To better understand this, consider the wise words whichstate simply, yet profoundly: "You reap what you sow". Inshort, what you put out to the world makes its way back toyou. My friend, if you'll concede that there's truth in thatwouldn't it make sense to be proactive when it comes tolooking for ways to encourage others? I think so!
Going forward begin to look at your life as though you arean artist with the ability to paint on your canvas amagnificent masterpiece. While this in itself is incredible-- consider that you also have the added advantage ofliterally being able to start a new work of art at will.
In the moment you find yourself on a path which doesn'tserve you, you can choose to course correct. You have theability to succeed at whatever you desire. Let go of thebroken idea that it has to happen overnight in order to bedeemed a success.
Take joy in your achievement journey, knowing that as longas you stay in the game, and allow yourself to learn thelessons which can be gleaned from any challenges which maypop-up along the way you will reach your intendeddestination.
You were made for greatness - believe it and live your lifewith an outlook of exploration and a willingness to let yourgifts and talents flow.
Dream... And Make It Come True
It was back in '84 or '85, I think.
The new cars had just come out, and one of the new safetyfeatures was a change in the rear taillights. Now, insteadof just two backlights, there was an additional one in therear window.
This is so that drivers can tell that the automobile infront of them is stopping even if they can't see the lowerlights, for any reason.
To me, it was an indicator of wealth. You see, I was broke,broke, broke.
The way I saw it was, if you could afford a new car--thekind with the new headlight in the rear window-you had made it.
I'd project myself years into the future... as I was surelybuying my next old junker. If it had one of those lights,I'd have reached the highest level of success that I couldhope for.
I couldn't even imagine anything more than that. My imagesof the future were of struggle and hardship. I would hearimaginary conversations all going wrong. Nothing ever workedout in my mind.
So I never even considered taking any kind of actions thatwould transport me to a better life. I never tried hard atanything. It wasn't until I started using affirmations thatthings began to change. After I made my first audio, my lifereally started to morph into something completely different.
Now, I know that many people have trouble with affirmations."I can't do affirmations," is a common belief. That's wrong,because you naturally affirm all day long with every thoughtyou have.
The problem is that you just don't do it CORRECTLY.
I couldn't imagine being successful in a sales career. Sonaturally my first attempt was with sales and careeraffirmations. Soon my sales skills (and income) grew byleaps and bounds.
I can't stress enough that to succeed at anything, whetherit be career, health, relationships, finances or education,you've got to see what you want. You absolutely must be ableto imagine yourself having your goal... You must AFFIRM thatyou already have it, that you're worthy of it, that you canhave it.
See the enjoyment of it. Feel it.
Imagine yourself holding hands with someone. Imagine lookingin your bank account and seeing all the zeroes... afteranother number, of course. See yourself getting the A's andenjoying the process of the studying... of the learning.
Notice how it feels.
See the mistakes that are bound to happen as falling off youlike rain. Mistakes will still happen. And you have to seethem as temporary... as fixable.
Most people visualize and imagine success, but when thingsdon't go right, they quit... and exclaim that it doesn'twork for them.
Wrong!
It does work.
But if there are 7 steps to success at something and youtake the first six, suffer a setback and give up, then youdon't get the success.
That's not a horrible thing if you will just wake up, splashsome cold water on your face and admit that whatevertemporary setback you had was your fault on some level. Thenstart your visualizing again.
And if you blame others for your failures, you're doomed.Done. Finished...
...until you wake up. I believe it's never too late to wakeup.
But the longer you're asleep to the fact that, no matter howmany areas of life you may have under control, the part ofyour life that just doesn't work is a reflection ofdecisions you make, the longer you will fail in that onearea.
Sure, there may be other factors that ARE out of your hands.But you can't blame them. Or you'll continue to fail. Acceptresponsibility. Keep your vision alive. And sooner or later,you'll reach it.
The new cars had just come out, and one of the new safetyfeatures was a change in the rear taillights. Now, insteadof just two backlights, there was an additional one in therear window.
This is so that drivers can tell that the automobile infront of them is stopping even if they can't see the lowerlights, for any reason.
To me, it was an indicator of wealth. You see, I was broke,broke, broke.
The way I saw it was, if you could afford a new car--thekind with the new headlight in the rear window-you had made it.
I'd project myself years into the future... as I was surelybuying my next old junker. If it had one of those lights,I'd have reached the highest level of success that I couldhope for.
I couldn't even imagine anything more than that. My imagesof the future were of struggle and hardship. I would hearimaginary conversations all going wrong. Nothing ever workedout in my mind.
So I never even considered taking any kind of actions thatwould transport me to a better life. I never tried hard atanything. It wasn't until I started using affirmations thatthings began to change. After I made my first audio, my lifereally started to morph into something completely different.
Now, I know that many people have trouble with affirmations."I can't do affirmations," is a common belief. That's wrong,because you naturally affirm all day long with every thoughtyou have.
The problem is that you just don't do it CORRECTLY.
I couldn't imagine being successful in a sales career. Sonaturally my first attempt was with sales and careeraffirmations. Soon my sales skills (and income) grew byleaps and bounds.
I can't stress enough that to succeed at anything, whetherit be career, health, relationships, finances or education,you've got to see what you want. You absolutely must be ableto imagine yourself having your goal... You must AFFIRM thatyou already have it, that you're worthy of it, that you canhave it.
See the enjoyment of it. Feel it.
Imagine yourself holding hands with someone. Imagine lookingin your bank account and seeing all the zeroes... afteranother number, of course. See yourself getting the A's andenjoying the process of the studying... of the learning.
Notice how it feels.
See the mistakes that are bound to happen as falling off youlike rain. Mistakes will still happen. And you have to seethem as temporary... as fixable.
Most people visualize and imagine success, but when thingsdon't go right, they quit... and exclaim that it doesn'twork for them.
Wrong!
It does work.
But if there are 7 steps to success at something and youtake the first six, suffer a setback and give up, then youdon't get the success.
That's not a horrible thing if you will just wake up, splashsome cold water on your face and admit that whatevertemporary setback you had was your fault on some level. Thenstart your visualizing again.
And if you blame others for your failures, you're doomed.Done. Finished...
...until you wake up. I believe it's never too late to wakeup.
But the longer you're asleep to the fact that, no matter howmany areas of life you may have under control, the part ofyour life that just doesn't work is a reflection ofdecisions you make, the longer you will fail in that onearea.
Sure, there may be other factors that ARE out of your hands.But you can't blame them. Or you'll continue to fail. Acceptresponsibility. Keep your vision alive. And sooner or later,you'll reach it.
It Is Wonderful To Achieve A Goal!
I have got to tell you that it is wonderful to achieve a goal! There is nothing quite like setting a goal, planning for it, taking daily steps and them one day WHAM-OO you accomplish the task. That happened to me today.
Back in September 08 I read that ‘normal’ people can work up to 100 push ups a day. I laughed and thought no way. There is no way that I – in the shape I was in – could work myself up to 100 push ups a day. That was reserved for skinny, exercise fanatics with rippling bodies. That was reserved for soldiers and Marines. That goal was definitely not for a middle aged, full figured, feisty female.
…”Yet” I thought “Why not?”
I tell people that if they have a goal, write a plan and work the plan then they can achieve results. You will have obstacles and you will face challenges, however, if you stay true to the plan you will achieve.
Now, I was ready to challenge myself, to practice what I preach, that was until I got down, put my palms flat on the floor and began to push up. I was pushing but nothing was going up. Evidently I needed to really start from scratch. I got on my knees and did very modified three push ups. Well, I called them push ups. I went down, a bit, and went up, a bit, sort of. Give me a break, it was day one.
On the website one hundred push ups I read and learned about push ups. I decided it didn’t matter how long it took. I was going to do 100 push ups in a day.
I went from those first 3 knee push ups to 60 military push ups pretty quickly… then the holidays took over, my arm was sore, I had several “I don’t wanna do it” days in a row and my motivation began to wane.
I truly believe that there are five areas of our lives that we can work on to reach our potential. The areas are physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and fiscal. I think of these areas as graphs in our lives. Some areas are stronger than others. It is our job to strengthen them all. Our job is to build our capacity to reach our highest levels in each area – no matter where we are today. By the way, this is an ongoing project, just when you think you have reached your highest level another level is revealed. If this is not happening to you there is a strong possibility that you are not living to your highest potential.
Physical: I admit that this is one of my weakest areas. I have a strong heart, low cholesterol, good blood pressure and now I can say I am strong. However other parts of my body….well let’s just say that some of today’s movie stars and I couldn’t share clothes. Does that mean that I stop striving to take care of me… no. It just means that I will continue to build my confidence in physical self. One push up at a time.
Emotional: I am strong here now, however if you asked family members when I was younger (and even several years ago) that was not the case. It has taken dedication, perseverance, soul searching, challenging myself and appreciating who I’ve become to be able to say that everyone can be strong, feisty, fearless, fun, focused and courageous. Follow the path and you will achieve.
Spiritual: What you think is what you get. Your faith, your belief and your actions are all interrelated. It is important to take the time during your day to just be. Are you listening to what you are creating with your thoughts? Your thoughts connect you to your Higher Power, God, Universe or energy. Taking the time to really focus on what you are thinking. It is so powerful, motivating, and inspiring that without that quiet time you lose perspective about who you are, what your life is about and why you do what you do.
