Most of us presume that success in predictable when we are constantly successful, and we forget that it was Allah who had blessed us with success. And in times of success we forget about Allah and think that the success that we achieve was bound to come. In those moments of success we should remember that Allah can turn success into failure in the blink of an eye.

And there have been many examples in the past where rulers and businessmen who were confident of their success have lost everything. In the Quran, Allah has provided an example of a person who was very wealthy that when he entered in his own built paradise and he was not even justified to himself  he said I don’t think that my this wealth and richness will ever finish.

We Attribute Our Success To Our Own Intellect And Efforts

When most of us achieve success after making many efforts, we tend to think we are solely responsible for our success and we forget about Allah. We forget that it was Allah who blessed us with success. This was exactly was Qarun used to do; he attributed his wealth and success to his intellect. Surah Al-Qasas highlights how arrogant he was.

He (Qarun) said that he claimed, “all this I have is only given to me because of my own intellectual abilities and knowledge” and he forgot how many generations Allah had destroyed in front of him and those who were stronger than him and also they had collected the people who were greater in number according to richness point of view. Allah says that such people are sinners and criminals and they will not be queried and will directly send to be punished without any accountability.

In Times Of Success And Happiness We Forget About The Poor And Needy

According to our religion Islam, we have to give a portion of our wealth to the poor. And doing this is a favor we do on the poor and needy, it is an obligation and we are bound to give a portion of our wealth to the poor. But in times of success we forget about the poor, we are so intoxicated with our success that we don’t even look towards the poor.

In Quran, Allah reminds us of the people who are the righteous in Surah Adh-Dhariyat and one of their attributes is the following:

And in their properties there was the right of the beggar, and the Mahroom (the poor who does not ask the others)

Quran (Surah Adh-Dhariyat, Verse 19)

Quran says that people have a part in their properties there was the right of the beggar, and the Mahroom (the poor who do not ask the others).  It was described from Abu Hurayrah (R.A) that the Prophet (PBUH) said that without missing any day, when people get up and two angels come down and one among them says O Allah bless a person with compensation who spend in your way and punish them who withholds.

While giving from our wealth in charity is a recipe for success, withholding charity can lead us to destruction. Whether Allah destroys the wealth that one has or deprives one from other blessings is up to Him. Consider the following hadith of the prophet (s):

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There is no day on which the people get up but two angels come down and one of them says, ‘O Allah, give in compensation to the one who spends (in charity),’ and the other says, ‘O Allah, destroy the one who withholds.’” 

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1374; Muslim, 1010.

The point to remember is that charity is quite essential and the future of our blessings and provisions can be tied to our giving or withholding. The One who has the power to grant, not only can grant more but also has the power to take it away.

Happiness And Wealth Do Not Necessarily Mean That Allah Is Happy With Us

If we have wealth in this world we should not imply that Allah is happy with us, wealth has no value in front of Allah. Today most of the corrupt people have a lot of wealth, but they will have to answer for their wrong doings on the Day of Judgment.

If you want to lose weight, go on a Quranic diet. Which means get most of your calories from meat, dairy, and fruit. Use olive oil and honey. Avoid sugar, white flour, and other processed foods. Don’t eat grains or nuts if you can avoid them, because these are mentioned very little in the Quran. Meat is mentioned 100 times, while grains are mentioned only 7 times.

The Quranic diet is very similar to the recently popular paleolithic diet. It focuses on natural hunter-gatherer foods, the foods that our earliest ancestors enjoyed, which is mostly meat and fruit.

According to Why We Get Fat, the most scientific nutrition book written in recent history, the most important reason why people get fat is because of eating foods containing sugar and flour. The reason is that while humans cannot eat too much meat (because eating too much meat triggers human disgust responses), they can eat a lot more than they need of simple carbohydrates like sugar and flour because they do not trigger disgust responses.

Additionally, when we eat too much fat and protein, our bodies have mechanisms for throwing the unnecessary amounts we eat out. But our bodies have no such mechanism for getting rid of extra carbohydrates. When we eat too much carbohydrates, they get stored in our bodies as fat. They do not get thrown out. And this is the simple reason behind why we get fat.

Therefore a meat & fruit focused diet is a great way of keeping your weight in check. Note that fruit juice is fattening as well, you should eat the whole fruit, because fruit juice is a lot more concentrated in sugars than whole fruit. A glass of orange juice contains the concentrated sugars found in 10 oranges. You don’t normally sit down and eat ten oranges (I hope).

Another important concept is not eating too much. This was the original focus of this article. Prophet Muhammad SAW says:

Let people fill one third of their stomach with food, one third with drink and one third with nothing.”*

People who are used to a non-Quranic diet can’t imagine not eating until they feel full. The reason is what I mentioned above; bread and sugar do not trigger our satiation responses. Our bodies want to get infinite amounts of bread and sugar. But if you are on the Quranic diet, you will feel satiated earlier thanks to all the protein and fat found in meat, olives, and olive oil.

If you have read things opposite to what I recommend, please be aware that nutritional science is one of the least scientific branches of the sciences. The most important thing at the end of the day is the effect of your diet on you. If you are Muslim and you are able, it is worth it to give the Quranic diet a try.

*Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1381), Ibn Maajah (3349); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (2265).

Source: quranclub.net

Ramadan is the only holy month in which Muslims from all over the world go for the fasting to please their Allah Subhana Wa Tallah. It is necessary for them from not only Islamic point of view, but also it is important for the maintenance and growth of their physical health. Fasting in Ramadan is an effective treatment for both emotional and psychological illnesses.

Fasting is not simply the orderly skipping of harmful meals but it is helpful to boost the person’s will power, improve his taste and manners, reinforce his beliefs, encourages doing well and avoiding of sins. It also strengthens the faith of a believer and the person during the fasting has to avoid disagreement, sulkiness, rashness and all that does not contribute towards a well-balanced and healthy personality.

Besides nutrition, the resistance and ability to face hardships and endurance develops and enhances. Fasting reflects on external physical appearance by eliminating greediness and getting rid of negative thoughts. There are number of benefits of fasting on health, which are instrumental in alleviating a number of physical diseases, such poor digestive system, chronic stomachache, indigestion and so on. Obesity, high blood pressure and other threatening maladies can also be cured with the help of fasting in Ramadan. Scientists and physicians have suggested that fasting should be regarded as an effective means of restoring youthfulness and longevity. However, Islam exempts the sick and old from fasting.

In order to take full benefit of fasting and improve your general health in Ramadan you must follow some rules and regulations improvised by Islam. You can have a good Sehari and eat sensibly at iftar. Do not eat too much fried or spicy products to avoid the fat building and drink lots fluids for the detoxification process of your body during Seher and Iftar.