Burger King Religion

Imagine you walked into you job on Monday, and said to your boss,

“Hey listen, I know how you always like for me to get all of the work done that you give me to do, you have the whole work routine for us, but I was thinking that, instead, I would take care of some things that I need to take care of, some work I have to do, for myself, maybe do some texting, watch like five videos on YouTube, then I thought I would take a two hour lunch over at Fridays, I’m meeting some friends, and I mean, since I’ll be out that long anyway, I figure I’ll just stay out and hit the beach. I really gotta work on my tan. That’s not a problem, right?”

How do you think that would go over? Probably not to well. Would your boss accept your personalized work routine? Of course not. Would you still expect to get paid at the end of the day? Don’t count on it. See, when I it’s presented like this, it’s not hard to understand. So why, when it comes to religion, do people think that they can make up whatever religion they want, picking and choosing what THEY want to follow and what THEY want to ignore, and then think that at the end of their life, God will accept this from them? Does that make any sense?

In the Qur’an, Allah is very clear on this point:

“And whoever seeks a way of life other than Islam (Submission to Allah’s will on His terms), it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers.”

Qur’an 3:85

I’ve heard people say things like, “God doesn’t care if you pray five times a day. You can just pray whenever you want,” or “God wont mind if you come out drinking.” Oh really? Who gave YOU the authority to speak on God’s behalf? Do you have any proof to back that up? In the Qur’an, Allah says,

“Say: The things that my Lord has forbidden are shameful deeds, whether done openly or in secret, and sin, and unjust oppression, and that you associate with Allah that for which He has not sent down authority, and that you say about Allah that which you do not know.”

Qur’an 7:33

We are certainly in no position to say that we know what Allah wants based on nothing but a guess, and we are not in a position to decide what is right and what is wrong. Some people think they should follow their own way of life, thinking, “I know what is best for me.” Do you think you know better than Allah? Doesn’t the Creator know what He created? Allah knows what’s best for you, and for me, and for everybody. Allah is giving you something that will benefit you; that will bring you peace and real satisfaction in this life and the next. Unfortunately, a lot of people actually hold themselves back from following Allah because of their own wants and desires.

See, these days, everybody wants Burger King Religion. Burger King Religion? You know, “Have it your way.” It’s all about what I want, what I get out of the deal. People are busy thinking, “how can my religion serve me?” When they should be asking, “how can I serve my Creator?”

Allah says:

“And I did not create the jinns and humankind except to serve Me.”

Qur’an 51:56

Allah created you, and gave you everything you have in your life, not just your XBOX 360 and your iPhone, but the parents who raised you, the food you eat, the bed you sleep in, and the air you breathe. After all that, don’t you think you owe it to Allah to follow the way of life that He has also created for you? Doesn’t Allah deserve to be worshipped, the way He wants to be worshipped?

This is part of the beauty of Islam; that Allah has made a perfect way of life for us, in that we can worship him constantly, but we don’t have to sit in a corner praying day and night. You don’t have to stop living your life to be a Muslim. Allah does not wish difficulty upon us. This is mentioned repeatedly in the Qur’an.

“Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship.”

Qur’an 2:185

“Allah does not want to place you in difficulty”

Qur’an 5:6

Worship in Islam is not limited to prayer and fasting, but extends into every part of life. Everyday things like working hard to support your family, being kind to your parents, and even a smile can be worship. As long as you live your life, as Allah wants you to live, everything you do for the sake of Allah is a way of serving your Creator.

If this all makes sense to you, if it sounds right, and if you’re thinking, “You know, I might want this way of life for myself,” then I invite you to enter Islam, submission to Allah’s will on His terms, putting what He wants before what you want.

That’s it for this time. Make sure you subscribe to the YouTube Channel and stay tuned for more Dawah Addict videos coming soon insha’Allah. Thanks for reading, and watching. Peace! Assalaamu ‘alaikum.

Dawah advice to sister from Tumblr...

heey man, I really need ur advise and help. My friend has shown an interest in Islam and I really want her to help her. She's being more open minded just because she is curious about Islam. She is a bit fixed about her ideas and she asked me once why n how do u trust a man ! she just asked me to recommend a bio of the prophet and I gave her a book I've read it's called The Sealed Nectar. My thing is that I don't want to be pushy or anything n can u advise me ?

Assalaamu ‘alaikum sister,

Ok so awesome question. I actually LOVE answering this one, but you have to make sure that when you explain it to her, insha’Allah she understands it. When someone says something like that, something we agree with, that you shouldn’t just follow a human being, give her due recognition. Something like, “Exactly! That’s the whole point of Islam, that we believe that you SHOULDN’T just follow a human being. You’re starting to sound like a Muslim!” (I find it’s sometimes good to throw semi-kidding suggestions like that in there, but consider your audience insha’Allah.)

