Be a practicing Muslim and a good human being. Achieve Allah’s blessings and increase chances of a better life after death. These two simple sentences can change your life and leave behind a positive impact on you as a person. Mostly, being a Muslim is not in your hands as you’re born in a Muslim family, unless you’ve converted to this holy religion. However, you have to choose your path. As a Muslim, you can be the better one, the practicing Muslim, or you can be the one who is a Muslim just in name, not in actions.

What is exactly a practicing Muslim? A practicing Muslim is anyone who believes in Islam, that is: believing in Allah, His Prophets, His Angels, His scriptures , the Judgment day and Al-Qadar. Moreover, these people believe in the Islamic “Sharia”, and follow it firmly. A practicing Muslim will blindly believe in the One and Only Allah as well as the Holy Quran. In addition to that, the Five Pillars of Islam, which forms the basics of Islam, will be strictly practiced by them. These are the five religious duties expected from every Muslim which are mentioned individually throughout the Qur’an. They are Shahadah, that is the daily confession of faith and Salat which is doing Salah. Also Zakah, paying Zakat, fasting during Ramadan (Sawm) and doing pilgrimage (Hajj) is among the others. Along with performing all these duties, you have to have a pure heart pumping to only serve Allah Almighty and walk on the Path of God. A practicing Muslim will be an active Muslim who will observe daily prayers, read the Holy Quran, dress up pursuing the moral Islamic principles, and follow the Five Pillars of Islam along with the Six Pillars of Faith. Most importantly, a practicing Muslim won’t go astray to the path of Shaaitan but remain intact as a good Muslim. Along with it, they’ll be good human beings, gifts to the society and symbol of goodness.

Being a practicing Muslim comes with its benefits. You’ll be able to form a better communication with Allah through Namaz and will help you acquire peace and harmony within yourself and with people around you. By performing pilgrimage to Makkah, you will exceed yourself from being nationalistic into being universal. Your personality will turn into a kind one that’ll be able to control lust, selfishness and desire. You’ll turn into a hindrance to different types of exploitation and will help to reduce social ill. To finish, you’ll die at peace and achieve eternal happiness. Day of Judgment will bring you your positive results for being a practicing Muslim and gift you a life of bliss in Paradise.

All the Muslims should try to be practicing Muslims. A religiously committed Muslim will always get Allah’s blessings and complete his eventual purpose of life to serve Him.

One can be a Muslim, not by choice but by fate. Being a practicing Muslim is your choice to follow the path of Allah to be blessed with Jannat (Heaven) in the afterlife.

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How to Choose Muslim Baby Names?

Every person is recognized with his or her unique name. Every good name has an impact on the personality of its owner. Islam is the holy religion that has easy ways to choose Muslim baby names. It is not difficult for Muslims to give names to their babies. You may get a book of Islamic names and know the meaning of almost every Islamic or Arabic name. You must try to thoroughly study and explore the meaning of each name. In this way, you analyze the names’ meanings then give a unique featuring meaningful name to your baby. Never get confused when choosing a meaningful name to your baby. Just read Islamic names books, you may explore website resources to know the meanings of a selected name or search for any names and know the meaning of these names.

Try to choose a name from Asma Ul husna. Those names have nice meanings and impact on people’s personalities. Try to choose a name from Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad’s (peace be upon Him) pious names. Never choose the name whose meaning is not clear for you. Just focus on the name whose meaning is clear and you are sure about. It will also be nice for all parents not to delay choosing a name and to give names to their born babies as early as possible. Normally 7 days time span is there to give Muslim name to your born baby. When parents give names to their children after birth, they must also do Aqqeqah according to Islamic sayings.

Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon Him) focused on giving meaningful names to your new born babies as he said: “At the time of judgment everybody is called from his or her names, so give a nice and meaningful name”. Islam does not order people to give only Islamic names to their children, everyone has the right to choose the name that he or she likes more. Just choose the name which is liked by everyone and don’t feel shy to call some person with his or her name. Bad meaning names are prohibited in the Holy religion Islam. Names’ meanings affect people’s personalities. So, choose meaningful names.

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Getting a convert in Islam can be something one needs to learn if he or she will be preaching Islam effectively. It may not be so simple to convert a non Muslim if you are not able to explain in details and backed with verses. This means you can preach Islam effectively if you can read the Sunnah or Quran. This does not mean you would stop here, the instruction of how to preach Islam should be understood or taught before one can embark on preaching to a non Muslim.

The meaning of Islam should be known so that the message can be passed without challenge. Islam comes from the Arabic word which means ‘submission’ and ‘peace’. This religion teaches us how to be submissive to Allah in our soul, heart and deed and also get peace in our lives. Another word from the Arabic root about Islam is ‘Salaam Alaykum’ which is peace be with you. This is the Islamic greetings all over the world. If you can explain this, then you should talk about who is a Muslim for the person to understand. You should also make a clear difference between Moslem, Muslim and Islamic. If you can do this, your job is partialy done leaving you to make use of the verses in Quran to convince the non believer why he or she should be a Muslim.

