LESSON OF THE DAY 601

Ayah of the Day:
For them there are everlasting gardens with streams flowing beneath them, where they will be adorned with bracelets of gold and will wear green clothes of silk and brocade as they recline on couches therein. What a gracious reward and a fine place to rest! [18: 31]

Hadith of the Day:
If anyone transgresses and receives punishment in this world, God is too just to repeat the punishment of His servant in the next life. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The greatest blessing 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]

Guidance of the Day:
Procrastination: Procrastination--not acting when the time is right--is a self-defeating behavior. It produces anxiety, guilt, disharmony, and a nagging consciousness of the task that life is telling us it's time to do. We are not always procrastinating when we put off doing something. Sometimes, doing a thing before the time is right can be as self-defeating as waiting too long. We can learn to discern the difference. Listen to yourself. Listen to what is creating anxiety and prodding within you.

Is there something in your life you are avoiding because you don't want to face it? Is there a building anxiety from putting this off? Sometimes anger, fear, or feeling helpless can motivate procrastination. Sometimes, procrastination has simply become habitual. Trust and listen to yourself, watch for signs and signals. If it is time to do something, do it now. If it is not yet time, wait until the time is right. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
Idleness is destructive, and most people who suffer from worries and anxieties are the same people who are idle and inactive. Remember, when you kill time, it has no resurrection.

LESSON OF THE DAY 600

Ayah of the Day:
As for those who believe and do good works, We will not neglect the reward of any who does even one good deed. [18: 30]

Hadith of the Day:
Anyone who sees a believer degraded, and, being able to defend him, does not, is degraded by God on the Day of Judgment. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
If the belief is truly in the heart, the deeds will not delay in following it whatsoever. The complete recognition of Allah and proper love cannot be in the heart if it does not have an over-riding effect on the outward deeds. [Ibn Taymiyyah]

Guidance of the Day:
Making Amends: When we make amends we need to be clear about what we are apologizing for and the best way to say we are sorry. What we are really doing with our amends is taking responsibility for our behavior. We need to be sure that the process itself will not be self-defeating or hurtful. Sometimes, we need to directly apologize for a particular thing we have done or our part in a problem. Other times, instead of saying "I"m sorry," what we need to do is work on changing our behavior with a person. There are times when bringing up what we have done and apologizing for it will make matters worse.

We need to trust timing, intuition, and guidance in this process of making amends. Once we become willing, we can let go and tackle our amends in a peaceful , consistent, harmonious way. If nothing feels right or appropriate, if it feels as if what we are about to do will cause a crisis or havoc, we need to trust that feeling. Attitude, honesty, openness, and willingness count here. In peace and harmony, we can strive to clear up our relationships. We deserve to be at peace with ourselves and others. [The language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call to make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

LESSON OF THE DAY 599

Ayah of the Day:
Say, "The truth is from your Lord," Let anyone who wishes to, believe, and let anyone who wishes to, disbelieve. We have prepared a fire for the unjust, whose billowing smoke will envelope them. [18: 39]

Hadith of the Day:
God enriches the thrifty and impoverishes the spendthrift; God elevates the humble and whoever tyrannizes others God will crush them. {al-Bazar]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Vain desires is a ruinous companion, and bad habits make up a formidable foe. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Willing to Make Amends: This attitude can begin a great chain of repair and healing in our relationships with others and ourselves. It means we become willing to let go of our hard-heartedness -- one of the greatest blocks to our ability to give and receive love. Before we actually make amends or begin to consider appropriate amends , we allow ourselves to change our attitude. That is where healing begins -- within us. It can change the energy. It can change the dynamics. It can change the process, before we ever open our mouths and say sorry. It opens the door to love. It opens the door to the energy of love and healing. It enables us to release negative feelings and energy, and opens the door to positive feelings and energy. That energy can be felt around the world, and it starts inside us.

How often have we, after we have been hurt, wished that the person would simply recognize our pain and say, "I'm sorry"? How often have we wished that the person would simply see us, hear us, and turn the energy of love our way? How often have we longed for at least a change of heart, a small dose of reconciliation, in relationships tainted by unfinished business and bad feelings? Often. Others do too. It is no secret. The energy of healing begins with us. Our willingness to make amends may or may not benefit the other person; he or she may not be willing to put matters to rest. But we become healed. We become capable of love. Work on a change of heart if hard-heartedness, defensiveness, guilt, or bitterness are present. Be willing to let go of those feelings and have them replaced by the healing energy of love. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
To have inner peace we need to learn to see the value of forgiveness. Unforgiving thoughts do not really bring us the peace of mind that we inwardly seek.

LESSON OF THE DAY 598

Ayah of the Day:
And do not obey anyone whose heart We have allowed to neglect to remember Us, so he follows his own desires and has gotten out of control. [18: 28]

Hadith of the Day:
A person who teaches goodness to others while neglecting his own soul is like an oil lamp, which illumines others while burning itself out. [Tabarani]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The servant who compromises his principles, for himself or another, will never catch even a scent of being true. [Sahl bin Abdullah Tustari]

Guidance of the Day:
Detaching in Relationships: When we first become exposed to the concept of detachment, many of us find it objectionable. We may think that detaching means we don't care. We may believe that by controlling, worrying, and trying to force things to happen, we are showing how much we care. We may believe that controlling, worrying, and forcing will somehow affect the outcome we desire. Controlling, worrying, and forcing don't work. In some cases, controlling may prevent the outcome we want from happening. As we practice the principle of detachment with the people in our life, we slowly begin to learn the truth. Detaching, preferably with love, is a relationship behavior that works.

We can learn something else too. Detachment--letting go of our need to control people--enhances all our relationships. It opens the door to the best possible outcome. It reduces our frustration level, and frees us and others to live in peace and harmony. Detachment means we care, about ourselves and others. It frees us to make the best possible decisions. It enables us to set the boundaries we need to set with people. It allows us to have our feelings, to stop reacting and initiate a positive course of action. It encourages others to do the same. It allows our Higher Power to step in and work. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. We have committed the Golden Rule to memory. Now let us commit it to life.

LESSON OF THE DAY 597

Ayah of the Day:
Keep yourself patient with those who call on their Lord morning and evening seeking to honor God: and do not disregard them, seeking the finery of the life of the world. [18: 28]

Hadith of the Day:
Whoever eats pure food, acts with prophetic scruples, and secures others from his own misfortunes shall enter Paradise. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Do not think evil of anything that comes from your brother Muslim's tongue whenever there is a way to interpret it in a good way. [Omar radi Allah anhu]]

Guidance of the Day:
Valuing this Moment: This moment, we are right where we need to be, right where we are meant to be. How often we waste our time and energy wishing we were someone else, were doing something else, or were someplace else. We may wish our present circumstances were different. We needlessly confuse ourselves and divert our energy by thinking that our present moment is a mistake. But we are right where we need to be for now. Our feelings, thoughts, circumstances, challenges, tasks -- all of it is on schedule. We spoil the beauty of the present moment by wishing for something else.

Come back home to yourself. Come back home to the present moment. We will not change things by escaping or leaving the moment. We will change things by surrendering to and accepting the moment. Some moments are easier to accept than others. To trust the process, to trust all of it, without hanging on to the past or peering too far into the future, requires a great deal of faith. Surrender to the moment. Get into the moment; the moment is right. We are where we are, and it is okay. It is right where we are meant to be to get where we are going tomorrow. And that place will be good. it has been planned in love for us. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
Judge your worth in the Creator's sight by how much space He occupies in your heart, and your worth in people's eyes by how you treat them.

LESSON OF THE DAY 596

Ayah of the Day:
Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. No one can change the words of God, and you will find no refuge without God. [18: 27]

Hadith of the Day:
Whoever does you a favor, repay him; and if you are unable to, then atleast pray for him. [Tabarani]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Remain silent about favors done by you, yet proclaim the favors others do for you. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Healing Thoughts: Think healing thoughts. When you feel anger or resentment, ask God to help you. Feel it, learn from it, and then release it. Ask Him to bless those who you feel anger toward. Ask Him to bless you too. When you feel fear, ask Him to take it from you. When you feel misery, force gratitude. When you feel deprived, know that there is enough. When you feel ashamed, reassure yourself that who you are is okay. You are good enough. When you doubt your timing or your present position in life, assure yourself that all is well; you are right where you are meant to be. Reassure yourself that others are too.

When you ponder the future, tell yourself that it will be good. When you look back at the past, relinquish regrets. When you notice problems, affirm there will be a timely solution and a gift from the problem. When you resist feelings or thoughts, practice acceptance. When you feel discomfort, know it will pass. When you identify a need, tell yourself it will be met. When you worry about those who you love, ask God to protect and care for them. When you worry about yourself, ask Him to do the same. When you think about others, think love. When you think about yourself think love. Then watch your thoughts transform reality. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
Any fool can tell the truth, but it requires a man of some sense to know how to lie well. The liar's punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else.

