The Barakah Effect

How has your Iman and Ibadah been post-Ramadan? Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali encapsulated the life and outlook of the high-aspiring believers beautifully in these words: “The entire life of this dunya is a month of fasting for the muttaqeen, and their ‘Eid al-fitr is the day of meeting their Lord. And most of the days of fasting have already passed, and the ‘Eid of meeting is swiftly approaching” (Lataa’if al-Ma’aarif) These words should make us reflect - as we tasted the sweetness of striving in Ramadan, and the sweetness of success in Eid, it should serve as a valuable lesson for us to power on through our entire life ahead which are none but a number of days. Let's be honest: It's not easy. Life happens! There are so many things which may distract us from our end goal - work, obligations, life events. And yes, even Eid gatherings. In this episode, recognizing these challenges, we discuss sustainable strategies to maintain our steadfastness upon Iman and good deeds as we did in Ramadan: ✅ What are some mindsets we can realign ourselves with, to keep up that momentum post-Ramadan? ✅ Handling distractions & reverting to bad habits: Now that the devils have been unchained, have we become unhinged? How can we keep our guard up, now that shaytan is roaming free and disrupting our iman? ✅ How do we know if our good deeds in Ramadan were accepted? What are some signs that we can look out for? ✅ How can we capitalize that sweetness of Ramadan - and replicate some of the good environment that induced and encouraged us towards becoming better people? .. and many more! ABOUT US: The Barakah Effect is a podcast where we discuss how to make the best out of our productivity, career, parenting, family, religion and life: How we can juggle all these moving parts, in order to achieve extraordinary success in dunya and akhirah. We are on a mission to inspire communities of high achievers striving for continuous growth and excellence: Here and Hereafter, through barakah as one ummah.

For our final episode in our series on Treasures from Quran this Ramadan, join us as we hear brother Syahmi share his reflections from Surah Ad-Duha: How Allah comforts the Prophet ﷺ in his times of sadness, reassuring him that He has not neglected him. Join us at TBE as we finish off these final, most blessed nights of Ramadan, and find assurance and confidence in our hearts through the words of our Lord, just as how it did to our Prophet ﷺ. See you there! BarakAllahu fikum

An old man once asked the Prophet ﷺ to teach him to recite the Quran. Encountering initial difficulty in reciting, the old man requested the Prophet ﷺ to teach him a comprehensive surah, to which the Prophet ﷺ then taught him surah Al-Zalzalah. What amazing virtues Surah Al-Zalzalah contain; a short yet comprehensive surah. It was reported Abu Bakar r.a cried upon hearing these verses when it was revealed. A Surah that addresses important events after each blowing of the trumpet on Judgement Day. It also contains two particular verses deemed by Ibn Mas'ud r.a as the most comprehensive and concise ayat in the Quran. Want to explore more? Join us as we share our brief reflection of this beautiful surah. BarakAllahu fikum

Surah Kawthar, a short surah in the Quran, yet it is considered one of the greatest gifts to our Prophet ﷺ. In our 3rd series this year of Treasures from Qur'an, join us on a journey with Aziz, as we discover gems from this short and beautiful surah, such as: •⁠ ⁠The meaning of Surah Kawthar and its connection to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ •⁠ ⁠The description of Al-Kawthar, a river and pool in Paradise. •⁠ ⁠The significance of the Day of Judgement in relation to Al-Kawthar. •⁠ ⁠Not everyone from the Prophet’s followers will be allowed to drink from the pool. ..and many more!

Among the amazing miracles of the Quran and the comprehensiveness of Islam is that Allah doesn’t just legislate personal obligations, rituals, Do’s and Dont’s, but also a holistic approach in ethics of behavior: both as an individual, as well as a community. Surah Al-Hujurat is filled with amazing wisdoms on the subjects of social psychology, character building, conflict resolutions, diversity and inclusion that shares profound lessons about what we can do to bring stability, but also how to thrive and succeed, collectively as a society. Join us where Faisal shares his reflections on this amazing surah as we uncover these inspiring lessons, and shares practical insights on how we can apply these to our lives - whether it’s in our families, leadership at the workplace, friendships, religious groups, and local communities.

Ahlan ya Ramadan! This year, 2024 / 1445AH, The Barakah Effect team returns with our sessions on tadabbur (reflections of the Qur’an), where we uncover and sharing some key inspirations, practical applications as we discover of some of our favorite surah from the Book of Allah. Kicking off our first session this year, brother Reeza shares some deep insights and practical character lessons from surah Al-Furqan, on the Muslim Character, uncovering some important traits that should be instilled among the slaves of Ar-Rahman (the Most Merciful, Most Compassionate).

