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Source : Fiqh-us-Sunnah, volume 2, number 32 and volume 4, number 141 . Often, we have to make major life-changing decisions: whether to undertake a major project or not, whether to apply for a promotion or not, whether to change career or not, whether to invest in a certain company or not, whether to get married or not, whom to get married to, etc. Istikhara (Arabic) means to ask Allah to guide one to the right thing concerning any affair in one’s life, especially when one has to choose between two permissible alternatives, e.g. a career choice, getting married, etc. Similarly, a traveller should consult good righteous persons before setting out on a journey, because Allah says, “ And consult them (O Prophet) in affairs (of moment ),” (Qur’an, 3: 159) and one of the characteristics of the believers is that “ they (conduct) their affairs by mutual consultation ” (Qur’an, 42: 38). Qatadah said, “Every people who seek the pleasure of Allah and consult with one another are guided to

Countless ordinary Nigerians attempting to make precarious ends meet as taxi drivers, market traders, and shopkeepers are accosted on a daily basis by armed police officers who demand bribes and commit human rights abuses against them as a means of extorting money. Those who fail to pay are frequently threatened with arrest and physical harm. Far too often these threats are carried out. Meanwhile, victims of crime are obliged to pay the police from the moment they enter a police station to file a complaint until the day their case is brought before a court. In the shadows, high-level police officials embezzle staggering sums of public funds meant to cover basic police operations. Senior police officers also enforce a perverse system of “returns” in which rank-and-file officers are compelled to pay up the chain of command a share of the money they extort from the public. Those charged with police oversight, discipline, and reform have for years failed to take effective action

• Dua Ask Allah to make this the most awesome, spiritually uplifting Ramadan you've ever had. Only He can make it happen and relying on Him completely is one step in boosting our spirits. • Quiet your mind, turn off the... TV, internet, radio, cell phone, pager, iPod, etc. No, not all day, but for at least 10 minutes a day. Find a quiet place, close your eyes and connect with God. At first, your mind will swirl with the useless and not-so-useless info in your head. But force it to think of three things in these few minutes: Allah your purpose in life are you living your life on purpose? Do this every day of Ramadan if you can. If that's not possible, try it at least three times a week. • Learn about great Muslims Even if you've read it before, read or listen to Abdul Wahid Hamid's Companions of the Prophet again this Ramadan. Read about or listen to the story of a Companion daily. Well-written and short, this is a wonderful way to see how other Muslims retained

Whether these changes are good or bad depends in part on how we adapt to them. But, ready or not, here they come! 1. The Post Office. Get ready to imagine a world without the post office. They are so deeply in financial trouble that there is probably no way to sustain it long term. Email, Fed Ex, and UPS have just about wiped out the minimum revenue needed to keep the post office alive. Most of your mail every day is junk mail and bills. 2. The Cheque. Britain is already laying the groundwork to do away with cheques by 2018. It costs the financial system billions of dollars a year to process checks. Plastic cards and online transactions will lead to the eventual demise of the cheque. This plays right into the death of the post office If you never paid your bills by mail and never received them by mail, the post office would absolutely go out of business. 3. The Newspaper. The younger generation simply doesn't read the newspaper. They certainly don't subscribe t