LESSON OF THE DAY 595

Ayahs of the Day:
And never say of anything, "I will certainly do that tomorrow," without "if God wills." And remember your Lord when you have forgotten, and say, "Perhaps my Lord will guide me closer than this in integrity." [18: 23,24]

Hadith of the Day:
Whoever decides to relocate solely to study sacred knowledge is forgiven before even setting out. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
One of your sins should seem weightier to you than thousand of your virtues. [Imam Ja'far al Sadiq]

Guidance of the Day:
Friends: Don't overlook the value of friendship. Don't neglect friends. Friends are a joy. Adult friendship can be a good place for us to learn to have fun and to appreciate how much fun we can have with a friend. Friends can be a comfort. Who knows us better, or is more able to give us support, than a good friend? A friendship is a comfortable place to be ourselves. Often our choice of friends will reflect the issues we are working on. Giving and receiving support will help both people grow.

Some friendships wax and wane, going through cycles throughout the years. Some trail off when one person outgrows the other. Certainly, we will have trials and tests in friendships and, at times, be called on to practice our recovery behaviors. But some friends will last a life time. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
Know that anxiety and restlessness are of no use. Sometimes you should look at the level of hardship you are bearing and appreciate that things could have been worse.

LESSON OF THE DAY 594

Ayahs of the Day:
We made everything on earth an ornament for it, that We might test which of them are best in behavior. And We will make everything on earth dust and desert. [18: 7,8]

Hadith of the Day:
A parent can give a child no greater gift than beautiful manners. [Hakim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Whatever possessions and objects of its desires the lower self may obtain, it hangs on to them, refusing to let them go out of greed for more, or out of fear of poverty and need. [Mawlana Rumi]

Guidance of the Day:
Directness: Direct people are a joy to be around. We never have to guess what they are really thinking or feeling, because they are honest about their thoughts and openly express their feelings. We never have to wonder if they are with us because they want to be, or if they are out of guilt and obligation. When they do something for us, we don't have to worry whether they will end up resenting us because direct people generally do things that please themselves.

We don't have to fuss about the status of our relationship because if we ask, they will tell us. We don't have to worry if they are angry because they deal openly with their anger and resolve it quickly. We don't have to ponder whether they are talking about us behind our backs because if they have something to say, it will be said to us directly. We don't have to wonder if we can rely on them because direct people are trustworthy. Wouldn't it be nice if we were all direct? [The Language of letting Go]

Food for Thought:
Love cures people---both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.

LESSON OF THE DAY 593

Ayahs of the Day:
And to warn those who say God has begotten a son. They have no knowledge of this, nor had their ancestors. What comes out of their mouths is intolerable as a maxim; for they are only telling a lie. [18: 4,5]

Hadith of the Day:
Neither argue with nor tease your brother, and never give your word to him and then break it. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Your postponement of deeds till the time when you are free is one of the frivolities of the ego. [Ibn Ataillah]

Guidance of the Day:
Letting Go of Perfection: Stop expecting perfection from yourself and those around you. We do a terrible, annoying thing to ourselves and others when we expect perfection. We set up a situation where others, including ourselves, do not feel comfortable with us. Sometimes, expecting perfection makes people so uptight that they and we make more mistakes than normal because we are so nervous and focused on mistakes.

That does not mean we allow inappropriate behaviors with the excuse that "nobody's perfect." That doesn't mean we don't have boundaries and reasonable expectations of people and ourselves. But our expectations need to be reasonable. Expecting perfection is not reasonable. People make mistakes. The less anxious, intimidated, and repressed they are by expectations of being perfect, the better they will do. Striving for excellence, purity in creativity, a harmonious performance, and the best we have to offer does not happen in the stymied, negative, fear-producing atmosphere of expecting perfection.

Have and set boundaries. Have reasonable expectations. Strive to do your best. Encourage others to do the same. But know that we and others will make mistakes. Know that we and others will have learning experiences, things we go through. Sometimes, the flaws and imperfections in ourselves determine our uniqueness, the way they do in a piece of art. Relish them. Laugh at them. Embrace them, and ourselves. Encourage others and ourselves to do the best we can. Love and nurture ourselves and others for being who we are. Then realize we are not merely human--we are intended and created to be human. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
Life is a song -- sing it.
Life is a game -- play it.
Life is a challenge -- meet it.
Life is a dream -- realize it.
Life is a sacrifice -- offer it.
Life is a love -- enjoy it.

LESSON OF THE DAY 592

Ayahs of the Day:
Praise be to God, Who revealed the Book to a devotee, putting no distortion in it. So it is straight, to warn of severe vengeance from God, and to bring glad news to believers who do good works, that there is an excellent reward for them, wherein they will abide forever. [18: 1,2,3]

Hadith of the Day:
Speak the truth even though it be bitter. [Ibn Hibban]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The superiority of amassing knowledge over wealth is that the Pharaoh's vast wealth caused him to say, "Truly I'm deserving of your worship." Whereas the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) vast knowledge caused him to say, "Truly we have not worshipped You as You deserve to be worshipped. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Saying No: For many of us, the most difficult word to say is one of the shortest and easiest in the vocabulary: No.

No--simple to pronounce, hard to say. We are afraid people won't like us, or we feel guilty. We may believe that a "good" employee, child, parent, spouse, or a friend never says no. The problem is, if we don't learn to say no, we stop liking ourselves and the people we always try to please. We may even punish others out of resentment.

When do we say no? When no is what we really mean. When we learn to say no, we stop lying. People can trust us, and we can trust ourselves. All sorts of good things happen when we start saying what we mean. If we are scared to say no, we can buy some time. We can take a break, rehearse the word, and go back and say no. We don't have to offer long explanations for our decisions. When we say no, we can say yes to good. Our no's and our yes's begin to be taken seriously. We gain control of ourselves. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
In helping others, we help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.

LESSON OF THE DAY 591

Ayah of the Day:
And say, "Praise be to God, who has not begotten a son and has no partner in dominion, and needs no protector from abasement; extol the greatness of God. [17: 111]

Hadith of the Day:
Do not belittle any act of kindness, even that of greeting your brother with a cheerful countenance. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The superiority of amassing knowledge over wealth is that wealth tends to create enemies, whereas knowledge tends to warm hearts, and that knowledge results in the heart's illumination, whereas wealth results in its agitation. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Solving Problems: Problems are made to be solved! Some of us spend more time reacting to the fact that we have a problem than we do solving the problem. Problems are inevitable. Some problems can be anticipated. Some are surprises. But the idea that problems occur regularly need never be a surprise. The good news is that for every problem, there's a solution. Sometimes the solution is immediate. Sometimes, it takes awhile to discover. Sometimes, the solution involves letting go. Sometimes, the problem is ours to solve; sometimes it isn't.

Sometimes, there is something we can clearly do to solve the problem; other times, we need to struggle, flounder, do our part, then trust our Higher Power for help. Sometimes, the problem is just part of life. Sometimes, the problem is important because we are learning something through the problem and its solution. Sometimes, problems end up working out for good in our life. They get us headed in a direction that is superior to one we may otherwise have taken. Sometimes, problems just are; sometimes they are a warning sign that we are on the wrong track.

We can learn to accept problems as an inevitable part of life. We can learn to solve problems. We can learn to identify which problems are trying to lead us in a new direction, and which simply ask for solving. We can learn to focus on the solution rather than on the problem, and maintain a positive attitude toward life and the inevitable flow of problems and solutions. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
When we spend most of our lives competing to see who is best, or who has the most possessions, we may truly feel that our lives are very empty. Getting wisdom is the most important thing we can do.

LESSON OF THE DAY 590

Ayah of the Day:
Say, "Invoke God, or invoke the Benevolent: however you invoke the deity, the most beautiful names are appropriate. And do not pray too loudly or too softly, but seek a way between them." [17: 110]

Hadith of the Day:
Never express joy at your fellow man's afflictions, for God just might free him of them and afflict you. [Tabarani]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The superiority of amassing knowledge over wealth is that the possessor of the wealth may be known as a miser, whereas the possessor of knowledge can only be known as generous. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
In Between: Sometimes, to get from where we are to where we are going, we have to be in-between. One of the hardest is the concept of letting go of the old and familiar, but what we don't want, and being willing to stand with our hands empty while we wait for God to fill them. This may apply to feelings. We may have been full of hurt and anger. In some ways, these feelings may have become comfortably familiar. When we finally face and relinquish our grief, we may feel empty for a time. We are in between pain and joy of serenity and acceptance.

Being in-between can apply to relationships, jobs, careers, homes, or goals. We can be in-between behaviors as we let go of the old and are not certain what we will replace it with. We may have many feelings going on when we are in-between: spurts of grief about what we have let go of or lost, and feelings of anxiety fear, and apprehension about what's ahead. These are normal feelings for in-between place. Accept them. Feel them. Release them.

