Eid 101

Not sure about the do's and don'ts of Eid? Ustadh Muhammad Alsharif has just the thing for you:

Fiqh Flash: Eid 101

I remember my first Eid prayer. Ironically, although I've been Muslim all my life (alhamdulilAllah), the first time I went to Eid prayer was 4 years ago in L.A. Anyways, I remember being confused about the number of takbirs and when to say them, why the khutbah was after not before prayer (unlike juma`)...

Nonetheless, it was a wonderful experience, especially seeing everyone in the community at once all dressed in beautiful, colorful clothes. Eid prayers are the best time to get a glimpse of the wonderful diversity of our communities.

By the way, let's not forget our new Muslim brothers and sisters during Eid- their families may not be celebrating Eid so let's invite them to our homes.

And remember the masjid in which you spent many hours of the last 30 days? Don't forget it as soon as Eid rolls in. Unfortunately, our masajid are very lonely places during Eid.

May Allah (swt) accept our fasting and prayers, and bless us all with a joyous Eid.

Eid Mubarak everyone!

Self empowerment - Sunnah Style

Feeling lazy or depressed these days? I've got the perfect dua` for you:

Allah's Messenger, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, would often pray,"O Allah! I seek your protection from anxiety and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from stinginess and cowardice, and from the burden of debt and the domination of people."

I didn't even have to go look this up; it landed straight in my inbox! Sheikh Muhammad AlSharif (yeah, the AlMaghrib Institute guy) started this project where you can subscribe to a list online and get weekly email tips from the Quran and authentic Sunnah about leading a successful life.

Here's what he has to say about it:

All around us, self-help gurus (not Shaykhs, gurus) and personal development coaches offer us tips on how to be successful. Any Muslim that attends these workshops or listens to this advice can 'sense' that all of this and much more is already a slice of Islam. Yet, not too many Muslims know where to access this success advice and guidance from Islamic sources.

Rejoice Now! The solution is here: I'm SOOO excited to share with you my mass-scale da'wah solution! Every week for one year,I will send you a short but powerful verse or hadith related to success conditioning. I personally selected each one - this is not a copy/paste collection. Some of the hadith you may have read before, but will love being reminded. Others you will be learning for the first time, and will love the depth it brings to your life and loved ones.

"Not another email list!" you say? Trust me, this is different. Go ahead, just try it out! It's free and will only take a minute of your precious time.

Jazakum Allah khairan Sheikh Muhammad AlSharif!

(You can leave your shameless plugs about the next AlMaghrib class in the comments section below.)