The Barakah Effect

For this episode, we will be discussing breaking free from bad habits and addictions from the expert himself, Ustaz Wael Ibrahim. He is the founder of the Aware Academy, which is a platform dedicated to helping those who are struggling with pornography addiction. He is the author of several books, including CHANGE: A Motivational System for Breaking Free from Unwanted Habits, Especially Pornography. Beat it: 50 Shades of Hope, as well as his most recent work, AWARE: Discover Who You Are Without Porn. Wael Ibrahim is a certified Master life coach and currently is the student counsellor at the Australian Islamic College in Perth, Australia. Our intention for this episode is to help the listeners to quit their habits and addictions, ease their struggles, give them hope for a better tomorrow, and assist them on the path to repentance (tawbah) and change.

For this episode, we have a conversation with Ustadz Shareef El-Arbi to share some insights on the Barakah of Striving for Excellence - or ihsan - in Career and Deen, especially in seeking knowledge and da’wah. Ustadz Shareef El-Arbi is of Libyan-American descent and has lived most of his life in the United States of America. He has a Bachelor in Business Administration from the US and an MBA from Australia, and is currently residing in Malaysia with his family. Having being blessed to be active with Muslim youth from a young age, he has undertaken Arabic and Islamic studies in Jordan, Libya, Saudi and the US. Many of us in Malaysia would know him through his regular Islamic classes and lectures in various different local organizations such as Revivers and Alkhaadem, and as a speaker for Islamic conferences in Malaysia such as The Straight Path and The Awakening convention. Professionally, he works full-time in the corporate world, with over 18 years of experience under his belt from various different industries such as telecommunications, IT, banking, medical, retail and education. He Specializes primarily in project management, quality management and people management. In this conversation, Ustaz Shareef shares - his life journey and personal experience, of being brought up and raised in America - The hostile high school environment that he was raised in - His journey in seeking knowledge and pursuit of his worldly career, the interesting "balancing act" of treading the path of deen and da'wah while the dunya keeps pulling him back - Maintaining his Islamic identity at his workplace, especially in working environments and corporate cultures that are predominantly non-Muslims - Da'wah - what it means to have true ikhlas. How any of us can contribute, and how Allah opens up doors of opportunities if we are truly sincere in our intentions to contribute to the ummah. How to - A lesson of tawakkul in Raising Children: 00:00:00 Biography: Ustaz Shareef 00:05:39 Introduction - Ahlan wa sahlan 00:11:14 Studying is from the Cradle to the Grave: don't forget to "pay zakah" for your knowledge! 00:15:43 Upbringing, being raised in USA 00:21:30 Schooling in America: it's difficult to find "good company" 00:31:14 The important role of his father: instilling Islamic identity and values #ProudToBeMuslim 00:35:55 Deciding to pursue College: at crossroads between islamic vs. secular studies 00:40:25 Abandoning college for Islamic studies: a foolish move? 00:42:09 Experience of Studying Qur'an, Arabic and Sharee'ah in Jordan and Libya 00:50:31 How living in Jordan accelerated Mastery in Arabic (& why it's difficult to learn Arabic in Malaysia!) 00:56:28 Returning back to the States during the Gulf War. Now what? 01:01:37 How a Dentist inspired Ustaz Shareef that "you can give da'wah no matter what"! #NowEveryoneCanMakeDawah 01:06:14 WHY do we give da'wah? 3 major wisdoms on why da'wah is a source of barakah 01:14:37 Inspired by a da'ee for the wrong reasons? What if we are "not sincere"? 01:45:04 The Legacy that Ustaz Shareef wishes to leave behind 01:49:51 Don't be a slave to your company and your career 01:52:05 Ikhlas: ONE ayah of Qur'an can change the trajectory of another person's life 01:58:06 The Key to Barakah is...

For our fifth and final session of our Ramadan-themed series on Treasures from Qur'an, brother Faisal will be sharing some of his selected gems from the 66th Surah: At-Tahrim (i.e. the Prohibition). Surah At-Tahrim contains many unique lessons centering the themes of family, especially about responsibility and interactions, and how they ultimately relate to OUR individual responsibility and interaction with Allah. It also offers us a rare glimpse into the private life of the Prophet's household, or more specifically the interaction between him and his wives, and what can we learn from them to implement in our own lives. We also address the common perception among the Malay culture: are we accountable for the sins of our family members and those under our responsibility? Is it true that "isteri derhaka, suami masuk neraka" (disobedient wives cause the husbands to enter Hell)? We also discuss: Can we rely on our lineage or our family connections ultimately save us from the Hellfire? Do you feel "unfair" and "disadvantaged" to live in an environment of kufr?

For this fourth session of our Ramadan-themed series on Treasures from Qur'an, brother Abdul Aziz will be sharing some of his selected gems from the 12th Surah: Yusuf Why did Allah mention this surah is the best of all stories? How can we relate the lessons from the story of Yusuf to our life? What was it about Prophet Yusuf alaihissalam that surprised our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ? Come, let's join us together as we uncover the treasures from the Book of Allah in this blessed month in which it was revealed!

For this third session of our Ramadan-themed series on Treasures from Qur'an, brother Syahmi will be sharing some of his selected gems from the 8th Surah: Al-Anfal. Why were there a thousand angels fighting alongside the Muslims during the battle of Badr? What was Allah response when the companions were busy with the distribution of wealth? What lessons can we derive from that? What are some of the characteristics of a true believer? Come and join The Barakah Effect as we uncover the treasures from the Book of Allah in this blessed month in which it was revealed!