Ikhlas (Sincerity) is truly an amazing matter of our deen Simple to understand, yet profound in its implications; it is one of the conditions for the acceptance of deeds, and one of the most important keys to seeking Barakah (blessings) from Allah. Yet, none of us will truly know how sincere we truly are, until we meet Allah! As humans, we will always be struggling with our intentions, as we find ourselves striving (and struggling) through the tests of life, between high aspirations and dips in Iman. So how can we strive towards attaining sincerity despite our shortcomings? Join us as we kickstart Season 3 of The Barakah Effect by this super important principle: Start with IKHLAS (sincerity). Why should we start with Ikhlas, and what steps can we take to maintain our resilience in striving for Ikhlas in everything we do.

Why are there so many differences of opinions in fiqh and different madhhabs? Which madhhab is the best and most correct? In this review of the book “The Evolution of Fiqh” by Dr Bilal Philips, we take a historical journey from the first generation of Islam to our present day to gain context and an understanding of how the Islamic fiqh of jurisprudence has evolved through the periods of time to what it is today; with the widely practiced four prominent madhhabs. Despite being concise in length, this book provides satisfying, comprehensive answers to those burning questions. Tune in to find out more!

In this episode, we tackle the common challenge of procrastination and share effective strategies to overcome it. Join us as we explore the negative consequences of delaying tasks and how they can lead to missed opportunities. We begin by discussing the definition of procrastination and its psychological impact. Through personal anecdotes and experiences, we open up about our own battles with procrastination and the areas we have successfully overcome. From managing professional certifications to quitting harmful habits, we reveal the turning points and strategies that helped us break free from the cycle of procrastination. Throughout the episode, we emphasize the importance of setting boundaries, understanding the psychological discomfort that comes with delaying tasks and finding ways to overcome negative emotions. We share practical techniques, such as breaking tasks into smaller, achievable milestones, surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals for support, and embracing the power of accountability. Join us as we navigate the journey from procrastination to productivity, sharing insights, tips, and inspiration along the way. If you're tired of letting procrastination hinder your progress, this episode is for you. Tune in to the Barakah Effect Podcast and start unlocking your full potential today. Don't forget to leave your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. Together, let's conquer procrastination and embrace a more productive and fulfilling life. 0:00:00 Start  0:04:33 Overview: Themes of discussion 0:07:36 PART 1: Real Examples - Our procrastination stories 0:20:30 PART 2: why do we procrastinate? What actually causes procrastination?  0:32:46 Perfectionism: the mother of procrastination? 😱 0:38:00 the Snowball-Avalanche Effect  0:39:58 PART 3: Whats the big deal? Why is this topic of procrastination so important?  0:49:19 PART 4: The "How" - strategies in overcoming procrastination 0:50:46 Breaking it down to digestible, workable chunks 0:54:59 Gaining momentum and the Pomodoro technique  0:57:38 Five-second rule  Use Checklists  1:02:50 Learn! Equip yourself with knowledge of anti-procrastination tools 1:10:28 Surround yourself with like-minded peers  1:14:04 Create a sense of Urgency & Accountability  1:19:40 Striving and willpower? Mujahadah

Assalamualaikum - hi friends! For this episode, I reviewed one of my favourite books: “Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if your life depended on it.”  Authored by Chris Voss, former FBI hostage negotiator for over 20 years, Chris shares some practical, tried-and-tested negotiation tactics, bringing forth many interesting real-life applications throughout his hostage negotiation experience and how we can apply those techniques in everyday scenarios. I gotta admit… Before I read this book, I had zero interest in the subject of “negotiation” - to me. I have always perceived negotiation as something sleazy and manipulative or being forcing people. Besides, I always thought: why bother? I barely ever have to use it in my day-to-day responsibilities in my job, anyway.  This book totally changed my mind. Turns out, what I thought was “negotiation”: that was actually terrible negotiation! As Chris Voss highlights, effective negotiation is about emotional intelligence, active listening, empathy, perspective-shifting, and even being cheerful (who would have thought?). Mind you, we’re talking about a guy who used to deal with terrorists, here! Not only did the book convince me to appreciate negotiation, it also completely expanded the ideas about what negotiation is about, with how practical and effective the techniques are in every day application: not only in the many facets and dimensions at the workplace, as an engineer, manager, subordinate, and presenter, but also in surprising other applications in my personal life, such as effective parenting, day to day conversations, and yes - even da'wah! Above all, this book did to me what I thought was impossible: to actually ENJOY negotiation. And to appreciate it as one of the most important life skills you can learn. I mean, one of the techniques of the book - Mirroring - was so effective, that the author said that people think it’s some kind of Jedi Mind trick. Dude. A book that teaches you to be a Jedi. Need I say more? Join us for our review of “Never Split the Difference”, and strap yourselves in for a paradigm shift of one of the most surprisingly important and effective life skills we can possess! -Faisal

