_ Go easy on yourself, for the outcome of all affairs is determined by God’s decree. If something is meant to go elsewhere, it will never come your way, but if it is yours by destiny, from you it cannot flee – Umar bin al Khattab [Radi-Allahu anhu]

What is success? What is happiness?

Take a second. Or a minute. Think about what your ideal day looks like. Is it an accumulation of small routine tasks or one big achievement? What would your first step be? And your second?

First off, let’s contemplate for a bit on why it would be beneficial to plan out a set of goals, daily or for a period of time and to describe what would make said period of time successful and productive. God tells us in the Qur’an, “Not for (idle) sport did We create the heavens and the earth and all that is between.” [21:16] This verse relays the importance of time and its proper use in the life of the Believer. There is a purpose for all of God’s Creations. The purpose of mankind is to worship as revealed in the Quran, “I did not create the Jinns and the human beings except for the purpose that they should worship Me.” [51:56] However, worship comes in many forms and throughout our daily lives, whether it is habitual activity or an accomplishment after weeks and months of tiresome commitment, it is important to remember that everything that is done is for the sake of God alone, and none other than Him.

Now, bring your thoughts back to what forms of worship your ideal day consists of. Picturing and visualizing what you as an individual define as “a good day” helps to hone in on what your goals are in your public and personal life, while remembering your purpose. It is important to realize that everyone has a different idea about what he or she would want to accomplish. God has given us free-will and choices that create the life we want, that is what makes your life, yours. Everything that you do does not have to be an all-or-nothing situation; it can be a process as most of life is.

Consider success in life not as a destination or an end, but as a means; it is a process of culminating deeds that eventually determine your Reward from God. As you live your daily life, it can be helpful to realize that there is no worldly perfection that exists at the end of the path you wish to pave for yourself. The idea that you must be acknowledged for every good deed and the pursuit of fame as a means of success is an unstable lifestyle of continued dissatisfaction. The fulfilment of goals in this life is not dependant on being the best or the most or the highest. Seeking any form of reward other than that of God’s [reward] itself would be a hindrance. The intention and action for the sake of God alone is enough to say I am happy with what I have done. I am happy with what God has enabled me to do. I am grateful. Alhamdulillah.

Now, happiness – just defining the word is a heavy task in and of itself. Happiness is a state of being, a being that is variable amongst all peoples. It cannot be the heading of a list of synonyms or extravagant possibilities that may or may not come true. It is the assurance of knowing that what you have is enough, the clarity of Truth that guides your life through childhood, adolescence, your acquisition of knowledge, work and parenthood. However, happiness is a mere portion of what it means to be truly whole – a sense of satisfaction with whatever God has willed, whether they are moments of joy or sorrow. Being human implies the need to experience all emotions, opening possibilities and changes about learning how to deal, how to accept, how to act and react. Through the journey of knowing yourself, you learn and recognize that from Him you came and to Him is your inevitable return. The lack of material wealth or renowned fame is not an indicator of success or happiness, but rather serves as a reminder of all that is left behind in this world.

In your own daily life, make changes to keep your goals in mind at all times. Prioritize your needs to continuously remember your purpose. Purify your intentions to establish a relationship with God. Make time for yourself, make time for your family, your community and do it for the sake of God. To worship Him is our purpose and Paradise is our final goal, insha’Allah.

With immeasurable Mercy, Guidance and Compassion, God tells us in the Qur’an,

“Who have believed and whose hearts have rest in the remembrance of Allah. Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest!” [13:28]

Marzia holds the Treasurer position at KIH

_ L’article de Imane sur l’utilisation de Facebook m’a inspiré ce thème que je trouve très important, parce qu’il touche notre vie quotidienne.

Le développement des Nouvelles Technologies d’Information et de Communication (NTIC) comme : les Smartphones, les réseaux sociaux, la technologie 3D…, nous oblige de passer énormément de temps sur écran.

Il est vrai que les NTIC facilitent la communication et la favorisent, en réduisant les distances et en diffusant l’information d’une vitesse vertigineuse.

Toutefois, on trouve que les gens deviennent de plus en plus dépendants des NTIC. Il faut juste un clic sur un bouton, pour aller faire ses courses, regarder un film, ou même lire un journal en ligne .Et par conséquent, l’individu ne fournit aucun effort. Et si les NTIC disparaissaient du jour au lendemain, bien des gens auraient du mal à se débrouiller seuls.