This was actually some thing that, for me, was like an epiphany before I became Muslim. For a long time I was into the whole “anti-organized religion” mindset, and I wouldn’t even consider an established faith because I saw them all as “man-made.” I felt, as many do, that I should instead follow what was in my heart, what I felt was right, until it hit me: all I was doing was making my own personal man-made religion. Who was I to think I was a shining exception to all of humanity, who I had deemed unworthy to dictate religion? It was partly through the realization of my own hypocrisy that I decided to give religion a second chance, because I realized that my own custom religion would be just as false as any other religion invented by people. I accepted that the only possible way to follow the right religion was if it was a God-made religion, and I decided to see if any such religion existed. Alhamdulillah I found that religion in Islam.

So insha’Allah try explaining that to her, in the best and most considerate way you can. Confirm her previous statement by saying something like, “So basically, you feel that we shouldn’t follow any religion made up by human beings, right?” Insha’Allah she will agree to that principle, and then you can explain that a religion is nothing more than a way of life, that we all have a religion that we follow, and that if we make up our religion for ourselves, then we would be guilty of following a religion made by human beings (ie ourselves).

Explain that as Muslims, we believe that Muhammad (saws) is the messenger of God, and so we are not following teachings that he made up, but rather the teachings that he is conveying from God through revelation. Explain that this is how religion is supposed to work, and that all the prophets (name a few) taught the same thing, but it was only when people started to put their own ideas and teachings in, and take away things they didn’t agree with, that the God-made religion was transformed into a man-made religion.

I think introducing her to the Prophet (saws) is a great idea. If she understands who he was, what he taught, and how he lived, insha’Allah it might make her feel more comfortable with him, and with the message he brought. Just make sure that what you give her to read is digestible. In other words, make sure it’s something that someone without a familiarity with Islam would be able to understand and connect to. I know there’s a book by Tariq Ramadan called “In The Footsteps of The Prophet” that might be something she would like. It discusses the seerah by issue rather than in chronological order, telling stories here and there to illustrate their lessons. It’s also very well written masha’Allah. Overall though, as always, be conscious of your audience, and make sure not to overwhelm her.

If she still has some reservations about “following a man,” the issue might be that she would prefer something more “miraculous” or “supernatural” then a human being to convey God’s message to humanity. If this is the case, then this is nothing new. The people at the time of the Prophet (saws) made similar requests, and Allah actually answered them in the Qur’an.

People would criticize the Prophet (saws), asking why Allah would send a mere man instead of sending an Angel, or appearing Himself to the people.

“Those who do not fear to meet Us say, ‘Why are the angels not sent down to us?’ or ‘Why can we not see our Lord?’ Assuredly, they think too highly of themselves and they are uttering a gross insult.” (Qur’an 25:21)

Allah explains clearly in the Qur’an why we were sent human beings as messengers. First, he reminds us that this has always been the case, and that all of the messengers to humanity were always people like us.

“And even before you [Muhammad], We only ever sent men whom We inspired, so ask people who know the Scripture if you [disbelievers] do not know. We did not give them bodies that ate no food, nor were they immortal.” (Qur’an 21:7-8)

Allah explains that we are given messengers from among us, who are like us, and that an angel would only make sense as a messenger if earth were populated with angles rather than people.

“Nothing kept these people from believing, when guidance came to them, except that they said, ‘How could Allah have sent a human being as a messenger?’ Say, ‘If there were angels walking around, living on earth, We would have sent them an angel from Heaven as a messenger.’” (Qur’an 17:94-95)

Think about it. Our messenger is like us, from among us, and so we are able to relate to him, to his experiences, and we can seek to emulate his character and actions. He is the perfect example of a human being. He not only conveys the message, but demonstrates it’s application.

“Allah has been truly gracious to the believers in sending them a Messenger from among their own, to recite His revelations to them, to make them grow in purity, and to teach them the Scripture and wisdom- before that they were clearly astray.” (Qur’an 3:164)

In addition, if Allah had sent an angel down from heaven, or appeared to us Himself, or in some other way revealed the unseen, then it would be like if you were taking a test in school, and the teacher started reviewing the answers while everyone still had their papers! It doesn’t work like that. You don’t get to see the answers until after the test is over, and once the answers are read out loud, it’s too late to fill them in. In the same way, we can’t see the unseen until after we die. This life is a test for us, and we have to show that we will make a sincere effort to seek the truth and follow it. If Allah were to reveal the unseen to us now, then there would be no test. So once you see any part of the unseen world, time is up, and your chance to believe is over.

