Khailulah, siesta, midday napping and Brain

Do you ever feel your energy levels dip after lunch? Do you sometimes wish you could have a siesta to make you feel more refreshed? We have all heard or embraced the siesta habit at some point in our lives. Siesta is the Spanish word for the afternoon nap and khailulah is its equivalent in Arabic. This longtime practice is still respected in the Arab world (the Middle East) and Latin and Mediterranean countries. It is said that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) practiced the khailulah and recommended it. It is an ideal way to jumpstart energy and stimulate the brain half way through the day, getting rid of lethargy produced by the noon heat in order to restart work afresh.

In fact, siesta or taking midday naps are good for your brain and the best part is siesta or Khailulah is sunnah of the prophet. Scientists know that we have a tendency to feel tired in the early part of the afternoon, but they also know that a short period of shut-eye can increase productivity by over 30% and alertness by as much as 100%. Tests by NASA have shown that memory and concentration are also given a boost, while stress and risk of heart disease is reduced by 34%.

Researchers at the University of Haifa in cooperation with the Sleep Laboratory at the Sheba Medical Center and researchers from the Department of Psychology at the University of Montreal recently concluded that a daytime nap changes the course of consolidation in the brain in several positive ways. This research mirrors several other recent studies with similar conclusions.

In this new research, it was revealed that a daytime nap speeds up and improves memory consolidation. Two groups of participants in the study practiced a repeated motor activity, which consisted of bringing the thumb and a finger together at a specific sequence. The research examined the "how" aspect of memory in the participants' ability to perform the task quickly and in the correct sequence. One of the groups was allowed to nap for an hour and a half after learning the task while the other group stayed awake

The group that slept in the afternoon showed a distinct improvement in their task performance by that evening, as opposed to the group that stayed awake, which did not exhibit any improvement. Following an entire night's sleep, both groups exhibited the same skill level. "This part of the research showed that a daytime nap speeds up performance improvement in the brain. After a night's sleep the two groups were at the same level, but the group that slept in the afternoon improved much faster than the group that stayed awake

Further, Scientists at The University of Manchester have for the first time uncovered how brain cells or 'neurons' that keep us alert become turned off after we take our lunch. Dr Denis Burdakov, the lead researcher based in Manchester's Faculty of Life Sciences said that after a meal the glucose blocks neurons that make orexins, which are tiny proteins that help us stay conscious. Due to this we tend to be sleepy after a nice meal in the afternoon. Wallahu A’lam

Fajr Prayer and Brain

Among the daily chores of each person’s life is the waking up in the mornings…And for Muslims one of these early chores is to perform the Fajr prayer..Fajr ..(the obligatory prayer before dawn)Fajr, literally means 'tearing"..it is the garb of death that one tears off oneself when one awakens for fajr..sleep is a sort/shape of death, in the physical sense...and it is 'death itself' in the spiritual sense because one is absolutely overwhelmed by the 'desire of flesh& bone' to rest/relax/take it easy...

"Resistance to awakening at fajr is the first attack of the ease seeking self..the 'nafs'... it tells our conciousness:
'hey everyone is asleep,you wont be harming anyone by sleeping some more,this is such a naive and simple error ,so no big deal,if you miss fajr..you can say it later during the day'.

But in truth, it is the first stab that the ”ease/comfort-seeking” , “shortcuts loving” part of us ('nafs') takes at our spirituality/practicality/self-management/self discipline..it's first score ,and the most damaging one, against our spiritual self esteem/our confidence. it is the first goal against our healthful living,since missing fajr will deflate our spiritual esteem ,first thing in the morning.....and as the shortcut seeking indiscipline (nafs) manages to ride us and dictate to us our actions in the wee hours of the morning...we will spend the entire day as subjects/slaves to it, and not rulers/riders on our nafs.....and during the rest of the day, the low confidence,the low self esteem,the deflated trust in ourselves and in Allah's support for us,we will make a million more mistakes and regress a million more levels ,and ofcourse a day started with remorse, will end,if not in more guilt,then definitely in repentance.

