Health Reasons For Eating At Home

If you're looking for an easy way to delight in a healthy life for you and your loved ones, one of the most effective ways is to prepare home-cooked meals. Here are some helpful hints.

With our time being at a premium, preparing your own meals is often replaced with on the go meals at fast food or casual dining dining establishments. Not only are these choices usually more costly than eating at home, but also not figure friendly. You can drastically increase the health benefits by preparing home-cooked meals.

Eating at Home Gives You the Choice
Eating at home has many health benefits, but most importantly it gives you the choice of what ingredients you decide to cook with or not include in your meals. Have you ever glanced at what a burger at a fast food restaurant is made with- there can be dozens of ingredients, some with names you haven't heard of or cannot pronounce. When you prepare home-cooked meals, you can keep your foods natural and whole.

Do You Have Special Dietary Needs?
Another health benefit of eating at home is that if you have special dietary restrictions such as limitations on sugar in your foods, you can conveniently fix dinners that fit your health needs. No need to fret if the restaurant has a low salt dish or if there is any extra sugar included in a dish.

Portion Control
One of the reasons that many people have gained weight is due to the portions that many casual dining restaurants give you. They are much larger than necessary. If you eat in, you can create the appropriate amounts for you and your loved ones, eliminating unnecessary food intake.

Food Allergies
When you eat at home, you can be more deliberate in preparing foods, especially if you or a family member has a food allergy. Food allergies in many situations can be serious and possibly even fatal. Preparing food at home reduces the risk of an allergic reaction to allergic food reaction.

Quality Time
Another benefit to dining in is the quality of time spent together. We all like to be taken care of at times so it's okay to eat out for special events. However, preparing home-cooked meals allows you to spend valued time with family. Everyone can take part in meal preparation so it's a shared event. By allowing children to participate in meal planning and cooking you are teaching them valuable self-sufficiency skills. The ambiance is more conducive to talking.

Make a pledge to prepare more home-cooked meals. The benefits of eating at home exceed the time it takes to prepare a home-cooked meal. Your loved ones will thank you in the end.

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HAVING A BABY MAKES ` LIFE’ BETTER

Having a baby changes a ` MOM’S’ life, but the bundle of joy also alters the way she looks at the world and lives each day. Here are some of the purest perks that come with being a mother.

1. You see everything for the first time again through the child's eyes — even ants are amazing.
2. A single gummy smile can save even the biggest wreck of a day.
3. When the infant fusses, your mere presence calms him.
4. If you rest your child on your chest, your hearts beat in unison.
5. When he laughs, he shakes, drools, and almost keels over, but it's the most adorable thing you've ever seen. So you make him do it again and again.
6. You think about the future in bigger and brighter ways. You picture him heading off to kindergarten and graduating from high school.
7. You anticipate and even dream of little things like a cutting tooth, a single step, or a two syllable utterance: "mama."
8. You forget about things you used to care so much about, because they actually don't matter at all.
9. You finally understand what "a mother's instinct" means.
10. Your will to live intensifies because you don't want to miss a moment of your child's spectacular life.

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“Do not laugh too much, for excessive laughter deadens the heart.”

 

 

For every believer who wishes to keep the heart alive with faith, the Prophet (sallaAllahu alayhe wasallam) taught in the final advice of this hadeeth that excessive laughter is a cause for a dead heart. Let no believer assume that this implies he or she must wear a frown in order to keep the heart alive with faith, for the Prophet (sallaAllahu alayhe wasallam) had the most cheerful countenance and taught us that to smile was a rewarded act of sadaqa.

Hence, if we are among those who have trouble keeping a cheerful face, this is not an opportunity to prove the virtue of such an expression, rather it is a chance to rethink and realize that while excessive laughter is denounced, a smile is praised and written as a good deed. Such a simple change in expression, will surely lead us to see notable change in our hearts towards others and in their character towards us.

The Prophet (sallaAllahu alayhe wasallam) used to make his Companions laugh and his Companions would make him laugh. But he taught us not to be excessive in laughter for it will cause a dead heart and dry eyes. Let us not be among those who only keep the company of those who make us laugh and find anyone else “boring.” Or those who only attend lectures of those who have the highest sense of humor. Or those who read only that which makes them laugh and watch only those programs that make them laugh. Rather, even in laughter, our religion teaches moderation. It is possible to forget this, and that is why our Prophet (sallaAllahu alayhe wasallam) did not forget to remind us; so that we may pay attention to the weight laughter carries in our everyday lives.

Such concise words, amounting to the fingers of one hand, yet beautiful in meaning and comprehensive in application. With the same enthusiasm of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with Him, who took upon himself the task of taking care of them until they reached us, let us work on remembering them, applying them and letting them affect our lives. Perhaps now, you will look at your fingers and view them from a different perspective, as you count on them 5 steps towards a more noble life.