Ensuite je pense que nous vivons un monde totalement irréel, et virtuel : des relations virtuelles avec les gens, des communications virtuelles, tout se fait a travers un écran et un clavier.

Mais je dois reconnaitre que sans les NTIC, je n’aurais jamais l’occasion de partager mes  opinions avec vous sur keeping it halal !

Facebook est le leader incontesté des réseaux sociaux en témoigne ses statistiques. On s’y rend quotidiennement et on y passe beaucoup de temps sans s’y rendre compte. Tellement curieux a propos des nouvelles récentes, nous avons tous un reflexe en allumant notre ordinateur de jeter un coup d’œil a notre compte Facebook. Il y a en effet un grand nombre de personnes qui, à peine installées dans le canapé, n’attendent pas 5 minutes pour consulter leurs profils. Et oui ! Une notification qui apparait par ci une autre qui apparait par la, un message, une photo taguée, et ca ne se termine presque jamais. Nous ne nions pas que c’est un outil formidable pour communiquer et rester en contact avec les amis. N’empeche, il faut s’arreter et examiner le temps qu’on lui consacre. C’est impressionnant et décevant de voir combien de minutes et d’heures de nos vies se sont écoulées en restant cloué devant nos ordinateurs. Avec plus de 500 millions d’utilisateurs, Facebook est devenuune véritable drogue pour certains.

Récentes statistiques montrent :

« une personne sur 13 dans le monde se connecte chaque jour sur la plateforme.

48% des 18-34 ans se connectent sur Facebook dès le réveil et 28% utilisent leurs smartphones pour accéder a Facebook avant de sortir du lit.

57% des personnes parlent plus en ligne que dans la vie réelle.»

Marriage is very important and relevant to our lives as it is something we are embarking
on or wish to do so in the near future. Yet often times we get confused about what Islam has to
say about marriage and which rituals and traditions are merely cultural. When we think about
marriage we often times focus too long and hard on the wedding day while we fail to understand
and grasp that there is more to marriage than just the one mere day of celebration which has
become the norm. Rather, if you didn’t know already, marriage is a long term commitment!
Consequently, as we focus greatly on this ‘special day’ we forget that we are starting a brand
new journey and we should do so following the teachings of Islam. But, don’t get me wrong we
all do get excited thinking about that ‘special day’ but something that should occupy our minds
even during our times of excitement is that we should not forsake the Islamic guidelines and
the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him). It is these specific guidelines that we should
hold as a priority.

As well, at times we are unable to differentiate which part of marriage is based on Islam
and which of the rituals are cultural. This is simply because unfortunately we have merged the
two together in the midst of traditions which have been taking place for generations we at
times come to believe that they are indeed part of Islam. Our cultures impact us greatly and it is
such that these cultural marriage rituals and symbols are empathized and appraised while Islam
is not placed on the pedestal it should be on. The Islamic guidelines are not heeded to perhaps
sometimes because we simply do not know what Islam has to fully say about it. However, we
must remember that knowledge is incumbent on us; we can no longer remain confused and
unlearned. We must do what is right according to the Islamic principles and not simply what is in
or simply has become the custom.

So it is at times these cultural rituals that have been passed down from generation to
generation that confuses us and honestly at times we don’t even know the reasoning behind
them. For those who are in the process of getting married or wish to do so we must really look
into what Islam has to say about marriage and model the Prophet’s ways. Following the Islamic
guidelines should be our priority and the cultural baggage should be secondary. It is only after
we have ensured that we are following the Islamic guidelines that we should look towards own
cultural rituals and symbols. We must critically examine the cultural rituals and ask ourselves a
few questions like:

Where do these customs come from? Are they borrowed from another religion or
culture?

What purpose do they fulfill?

Will this specific customs weaken Islam in any way? Does it offend the Islamic
teachings?

What impact will this have on my marriage?

Does this custom harm anyone?

Our culture does teach us specific values and foster a sense of belonging. Therefore, it is
only natural that we may incline towards some cultural traditions but we must examine them
and if they align with the rules of Islam then there is no harm in practicing them. I do also want
to stress that the young people of today want to follow their faith, they want to practice it to the
best of their ability and they wish to act upon the phrase they hear endlessly, “marriage is half
of faith”. The young people of today want to be identified with Islam rather than culture. Most
believe that marriage is a beautiful concept and therefore they want to embark upon the journey
with the blessings of God and that is by following the guidelines He has prescribed. I believe
that if we strive in the way of God, help will be given to us. God tells us endlessly that help will
always be given to those who make duaa and ask.

