feb 6: Sixteen Years as a Muslimah

Islam in my Life Sixteen Years as a Muslimah 

Aminah is a renowned female revert of Islam. She travels around the United States to give lectures, her personal story has admired hundreds of individuals. She is also President of the International Union of Muslim Women, an organization that has many achievements under its belt.

It all started with a computer glitch.

She was a Southern Baptist girl, a radical feminist, and a broadcast journalist. She was a girl with an unusual calibre, who excelled in school, received scholarships, ran her own business, and was competing with professionals and getting awards – all while she was going to college. Then one day a computer error happened that made her take up a mission as a devout Christian. Eventually, however, it resulted in something quite the opposite and changed her life completely around.

It was 1975 when for the first time computers were used to pre-register for a class in her college. She was working on her degree in Recreation. She pre-registered for a class and then went to Oklahoma City to take care of a business. Her return was delayed and she came back to college two weeks into the class. Making up the missed work was no problem for her, but she was surprised to find that the computer mistakenly registered her for a Theatre class, a class where students would be required to perform in front of others. She was a very reticent girl and she was horrified to think about performing in front of others. She could not drop the class for it was too late.Failing the class was also not an option, for she was receiving a scholarship that was paying for her tuition and receiving an ‘F’ would have jeopardized it.

Advised by her husband, she went to her teacher to work out some other alternative to performing.. Assured by the teacher that he would try to help her, she went to the next class and was shocked by what she saw. The class was full of Arabs and “camel jockeys”. That was enough for her. She came back home and decided not to go back to the class anymore. It was not possible for her to be in the middle of Arabs.Thus she found herself with a mission to accomplish. Throughout the class, she would be discussing Christianity with her Arab classmates.

At her request, one student gave her a copy of the Qur’an and another book on Islam. With these two books she started on her research, which she was to continue for the next one and a half years. She read the Qur’an fully and another fifteen books on Islam. Then she came back to the Qur’an and re-read it. During her research, she started taking notes that she found objectionable and which she would be able to use to prove that Islam was a false religion.

Unconsciously, however, she was changing from within which did not escape the attention of her husband.She stopped drinking and eating pork. Her husband suspected her of having an affair with another man, for “it was only for a man that a woman changes”. Ultimately, she was asked to leave, and she soon found herself living in a separate apartment.

Throughout these times, she continued studying Islam and although she was changing subtly from within, she remained a devout Christian. Then one day, there was a knock on her door. It was a man in traditional Muslim robe. Abdul-Aziz listened to every question and objection and explained it within the proper context.

She lost most of her friends, for she was “no fun anymore”. Her mother did not accept her becoming a Muslim and hoped that it was a temporary zeal and that she would soon grow out of it. Her “mental health expert” sister thought that she lost her mind. She attempted to put her in a mental health institution.Her father was a calm and wise man. People would come to him for advice and he could comfort anyone in distress. But when he heard that his daughter became a Muslim, he loaded his double-barrel shotgun and started on his way to kill her.

By accepting Islam, she became a changed person, and a much better person. So much so that her family, relatives, and people around her started appreciating her mannerism and the faith that brought about such changes in her. Despite her family’s initial reaction, she remained in touch with them and addressed them with respect and humility, just as the Qur’an enjoins the Muslims to do. She would send cards to her parents on different occasions, but she would always write down a verse from the Qur’an or the Hadith without mentioning the source of such beautiful words of wisdom. It was not long before she started making a positive influence among her family members

Aminah was 65 and has a daughter Amber, and sons, Whitney and Mohammad as well as several grandchildren.

Sunday survey 23 feb

Sunday survey 23 feb

Child among five injured in road accidents

5 people were injured in separate road accidents in potholed areas, which the government needs to repair.

Charity founder abused six women seeking spiritual direction: report

A Catholic figure who helped the disabled, abused six women, his act was condemned by some leaders. 

Curious case of coronavirus

Coronavirus swept from China to even Pakistan, slowing the global economy, but China took responsibility and decided to tackle it.

Sindhi language

Speakers at a programme demanded Sindhi to be the official language and be taught at school as the poets also made rich contributions. 

