Disciplining The Soul

Festivals and celebrations are occasions of joy and happiness. They have their distinctive spirit in all societies and cultures, and are eagerly awaited and heartily welcomed by everyone.

The feeling of excitement associated with these occasions, however, causes people to introduce uncommon, strange or even bizarre practices during them.

Islam regulates the occasions to be celebrated and the methods of celebrating them. It maintains their atmosphere of happiness, while redirecting

This book discusses the two annual Islaamic festivals: Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adhaa as well as the weekly Jumu’ah. It presents the Islaamic guidelines for celebration according to the Quraan and Sunnah, and warns against innovated occasions and un-Islaamic festivals.

In addition to topics that are standard to ‘Id celebration, such as the ‘Id prayer and khutbah, and ‘Id pastimes, this book discusses zakat-ul-fitr, the sacrifice, the blessed days of the month of Thul-Hijjah, and numerous other ‘Id-related issues.

The broad and thorough discussions in this book make it an important manual and complete reference on festivals and celebrations in Islam. Indeed, from Allah (swt) we seek help and acceptance.

One of the blessings that Allah has given His servants is that of a convenient means of financial exchange, i.e. money. Money has since grown to become one of the most’ prized possessions of mankind, and like so many elements of the dunya, serves to test the obedience of Allah’s servants by challenging their system of priorities… Therefore, due to the fact that the Muslims of today are preoccupied with the seeking of money to an extent almost unparalleled in Islamic history, I felt the need to compile a short treatise explaining the manner in which Allah and His Messenger described how Muslims could increase their money. The focus of this book is upon encouraging Muslims to procure money through halal means, and to abstain from haram gains. Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi was born in Houston, TX, but completed his primary and secondary education in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He graduated with a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston, after which he was accepted as a student at the Islamic University of Madinah. After completing a diploma in Arabic, he graduated with a B.A. from the College of Hadith and Islamic Sciences. He is presently doing an M.A. in Islamic Theology (‘aqidah) from the College of Da’wah at the University. Of his published works are: Riyaa: Hidden Shirk; An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur’an; An Explanation of the Four Principles of Shirk;Du’a: The Weapon of the Believer; and others.

The writer is a survivor of an accident that altered his life. He is a man who managed to overcome adversity and transform bitterness into personal success, as his literary gains outweighed his physical restrictions. Where his physical condition limited his movements, his creative writing opened up a new horizon that enabled him to freely interact with his readers.

This is a real-life account of how a human being can overcome obstacles, giving effect to the epithet: ‘What does not kill me makes me stronger.’ The autobiography defines patience in two ways: first, as a bitter experience and then second, as the ability to tolerate and turn one’s misfortune into investment. The accident that the writer suffered has paralysed his body, but at the same time it has unleashed his writing talents. (Yousef el-Sharoni, Egypt)