A  growing  number  of  people  stress  about  age-related  diseases  and  genetic  disorders  such  as  cancer,  Alzheimer’s  and  heart attacks  as  they  grow  older  but  they  hardly  realize  that  it  is  more  of  the  creeping  disability  and  the  inability  to  remain  energetic  which  should  be  of  a  greater  concern.  Sarcopenia  is  a  term  relating  to  the  inevitable loss  in  muscle  mass,  specifically  skeletal  muscles,  accompanied  with  aging  and  accelerating  as  aging  progresses.  Such  a  loss  is  faced  by  people  of  all  fitness  levels  including  professional  athletes,  particularly  women.

Although, according  to  another  recent  study  reported  by  an  article  in  the  American  Journal  of  Clinical  Nutrition , “loss of chronic  muscle can affect 30% of elderly above the age of 60 and 50% of those above 80”. It also mentions that, “after reaching  a  peak  in  early  adult  years,  skeletal  muscle  mass  declines  by  ~0.5-1.0%  per  year  beginning  at  about  40  years  of  age.” (Paddon-Jones, Short, Campbell, Volpi, & Wolfe, 2008) .Sarcopenia  would  continue  to  be  a  public  health  concern  specially in Canada as  increasing  number  of  baby  boomers  older  than  65  years  of  age head  towards  their  retirement. According to a statistical analysis done in year 2000 American health care costs for Sarcopenia alone was estimated  to  be  $18.5  billion (Paddon-Jones et al., 2008).

To me the kindness of strangers trumps all acts of good deeds. Why? Simple, because without knowing anything about the person and having no potential gain expected in return (minus feeling good) one goes out of their way to help another out. This post is inspired by an older scarfed Muslim female offering her parking stub before leaving to a white female about to pay for parking. Now, they could have been friends for all I know, but to me they were strangers bound by no relationships or ties besides the common thread of humanity. And maybe in a different setting they’d be on opposite ends of an issue fighting against each other adamantly hoping to disgrace one another. But, here in that moment, none of that mattered. Here was a kind deed with no strings attached.

Enter stage right.

Person 1: Smile, *do good deed*, exit stage.

Person 2: “Thanks.”

Person 2 is too late, person 1 is gone without ever looking back.

Aujourd'hui je tiens à partager avec vous l’une des cultures du Maroc. Comme dans chaque coin du monde, chaque pays a un habit qui symbolise sa tradition et sa culture. Si une femme porte un « Hanbok », on saura qu’elle est d’origine coréenne. Une autre portant un « Sari », on devinera qu’elle est indienne. Donc en d’autres termes, nos habits déterminent ou identifient nos origines. Au Maroc, l’habit traditionnel le plus connu est le Caftan. Le caftan fait parti du patrimoine vestimentaire au Maroc. Il constitue la pièce maitresse  de la garde robe de la femme marocaine. Il peut être aussi bien porté par la gent masculine que féminine. Il est caractérisé pour sa broderie complexe et raffinée et surtout sa ceinture. Si vous êtes invités à une cérémonie de mariage marocaine, le port de Caftan est indispensable. Jadis, le port de cet habit définissait le rang social dont la personne appartient. C’était surtout les gens de la haute société qui avaient ce privilège comme les filles des sultans. La splendeur des coupes, la noblesse des matières et la richesse du travail manuel sont tout autant des éléments ayant donné à cette tenue traditionnelle une élégance parfaite.

"Whoever fears Allah, Allah will find a way out for him (from every difficulty) and He will provide for him from sources that he could never have imagined.” [Quran 65:2-3)

 

We all have bad days and sometimes it feels like the day will never end nor get any better. It can feel like a cloud is raining down on us, we feel miserable and alone. The following are some of the things you can do if you are having a bad day. I hope that they help you in some way.

1.      Try to stay positive and remember that, ‘with every hardship comes ease.’ Put all your trust in God and understand that whatever happens does happen for a reason. Maybe in this time of difficulty there is actually something beautiful which can be learnt and acquired. Even though you might have planned for something to happen in a particular way, we plan things but God is the best of planners so He knows what is best for us. So try to SMILE!

