Saturday, November 29, 2014

True Gratitude....

“Dare to Be

When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully.

When there is darkness, dare to be the first to shine a light.

When there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it.

When something seems difficult, dare to do it anyway.

When life seems to beat you down, dare to fight back.

When there seems to be no hope, dare to find some.

When you’re feeling tired, dare to keep going.

When times are tough, dare to be tougher.

When love hurts you, dare to love again.

When someone is hurting, dare to help them heal.

When another is lost, dare to help them find the way.

When a friend falls, dare to be the first to extend a hand.

When you cross paths with another, dare to make them smile.

When you feel great, dare to help someone else feel great too.

When the day has ended, dare to feel as you’ve done your best.

Dare to be the best you can –

At all times, Dare to be!”

― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Monday, November 24, 2014

Lesson of the day 1366

Ayahs of the day:
Believers, be conscious of God, and seek the way to God, and struggle for the sake of God, that you may thrive. [5: 35]

Hadith of the day:
When Allah wills good for a person, He grants him understanding of the religion. [Bukhari]

Wise quote of the day:
The worst of men is the one who does not mind being watched while doing an evil deed. [Luqman Hakeem]

Guidance of the day:
Children have rights over their parents. They should be provided for as long as they need to be, educated with excellence, taught praiseworthy traits of character, excellent attributes, and beautiful moral qualities, and protected from the contrary of these. They should receive good names, and prior to all this, their mothers should have been chosen from blessed, virtuous origins.

Parents should be fair in  providing for their children and not prefer one over the other simply because of his natural inclinations or other whimsical reasons. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
No one who is  thoroughly occupied with something worthwhile is ever miserable. It is better to wear out than to rust out. The more we do, the more we can do. The one who gives his children habits of hard work provides for them better than by giving them a fortune.

Friday, November 21, 2014

Pearls of Wisdom 362

1. To repent from a sin is a necessary obligation, but to prevent oneself from sin is even more so.

2. Showing patience in adversity is difficult, but safeguarding the fruits of patience is even more so.

3. The changing of the times is always strange, but being heedless throughout them is even more so.

4. The unfolding of your affairs is always imminent, but the arrival of death is even more so.

5. Shyness and modesty of men is an excellent virtue, but the shyness and modesty of women is even more so.

7. Repentance of an old man is a wonderful thing, but that of the youth is even more so.

8. The generosity of a prince is an exalted affair, but that of a peasant is even more so.

9. The sin of the youth is a grave thing indeed, but that committed by an old man is even more so.

10. The fools indulgence in petty worldliness is an evil thing, but the indulgence of the learned is even more so. [Above quotes by Abu Bakr Radi Allah anhu]

Monday, November 17, 2014

Muslims always "On duty"

When an European Airline was initially launched, a Muslim gentleman was traveling in the first class section. An air hostess approached him with a complimentary drink, this was an alcoholic drink so that man politely refused.
The air hostess returned but this time brought the drink on a platter, designed to appeal and impress, however, the Muslim man again politely refused, explaining he doesn't drink alcohol.

...The air hostess was surprised and concerned and informed the manager. The manager approached the man with another platter, now designed with flowers and he questioned, “is there something wrong with our service? Please enjoy the drink, it is a complimentary offer.” The man replied, “Thank you, but I am a Muslim and I do not drink alcohol.” The manager still insisted that the man take the drink. The Muslim man then proposed that the manager should give the drink to the pilot first. The manager stated, “how can the pilot drink alcohol, he’s on duty!? And if he drinks there are very high chances for the plane to crash.”

The passenger with tears in his eyes replied, “I am a Muslim and I am always on duty in order to protect my Imaan (Faith) and if I drink I will crash my whole life here and in the Hereafter."

Monday, November 10, 2014

Lesson of the day 1365

Ayahs of the day:
Believers, remember God's favor to you when some people intended to act against you, then withheld their devices from you. And be conscious of God; and let it be God in whom the believers trust. [5: 11]

Hadith of the day:
If the son of Adam had two valleys filled with wealth he would seek third, but nothing will fill the belly of the son of Adam but dust. [Bukhari]

Wise quote of the day:
It is harmful to avoid the thought of death. For no one can or will escape the sure and destined end that comes sooner or later to every mortal being. This meditation is therefore an essential necessity for every lover of God. [Shaykh Muzaffer Ozak]

Guidance of the day:
Let the parents beware to the extreme from praying against their disloyal child, for this can only increase him in harm, corruption, and disloyalty. Some of this damage is bound to cause more harm to the parents in this world. Since the prayers of the parents (for or against their children) are always accepted (by God), they should pray for, and not against them.

God may very well reform them through the baraka of their prayers, they may then revert to being loyal. The result will be that their parents will again benefit from their loyalty and be greatly pleased with them, while the children will obtain reward for being loyal and escape the sin of disloyalty. God it is who grants success and assistance. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
It is not the greatness of a man's means that makes him independent, so much as to smallness of his wants. Can anything be so elegant as to have few wants, and to serve them one's self?

Friday, November 07, 2014

Pearls of Wisdom 361

1. To know with certainty that you will never receive less than what was destined for you is the essence of reliance upon Allah. [Abul Hasan bu Shaikhi]

2. Spend from what Allah has given you. Do not fear poverty. Allah will give you as He has promised. No one who has been generous has ever perished in destitution. [Ibn Arabi]

3. Prayer and fasting are the greatest things a person can do, yet to remove all the evil traits from the heart such as pride, arrogance, rancor, malice, love of this world etc, rank even higher. [Shaykh al Kharqani]

4. Seek to keep the company of those who illumine one's inward and outward states with the light of their intimacy with the Divine. [Shaykh Abul Abbas]

5. There can be no good in excess, just as there is no excess in good. [Imam Abu Hanifah]

6. Who is better among Allah's worshippers than the one who sees others as better than him? [Abu Bakr Saidlani]

7. The greatest blessings is that one is freed from the shackles of ego, for what greater veil is there between us and the Creator other than the ego. [Abu Bakr Saidlani]

8. To be angered quickly is a sign that one is in the grip of his ego. [Abu Bakr Wasti]

9. The one who longs for Allah is blessed with limbs which are free from stains of sins. [Ahmad Masruq]

10. The one who has tasted the sweetness of slave hood finds no repose in leisure pursuits. [Abdullah Manazil]

Monday, November 03, 2014

Just a reminder....

 Opportunities for the Believers

Winter -- long nights and short days --  an opportunity to get closer to our Creator through our tahajjud at night and fasting during the day,inshaAllah. Let us get used to doing these (best possible things) when it is sooo easy, and afterwards inshaAllah they will still continue (during summer), because of the sweet taste we will develop for them and the result will be -- we will never want to quit.

These two things were always part of the routine  of our righteous predecessors -- whose footsteps if we follow we will inshaAllah succeed in this world and the next. May Allah Most High give us the resolve to do them and make them easy for us, and make this new year a very special experience for us, ameen.

Please read the worthwhile articles below on how to get started and the proven spiritual and health benefits of regularly fasting.

http://productivemuslim.com/ramadan-series-creating-a-habit-of-fasting-after-ramadan-2/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/fasting-health_b_1557043.html