Islam offfers solutions to many world problems, moot told

Speakers from many countries spoke about finding solutions to globalalisation issues from the teachings of Islam and Holy Prophet (PBUH), in the Seerah conference 2020, at UoK.

Feb 5: Power of Habit

Charles Duhigg The Power of Habit 

Charles duhigg starts his speech with a study and with an example of his own. Then he moves forward talking about the rat in a maze to find chocolate and how it behaves with the cookie and forms a habit. He shows a habit loop and how every single habit has a reward that shapes it. He talks about Habits emerging because the brain is constantly looking for ways to save effort. In another word, the brain will make almost any routine into a habit because it allows our minds to ramp down more often.

The habit formation within our brain is a three-step loop. First, there is a cue to tell your brain to go into automatic mode. Then there is the routine, which can be physical or mental or emotional. Finally, there is a reward, which helps your brain to figure out if this particular loop is worth remembering for the future. Habits emerge without our permission. Habits are so powerful because they create neurological cravings. Often, these cravings emerge so gradually that we’re not really aware they exist.To create a new habit, put together a cue, a routine, and a reward, then cultivating a craving that drives the loop.

You can’t extinguish a bad habit, you can only change it by using the same cue, provide the same reward, but change the routine.To break your bad habits, identify the cues and rewards, then, you can change the routine. For some habits, there’s one other ingredient that’s necessary- belief.

Small wins are a steady application of a small advantage. Once a small win has been accomplished, forces are set in motion that favors another small win.To succeed, we need a keystone habit that creates our culture and environment – such as a daily gathering of like-minded friends – to help find the strength to overcome obstacles. keystone habits transform us by creating cultures that make clear the values that we might otherwise forget.

If you want to do something that requires willpower, you have to conserve your willpower muscle during the day. If you use it up too early on tedious tasks like writing emails or filling out complicated and boring expenses forms, all the strength will be gone by the time you get home.When people are asked to do something that takes self-control, if they think they are doing it for personal reasons – their personal choice or pleasure – it’s much less taxing. If they feel like they have no autonomy, if they’re just following orders, their willpower muscles get tired much faster.Organization routines provide the hundreds of unwritten rules that companies need to operate. They allow workers to experiment with new ideas without having to ask for permission at every step. Routines reduce uncertainty.

People’s (buying) habits are more likely to change when they go through a major life event.To encourage people to practice new behavior, it needs to take advantage of patterns that already exists within them.Social change and movement only happen with the existence of the weak link – the change as a whole within a group of people without a direct connection – and the strong link – the change of people around with close relationship (peer pressure).

Habits emerge within the brain and often, we don’t have the ability to control them, but we’re conscious and aware of them. With that said, it’s still our responsibility to cultivate our own habits and take charge of our own life.

Feb 4: Guidance in the Latter Days- Hamza Yusuf

When Worlds Wither Away: Guidance in the Latter Days - 2013 - Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

 This talk  addresses these and other questions. The signs of decimation and devastation are all around us. Species are becoming extinct at alarming rates. The oceans’ acidity levels are rising and now threaten the great coral reefs and many aquatic species. Tuna fish will not be around in 25 years because of overfishing. Meanwhile, jellyfish are dominating the oceans, which marine biologists warn is an ominous harbinger. Some scientists believe we as a species may not survive this century. Such prognostications echo what some Islamic scholars, including Imam al-Suyuti and Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, argued: the 15th century would be Islam’s last. We know from our Prophet (God’s peace and blessings be upon him) that he came to usher in the last days and to remind people of the imminent end. What are its signs? How do we make sense of the apocalyptic news we see daily, and what do we do about it? How do we protect our children from the depression and despair so common to the hearts and minds of too many of today’s youth?

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf describes several issues concerning the end of days that the world will face. Dominating problems such as pollution. Drought, climate changes,  shamelessness, many other environmental issues and different aspects all over the world.  He shows multiple graphs, statistics and figures to prove these factors with evidence. 

He tells how the earth will vomit up and bring things up on the surface according to the prophecies and teachings of Islam. 

He ends up his talk with Quranic verses and some hadith regarding the fitnah the later ummah will face and how great the trial and tribulations will be. A short prayer is said in the end.

Sunday Survey 16 Feb.

Sunday Survey 16 Feb.

Newborn’s body found

A newborn was found dead in a dumpster so the police investigated.