Being in-between isn't fun, but it's necessary. It will not last forever. It may feel like we are standing still, but we are not. We are standing at the in-between place. It's how we get from here to there. It is not the destination. We are moving forward even when we are in-between. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
There is no such thing as a self-made man. You will reach your goals only with the help of others.

LESSON OF THE DAY 589

Ayahs of the Day:
And they say, "Glory to our Lord! Behold--the promise of our Lord is fulfilled!" They fall on their faces weeping, and it increases their humility. [17: 108,109]

Hadith of the Day:
A person's spiritual practice is only as good as that of his close friends; so consider well whom you befriend. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
For the intimate friends of Allah nothing in the world is more difficult than keeping the ego under control. [Shaykh al Junayd]

Guidance of the Day:
Gratitude: Say thank you, until you mean it. Thank God for everyone and everything sent your way. Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. It turns problems into gifts, failures into successes, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. It can turn existence into a real life, and disconnected situations into important and beneficial lessons.

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. Gratitude makes things right. Gratitude turns negative energy into positive. There is no situation or circumstance so small or large that it is not susceptible to gratitude's power. We can start with who we are and what we have today, apply gratitude, then let it work its magic. Say thank you, until you mean it. If you say it long enough, you will believe it. Try to shine the transforming light of gratitude on all the circumstances of your life. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
If we can't do anything about the circumstance, we can change our attitude. We have been given a miraculous key to life. It is important to be purposeful than happy, and more important to be happy than rich.

LESSON OF THE DAY 588

Ayah of the Day:
Say, "Whether you believe in it or not, those to whom knowledge was given before you fall on their faces humbly when it is recited to them: [17: 107]

Hadith of the Day:
If a man's actions slow him down, his good name (his lineage) will not speed him up. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
If you do not act according to your knowledge today, and you do not make amends for days gone-by, you will say tomorrow on the day of Resurrection, "Send us back and we will act virtuously!" And it will be replied, "Fool! You have just come from there!" [Imam Ghazali]

Guidance of the Day:
Making it Happen: Stop trying so hard to make it happen. Stop doing so much, if doing so much is wearing you out or not achieving the desired results. Stop thinking so much and so hard about it. Stop worrying so about it. Stop trying to force, to manipulate, to coerce, or to make it happen. Making things happen is controlling. We can take positive action to help things happen. We can do our part. But many of us do much more than our part. Controlling is self-defeating. It doesn't work. By over-extending ourselves to make something happen, we may actually be stopping it from happening.

Do your part in relaxed, peaceful harmony. Then let it go. Just let it go. Force yourself to let it go, if necessary. Put as much energy into letting go as you have into trying to control. You will get much better results. It may not happen. It may not happen the way we wanted it to and hoped it would. But our controlling wouldn't have made it happen either. Learn to let things happen because that's what they'll do anyway. And while we are waiting to see what happens, we'll be happier and so will those around us. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
Watch, wait. Time will unfold and reveal its purpose. Patience cannot be forced. It is a gift, one that closely follows acceptance and gratitude.

LESSON OF THE DAY 587

Ayah of the Day:
And We have divided the Recital so you could recite it to people in segments, with logical stops: We have discharged it by sending down inspirations. [17: 106]

Hadith of the Day:
The intelligent one is he who has subdued his lower self and who has worked for what comes after death, and the stupid one is he who has put his lower self in pursuance of its desires and who has vain hopes about Allah. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The superiority of amassing knowledge over wealth is that holding on to wealth over an extended period of time decreases its value, whereas no such harm can come to knowledge, and that there is always a fear of wealth being stolen, not so with knowledge. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Letting go of Resistance: Do not be in such a hurry to move on. Relax. Breathe deeply. Be in harmony today. Be open. There is beauty around and in us today. There is purpose and meaning in today. There is importance in today -- not so much in what happens to us, but in how we respond. Let today happen. We learn our lessons, we work things out, we change in a simple fashion: by living our life fully today. Do not worry about tomorrow's feelings, problems, or gifts. Everything we need today shall be given to us. That is a promise -- from God.

Feel today's feelings. Solve today's problems. Enjoy today's gifts. Trust your Higher Power today. Acquire the art of living fully today. Absorb the lessons, the healing, the beauty, the love available to us today. Do not be in such a rush to move on. There is no hurry. We cannot escape; we only postpone. Let the feelings go; breathe in peace and healing. Don't run from yourself, your circumstances, or your feelings. Be open to yourself, others, your Higher Power, and life. Trust that by facing today to the best of your ability, you will acquire the skills you need to face tomorrow. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
Look backward with gratitude and forward with confidence. Sometimes the bridge between despair and hope is just a good night sleep. Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful.

LESSON OF THE DAY 586

Ayah of the Day:
And We sent down revelation truthfully, and the revelation came down truthfully. And We only sent you as a herald and a warner. [17: 105]

Hadith of the Day:
God has never dignified anyone due to his ignorance, nor humiliated anyone due to his knowledge. And wealth is never diminished as a result of charity. [Daylami]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The superiority of amassing knowledge over wealth is that while wealth is what was left behind by the likes of Fir'aun and Hamaan, knowledge is the inherited legacy of the Prophets themselves, and that on the Day of judgment it is your wealth you will be answerable for not your knowledge. [Ali radi allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Proving It to Ourselves: Trying to prove how good we are, trying to prove we are good enough, trying to show someone how much he or she has hurt us, trying to show someone we are understanding, are warning signs that we may be into our self-defeating behaviors. They can be an indication that we are trying to control someone. They can be an indication that we are not believing how good we are, that we are good enough, that someone is hurting us.

They can be warning that we have allowed ourselves to get hooked into a dysfunctional system. They may indicate that we are stuck in that cloudy fog of denial or doing something that is not good for us. Trying excessively to make a point with another may mean that we have not yet made that point with ourselves. Once we make that point with ourselves, once we understand, we will know what to do.

The issue is not about others are understanding and taking us seriously. The issue is not about others believing we are good and good enough. The issue is not about others seeing and believing how responsible or loving or competent we are. The issue is not about whether others realize how deeply we are feeling a particular feeling. We are the ones that need to see the light. Let go of your need to control outcomes by influencing the beliefs of others, concentrate on accepting yourself, rather than trying to prove something about yourself. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.

LESSON OF THE DAY 585

Ayah of the Day:
Say, "If you controlled the treasuries of the mercy of my Lord, you would surely withhold them for fear of spending; for man is very stingy. [17: 100]

Hadith of the Day:
A young man never honors an old man due to age but that God sends someone to honor him when he reaches that age. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The superiority of amassing knowledge over wealth is that the knowledge will look after you, but you must look after the wealth, and that spending wealth only diminishes it, whereas, spending knowledge increases it. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Letting Go of Fear of Abandonment: There are wondrous days when we feel God's protection and presence, leading and guiding each step and event. There are gray, dry days of spiritual barrenness when we wonder if anything in our life is guided or planned. Wondering if God knows or cares. Seek quiet times on the gray days. Force discipline and obedience until the answer comes, because it will. Soon you will see, and know. We can learn to trust God. God is real. Loving. Good. Caring. God wants to give us all the good we can handle.

The more we turn our mind and heart toward a positive understanding of God, the more God validates us. The more we thank God for who God is, who we are, and the exact nature of our present circumstances, the more God acts in our behalf. In fact, all along, God planned to act in our behalf. God is Creator, Benefactor, and Source. God has shown me, beyond all else, that how I come to understand God is not nearly as important as knowing that God understands me.

Remember that God has not abandoned you. You can trust that God is leading, guiding, directing, and planning in love each detail of your life. Try to grow in your understanding of your Higher Power, try to be open to letting go of old, limiting, negative beliefs about God. Even if you don't understand God fully, be grateful that God understands you. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy. The secret of abundance is to stop focusing on what you do not have, and shift your consciousness to an appreciation to all that you are and all that you have.

LESSON OF THE DAY 584

Ayah of the Day:
Don't they see that God, Who created the heavens and the earth, is able to create their like, and has set them a term in which their is no doubt? But those in error refuse, except ungratefully. [17: 99]

Hadith of the Day:
Whoever fails to care for our youth, respect our aged, enjoin right, and denounce wrong is not counted among us. [Ahmad]

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

Guidance of the Day:
Bring Any Request to God: Bring any request you have to God. No request is too large; none too small or insignificant. How often we limit God by not bringing to God everything we want and need. Do we need help getting through our balance? Getting through our day? Do we need help in particular relationship? With a particular character defect? Attaining a character asset? Do we need help making progress on a particular task that is challenging us? Do we need help with a feeling? Do we want to change a self-defeating belief that has been challenging us? Do we need information, an insight? Support? A friend?

Is there something in God's universe that would really bring us joy? We can ask for it. We can ask God for whatever we want. Put the request in God's hands, trusting it has been heard, then let it go. Leave the decision to God. Asking for what we want and need is taking care of ourselves. Trust that the Higher Power to Whom we have turned over our life and will really does care about us and about what we want and need. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food For Thought:
Sometimes they just need a little something to make them smile. People will forget what you said...people will forget what you did...but people will never forget how you made them feel.