Intellectual: We are lucky that we aren’t the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz, we don’t have to wish for a brain…we already have one. Our brains need nourishment. If we don’t provide information, new ideas, new intellectual challenges our brains lose their potential. Read books, watch documentaries, push yourself to learn the other side of an argument and listen to counter perspective. Grow your brain so that you grow.
Fiscal: Money management, financial literacy, prosperity thinking and abundance are all key ingredients to a healthy and full life. Too often people have covered their heads in the sand because of lack of knowledge. I’ve learned that there are always people who can teach you what you don’t know. It is so liberating.
I personally found such freedom learning about profit and loss statements, balance sheets, cost analysis, cash flow analysis, tax implications and balancing a budget. There is so much I am looking forward to learning about financial success. It is freeing and so exhilarating. Take the time to learn so you can be free.
And the rest of the story….
So there I was with the “don’t wanna” swirling around me. Luckily I came out of that dizzy spell and recommitted to my goal. Today I get to shout, cheer and receive the applause because I did it… I did 100 push ups.
How about you? What’s your goal? What are you working toward? When are you going to get out of the dizzy “Don’t wanna” game? Join me and be joyous… shouting from the roof tops… I did it!
Back in September 08 I read that ‘normal’ people can work up to 100 push ups a day. I laughed and thought no way. There is no way that I – in the shape I was in – could work myself up to 100 push ups a day. That was reserved for skinny, exercise fanatics with rippling bodies. That was reserved for soldiers and Marines. That goal was definitely not for a middle aged, full figured, feisty female.
…”Yet” I thought “Why not?”
I tell people that if they have a goal, write a plan and work the plan then they can achieve results. You will have obstacles and you will face challenges, however, if you stay true to the plan you will achieve.
Now, I was ready to challenge myself, to practice what I preach, that was until I got down, put my palms flat on the floor and began to push up. I was pushing but nothing was going up. Evidently I needed to really start from scratch. I got on my knees and did very modified three push ups. Well, I called them push ups. I went down, a bit, and went up, a bit, sort of. Give me a break, it was day one.
On the website one hundred push ups I read and learned about push ups. I decided it didn’t matter how long it took. I was going to do 100 push ups in a day.
I went from those first 3 knee push ups to 60 military push ups pretty quickly… then the holidays took over, my arm was sore, I had several “I don’t wanna do it” days in a row and my motivation began to wane.
I truly believe that there are five areas of our lives that we can work on to reach our potential. The areas are physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and fiscal. I think of these areas as graphs in our lives. Some areas are stronger than others. It is our job to strengthen them all. Our job is to build our capacity to reach our highest levels in each area – no matter where we are today. By the way, this is an ongoing project, just when you think you have reached your highest level another level is revealed. If this is not happening to you there is a strong possibility that you are not living to your highest potential.
Physical: I admit that this is one of my weakest areas. I have a strong heart, low cholesterol, good blood pressure and now I can say I am strong. However other parts of my body….well let’s just say that some of today’s movie stars and I couldn’t share clothes. Does that mean that I stop striving to take care of me… no. It just means that I will continue to build my confidence in physical self. One push up at a time.
Emotional: I am strong here now, however if you asked family members when I was younger (and even several years ago) that was not the case. It has taken dedication, perseverance, soul searching, challenging myself and appreciating who I’ve become to be able to say that everyone can be strong, feisty, fearless, fun, focused and courageous. Follow the path and you will achieve.
Spiritual: What you think is what you get. Your faith, your belief and your actions are all interrelated. It is important to take the time during your day to just be. Are you listening to what you are creating with your thoughts? Your thoughts connect you to your Higher Power, God, Universe or energy. Taking the time to really focus on what you are thinking. It is so powerful, motivating, and inspiring that without that quiet time you lose perspective about who you are, what your life is about and why you do what you do.
Intellectual: We are lucky that we aren’t the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz, we don’t have to wish for a brain…we already have one. Our brains need nourishment. If we don’t provide information, new ideas, new intellectual challenges our brains lose their potential. Read books, watch documentaries, push yourself to learn the other side of an argument and listen to counter perspective. Grow your brain so that you grow.
Fiscal: Money management, financial literacy, prosperity thinking and abundance are all key ingredients to a healthy and full life. Too often people have covered their heads in the sand because of lack of knowledge. I’ve learned that there are always people who can teach you what you don’t know. It is so liberating.
I personally found such freedom learning about profit and loss statements, balance sheets, cost analysis, cash flow analysis, tax implications and balancing a budget. There is so much I am looking forward to learning about financial success. It is freeing and so exhilarating. Take the time to learn so you can be free.
And the rest of the story….
So there I was with the “don’t wanna” swirling around me. Luckily I came out of that dizzy spell and recommitted to my goal. Today I get to shout, cheer and receive the applause because I did it… I did 100 push ups.
How about you? What’s your goal? What are you working toward? When are you going to get out of the dizzy “Don’t wanna” game? Join me and be joyous… shouting from the roof tops… I did it!
A Positive Approach to Negative People
I recently read an article telling managers that they should"get rid of" people whose negative attitudes are adverselyaffecting productivity and morale within their organizations.
I agree that is a manager's ultimate responsibility, butemphasize the word "ultimate." In far too many cases,managers go from looking the other way to swinging the axe,with the excuse that you can't make people change their attitudes.
"Getting rid of" someone should be a last resort, taken ifand only if efforts to induce a more positive workplaceenvironment and the corresponding attitudes of individualswho work there are not successful.
In that spirit, I share some of the most important lessonsI've learned about taking a positive approach to negativepeople in my years with Values Coach. These principles applynot only to management - replace the words "organization"and "manager" with "family" and "parent" and you can takethem home with you.
One: Recognize that toxic emotional negativity is always anoutward projection of some inner pain (anxiety, envy, lowself-esteem, etc.), and that helping people be more positiveat work often means helping them achieve a higher level ofself-mastery in their personal lives. To say that's not yourresponsibility is to sell short your organization, youremployees, and the people you serve.
Two: Toxic emotional negativity is like the big smellyelephant in the middle of the living room. Everyone knowsit's there, but no one wants to talk about it. Expectationsregarding how attitudes are reflected in behaviors should beclear in orientation, performance appraisals, staffmeetings, informal coaching, and every other possible venue.Instead of complaining about someone's negative attitude,managers should have the courage to confront it in aconstructive way.
Three: Attitudes are not genetic qualities; they are habitsthat are directly influenced by organizational culture, thebehaviors of peers, and expectations of managers. As withall efforts to change inappropriate or self-destructivehabits, fostering a more positive workplace is best achievedwith gentle pressure relentlessly applied.
Four: Be clear and specific about the link between valuesand behaviors. For example, I do not know of an organizationor an individual that does not claim to hold Integrity as animportant value. Yet I do not know of an organization thatdoes not have a rumor mill, and I know very few individualswho do not at least on occasion participate.
As Lori Palatnik and Bob Burg point out in their book on thesubject, gossip always violates integrity; seen in thatlight, managers have a higher obligation to eliminate itfrom the workplace.
Five: Teach people practical skills for confronting toxicemotional negativity. In our leadership retreats, wesometimes break out into small groups and ask people tocreate skits demonstrating how they would confrontinappropriate attitudes.
Most people are very uncomfortable with it, and not verygood at it. These are important management skills, andshould be taught, role-played, and critiqued (books likeCrucial Confrontations, Fierce Conversations and TheCoward's Guide to Conflict can help). Likewise, there arevery effective techniques for confronting gossip and otherinappropriate behaviors.
Six: Give people tools to depersonalize the confrontation.One of the most powerful tools in the quest for a smoke-freeworld was the simple No Smoking sign. Instead of confrontingsomeone lighting a cigarette, we were able to point to thesign and achieve the desired result with minimal risk ofconflict. The Pickle Challenge that our Spark Plug groupsuse to foster a more positive workplace includes cute signs,pickle jars, and The Pickle Pledge as visual prompts toreinforce positive attitudes.
Seven: Be a positive example. It's remarkable how frequentlywe hear managers whine and complain about how tired they areof hearing their people whine and complain. This is an easytrap to fall into. As a manager (or as a parent), you mustassume that you are always on stage, and set an example of apositive and optimistic attitude for those who look to youfor direction.
I agree that is a manager's ultimate responsibility, butemphasize the word "ultimate." In far too many cases,managers go from looking the other way to swinging the axe,with the excuse that you can't make people change their attitudes.
"Getting rid of" someone should be a last resort, taken ifand only if efforts to induce a more positive workplaceenvironment and the corresponding attitudes of individualswho work there are not successful.
In that spirit, I share some of the most important lessonsI've learned about taking a positive approach to negativepeople in my years with Values Coach. These principles applynot only to management - replace the words "organization"and "manager" with "family" and "parent" and you can takethem home with you.
One: Recognize that toxic emotional negativity is always anoutward projection of some inner pain (anxiety, envy, lowself-esteem, etc.), and that helping people be more positiveat work often means helping them achieve a higher level ofself-mastery in their personal lives. To say that's not yourresponsibility is to sell short your organization, youremployees, and the people you serve.
Two: Toxic emotional negativity is like the big smellyelephant in the middle of the living room. Everyone knowsit's there, but no one wants to talk about it. Expectationsregarding how attitudes are reflected in behaviors should beclear in orientation, performance appraisals, staffmeetings, informal coaching, and every other possible venue.Instead of complaining about someone's negative attitude,managers should have the courage to confront it in aconstructive way.