Govt urged to withdraw social media

The govt is urged to reconsider the new social media regulations for national security.

Dolphin personnel killed by stray kite string

A stray kite string killed a dolphin official, future steps for prevention are said to be taken.

2000 trees planted on kashmir highway   

Over 2000 different trees are planted on kashmir highway and their survival will also be carried out.

PTM chief granted bail by the tank court

PTM chief was released on Saturday, said his lawyer.

feb 3: Willpower Instinct

Kelly McGonigal: The Willpower Instinct

Willpower is integral for our success and reaching our goals. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal says that willpower is not just in your head, it's a bodily process that, like our muscles, we can strengthen. She sits down with Piya Chattopadhyay to discuss what willpower is and why stress is its natural enemy.

We may all have been born with the capacity for willpower, but some of us use it more than others. People who have better control of their attention, emotions, and actions are better off almost any way you look at it. They are happier and healthier. Their relationships are more satisfying and last longer. They make more money and go further in their careers. They are better able to manage stress, deal with conflict, and overcome adversity. They even live longer. When pit against other virtues, willpower comes out on top. Self-control is a better predictor of academic success than intelligence (take that, SATs), a stronger determinant of effective leadership than charisma (sorry, Tony Robbins), and more important for marital bliss than empathy (yes, the secret to lasting marriage may be learning how to keep your mouth shut). If we want to improve our lives, willpower is not a bad place to start.

Without self-awareness, the self-control system would be useless. You need to recognize when you’re making a choice that requires willpower; otherwise, the brain always defaults to what is easiest.”Without awareness, you simply act out your autopilot tendencies and impulses. You simply live out your conditioning. You’re living a mechanical life, kind of like a programmed robot.

Some neuroscientists say that we have one brain but two minds – or even, two people living inside our mind. There’s the version of us that acts on impulse and seeks immediate gratification, and the version of us that controls our impulses and delays gratification to protect our long-term goals.

Stress is the enemy of willpower. So often we believe that stress is the only way to get things done, and we even look for ways to increase stress – such as waiting until the last minute, or criticizing ourselves for being lazy or out of control – to motivate ourselves. Or we use stress to try to motivate others, turning up the heat at work or coming down hard at home. This may seem to work in the short term, but in the long term, nothing drains willpower faster than stress

Taking slow and deep breaths is probably the fastest way to activate the physiology of self-control. It slows down your heart rate, activates the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system, raises heart rate variability, and puts you into that calm and slowed-down space of control.

If you think that the key to greater willpower is being harder on yourself, you are not alone. But you are wrong. Study after study shows that self-criticism is consistently associated with less motivation and worse self-control. It is also one of the single biggest predictors of depression, which drains both “I will” power and “I want” power. In contrast, self-compassion—being supportive and kind to yourself, especially in the face of stress and failure—is associated with more motivation and better self-control

Sunday Survey 09 feb

Sunday Survey 09 Feb

Four more polio cases reported from KP, Sindh

New polio cases have been reported by Sindh and KP, with the cases growing from 8 to 144 over three years.

Millers, wholesalers told to declare sugar stock

Punjab govt directed all millers and wholesalers to declare their stocks or be at risk, a meeting was held regarding this.

50 booked for violating labour laws

The labour department bounded owners to follow labour laws or else be penalized upon its violation.

No confirmed case of novel coronavirus in pakistan: SAPM

NIH received suspected samples of novel coronavirus, which tested negative, it was said not to panic.

Probe ordered into tussle Dalbandin drugs raid

A tussle over seized drugs lead to an inquiry.

Sunday Survey 02 Feb

Sunday Survey- 02 Feb 2020

Movement of chinese working at Saindak project restricted

Chinese employees get restricted as coronavirus spread in China, and an isolation ward was set up for screening.

Women officers awarded UN medal in DR Congo

Pakistani FET is awarded UN medal, encouraging women alongside men.

Online sale, advertisement of tobacco products banned

Government bans advertisement of tobacco across the country.

Bail denied to woman who threw baby in tank

Bail was denied to the woman who attempted to kill her baby and the prime suspect was fined a lump sum amount.

Man held in Mansehra for child abuse 

The suspected child abuser gets arrested as the father filed against him.