LESSON OF THE DAY 583

Ayah of the Day:
We have set forth every ideal to humanity in this Recital, but most people refuse, except with ingratitude. [17: 89]

Hadith of the Day:
God condemns a man who dresses like a woman or a woman who dresses like a man. [Hakim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
God says, "I have created you, your moments, your breaths, your possessions, your lives. If they are expended on Me, if you give them to Me, the price of them is everlasting Paradise. This is your worth in My sight. [Mawlana Rumi]

Guidance of the Day:
God's Will: God's will most often happens in spite of us, not because of us. We may try to second guess what God has in mind for us, looking, searching, hyper vigilant to seek God's will as though it were a buried treasure hidden, beyond our reach. God's will for us is not hidden like a buried treasure. It is right there inside and around us. It is happening right now. Sometimes, it is quiet and uneventful and includes the daily disciplines of responsibility and learning to take care of ourselves. Sometimes, it is healing us when we are in circumstances that trigger old grieving and unfinished business.

Sometimes it is grand. We do have a part. We have responsibilities, including caring for ourselves. But we do not have to control God's will for us. We are being taken care of. We are protected. And the Power caring for and protecting us loves us very much. If it is a quiet day, trust the stillness. If it is a day of action, trust the activity. If it is time to wait, trust the pause. If it is time to receive that which we have been waiting for, trust that it will happen clearly and with power, and receive the gift in joy. [The Language of Letting Go].

Food for Thought:
Making a "living" is not the same as making a "life". If you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing your very best you can, happiness will find you.

LESSON OF THE DAY 582

Ayah of the Day:
Say, "Even if humans and sprites all gather together to produce something like this Recital, they could not produce anything like it, even if they helped each other. [17: 88]

Hadith of the Day:
God condemns the one who takes, pays, witnesses, or notarizes a usurious transaction. [Abu Dawud]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Do not look at a man's prayers nor his fasts, rather, measure him by how well he deals with others, the compassion he shows his fellow man, his wisdom and his integrity. [Omar radi allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
When Things Don't Work: Frequently, when faced with a problem, we may attempt to solve it in a particular way. When that way doesn't work, we may continue trying to solve the problem in that same way. We may get frustrated, try harder, get more frustrated, and then exert more energy and influence into forcing the same solution that we have already tried and that didn't work. That approach makes us crazy. It tends to get us stuck and trapped. It is the stuff that unmanageability is made of.


We can get caught in this difficult pattern in relationships, in tasks, in any area of our life. We initiate something, it doesn't work, doesn't flow, we feel badly, then try the same approach holder, even though it's not working or flowing. Sometimes, it's appropriate not to give up and to try harder. Sometimes, it's more appropriate to let go, detach, and stop trying so hard. If it doesn't work, if it doesn't flow, may be life is trying to tell us something. Life is a gentle teacher. She doesn't always send us neon road signs to guide us. Sometimes, the sings are more subtle. Sometimes not working may be a sign!

Let go. If we have become frustrated by repeated efforts that aren't producing desired results, we may be trying to force ourselves down the wrong path. Sometimes, a different solution is appropriate. Sometimes a different path opens up. Often, the answer will emerge more clearly in the quietness of letting go than it will in the urgency, frustration, or desperation of pushing harder. Learn to recognize when something isn't working or isn't flowing. Set back and wait for clear guidance. [The Language of Letting Go]

Dua of the Week:
Allahummagh fir li zambi wa wassi'li fi daari wa baarik li fi rizqi. (O Allah forgive my shortcomings, and widen for me the expanse of my home, and favor for me my provision).

Food for Thought:
By seeking to be the center of attention and by trying to please others, you lose both peace and stability in your life.

LESSON OF THE DAY 581

Ayahs of the Day:
If We wished, We would take away what We have revealed to you by inspiration; then you would not find yourself an agent against Us in this, except as a mercy from your Lord, whose generosity to you is immense. [17: 86,87]

Hadith of the Day:
A person has done enough wrong in his life if he simply repeats everything he hears. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
One is brought near to the intimate knowledge of Allah, through silence. [Sulaiman Darami]

Guidance of the Day:
Achieving Harmony: When a pianist learns a new piece of music, he or she does not sit down and instantly play it perfectly. A pianist often needs to practice each hand's work separately to learn the feel, to learn the sound. One hand picks out a part until there is rhythm and ease in playing what is difficult. Then, the musician practices with the other hand, picking through the notes, one by one, until that hand learns its task. When each hand has learned its part--the sound, the feel, the rhythm, the tones--then both hands can play together. During the time of practice, the music may not sound like much. It may sound disconnected, not particularly beautiful. But when both hands are ready to play together, music is created--a whole piece comes together in harmony and beauty.

It may feel like we spend months, even years, practicing individual, seemingly disconnected behaviors in the separate parts of our life. One part at a time, we practice our new music note by note: We work on our relationship with our Higher Power--our spirituality. We work on feelings. On beliefs. On behaviors. Letting go of the old, acquiring the new. We work and work and work. We practice. We struggle through. We go from one extreme to the other, and sometimes back through the course again. We make a little progress, go backward, and then go forward again. It may seem disconnected. It may not sound like a harmonious, beautiful piece of music--just isolated notes.

Then one day, something happens. We become ready to play with both hands, to put the music together. What we have been working toward, note by note, becomes a song. The song is a whole life, a complete life, a life in harmony. The music will come together in our life if we keep practicing the parts. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
Three things in human life are important: The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.

LESSON OF THE DAY 580

Ayah of the Day:
They ask you about the spirit. Say, "The spirit is from the command of my Lord; and you are given but little knowledge." [17: 85]

Hadith of the Day:
Consider well contentment, for it is a treasure without end. [Tabarani]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Generosity is not identifying with yourself, and acting as well as possible. [Hasan al Basri]

Guidance of the Day:
Surrender; Master the lessons of your present circumstances. We do not move forward by resisting what is undesirable in our life today. We move forward, we grow, we change by acceptance. Avoidance is not the key; surrender opens the door. Listen to this truth: We are each in our present circumstances for a reason. There is a lesson, a valuable lesson, that must be learned before we can move forward.

Something important is being worked out in us, and in those around us. We may not be able to identify it today, but we can know that it is important. We can know it is good. Overcome not by force, overcome by surrender. The battle is fought, and won, inside ourselves. We must go through it until we learn, until we accept, until we become grateful, until we are set free. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
We can choose to live in the past, or we can choose to finish our old business from the past and open ourselves to the beauty of today.

LESSON OF THE DAY 579

Ayahs of the Day:
And when We confer favors on man, he turns and withdraws on his own; and when calamity strikes him, he despairs. Say, "everyone acts according to his type; and your Lord knows better who is best guided in a way. [17: 83,84]

Hadith of the Day:
One beneficial scholar is better than a thousand worshipful devotees. [Daylami]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Submit to the rulings of the religion, for Islam is linguistically derived from submission and do not engage in rational analogy using your intellect alone. For the intellect has limits that it can reach just as the sight has limit that it can reach. [Shaykh Bayanuni]

Guidance of the Day:
Don't Panic: Panic, not the task is the enemy. Many of us have moments when we feel crowded and overwhelmed. We have times when we feel like we cannot possibly accomplish all that needs to be done. We may be facing a task at work, an improvement in ourselves, or change in our family life.

For a moment, it is helpful to look forward and envision the project. It is normal, when we look ahead at what needs to be done, to have moments of panic. Feel the fear, then let it go. Take our eyes off the future and the enormity of the task. If we have envisioned the goal, it will be ours. We do not have to do everything today, or at once. Focus on today. Focus on the belief that all is well. All we need to do to reach our goal is to focus on what presents itself naturally, and in orderly way, to us today. We shall be empowered to accomplish, peacefully, what we need to get where we want to be tomorrow.

Panic will stop this process. Trust and guided action will further it. Breathe deeply. Get peaceful. Trust. Act as guided, today. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for the Day:
Plan your future carefully: You are going to spend the rest of your life there i.e. Akhira.

LESSON OF THE DAY 578

Ayah of the Day:
And We reveal from the Recital what is a cure and a mercy for the believers. But it only increases the wrongdoers in deviation. [17: 82]

Hadith of the Day:
Prayer is the central pillar of religion; prayer is the key to every good. [Hakim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
There is not good in a person who has no modesty with respect to others. [Hudhaifa ibn alYamaan]

Guidance of the Day:
Learning New Behaviors: Life is a gentle teacher. She wants to help us learn. The lessons she wants to teach us are the lessons we chose to learn to before we were born. Others say they are the lessons that were chosen for us. It's frustrating to be in the midst of learning. It is like sitting in algebra class, listening to a teacher explain a subject beyond our comprehension. We do not take understanding for granted. It may feel like someone is torturing us with messages that we shall never understand. We strain and strain. We feel angry. Frustrated. Confused. Finally, in despair, we turn away, deciding that that formula will never be available to our mind.