“They say, ‘Why was an angel not sent down to him?’ But had We sent down an angel, their judgement would have come at once with no respite given. Indeed, if We had sent an angel as messenger, We would still have sent him in the form of a man, so increasing their confusion.” (Qur’an 6:8-9)

Insha’Allah I hope this will help you out in your conversation with your friend, and insha’Allah maybe it will also help others who get into similar situations with dawah. You know, this might just have to be made into a video… insha’Allah.

Salaam :-)

Rest Stop Paradise (New Video Coming Soon Insha'Allah!)

Rest Stop Paradise

Bismillah alhamdulillah wa salaatu wa salaam 'ala rasoolillah.

Have you ever gone on a long car ride across several states, leaving home and setting out for a family vacation? If you live on the east coast of the United States, you might be driving down to Florida to go to Disney World or some other vacation spot. I'm talking about long drives, like driving for hours, all day, maybe even two days of driving. Along the way, especially with kids in the car, you're going to need to stop for a bathroom break. So you you pull into a rest stop. Now, this isn't some run down place, this is a nice big clean travel plaza. Of course for the parents, for the adults,  this is not a big deal. It's just a quick place to take a break from driving for a few minutes, maybe get something to eat, and then get back on the road.

But not for the kids. When they walk in, they are so excited to be there, it's like they've already made it to their vacation destination, and that's how they treat this place. They see the food court with Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, and Burger King, everything they love, they notice the gift shop with t-shirts and toys and souvenirs, their eyes catch the arcade games and vending machines, and of course they see the 50 cent machines with gumballs, skittles, plastic rings, stickers, temporary tattoos, and more! They start running around all over the place and acting crazy, and their parents are trying to control them! They're saying, "Guys, come on, this is just a rest stop, we're not even their yet. Save all this energy for when we get to our destination." But the kids don't listen. They can't even think that far ahead. All they see is here and now. They love it there so much that when the parents tell them, "Come on kids it's time to leave," all you hear is, "No! Please a few more minutes please!" They just want to stay there and let that be their vacation.

But this is more than just a cute story about some kids playing at a rest stop. The Prophet Muhammad (saws) is reported to have said, "Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler." We know that this life is not our final destination. We are headed towards the akhira, towards the hereafter, and this world is merely a short rest stop along that journey.

In the Qur'an, Allah says:

A'udhu billahi min ash shaytan ir rajeem

"wa maa al Hayaat ud dunyaa illa mataa'u ul ghuroor"

"And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion."

(Qur'an 3:185)

People often become distracted by the temporary delights of this world, but those with the most intellectual and spiritual maturity recognize that the focus should be not on this life but on the next. That is where we are truly headed, and that should be our primary concern. This life must be a time of preparation, because the only thing that we'll be carrying with us on the Day of Judgment will be our faith and our actions, and based on that, Allah will determine where we'll be staying.

Allah says in the Quran:

"fa `ammaa man taghaa

wa `atharal Hayaat ad dunyaa

fa `innal jaHeema hiyal ma`waa

wa `ammaa man khaafa maqaama rabbihee wa nahan nafsa 'anil hawaa

fa `inna al jannata hiyal ma`waa"

"So as for he who transgressed

And preferred the life of the world,

Then indeed, Hellfire will be home.

But as for he who feared to stand before his Lord and restrained himself from (evil) desires,

Then indeed, Paradise will be home."

(Qur'an 79:37-41)

So you want to get to Paradise insha'Allah, but you're not sure if you are headed in the right direction. Let the Qur'an be your GPS. The Qur'an is Al Furqan, the criterion for right and wrong, so read it, and if the road you're on doesn't match the directions that that Allah has given in the Qur'an, then change course now and get on the right path while you have the opportunity insha'Allah.

I will leave you with a few verses from the Qur'an, from Suratul A'ala.

a'udhu billahi min ash shaytan ir rajeem…

"Qad aflaHa man tazakka

wa dhakar asma rabbihi faSalla

bal tu'thiroon al Hayaat ad dunya

wal akhiratu khairu wa abqaaaa

inna hadha la fiS SuHuf il oolaa

SuHufi ibraheema wa moosa"

"He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself

And mentions the name of his Lord and prays.

But you prefer the worldly life,

While the Hereafter is better and more lasting.

Indeed, this is in the former scriptures,

The scriptures of Abraham and Moses."

(Qur'an 87:14-19)

Thanks for reading, and travel safely. Assalaamu 'alaikum.

Super Important Last Minute Message!!! ICNYU Conference 2011!!!

