How to gain self-confidence

Self-confidence is the way to success in life, whereas, falling down
under the pressure of negativity, hesitation, worryand uncertainty
about one's abilities, is the beginning of failure. Much potential was
wasted and lost because their owners did not realize the value of the
abilities that Allaah The Exalted had bestowed on them. Had they
properly utilized them, they would have achieved many things. Here are
some steps one can take to discard many of the negative ideas and
feelings in life,whether they are in thoughts, behavior, morals,
habits or words. These steps would help one relieve himself of such
thoughts and feelings, free himself of their effect and receivelife
with more self-confidence and shining hopes. These steps are:
1- With neither partiality nor exaggeration, determine the most
important negative thoughts and characteristics in your life.
2- Think of every thought or characteristic separately.
3- Try to think about every thought or characteristic in a logical and
analytical way that leads you to know its causes and its true nature.
You must know whether it is indeed a reality or a mere illusion and
fantasy.
4- If it is a mere illusion, you should free yourself from it;
otherwise, you should try to discard its causes and minimize itas much
as possible. Moreover, you should know that the more deeply-rooted the
characteristic is, the more effort and time required for it to be
discarded.
5- In moments of serenity that are free from distractions and worries,
try to connect your mindand thoughts with an important positive
situation in a focused manner. Recall all the details of that
situation with voice, image, feelings, and all the surrounding
atmosphere. When you reach the peak of mental activity, psychological
relief and cheerfulness of the heart and youfeel that you are far away
from reality, try to say 'Allaahu Akbar ' (Allaah is the Greatest),
'Subhaan Allaah' (Glory be to Allaah), and Laa ilaaha illa Allaah
(There is no god but Allaah) along with making a particular motion
with your finger. This situation, for example, could be the news of
your success, your wedding day, a night that you spent in worshipping
Allaah The Almighty,hearing good news concerning the Muslims or the
first day whenyou saw one of the two Holy Mosques.
6- Repeat this many times until this positive situation with all its
feelings as well as its psychological and emotional consequences is
automatically connected with this signal. You should try this until
you reach thestate that when you make this signal, you will
automatically findyourself transferred to this positive psychological
state, even if you did not remember the material situation that caused
it.
7- When any negative feelings or thoughts occurs to you in any
situation, you should close your eyes for a while and discard
thesethoughts. Then try to imagine that there is a notice board before
you with the word "STOP" written on it. Contemplate this word for a
while and look at it repeatedly as if you can not see anything else.
8- Go beyond this word with youreyes and try to imagine that there are
flourishing gardens, floating rivers, singing birds and a gentle
breeze behind it. Keeping your eyes closed; try to enjoy all this for
a while.
First and foremost, however, one must resort to Allaah The Almighty
because it is He who makes one laugh and weep. Hence, you have to
repent and ask for the forgiveness of Allaah The Almighty and
constantly remember Him to revive your heart.

Food & Nourishment,- It is not permissible to eat foods that are prepared by the kuffaar for their festivals.

Is it permissible for a Muslim to eat the foods that the people of the
Book or the mushrikoon prepare for their festivals or accept such
foods if they are given on the occasion of their festivals?.
Praise be to Allaah.
It is not permissible for the Muslim to eat foods that the Jews,
Christians and mushrikoon make for their festivals. It is not
permissible either for a Muslim to accept such things that are given
to them on the occasion of their festivals, because that implies
honouring them and cooperating with them in manifesting their symbols
and propagating their innovations and sharing their happiness on the
days of their festivals. That may also lead to taking their festivals
as festivals for us too, or to exchanging invitations to meals or to
give gifts on one another's festivals at the very least.This is a kind
of deviation and innovation in religion. It was proven that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever
introduces anything into this matterof ours that is not part ofit,
will have it rejected." And it is not permissible to give them
anything on the occasion of their festivals.
Al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 22/398.

Food & Nourishment,- Ruling on using foods which contain pork-derived substances and how to deal with them.