Later, while taking a quiet walk, we break through. Quietly, the gift of understanding has reached that deepest place in us. We understand. We have learned. The next day in class, it's hard for us to imagine not knowing. It is hard to remember the frustration and confusion of those who have not yet caught on. It seems so easy...now.

Life is a Gentle Teacher. She will keep repeating the lesson until we learn. It is okay to become frustrated. Confused. Angry. Sometimes it is okay to despair. Then, it is okay to walk away and allow the breakthrough to come. It shall. [The Language of Letting Go]


Food for Thought:
When the believer is overcome by misfortune, only by repenting can he truly find a way out of his difficulties.

LESSON OF THE DAY 577

Ayahs of the Day:
And say, "My Lord, let me enter by the entry of truth; and give me authority from You to help." And say, "The truth has come, and falsehood has perished; for falsehood is bound to perish." [17: 80,81]

Hadith of the Day:
May God have mercy on a servant who spoke well and gained good, or kept silent and avoided harm. [ibn al-Mubarak]

Wise Quote of the Day:
All of the religion is behavior and character, what increases you in (good) behavior, increases you in your religion. [Ibn al Qayyim]

Guidance of the Day:
Our Higher Power: We live life one day at a time, an idea requiring an enormous amount of faith. We refuse to look back--unless healing from the past is part of today's work. We look ahead only to make plans. We focus on this day's activity, living it to the best of our ability. If we do that long enough, we'll have enough connected days of healthy living to make something valuable of our life.

We surrender to God's will. We stop trying to control, and we settle for a life that is manageable. We trust our Higher Power's will for us--that it's good, generous, and with direction. We are learning through trial and error, to separate our will from God's will. We are learning that God's will is not offensive. Sometimes, we need to do things that are frightening or painful. Sometimes, we need to step out, step back, or step forward. We need to call on the help of a Power greater than ourselves to do that. We will never be called upon to do anything that we won't be empowered to do. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
Don't use your lot in life as a parking lot, cultivate it. Every day is a new beginning. Our best preparation for tomorrow is the proper use of today.

LESSON OF THE DAY 576

Ayah of the Day:
And keep a vigil part of the night, as an extra devotion for you; perhaps your Lord may raise you to an honored station. [17: 79]

Hadith of the Day:
He who directs others to a good deed is as the one who did it; and, assuredly, God loves the act of aiding the distressed. [Ibn Abi ad Dunya]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Honor lies in hastening to forgive. Dishonor lies in hastening to revenge. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Balance: The goal is balance. We need balance between work and play. We need balance between giving and receiving. We need balance in thought and feelings. We need balance in caring for our physical self and our spiritual self. A balanced life has harmony between a professional life and personal life. There may be times when we need to climb mountains at work. There may be times when we put extra energy into our relationships. But the overall picture needs to balance.

Just as a balanced nutritional diet takes into account the realm of our nutritional needs to stay healthy, a balanced life takes into account all our needs: our need for friends, work, love, family, play, private time, recovery time, and spiritual time--time with God. If we get out of balance our inner voice will tell us. We need to listen. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
We do not lead others into light by stepping into the darkness with them.

LESSON OF THE DAY 575

Ayah of the Day:
Set prayer for the sun's decline, until the darkening of night, and the dawn recitation: for the recitation at dawn is witnessed. [17: 79]

Hadith of the Day:
Set aside what causes you doubt for what does not. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Avoiding that which is forbidden is based upon fear, while doing that which is commanded is based upon hope. The whole matter of seeking knowledge is also based on fear. [Sahl bin Abdullah]

Guidance of the Day:
Accepting Change: The winds of change blow through our life, sometimes gently, sometimes like a tropical storm. Yes, we have resting places--time to adjust to another level of living, time to get our balance, time to enjoy the rewards. We have time to catch our breath. But change is inevitable, and desirable. Sometimes, when the winds of change begin to rustle, we are not certain the change is for the better. We may call it stress or a temporary condition, certain we'll be restored to normal.

Sometimes, we resist. We tuck our head down and buck the wind, hoping that things will quickly calm down, get back to the way things were. Is it possible we are being prepared for a new "normal"? Change will sweep through our life, as needed, to take us where we are going. We can trust that our Higher Power has a plan in mind, even when we don't know where the changes are leading. We can trust that the change taking place is good. The winds will take us where we need to go. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
The way life unfolds is good, even when it hurts. And ultimately we benefit from even the most difficult situations.

LESSON OF THE DAY 574

Ayah of the Day:
And those who were blind in the here and now will be blind in the hereafter, and more deviant in their way. [17: 72]

Hadith of the Day:
Two qualities are never coupled in a believer: miserliness and immorality. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Regret over misdeeds erases them, and pride over good deeds ruins them. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Negotiating Conflicts: Problems and conflicts are part of life and relationships--with friends, family, loved ones, and at work. Problem solving and conflict negotiation are skills we can acquire and improve with time. Not being willing to tackle and solve problems in relationships leads to unresolved feelings of anger and victimization, terminated relationships, unresolved problems, and power plays that intensify the problem and waste time and energy. Not being willing to face and solve problems means we may run into that problem again.

Some problems with people cannot be worked out in mutually satisfactory ways. Sometimes the problem is boundary issue we have, and there is not room to negotiate. In that case, we need to clearly understand what we want and need and what our bottom line is. Some problems with people, though, can be worked out, worked through, and satisfactorily negotiated. Often, there are workable options for solving problems that we will not even see until we become open to the concept of working through problems in relationships, rather than running from the problems.

To negotiate problems, we must be willing to identify the problem, let go of blame and shame, and focus on possible creative solutions. To successfully negotiate and sole problems in relationships, we must have a sense of our bottom line and our boundary issues, so we don't waste time trying to negotiate non-negotiable issues. We need to identify what both people really want and need and the different possibilities for working that out. We can learn to be flexible without being too flexible. Committed, intimate relationships mean two people are learning to work together through their problems and conflicts in ways that work in both people's best interest. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when "forget-me-nots" are withered.

LESSON OF THE DAY 573

Ayah of the Day:
One day We will call all human beings with their leaders: those who are given their record in their right hand will read their record and will not be wronged at all. [17: 71]

Hadith of the Day:
Hearts naturally love those who are kind to them and loathe those who are cruel. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Taking pains to remove the pains of others is the true essence of generosity. [Abu Bakr radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Acceptance: Surrender to the moment. Ride it out and through, for all it's worth. Stop resisting. So much of our anguish is created when we are in resistance. So much relief, release, and change are possible when we accept, simply accept. We waste our time, expend our energy, make things harder by resisting, repressing, and denying. Repressing our thoughts will not make them disappear. Repressing a thought already formed will not make us a better person. Resistance and repression will not change a thing. We make life harder by resisting and repressing our feelings. Feelings are for the present moment. The more quickly we can accept a feeling, the more quickly we will move on to the next.

Resisting circumstances in our life does not change things, no matter how undesirable the events or circumstances may be. Acceptance turns us into the person we are and want to be. Acceptance empowers the events and circumstances to turn around for the better. What we do if we are in resistance, in a tug-of-war with reality in our life? Accepting our resistance can help us get through that too. Acceptance does not mean we are giving our approval. It does not mean surrendering to the will and plans of another. It does not mean commitment. It is not forever. It is for the present moment.

Acceptance does not make things harder; it makes things easier. Acceptance does not mean we accept abuse or mistreatment; it does not mean we forgo ourselves, our boundaries, hopes, dreams, desires, or wants. It means we accept what is, so we know what to do to take care of ourselves and what boundaries we set. It means we accept what is and who we are at the moment, so we are free to change and grow. Acceptance and surrender move us forward. Acceptance and surrender--two concepts that hurt the most before we do them. [The Language of Letting Go]


Food for Thought:
It's so easy to look around and notice what's wrong. It takes practice to see what's right. Positive energy heals, conducts love, and transforms. Choose positive energy.

LESSON OF THE DAY 572

Ayah of the Day:
We have indeed honored the descendants of Adam, carrying them on land and sea and providing for them from the good things; We have favored them in blessings over most of the beings We created. [17: 70]

Hadith of the Day:
Three practices will keep sincere your Muslim brother's/ sister's love for you: greeting him when you see him; making room for him in gatherings; and calling him by the most endearing of his/her names. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
You are more precious than both heaven and earth
You know not your own worth.
Sell not yourself at little price,
Being so precious in God's eyes. [Mawlana Rumi]

Guidance of the Day:
Surrender: Surrendering to a Power greater than ourselves is how we become empowered. We become empowered in a new, better, more effective way than we believed possible. Doors open. Windows open. Possibilities occur. Our energy becomes channeled, at last, in areas and ways that work for us. We become in tune with the plan for our life and our place in the universe.