"Allah is the Engineer of our physical and mental machine..He knows the best routine for us to reap optimal advantages from our mind and body machines..SO, if Allah has made our machines such that they must be awake before sunrise,and must go through the wadhou (ablution)rituals,and then prayers,then we WOULD be harming our own machines if we missed attending that specified act for maintenance and sustenance of our own mind and body machines."

Resting our body is not a function of 'sleep'..it is a function of the 'Provider/Samad/Allah"....as in the Holy Quran, (probably surah muzammil) where Allah Rabbul Izzat Instructs about tahajjud prayers..and also grants that during the day following tahajjud,one has a long haul of work to do, Allah Rabbul Izzat reminds that "it is Allah who controls/regulates the quantum of day/toiling and night/resting"....so i interpret it to mean that the amount of work i will put in during the day does not depend on the rest/sleep i had the previous night, but depends on The Regulating Almighty Authority of The Rahmaan.May all muslims,including myself, be garnted the Blessing of fajr prayers in congregation,each day of our lives.

The Creator Subhanahu wa ta’alaa, has decreed that humans, the deputies of Allah over all creation must awake every day before any other created entity designed to work in the day and rest at night, does..

The limit of fajr is around 20 minutes before the sun peeps from across the horizon..

(20 minutes for the congregational prayer..

20 minutes before the sun ‘rises’ because if the imaam makes an error,and the congregation needs to be repeated, it may be done before sunrise.)

Fajr is at a time, when our bodies and minds, are naturally in their deepest slumber..our hormones ,especially “melatonin” which is secreted from a tiny gland in our brain(the pineal body), does so in proportion to the amount/depth of darkness that our eyes/mind perceives.

Melatonin…once secereted executes 3 functions :

1. it deepens our sleep,or tends to lull us back to sleep
2. it causes the release of very negligibly minute amounts of ‘endorphins’(a naturally existing neurotransmitter with actions of heroine/morphine/opium, synthesized in our brains)..these act on our brain’s ‘motivation and reward center’ and comfort us exactly like a mother pats a child to sleep.
3. another chemical is released from the brain ,in response to melatonin, and that strengthens our immune system.(the system that defends against infections/disease)and hastens repair processes in our body.

Thus ,when a person awakes before dawn, the darkness/scarcity of natural light around, causes a Melatonin surge in our brains…this will remain true all our lives, no matter how old one’s habit of saying fajr..the waking up at fajr will always need effort,…the melatonin surge actually ‘lulls’ one to sleep..i have experienced this, and many will agree with me that the sleep one dives into after that first eye-opening at fajr,is deepest and most delicious….thus awakening at fajr, with the sound of the Azaan, or the alram, is ‘an exercise against one’s ‘natural desire to continue sleeping’.

Whenever a human body/mind is made to exert physically against one’s desire/will, messages of ‘discomfort’ from the ‘reward and motivation centre’ of the brain cause another hormone to be released by the ‘hypothalamus’ .

This hormone called the ‘cortisol releasing factor(C.R.F.)’ is meant to “Alarm the body and prepare it for operating optimally in unfavorable/unwanted circumstances.”

The C.R.F then flows to/oozes onto the principal gland of our body, ‘the pituitary gland’ which is attached to the undersurface of the hypothalamus and causes the release of:

1.minute amounts of ‘beta-endorphins’ that act on the ‘motivation and reward center’ and tend to alleviate the feelings of discomfort.

2.a hormone called “A.C.T.H.”

A.C.T.H. flows with the blood towards the kidneys where it causes the release of a hormone ‘Cortisol’ from the glands attached to the kidneys’ upper ends.

