LESSON OF THE DAY 1310

Ayahs of the day:
God gives wisdom to whomever God wishes; and whoever is given wisdom has indeed been given much good. But no one takes heed except those with understanding. [2: 269]

Hadith of the day:
He is sagacious who brings his soul to reckoning and works for what comes after death; and he is inadequate who follows his passions and harbors (illusory) hopes in God. [Tirmidhi, Ibn Maja]

Wise quote of the day:
Meet people in such a manner that if you die, they should weep for you, and if you live they should long for you. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the day:
Do your very best to come to your Lord with a heart that is free of idolatry, hypocrisy, heresy, and reprehensible traits of character such as arrogance, ostentation, jealousy, deceitful behavior toward Muslims, and so on. Seek God's help and be patient. Strive in earnest and repeat often, "Our Lord, do not cause our hearts to swerve after You have guided us; and bestow upon us mercy from You, for You are the Bestower "(3:8). For this is how God has described those of His believing servants who are firmly steeped in knowledge. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is what are we busy about? Whoever admits that he is too busy to improve his methods has acknowledged himself to be at the end of the rope. And that is always the saddest predicament which anyone can get into. What we hope to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence.

Gentle Reminders....

1. When the inward is good the outward is also inevitably so, for the outward follows the inward, whether for good or evil.

2. Prove the sincerity of your respect for the Qur'an by putting its teachings into practice, not by arguing about it.

3. You must fill your time with worship so that no period of time elapses whether by night or by day, without being used in some act of goodness.

4. Good character consists in three traits: avoiding that which is forbidden, seeking that which is permitted, and being generous.

5. Whoever busies himself with that which does not concern him, then he misses out on much of that which does concern him.

6. If we spend our time paying attention to the wisdom of our heart rather than the wisdom of our head, we will benefit greatly.

7. Love is always the answer to every question and problem. We are here to love and be loved and learn a few things in the process.

8. To begin anew, we must say good-bye to who we once were.

9. Have the courage to begin the new life that each day brings you. No matter what changes and losses you have experience, step back and see where you need to begin.

10. How do we find joy in our lives? Too often it comes at a significant price. You learn that you are mortal and suddenly what used to seem important isn't. Things that used to bother you don't anymore. What then becomes significant are the people who you love and who love you.

Fear oppression, because oppression will be intense darkness on the Day of Resurrection. [al Hadith]

Pearls of wisdom....340

1. God scatters His light over all spirits.
    The fortunate hold up their skirts to receive it.
    Those who receive His light turn from all except God.
     Without the skirt of love, we cannot receive our share.

2. Give your life for the cup of divine wisdom.
    How can you succeed without endurance and patience?
    To wait for the sake of that cup is no hardship.
    Show patience, for patience is the key to joy.

3. The spiritual path ruins the body, but subsequently
     restores it to health. It ruins the house to reveal the
     treasure, and with that treasure it builds better
     than before.

4. God made the illusion look real and the real an
    illusion. He concealed the sea and made the foam
    visible, the wind invisible, and the dust manifest.
    You see the dust whirling, but how can the dust rise
    by itself? You see the foam, but not the ocean.
    Invoke Him with deeds, not words, for deeds are
    real and will save you in the afterlife.

5. In the hour of grief you turn to Him;
    when grief departs you transgress.
    In adversity you moan entreating Him;
    when ease returns you turn away.
   Those who know God remain steady,
   but those who doubt exult at times
   and become despondent at others. [Mawlana Rumi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1309

Ayahs of the day:
Satan threatens you with poverty and compels you to indecencies, whereas God promises you divine forgiveness, and grace. And God is all-embracing, all-knowing. [2: 268]

Hadith of the day:
He whose heart contains as much as a mustard seed of arrogance will not enter Paradise. [Muslim]

Wise quote of the day:
All humans are dead except those who have knowledge, and all those who have knowledge are asleep except those who do good deeds, and all those who do good deeds are deceived except those who are sincere, and those who are sincere are always in a state of worry. [Imam al-Shafi'i]