And there is a plan for us. We shall see that. We shall know that. The universe will open up and make a special place for us, with all that we need provided. It will be good. Understood that it is good, now. Learning to own our power will come, if we are open to it. We do not need to stop at powerlessness and helplessness. That is a temporary place where we re-evaluate where we have been trying to have power when we have none. Once we surrender, it is time to become empowered. Let the power come, naturally. It is there. It is ours. When we make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
Sometimes, it helps to know what we want and need. But if we don't, we can trust that God does. When we ask, trust, and believe that our needs will be met, our needs will be met. Sometimes God cares about the silliest little things, if we do.

LESSON OF THE DAY 571

Ayahs of the Day:
Are you sure God will not bury you somewhere on land, or send a violent storm against you, so you would find yourselves no protector? Or are you sure God will not send you back to sea another time around, and send a gale force wind against you and drown you for your ingratitude, so you would find no one to help you against Us in that? [17: 68,69]

Hadith of the Day:
Practice humility until no one oppresses or belittles another. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Many think that tests from God are always signs of His wrath. As Muslims, we believe that the trials afflicting us can be signs of His love. [Imam Zaid shakir]

Guidance of the Day:
Solving Problems: Many of us fear problems. We may spend more time reacting to a problem than we do to solving it. We miss the point; we miss the lesson; we miss the gift. Problems are a part of life. So are solutions. A problem doesn't mean life is negative or horrible. Having a problem doesn't mean a person is deficient. All people have problems to work through.

We need to learn to focus on solving our problems. First, we make certain the problem is our problem. If it isn't, our problem is establishing boundaries. Then we seek the best solution. This may mean setting a goal, asking for help, gathering more information, taking an action, or letting go. We need to learn to face and solve problems, knowing they will appear regularly. We can trust our ability to solve problems, and know we are not doing it alone. Having problems does not mean our Higher Power is picking on us. Some problems are part of life; others are ours to solve, and we'll grow in necessary ways in the process.

Face and solve today's problems. Don't worry needlessly about tomorrow's problems, because when they appear, we'll have the resources necessary to solve them. Facing and solving problems--working through problems with help from the Higher Power--means we're living and growing and reaping benefits. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
Your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to be.

LESSON OF THE DAY 570

Ayah of the Day:
And when adversity befalls you at sea, whoever you pray to other than God vanishes, forgotten. Yet when God delivers you onto dry land, you turn away; man is most ungrateful. [17: 67]

Hadith of the Day:
God loves a servant who when performing a task does so skillfully. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The one to whom small calamities seem large, will certainly be afflicted by truly large calamities. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Setting Our Own Course: We are powerless over other people's expectations of us. We cannot control what others want, what they expect, or what they want us to do and be. We can control how we respond to other people's expectations. During the course of any day, people may make demands on our time, talents, money, and emotions. We do not have to say yes to every request. We do not have to feel guilty if we say no. And we do not have to allow the barrage of demands to control the course of our life.

We do not have to spend our life reacting to others and to the course they would prefer we took with our life.We can set boundaries, firm limits on how far we shall go with others. We can trust and listen to others. We can trust and listen to ourselves. We can set goals and direction for our life. We can place value on ourselves. We can own our power with people.

Buy some time. Think about what you want. Consider how responding to another's needs will affect the course of your life. We live our own life by not letting other people, their expectations, and their demands control the course of our life. We can let them have their demands and expectations; we can allow them to have their feelings. We can own our power to choose the path that is right for us (as a believer). [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
Often, one of our biggest questions is "What's going to happen?' Things will work out, if we let them. If we must focus on the future other than to plan, all we need to do is affirm that it will be good.

LESSON OF THE DAY 569

Ayahs of the Day:
"As for My devotees, you have no authority over them." And your Lord is an adequate guardian. Your Lord is the One who propels the ships for you on the sea, that you may seek some of the divine bounty; for God is Most Merciful to you. [17: 65,66]

Hadith of the Day:
Avoid cupidity (avarice), for it is instant poverty. [Tabarani]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Prayer and fasting are among the greatest things a person can do, yet to remove pride and arrogance from one's heart rank even higher. [Shaykh Kharkhani]

Guidance of the Day:
New Energy Coming: There is a new energy, a new feeling coming into our life. We cannot base our expectations about how we will feel tomorrow, or even a few hours from now, on how we feel at this moment. There are no two moments in time alike. We are changing. Our life is changing. At times things hadn't worked out the way we wanted. We had lessons to learn. The future shall not be like the past. The truly difficult times are over. The confusion, the most challenging learning experiences, the difficult feelings are about to pass. Do not limit the future by the past! Haven't there been many changes that have brought you to where you are now? Reflect on one year ago. Haven't you and your circumstances changed since then.

Sometimes, problems and feelings linger for a while. These times are temporary. Times of confusion, uncertainty, times of living with a particular unsolved problem do not last for ever. We make these doubly hard by comparing them to our past. Each situation and circumstance has had its particular influence in shaping who we are. We do not have to scare ourselves by comparing our present and future to a painful past, especially our past before we learned through a certain experience. Know that the discomfort will not be permanent. Do not try to figure out how you shall feel or when you shall feel differently. Instead, trust. Accept today, but do not be limited by it.

A new energy is coming. A new feeling is on the way. We cannot predict how it will be by looking at how it was or how it is, because it shall be entirely different. We have not worked and struggled in vain. It has been for and toward something. Continue on the path of trust and obedience. Be open to the new. [The Language of Letting go]

Food for Thought:
One of the greatest gifts we can give is an open, loving heart. And holding on to negative feelings from past relationships is our greatest barrier to that gift.

LESSON OF THE DAY 568

Ayahs of the Day:
(God) said, "Go: and if any of them follow you, hell is your reward, an ample reward. And inflame any of them you can with your voice, and attack them with your cavalry and your infantry; and share with them in properties and children and make promises to them."--But Satan promises them nothing but deception. [!7: 63,64]

Hadith of the Day:
Beware of suspicion, for it is the most deceitful of thoughts. [Bukhari & Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Islam expects of its followers that they will be masters of live hearts and wakeful conscience, which would ensure the protection of the rights of God and humanity and which would also protect their actions from the commitment of excesses. [Muhammad al Ghazali]

Guidance of the Day:
Appreciating Our Past: It is easy to be negative about past mistakes and unhappiness. But it is more healing to look at ourselves and our past in the light of experience, acceptance, and growth. Our past is a series of lessons that advance us to higher levels of living and loving. The relationships we entered, stayed in, or ended taught us necessary lessons. Some of us have emerged from the most painful circumstances with strong insights about who we are and what we want.

Our mistakes? Necessary. Our frustrations, failures, and sometimes stumbling attempts at growth and progress? Necessary too. Each step of the way, we learned. We went through exactly the experiences we needed to, to become who we are today. Each step of the way, we progressed. Is our past a mistake? No. The only mistake we can make is mistaking that for truth. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
One is judged by one's dominant characteristics. From the lack of fairness is to expect refinement in the world, while you yourself are unrefined.

LESSON OF THE DAY 567

Ayahs of the Day:
When We said to the angels; "Bow to Adam," they bowed, except Iblis the desperate one, who said, "What? Shall I bow to one you've made from clay?" He said, "Do you see this one whom You have honored over me? If You let me stay until the Day of Resurrection, I will bring his descendants into subjection, except for a few." [17: 61,62]

Hadith of the Day:
The servants God loves most are those most sincere with God's servants. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Self satisfaction is a sure sign of lacking intellect. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
New Beginnings: Resentments are the blocks that hold us back from loving ourselves and others. Resentments do not punish the other person; they punish us. They become barriers to feeling good and enjoying life. They prevent us from being in harmony with the world. Resentments are hardened chunks of anger. They loosen up and dissolve with forgiveness and letting go.

Letting go of resentments does not mean we allow the other person to do anything to us that he or she wants. It means we accept what happened in the past, and we set boundaries for the future. We can let go of resentments and still have boundaries!

We try to see the good in the person, or the good that ultimately evolved from whatever incident we feel resentful about. We try to see our part. Then we put the incident to rest. Praying for those we resent helps. Asking God to take our resentments from us helps too. What better way to begin a day than by clearing the slate of the past, and entering this one free of resentments. [The Language of Letting go]

Food for Thought:
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of a hole is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!

LESSON OF THE DAY 566

Ayah of the Day:
And there is no community but We will annihilate it before the Day of Resurrection, or punish it with a severe torment. That is written in the Book. [17: 58]

Hadith of the Day:
Honor scholars, as they are the inheritors of the prophets. Anyone who honors them has honored God and His Messenger. [Al Khatib]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The sign of love for Allah Most High is that one follows the character, acts, laws, and ways of the beloved messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace). [Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi]

Guidance of the Day:
Gratitude: Sometimes in life, things happen too fast. We barely solve one problem when two new problems surface. We are feeling great in the morning, but we are submerged in misery by nightfall. Every day we face interruptions, delays, changes, and challenges. We face personality conflicts and disappointments. Often when we are feeling overwhelmed, we can't see the lessons in these experiences.