It may not be as simple as you believe because there are lots of questions which may want to be clarified. There are lots of benefits that come with being a Muslim. This is why you should make them understand who is Allah and his influence on the life of a Muslim. If you can do this, the work is going to be a lot easier. There are doctrines and principles you should try to explain because so many questions would be asked by some curious people.

After the September, 11 incidence, there have been a lot of misconceptions about Islam, and this is the reason why it is very important that you be able to answer the many questions that bothers regarding violence and Islam. You should not try to get into an argument. You may end up bitter at the end of the day when you argue. If you are unable to answer some questions, be sincere and promise the person you will come back with the answers after some time.

There are lots of faith issues you can teach a person while preaching like the faith in the unity of God, faith in prophets, faith in angels, faith in the books of revelation, faith in divine or destiny decree and faith in an afterlife. There is also the 5 pillars of Islam that should be taught well. This is something that a preacher should be able to understand before thinking of preaching.

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Saat ini, kita hidup di sebuah era di mana globalisasi dan traveling (bepergian) telah menjadi bagian utama dari kehidupan sehari-hari. Setiap tahunnya, banyak orang melakukan perjalanan melintasi negara yang berbeda untuk menghabiskan dan menikmati liburan mereka. Hal ini telah membuat pariwisata menjadi sumber penting untuk menghasilkan pendapatan bagi banyak negara. Sebuah jenis pariwisata baru telah muncul yang dikenal sebagai “wisata halal“. Ini merupakan produk baru dalam industri pariwisata. Oleh karena itu, yang dibutuhkan ialah bagaimana mengembangkan bea komoditas wisata halal dan jasa untuk melayani pasar yang berkembang aktif ini.

Halal sebenarnya merupakan kata berbahasa Arab yang berarti “diizinkan”. Ideologi terhadap yang diizinkan atau dibolehkan tidak berlaku untuk makanan saja. Ini adalah gaya hidup yang menyeluruh di mana seseorang harus memenuhi lingkup perihal yang berbeda yang diizinkan oleh syariat. Perihal ini berkisar mulai dari kosmetik, makanan, obat-obatan, berpakaian, dan bank serta transaksi bisnis dan dalam hal ini pariwisata. Oleh karena itu, ini berarti menyediakan paket penawaran khusus yang dirancang fokus kepada tur Muslim dan kebutuhan religi mereka.

Ini ialah jenis wisata religius dan biasanya bertalian dengan negara-negara Timur Tengah, terutama di saat Haji dan Umrah yang mana paket yang ditawarkan itu ditujukan kepada para peziarah tur. Ada potensi besar untuk pariwisata halal di lahan ini karena memiliki permintaan yang kuat untuk barang dan jasa yang halal serta memiliki sifat daya tahan karena setiap tahun jutaan peziarah Muslim tur ke Mekah dan Madinah. Saat ini, paket-paket ziarah baru ditawarkan kepada turis yang bersifat keagamaan yang meliputi perpanjangan untuk tinggal dan bahkan melakukan perjalanan ke kota-kota religi selain Mekah dan Madinah. Para peziarah tersebut, setelah melakukan ibadah haji, mengunjungi kota-kota lain dan menggali lebih dalam mengenai budaya juga warisan dari daerah serta menapaki jejak nabi-nabi terdahulu (napak tilas).

Namun, pariwisata halal tidak terbatas pada negara-negara Timur Tengah. Almulla Hospitality Dubai telah mengumumkan untuk membuka 150 hotel pada tahun 2015 di Eropa dan Amerika Utara. Di Amerika, IFANCA bekerja sejak tahun 1982 dalam perihal ini. Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA) adalah sebuah organisasi Islam non-profit yang didedikasikan untuk penegakan makanan halal. The American Halal Association (AHA) atau Asosiasi Halal Amerika adalah asosiasi nirlaba lain yang dibentuk dengan dasar yang sama.

Sekitar 25% dari populasi dunia adalah penduduk Muslim. Hanya di Amerika Serikat saja, populasi Muslim akan tumbuh menjadi 6,2 juta pada tahun 2030 dari 2,6 juta pada tahun 2010. Untuk memenuhi pasar ini, United States Halal Association (USHA) atau Asosiasi Halal Amerika Serikat juga bekerja di Illinois, AS. USHA didedikasikan dalam menciptakan kesadaran di kalangan konsumen dan memberikan pedoman kepada usaha tertentu untuk mengikuti gaya hidup halal.

