Salim Juma Salim

Morally clean acts can be seen as transgression against unjust laws. Those who create unjust laws will label good people who break the unjust laws as bad people. Lawyers do say, "Law is not about justice." We all live in an evil society built by the master of evil beings. Man was not made for the Law, the law was made for man. The only thing the does for the man is point out the evil we're all born in sin, shaped in iniquity, come in this world spreading deception. So there is none perfect but Almighty. Good laws make good people just like good fences make good neighbors. Good or bad people alike need to be told their limits.  Laws are necessary, whether we like them or not. They keep order in society. Maybe not the order we would like, but order, nonetheless. What about all the good people who have acted responsibly by contending bad laws?

Too often we make our happiness dependent on goals, or reaching specific milestones. We tell ourselves we’ll be happy once we have that dream house, a great job, loose weight, find a partner etc But we can’t wait to be happy. Because if we don’t allow ourselves to be happy now, the danger is we might never be. We’ll just keep pushing the goal posts along. And meanwhile, the time will pass without us ever appreciating it. You might find that dream house, but then it needs to be renovated and decorated. So now you’re going to need a better job with a higher salary, to enable you to decorate your dream home in order to be completely happy …(I think you get the idea.) The time is now. Give yourself permission to be happy today. Find pleasure in the simple and beautiful things every day. Celebrate the little victories all along the way. Enjoy the journey – make it a happy one. In the words of Aristotle: “Happiness depends on ourselves."

What if I tell you that there is a way to understand each other regardless our nationality? What if I tell you that there is a language that everyone already knows that we can use to speak to each other? What if I tell you that there is a language that can bring us love and heal our hearts? Would you believe me? Well, that language actually exists, is the universal language of love, and it is called kindness, and it can change the way we live our lives. We live in a world where its inhabitants are every day more connected through devices but every day more disconnected as human beings. We have all the resources to stay connected, to be together, but still, we insist on separate ourselves from each other. The real problem is that we cannot understand or comprehend each other. The reason? Simple: In the midst of the chaos of our society we have lost ourselves, and we have forgotten who we really are: kind, compassionate and loving beings. There are thousands of different lang...

If we spend the majority of our energy judging and hating others, then we bring out a part of ourselves which mirrors these spiteful and negative feelings. Our attempts to release our frustrations and make people aware of their behaviors which we find displeasurable, merely breeds hate. We merely feed the cycle and add to its continuation. But if we remember that those whom disappoint us are flawed human beings. If we remember that we share in this imperfection. If we look past the faults and gaze at the human being beneath. If we replace judgement with curiosity, asking ourselves how this individual came to be the way they are instead of criticizing the end result. Then perhaps we would realize there is no reason to hate this individual.  Perhaps we would discover this individual’s flaws make them beautiful; and perhaps we would be able to envision entities other than their flaws, and pursue a friendship. Perhaps the acceptance, empathy, and respect that we offer this ...

In life, the art of giving is importance. It is often said that by helping others, the person on the giving end will feel a little of what the person on the receiving hand feels. Whether it is to listen to someone talk about their day or maybe to give some money to that homeless man on the street, one tends to feel a sense of accomplishment when one helps others. Call it pride if you will, but I like to think that this sense of accomplishment is telling us that yes, we have done something good! and should relish in it (of course, not to the point that we feel that we are too good and stop helping others). However, I believe that this feeling can only come about if one truly wants to help others, and therefore there is no harm in enjoying it. Spread the fragrance of flowers wherever you go today.

Challenges and obstacles are normal and part of our path to success. They will always be there whatever we do. The good news is we can always overcome them one way or another. Once we let obstacles rule us then we will never succeed. But if we focus on our goals and maintain our determination to succeed then we can overcome any challenge. The best thing to do is never take your eyes off what you truly want to achieve even it sometimes feels like it’s so hard. Nothing worthwhile ever came easy anyway. So maintain a positive outlook and keep moving towards your goal. Only then will you succeed.