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HOW TO GAIN ALLAH'S LOVE.........?

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful,
Human beings by nature, love rewards when they exert themselves. And when they are devoted to a cause, coupled with anticipating the rewards, they tend to strive more and bear the discomfort that comes with the struggle.

This is similar to our relationship with Allah. Allah SWT loves it when we exert ourselves for His sake and He describes the payoffs when He loves His servant:

“….When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting him.”
[Bukhari]

Therefore, to complete one’s faith and gain this love, we should seek Allah SWT alone in love, hate, giving and withholding and Allah alone must be our Lord and the only One whom we worship.

It is total submission and the essence of submission is to love what the Beloved loves and to abstain from what He does not love. This was how our pious predecessors achieved the qualities of true worshipers and reached the highest level in their efforts.

From the Holy Quran, we can deduce that there are seven qualities that Allah SWT loves and seven qualities that Allah SWT does not love. [Maybe more, if we studied the Quran more carefully]

Seven Qualities that Allah SWT Loves

1. Tawbah [Repentance]

“Truly Allah loves those who turn to Him in repentance”
[Al-Baqarah: 222]
Repentance is a form of detoxification: Sincere repentance cleanses and beautifies the Iman. We all commit sins but Allah loves those who after committing sins, seek forgiveness with deep sorrow and regret. This is the only way by which the past can be set right. Allah has a concern for those He loves, therefore each time we slip and relapse into the abyss of desires and sincerely repent, He leads us out of it to the summit of forgiveness and further relieves us of hardship and provides for us.

2. Taharah [Purification]

“…Allah loves those who purify themselves.”
[Al-Baqarah: 222]

This is the external purification. The secret to this is performing the acts with the intention of following the example of the Prophet SAW. The removal of filth from the body by performing wudhu’ (ablution) and ghusl (ritual bath) and removal of filth from garment, body and place of prayer are acts that purify the body and radiates the Iman. It is a means by which Allah will wipe out our sins and raise our ranks.

3. Taqwa

“Surely, Allah loves al – Muttaqun. “
[At-Tawba: 4]

The fear of Allah is the source of pure soul – it is borne out of love and obedience. Thus a pious person is constantly driven to do good only. He/She is humble and does not flaunt his/her piety in front of others. The fear of Allah beautifies the Iman and is the origin of all good as one to strive to do only what pleases Allah and stay away from the things that would displeased Him. Piety is an internal quality as the Prophet SAW said, “Taqwa is here” whilst pointing to his chest [Muslim] and it is a quality that puts us above others in the sight of Allah SWT.

4. Ihsan [Goodness]

“Verily, Allah loves Al-Muhsinun (the good doers).”
[Ali 'Imran: 134]

“Ihsan is to worship Allah SWT as if you see Him and if you cannot achieve this devotion, then you must know that He sees you.”
[Bukhari]

Ihsan goes beyond a noble trait; it is an integral part of Islam
It is the secret of attentive heart – knowing that Allah is watching everything. This fills the heart with respect and veneration and one becomes too embarrassed to go against Allah’s commands. It promotes performance of good deeds for the sake of Allah SWT and not show or to gain praise or fame.

5. Tawakkal [Trust in Allah]

“Allah loves those who put their trust in Him.”
[Ali 'Imran: 159]

The secret and reality of trust in Allah is the reliance of the heart on Allah alone. Therefore trusting in Allah words are different from trusting in Him with the heart.

Reliance is doing and hoping – doing everything necessary within one’s capability to achieve one’s aim and hoping with tranquility of heart and soul and putting one’s trust in Allah with firm belief that whatever the outcome is, it is a result of the Will of Allah and His Decree.

One should never feel that too much time has passed by without his/her supplications being answered; rather we should always place our hope on the One who is able to do all things.

“If you all depend on Allah, with due reliance, he would certainly give you provision as He gives to birds who go forth hungry in the morning and return with full bellies at dusk.”
[Tirmidhi]

6. Qist [Justice]

“Verily, Allah loves those who acts justly.”
[Al Ma'idah: 42]

Justice is a prerequisite to peace which is missing in our contemporary society. It involves giving other people the rights we give ourselves, treating people the way we would like to be treated.

Justice sounds like a word meant for the leaders alone but rather, it affects us all. It means:

- To be equitable in speech and in actions – with no degree of discrimination or testifying falsely.
- It involves being fair with regards to one’s family and those who are under our care; justice between children by not giving one preference over the other.
- By not committing wrong against oneself such as engaging in sinful practices and immoral acts.
- Justice with Allah in not associating any being with Him – in worship and obedience.