Cortisol executes the following actions throughout our body:

1. it cleaves the excess protein from the entire body’s muscles and scrapes fat out of fat stores pushing them into the blood stream. (this is the protein and fat that was in excess and a residue from the previous day’s intake of food).
2. #1, causes the amount of circulating proteins and fats to increase and ,with the exception of the liver, the absorption of glucose into all body tissues is blocked.

This results in ‘fat’(instead of glucose) being used as ‘fuel’ for all physical and mental activity,(doing wadhoo, walking to the mosque, saying the fajr prayers) and glucose is stored in the liver , creating a deposit of this ‘preferred’ fuel that can last the next 24 hours, even if no food is taken/available.

Also the excess protein in circulation is converted into building blocks and sent to whichever repair site within the body needs them.(and in 24 hours there are millions of micro-repair-needing sites created by the wear and tear of ‘living’)

Any protein that is in excess of that needed for repair, is mixed with the fats stored in the liver to make the easily usable fuel, ‘glucose’.

3.cortisol causes an increase in the number of red blood cells…cells that carry oxygen to all body tissues.

4.cortisol increases the depth of breathing.

Thus, a person who gets up for fajr prayers and denies oneself the ‘urge’ to indulge in the short-term-gratification of more sleep, reaps the following advantages:

1. the excess fats and proteins from yesterday’s meals are used up constructively/productively..and the body and brain is relieved of the ‘dullness’ they would essentially cause if not used.
2. repair needed in the body is initiated, and for that ,the ‘fuel’ used is the less-preferred , ‘fats’. Also recovery from disease or injury that the body may be suffering from, is hastened due to the abundance of basic building blocks(proteins) in the blood stream.
3. the increased depth of breathing, and the increased numbers of vehicles(red blood cells)that convey the morning’s freshness(oxygen) to all body tissues, will cause the fajr saying individual to exploit more of that freshness .

4. the increased number of red blood cells will enliven the texture of one’s skin.

5. the awareness that one has managed to defeat one’s

“Nafs”(innate inertia/resistance to ‘positive endeavor’) by saying the fajr in congregation, will enhance the self-esteem (and in this respect, fajr is an act that can not be beaten by any other, as the first act of one’s day, giving a very dense/viscous dose of well-being/being in harmony with nature, first thing in the morning) and through the ‘motivation and reward centre’ this perception elevates one’s mood.

When the ‘reward and motivation center’ perceives this gratification (which is after one has completed fajr) the ‘stimulus’ of discomfort (at waking up for fajr), is no more,and thus ‘cortisol’ secretions cease. Wallahu A'lam

Amazing Video - Dome of the mosque fly only with Zikr?

Believe it or not a dome mosque was transfered to a new mosque adjacent to it with a mere zikrullah. In 2002, an old mosque dome were moved to the new mosque in Kailolo Village, Haruku Island, Central Maluku Indonesia with just zikrullah. It was reported that around 3000 muslims gathered and performing zikr in the old mosque and 'biiznillah' the dome from old mosque was transfered by itself, slowly to its new position.It is also reported that these 3000 muslims fasting for 3 consecutive days and performed qiyamullail for 3 consecutive nites. They continued to perform zikr the next day which resulted the dome to slowly take off and landed on the new mosque. Thousands of people became hysterical to witness 'once in a lifetime miracle'.The incident occurred in 2002 and the footage was only released in 2007. Do you believe it? See it for yourself and then decide. The footage quality is not good but you can clearly hear people were shock horror witnessing this 'miracle'.


An Indonesian TV station Trans 7 aired the footage as well.

What your sleeping position says about you ...

What your sleeping position says about you ...Professor Chris Idzikowski, director of the UK Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service analysed six common sleeping positions - and found that each is linked to a particular personality type.



Foetus

Those who curl up in the foetus position are described as tough on the outside but sensitive at heart. They may be shy when they first meet somebody, but soon relax. This is the most common sleeping position, adopted by 41% of the 1,000 people who took part in the survey. More than twice as many women as men tend to adopt this position.


