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Posted on June 8, 2022June 10, 2022 by Minimal Muslim — Leave a comment

“Repel evil with that which is better”

Islam came down as a way of life, a perfect way of life and Prophet Muhammedﷺ implemented, lived, & showed up the ways to adapt this very way.

While the world still continues to pass insulting remarks again himﷺ, we as the messengers of the message will repel this evil by that which is better, InShaAllah.

Learn

Learn, his ﷺ way of life because Allah says,

Say, [O Muḥammadﷺ], “If you should love Allāh, then follow me, [so] Allāh will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.”

—Quran 3:31

Implement

Implement, that which is called Sunnah.

“He who obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah.”

—al-Nisaa’ 4:80

obey Allāh and obey the Messengerﷺ

Educate

Educate, Prophet Muhammedﷺ was a mercy to the universe and the entire humanity. People seem to have forgotten this, so time to remind them.

“This is indeed a reminder. So let anyone who wishes take the way toward his Lord”.

(Sūrat al-Muzzammil, No 73, Āyat 19)

The path towards your Rabb is through Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and let’s remind each other of this path, for Indeed man becomes rebellious, when he considers himself without need

Quran 96:6-7

An appeal from MinimalMuslim.com

While we stand strong imbibing the teaching towards attaining self peace through connecting with our innate nature, we also strive harder today to make us, and everyone aware of the Man ﷺ who paved this path for us and made it easy for us to follow the very path.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is everything to us, for we strive to impersonate his way of living & character at all levels. We urge you’ll to step up and remind those who are unaware, & those who are wrongly aware.

Join in & spread awareness, not hatred!

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Posted on January 28, 2022January 28, 2022 by Minimal Muslim — Leave a comment

Re-structuring the Mosque, to serve

There is an unsaid important rope you hold, while you stand to serve a cure to humanity, a cord named Imaan (Belief), that connects to a string of Amaal (Deeds), while these attached help us with our Niyyah (Intention).

It’s simple,

Service through the Mosque

“In Maharashtra, a gurdwara (the Sikh place of worship) fed two million people in 10 weeks last year. Other gurdwaras in India melted the Gold they had collected in the previous 50 years to set up hospitals and medical colleges. Sikh NGOs set up “oxygen langars” – langars are the community kitchens in the gurdwaras – providing free oxygen to people as India gasped and reeled through its deadly second wave of coronavirus.”

– BBC Viewpoint: Why Sikhs celebrate kindness

“Righteousness is not in turning your faces towards the east or the west. Rather, the righteous are those who believe in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Books, and the prophets; who give charity out of their cherished wealth to relatives, orphans, the poor, ˹needy˺ travelers, beggars, and for freeing captives; who establish prayer, pay alms-tax, and keep the pledges they make; and who are patient in times of suffering, adversity, and in ˹the heat of˺ battle. It is they who are true ˹in faith˺, and it is they who are mindful ˹of Allah.”
-Surah Baqarah

Is it enough to ponder? Mosque is more+++

Not just a place of worship, but a place of justice, kindness, patience, service, brotherhood, empathy, discipline, & Simplicity.

“To carve his name in Gold, rise it so high,
& Slowly lower the ranks of remembering it.
In the glimmer of Gold, we forgot the creator of it.
We resonate with the color, the stones, the carpets.
But fail to remember, we are but slaves,
walking every step in the house of worship,
not as slaves, but as rich as kings.”

-Unknown Poet

Re-interpreting = Re-structuring

To begin the process of re-structuring, we need to unlearn the concept of a mosque just confined for Salaah and begin re-learning the functionalities of a mosque through Prophet Muhammed (May peace & blessing be upon him).

The Prophet’s Mosque, the courtyard of the Prophet Muhammad (May peace & blessing be upon him). In Medina, Arabian Peninsula, the model for later Islamic architecture. The home of Prophet Muhammad (May peace & blessing be upon him) and his family was a simple structure, made of raw brick, that opened on an enclosed courtyard where people gathered to hear him.