Three: Attitudes are not genetic qualities; they are habitsthat are directly influenced by organizational culture, thebehaviors of peers, and expectations of managers. As withall efforts to change inappropriate or self-destructivehabits, fostering a more positive workplace is best achievedwith gentle pressure relentlessly applied.
Four: Be clear and specific about the link between valuesand behaviors. For example, I do not know of an organizationor an individual that does not claim to hold Integrity as animportant value. Yet I do not know of an organization thatdoes not have a rumor mill, and I know very few individualswho do not at least on occasion participate.
As Lori Palatnik and Bob Burg point out in their book on thesubject, gossip always violates integrity; seen in thatlight, managers have a higher obligation to eliminate itfrom the workplace.
Five: Teach people practical skills for confronting toxicemotional negativity. In our leadership retreats, wesometimes break out into small groups and ask people tocreate skits demonstrating how they would confrontinappropriate attitudes.
Most people are very uncomfortable with it, and not verygood at it. These are important management skills, andshould be taught, role-played, and critiqued (books likeCrucial Confrontations, Fierce Conversations and TheCoward's Guide to Conflict can help). Likewise, there arevery effective techniques for confronting gossip and otherinappropriate behaviors.
Six: Give people tools to depersonalize the confrontation.One of the most powerful tools in the quest for a smoke-freeworld was the simple No Smoking sign. Instead of confrontingsomeone lighting a cigarette, we were able to point to thesign and achieve the desired result with minimal risk ofconflict. The Pickle Challenge that our Spark Plug groupsuse to foster a more positive workplace includes cute signs,pickle jars, and The Pickle Pledge as visual prompts toreinforce positive attitudes.
Seven: Be a positive example. It's remarkable how frequentlywe hear managers whine and complain about how tired they areof hearing their people whine and complain. This is an easytrap to fall into. As a manager (or as a parent), you mustassume that you are always on stage, and set an example of apositive and optimistic attitude for those who look to youfor direction.
Don't Underestimate Your Greatness
There is a sad tendency in some of us to underestimate justhow powerful we are. Just how much greatness lies insideeach and every one of us - just waiting to get out. Thereality is if you knew just how special you were - and howmuch greatness went into making you the unique you that youare I'm convinced you'd immediately know that nothing cantruly keep you from achieving that which you want in your life.
The journey is not always an easy one - very little oflasting or true value is first paved with an easy road. Infact we often find it is during those very times we believedto be insurmountable that are often most responsible for ourgaining the skills it took to reach our eventual success.
What I'm suggesting is that the skills it takes to becomethat which we desire to be are learned most often throughtimes of hardship or unrest. Certainly the good times andstudy in self-improvement plays a part, but don't discountthe importance of life's challenges either. In the end allparts of our life can be valuable teachers. Provided we'rewilling to accept them as such.
We need only accept that each event - positive or negativecan hold in it an opportunity to be made better for havingexperienced it. Now that's certainly not to say that we willfind joy in each and every one of life's events - certainlynot the negative ones anyway.
However, I believe it is worthwhile to look for the lessonsthat exist in both the good and bad in our lives. Beingcareful not to dwell on the negative. Remember, there is ahuge difference between dwelling on - and simply learningfrom and moving past something.
It's your life, LIVE BIG!
The journey is not always an easy one - very little oflasting or true value is first paved with an easy road. Infact we often find it is during those very times we believedto be insurmountable that are often most responsible for ourgaining the skills it took to reach our eventual success.
What I'm suggesting is that the skills it takes to becomethat which we desire to be are learned most often throughtimes of hardship or unrest. Certainly the good times andstudy in self-improvement plays a part, but don't discountthe importance of life's challenges either. In the end allparts of our life can be valuable teachers. Provided we'rewilling to accept them as such.
We need only accept that each event - positive or negativecan hold in it an opportunity to be made better for havingexperienced it. Now that's certainly not to say that we willfind joy in each and every one of life's events - certainlynot the negative ones anyway.
However, I believe it is worthwhile to look for the lessonsthat exist in both the good and bad in our lives. Beingcareful not to dwell on the negative. Remember, there is ahuge difference between dwelling on - and simply learningfrom and moving past something.
It's your life, LIVE BIG!
How To Ensure You Achieve Your Goals
Goal setting is an important tool for anybody who wants to improve themselves. However, goal achieving is often a neglected part of the personal development process. Plenty of people set goals (just look at New Year’s Eve), but few of these goals ever come to fruition. Why is that?
Why goals fail…
Let’s face it, we’re often full of enthusiasm when we’re dreaming about what we want to achieve, but gradually the feeling fades and we’re left back at the start – dreaming.
Goals fail because not enough thought and effort goes into achieving them. Setting the goal is only part of the journey, you must put in a conscious and consistent effort into burning the goal into your mind.
Thankfully, there’s plenty you can do to improve your chances of turning your dreams into reality.
Set excellent goals…
Many factors go into creating an effective goal, and it’s something I’ll be writing about in more depth in the future. Here are a few key points:
* Be specific – The more specific the goal, the better. “Exercise more” is not specific, but “Exercise every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning before work for twenty minutes” is much better. Doesn’t that sound less like a dream and more like a plan?
* Set a date – As plenty of people have said, “a goal without a deadline is just a dream”. Giving yourself a reasonable deadline can help stop the “I’ll start it tomorrow” syndrome that can creep up on you. A deadline promotes action, and helps you prioritise your tasks. Would your boss ever give you a big project to be completed “whenever”? Didn’t think so.
* Commit to paper – It sounds simple, but it’s a step some people can miss. Write your goals down. This not acts as a form of commitment, but it stops you from forgetting them too!
Plan how you’ll achieve them…
Once you’ve got your goals, you need to plan how you’ll achieve them. This process is really down to personal preference, but a good start is to write down the first concrete action you can take toward achieving your goal. If you like to think further ahead, you can write down the next three steps, or a more detailed plan for anything complex. It’s really a case of finding out what works best for you. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different methods until you find something that works.
Mind-mapping can be a great help at the planning stage, and it’s often beneficial to write down as many ideas as you can at this stage. Always go for quantity, and never throw out an idea when you’re mind mapping. The important part is to create a safe environment for your creativity, so you don’t want to stifle it by throwing out ideas at an early stage. Some ideas that sound bad may even turn out to be useful once you’ve had time to think about them. Once you’ve got all your ideas, you can start to review them and put them into a coherent plan.
As an example, if I had a goal of increasing traffic to my blog I’d want to get as many ideas as possible, and then create an easy to follow plan in small steps that I could complete every day. This might include posting on certain days, contributing to relevant forums on a daily basis etc.
If you’re stuck at this part, don’t worry. Solutions have a habit of appearing when you’re least expecting them, so as long as you’re constantly reviewing your goal (as covered in the next section), you’ll do fine. Just make sure you have some paper handy for when the answer arrives!
Review your goals regularly…
Once your goals are committed to paper and planned out, you need to make sure you review them on a regular basis. Reading and re-writing your goals helps to galvanise them, and creates the drive and momentum that will push you to achieving them. Read your goals every morning and every night, and review them every week.
Do what works for you. Write your goals on an index card and carry them around, record them to a tape and play it whilst driving to work, write them on a huge poster and stick it to the ceiling above your bed! The important thing is to really hammer them into your brain. Goals that get forgotten don’t get achieved, so make sure you’re regularly topping yourself up.
Don’t be afraid to tweak things if they’re not going as well as you’d like. Modify plans as regularly as you need to, because even if things are going well, you will almost certainly learn new things that will help you achieve your goals even faster.
Summary:
To summarise – if you want to achieve your goals, use the following methods:
* Set Excellent Goals – Write down your goals, and make them as specific as possible. Give yourself a deadline to help you prioritise your actions.
* Plan how you’ll achieve them – Once you’ve written your goals down, make a plan as to how you’ll achieve them.
* Review your goals regularly – Review your goals and plans as regularly as required. Burn them into your subconscious!
Why goals fail…
Let’s face it, we’re often full of enthusiasm when we’re dreaming about what we want to achieve, but gradually the feeling fades and we’re left back at the start – dreaming.
Goals fail because not enough thought and effort goes into achieving them. Setting the goal is only part of the journey, you must put in a conscious and consistent effort into burning the goal into your mind.
Thankfully, there’s plenty you can do to improve your chances of turning your dreams into reality.
Set excellent goals…
Many factors go into creating an effective goal, and it’s something I’ll be writing about in more depth in the future. Here are a few key points:
* Be specific – The more specific the goal, the better. “Exercise more” is not specific, but “Exercise every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning before work for twenty minutes” is much better. Doesn’t that sound less like a dream and more like a plan?
* Set a date – As plenty of people have said, “a goal without a deadline is just a dream”. Giving yourself a reasonable deadline can help stop the “I’ll start it tomorrow” syndrome that can creep up on you. A deadline promotes action, and helps you prioritise your tasks. Would your boss ever give you a big project to be completed “whenever”? Didn’t think so.
* Commit to paper – It sounds simple, but it’s a step some people can miss. Write your goals down. This not acts as a form of commitment, but it stops you from forgetting them too!