One simple concept can get us through the most stressful of times. It's called gratitude. We learn to say, thank you, for these problems and feelings. Thank you for the way things are. I don't like this experience, but thank you anyway. Force gratitude until it becomes habitual. Gratitude helps us stop trying to control outcomes. It is the key that unlocks positive energy in our life. It is the alchemy that turns problems into blessings, and the unexpected into gifts. [The Language of Letting Go]

Food for Thought:
There are times in life when we can walk a gentle, loving path. There are times, however, when we need to stand up for ourselves--when walking the gentle, loving path puts us deeper into the hands of those who could mistreat us.

LESSON OF THE DAY 565

Ayah of the Day:
Those to whom they pray seek closeness to their Lord, even the nearest; and they hope for Divine Mercy and fear Divine Punishment: for the punishment of your Lord is something to beware of. [17: 57]

Hadith of the Day:
The majority of man's sins emanate from his tongue. [Tabarani]

Wise Quote of the Day:
A grateful heart is a fount from which flows one of this worlds greatest pleasures--happiness. When the heart is grateful it is also happy. [Imam Magid bin Muhammad]

Guidance of the Day:
Acting as if: The behavior we call "acting as if" is a powerful tool to practice the positive. It's a positive form of pretending. It's a tool we use to get ourselves unstuck. It's a tool we make a conscious decision to use. Acting as if can be helpful when a feeling begins to control us. We make a conscious decision to act as if we feel fine and are going to be fine. When a problem plagues us, acting as if can help us get unstuck. We act as if the problem will be or already solved, so we can go on with our life. Often, acting as if we are detached will set the stage for detachment to come in and take over.

There are many areas where acting as if--will set the stage for the reality we desire. We can act as if we love everyone, until we actually do begin to care for everyone. Acting as if is a positive way to overcome fears, doubts, and low self esteem.. We do not have to lie; we do not have to be dishonest with ourselves. We open up to the positive possibilities of the future, instead of limiting the future by today's feelings and circumstances. Acting as if helps us get past shaky ground and into solid territory. [The Language of Letting go]

Food for Thought:
Being grateful, being positive, being healthy, does not mean we never feel angry. Being grateful, positive, and healthy means we feel angry when we need to.

LESSON OF THE DAY 564

Ayah of the Day:
Tell My servants to say what is best, for Satan sows dissension among them; indeed Satan is an open enemy to man. [17: 53]

Hadith of the Day:
The worst of heinous sins are idolatry, murder, abuse of one's parents, and false testimony. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The essence of knowledge is to know what obedience and worship are. Know that obedience and worship are conformity to the Lawgiver as regards commands and prohibitions, in both word and deed. [Imam Ghazali]

Guidance of the Day:
Prayer: As a matter of fact, prayer is the only real action in the full sense of the word, because prayer is the only thing that changes one's character. A change in character, or a change in soul, is a real change. We are spiritual beings who are human. Praying and meditating are ways we take to take care of our spirit. Prayer and meditation are ways to improve our personal relationship with a God to benefit ourselves, our life, and our growth.

Praying is how we connect with God. We don't pray because we have to; we pray because we want to. It is how we link our soul to our Source. We learn to take care of our emotions, our mind, and our physical needs. We learn to change our behaviors. But we also learn to take care of our spirit, our soul, because that is where all true change begins. Each time we talk to God, we are transformed. Each time we connect with our Higher Power, we are heard, touched, and changed for the best. [The language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie]

Food for Thought:
All adversity is really an opportunity for our souls to grow, all adversity is really a form of growing pain.

LESSON OF THE DAY 563

Ayah of the Day:
One day God will call you, and you will answer with praise of God; and you will think you stayed (in the world) only a little while. [17: 52]

Hadith of the Day:
What enables people to enter Paradise more than anything is piety and good character. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The one who solely depends upon Allah is more at rest with His promise than with the promises of men. [ Shaqeeq al Balki]

Guidance of the Day:
Further Advice: These ten attitudes will prove greatly beneficial in this world and the Hereafter: truth with sincerity, justice with creation, wrath with the lower self, service to the saints, love and mercy upon little ones, generosity with the dervishes, advice and admonition to friends, patience with enemies, silence with ignoramuses, and humility with the scholars. Stay among people, but remain aloof. Your body should be among creation, but your heart with the Creator. This will ensure that negligence does not overtake you. Beware of such negligence lest you conform with people in a way that entails opposition to Allah and His displeasure.

There are two kinds of repentance: The first is to repent of sins because of fear of Allah's punishment. The second is to resort to repentance because of shame for Allah Most High. One's worship is absolutely insignificant in the presence of His Majesty and Splendor.

Every part of the body has its repentance. The repentance of the heart is its intention to abstain from the unlawful. The repentance of the eye is not to glance at things forbidden. The repentance of the ear is not to listen to evil and nonsensical talk. The repentance of the hands is not to raise them toward what has been forbidden. The repentance of the stomach is to refrain from consuming the unlawful. The repentance of one's modesty is to abstain from acts of immorality and from fornication. [The Path to Perfection by Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanwi]

Food for Thought:
A truly wise person will have the wisdom to know what he can do, accept what he can't do, and have the generosity of spirit to extend himself in ways that can make a difference.

LESSON OF THE DAY 562

Ayah of the Day:
The seven heavens and the earth and all beings therein praise God. There is not a single thing that does not extol the praise of God, but you do not understand their praise. God is truly gracious, most forgiving. [17: 44]

Hadith of the Day:
True spiritual excellence is devotion to God as if you see Him; and though you do not see Him, you at least know that He sees you. [Bukhari & Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Do not ask one who flees from your requests, but instead, ask Allah Most High, the One Who has ordered you to ask of Him. [Ibn al Samak]

Guidance of the Day:
Further advice: Shaykh Muhammad Wasi (may Allah have mercy on him) was among the greatest of the friends of Allah. A man requested advice of him. The Shaykh said, "I will give you such advice by means of which you may become the king of the world and obtain peace in the Hereafter. Adopt zuhd (abstention) in this world. Never have any greed or hope with regard to any man. See all creation to be dependent on Allah. It is then evident that you will become independent of all creation. This is the meaning of becoming a king."

Ruin comes to a person from six avenues: weakness of intention regarding the acts of the Hereafter; obedience to the commands of the devil and striving in that direction; in spite of nearness of death, to entertain distant hopes and plans; to adopt the pleasure of people in preference to the pleasure of Allah; to abstain from the Sunna of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) because of obedience to the desires of the lower self; to cite the errors of previous Friends of Allah as proofs for one's acts and to bury their excellence. [The Path to Perfection]

Food for Thought:
A good deed provides greater benefits to the benefactor--in terms of blessings and recompense and peace--than it does to the receiver. Doing good to others brings happiness to both the heart and the soul.

LESSON OF THE DAY 561

Ayahs of the Day:
We have varied presentations in this Recital, that they may bear in mind, but it only increases their aversion. Say: "Were there deities beside God as they say, then they would have sought a way to the Lord of the Throne." Glory be to God, exalted beyond whatever they say in loftiness and greatness. [17: 41,42,43]

Hadith of the Day:
The best charity a Muslim practices is acquiring some knowledge and teaching it to his brother. [Ibn Majah]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Knowledge is a pre-requisite of action, and unless our activism in the West is based on sound religious knowledge, it will be devoid of Divine acceptance and help. It is only by holding fast to the inheritors of our tradition that Islam will succeed in the West. [Hamza Karam Ali]

Guidance of the Day:
Allah Most High says in the Torah:
7. Mankind! I have created all things for you and I have created you for My worship. But you have become trapped in what has been created for your service, and you have drifted away from Me for the sake of others.
8. Mankind! All creation desires something for themselves, while I desire you for your own sake, but you run from Me.
9. Mankind! You are displeased with Me because of the desires of the lower self, but never did you become displeased with your lower self for My sake.

10. Mankind! Worshipping Me is obligatory on you, and providing you sustenance is obligatory upon Me. But in most cases you are negligent in your duty, while I'm never negligent in feeding you.
11. Mankind! You seek future sustenance even today, but I do not desire from you the worship of the future.
12. Mankind! You will forever remain in peace and comfort if you are content with what I have given you. If you are not content with it, I will assert the greed of the world over you. It will then cause you to run from pillar to post, and from door to door, like a dog, in utter humiliation, and then too you will obtain only what has been predestined for you. [The Path to Perfection]

Food for Thought:
Be a student. Stay open and willing to learn from everyone and anyone. Being a student means you have room for new input.

