Going Beyond the Material Life

We are in the blessed month of Ramadan, and the month is moving very quickly. We pray to Allah to make it easy for all the believers to keep the fast, and benefit from the blessings that Allah has made available in the short time that is quickly passing, during this blessed month.

We need to keep in mind one very important thing. Allah tells us in the Quran Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you. That is, it is not only for Muslims fasting was prescribed, but it is for everybody. Why?

We must understand that we represent our Lord here on the earth. And we are here for just a short span of time. But the earth will continue, so that, as long as we are here, don’t make the earth your be-all and end-all for everything, but understand that you are using it to get you a better place in the hereafter.

Death is not the end of life, but it is the beginning of a new phase for every human being. And what Satan has done is he makes some people forget that they will be leaving all the materials things behind, and going in the grave with nothing. So that they spend all their time busy with material things, and then only to realise that when death comes, none of these things will be of any importance and value.

The message of Islam is to send something before of the material things of life so that it will benefit you as you go along the journey in the next phase and onwards. And that is fasting on one hand and zakat and charity on the other.

Fasting helps us to develop restraint, and abandon something of the world for the sake of Allah. We feel hungry and thirsty, but we persevere, because we are fasting and following the command of Allah.

Zakaat and charity help us to sacrifice some of what we have in this world for the sake of Allah, and teaches us an important lesson. Don’t hoard all the material things and keep it as though that is your personal possession and only you have the right of it, and no others should benefit from it.

Take care, and Allah will bless you in this life, as well as in the onward journey.

If you abide by the teachings that the Holy Prophet (peace be on him) gave with regards to the distribution of your material assets of life, and you will be taking with you the blessing that come from your generosity on one hand, and your giving of what Allah has bestowed on you on the other.

May Allah make it easy for every one of us to benefit from this life to represent him properly here on earth, and to be blessed with the blessings that come with fasting, and all the requirements that go along with it, as we go along the journey.

May Allah forgive us, have mercy on us, and make the fasting easy for us, and blessed, so that we too can benefit from it in this life and onwards insha Allah.

Ramadan Hack for Your Physical and Mental Health

Almighty Allah tells us in the Quran 2:184 You should fast it is better for you.

We are told that fasting holds the promise of limitless rewards. Today we are discovering in the science of intermittent fasting that some of these rewards are immediate and for our personal benefit.

• Physically fasting helps to stabilize our blood sugar, our blood pressure, and even weight. It helps with cellular repair, brain and heart health. The shock to the physical system of not eating and drinking for the day puts our bodies on reset.
• Mentally it helps with cognition and learning, stress reduction, mental resilience and clarity, neuroplasticity, and even helps to reduce onset of neurodegenerative diseases. The mindset we gain from fasting helps us to evaluate our priorities and stresses.
• Morally it forces us to be mindful of our behaviors – what we think, what we say, what we do. How we treat others and respond to provocation. We don’t want to spoil the fast by engaging in improper conduct.
• Spiritually we obey the command of Allah, make sacrifices for His sake, and through these He brings us even closer to Him. We become more God-conscious, and are assured of the promise of limitless rewards.

So we are being commanded to do something that entails sacrifice, but is beneficial for us physically, mentally, morally, spiritually…

Allah confirms this in the Quran 2:185 Allah intends ease for you and not hardship.

I pray we see each day as the gift that it is, and make full use of every opportunity during the month and afterwards to be good, do good, think good, control baser instincts, and become stronger physically, mentally, morally and spiritually. In so doing we can hope to live the best life, for both worlds.

Ramadan Mubarak from Markaz al Ihsaan – The MAI Institute.

Showing Love to Almighty Allah

Surah Baqarah verse 165 says… “Those who believe love Allah the most.” This love of the believers for Almighty Allah is described in the Quran as ashaddu hubban – the most immense love.

How we will know that we love Allah with that level of love? The holy month of Ramadan provides us the opportunity to feel, improve increase and demonstrate this love for our creator. We as believers become a portrait of Allah’s love throughout the holy month – when we stop doing many things we like to do in our normal life for His pleasure. In fact the practice of fasting is a way to say: Oh Almighty Allah we love You the most.

As the month of Ramadan begins, we start to sacrifice our nightly rest by standing in Taraweeh salaat which is a prayer of long duration.

Then we get up early in the morning, sacrificing our sleep and our sweet dreams, to obey the command of our Lord. Only passion of love can make this happen.

During the daylight hours, we stop eating delicious foods and block ourselves from sipping cold water and sweet drinks even though we feel hungry or thirsty because we love Allah and we want Him to be pleased with us.

Giving charity and sharing food also certifies that our love for Allah has priority over love for the material world.

Through all these acts of worship, we crave to prove to Our Most Merciful Lord that we love Him the most. Our body language keeps expressing day and night; Oh our Lord we love You so much that we can sacrifice our desires, our sweet dreams, our tastes and physical needs for your sake.

Dear brothers and sisters, after working hard throughout the holy month of Ramadan to earn the spiritual wealth of Allah’s love we should keep it protected and alive until we meet Him.

And remember to ask yourself that if I can restrain myself from Halal for Allah’s love than why should not I get over the Haram?

Eid Mubarak to you and yours, from Mufti 
Chishtie, and Markaz al Ihsaan.

Changes in Governance

[Trinidad, April 2024] – The Markaz al Ihsaan (MAI Institute) wishes to announce changes in its leadership and operational address to better serve its mission and community.

Please be advised that Haji Imtiaz Edoo is no longer on the Board of Directors of MAI. We extend our deepest gratitude to Haji Edoo for his invaluable contributions during his tenure and wish him all the best in his future endeavors. We note that his efforts and support, alongside director and Principal Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed, have contributed to the dissemination of Islamic education and media for 2 decades.

The MAI Institute is also relocating its operational headquarters. MAI is no longer located at or connected to the Hermitage Village Mosque. This change is an opportunity to facilitate improved efficiency in our operations, ensuring that we continue to deliver and extend our provision of impactful edification services, humanitarian assistance and community development programs.

“We are grateful for Haji Imtiaz’s dedication and service to the MAI during his time on the board. His contributions have been instrumental in sustaining our mission until this time,” said Faheem Mohammed, Director at MAI. He added, “We are confident that with the support of our dedicated team and partners, the changes at the MAI Institute will augur to making even more meaningful strides in serving our communities towards a brighter future.”

For inquiries or further information, you can visit our website at https://maiinstitute.com, or contact our administration team via email at admin@maiinstitute.com.

About Markaz al Ihsaan (the MAI Institute): The MAI Institute is a non-profit organization founded in 2003 by Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed, and is dedicated to providing authentic Islamic education to further the human representation of Almighty Allah in individuals’ intentions, actions and conduct.

Web: https://maiinstitute.com; Email: admin@maiinstitute.com