Plan how you’ll achieve them…
Once you’ve got your goals, you need to plan how you’ll achieve them. This process is really down to personal preference, but a good start is to write down the first concrete action you can take toward achieving your goal. If you like to think further ahead, you can write down the next three steps, or a more detailed plan for anything complex. It’s really a case of finding out what works best for you. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different methods until you find something that works.
Mind-mapping can be a great help at the planning stage, and it’s often beneficial to write down as many ideas as you can at this stage. Always go for quantity, and never throw out an idea when you’re mind mapping. The important part is to create a safe environment for your creativity, so you don’t want to stifle it by throwing out ideas at an early stage. Some ideas that sound bad may even turn out to be useful once you’ve had time to think about them. Once you’ve got all your ideas, you can start to review them and put them into a coherent plan.
As an example, if I had a goal of increasing traffic to my blog I’d want to get as many ideas as possible, and then create an easy to follow plan in small steps that I could complete every day. This might include posting on certain days, contributing to relevant forums on a daily basis etc.
If you’re stuck at this part, don’t worry. Solutions have a habit of appearing when you’re least expecting them, so as long as you’re constantly reviewing your goal (as covered in the next section), you’ll do fine. Just make sure you have some paper handy for when the answer arrives!
Review your goals regularly…
Once your goals are committed to paper and planned out, you need to make sure you review them on a regular basis. Reading and re-writing your goals helps to galvanise them, and creates the drive and momentum that will push you to achieving them. Read your goals every morning and every night, and review them every week.
Do what works for you. Write your goals on an index card and carry them around, record them to a tape and play it whilst driving to work, write them on a huge poster and stick it to the ceiling above your bed! The important thing is to really hammer them into your brain. Goals that get forgotten don’t get achieved, so make sure you’re regularly topping yourself up.
Don’t be afraid to tweak things if they’re not going as well as you’d like. Modify plans as regularly as you need to, because even if things are going well, you will almost certainly learn new things that will help you achieve your goals even faster.
Summary:
To summarise – if you want to achieve your goals, use the following methods:
* Set Excellent Goals – Write down your goals, and make them as specific as possible. Give yourself a deadline to help you prioritise your actions.
* Plan how you’ll achieve them – Once you’ve written your goals down, make a plan as to how you’ll achieve them.
* Review your goals regularly – Review your goals and plans as regularly as required. Burn them into your subconscious!
Empowering Others
Your Good Deeds Make Their Way Back To You
Just for today find someone to encourage and inspire toreach their full potential. What you put out in the worldwill inevitably make its way back to you. I'm the first toadmit that when we are experiencing particularly hard timesthis appears to be the farthest thing from the truth.
However, there are any number of reasons this is true, thesimplest of which can be explained in that people as ageneral rule like to associate with, gravitate towards, andyes, when they're in a position to do so make the choice towork with, and hire those people who have an upbeat andpositive attitude -- and who look for the good in situations.
As you move through your day today keep the following sayingin mind, "life's like a boomerang, the more good you throwout, the more you receive in return."
To prove the truth in the ideas shared above, carry a littlejournal around, keep track of how many times your "gooddeeds" make their way back to you in the course of a month or two.
Don't go into this little exercise looking to prove itwrong, or more than likely that's precisely what you'll endup doing.
Remember, more often than not we get exactly what we focuson, whether that's a good thing or not depends at least tosome degree on what you and I go looking for and take noticeof in life.
Get the Cooperation of Others…Empowering people is the key to building a high-performance team. Once you empower people by learning how to motivate and inspire them, they will want to work with you to help you achieve your goals in everything you do.
Your ability to enlist the knowledge, energy and resources of others enables you to become a multiplication sign, to leverage yourself so that you accomplish far more than the average person and in a far shorter period of time.
Determine the Key People to Empower…There are three types of people that you want to and need to empower on a regular basis. They are, first of all, the people closest to you: your family, your friends, your spouse and your children.
Second are your work relationships: your staff, your coworkers, your peers, your colleagues and even your boss.
Third are all the other people that you interact with in your day-to-day life: your customers, your suppliers, your banker, the people with whom you deal in stores, restaurants, airplanes, hotels and everywhere else.
In each case, your ability to get people to help you is what will make you a more powerful and effective person.
Always Be Positive…Empower means “putting power into,” and it can also mean “bringing energy and enthusiasm out of.”
So the first step in empowering people is to refrain from doing anything that disempowers them or reduces their energy and enthusiasm for what they are doing.
There are things you can do every single day to empower people and make them feel good about themselves.
Satisfy the Deepest Needs…The deepest need that each person has is for self-esteem, a sense of being important, valuable and worthwhile.
Everything that you do in your interactions with others affects their self-esteem in some way. You already have an excellent frame of reference to determine the things that you can do to boost the self-esteem and therefore the sense of personal power of those around you. Give them what you’d like for yourself.
Continually Express Appreciation…Perhaps the simplest way to make another person feel good about himself or herself is your continuous expressions of appreciation for everything that person does for you, large or small. Say “thank you” on every occasion.
Thank your spouse for everything that he or she does for you. Thank your children for their cooperation and support in everything that they do around the house. Thank your friends for the smallest acts of kindnesses. The more you thank other people for doing things for you, the more things those other people will want to do.
Action Exercises:
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, continually look for ways to make people feel more valuable and important. Say things to others that you would like others to say to you.
Second, express appreciation for everything anyone does for you, large or small. Say the words, “thank you” on every occasion.
Just for today find someone to encourage and inspire toreach their full potential. What you put out in the worldwill inevitably make its way back to you. I'm the first toadmit that when we are experiencing particularly hard timesthis appears to be the farthest thing from the truth.
However, there are any number of reasons this is true, thesimplest of which can be explained in that people as ageneral rule like to associate with, gravitate towards, andyes, when they're in a position to do so make the choice towork with, and hire those people who have an upbeat andpositive attitude -- and who look for the good in situations.
As you move through your day today keep the following sayingin mind, "life's like a boomerang, the more good you throwout, the more you receive in return."
To prove the truth in the ideas shared above, carry a littlejournal around, keep track of how many times your "gooddeeds" make their way back to you in the course of a month or two.
Don't go into this little exercise looking to prove itwrong, or more than likely that's precisely what you'll endup doing.
Remember, more often than not we get exactly what we focuson, whether that's a good thing or not depends at least tosome degree on what you and I go looking for and take noticeof in life.
Get the Cooperation of Others…Empowering people is the key to building a high-performance team. Once you empower people by learning how to motivate and inspire them, they will want to work with you to help you achieve your goals in everything you do.
Your ability to enlist the knowledge, energy and resources of others enables you to become a multiplication sign, to leverage yourself so that you accomplish far more than the average person and in a far shorter period of time.
Determine the Key People to Empower…There are three types of people that you want to and need to empower on a regular basis. They are, first of all, the people closest to you: your family, your friends, your spouse and your children.
Second are your work relationships: your staff, your coworkers, your peers, your colleagues and even your boss.
Third are all the other people that you interact with in your day-to-day life: your customers, your suppliers, your banker, the people with whom you deal in stores, restaurants, airplanes, hotels and everywhere else.
In each case, your ability to get people to help you is what will make you a more powerful and effective person.
Always Be Positive…Empower means “putting power into,” and it can also mean “bringing energy and enthusiasm out of.”
So the first step in empowering people is to refrain from doing anything that disempowers them or reduces their energy and enthusiasm for what they are doing.
There are things you can do every single day to empower people and make them feel good about themselves.
Satisfy the Deepest Needs…The deepest need that each person has is for self-esteem, a sense of being important, valuable and worthwhile.
Everything that you do in your interactions with others affects their self-esteem in some way. You already have an excellent frame of reference to determine the things that you can do to boost the self-esteem and therefore the sense of personal power of those around you. Give them what you’d like for yourself.
Continually Express Appreciation…Perhaps the simplest way to make another person feel good about himself or herself is your continuous expressions of appreciation for everything that person does for you, large or small. Say “thank you” on every occasion.
Thank your spouse for everything that he or she does for you. Thank your children for their cooperation and support in everything that they do around the house. Thank your friends for the smallest acts of kindnesses. The more you thank other people for doing things for you, the more things those other people will want to do.
Action Exercises:
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, continually look for ways to make people feel more valuable and important. Say things to others that you would like others to say to you.
Second, express appreciation for everything anyone does for you, large or small. Say the words, “thank you” on every occasion.
Ramadan Information
Muslims around the world anticipate the arrival of the holiest month of the year. During Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims from all continents unite in a period of fasting and spiritual reflection.
Ramadan Basics
Each year, Muslims spend the ninth month of the Islamic calendar observing a community-wide fast. The annual fast of Ramadan is considered one of the five "pillars" of Islam. Muslims who are physically able are required to fast each day of the entire month, from sunrise to sunset. The evenings are spent enjoying family and community meals, engaging in prayer and spiritual reflection, and reading from the Qu'ran.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Every day during this month, Muslims around the world spend the daylight hours in a complete fast.
During the blessed month of Ramdan, Muslims all over the world abstain from food, drink, and other physical needs during the daylight hours. As a time to purify the soul, refocus attention on God, and practice self-sacrifice, Ramadan is much more than just not eating and drinking.
Muslims are called upon to use this month to re-evaluate their lives in light of Islamic guidance. We are to make peace with those who have wronged us, strengthen ties with family and friends, do away with bad habits -- essentially to clean up our lives, our thoughts, and our feelings. The Arabic word for "fasting" literally means "to refrain" - and it means not only refraining from food and drink, but from evil actions, thoughts, and words.
