Surat 83: Mutaffifeen (Those who deal in fraud) April 28, 2007
Posted by omair in : Uncategorized , 1 comment so farA short summary and my own comments on the meaning of this surah:
Summary:
Woe upon those who deal in fraud. When they are due, the expect compensation in full but when it is they who owe they attempt to give us as little as possible. Do these people not realize they will taken to account for their actions? There will be a day when all of mankind will be resurrected.
On that day the actions of the fraudsters will be preserved in “Sijjin”. Woe even to those who refuse to accept the fact that they will be resurrected. Just because they deny its existence, does not mean the rules do not apply to them. When they hear the verses from the Qu’ran, they pass them off as fables and fairy tales from a time long ago. The reality is, their hearts have been closed and due to their actions and intentions they will enter the Hell fire. At that point it will be said to them “this is what you denied”
Whereas the pious, their deeds will also be recorded. But on the same day of resurrection, their faces will be bright in delight. Their thirst will be quenched, with a sweet smelling wine. When they were living on earth, the criminals used to laugh at their expense. They would be mocked and lied to. But now on this day, it is the righteous who will be laughing, and the righteous will be the winners.
My thoughts
I felt this surah was structured in a manner that was very easy to follow. Don’t do the wrong thing, because is you do it you will go “down”. Whereas if you avoid from doing it, you will go “up”. Even though it may be difficult to do the right thing, be assured in the end everyone will get that which they deserve.
In my daily routine, specifically at work I wish I could bring this surah to some of the contractors I work with in the field. It seems in the rat race of life, the majority of people are trying to squeeze every last cent out of each other. Whether it be in the office browsing the net when one should be working, trying to extract overtime pay when you are just chilling, looking for loopholes in contracts for extras, or even eating more than your share of a group meal!
I am surrounded by people of Mutaffifeen at low and high levels. But to have some self righteous view that its just them and not me would be naive. When immersed in this culture, how do I protect myself from becoming a product of the surroundings?
Alhamdulillah by reading this surah and reflecting I feel I have made a small step, by at least identifying that there is a problem.
The Power of the spoken Qu’ran March 20, 2007
Posted by omair in : Uncategorized , add a commentAssalamualaikum, I experienced something which was quite moving over the weekend.
 I attended the latest Al Maghrib seminar in Toronto - The Sheppeards Path - Seerah of the Prophet Muhammad SAW. The course was phenomenal, and was attended by 500 students.
At the end of each break, there would be a significant amount of chatter, and it at times would take a few moments to have the students settle down before the Sheikh could continue the lecture.
 At the end of one of the breaks the organizers decided to have one of the brothers who is a hufaz recite just 2-3 ayats from the Qu’ran.
There was no announcement, no mention that he would be doing this, he just took the microphone and started.
Before he even finished the first Ayat ( A’oo thoo billahi….) the classroom of 500 students converted to a pin drop silence.
 Subhanallah, that was AWESOMEÂ
Think Big January 24, 2007
Posted by omair in : Uncategorized , 4 comments1. Be Thorough
2. Develop and maintain a momentum
3. Stay focused –> Key in maintaining momentum
4. Look at the solutions - Not the problems
5. See opportunities for what they are — Opportunities!
6. Know everything you can about what you are doing - Be the expert of your field
7. Be lucky and be passionate
8. See yourself as victorious - Envision yourself as successful
9. Be Smart!
Taking health for granted January 22, 2007
Posted by omair in : Uncategorized , 2 commentsAlhamdullilah, I have been blessed by Allah SWT with good health the majority of my life. I have never had any break or major illness (with the exception of having my appendix removed, which exempted me from exams :D)
However during the Christmas break, I contracted a simple flu. Which escalated into a not so simple cough, congestion, and required anti-biotics.
 Prior to that I was in an excellent groove of productivity. I would come home from work and read a book, spend time with the family, explore investment opportunites - Things that I felt were productive.
  Then I got sick, and I was “too sick to do anything”. So all I did was watch tv, and play civilization 3. I got really lazy, and I used my sickness as an excuse. Alhamdulilah I got better about one month later, but I’m still wasting time with television and lazyness.
Inshallah this post will be the final step to get out of this rut I’m in, and back into a more productive routine.
Alhamdulilah this short experience has been a reminder to use my health while I have it. There are a lot more fulfilling things I can be doing with my health and my time, rather than things which amount to nothing.
But then again…nothing is easy :p
Who is your Mentor? January 21, 2007
Posted by omair in : Uncategorized , 2 commentsIn life I have come across many cross roads, directions, goals, aspirations, visions, etc.
Regardless of what path I am following, whether I was looking to enhance my Islamic knowledge, obtain my bachelors degree, find a job, excel in my career, I came to a realization yesterday - Success in any path in life requires some form of guidance from a mentor.
When I read through some biographies of modern success stories, they all referred to their mentors. Donald Trump, Michael Dell, Bill Gates, Herb Keller, Jack Welch –> All referred to mentors they could turn to, ask for guidance whenever they came across situations they hadn’t experienced before.
Even in the Islamic history, the Sahaba had the greatest of all mentors, the Prophet SAW. In turn our Sahaba themselves became great mentors.
So who is my mentor? I can think of a few for specific cases, but I feel there is one key defficiency in the mentors I have identified in my life. That is I like them too much. I have developed too close of a personal relationship.
My mentor needs to be able to tell me I am being stupid when I am - They need to be able to tell me ‘Omair quit the B.S. the reality is….’ No sugar coating, no worry of my feelings when the truth needs to be told. In the end, they aren’t needed to give me the answers, rather I need them to guide me so I can decide on the answers. Straight to the point.
So I ask myself - Who is my mentor?