LESSON OF THE DAY 306

Ayahs of the Day:
And there is nothing against those who, when they came to you for you to provide transport for them, you told them, "I find no way to transport you," they turned back with their eyes overflowing with tears, grieved that they could find nothing to contribute. [9: 92]

Hadith of the Day:
It is a sign of the nearness of the hour that knowledge shall disappear and ignorance predominate, that adultery and alcohol drinking shall abound. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The result of fear (of Allah) is that one is able to leave the forbidden, and the result of hope (in Allah) is that one remains firm footed in one's obedience. [Shaqeeq al Balkhi]

Guidance of the Day:
JIHAD: Ours is an age of intellectual shallowness where we suffice with what we hear from the news media and its parade of so called "experts." We lap up whatever is thrown to us in the way of crudely edited sound bites and sensationalist headlines under the delusion that being "informed" somehow makes us more enlightened than even the wisest men of old. Given this atmosphere, it goes without saying that our perception of reality has been seriously tampered with. Our perception of the Islamic concept of JIHAD is no exception.

In order to get past this middle of hack journalism and stereotypical imagery, we will ask how jihad, as a religious and spiritual reality, has been viewed by the vast majority of Muslim adherents throughout the vast majority of their history.

The Islamic worldview sees man as the appointed representative of God on earth. And just as there is perfect harmony in the heavens, so has man been charged with maintaining harmony and equilibrium here on earth to reflect that of the heavens. This is by no means an easy task, and requires much striving and effort in obeying the word of God, directed both internally and externally, to ensure that justice and mercy endure during man's short time in this physical realm. It is exactly this effort and striving, which are the essence of the word jihad. Just as there are countless aspects of human existence, so are there innumerable facets of human jihad.

Food for Thought:
Behind every sin, there are various detriments and harms; spiritual, physical, social, financial, and many others. The next time we feel like committing a sin, we should try to explain to ourselves that these body parts of mine if used against the wishes of Allah will be my enemies tomorrow.