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Makkah to Madinah: An Epic Composition from Dr Abdullah Al-Kadi

Date: August 27, 2015

There are many memorable and historic journeys took place in the past which stands as the milestones in the historic culture. Musa had crossed the Red Sea! Caesar crossed Rubicon! These are some wonderful and inspiring instances for historic journeys. But here is a wonderful story of an epic journey which changed the human civilization. Dr Abdullah Al-Kadi researched for years and wrote the book Makkah to Madinah: A Photographic Journey of the Hijrah Route. The book reveals the journey took place in the start of the Muslim calendar Hijrah from Mecca to Madinah by Umar and the great companions of the Prophet who were alive at the time. Dr Abdullah Al-Kadi travelled 30,000 miles through the route of Hijrah to know the hurdles and puddles across the way. The journey helped him to get familiar about the oddly shaped rocks that were used as milestones along the way. Dr Al-Kadi was accompanied by his family and Peter Sanders a well-known British photographer. The book incorporates wonderful images from the journey which is captured by the golden eyes of Peter Sanders. Author reveals that there is much more to learn from the history for even more than 14 centuries.

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Giving for Eternity: A Tunisian waqf history

Giving to Eternity directed by Ayed Nabaa is a visual treat to the film lovers which explores the history of the Waqf tradition seen through the eyes of Tunisian historians, imams, legal academics &8211; and the descendants of philanthropic donors who&8217;ve struggled to repossess their property. Charity is a unique belief in Islam. Waqf is a form of charity which means permanently endowing property dating back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad. In Tunisia, waqf got a controversial history. In fact, waqf property cannot sell, donate, inherit or buy. The beneficiaries of waqf can be private individuals like donors, descendants or the public. But this very system of waqf is prone to abuse and mismanagement. In 1957, just a year after the independence of Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba, the first president of Tunisia abolished waqf. The abolition of Waqf threw the ancient system of permanent endowment into disarray. The government established some commissions to investigate and properly manage and distribute the properties to the right individuals or authority. Critics say that the settlement process was totally futile and cases are still pending due to mismanagement and fraud play in settlement. The film Giving for Eternity portrays the very issues and settlement of waqf properties in Tunisia.

Benefits of Fasting

How quickly time flies…just about three weeks ago Ramadan began and Muslims around the world commenced their first fast and today it is approaching its last ten days. Now of course we all know that fasting is important spiritually as it teaches us to be patient, be self-aware, and to have restraint (“O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint.” al-Qur'an 2:183). But did you know there are many physical and mental benefits of fasting? Let’s start with physical benefits: • weight Loss - Normally, the body uses glucose for energy and keeps fat as “reserve” energy. But while fasting the body begins to use fat as its main source of energy. Why does this matter? Essentially you are burning fat which entails to weight loss. However, keep in mind due to this occurring, the food you eat before and after fasting is absorbed much more quickly and powerfully. So if you break your fast with fried fatty foods, you will gain more weight than you will lose. In the same way, if you eat more nutritionally rich foods, then you will be much more energized. • Giving your body a break - As you fast your metabolism slows down and less of your energy is directed towards breaking down food. 650f your body’s energy is directed towards digesting your food in a day. In a way, you are resting your body by fasting! • Repairing the body – Since less of your energy is directed to breaking down food, the body spends more time repairing the body by producing more white blood cells. White blood cells are the body’s main source of protection against diseases and ailments. This helps tremendously for patients recovering from cancer as during chemotherapy many of the white blood cells are destroyed in the cancer cell eradication process. • Detox – As you fast the toxins stored in your body are dissolved. No special juice or greens needed. Alright now that we’ve listed a few great physical benefits let’s move onto some mental benefits: • General mental well-being – After a few days of fasting, the production of endorphins increases tremendously leading to a happier sense of self and increased alertness. • It decreases feelings of depression – BDNF (Brain-derived neurotic factor) is a protein that interacts with neurons in the parts of the brain that regulate memory, learning, and higher cognitive function and helps to spur synapses (which pass signals from one neuron to the next) and new neurons. Depression occurs when there is a lack of serotonin production as well as a miscommunication between the synapses. Since the brain can focus on functions other than food digestion, it can produce more BDNF. • Aids in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s – Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s are neurodegenerative diseases. This means that they occur when the brain is not producing enough neurons. Fasting could help mitigate this issue; since the brain produces more BDNF while fasting (which aids in the production of neurons and synapses) then it will be more unlikely for a person to be deficient in neurons. • More Sleep – A study in 2003 by Michaelson et. al. found that after 8 days of fasting those who fasted were much more likely to get better sleep than those who did not fast. Time and time again Islam proves itself as an enduring religion. Whether it is through salat or fasting, Islam continues to show us the many faceted benefits of our way of life. Sources: 1. "Fasting and Your Health." - Live Well. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2014. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Healthyramadan/Pages/fastingandhealth.aspx 2. "Fasting for Mental Health: Does It Work? - Mind the Science Gap." Mind the Science Gap RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2014. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting-brain-function/axzz37MsEbQbn 3. "Fasting for Mental Health: Does It Work? - Mind the Science Gap." Mind the Science Gap RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2014. http://www.mindthesciencegap.org/2013/04/10/fasting-for-mental-health-does-it-work/

The Alim Team will be at the ICNA-MAS Convention (Booth 838)

We are excited to announce that the Alim team will be at the annual ICNA-MAS Convention in Baltimore, MD this coming Memorial Day Weekend, May 28-30. Booth 838 We will be sharing many exciting plans, insha’Allah, to optimize our mobile apps and website, to bring you more of what you have come to expect from Alim. The Alim Foundation has been working diligently to improve all of our products and services. As you know, • you have our web portal, which is a one-stop shop of authentic Islamic educational resources • your forums where you can connect with other students of knowledge to share ideas or ask questions • your new versions of Android and Apple apps for knowledge on the go, and much more. • Best of all: These services are available free of charge! Our donors help keep our initiatives alive, so we would like to take this opportunity to thank them and we ask Allah to multiply their rewards in this life and the next. Ameen! Please consider investing in this cause so that it may be a sadaqah jariyah, an ongoing charity, for you by Allah’s permission. Don’t forget to stop by our booth 838 to meet our team and get to know more about what Alim Foundation has to offer. Take this opportunity to ask questions and find out why Alim.org is the most useful Islamic software in the world! Download the free apps for Android and iPhone and personally let us know what you think. Also, please share this information with your families and friends. We will see you at the convention, insha’Allah!

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Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)

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Precious Gifts a Person Leaves Behind

"The best of what a man leaves behind are three: a righteous child who supplicates for him, ongoing charity the reward of which reaches him, and knowledge that is acted upon after him."

Sunan Ibn Mājah

Angelic Daily Prayers for Generosity

"Every day two angels come down from Heaven and one of them says, 'O Allah! Compensate every person who spends in Your Cause,' and the other (angel) says, 'O Allah! Destroy every miser.'"

Sahih Bukhari