7. Sabr [Patience]

“And Allah loves As-Sabirun (the patient).”
[Ali 'Imran: 146]

Patience is one of the most noble of virtues and traits. It is to endure what one dislikes with a sense of acceptance and submission and anticipating Allah’s reward.
A Muslim should adhere to patience when afflicted with calamity and should not submit either to desperation nor despondence because if we are patient, everything that was destined and preordained for us will occur and we will be rewarded. If we complain and are hopeless, then all that was destined to us will occur, but we will be blamed for our impatience at Allah’s Will.

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Always Be There

O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women and fear Allâh through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship) . Surely, Allâh is Ever an All¬Watcher over you.

(Surah An-Nisa' Verse 1)




Allahu Akbar…

If you ask me about love
And what i know about it
My answer would be
It’s everything about Allah
The pure love, to our souls
The creator of you and me,the heaven and whole universe
The one that made us whole and free
The guardian of HIS true believers
So when the time is hard
There’s no way to turn
As HE promise HE will always be there
To bless us with HIS love and HIS mercy
Coz, as HE promise HE will always be there
HE’s always watching us, guiding us

So when the time is hard
There’s no way to turn
As HE promise HE will always be there
To bless us with HIS love and HIS mercy
Coz, as HE promise HE will always be there
HE’s always watching us, guiding us
And HE knows what’s in all in our heart

So when you lose your way
To Allah you should turn
As HE promise HE will always be there…

HE bring ourselves from the darkness into the light
Subhanallah praise belongs to YOU for everything
Shouldn’t never feel afraid of anything
As long as we follow HIS guidance all the way
Through the short time we have in this life
Soon it all’ll be over
And we’ll be in His heaven and we’ll all be fine

So when the time gets hard
There’s no way to turn
As HE promise He will always be there
To bless us with HIS love and HIS mercy
Coz, as HE promise HE will always be there
HE’s always watching us, guiding us
And HE knows what’s in all in our heart

So when you lose your way
To Allah you should turn
As HE promise HE will always be there…

Allahu Akbar…

So when the time gets hard
There’s no way to turn
As HE promise He will always be there
To bless us with HIS love and HIS mercy
Coz, as HE promise HE will always be there
HE’s always watching us, guiding us
And he knows what’s in all in our heart

So when you lose your way
To Allah you should turn
As HE promise HE will always be there…

Allahu Akbar…





Artist: Maher Zain
Album: Thank You Allah
Lyrics: Bilal Hajji & Maher Zain

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WHY should we say “ALHAMDULILLAH” when we “SNEEZE”?

The narrations of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) encourage us to say “Alhamdulillah” when we sneeze.

“Alhamdulillah” means “All praise is due to Allah”. A rightfully curious mind will wonder why are we supposed to express our gratitude to Allah for the insignificant act of sneezing. On the contrary, sneezing is no insignificant reaction of the body. Sneezing is a great blessing from Allah where various muscle groups come in to play. The muscles of the stomach, chest, neck and eyes are used for this seemingly insignificant reaction of the body.

When one sneezes, one should say ALHAMDULILLAH. (Bukhari)
In reply to this, one who hears (the person who has sneezed say Alhamdulillah) should say YARHAMU KALLAH. (Bukhari)
The person who has sneezed must reply by saying: YAHDEE KUMULLAHU WAYUSLIHU BAALAKUM. (Bukhari)
Whenever our beloved Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam sneezed, he should cover his face with his hands or with a piece of cloth, so that the sound of the sneeze could not be heard too loudly. (Tirmidhi)

Some of the reasons for saying “Alhamdulillah” are as follows:

1) Harmful substances contained in the body are dispelled when one sneezes. Especially when the harmful substances are strong, an odour can be smelt. We are saved from many sicknesses and diseases by the mere act of naturally sneezing as these harmful substances are expelled.

2) Our entire lives are in the control of Allah. If Allah wishes, he may cause our bodies to cease where we will not be able to make even the slightest move. When one sneezes, a person’s face becomes distorted for those few seconds. If Allah wished, he could have kept us with the same distorted expression permanently. It is only through the mercy and grace of Allah, that he grants us our normal expressions again.

3) When a person sneezes, the eyes automatically close. By the eyes remaining open, potential damage can be caused to the eyes. Allah causes the eyes to close to save us from such harm.

4) Sneezing generally causes the breathing passages to open up, thus allowing a person to breathe easily. In exchange of the many benefits we enjoy from sneezing naturally, it is only fair that we say our heartfelt gratitude to Allah by saying “Alhamdulillah”

And Allah Knows Best

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