Perished Nations, episode 2 ~ Thamood
Bismillah.
Jazakum Allahu khayr for everyone who has shown their interest and support for this 4 part series. We are half done.
Here are the videos:
http://discoverulife.com/recommends/PerishedNations2-1
http://discoverulife.com/recommends/PerishedNations2-2
http://discoverulife.com/recommends/PerishedNations2-3
Here are my notes:
Perished Nations 2: Thamood, teachers notes raw
Ma sha Allah, we had like 3000 students visit the site last week. There was a lot of noise for the notes, so in sha Allah, i’ll keep giving my notes whenever available.
This week, let up the quality of the comments by answering this question:
“What have you learned so far in this lecture series?” Post your comments …
Harmful Labels and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Harmful Labels and Chocolate Chip Cookies
By Heba Alshareef
“Dummy!” It’s the favorite new word of my two year old. She says it all the time, with no regard to decorum or awareness of place. It’s “dummy” to her brother who says he is too busy to play with her, “dummy” to the senior gentleman who smiles at her in the grocery check-out line, “dummy” to the stroller harness that prevents her from running around like a mad child, “dummy” to me when I refuse to give her yet another cookie.
It’s not a nice word, I know, and please don’t ask me where she learned it.
Not nice words have the remarkable ability to become labels, and labels can become harmful. How many times have you heard these ones?“She’s the clown.” “He’s the trouble-maker.” “I’m lazy.” “You’re heartless!”
Try to think of people that you know or care about and inevitably, the labels you’ve placed in relation to them will come up as well. Who is the “good?” The “bad?” The “ugly?”
Who are you? What are you?
Labels can be extremely harmful in that they confine people to boxes that must contain any other tendencies not in accordance to the markers that describe their natures. So, for example, can the girl who is seen by everyone to be the ‘class clown’ ever cry and take a dramatic turn? She will struggle to push down any feelings of disappointment because ‘it isn’t who she is.’ Just imagine how stifling the box she is in can become.
The label that got you here won’t get you to where you want to goWhat progress will we ever make if we keep calling ourselves “lazy”? We’ll get to know our couches very well, but is that the life you really want for yourself or for anyone else you care about whom you’ve affixed the same label to?
Allah SWT says in Surah Al Hujuraat: “O ye who believe! Let not some men among you laugh at others: It may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): Nor let some women laugh at others: It may be that the (latter are better than the (former): Nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other, nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames: Ill-seeming is a name connoting wickedness, (to be used of one) after he has believed: And those who do not desist are (indeed) doing wrong.”
Labels should be left for food items and clothing brands. Still, it is human nature to generalize and labels can shape who we are, they live with us and have the power to live on after us. Consider the Prophet Muhammad SAW, known in his life time and until this day as “Al Amin”, the trustworthy.
Activity: What will your label legacy look like?
1. Turn to a new page in your journal.
2. Write down the old labels you’ve given yourself.
3. Rip it out and burn it and do it with a vengeance!
4. Repeat step 1.
5. Write down your new labels.
Wear the label. Live the label. Be the label. Own the label.
As for me, I don’t want to be a “dummy”, so I’m off to give my two year old that chocolate chip cookie. I know she’s going to say, “Mama nice,” when I do. And bribing my way to a new label, well…hey, as long as it’s a good one, I’ll take it.
Request a complimentary lifecoaching session with Heba: http://discoverulife.com/recommends/Heba
Quran Phonetic Search
Here is another awesome service.
Did the Imam mention an ayah and you want to find out where it is in the Quran? Just check out:
Super cool Arabic keyboard tool
Bismillah.
Sometimes it is important for me to type up some arabic words and use the google search. Although MSWord can convert into Arabic, I find that sometimes converting MSWord brings problems.
So for those of us who need to type in Arabic, I found the coolest tool:
http://www.muftah-alhuruf.com/
Just open the page, type whatever you need, and copy/paste the text. Awesome stuff.
Here are my notes for Perished Nation 1
Alright, You made the noise. Here are the notes >> (click>> Teacher Notes: Perished Nations 1 – People of ‘Aad ~ Prophet Hud
The notes are in ‘raw’ form, meaning they are not compiled into ‘essay’ format. It’s just cuts and pastes, and then when I do the lecture I occasionally look at the notes, using them as a skeleton for what I want to say.
However, I like to speak from the heart and go with what comes to heart/mind. For that reason, you may find a lot of things I said in video that are not in the notes.
With best wishes to see you succeed at the highest level!
- Muhammad Alshareef
PS: Check out www.Fiqhflash.com for some cool flashes that I made.
PPS: For those who are wondering what making noise sounds like, take a look at what happened to my inbox:
Perished Nations Part 1
Bismillah.
Here is the video for the Perished Nations Part 1. May Allah reward the crew that made sure there was a camera there, and Coach Hasnain for uploading the video for all of us.
Here are the links, divided into 3 parts for uploading purposes:
Perished Nations 1
First 30 minutes http://www.discoverulife.com/recommend/nations1of3
Second 30 minutes http://www.discoverulife.com/recommend/nations2of3
Third 30 minutes http://www.discoverulife.com/recommend/nations3of3
No more cheesy halaqahs (and i’m not talking Dorritos)
Bismillah.
A new page in my da’wah has opened. For the most part, I would be invited to a million speaking engagements and in order to accomodate that I would basically prepare my speeches on napkins 5 minutes before the speech begins.
(Y’know you’ve been there: the shaykh says, as soon as he starts talking, turns to the MC and asks, “What’s the topic again?” Sheesh.)
Well, call this: Shoyookh Taking the Mic Back.
Islam deserves better, even if that means i’m going to have to say NO more often.
So here is the deal. I’ve designed a formula to produce outstanding speeches. Nothing less then the best:
1. For every 1 hour of lecture, I will schedule 10 hours of preparation.
2. 8 hours will be research, 1 hour compilation, 1 hour practice (with another person listening, like my mother in law)
3. I will arrive at least 20 minutes before each event.
4. I will recall my ‘greatest speeches’ anchor and “relive” those speeches.
5. I will play the scene in my mind of an oustanding speech
6. I will stand up and DELIVER! 
This Perished nations 4 part Halaqah series is my first attempt. Every time I speak, I demand that a super duper awesome poster be designed, a message sent out to our www.Successinislam.com mailing list, and the audio be available within 24 hours for everyone online to benefit.
Enjoy, in sha Allah.
Loving what you do, but along the way losing motivation?
What Lifecoaching is to me
When I’m thinking of a deep problem, a complex problem, a problem that cannot possibly be thought out in my head because it’s too complex – I frown. People would comment that I seem angry … no I’m just brain blocked. I’m sure you’ve been there before and can see what I mean.
Lifecoaching for me is the shovel that clears the snow, the bulldozer that clears the way. I know I have the hottest results-oriented drive amongst my peers, and only my lifecoach can clear the way so that I can zoom zoom to my next destination … to do it all again.