As stated, the Quran was revealed in the month of Ramadan. But how was it revealed to our Prophet Muhammad s.a.w for the first time and what are the first few verses that were revealed to him? Well, it all started when Prophet Muhammad s.a.w was sitting in the cave of Hira’ on a mountain called The Mountain of Light also known as ‘Jabal Nur’. As Prophet Muhammad s.a.w felt restless and helpless with the decadence of the Meccan Quraisy, the Prophet s.a.w found peace and solace during his seclusion in the cave of Hira’. Little did he know that one of the days of his stay in the cave, that Angel Jibril a.s. would visit him. But what happened when Jibril came to meet the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w? In a hadith reported by Sayyidatina Aisyah r.a. and narrated by Imam Al-Bukhari, “..The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet s.a.w replied, "I do not know how to read.’’ The Prophet s.a.w added, "The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I cou...

Music is one of the most deeply and widely established ways for people to transcend their daily lives. its captivating aesthetic and expressive qualities have been an essential means for finding peace of mind. Aristotle asserted that “music ought to be used not as conferring one benefit only but many; for example, for education and cathartic purposes, as an intellectual pastime, as relaxation, and for relief after tension. However, it’s also important for us to step back and understand that although there is an apparent universality of sacred music, “music” does not have the same definition in all cultures or religions (or even denominations).

Don’t be fearful of trying new things or experiences. You literally won’t know what you are missing until you try it out. What does this quote mean, "The biggest mistake you could ever make is being too afraid to make one"? To say what it means it should say something like, “Don’t let your fear of making mistakes stop you from trying, risking, being bold” something like that. This is a good message on its face, at least in some respects, even if it’s put in the odd Commandment form. Looking at it with a more critical eye, however, the slogan seems one of those propaganda epigrams that says take serious risks, fearlessly pursue your dreams. I once put this in a song called Nothing At All.“Try all you dream, and if you fall, it won’t mean nothing at all” Listeners loved it. I considered it seriously misleading. Since this sort of thing has become so beloved, part of the American dream of opportunity boldly seized, that I’d like to stress the negative here if you’ll ...

The power of progress is fundamental to human nature, but few managers understand it or know how to leverage progress to boost motivation. In fact, work motivation has been a subject of long-standing debate. If you are a manager, the progress principle holds clear implications for where to focus your efforts. It suggests that you have more influence than you may realize over employees’ well-being, motivation, and creative output. Knowing what serves to catalyze and nourish progress—and what does the opposite—turns out to be the key to effectively managing people and their work. Power of progress is fundamental to human nature, but few managers understand it or know how to leverage progress to boost motivation. In fact, work motivation has been a subject of long-standing debate. In a survey asking about the keys to motivating workers, we found that some managers ranked recognition for good work as most important, while others put more stock in tangible incentives. Some focus...

Understandably, as humans, we prefer social interaction. We thrive on the occasion to shake hands, look someone in the eye and take in all of their interactions with us. Accordingly, in the ideal world, there is no replacement to in-person arbitration. But we no longer live in the ideal world. The Covid-19 pandemic compels us to adapt to survive. Fortunately, technology has developed to make online arbitration a viable alternative, be it for the next couple months or for the years ahead. Online dispute resolution (ODR) has been with us for twenty years, although its use was for years largely limited to resolution of small claims by online retail providers. With each passing year, the use of ODR has expanded and it has been increasingly embraced by traditional ADR providers. As well, many mediators, in facing the challenge posed by the pandemic, have rushed to seek training on the use of Zoom and other videoconferencing technologies to conduct online mediations. To date, th...

Between our demanding schedules and endless to-do lists, it can be hard to get the whole family together, and it becomes so easy to overlook taking professional family pictures. We may even start to forget why it is so important to capture fantastic life moments. Family photos are priceless treasures for everyone since nothing can replace them. They can have a profound and quick effect on the way we think about things. Every moment that you have together as a family is precious. from wedding anniversaries to welcoming a newborn to the family to an outdoor family session, each chapter of our lives deserves to be seized and preserved for the generations to come. Generally, in this era, taking photos is mainly to share with friends and on social media, and the idea that photos should last a lifetime slips typically out of our minds. As our family grows it's so important to capture those precious memories with beautiful family photos that will last a lifetime. In other word...