LESSON OF THE DAY 560

Ayahs of the Day:
Of all of that, it is the evil of it that is repugnant to your Lord. That is some of the wisdom your Lord revealed to you by inspiration. Do not invent another deity beside God, or you will be thrown into Hell, condemned and banished. [17: 38,39]

Hadith of the Day:
The most virtuous behavior is to engage those who sever relations, to give to those who withhold from you, and to forgive those who wrong you. [Tabarani]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The word trust contains an ocean of meaning, but underneath it all is the sense of responsibility, the sense of having to appear before Allah and to account for one's actions. [Muhammad al Ghazali]

Guidance of the Day:
The Commander of the believers, our master Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah ennoble his countenance) said, "I have selected from the noble Torah twelve statements, and I reflect on these statements daily; Allah Most High says:

1. Mankind! Never fear any devil or king as long as My reigns endure.
2. Mankind! Never be worried about our food as long as you find My treasuries full. My treasuries never decrease, nor will they be depleted.
3. Mankind! When you become helpless in any affair, call upon Me, and most certainly, you will find Me. I am Bestower of all things and all goodness.

4. Mankind! Be assured that I regard you as My friend. You, therefore, befriend me.
5. Mankind! Do not cease to fear Me until you have crossed the bridge (on the day of judgment).
6. Mankind! I have created you out of dust, blood clot, and sperm. I was not without perfect power when creating you, so how then should I be without perfect power to feed you? Why, then, do you seek from others? [The Path of Perfection]

Food for Thought:
Instead of saying, "Why is this happening to me? Isn't this awful. Poor me," begin to say, "What do I have to learn from this?"

LESSON OF THE DAY 559

Ayah of the Day:
And do not walk on earth insolently, for you cannot circle the earth and you cannot reach the mountains in height. [17: 37]

Hadith of the Day:
A mother is one of the strongest doors of Paradise, if you wish you may pull it down, or if you wish you may protect it. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Sincerity means that one does not seek recompense to what one has done. [Abu Bakr radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Contentment: He who firmly believes that Allah Most High will grant a reward for every difficulty and sorrow experienced here will most certainly be filled with pleasure and happiness.. The reward for contentment is of such a nature that all difficulty fades into nothingness. It is improper to desire anything contrary to what Allah Most High has willed and decreed for the servant. When Allah Most High considers adversity and difficulty appropriate and advantageous to us, then we as His servants have no valid reason for the displeasure and grief.Whatever state Allah Most High chooses for a servant, that is best for him. Seeing another in a more prosperous condition than himself, man yearns for such prosperity and is not contented with his own lot. But reflection will prove to one that the condition chosen for one by Allah Most High is best.

It should be observed that supplication is not contrary to contentment. The people of Allah resort to supplication because of the Divine Command. In this way they profess their state of total submission and surrender to Allah. They therefore do not insist on the attainment of what is being supplicated for. In all states and circumstances, they are fully pleased with the choice of Allah Most High, whether their supplication is accepted or not. Non-acceptance never causes dissatisfaction in them. This is the sign of true contentment.

Acquiring Contentment: Contentment is the effect of the love of Allah. Consequently there is no other means of acquiring this quality (except by means of love), as contentment is a necessary corollary of love. [The Path to Perfection]

Food for Thought:
When you meet a wasteful immoderate person, you hear complaints, no matter how rich he is, he still complains. But when you meet even the poorest, but contented person, you hear only thanks.

LESSON OF THE DAY 558

Ayah of the Day:
And do not occupy yourself with what you have no knowledge of; for listening, looking, and the impulse of the heart will all be questioned. [17: 36]

Hadith of the Day:
Of the good fortune of man is his contentment with what Allah has decreed for him. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Other than good there is no other result which comes from tawakkul (reliance upon Allah), and it is granted to those who busy themselves in worship and good pleasure of their Lord. [Sahl bin Abdullah]

Guidance of the Day:
Contentment: This consists of total submission and contentment with the Decree. One should neither by word or deed object to fate. Contentment (rida) develops to such a lofty degree that its domination permeates one's being. In this high state of contentment, hardship recedes and is not considered as such. The state of contentment in which even pain is not felt is called "natural contentment." The state in which contentment prevails along with the sensation of pain is called "intellectual contentment." The fist state is a physical condition whose acquisition is not obligatory.The second state is an intellectual condition whose acquisition is obligatory.

Contentment with fate is commanded and exhorted so as to inculcate in one the qualities of perseverance and satisfaction when afflicted by adversity and hardship. When contentment has been inculcated, adversity is taken in stride and pleasure and without feeling any undue hardship. This is so because the intelligence alerts one to the superior results of such contentment in the face of adversity. The result of such contentment is future reward.

This will be better understood by means of an illustration. A physician prescribes a bitter remedy to a patient or may even insist on an operation. The patient, bearing in mind his future recovery and health, willingly submits to the treatment. He is not only pleased with the physician but feels indebted to him. [The Path to Perfection]

Food for Thought:
It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.

LESSON OF THE DAY 557

Ayah of the Day:
And give full measure when you measure out, and weigh with an accurate balance. That is fair, and the best determination. [17: 35]

Hadith of the Day:
When you rise in the morning do not fret about the evening, and when it is evening do not fret about the morning. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Wanting more when sufficient sustenance and well-being has been given, is also a form of complain. [Osman radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Consigning one's affairs: Tawhid is to assign one's affairs to Allah Most High. He may do with one as He desires. One's gaze and hope should be on none besides Allah. While employing the means and the agencies, the result of all things should be left to Allah Most High. To consign one's affairs does not mean shunning the means and the agencies that Allah Most High has created for the acquisition and handling of affairs. It merely means that one's confidence and hope should be on none besides Allah Most High. The result of the employment of the means and agencies should be left to Allah Most High. In affairs not related to means and agencies, consignment should be adopted from the very beginning. In such matters, one should not adopt planning and scheming.

To plan and scheme is to the cause of all worry, because of it being expected a project should proceed according to the set plan and program arranged for it. If the result is contrary to expectation, worry and frustration are the consequence. The schemes initiated by man mostly consists of matters beyond the control of his will. It is therefore childish to scheme about things not within one's will. It is for this reason that the Friends of Allah shun scheming. They resign themselves entirely and submit to the pleasure of Allah Most High. It is necessary to abandon one's own scheme of operation and resign oneself to Allah. One should adopt total and perfect submission and surrender--becoming a perfect slave of Allah Most High.

Acquiring consignment of one's affairs: When confronted with an event that is not to one's liking, immediately think that it is an act of Allah and most certainly there is wisdom and good in it. In the beginning it will be difficult to acquire this attitude. However, constant reflection produces the eradication of effort, and this approach then becomes a natural condition in the Friends of Allah. [The Path to Perfection]

Food for Thought:
Surrender, trust, and turn away from outer accumulation and achievement and allow yourself to be purposeful and guided.

LESSON OF THE DAY 556

Ayah of the Day:
And do not approach the property of the orphan, except with what is better, until he reaches maturity; and fulfill promises, for the promise will be questioned. [17: 34]

Hadith of the Day:
If you are kind to your neighbors and like others to have what you want for yourself, you will be a believer. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
He who tells a lie loses the freshness of his face, he who cultivates bad habits will ever remain sad; it is far easier to move a huge mountain from one place to another than to reform the ignorant, stupid. [Luqman the wise]

Guidance of the Day:
Truthfulness: The nature of truthfulness (sidq) consists of developing an acquired rank until it is perfected. The meaning of truthfulness is steadfastness. In all states, acts, and speech the truthful one is well grounded. He has realized the state of perfection. In the Shari'a, the conception of truthfulness includes actions, speech, states, and conditions. Truthfulness in regard to speech is that talk should be firm and true according to reality. One imbued with this quality is called "truthful in speech." Truthfulness in regard to actions is that every act be in conformity with the command of the Shari'a and not in conflict with it. One whose acts are at all times in conformity with the Shari'a is termed "truthful in acts." Truthfulness in regard to one's state or condition is that all conditions should be in accordance with the sunna. Conditions that are in conflict with the Sunna are false. One whose states are in accordance with the Sunna is called "truthful in states."

The states of truthfulness is such that their effect is enduring. the influence of the states of truthfulness is lasting and dominant. They are not of a temporary nature. They should not exist in a person one day and be absent another. Nor does this mean that such states should overwhelm one perpetually. Rather, the effect or influence of these states of truthfulness should abide, become a station, and not fade. One should develop the art of worship or obedience to the stage of perfection. For example, perform prayer in such a way that it could be described in the Shri'a as a perfect prayer--a prayer performed in observance of all the external and internal rules and etiquette. The same should apply to all other acts of obedience and worship. The implementation of this way is truthfulness.

Truthfulness is dependent upon knowledge of the factors that produce perfection. Therefore, one has to be alert at all times and compensate for one's shortcomings. An effort is to be made to rectify poorly performed obligations. Constancy in improving and perfecting one's acts will ensure within a short while the perfect state of truthfulness. [The Path to Perfection]

Food for Thought:
The foolish and the dead never change their opinion. Invite change into your life, wonderful surprises await you.