During Ramadan, every part of the body must be restrained. The tongue must be restrained from backbiting and gossip. The eyes must restrain themselves from looking at unlawful things. The hand must not touch or take anything that does not belong to it. The ears must refrain from listening to idle talk or obscene words. The feet must refrain from going to sinful places. In such a way, every part of the body observes the fast.
Therefore, fasting is not merely physical, but is rather the total commitment of the person's body and soul to the spirit of the fast. Ramadan is a time to practice self-restraint; a time to cleanse the body and soul from impurities and re-focus one's self on the worship of God.
Observing the Fast of RamadanThe fast of Ramadan has both spiritual significance and physical effects. In addition to the basic requirements of the fast, there are additional and recommended practices in order to gain the most benefit from the experience.
For the Muslim, the fast of Ramadan has specific regulations and rules (fiqh). Islamic scholars have outlined the fasting requirements for the general population, and explain the accommodations that can be made when someone is unable to fast because of sickness or other health reasons.
While many of the general fasting requirements are the same for everyone, it is best to consult one of the many detailed fiqh resources for specific rules and special circumstances. These links give more detailed information on general guidelines and special cases such as sickness, pregnancy, chronic health problems, and more.
Ramadan is a period of fasting, reflection, devotion, generosity and sacrifice observed by Muslims around the world. While major holidays of other faiths have largely become commercialized events, Ramadan retains its intense spiritual meaning.
The word "Ramadan" comes from the Arabic root word for "parched thirst" and "sun-baked ground." It is expressive of the hunger and thirst felt by those who spend the month in fasting. As opposed to other holidays, when people often indulge, Ramadan is by nature a time of sacrifice.
Through fasting, a Muslim experiences hunger and thirst, and sympathizes with those in the world who have little to eat every day.
Through increased devotion, Muslims feel closer to their Creator, and recognize that everything we have in this life is a blessing from Him.
Through increased charity, Muslims develop feelings of generosity and good-will toward others. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once said, "A man's wealth is never diminished by charity."
Through self-control, a Muslim practices good manners, good speech, and good habits.
Through changing routines, Muslims have a chance to establish more healthy lifestyle habits -- particularly with regards to diet and smoking.
Through family and community gatherings, Muslims strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood, in their own communities and throughout the world. Ramadan is a very special time for Muslims, but the feelings and lessons we experience should stay with us throughout the year. In the Qur'an, Muslims are commanded to fast so that they may "learn self-restraint" (Qur'an 2:183). This restraint and devotion is especially felt during Ramadan, but we all must strive to make the feelings and attitudes stay with us during our "normal" lives. That is the true goal and test of Ramadan.
May Allah accept our fasting, forgive our sins, and guide us all to the Straight Path. May Allah bless us all during Ramadan, and throughout the year, with His forgiveness, mercy, and peace, and bring us all closer to Him and to each other.
Ramadan Health
The fast of Ramadan is rigorous, particularly during long summer days when it may be required to resist all food and drink for as many as sixteen hours at a time. This strain may be too much for people with certain health conditions.
The Qur'an instructs Muslims to fast during the month of Ramadan, but also gives clear exemptions for those who may become ill as a result of fasting:
"But if any of you is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed number (of Ramadan days) should be made up from days later. For those who cannot do this except with hardship is a ransom: the feeding of one that is indigent.... Allah intends every ease for you; He does not want to put you to difficulties...." - Qur'an 2:184-185 In several other passages, the Qur'an instructs Muslims not to kill or harm themselves, or cause harm to others.
Prior to Ramadan, a Muslim should always consult with a doctor about the safety of fasting in individual circumstances. Some health conditions may be improved during fasting, while others may possibly deteriorate. If you decide that fasting could possibly be harmful in your situation, you have two options:
If yours is a temporary, not chronic, condition you may make up the fast (a day for a day) at a later time, when your health improves.
If yours is a permanent or chronic condition, you may make a donation in charity in lieu of fasting. The amount should be sufficient to feed one person a day, for each fasting day that is missed. There is no need to feel guilty about taking care of your health needs during Ramadan. These exemptions exist in the Qur'an for a reason, as Allah knows best what issues we may face. Even if one is not fasting, one can feel part of the Ramadan experience through other areas of worship -- such as offering additional prayers, inviting friends and family for evening meals, reading the Qur'an, or donating to charity.
Additional information is available below for those with specific health concerns. Again, you should always consult with your own doctor to evaluate your individual circumstances.
Muslim children are not required to fast until they reach the age of maturity (puberty). However, in many families, younger children enjoy participating and are encouraged to practice their fasting. It is common for a younger child to fast for part of a day, or for one day on the weekend, especially in the shorter winter months. This way, they enjoy the "grown-up" feeling that they are participating in the special events of the family and community.
It is also common for children to participate in Ramadan in other ways, aside from the daily fast. They may collect coins or money to donate to the needy, help cook meals for breaking the day's fast, or read Qur'an with the family in the evening.
At the end of Ramadan, children are often indulged with gifts of sweets and money on the day of Eid al-Fitr.
Reading During Ramadan
The first verses of the Qu'ran were revealed during the month of Ramadan, and the very first word was: "Read!" During the month of Ramadan, as well as other times during the year, Muslims are encouraged to read and reflect on God's guidance.
Celebrating Eid al-Fitr
At the end of the month of Ramadan, Muslims around the world enjoy a 3-day holiday known as "Eid al-Fitr" (Festival of Fast-Breaking).
During the month of Ramdan, Muslims observe a strict fast and participate in pious activities such as charitable giving and peace-making. It is a time of intense spiritual renewal for those who observe it. At the end of Ramadan, Muslims throughout the world observe a joyous three-day celebration called Eid al-Fitr (the Festival of Fast-Breaking).
Eid al-Fitr falls on the first day of Shawwal, the month which follows Ramadan in the Islamic calendar. It is a time to give in charity to those in need, and celebrate with family and friends the completion of a month of blessings and joy.
Before the day of Eid, during the last few days of Ramadan, each Muslim family gives a determined amount as a donation to the poor. This donation is of actual food -- rice, barley, dates, rice, etc. -- to ensure that the needy can have a holiday meal and participate in the celebration. This donation is known as Sadaqag ak-fitr (charity of fast-breaking).
On the day of Eid, Muslims gather early in the morning in outdoor locations or mosques to perform the Eid prayer. This consists of a sermon followed by a short congregational prayer.
After the Eid prayer, Muslims usually scatter to visit various family and friends, give gifts (especially to children), and make phone calls to distant relatives to give well-wishes for the holiday. These activities traditionally continue for three days. In most Muslim countries, the entire 3-day period is an official government/school holiday.
Ramadan Basics
Each year, Muslims spend the ninth month of the Islamic calendar observing a community-wide fast. The annual fast of Ramadan is considered one of the five "pillars" of Islam. Muslims who are physically able are required to fast each day of the entire month, from sunrise to sunset. The evenings are spent enjoying family and community meals, engaging in prayer and spiritual reflection, and reading from the Qu'ran.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Every day during this month, Muslims around the world spend the daylight hours in a complete fast.
During the blessed month of Ramdan, Muslims all over the world abstain from food, drink, and other physical needs during the daylight hours. As a time to purify the soul, refocus attention on God, and practice self-sacrifice, Ramadan is much more than just not eating and drinking.
Muslims are called upon to use this month to re-evaluate their lives in light of Islamic guidance. We are to make peace with those who have wronged us, strengthen ties with family and friends, do away with bad habits -- essentially to clean up our lives, our thoughts, and our feelings. The Arabic word for "fasting" literally means "to refrain" - and it means not only refraining from food and drink, but from evil actions, thoughts, and words.
During Ramadan, every part of the body must be restrained. The tongue must be restrained from backbiting and gossip. The eyes must restrain themselves from looking at unlawful things. The hand must not touch or take anything that does not belong to it. The ears must refrain from listening to idle talk or obscene words. The feet must refrain from going to sinful places. In such a way, every part of the body observes the fast.
Therefore, fasting is not merely physical, but is rather the total commitment of the person's body and soul to the spirit of the fast. Ramadan is a time to practice self-restraint; a time to cleanse the body and soul from impurities and re-focus one's self on the worship of God.
Observing the Fast of RamadanThe fast of Ramadan has both spiritual significance and physical effects. In addition to the basic requirements of the fast, there are additional and recommended practices in order to gain the most benefit from the experience.
For the Muslim, the fast of Ramadan has specific regulations and rules (fiqh). Islamic scholars have outlined the fasting requirements for the general population, and explain the accommodations that can be made when someone is unable to fast because of sickness or other health reasons.
While many of the general fasting requirements are the same for everyone, it is best to consult one of the many detailed fiqh resources for specific rules and special circumstances. These links give more detailed information on general guidelines and special cases such as sickness, pregnancy, chronic health problems, and more.
Ramadan is a period of fasting, reflection, devotion, generosity and sacrifice observed by Muslims around the world. While major holidays of other faiths have largely become commercialized events, Ramadan retains its intense spiritual meaning.
The word "Ramadan" comes from the Arabic root word for "parched thirst" and "sun-baked ground." It is expressive of the hunger and thirst felt by those who spend the month in fasting. As opposed to other holidays, when people often indulge, Ramadan is by nature a time of sacrifice.