Wisata halal memiliki potensi yang sungguh besar, tetapi hal ini perlu difokuskan sedikit banyak di Amerika karena umat Islam tumbuh di negeri ini dengan cepatnya. Gaya hidup halal di AS saat ini agaknya terbatas pada produk makanan saja. Di sisi lain, banyak investor internasional mencermatinya untuk melayani pangsa ini pada demografis Amerika Serikat, yang merupakan pertanda positif.

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في هذه الايام شاع استخدام كلمات سياسية رنانة علي مسامع الخاصة و العامة و البعض يستخدمها عن فهم عميق و ذلك لتخصصه السياسي او لثقافته الشخصية و الاغلبية تستخدمها دون وعي و فهم حقيقي لمعانيها الاساسية و ماهي الا كلمات تداولها يندرج تحت الموضة الحوارية الاعلامية و احب هنا ان نستعرض ببساطة شديدة معني هذه الكلمات حتي نفهم مايدور حولنا من حوارات فهم صحيح و لا ادعي التخصص و لكن فهم بسيط لمعاني الكلمات.

نبدأ بكلمة ديموقراطية و هي الاكثر تداول الان دون غيرها و كلمة ديمقراطية تعني حكم الشعب لنفسه بنفسه و تداول السلطة بطريقة منظمة سلمية و يكون الحكم للاغلبية . و هناك الديمقراطية الليبرالية و حتي نتعرف عليها يجب ان نعرف مامعني كلمة ليبرالية اولا علي عجل ثم نشرحها بالتفصيل في حينها .

الليبرالية هي مرادف للعدالة و المساوة و احترام الملكية الخاصة و حرية الفرد و حرية العقيدة والفكر و تداول السلطة… الي اخر التعريف . و لنصل لمعني كلمة الديمقراطية الليبرالية نجد انها نفس التعريف لكن يضاف له حماية حقوق و حرية الفرد و الاقليات و كل ماسبق و للحصول علي هذا يجب وضع دستور ملزم للمجتمع ينظم هذا و تداول السلطة يكون عن طريق انتخابات حرة نزيه و هذا النظام يدفع الاغلبيه لعمل حساب الاقليات و الحريات . و هذا النظام معمول به في اغلب بلاد اوروبا و الامريكاتين و الهند .

نرجع مرة اخري لمعني كلمة ليبرالية و التي اصل معناها ليبرا اي حر و هي كما قلنا هي احترام الحريات و الاقليات و قد بدات الحركات الليبرالية في العالم في القرن التاسع عشر و الثورة علي الدكتاتوريات العتيقة العتيدة في اوروبا . و الليبرالية علي قدر ماتعطي الانسان حريته الكامة في المعتقد و الفكر و الامتلاك و الاخلاق تقيده في استخدام حريته هذه تجاه المجتمع فهي تسمح له بالحرية الكاملة المطلقة مادامت لا تطغي علي حريات الاخرين و لا تقيد من حرياتهم او تسئ للمجتمع و ان فعل سيجد قانونا صارما يحاسبه لتعديه علي حريات الاخرين .

و نجد ان عكس كلمة ليبرالية دكتاتورية و تعني الحكم المطلق و عدم مشاركة اي جه او كيان اخر في الحكم و من الممكن ان يكون الحكم الديكتاوري لشخص او لحزب او ملك او حتي للجيش و عادتا تكون هذه المجتمعات الحكم فيها قمعي مغلق لا يسمح بالحريات الفردية .و من الكلمات التي كثر تداولها ايضا و تخبط العامة في فهمها الصحيح كلمة علمانية و هي تعني ببساطة شديدة فصل الدين عن نظام الدولة و السياسة فلا يحكم الدولة قانون علي اساس ديني و يقتصر دور رجال الدين علي مكان العبادة فقط و الا يجبر احد علي اعتناق دين محدد و لا يكون هناك دين محدد للدولة و العلمانية ليست ضد الدين و لكنها تقف منه موقف الحياد علي انه معتقد لا دخل له باسلوب الحكم و من اشهر الدول الاسلامية العلمانية تركيا وهو مذكور في الدستور التركي وصف الدولة انها علمانية .

و نأتي لمعني كلمة اشتراكية و هي مشاركة الدولة للفرد في كل شئ اي ان كل ممتلكات الدولة الانتاجية ملك مشترك بين الفرد و الدولة و حق الفرد المنتج علي الدولة في كل شؤن حياته و المساوة بين الناس حتي يذوبوا في طبقة واحدة لاتميز بين فرد واخر الا بالعمل .