With time, Mosques became a hub for many discussion gatherings —social, political, educational and much more. In addition, schools and libraries were often attached to mosques to teach the purpose of being & the purpose of living.

A mosque was a place of Salaah and a place where the distribution of responsibility would take place. The purpose of a mosque was not just to be lit with the perfect chandeliers but to be a flaming torch of justice.

A structure that welcomed people who lacked the informal/formal information of how Muslims cope in times of crisis and walked the path of life.

At that time, it was safe to say that the beauty of a mosque was praying lips & doing hands, not the carving.

Regaining The Essence of Simplicity

With a belief, we intend to strive harder to regain the essence of a Mosque, so people can expand their knowledge of a mosque & work together to dispose of their social responsibilities and supply the cultural and social knowledge required for the generation & generations to come. This approach will help bridge the gap between local-religious and Western intervention models.

To achieve this, we will have to begin re-structuring a Mosque with Belief & Intention, not only Money!

While we try to decode the need for a specific place to pray, we begin with a simple yet profound question. Why would the creator of skies, galaxies, humans want a plot of land just dedicated for his worship (Prayer)? While it is clear. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said,

“The entire earth has been made a place of prayer, except for graveyards and washrooms.”

“If you see a man committed to the mosque, bear witness to his faith. Verily, Allah Almighty said:
The mosques are only maintained by those who have faith in Allah and the Last Day, establish prayer and give charity.”

-Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2617

Posted on January 21, 2022January 22, 2022 by Minimal Muslim — Leave a comment

Mosque, is more+++

They say if walls could talk, each building would have a story to narrate, a story of belonging-but don’t we all hear places speak, in our mother tongues, telling tales of togetherness and belonging? Yes, we all have, and maybe that’s what we call A Smart Design.

“There is no doubt whatever about the influence of architecture and structure upon human character and action. First, we make our buildings, and afterwards, they make us. They regulate the course of our lives.”

-Winston Churchill, addressing the English Architectural Association, 1924

The practice of architecture is employed to fulfil both practical and expressive requirements, and thus it serves both functional and aesthetic ends. Although these two ends may be distinguished, they cannot be separated. Every society has a spatial relationship to the natural world and other organisations; their structures reveal much about their environment (including climate and weather), history, ceremonies, artistic sensibility, and many aspects of daily life.

A Perfect Space Of Togetherness, A Mosque

A mosque (/mɒsk/; from Arabic: مَسْجِد, romanized: masjid, pronounced [mǝsdʒid]) literally “place of ritual prostration”, also called masjid, is a place of Ibadah. Historically, mosques have served as a community centre, a court of law, a religious school, and a gathering place.

What sort of gatherings?

Through prayer, the Mosque encourages a sense of community and addresses a variety of ongoing challenges. A Muslim has several social obligations in addition to prayers. Muslims do not isolate themselves from the rest of society. While standing to pray at a Mosque, we must remember that we are carrying the torch of social responsibility.

Every Mosque should focus on becoming a hub of the solution rather than structures of awe and beauty.

Mosque, Not Just A Religious Structure

While we know a Mosque is a “religious structure”, we fail to understand the actual purpose of the religious structures.
A place that takes you through history, reminding you of the true essence of the religion, Islam! When the stones mummer tales from their countries, the structure screams to remind one message la ilaha il’lallah (there is no god but Allah.)
Every corner of a Mosque reminds you of Islam; every step in it should remind you of your duties as a Muslim!

A famous aphorism evoked, which acts as a synopsis of the effect of free-market capitalism producing excessive inequality, reads,

“To him, that hath more shall be given; and from him, that hath not, the little that he hath shall be taken away. Therefore, the rich have become richer, and the poor have become poorer.”

-Percy Bysshe Shelley. In A Defence of Poetry

Drawing inpsiration from the quote above, we consider the design of a mosque, a place that eliminates discrimination; everyone gathers as a Muslim and is directed to fulfil his responsilites.