Through fasting, a Muslim experiences hunger and thirst, and sympathizes with those in the world who have little to eat every day.
Through increased devotion, Muslims feel closer to their Creator, and recognize that everything we have in this life is a blessing from Him.
Through increased charity, Muslims develop feelings of generosity and good-will toward others. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once said, "A man's wealth is never diminished by charity."
Through self-control, a Muslim practices good manners, good speech, and good habits.
Through changing routines, Muslims have a chance to establish more healthy lifestyle habits -- particularly with regards to diet and smoking.
Through family and community gatherings, Muslims strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood, in their own communities and throughout the world. Ramadan is a very special time for Muslims, but the feelings and lessons we experience should stay with us throughout the year. In the Qur'an, Muslims are commanded to fast so that they may "learn self-restraint" (Qur'an 2:183). This restraint and devotion is especially felt during Ramadan, but we all must strive to make the feelings and attitudes stay with us during our "normal" lives. That is the true goal and test of Ramadan.
May Allah accept our fasting, forgive our sins, and guide us all to the Straight Path. May Allah bless us all during Ramadan, and throughout the year, with His forgiveness, mercy, and peace, and bring us all closer to Him and to each other.
Ramadan Health
The fast of Ramadan is rigorous, particularly during long summer days when it may be required to resist all food and drink for as many as sixteen hours at a time. This strain may be too much for people with certain health conditions.
The Qur'an instructs Muslims to fast during the month of Ramadan, but also gives clear exemptions for those who may become ill as a result of fasting:
"But if any of you is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed number (of Ramadan days) should be made up from days later. For those who cannot do this except with hardship is a ransom: the feeding of one that is indigent.... Allah intends every ease for you; He does not want to put you to difficulties...." - Qur'an 2:184-185 In several other passages, the Qur'an instructs Muslims not to kill or harm themselves, or cause harm to others.
Prior to Ramadan, a Muslim should always consult with a doctor about the safety of fasting in individual circumstances. Some health conditions may be improved during fasting, while others may possibly deteriorate. If you decide that fasting could possibly be harmful in your situation, you have two options:
If yours is a temporary, not chronic, condition you may make up the fast (a day for a day) at a later time, when your health improves.
If yours is a permanent or chronic condition, you may make a donation in charity in lieu of fasting. The amount should be sufficient to feed one person a day, for each fasting day that is missed. There is no need to feel guilty about taking care of your health needs during Ramadan. These exemptions exist in the Qur'an for a reason, as Allah knows best what issues we may face. Even if one is not fasting, one can feel part of the Ramadan experience through other areas of worship -- such as offering additional prayers, inviting friends and family for evening meals, reading the Qur'an, or donating to charity.
Additional information is available below for those with specific health concerns. Again, you should always consult with your own doctor to evaluate your individual circumstances.
Muslim children are not required to fast until they reach the age of maturity (puberty). However, in many families, younger children enjoy participating and are encouraged to practice their fasting. It is common for a younger child to fast for part of a day, or for one day on the weekend, especially in the shorter winter months. This way, they enjoy the "grown-up" feeling that they are participating in the special events of the family and community.
It is also common for children to participate in Ramadan in other ways, aside from the daily fast. They may collect coins or money to donate to the needy, help cook meals for breaking the day's fast, or read Qur'an with the family in the evening.
At the end of Ramadan, children are often indulged with gifts of sweets and money on the day of Eid al-Fitr.
Reading During Ramadan
The first verses of the Qu'ran were revealed during the month of Ramadan, and the very first word was: "Read!" During the month of Ramadan, as well as other times during the year, Muslims are encouraged to read and reflect on God's guidance.
Celebrating Eid al-Fitr
At the end of the month of Ramadan, Muslims around the world enjoy a 3-day holiday known as "Eid al-Fitr" (Festival of Fast-Breaking).
During the month of Ramdan, Muslims observe a strict fast and participate in pious activities such as charitable giving and peace-making. It is a time of intense spiritual renewal for those who observe it. At the end of Ramadan, Muslims throughout the world observe a joyous three-day celebration called Eid al-Fitr (the Festival of Fast-Breaking).
Eid al-Fitr falls on the first day of Shawwal, the month which follows Ramadan in the Islamic calendar. It is a time to give in charity to those in need, and celebrate with family and friends the completion of a month of blessings and joy.
Before the day of Eid, during the last few days of Ramadan, each Muslim family gives a determined amount as a donation to the poor. This donation is of actual food -- rice, barley, dates, rice, etc. -- to ensure that the needy can have a holiday meal and participate in the celebration. This donation is known as Sadaqag ak-fitr (charity of fast-breaking).
On the day of Eid, Muslims gather early in the morning in outdoor locations or mosques to perform the Eid prayer. This consists of a sermon followed by a short congregational prayer.
After the Eid prayer, Muslims usually scatter to visit various family and friends, give gifts (especially to children), and make phone calls to distant relatives to give well-wishes for the holiday. These activities traditionally continue for three days. In most Muslim countries, the entire 3-day period is an official government/school holiday.
European Customs and Culture: Tips for Your First Trip to Europe
Many travelers have the expectation that Europe will be just like their home country, except that people might speak a different language. While ideas are converging and becoming "global," there are still some major differences that the first-time traveler to Europe should know about.
Remember--it's not difficult to deal in generalizations--it's difficult not to find fault with them. Western Europe is a big place and it's been settled over its long history by lots of different cultures. So take the generalizations below as general guidelines for navigating European customs. Sweden is vastly different from Portugal. That's what makes travel fun.
Drinking in Europe -
The idea of the "big gulp" cup or infinite refills of soft drinks that you've come to expect in the U.S. has not exactly caught on in Europe. Do not expect to ask for a refill of your beverage and not be charged for it. Also, the price of American-style soft drinks is often high with respect to the price of beer and wine. Just remember our own Tomas Jefferson, who was a enthusiastic observer of European customs: "No nation is drunken where wine is cheap and none sober where the dearness of wine substitutes ardent spirits as the common beverage."
Drinking wine or beer at tables in the streets is more common in Europe than it is in the US. Despite this, European driving laws are constantly being revised to redefine impairment levels downwards. If you are driving, check the allowable blood alcohol levels in the country you're visiting--you might be surprised, given the availability of wine and beer.
European salad dressing is unlikely to to contain sugar. The fructose-laden "Italian Dressing" and "French Dressing" we get in the supermarkets are largely unknown in Italy and France for good reason. You've been hoaxed by Big Dressing. Olive oil and a touch of vinegar, sometimes whipped together, is the default dressing for dinner salads in many countries, especially along the Mediterranean coast.
Taxes in Europe are high, but often hidden. You're paying a hefty tax for that lunch on the terrace, but it's unlikely to be broken out on the bill.
Tipping is a minefield. For western Europe in general, tips represent more the spirit of the true tip--that is, it's a percentage of the bill you give for good service, not a large sum that goes to pay the wages of your server. Unfortunately, as Americans bring their customs to Europe, the expectation of a large tip is increasing as wages for servers decrease, especially in large cities. Each of our country maps offers suggestions of tipping; they're all linked from our European Travel Planning Map just click on a country and go.
Electricity in Europe is way different. Voltage in Europe is twice what it is in the US. Most computers and modern techno-stuff operates on both voltages, and only an adapter plug is needed. Beware that not all European plugs are the same. Older hotels may not have the juice to run that 1000 watt hair dryer you desperately (don't) need.
Shop smart. It is customary to greet shop owners in their stores in many European countries. If you're planning on doing shopping in small boutique type stores, learn to say, "good morning" or "good afternoon" in the language of your destinations. You'll start find shopping easier and more pleasant--and you might catch a bargain along the way. Folks are generally highly appreciative of any attempt you make to speak their language and learn their customs and using a few polite words often opens doors.
Pharmacists are more useful as a contact point for a person whose health is in question in Europe than they are allowed by law to be in the US. If you are in a city and are closer to a pharmacy than an emergency room and your condition isn't critical, try the pharmacy. You might be surprised at what services a pharmacist can provide.
Public Transportation is much more extensive in Europe than in the U.S. You'll have a variety of ways to get from city to city, or even city to exceedingly small village. Where there are no trains, there will likely be buses, even if their schedules aren't ideal for the tourist. In Switzerland, Postal Buses will take you to just about anywhere you can think of going. For longer trips on trains, you'll want to find the right rail pass. If you're taking short trips or day trips, don't use a rail pass day, because rail passes aren't guaranteed to save you money, especially on short hauls.
Remember--it's not difficult to deal in generalizations--it's difficult not to find fault with them. Western Europe is a big place and it's been settled over its long history by lots of different cultures. So take the generalizations below as general guidelines for navigating European customs. Sweden is vastly different from Portugal. That's what makes travel fun.
Drinking in Europe -
The idea of the "big gulp" cup or infinite refills of soft drinks that you've come to expect in the U.S. has not exactly caught on in Europe. Do not expect to ask for a refill of your beverage and not be charged for it. Also, the price of American-style soft drinks is often high with respect to the price of beer and wine. Just remember our own Tomas Jefferson, who was a enthusiastic observer of European customs: "No nation is drunken where wine is cheap and none sober where the dearness of wine substitutes ardent spirits as the common beverage."