Log

Lying on your side with both arms down by your side. These sleepers are easy going, social people who like being part of the in-crowd, and who are trusting of strangers. However, they may be gullible.


Yearner

People who sleep on their side with both arms out in front are said to have an open nature, but can be suspicious, cynical. They are slow to make up their minds, but once they have taken a decision, they are unlikely ever to change it.


Soldier

Lying on your back with both arms pinned to your sides. People who sleep in this position are generally quiet and reserved. They don't like a fuss, but set themselves and others high standards.


Freefall

Lying on your front with your hands around the pillow, and your head turned to one side. Often gregarious and brash people, but can be nervy and thin-skinned underneath, and don't like criticism, or extreme situations.


Starfish

Lying on your back with both arms up around the pillow. These sleepers make good friends because they are always ready to listen to others, and offer help when needed. They generally don't like to be the centre of attention.

Prostration and Psychological Distress

Solah as a mean to combat distress is not alien in Islam. Whenever the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was troubled or distressed because of something, he would call on Bilal saying, “Relieve us with it (Prayers), O Bilal.” And Bilal would pronounce the Azan for Prayers.
The latest studies carried in Egypt in the Local Radiation Technology Center discovered that prostration before Allah frees man from physical pain, psychological Tension and other neurotic and bodily pains. The biological sciences and food radiation specialists working in the center, under the supervision of D. Muhammad Diaa Hamad, have discovered that prostration reduces fatigue, tension, headache, nervousness and anger. Prostration also plays a major role in minimizing the risk factors for cancers.
The researchers have stated that man is subjected to extra radiations and live most of his time amid electromagnetic fields and media, which negatively affect the cells of his body, causing their fatigue and exhaustion. But prostration before Allah helps the body to discharge these extra charges that cause modern-age diseases as headache, muscular cramps, neck spasms, tiredness and exhaustion, apart from forgetfulness and absentmindedness. They stressed that the increase of electromagnetic charges without discharging them aggravate the state and make it more complex, because they cause a disturbance in the mechanism of the cells and damage their performance, and paralyze their interaction with the external environment. Consequently, carcinogenic tumors grow and fetuses are deformed. Scientists have proved that prostration represents a ground connection that helps the discharge of excess and generated charges outside the body and get rid of them away from using medicines and analgesics that have harmful side effects.
The Egyptians experts have affirmed that this discharge process starts by connecting (placing) the forehead to the ground, as in prostration, where the positive charges are transferred from the human body to the negatively charged ground. Consequently, the body is freed from excess charges, especially by using several members. When prostrating oneself before Allah, man uses several members, namely: the forehead, the nose, the palms, the knees and the toes, whereby the discharge process becomes easy and simple.
In another magnificent discovery, the researchers have noticed in their studies that the discharge of the electromagnetic charges from the human body in prostration requires directing oneself towards Sanctified Mecca, and that is exactly what happens in the prayers of Muslims, by facing the Qiblah, (direction faced in prayers), which is the Sanctified Ka‘bah in Mecca.
The scientists attributed it to the fact that Sanctified Mecca is the center of the land in the whole world and lies at the middle of the earth (and not Greenwich as commonly believed). Directing oneself towards the center of the earth, towards the Sanctified Ka’bah, is the best position for discharge, through which man is freed from his cares and enjoys after it a spiritual relief, which is exactly what Muslims feel after offering prayers. Wallau A'lam

Parenting from the Quran

People are divided into two main groups in their parenting to their children, which are:

A group who do not know any methodology to parent their children, and as a result of this parents make so many dangerous mistakes in raising up their children causing mental disturbances and hatred between children and their parents.

The other group of people follow theories and conjecture that are far away from the teachings of Islam and as a result of that they make so many dangerous mistakes in parenting their children.