A Mosque was never intended just for Salah;
there is much more!

“You are the best Ummah ever raised for mankind. You bid the Fair and forbid the Unfair, and you believe in Allah. If the people of the Book had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them, there are believers, while most of them are sinners.”

– Surah Al Imran

So we were born to reverse the narrative of the rich getting richer?

Yes, through a place of solace called Mosque, which keeps you away from the distractions and reminds you of your PURPOSE.

Purpose of Creation → Ibadah
Purpose of Living → Prayer and Service to humanity

But have we confined this space only for Salaah/Attendance and not learning/involvement?

-a disappointing but factual answer, Yes we have!

Muezzin, in Islam, is the official who proclaims the call to prayer. At the same time, he calls everyone towards prayer and success -he also calls out to everyone in distress, with assuring words, that their relief is near because people who gather to worship would be the bearers of their comfort through Allah.

“Righteousness is not in turning your faces towards the east or the west. Rather, the righteous are those who believe in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Books, and the prophets; who give charity out of their cherished wealth to relatives, orphans, the poor, ˹needy˺ travellers, beggars, and for freeing captives; who establish prayer, pay alms-tax, and keep the pledges they make; and who are patient in times of suffering, adversity, and in ˹the heat of˺ battle. It is they who are true ˹in faith˺, and it is they who are mindful ˹of Allah˺”
– Surah Baqarah

Posted on January 16, 2022January 17, 2022 by Minimal Muslim — Leave a comment

A framework for Success: Discipline or Hustle?

While everyone today races against time to get sorted with their clutters. It’s not entirely out there, but to achieve a certain something- you need to struggle with time through patience & discipline.

A famous poet named Rudyard Kipling quotes.
“If you can dream—and not make dreams your master.” -if

Maybe he spoke some volume of tales in a single line to slow the hustle culture. So, with hustling, we aren’t successful? Ah, let’s rephrase that, we would never be successful with “pointless hustle”.

Discipline Over Hustle

Let’s begin with understanding the Hustle Culture, as it’s turning into a never resting forest fire.

A new perspective on how to be successful– Hustle?

Today, the hustle culture symbolises running around spending time, energy, and money with little regard to the purpose, direction, and results. It’s easy to Hustle, just be busy and share the “busyness” on social media.

Hustle is just fatigue and slavery of your mind!

What is Discipline?

“Indeed We have created man (to live) in the hard Struggle.”
Surah Balad 90:4

An accurate estimate of one’s ability to execute what matters most now. Where Hustle represents the busy, discipline appeals to appropriate purpose and progressive action(s). Discipline teaches us we don’t have to like it; we would see highs, lows, and some days no evident progress. No one will probably know you or the purpose, but when we act in a disciplined manner over time, we become an influential drive because there is still progress, even if there is no apparent progress.

Disciplined Struggle ← → Consistent Growth

“Neither you nor your people knew it before this. So be patient! Indeed the ultimate outcome belongs ˹only˺ to the righteous.”
Surah Hud 11:49

Salah/Prayer: Anchor Points for a Disciplined Framework.

“Building core habits is imperative; it’s essential to have a morning routine, an organised series of habits that motivate and inspire you in the morning.”
-Be as Disciplined as Elon Musk, by Sudheer Amarthya.

To begin right, we should begin Early!

While the “early to bed, early to rise” concept was being taught to others, Muslims absorbed this framework of discipline through Salah.

Hayya alas Salah (Rush to prayer)
Hayya alal Falah (Rush to success)

Salah timing placement acts as the perfect anchor points to curate an excellent discipline framework for a content lifestyle. Organising days around these times can help you strive better while staying productive-this also fills your days with disciplined containment and motivation rather than guilt after hustling.

“Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron.”
Surah Rad 13:11

Get disciplined to be successful!

Posted on January 7, 2022January 13, 2022 by Minimal Muslim — Leave a comment

Why Work When it is already written?