How is your iman after Ramadan? Do you feel like your righteous deeds have taken a dip (or a tumble) since the arrival of Shawwal? If you’re anything like us, this slump we’re experiencing makes Ramadan might feel like such a distant past: though it’s barely even been a month! Feelings like these are normal. What we SHOULD do is pick ourselves up, reforge our motivation and regain our focus. Join us this Sunday, 21st May, at 11:00am (GMT +8), as we discuss and brainstorm some practical ideas to try to help each other get back on track, discover inspiration to motivate one another, and find reasons to be optimistic post-Ramadan. As always, we would also love to hear from you if you have any practical ideas and suggestions to share with the rest of us. See you there! BarakAllahu fikum

Al-Fatihah. We recite this surah a minimum of 17 times a day, every day - even more so if we do additional sunnah prayers, especially throughout this blessed month of Ramadan. Yet, how many of us truly ponder and reflect upon its meanings, let alone internalize them and translate them into action? How many of us truly feel the great honor of repeatedly reciting the greatest surah in the Final Revelation of Allah, and allow these Divine Words to have an effect on our lives? Or has our recitation of Al-Fatihah become a mundane, mechanical act, devoid of soul or of any impact to our hearts - Mere words of repetition that we utter just to get it over and done with and move on? Join us on Sunday, 16th April on 11:00am (GMT +8) for this fifth and final series of Treasures from Qur'an! As we close upon the final days of Ramadan, Brother Faisal will share some reflections upon the greatest surah of the Qur'an, Al-Fatihah: ✅ How Allah uses concise, powerful Words in Al-Fatihah to re-orient our purpose and goals in life, while nurturing positive, productive mindsets in our lives such as gratitude, love, focus, togetherness, humility, forgiveness, and more ✅ As we perform our 5-daily prayers recite Al-Fatihah throughout the course of our day to day lives - as we are working, studying, taking care of our families, going through challenges - How we benefit put this recitation into practice, so it can be something that can transform our akhlaq, our attitude, and hence improve ourselves towards becoming better human beings for the sake of Allah See you there, insha Allah! BarakAllahu fikum

Sabbihisma rabbikal a'laa - "سَبِّحِ ٱسْمَ رَبِّكَ ٱلْأَعْلَى" - The opening words of a surah we hear being recited every night in Ramadan, on witr prayers at the end of Solat Taraweeh. And even more so, as some imams recite every Friday in Jumaah prayers.  What is the significance of this surah?  What are the key messages behind them, and hence, what are the wisdom behind why the Prophet ﷺ repeatedly recite it so frequently in many different prayers, and by extension, taught us to do so? For this week's session Treasures from Qur'an, brother Aziz will be sharing from Surah Al-A'laa, the 87th Surah from the Book of Allah.  Join us, together, we ponder and reflect upon the Divine Words of the Almighty, extracting some important life lessons and practical wisdoms from the Final Revelation.

Of the amazing miracles of the Quran is that its concise words are filled with depth and can make the heart tremble out of awe and submission. These are parts of the reasons why the Quran is a mercy to the believers, a constant reminder and guidance to a straight path for the ones who reflect and whose hearts are attentive. Come & join us this Sunday 2nd March 2023 on the 11th day of Ramadan 1444AH, as we continue the "Treasures from Qur'an" series to reflect upon the Divine Words of the Almighty, extracting some important life lessons and practical wisdoms from the 102nd Surah: At-Takathur presented by brother Reeza.

Allah started off by reminding us all about the reality of a human being- that we were once nothing, unknown to the world - so that we are humbled by the greatness of Allah and realize that we are not anything except with the Will and the Power of Allah.  Brothers and sisters, these are the beginning words of Allah in Surah al-Insan. Hence, in the second part of "Treasures from Qur'an" series, the The Barakah Effect will be talking about Surah al-Insan, a brief overview of the surah and verses that resonate with us the most.  Come & join us this on our double-weekend special of Treasures from Qur'an, starting this Saturday 1st April 2023 on the 10th day of Ramadan 1444AH, as together, we ponder and reflect upon the Divine Words of the Almighty, extracting some important life lessons and practical wisdoms from the Final Revelation.