Nouman Ali Khan - How to Give Dawah - Quran Weekly

HowDoIPray.com

Assalaamu 'alaikum! I found this GREAT SITE that teaches the basics of the Salah. The site is called HowDoIPray.com and this is the animation from the site!

Sha'ban: The Month of Preparation

Assalaamu 'alaikum everybody.



So Ramadan is right around the corner. For some of my fellow reverts out there, this is your first Ramadan masha'Allah! Right now we are in the month of Sha'ban, and my advice to you is, make this month of Shaban your Month of Preparation. So often we make the mistake of waiting until Ramadan starts to start preparing for Ramadan. As we know from the ahadith, the Prophet Muhammad (saws) used to fast more during Shaban than in any other month, except for Ramadan itself. In fact, there were years in which he fasted the entire month of Shaban! So insha'Allah we should all try to do as much fasting as we can this month, and insha'Allah this will help us prepare mentally and physically for Ramadan.

Think back to past years. How many times did you sleep in and miss the suhoor? Come on, brothers and sisters, we need that suhoor to get us through the day, and these are gonna be some long Summer days. Make sure that you are eating a healthy suhoor as well, a light balanced meal with lots of water to stay hydrated and, my personal recommendation, a multivitamin if you don't already take one daily. That extra energy will help you make it to maghrib. And make sure you are not stuffing your face at night either! You know who you are. Eat small, otherwise you'll be burping through tarawih. Use this month to get your sleep cycle in order so you can actually get up for Fajr, the first prayer of the day, even earlier for Suhoor, the per-dawn meal, and insha'Allah also in the middle of the night to pray Qiyamul Layl.

The month of Ramadan is full of blessings and mercy from from Allah, so take advantage of it by preparing ahead of time. Don't wait until the last ten nights of Ramadan to think about what you want to be making du'a for. For those who are not aware, towards the end of Ramadan there is a night called Laylat ul Qadr, the Night of Power or the Night of Decree, that occurs on one of the last ten nights. Since we don't know which night it is, we should try to spend some time each night, especially the odd nights insha'Allah, involved in extra salaah, reading Qur'an, and making much du'a. Allah tells us in the Qur'an that this night is khairun min alfi shahr, better than a thousand months. That would be (exaggerated calculating) 83 years! That is definitely NOT a night you want to miss.

Also, during Ramadan, the shayatin, the devils, are chained up, so don't miss out on utilizing this unique time free of their influences. Ramadan is your opportunity to increase in the worship of Allah, to improve yourself and become a better person and a better Muslim bi idhnillah. Start planning now insha'Allah! Seriously, right now. Go get a piece of paper and a pen, or open up word pad or text edit on your computer, and start making a list, "My Goals for Ramadan" and start listing everything you want to accomplish.

Subhanallah there are just so many things I want to say but I wan't to keep this relatively short so insha'Allah I'm gonna direct you towards some very beneficial audio lectures and videos that will further help you prepare insha'Allah. Insha'Allah watch and listen to all of it. Go, right now. The note's over. What are you still doing here? Click one of the links already insha'Allah!

Check out this great lecture to help you get the best out of the Holy Month.

Towards an Outstanding Ramadan

http://islambase.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=165&Itemid=181



Another Great lecture to help you prepare for Ramadan

The Fasting and The Furious - Muhammad Al Shareef

http://islambase.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1282&Itemid=181



This lecture is specifically focused on how we can correct the way we eat. Definite must listen!

Eating Habits in Ramadan

http://islambase.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=310&Itemid=181



If you have EVER had trouble getting to bed at a reasonable hour, waking up for Fajr, waking up for Suhoor, etc, listen to this lecture insha'Allah!

In the Middle of the Night - Muhammad Al Shareef

http://islambase.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=833&Itemid=181




These are a bunch of khutbahs from the Islamic Center at NYU. If you haven't heard these khutbahs before, now is your chance to start insha'Allah!

Using Shaban - ASM Hussain
http://icnyu.org/loudblog/audio/Using_Shaban.mp3

Ramadan and You - Khalid Latif
http://icnyu.org/loudblog/audio/Ramadan_and_You.mp3

The Verses of Fasting - ASM Hussain
http://icnyu.org/loudblog/audio/The_Verses_of_Fasting.mp3

Maximizing Ramadan - Khalid Latif
http://icnyu.org/loudblog/audio/Maximizing_Ramadan.mp3

Reaping from Ramadan - Khalid Latif
http://icnyu.org/loudblog/audio/Reaping_from_Ramadan.mp3



Heart Wheel Journal by Muhammad Al Shareef (VIDEO!)
http://www.youtube.com/user/dawahaddict#grid/user/A938A408469D4A0A


Preparing for Ramadan. The Month Of Sha'ban
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txb-msxUM9k