This is the second session in our Ramadan special "Treasures from Qur'an", where brother Reeza is going to share with us some gems and valuable lessons from Surah Al-Mutaffifeen, the 83rd surah from the Qur'an. Who are the Mutaffifeen? Who are the Abrar and the Fujjar - and what awaits them in the akhirah? Join us as we reflect on Surah Al-Mutaffifeen, a Surah where Allah sends a strong reminder to us and a vivid glimpse of what is to come in the Hereafter.

Ahlan ya Ramadan! For this year in Ramadan (2022 / 1443H), the team at The Barakah Effect are hosting a special series of Live episodes dedicated to sharing some reflections (tadabbur), extracting some important life lessons and practical wisdoms from our personal favorite surah of the Qur'an.  For the first in the series, brother Amir shares his selected gems from the 92nd surah: Al-Layl

Have you ever felt the quality of your Ramadan could be better? The reality for many of us is, we are bogged down with a multitude of distractions that take us away from experiencing the true sweetness of fasting and other acts of ibadah in the blessed month of Ramadan. But what if it is said, despite our many responsibilities there are ways to improve the quality of our Ramadan? In this episode, we are joined by Sheikh Dr. Ibrahim Nuhu حفظه الله as we uncover the approaches and gems behind having a successful Ramadan, whatever our situation may be. Connect with Dr. Ibrahim Nuhu 🌐 https://www.an-nadaa.com/ 📧 contact@an-nadaa.com

We have all felt this in our lives. Sometimes, our iman takes a dip. We might feel weak and demotivated from worshipping Allah. We feel helpless, vulnerable, lost, and wrestle with thoughts of losing hope altogether. Are these feelings normal? Should we feel guilty about having these thoughts? What should we do if we feel this way? How did the righteous people of the past handle these feelings? Join us this episode with Dr. Ali al-Barghouthi as we discuss and ponder upon what Islam says when dealing with demotivation and how to successfully overcome it, bi idznillah. Connect with Dr. Ali al-Barghouthi 🌐 https://alialbarghouthi.com/ 📧 muslimresearchinstitute@gmail.com FB: https://fb.me/dralbarghouthi/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/dralialbarghouthiofficial/ Heart Therapy Book https://www.dakwahbookstore.com/product/heart-therapy-by-dr-ali-albarghouthi/ This is Love Book https://www.dakwahbookstore.com/product/this-is-love/ 00:00:00 Intro 00:06:35 How Faisal met Dr. Ali 00:09:35 Dr Ali's current passion project: Islamic Self-Help 00:14:30 Demotivated from Ibadah: Is this "normal"? 00:21:34 Establish our "baseline" bare minimum righteous deeds 00:24:29 Plant the habit to always Ask Allah: Reach Out to Him 00:31:18 Humanity of the scholars: moments of struggle 00:34:58 Everyone needs support from others to console and comfort them 00:40:00 Have a plan! 00:51:33 Start small and stick to it 00:56:10 How to be critical of ourselves 01:00:50 Forgiving ourselves from our past 01:02:57 Change your routine up 01:06:38 Ultimately, success comes from Allah 001:15:20 What legacy do you want to leave behind? 01:22:04 When we compare ourselves to the scholars, we need to be fair. 01:30:27 How can we get our kids to enjoy Ibadah? 01:33:40 What is the Hadith that motivates you? 01:45:28 The key to Barakah is …

The Prophet ﷺ said, "The most beloved deeds to Allah are those done consistently, even if they were little." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari) One of the keys to achieving success in any areas of life is consistency. And the same holds true for our righteous deeds as Muslims: consistency is the key to barakah. Major achievements from the examples of our righteous predecessors, the companions, even the Prophet ﷺ himself, were, by the blessings of Allah, the cumulative result of consistent habits they practiced over time. For the season 2 premiere of The Barakah Effect podcast, the core team members Reeza, Faisal, Aziz, Syahmi and Amir discuss the topic that makes up the official tag line of The Barakah Effect: Small Steps, Big Impact. In this episode, we discuss: - Why is consistency important? - Practical tips and strategies: How can we create systems that facilitate us towards building good habits to ultimately achieve consistency. 00:00:00 Intro 00:04:45 The most beloved deeds to Allah 00:06:47 What’s the secret to being ‘world class’ 00:12:29 Do you feel like you’re not making progress? 00:23:31 Imam Bukhari and the gold standard of consistency 00:26:03 We are creatures of habits - capitalize on it 00:32:45 Customer loyalty in business 00:37:36 Road to goodness have a different path; know what is easy for you 00:43:25 Build on something easy first. The 2-minutes technique 00:47:35 Perfectionism is the enemy 00:53:10 Any deeds are done sincerely for Allah will continue to last 01:09:10 Tie your habits with your identity 01:14:31 Criteria of Istiqamah: Following the Prophet & companions 01:16:13 Always check yourselves: which direction are your steps taking you? 01:21:12 Break it down to actionable systems and goals 01:25:35 Designing a conducive ecosystem: good friends 01:31:53 You might not realize or see the impact you are creating! 01:34:09 Friends with common goals help keep each other on track 01:36:32 Integrate it your existing cues and pre-existing habits