It is often believed that wealth drives us towards contentment and happiness, but taking a step back to ponder, does it drive you towards any of those? We have doubts about our jobs, even about our existence at times, the jobs we struggled to find, today takes us on a train of thoughts filled with questions, then where does the contentment lie?

As quoted by Franklin D. Roosevelt in Forbes,

Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Then let’s question, where do we find happiness?

Through a job? The best car? A good dress? We could say yes to all, but we all know that certainly, these may not be accurate in the long run.

The concept of Rizq?

Rizq can be defined as anything that brings benefits or goodness to us, but we relate this word often to Money.

While Allah (ﷻ) says:

And there is no creature on earth, but that upon Allah is its provision, and He knows its place of dwelling and business of storage. So all is in a clear register.

Surah Hud

It’s written, your wealth, your morsel & your success!

Then why do we go out and work when it’s written?

Because of a predicted mindset, the concept of meritocracy is avidly pushed, suggesting that effort equates to reward. Thus, people often feel they are solely responsible for creating their wealth and opportunities. Living in a capitalistic framework also encourages us to adopt a materialistic view of the world, income and wealth.

The hustle culture and all the “motivational quotes” are designed to make one feel inferior about one’s abilities & skills. So, you strive to achieve, but achieve what?

The definition of success is so much subjected to the way you dress, look, communicate, and how well your business/work is doing, that we have forgotten one crucial objective, The Purpose.

Reflecting on why I did start, What is the Purpose of this very job or anything in my life? & the famous One! What is the Purpose of life?

Let's Understand!

Allah (ﷻ) Says:

I have only created Jinns and men, so that they may serve Me.

Surah Adh Dhariyat.

What does serving Allah mean?

The Arabic term used in the above verse is Ibadah, meaning service or servitude.

Praying & Serving ←→ The Right Purpose.

Striving towards the Purpose doesn’t just mean you exclude yourself from this world.

You strive while you stay in Dunya!

While praying remains the preliminary approach of ibadah, the other part of ibadah is serving through the skill you have. Serve people with the best of what you have to offer through your mastery of architecture, engineering, medicine, journalism, social sciences and the list is long. Utilize these towards the service of the Almighty & Humanity.

When you have a degree with the intention of service, then there could be hard days, but be assured there would not be any “Impossible Ones.”

What about my needs if I strive towards serving?

And He (Allah) will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things.

Surah At-Talaq 65:3

It’s in control, has always been in control!

Build your belief that what’s written for shall find its way to you.

Let's Decode!

Rizq is from Allah

Rabb- an Arabic word that means the nourisher, the provider. Allah (ﷻ) takes it as responsibility for him to provide for his Entire Creation. Internalising the concept that Rizq is from Allah (ﷻ) certainly helps us to find the proper Purpose of anything we try to accomplish in life.

One of the beautiful names of Allah (ﷻ) is Al-Razzaq: The Provider, The Providence. The One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence

Verily Allah provides sustenance to whom He wills without measure.

Surah Al-Imran

The start is always the hardest! Take a step to liberate your mind. Use your skills and abilities in his cause to spread his word & service to humanity, to be the messengers of the message.

The Synergy Between Islam & Rizq

While Quran has declared the giver of Life, Death, Relations & Rizq is Allah (ﷻ), so then why work? For the Purpose, for the passion of learning & creativity.

As the quote goes, “whatever you focus on, Grows”, so let your skills grow, let your learning grow, the earning will eventually follow because it’s written.

The carrier of Islam must be ready to face the trials and tribulations of those who oppose it. The only way to prepare for this is to have the precise knowledge of the vital Islamic ideas such as Rizq (sustenance) being from Allah (ﷻ), and Tawakkul (reliance on Allah [ﷻ]) amongst other ideas.

And ˹remember˺ when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more. But if you are ungrateful, surely My punishment is severe.’

السلام عليكم

Author: Minimal Muslim