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​Let's face it, nobody likes hard work. Nobody wants to get up at seven in the morning. Nobody wants to sit in an office for upwards of eight hours a day. And nobody wants to take time out of their personal schedule for Skype and phone calls with their boss or co-workers. That's why I became a writer. Of course, even I must recognize that hard work is a necessary - and often rewarding - part of life. However, the prospect of being able to pay your bills, make your rent, and pay for dinner at the weekend isn't always enough to motivate us to work hard. On those particularly taxing days, we need a little bit of extra encouragement. For Muslims, that extra encouragement can be found in a frequent source of inspiration: the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.Along with the revelations from Allah which make up the Holy Quran, the Prophet Muhammad shared much personal wisdom throughout his life. Documented in the Hadith, Muhammad's sayings provide guidance on all aspects of life. These include romantic relationships, taking care of the environment, paying one's debts, and, of course, the importance of hard work. Many thousands of words could be written about Muhammad's insight into each of these topics. In this article, however, we're going to be focusing solely on the fourth. Here is what the Hadith have to say about hard work. 

​What is the charm of the Arabic language? Why would anyone invest effort and time to learn it?Is it difficult to learn Arabic? Yes, it is a challenging but rewarding endeavor. Arabic is not just a spoken language among people, like other languages, rather it is the language through which Almighty Allah spoke with to our prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him). It is the language of the Qur'an. Arabic is one of the Semitic languages, the fourth most spoken language in the world, with nearly 467 million people speaking it worldwide and the official language for the Arab and some other countries. Indeed, learning a new language is always a courageous step, but when a new language does not share roots with your native language, it is even more difficult. So, as a beginner, how can one learn Arabic? What are the most useful steps that simplify the learning process? Arabic has an entirely different system of alphabets, and there are almost no shared words between it and the English language. Fortunately, there are useful steps for a learner to make the learning method easier. Without a doubt, these steps need perseverance, commitment, hard work, and time. 

​ In honor of the global qiyam (night prayer and supplication) being held tonight in many Muslims communities in the United States and worldwide for t...

Allah promises us in this verse that if we express shukr - gratitude, appreciation and thanks for what we have been given - He will most certainly increase us in blessings. Notice the use of lam al-qasam here, as well as nun at-tawkeed - both linguistic methods of emphasizing the certainty and absoluteness of the truth of a statement. Allah is assuring us that this increase will definitely happen, if only we are grateful.

Written on a grave: Oh who is standing at my grave! Don't be amazed by my situation! Yesterday, I was like you! And Tomorrow, you will be like me!

The famous poet Ahmad Shawqi said in a well-known line from one of his works:  إنَّ الذي مَلأَ اللُّغاتِ مَحاسِنا جَعَلَ الجَمالَ وَسِرَّهُ في الضَّاد...