NEWSLETTER

Wednesday, 22 Shawwal 1432 H / 21 September 2011

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A Well-known daee explains: "Barakah is the attachment of Divine goodness to a thing, so if it occurs in something little, it increases it. And if it occurs in something much it benefits. And the greatest fruits of Barakah in all things is to use that barakah in the obedience of Allah Ta'aala"

Sources of Barakah

1. Good Intentions: If you want something to have barakah attached to it, have good intentions for it. More specifically, make sure that deed is intended for the sake of Allah Ta'aala. Looking at the definition of Barakah again, you may guess that without us intending what we have or do to be for thesake of Allah, the "Divine goodness" won't be attached to it.

2. Piety and Belief in Allah: Allah says in the Quran: "If the people of the towns had but believed and feared Allah, We should indeed have opened out to them (All kinds of) blessings from heaven and earth…"(Surat Al-A'raf, verse 96). And He says in the Quran: "And for those who fear Allah, He (ever) prepares a way out. And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine" (Surat Al-Talaq, verses 2-3).

3. Putting your trust in Allah: Allah says in the Quran: "And if any one puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is ((Allah)) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish his purpose: verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion" (Surat Al-Talaq, verses 3)

Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam said: "If only you relied on Allaah a true reliance, He would provide sustenance for you just as He does the birds: They fly out in the morning empty and return in the afternoon with full stomachs."

4. Reading Quran: This is the fountain of the Barakah! But subhanaAllah, we rarely drink from it! Allah says in the Quran: "And this is a Book which We have sent down, bringing blessings, and confirming (the revelations) which came before it…" (Surat Al-An'am, verse 92). So read the Quran, and note the blessings and barakah of Allah coming to your life. The further we are from this book, the less barakah we'll have in our lives, trust me.

5. Saying Bismillah: When you say Bismillah before anything you do, you're invoking the name of Allah on that activity, not only will that activity be blessed but shaytaan cannot take part in it! So always say bismillah before anything you do! SubhanaAllah, it's easy for us to forget to say Bismillah or be conscious of saying it. Sometimes we're so used to saying it that we can't remember if we said it or not! Try to be conscious of saying Bismillah and understand what you're saying.

6. Eating with People: Anyone who had the experience of inviting guests to his/her house will know this one. No matter how little you think the food you're presenting to your guest is, it's always enough! (note: this is not an excuse to be miserly when you invite guests over, in fact we should follow the sunnah of our Prophet Ibhraim (Peace be upon him) who when the angels visited his house and he didn't know they were angels he went and prepared a large meal for them). What I'm referring here is the blessing that occurs with eating together, this is confirmed in the hadeeth of Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam who said:"Eat together, for blessing is in Jamma'a (congregation or being together)…" and in another hadeeth "Whoever has food enough for two persons, should take a third one, and whoever has food enough for four persons, should take a fifth or a sixth (or said something similar)."

7. Honesty in Trade: This is for all of the business people out there (include ebayers!), don't think that lying and deceiving people would make your trade profitable, on the contrary, it'll remove the blessing from your trade. Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam said: "The buyer and the seller have the option ofcancelingor confirming the bargain unless they separate, and if they spoke the truth and made clear the defects of the goods, them they would be blessed in their bargain, and if they told lies and hid some facts, their bargain would be deprived of Allah's blessings." Yes, it's difficult to be honest when you're trying to sell something, but trust me it's worth it.

8. Dua: Ask Allah for barakah! If you listen to some of the Duas from the Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam you'll notice how the Prophet used to make dua for barakah. We always say "May Allah bless you!" well, guess what? That's a source of barakah! Also, when you're invited to someone's house, Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam advised us to make the following dua for the host:"O Allaah, bless for them, that which You have provided them, forgive them and have mercy upon them."

9. Halal income/money: Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam said: "O people, Allah is good and He therefore, accepts only that which is good" Scholars refer this to Halal income and the importance of Halal income. A scholar also said that the one who eats Haram his limbs will disobey Allah whether he likes it or not, and the one who eats Halal and seeks Halal income his limbs will also do good and would be given the permission to seek goodness.

This concept of your limbs being "blessed" and enabled to do good, is truly a blessing and a barakah we should all seek. Reminds me of a story of the old man, who jumped a large distance that young people couldn't do. So when the young men asked the old man how he did it, he replied: "These are limbs, we've protected it from doing sins when we were young, so Allah preserved them from us when we got old"

Source: www.productivemuslim.com

CONTINUED TOMORROW....

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* Click here for the Members statement by Koos van der Merwe MP, Inkatha Freedom, National Assembly, Parliament, Cape Town, September 20 2011.

* Census 2011, that now-once-in-a-decade event is upon us. The countdown has begun in earnest; Census 2011 is a mere 20 days away!

* The South African Jewish Board of Deputies and Zionists said it was disappointed by government's stance on Palestine's quest for statehood.

* Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held meetings with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Foreign Secretary William Hague as he pressed the Palestinian bid for United Nations recognition.

* An explosion from a suspected car bomb ripped through a street in the Turkish capital Ankara near a neighbourhood housing government buildings, killing three people and wounding 15.

Filling:
2 chicken fillet cubes.
Onion – saute
Tomato
1 tsp ginger garlic
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 arad
1 lemon / herb spice
1 garlic / herb spice

Sauces:
1 tblsp mayonnaise
1 tblsp garlic sauce
1 tblsp nando's spice sauce (any)
1 tblsp oil

Method:
Saute onion in oil.
Add other ingredients in pot and cook until done.
Fill schwarma with filling and salad.
Serve

Salad:
Shredded lettuce.
Add mayonnaise / crushed black.
Mix

Naan:
Garlic butter
Toaster in fry

Extra:
Serve schwarma plain as naan by spreading garlic and frying on pan.

"Ons voel mos nie almal altyd dieselfde nie, is dit nie? Partymaal voel jy goed en ek dalk bietjie af, soos Allah wil. Kliek hier vir die nuutste Dagstukkie om jou aan te moedig. Ons het ook al die Dagstukkies wat ons nou al uitgestuur het saam op een bladsy gesit, juis vir jou gerief. As ek dus 'n Dagstukkie uitstuur en jy voel dis nou nie vandag vir jou bedoel nie, dan kan jy sommer maklik vir jouself al die Dagstukkie-opskrifte gaan deurkyk totdat jy een vind wat jou hart aanraak. Of as iets gebeur wat jou so bietjie van balans af gooi: besoek die Dagstukkies! Jy weet nooit, dalk wil Allah jou juis deur 'n besondere Dagstukkie bemoedig.

E-pos ons by sjbekker@vodamail.co.za as jy die Dagstukkies op jou rekenaar wil ontvang..."

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