Guidance of the day:
Strive for presence with God, reflect on the meanings of what you say, and do your best to acquire the behavior He likes and avoid that which He dislikes. Concentrate on your inward aspect. Confirm your words with your acts, your acts with your intentions and your sincerity, and your intentions and sincerity by purifying your inward and reforming your heart. For the heart is the essential thing upon which everything else depends. Therefore it is a duty to attend to it and concentrate on making it sound and upright. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
A room without books is like a body without a soul. The books that help you most are those which make you think the most. Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them all. Some books are to be tasted; others swallowed; and some to be chewed and digested. The one who does not read good books has no advantage over the one who can't read them. Books, like friends, should be few and well chosen.

Try to be the most knowledgeable of the gnostics....

Imām Ibn al-Qayyim {may Allāh have mercy upon him} said:-

The ignorant one complains about Allāh to the people!
This is the height of ignorance in complaining and in whom the complaint is about.

For if a person were to truly know his Lord, he would never complain of Him.

If he truly knew people, he would never complain to them …

The gnostic complains only to Allāh,

and the most knowledgeable of the gnostics are those who complain to Allāh about themselves, not others …

In short there are three levels:-

# 1/-The most contemptible who complains to people about Allāh;

#2/  The loftiest who complains to Allāh about oneself;

#3/ The middle level who complains to Allāh about others.


Source: al-Fawa’id
Transcribed from: Translator’s Footnote from ‘The Exquisite Peal –
 [The Journey to Allāh & The Home of the Hereafter’ | Shaykh ‘Abd 

Pearls of Wisdom....339

  1. Both Moses and Pharaoh
    dwell within your being.
    Seek these opponents within your being.
    The conception of Moses is a reawakening.
    The light is the same,
     though the lamp is different.

2. Do not regard yourself as infamous or weak.
    Reflect upon your aspirations, O noble one.
    No matter what your station be,
    keep searching.
    For this pursuit is a blessed course.
    This quest removes all impediments to God.

3. He complained of his pain a hundredfold.
    God said, "Grief and pain make you modest and noble.
    Your real enemy is your own medicine, the elixir that
    seeks to win your heart. Flee from it to solitude and seek
    help of God's grace. Your friends are really your enemies,
    for they occupy you and make you oblivious of God."

4. The wisdom of this world brings doubt. The wisdom
     of religion soars above the skies. Reflection on Truth
     opens the way to the kingdom. Treasures and armies
     do not make you a king. A true king is a king within
     himself. [Mawlana Rumi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1308

 Ayahs of the day:
O believers, give of good things you have earned, and from what We have produced for you from the earth. And do not choose the bad thereof to give away, while you would not take it without disregard for it. And know that God is independent, most worthy of praise. [2:267]

Hadith of the day:
Whoever desires that Allah increase his provision and extend his life, let him maintain his family ties. [Bukhari]

Wise quote of the day:
Your real possession is that which you will not lose in a ship wreck -- i.e. your imaan and good deeds with sincerity. [Imam Ghazali]

Guidance of the day:
Impose upon yourself to realize the meanings of invocations and supplications that you use and acquire them so as to make them your own attributes. For example, when you say, "Transcendent is God!" (Subha'Allah) your heart should be full with the magnification of God and awareness of His Transcendence. And when you say, "Praise belongs to God," (Al-Hamdu lil' llah) your heart should be full of praises and thanks for God. And when you say, "I ask Allah to forgive me," (Astaghfiru'llah) it should be at the same time full of hope for God's forgiveness, yet fearful of His not granting it; and so on. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
Anybody can become angry -- that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way -- that is not within everybody's power and is not easy. Whenever you are angry, be assured that it is not only a present evil, but that you have increased  a habit. The greatest remedy for anger is delay. When a person is wrong and won't admit it, he always gets angry.