Monday, August 31, 2015

Lesson of the Day 1387

Ayahs of the day: 
And God it is who made the stars for you, that you may be guided by them in the darknesses of land and sea. We have made the signs clear to people who discern. [6: 97]

Hadith of the day: 
A friend cannot be considered a friend until he is tested on three occasions -- in time of need, behind your back, and after your death. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Wise quote of the day: 
Fear of God is knowledge enough, to be pleased with one's knowledge is ignorance enough. [Abdul Hakim Murad]

Guidance of the day: 
Among saving things are hope in God and fear of Him. Both are noble stations which God has attributed to His Prophets, Messengers, and those among the virtuous believers who followed them with excellence. Hope and fear are like the wings of the bird, or the pans of the scales. Fear is a rebuke that restrains people from sins and contraventions, while hope is a leader that leads the servant to acts of obedience and conformity. He who is not rebuked by his fear from disobeying God nor led by his hope to obey Him, both his hope and fear are but ineffective ruminations of the soul that are of no consequence, for they have failed to lead to their intended goal and benefit. Let the believer beware of both extremes -- feeling secure from God's ruses on the one hand, or despairing of His mercy on the other. For a person to feel secure from God's ruse is to have so much hope and so little fear of Him as to think it highly unlikely that He will chastise and torment him. As for the despair, it is to have so much fear and so little hope in God as to feel it highly unlikely to be shown mercy and forgiven. Both are major sins, so beware of them. Remain between fear and hope. Do not deceive yourself concerning your Lord and do not be too bold with Him, for your Lord is swift in chastisement, but He is also Forgiving and Compassionate. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought: 
The common people give thanks for being fed and clothed, while the elite give thanks for meanings that enter their hearts. Thankfulness of the eyes is that you conceal a fault you see in your companion, and thankfulness of the ears is that you conceal a fault that you hear about him. Thankfulness is delighting in praising Him for giving what you do not deserve. Purity does not lie in rituals, nor can human nature be changed by effort. Those who love God and remain conscious only of their Beloved attain purity. [Al Hujwiri]

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Lesson of the day 1386

Ayahs of the day:
And God it is who made the stars for you, that you may be guided by them in the darknesses of land and sea. We have made the signs clear to people who discern. [6: 97]

Hadith of the day:
A friend cannot be considered a friend until he is tested on three occasions -- in time of need, behind your back, and after your death. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Wise quote of the day:
Fear of God is knowledge enough, to be pleased with one's knowledge is ignorance enough. [Abdul Hakim Murad]

Guidance of the day:
Among saving things are hope in God and fear of Him. Both are noble stations which God has attributed to His  Prophets, Messengers, and those among the virtuous believers who followed them with excellence. Hope and fear are like the wings of the bird, or the pans of the scales. Fear is a rebuke that restrains people from sins and contraventions, while hope is a leader that leads the servant to acts of obedience and conformity. He who is not rebuked by his fear from disobeying God nor led by his hope to obey Him, both his hope and fear are but ineffective ruminations of the soul that are of no consequence, for they have failed to lead to their intended goal and benefit.

Let the believer beware of both extremes -- feeling secure from God's ruses on the one hand, or despairing of His mercy on the other. For a person to feel secure from God's ruse is to have so much hope and so little fear of Him as to think it highly unlikely that He will chastise and torment him. As for the despair, it is to have so much fear and so little hope in God as to feel it highly unlikely to be shown mercy and forgiven. Both are major sins, so beware  of them. Remain between fear and hope. Do not deceive yourself concerning your Lord and do not be too bold with Him, for your Lord is swift in chastisement, but He is also Forgiving and Compassionate. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
The common people give thanks for being fed and clothed, while the elite give thanks for meanings that enter their hearts. Thankfulness of the eyes is that you conceal a fault you see in your companion, and thankfulness of the ears is that you conceal a fault that you hear about him. Thankfulness is delighting in praising Him for giving what you do not deserve.

Friday, August 14, 2015

Pearls of Wisdom 380

. A friend cannot be considered a friend until he is tested on three occasions -- in time of need;
behind your back; and after your death. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

2. One of your sins should seem weightier to you than a thousand of your virtues. [Imam Ja'far al Sadiq]

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

4. If there is a good deed which is difficult, hold on to it, for in the end, the good deed will remain and
the difficulty will perish. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

5. To be humble is to accept the truth and submit to it even if you heard it from a child or someone who
is uneducated or ignorant. [Fudhayl ibn Iyaadh]

6..Even if you studied for a hundred years and collected a thousand books, you would not be eligible for
the mercy of Allah except through action. [Imam al Ghazali]

7. Live as long as you want, but you must die; love whoever you want, but you will become separated
from it; and do what you want, but you will be repaid for it. [Imam al Ghazali]

8. Allah loves the voice of the one who recites the Qur'an, and the voice of the one who seeks forgiveness
before dawn break. [Sufyan al Thawri]

9. Knowledge without action is madness and action without knowledge is void. [Imam al Ghazali]

10. Know that the knowledge which does not remove you from sins today and does not convert you to
obedience, will not remove you tomorrow from the Hell fire. [Imam al Ghazali]

Friday, August 07, 2015

This too will pass....

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: “O Allah! There is no life worth living except the life of the Hereafter, so (please) make righteous the Ansaar and the emigrants.” [Sahih al Bukhari]

Commentary: A powerful king, ruler of many domains, was in a position of such magnificence that wise men were his mere employees. And yet one day he felt himself confused and called the sages to him.

He said: “I do not know the cause, but something impels me to seek a certain ring, one that will enable me to stabilize my state. I must have such a ring. And this ring must be one which, when I am unhappy, will make me joyful. At the same time, if I am happy and look upon it, I must be made sad.”

The wise men consulted one another, and threw themselves into deep contemplation. Finally, they came to a decision as to the character of this ring which would suit their king.

The ring which they devised was one upon which was inscribed the legend: THIS, TOO, WILL PASS.

This life, however it is, will pass. A drop compared to the ocean is what this life is compared to the Hereafter. And the ocean of the next existence will be wonderful only for the righteous. That is why the Messenger of Allah ( peace and blessings upon him) prayed to Allah (Most high) to make his Companions righteous.

Monday, August 03, 2015

Lesson of the day 1385

Ayahs of the day:
It is God who causes the grain and the date stone to split and sprout; God brings forth the living from the dead, and is the one who brings forth the dead from the living. That is God for you; so how can you be deceived? [6: 95]

Hadith of the day:
Circulate knowledge and teach the ignorant, for knowledge does not vanish except when it is kept secretly (to oneself). [Bukhari]

Wise quote of the day:
Whenever you interact with people, deal with them as you would wish yourself to be dealt with by them, for a believer's faith is incomplete until he wants for other people what he wants for himself. [Imam al Ghazali]

Guidance of the day:
It is a most certain duty upon all Muslims to guard themselves thoroughly against all sins, for in them lies God's wrath and loathing, and furthermore, they are the cause of all the afflictions and catastrophes that befall people both in this world and the next. Should a person fall into a sin, he must repent to God immediately and strive neither to persist nor feel comfortable with it.

Every believer should repent continuously to God, renewing his repentance at every moment and in every situation, for sins are numerous, there are minor as well as major ones, manifest as well as hidden ones, and sins that the servant is aware of as well as others he is not. He may be asked to account for not making an effort to learn whether certain acts are sinful or not, as well as their having preliminaries and signs that, had he known them, might have allowed to do something about them. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
You must give time to your fellow men, even if it's a little thing, do something for others -- something for which you get no pay but privilege of doing it. What do we live for if not to make life less difficult for each other!