Drinking wine or beer at tables in the streets is more common in Europe than it is in the US. Despite this, European driving laws are constantly being revised to redefine impairment levels downwards. If you are driving, check the allowable blood alcohol levels in the country you're visiting--you might be surprised, given the availability of wine and beer.
European salad dressing is unlikely to to contain sugar. The fructose-laden "Italian Dressing" and "French Dressing" we get in the supermarkets are largely unknown in Italy and France for good reason. You've been hoaxed by Big Dressing. Olive oil and a touch of vinegar, sometimes whipped together, is the default dressing for dinner salads in many countries, especially along the Mediterranean coast.
Taxes in Europe are high, but often hidden. You're paying a hefty tax for that lunch on the terrace, but it's unlikely to be broken out on the bill.
Tipping is a minefield. For western Europe in general, tips represent more the spirit of the true tip--that is, it's a percentage of the bill you give for good service, not a large sum that goes to pay the wages of your server. Unfortunately, as Americans bring their customs to Europe, the expectation of a large tip is increasing as wages for servers decrease, especially in large cities. Each of our country maps offers suggestions of tipping; they're all linked from our European Travel Planning Map just click on a country and go.
Electricity in Europe is way different. Voltage in Europe is twice what it is in the US. Most computers and modern techno-stuff operates on both voltages, and only an adapter plug is needed. Beware that not all European plugs are the same. Older hotels may not have the juice to run that 1000 watt hair dryer you desperately (don't) need.
Shop smart. It is customary to greet shop owners in their stores in many European countries. If you're planning on doing shopping in small boutique type stores, learn to say, "good morning" or "good afternoon" in the language of your destinations. You'll start find shopping easier and more pleasant--and you might catch a bargain along the way. Folks are generally highly appreciative of any attempt you make to speak their language and learn their customs and using a few polite words often opens doors.
Pharmacists are more useful as a contact point for a person whose health is in question in Europe than they are allowed by law to be in the US. If you are in a city and are closer to a pharmacy than an emergency room and your condition isn't critical, try the pharmacy. You might be surprised at what services a pharmacist can provide.
Public Transportation is much more extensive in Europe than in the U.S. You'll have a variety of ways to get from city to city, or even city to exceedingly small village. Where there are no trains, there will likely be buses, even if their schedules aren't ideal for the tourist. In Switzerland, Postal Buses will take you to just about anywhere you can think of going. For longer trips on trains, you'll want to find the right rail pass. If you're taking short trips or day trips, don't use a rail pass day, because rail passes aren't guaranteed to save you money, especially on short hauls.
Islamic Dietary Law
Muslims follow a set of dietary laws which are outlined in the Qur'an. Everything is permitted (halal), except what God specifically prohibited (haram). Muslims do not consume pork or alcohol, and follow a humane process for the slaughter of animals for meat. Within these rules, there is wide variation among the eating habits of Muslims around the world.
Rules and TipsMuslims are allowed to eat what is "good" - that is, what is pure, clean, wholesome, nourishing, and pleasing to the taste. In general, everything is allowed (halal) except what has been specifically forbidden. Muslims are enjoined by their religion to abstain from eating certain foods. This is in the interest of health and cleanliness, and in obedience to God. Here are some tips on following Islamic law when eating at home or on the road.
Halal
Muslims are allowed to eat what is "good" (Qur'an 2:168) - that is, what is pure, clean, wholesome, nourishing, and pleasing to the taste. In general, everything is allowed (halal) except what has been specifically forbidden.
Haram
Muslims are enjoined by their religion to abstain from eating certain foods. This is in the interest of health and cleanliness, and in obedience to God. In the Qur'an (2:173, 5:3, 5:90-91, 6:145, 16:115), the following foods and drinks are strictly prohibited by God (haram):
dead meat (i.e. carcass of an already-dead animal)
blood
flesh of swine (pork)
intoxicating drink
meat of an animal that has been sacrificed to idols
meat of an animal that died from strangulation or blunt force
meat from which wild animals have already eaten
Islamic Slaughtering
Muslims are enjoined to slaughter their livestock by slitting the animal's throat in a swift and merciful manner, reciting God’s name with the words, "In the name of God, God is Most Great" (Qur'an 6:118-121). This is in acknowledgement that life is sacred, and that one must kill only with God's permission, to meet one's lawful need for food. The animal is then bled completely before consumption. Meat prepared in this manner is called zabihah, or simply, halal meat.
Some Muslims will abstain from eating meat if they are uncertain of how it was slaughtered. They place importance on the animal having been slaughtered in a humane fashion with the remembrance of God and gratefulness for this sacrifice of the animal's life. They also place importance on the animal having been bled properly, as otherwise it would not be considered healthy to eat.
Some Muslims living in predominantly-Christian countries hold the opinion that one may eat commercial meat (apart from pork, of course), and pronounce God’s name at the time of eating it. This opinion is based on the Qur'anic verse (5:5) that the food of Christians and Jews is lawful for Muslims.
Rules and TipsMuslims are allowed to eat what is "good" - that is, what is pure, clean, wholesome, nourishing, and pleasing to the taste. In general, everything is allowed (halal) except what has been specifically forbidden. Muslims are enjoined by their religion to abstain from eating certain foods. This is in the interest of health and cleanliness, and in obedience to God. Here are some tips on following Islamic law when eating at home or on the road.
Halal
Muslims are allowed to eat what is "good" (Qur'an 2:168) - that is, what is pure, clean, wholesome, nourishing, and pleasing to the taste. In general, everything is allowed (halal) except what has been specifically forbidden.
Haram
Muslims are enjoined by their religion to abstain from eating certain foods. This is in the interest of health and cleanliness, and in obedience to God. In the Qur'an (2:173, 5:3, 5:90-91, 6:145, 16:115), the following foods and drinks are strictly prohibited by God (haram):
dead meat (i.e. carcass of an already-dead animal)
blood
flesh of swine (pork)
intoxicating drink
meat of an animal that has been sacrificed to idols
meat of an animal that died from strangulation or blunt force
meat from which wild animals have already eaten
Islamic Slaughtering
Muslims are enjoined to slaughter their livestock by slitting the animal's throat in a swift and merciful manner, reciting God’s name with the words, "In the name of God, God is Most Great" (Qur'an 6:118-121). This is in acknowledgement that life is sacred, and that one must kill only with God's permission, to meet one's lawful need for food. The animal is then bled completely before consumption. Meat prepared in this manner is called zabihah, or simply, halal meat.
Some Muslims will abstain from eating meat if they are uncertain of how it was slaughtered. They place importance on the animal having been slaughtered in a humane fashion with the remembrance of God and gratefulness for this sacrifice of the animal's life. They also place importance on the animal having been bled properly, as otherwise it would not be considered healthy to eat.
Some Muslims living in predominantly-Christian countries hold the opinion that one may eat commercial meat (apart from pork, of course), and pronounce God’s name at the time of eating it. This opinion is based on the Qur'anic verse (5:5) that the food of Christians and Jews is lawful for Muslims.
Government Babus
Government babus (officials) use different tactics to extract bribe. You may take the following action to counter those tactics. These are very simple & useful. I have tried them with very successful results.
(1) Indefinite Delay: They keep on delaying your work until you go to them & offer bribe.
Solution: Don’t visit government offices. Follow up your pending work through letters. You may send letters by courier, registered post or speed post. Local speed post costs only Rs 12/-. Local couriers are available at Rs 5/-. You may also use RTI Act to know status of your work. In this case you need to spend another Rs 10/-.
(2) Demanding unnecessary papers: Sometimes they demand unnecessary papers & give hints that work can be done without those papers if you bribe.
Solution: If they can offer to do your work without additional papers with bribe, it means that those papers were definitely unnecessary. (i) Ask babus to demand those papers in writing and record the conversation. (ii) Write a letter stating that you demanded these papers. Are they really mandatory as per law? You can also use RTI Act here. (iii) Use RTI Act to find out whether he demanded those papers from other applicants. (iv) Whatever paper he demands, send by post. Never deliver anything without receipt.
Remember no officer will complete your work without mandatory papers. He will keep his file perfectly clean.
(3) They advise you to pay bribe so that you pay less tax / penalties. Many times they demand higher amount for penalties than prescribed under laws.
Solution: (1) Check laws if you can (2) Record conversation & tell them that you are going to report to Anti-Corruption Bureau. (3) Use RTI Act to find out how much was paid by others under similar circumstances.
(4) When the babu is not available in office.
Solution: Write a letter that I came to your office on say, 1st August at 11 AM but you were not available. Your assistant Mr. Rama Rao told me to come again on 5th August. This letter will make him take special care of your work.
(5) If nothing works, try this.
When you don't have any option, record the conversation, pay money & get your work done. After your work is completed, meet that babu and demand your money back. Tell him that you are going to complaint, if he does not return your money.
(6) Develop the habit of complaining.
Whenever you see crime & corruption, send written complaints to head of that department, ACB / CBI, local newspapers
(7) Don’t be submissive.
Call babus by their names. Don’t call them "sir". Be polite but don’t show unnecessary respect. Be firm and confident. Babus are always afraid of knowledgeable people.
These methods may sound unbelievable but try it at least once to discover their power.
Remember: Smallest action is much better than the noblest intentions.
(1) Indefinite Delay: They keep on delaying your work until you go to them & offer bribe.
Solution: Don’t visit government offices. Follow up your pending work through letters. You may send letters by courier, registered post or speed post. Local speed post costs only Rs 12/-. Local couriers are available at Rs 5/-. You may also use RTI Act to know status of your work. In this case you need to spend another Rs 10/-.