ونستعرض الان معني اخر كلمة في هذه التدوينة وهي كلمة برجوازية و هي كلمة تطلق علي الطبقة المتوسطة التي تسكن المدن و هي الطبقة التي تكون بين طبقة الاغنياء و النبلاء و طبقة العمال و الفلاحين و قد تغير تعريف هذه الطبقة حتي اصبحت الان طبقة المهندسين و الاطباء و المعلمين …. الي اخر المهن الرفيعة و كذلك اصحاب الاملاك المتوسطة و المصانع البسيطة. بهذا نكون قد استعرضنا بعض معاني الكلمات الشائعة الان

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Whenever you meet a Muslim and ask him how he is doing, he would reply with the word “Alhamdulillah” meaning (praise be to Allah). These words showing gratitude is one of the many practices that make Islam such a beautiful religion.

Gratitude is one of the most beautiful virtues as all you have to do is ”be happy”, and in return you will get more happiness. Allah has promised abundance and bounties for the grateful hearts that acknowledge and always remember His blessings. He has promised; “If you are thankful, I will grant you increase” (Ibrahim 14:7).

Trust is the major factor that comes in here and gratitude, it’s an indicator. Be thankful for all that you have and know that your lord is your protector and your provider as He has always been, and be grateful.

According to the teachings of Islam one cannot be thankful to Allah Almighty in a complete sense until he learns to be thankful to His people as well; people who are there for you when you need them, your comforters, listeners and those who help you in the time of need.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to pray for long hours deep into the night, and it is reported by Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) “The Prophet used to offer prayer at night (for such a long time) that his feet used to crack….”

If we really look around us, there is so much more to be grateful about than just our wishes that have come true. There is so much that Allah has granted us with without us even asking. Islam preaches gratitude for the reason that we exist, that we are, and we can think and breathe and for the reason that we are alive. Everything we have, and we are, makes our hearts liable to beat out gratitude to Allah every second.

He is always there, listening to the whispers in our hearts that even we can’t hear. When we don’t even know what to pray for or what we exactly need, He knows, and He always grants and only He does. So why then should we not be thankful at all times, no matter what condition we are in, Allah, the creator of the heavens and earth are listening to us ever so intently.

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Since August, AP has been publishing stories from its ongoing investigation into secret intelligence operations set up by the New York Police Department following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. 

AP's investigation has revealed that the NYPD dispatched undercover officers into minority neighborhoods as part of a human mapping program. Police also used informants, known as "mosque crawlers," to monitor sermons, even when there was no evidence of wrongdoing. 

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While the Egyptian Army is busy with Morsi supporters in Egypt, the west and nearby liberals both have turned quiet and noiseless. It is expected that the viciousness will rise once the Egyptian guard resumes its standard working technique.

Champions of peace and democracy, the US and the West, have by and by demonstrated their correct colours of unscrupulousness, trickiness and affectation as they completely underpin the Al-Sisi headed upset without once reasoning of the effect this could have on a ‘justly chosen’ government; not once did they suppose to reprimand the wretched military takeover.

To grasp the twofold norms of the west, and their remarkable thought of majority rule government, every one of the one is solicited to do is review the double-dealing western media supporting the American attack of Iraq; it was about human rights and popular government at the same time highlighting the disasters of autocracy and military rule.

The west was so sharp to favor the Iraqis with their form of “majority rule government” that the slaughtering of a huge number of Iraqis simultaneously was essentially regarded ‘Inadvertent Blowback’. I still recall the movie footage broadcast on different news stations indicating American troopers putting down a statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad. Iraqi Muslims were demonstrated praising succumbs to the despot and the simultaneous approach of majority rule government. The west depicted itself as the savior of humankind, ones who unequivocally had faith in the ‘individual’s power.

When Morsi’s government was justly chosen in Egypt after a steady battle of more than 50 years, the Muslim fellowship accomplished greater part votes and beat the secularists in free-and reasonable decision. Given the way that the Muslim fraternity was treated with iron clench hands throughout Mubarak’s period, it was a huge accomplishment for them. A fair administration was setup and right-wingers were part of the legislature. This situation might as well have satisfied the west, as the administration, though Islamic, came into force without the utilization of any weapons or militancy. With the consistent addresses given by the west to the Muslim group to surrender arms and come to be part of the ‘political methodology’, this was an accomplishment, even from the part of the west.

By giving unconditional back to the common Egyptian Army, the west made it clear “majority rules system” in its “accurate” character, or ‘their variant’ of it, is liberal, mainstream and must be void of any Islamic impact. Assuming that, then again, an Islamist administration is justly chosen, any activity taken by the military of that nation to remove the chosen government is invited and not categorized as a ‘military overthrow or assume control’, however; actually just the wish of ‘the individuals’. The slaughter included, and even now occurring, ought not to be considered important as it is part of the “move” process. On top of that, the military government ought to be invited with money related support for the ‘wellbeing of the individuals’ and the strengthening of democracy.

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