"The mentioned above numbers according to Muslim scientists are
substances that have been transformed into totally different
substances. They cannot have their original attributes and thus they
cannot be named according to the originalsubstance they are madeof.
This chemical or natural transformation made the substance into
another one. It is permissible then to eat products containing those
substances after it loses its original attributes. The Muslim scholars
know that transformation cancels prohibition. An example of this was
given by the known scholar imam ibntaymiyah :" if a pig or a dog falls
into a saltcellar and transformed under the effect of salt until it
loses its original attributes, it is permissible to use this salt"
this is a known rule to the early Muslim scholars. They used
transformation as a way to make some impermissible things permissible.
What is haram is to use products that contain pork fat or meat, as fat
does not normally change by heating or boiling. So if it is written on
the coverof the product that it contains pork fat or animals fat, this
makes the particular product impermissible to eat, and it is haram to
eat it for the mentioned reason"
Do I have to search on the covers of all productsI buy? And how can we
know the haram substances? If these numbers are not prohibited, then
what is their purpose? A common person does not understand some of
these numbers, and some products may contain these substancesbut they
will not be written on the cover.
Is it correct that if the mentioned substances exist in a product but
in small proportion, it becomes halal? And what if we do not know the
exact proportion?
What is your opinion regarding who says that some firms feed turkeys
with pork products?
Will I be sinful if I eat a product that I found it contains one of a
substance that maybe extracted from pork? Will I be sinful if I eat a
product and after eatingit discover that it contains one of the
mentioned numbers referring that it maybe extracted from pork?
I apologise for this long question. May Allah reward you greatly!.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
One of the things that distinguishes the Muslim from others is that he
pays attention to the shar'i rulings that have to do with his life.
That includes his earnings, hisfood, his drink. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated the importance of halaal food
to the Muslim in this world and the Hereafter. He stated that eating
haraam food is a cause of du'aa's not being answered and with regard
to the Hereafter, there is a stern warning to the onewho nourishes his
body with haraam things.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Every
body that is nourished with haraam things, the Fire is more befitting
for it." Narrated by al-Tabaraani; classed as saheeh by Shaykh
al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami' (4519).
The Muslim should beware of eating that which is it not permissible
for him to eat, and he should seek out halaal food, even if it is more
expensive thanother food, and even if obtaining it involves more
effort.
Secondly:
The pig is haraam and najis (impure); it is haraam to eat its meat or
fat, and it is not permissible to eat a littleof it or part of it. If
some parts of its meat or fat is found in bread, food or medicine, it
is haraam toconsume it at all.
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas said:
If the Muslim is certain or thinks it most like thatany pork, lard
(pig fat), or ground up pig bones has gotten into his food, medicine,
toothpaste and so on, then it is not permissible for him to eat it or
drink it, or apply it to his skin. Whatever he is uncertainabout, he
should abstainfrom it, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Leave that which makes you doubt for that
which does not make you doubt." End quote.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh 'Abd al-Razzaaq 'Afeefi, Shaykh
'Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh 'Abd0Allaah ibn Qa'ood.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah (22/281).
Thirdly:
Does the Muslim have to ask and find out before eating any ingredients
ifhe is uncertain about whether there is anything haraam in them?
The scholars of the Standing Committee said: If he is uncertain about
something, he should leave it. Elsewhere (22/285) they said: He should
ask for details because it is obligatory to beware of eating haraam
things.
This is what must be done if the country where those foods and drinks
were manufactured is one where factories are not banned from using
pork derivatives. Those people use a lot of pork by-products such as
lard (pig fat) which they use in many kinds of food, drink, medicines,
pastes and so on.
If the country of manufacture is a Muslim country which bans the use
of pork and its by-products, then the Muslim does not have to research
and enquire and ask about product that is permissible in andof itself,
as it is unlikely that there will be any of these haraam things in it.
Depending on the country where the food is produced or manufactured,
the scholars will say whetherone should enquire or not. Part of
enquiring is asking scientists and experts about the chemical
composition and organic materials. It also includes reading thelists
of ingredients on foods. This is sufficient to make sure, even if it
comes from a kaafir country, because such lists are paid proper
attention to for fear of the laws and penalties. They are slaves to
moneyand do not indulge in lying – in most cases. What is written on
them of symbols and names ofingredients that are not understood should
also be asked about by the one who is able to do that. Knowledge is
available nowadays via many means. The one who trusts them regarding
this matter and trusts what they write can read the list of
ingredients, otherwise he has to enquire further, or avoid it
altogether, which is safer for him.
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas were asked:
Is it essential to read the list of ingredients written on food, to
make sure that there areno pork or alcohol related products?
They relied:
Yes, that is essential. End quote.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh 'Abd al-Razzaaq 'Afeefi.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah (22/285)
Fourthly:
Everything mentioned above applies whether there is a little pork or
lard or there is a lot in food, drink or medicine. If that meat or fat
is manufactured in a manner that changes its form, is the prohibition
lifted or does it remain haraam and must be avoided?
The scholars differed concerning that. The scholars of the Standing
Committee for Issuing Fatwas are of the view that the prohibition is
not lifted, and the rulingdoes not change at all. Others – such as the
Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences – disagreed and said that
najis, haraam substancesbecome permissible if they are turned into
something else, and the quality of impurity and the name no longer
apply to them. This is in accordance with what Ibn al-Qayyim (may
Allaah have mercy on him) thought most likely to be correct and what
we think is most likely tobe correct. We have quoted both opinions in
the answer to question no. 97541 .
We should add here thatthis is also the view regarded as more correct
by the Council of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In
their book al-Buhooth al-'Ilmiyyah (3/467), they said:
Similar to that is the purity of that which has been fertilized of
trees and crops with impure things; their fruits are permissible
because of the transformation of the impure substance. Another similar
case is the purity of alcohol which turns into vinegar; it is
permissible to consume it, sell it, drink it and use it in other ways,
after it had been alcohol which it is haraam to drink, sell or buy,
and that is because of this transformation. End quote.
Fifthly:
If a person eats some haraam food and does not know anything about it,
he should avoidthe rest (as soon as he finds out that it is haraam);
he does not have to do anything about what happened inthe past, but he
should be careful in the future.
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas were asked:
A man ate pork without realizing, then another man came to him after
he had finished eating and told him that it was pork, and as we know,
pork is haraam for Muslims. What should he do?
They replied:
He does not have to do anything about that, andthere is no sin on him,
because he did not know that it was pork. But he has to be careful and
be cautious in the future. End quote.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh 'Abd al-Razzaaq 'Afeefi, Shaykh
'Abd-Allaah ibn Qa'ood.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah (22/282, 283)
And Allaah knows best.