(2) Demanding unnecessary papers: Sometimes they demand unnecessary papers & give hints that work can be done without those papers if you bribe.
Solution: If they can offer to do your work without additional papers with bribe, it means that those papers were definitely unnecessary. (i) Ask babus to demand those papers in writing and record the conversation. (ii) Write a letter stating that you demanded these papers. Are they really mandatory as per law? You can also use RTI Act here. (iii) Use RTI Act to find out whether he demanded those papers from other applicants. (iv) Whatever paper he demands, send by post. Never deliver anything without receipt.
Remember no officer will complete your work without mandatory papers. He will keep his file perfectly clean.
(3) They advise you to pay bribe so that you pay less tax / penalties. Many times they demand higher amount for penalties than prescribed under laws.
Solution: (1) Check laws if you can (2) Record conversation & tell them that you are going to report to Anti-Corruption Bureau. (3) Use RTI Act to find out how much was paid by others under similar circumstances.
(4) When the babu is not available in office.
Solution: Write a letter that I came to your office on say, 1st August at 11 AM but you were not available. Your assistant Mr. Rama Rao told me to come again on 5th August. This letter will make him take special care of your work.
(5) If nothing works, try this.
When you don't have any option, record the conversation, pay money & get your work done. After your work is completed, meet that babu and demand your money back. Tell him that you are going to complaint, if he does not return your money.
(6) Develop the habit of complaining.
Whenever you see crime & corruption, send written complaints to head of that department, ACB / CBI, local newspapers
(7) Don’t be submissive.
Call babus by their names. Don’t call them "sir". Be polite but don’t show unnecessary respect. Be firm and confident. Babus are always afraid of knowledgeable people.
These methods may sound unbelievable but try it at least once to discover their power.
Remember: Smallest action is much better than the noblest intentions.
Background of the Ground Zero Mosque Issue
What's All the Fuss About?:
The "Park 51"community center is the official name for the building that has become known as the "Ground Zero Mosque." Park51 is designed as a community center (much like the YMCA), with state-of-the-art facilities for recreation, education, arts, culture, and interfaith outreach.
Critics have pounced on the fact that the project is being spearkheaded by Muslims, and a Muslim prayer hall will be included among the facilities. Its proximity to ground zero is considered by some to be a painful slap-in-the-face. Politicians and others have questioned the wisdom of building a mosque in the area.
Muslims in Lower Manhattan:
There has actually been a "Ground Zero" mosque for 30 years, since before there was even a World Trade Center. Masjid Manhattan was established in 1970 just four blocks from what would later become the WTC. In early 2009 they lost their lease and moved to temporary quarters (also in lower Manhattan). The new space can only hold a fraction of worshippers at a time.
The tiny Masjid Al-Farah has also been located here for decades, a few blocks from Ground Zero. This mosque holds worship services for the mystical branch of Islam, Sufism. Manhattan is a diverse cultural and religious community, and has been for many years.
What Is the Building To Be Used For?:
Park51 is designed as a community center, offering services in the neighborhood that do not currently exist. Initial designs show state-of-the-art facilities for recreation and fitness, education programs, art studios and exhibition space, childcare services, and a 500-seat public auditorium. A 9/11 memorial and quiet reflection room is part of the design. It is planned that one small part of the 13-story building will be set aside as a mosque prayer hall. Planners hope that the center will serve as a model of moderate dialogue, diversity, and service to the community.
Supporters:
Supporters point out that the center is being developed by moderate, peace-seeking Muslims as a service to lower Manhattan, an area which is in need of revitalization projects and community services.
The development has the support of the local Manhattan community which it will serve: neighbors, local board and elected officials, Mayor Bloomberg, and September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows among many others.
New York Mayor Mayor Bloomberg said it best: “Muslims are as much a part of our city and our country as the people of any faith, and they are as welcome to worship in Lower Manhattan as any other group.”
Critics:
Opponents of Park51 cite a variety of reasons, which are unfortunately based largely on ignorance and fear. There are some who honestly feel that the center might cause pain to family members who come to visit the future Ground Zero memorial. However, this concern has been exploited by politicians across the nation, who have added their own baseless accusations.
The New York Landmarks Preservation Commission:
In order to move forward with development, Park51 project managers are complying with the law by seeking all necessary permits and approvals. A petition to the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission was required, in order to determine if it was acceptable to demolish the existing, damaged Burlington Coat Factory building and build a new structure in its place.
On 3 August 2010, the Commission determined that the building does not meet the criteria of a historic landmark. This decision cleared the way for Park51 organizers to proceed with plans to develop the site.
Governor Paterson Proposal:
As public and media criticism started to rise in opposition to the Park51 plans, the New York Governor spoke up. Governor Paterson acknowledged the community's right to build a community center on the site, but added that he understands the concerns and would like to help explore alternatives. In August 2010, Governor Paterson offered to help the developers find another site. After consideration, the project organizers declined, explaining that "this has always been about serving Lower Manhattan."
President Obama:
On the controversy, President Obama has said: "This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are. The writ of our Founders must endure."
The following day, President Obama clarified his comments, adding that while Muslims have the right to build the mosque, he would not comment on the "wisdom" of doing so in the proposed location.
What's Next?:
The Park51 project is still in the intial planning phases. The organization has not yet applied for non-profit (501)c3 status, nor has it started any fundraising campaigns. An advisory committee is being recruited. Project leaders have said that even the plans for the building are open to discussion and change.
In the meantime, the issue has become a political talking point in the run-up to November elections. Governor Paterson has repeated his proposal to help find an alternative location, and plans to meet with Park51 developers.
The "Park 51"community center is the official name for the building that has become known as the "Ground Zero Mosque." Park51 is designed as a community center (much like the YMCA), with state-of-the-art facilities for recreation, education, arts, culture, and interfaith outreach.
Critics have pounced on the fact that the project is being spearkheaded by Muslims, and a Muslim prayer hall will be included among the facilities. Its proximity to ground zero is considered by some to be a painful slap-in-the-face. Politicians and others have questioned the wisdom of building a mosque in the area.
Muslims in Lower Manhattan:
There has actually been a "Ground Zero" mosque for 30 years, since before there was even a World Trade Center. Masjid Manhattan was established in 1970 just four blocks from what would later become the WTC. In early 2009 they lost their lease and moved to temporary quarters (also in lower Manhattan). The new space can only hold a fraction of worshippers at a time.
The tiny Masjid Al-Farah has also been located here for decades, a few blocks from Ground Zero. This mosque holds worship services for the mystical branch of Islam, Sufism. Manhattan is a diverse cultural and religious community, and has been for many years.
What Is the Building To Be Used For?:
Park51 is designed as a community center, offering services in the neighborhood that do not currently exist. Initial designs show state-of-the-art facilities for recreation and fitness, education programs, art studios and exhibition space, childcare services, and a 500-seat public auditorium. A 9/11 memorial and quiet reflection room is part of the design. It is planned that one small part of the 13-story building will be set aside as a mosque prayer hall. Planners hope that the center will serve as a model of moderate dialogue, diversity, and service to the community.
Supporters:
Supporters point out that the center is being developed by moderate, peace-seeking Muslims as a service to lower Manhattan, an area which is in need of revitalization projects and community services.
The development has the support of the local Manhattan community which it will serve: neighbors, local board and elected officials, Mayor Bloomberg, and September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows among many others.
New York Mayor Mayor Bloomberg said it best: “Muslims are as much a part of our city and our country as the people of any faith, and they are as welcome to worship in Lower Manhattan as any other group.”
Critics:
Opponents of Park51 cite a variety of reasons, which are unfortunately based largely on ignorance and fear. There are some who honestly feel that the center might cause pain to family members who come to visit the future Ground Zero memorial. However, this concern has been exploited by politicians across the nation, who have added their own baseless accusations.
The New York Landmarks Preservation Commission:
In order to move forward with development, Park51 project managers are complying with the law by seeking all necessary permits and approvals. A petition to the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission was required, in order to determine if it was acceptable to demolish the existing, damaged Burlington Coat Factory building and build a new structure in its place.
On 3 August 2010, the Commission determined that the building does not meet the criteria of a historic landmark. This decision cleared the way for Park51 organizers to proceed with plans to develop the site.
Governor Paterson Proposal:
As public and media criticism started to rise in opposition to the Park51 plans, the New York Governor spoke up. Governor Paterson acknowledged the community's right to build a community center on the site, but added that he understands the concerns and would like to help explore alternatives. In August 2010, Governor Paterson offered to help the developers find another site. After consideration, the project organizers declined, explaining that "this has always been about serving Lower Manhattan."
President Obama:
On the controversy, President Obama has said: "This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are. The writ of our Founders must endure."
The following day, President Obama clarified his comments, adding that while Muslims have the right to build the mosque, he would not comment on the "wisdom" of doing so in the proposed location.
What's Next?:
The Park51 project is still in the intial planning phases. The organization has not yet applied for non-profit (501)c3 status, nor has it started any fundraising campaigns. An advisory committee is being recruited. Project leaders have said that even the plans for the building are open to discussion and change.
In the meantime, the issue has become a political talking point in the run-up to November elections. Governor Paterson has repeated his proposal to help find an alternative location, and plans to meet with Park51 developers.
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