The reason behind the problems facing children is the ignorance of parents with regards to the Noble Qur'an. Whereas, Allah (God) Almighty teaches us a comprehensive methodology to raise children in the Noble Qur'an, however, because the majority of people deserted Allah (God) and His book (i.e. The Noble Qur'an) then they fall into pain, despair, and calamities. This fact is highlighted in the Noble Qur'an (And the Messenger (Muhammad SAW) will say: "O my Lord! Verily, my people deserted this Qur'an).

This diagram shows the current status of people with regards to parenting their children. Such that people are divided into two main groups, which are:

1.The major group: They do not know any methodology to raise their children and as a result of that they cause damage to their children.
2.The minor group: They follow theories and conjecture that are far removed from the teachings of Islam and as a result of that they cause damage to their children.

If a believer reflects upon the Noble Qur'an, he finds that Allah (God) states in a chapter in the Qur'an the teachings of a father called Luqman to his son. Thus the question now arises as to why Allah (God) states in the Qur'an the parenting of a father to his son?

Answer: In order that Allah (God) would teach parents from this the optimal methodology on how to parent their children. And Allah (God) emphasizes the point that the guidance of Luqman is from Allah (God) Almighty so that people would not question the validity of Luqman's teachings.


ALLah the Almighty teaches us how to parent children throughout their different stages, and from these stages is childhood and in this stage Allah (God) Almighty urges parent to emphasize the following qualities in their children:

1. Playing: Allowing children to play would increase the amount of bone and muscles and cause their maturation. And if a parent does not allow this to happen then it would cause a reduction in the size of bone and muscles in addition to a reduction in the health of the child.

2. Asking about what they see and hear: Allah (God) urges parents to enforce the quality of making children to think and ponder about what they hear and see by engaging them in constructive conversations and illustrations. This results in an increase in the number of neural connections in the human brain and the speed of neural signaling, which results in an increase in the intelligence of the child.

And if parents do not do this it would cause the children to have a reduced intelligence.

Ablution or Wudu' as a brain stimulant

The further the scientific discoveries go, the more proofs appear - of an undoubted use of everything the ALMIGHTY has prescribed for his best creation - a human being. I'd like to offer the readers an interesting material on the fact, how an ablution stimulates the cerebral cortex and why it is Sunna to renew your ablution after it is spoiled. First of all, a cerebral cortex is working according to the dominant principle, i.e. if the there is one excited area in the cerebral cortex, it suppresses the rest of the cortex activity. Going to the toilet is an enormous excitement factor which suppresses the rest of the cerebral cortex. An ablution, performed after this brings the entire cortex into the optimal condition. An English scientist U. Penfield made the following discovery in 1956: an irritation of certain skin areas excites certain areas of the cerebral cortex. An ablution, especially the one performed thrice, is such an optimal excitement (irritation). One can see in the scheme of this English scientist U. Penfield how almost all the cerebral cortex is getting excited when ablution is done. In this scheme one sees very distinctly that while giving an ablution to these certain body parts a much greater area of the cerebral cortex gets activated rather than while washing the whole body. According to Sunna, an ablution is to be done not only before Solah but also before any natural enterprise: a trip, studying etc where an active and dynamic brainwork is required.

All this knowledge on the effects of ablution would be not possible if the scientific discoveries had not been made, starting from China, 5 thousand years ago and in England in the 20th century. Therefore, science is one of the Islam's constituents. One of the Hadiths says: "There are two sciences: religion science and body science". And today's scientific discoveries show the interrelationship of these two sciences. It shows that science is Islam's constituent. Sharl Meesmar very truly said: "An increase in knowledge of the science's weakens faith of the follower of other religions , but increases the faith of the followers of Islam". Perhaps, Islam appreciates the time, spent on science study, rather than the time, spent on formal and unconscious performing of Islamic rites. It is not difficult to imagine a cerebral cortex condition of a Muslim who performs an ablution 5 times a day and who renews it each time he breaks it, it is Sunna to be in a state of ablution all the time. Wallau A'lam