Food & Nourishment,- Ruling on eating snails; isit permissible to cook them alive?.

What is the ruling on eating snails? Bear in mind that preparing
snails dish requires cooking them alive! Were snails used as food
during the era of prophet Muhammad peace be upon him?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Snails are of two types, land snails and sea snails. Land snails come
under the same heading as "insects and vermin" which have no blood
that flows. Sea snails come under the headingof shellfish, which are
sea animals.
In al-Mawsoo'ah al-'Arabiyyah al-'Aalamiyyah it says:
The snail is a invertebrate sea animal, and it is a kind of shellfish.
Most snails have an external shell; some snails have a small flat
shell above or under the skin, but most do nothave a shell at all.
Land snails have a pair of antennae, with an eyeat the end of the
longer antenna. The large sand snail is regarded as a harmful pest,
because it has a voracious appetite for plants. Its length reaches 10
cm. End quote.
Secondly:
With regard to the ruling on eating snails:
1. Land snails come under the ruling on eating "insects". The
majority of scholars are of the view that it is haraam. Al-Nawawi
(mayAllaah have mercy on him) said in al-Majmoo' (9/16): The view of
the scholars concerning landinsects ... our view is thatit is haraam.
This was the view of Abu Haneefah, Ahmad and Dawood. Maalik said: it
is halaal. End quote.
Ibn Hazm (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
It is not permissible to eat land snails or any other "insects and
vermin", such as geckos, cockroaches, ants, bees, flies, wasps, worms,
lice, fleas, bedbugs, mosquitoes or anything else of that type,
because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Forbidden toyou
(for food) are: Al-Maitah (the dead animals)" and "unless you are able
to slaughterit (before its death)" [al-Maa'idah 5:3]. And there is
sound proof thatslaughter can only be done in the neck or upper chest,
so if it is notpossible to slaughter it, then there is no way onecan
eat it unless it is dead i.e., not slaughtered properly, so it is
haraam. End quote.
Al-Muhalla (6/76, 77).
The Maalikis did not stipulate that a creature which has no flowing
blood should be slaughtered, rather they included it under the same
ruling as locusts, and its slaughter is by boiling, roasting, or
piercing it with a stick orneedle until it is dead, whilst saying the
name of Allaah over it.
In al-Mudawwanah (1/542) it says:
Maalik was asked about something in the Maghreb (North Africa) which
is called a snail, that is found in the desert on the trees - can it
be eaten? He said: I think it is like the locust. If it is taken alive
and boiled or roasted, I do not think there is anything wrong with
eating it, but if it is found dead, it should not be eaten. End quote.
In al-Muntaqa Sharh al-Muwatta' (3/110) by Abu'l-Waleed al-Baaji (may
Allaah have mercy on him) it says:
If that is proven, then the ruling on snails is thesame as the ruling
on locusts. Maalik said its slaughtering is by boiling or being
pierced with a stick or needle until it dies, and the name of Allaah
should be mentioned whilst doing so, as it is mentioned when
cuttingoff the heads of locusts. End quote.
2. Sea snails are halaal,because of the general permission with
regard to eating seafood. Allaahsays (interpretation of the meaning):
"Lawful to you is (the pursuit of) water game and its use for food --
for the benefit of yourselves and those who travel"
[al-Maa'idah 5:96]
al-Bukhaari narrated that 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: "Water game means what is hunted, and its food is what
the sea throws out (onto theshore)."
al-Bukhaari narrated from Shurayh, the companion of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), that he said: "Everything in the
sea is madhbooh (slaughtered)."
But we have not seen any hadeeth which suggests that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ate snails.
To sum up:
The permissibly of eating snails applies to both types, both land and
sea snails. If they arecooked alive there is nothing wrong with that,
because land snails have no blood so that it might be said that they
must be slaughtered properly and the blood extracted, and sea snails
come under the general permissibility of sea game and food.
And Allaah knows best