2.      Reflect on your day and the specific events and try to understand why the day turned so bad.  What could you have done differently? After you come to some terms of understanding, accept the situation and try to move on.

3.      Even though it might have been a bad day, try your best to find at least 2 things that were good about your day. They can be simple subtle moments that in the midst of your bad mood made you smile. Try to focus on these.

4.      Talk to someone because we are social beings and sharing our experiences with people gives us comfort and relief. As well, it is through talking to others that we realize that perhaps we are not alone and there are others who have similar experiences.

5.      Always look forward to the next day and pray that it will be better. We all have bad days but we should remember that every day is like a new beginning so tomorrow can always be better!

Nous allons accueillir parmi nous un invité illustre. Cet invité nous est envoyé une fois par an seulement. Il ne restera parmi nous qu’un nombre déterminé de jours : c’est le mois sacré de Ramadan. Quelques jours qui permettent d’effacer tout ce que nous avons commis par le passé. Quelques jours pendant lesquels les prières sont exaucées. Quelques jours pour se rapprocher de notre Créateur, Pardonneur et Miséricordieux. Allah le Très Haut dit (sens du verset): « (Ces jours sont) le mois de Ramadân au cours duquel le Coran a été descendu comme guide pour les gens, et preuves claires de la bonne direction et du discernement. Donc, quiconque d' entre vous est présent en ce mois, qu’il jeûne! Et quiconque est malade ou en voyage, alors qu’il jeûne un nombre égal d’autres jours. - Allah veut pour vous la facilité, Il ne veut pas la difficulté pour vous, afin que vous en complétiez le nombre et que vous proclamiez la grandeur d’Allah pour vous avoir guidés, et afin que vous soyez reconnaissants! » (Coran : 2/185). Ce mois béni est une grande occasion pour le bien, la pratique cultuelle, la dévotion et l’obéissance à notre créateur. C’est un mois important, une belle occasion, un mois au cours duquel les bonnes œuvres sont décuplées, les mauvaises aggravées, les portes du paradis ouvertes et les portes de l’enfer fermées. Allah y agrée le repentir des auteurs de péchés et de mauvaises actions. C’est un mois dont le début est miséricorde, le milieu pardon  et la fin affranchissement de l’enfer. La préparation du Ramadan commence par un examen de conscience pour constater sa propre négligence dans la réalisation des exigences des deux attestations et dans l’accomplissement des obligations et l’abandon des sources de plaisir inutile ou suspect. Le fidèle doit évaluer sa conduite afin que le Ramadan marque une accélération de sa progression dans la foi. (Nous demandons à Allah, l’Auguste, l’Immense de nous assister tous à bien jeûner, à bien célébrer les prières nocturnes, à faire les actes d’obéissance et à nous abstenir des interdits.)

              

RAMADAN MUBAREK KARIM.

Shoes are what connect you to the earth but choosing the right footwear can be extremely crucial for excellence in performance for both the elite and recreational athlete. Shoes not only restrict the natural motion of the barefoot but also generate a specific foot motion pattern on individuals during the push-off phase. In the store Canadians are offered a bewildering variety of athletic shoes to choose from. But in the end it all comes down to this, which should you buy?

It is important that an individual should keep in mind some of the factors and variables that may limit or improve the choices that can be made:

• Age
• Height
• Weight
• Foot type and size
• Type/intensity of sport
• Level of activity to be performed

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A SOLE MATE

·         Some of the features to look for in a good pair of shoes used for running, walking or cross-training traction is balanced ground interface pressure distribution as well as psychological and kinematic variables like proper fit and support including heel counter, torsional stability, midfoot bent test and removable liners. Listed below are a few other specifications to look out for when selecting your sole mate.

·         Toe box: allowing enough space for comfortable fit of toes

·         Outsole: solid or carbon rubber soles

·         Midsole: acts as a main shock/energy absorber which may wear out after being used for                   800 to 950 km.

·         External stabilizer: provides balance and extra support to the heels

·         Tongue: well-cushioned to avoid front top foot irritation

·         Collar: half cm padding for the heel cord’s smooth rubbing and ankle protection

·         Achilles Pad: ~2cm and not very high to prevent irritation of the tendon or skin blistering the              back

·         Upper portion: should ideally be a breathable material allowing for air    flow and ventilation,           or it could be water-proof for easy drainage.