LESSON OF THE DAY 680

Ayahs of the Day:
Some people dispute about God without knowledge: and they follow every defiant devil, of whom it is written that he will misguide anyone who puts him in charge, leading him to the torment of the blaze. [22: 3,4]

Hadith of the Day:
The most beloved practice in the sight of Allah is love for the sake of Allah and hatred for the sake of Allah. [Abu Dawud]

Wise Quote of the Day:
If we are not living for our Lord, relying on His guidance and help, and trusting in His wisdom, we will find it very difficult to negotiate our way through this world. [Imam Zaid Shakir]

Guidance of the Day:
If we know how the accursed Devil operates, it is possible to protect ourselves against his temptations. Generally speaking, there are seven ways the Devil leads people astray.

1. The main goal of the Devil is to prevent us from obeying our Lord. He wants to steal our faith. He will attempt to prevent us from praying, fasting, paying the poor-rate, from performing the pilgrimage, from doing good deeds. He presents the ego with attractive alternatives: wealth, fame, fun, ambition, attachment to the world and the worldly. But the heedful, wise, and faithful person can respond: "I am here in this world for a moment and I will be in the Hereafter for the eternity. I can only care for this world for the short time I will spend here, but I must work for the sake of the Hereafter where I will stay forever.

2. If the evil influence cannot prevent us from doing what Allah has ordered us to do, it tries to delay the good actions we intend. It tempts us to do what is pleasurable to our egos first. What Allah asks us to do, it prefers we do later. In this case, the devout, under the protection of their Lord, can respond: "My life is not in my hands. I do not know when the end will come. If I leave what I was ordered to do today until tomorrow, tomorrow may never come. Every moment of my life is for a purpose. Now is the time to do what is to be done now. And now is the only time." [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time. All deception in the course of life is indeed nothing else but a lie reduced to practice, and falsehood passing from words into things.

LESSON OF THE DAY 679

Ayahs of the Day:
O humanity, be conscious of your Lord, for the shock of the end of time will be a tremendous thing: the day you see it, every nursing woman will forget the child she suckles, and every pregnant female will drop its fetus, and you will see the people intoxicated though they are not drunken: but the punishment of God is severe. [22: 1,2]

Hadith of the Day:
Allah has forbidden to you denying what you owe and demanding what you have no right to, and has disliked for you idle talk and gossip, excessive questioning, and squandering wealth. [Bukhari & Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Just like stagnant, standing water becomes a breeding ground for filth, an empty and carefree mind becomes a hive for useless and scorn thoughts. [Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad]

Guidance of the Day:
We should also suspect the existence of hypocrisy in our relations with our friends and acquaintances. Do we prefer one person over another because he is rich, famous, known and admired by others? Or do we care more about his righteousness, his knowledge and wisdom and good character----even if he is also rich and famous? If our preference is dependent on wealth and fame and the recognition of others, our care for that person is certainly hypocritical.

There are signs of hypocrisy particular to people who are put in the positions of teachers, preachers, mystical leaders, and the wise. One is a change of attitude and an affection in speech when talking to important people. However if spiritual teachers appear to be especially polite, caring, and generous to the rich and famous with the intention of correcting their wrong doings and leading them to repentance and to straight path, thus hoping to lead others to salvation through their influence, their actions are correct and not hypocritical.

Another sign of hypocrisy among such people is the expression of envy and disapproval, and the belittling of others in their position. Yet envying someone for his piety, righteousness, and religious knowledge is perfectly acceptable. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
Never spend your money before you have it. Debt is the worst poverty. Rather go to bed supperless than rise in debt. Do not accustom yourself to consider debt only as an inconvenience; you will find it a calamity. A man in debt is so far a slave.

LESSON OF THE DAY 678

Ayahs of the Day:
It is God who knows what is said openly and what you conceal, and I don't know but it may be a trial for you, or a delight for a while. Say, "My Lord, judge by truth." And, "Our Lord, the Benevolent One, is the resort against what they assert." [21: 110,111,112]

Hadith of the Day:
Anger ruins faith just as the aloe plant ruins honey. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
A person who renounces something for his Lord will be more than compensated with strong faith and the rewards of obedience to the Lord of the universe. [Ibn Abbad]

Guidance of the Day:
It is permissible to feel a certain security and satisfaction in hiding one's piety, one's good deeds---even hiding from our left hand what our right hand gives---as a proof to ourselves that we seek only Allah's approval. However, hypocrisy may raise its ugly head and make us expect people around us to behave well toward us in consequence. We may expect people to offer us respect, to be fair when we buy something, to show us honor, kindness, thankfulness, as if we deserved those considerations for hiding our good deeds! If our efforts were untainted by hypocrisy, we would neither expect people's regard nor mind their ingratitude and disregard.

Unless you waste no thought or care on people's reactions when you behave according to the orders of Allah, unless there is no difference between your cat seeing you pray or your neighbor, the question of hypocrisy in your actions remains. When we are confident of our truthfulness with ourselves, we may purposefully accept recognition from people in order to feel the sting of hidden hypocrisy. Allah sees and knows all; nothing is hidden from Him. The sincere believer should also be able to see in himself what Allah knows. [The Path of Muhammad by Imam Birgivi]

Food for Thought:
Crisis and deadlocks when they occur have at least this advantage, that they force us to think. As we wake or sleep, we grow strong or we grow weak, and at last some crisis shows us what we have become. Crisis refine life. In them we discover what we are.
God calls Himself "Baseer" [Observant], so that the knowledge that He is watching you may

LESSON OF THE DAY 677

Ayahs of the Day:
We have sent you only as a mercy to all peoples. Say, "It has only been revealed to me that your deity is one God; so do you acquiesce?" Then if they turn away, then say, "I have exhorted you just the same, even though I do not know whether what you are promised is near or far." [21: 107,108,109]

Hadith of the Day:
Interest, however much it might accrue, leads in the end to penury. [Ibn Maja, Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Never consider sin to be small. Regard sin as great. He who thinks slightly of sin has considered Allah to be insignificant. [Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanwi]

Guidance of the Day:
A possible cure for hypocrisy is to be wary of one's concern for the opinions of others. It is best to totally ignore people's opinions, unless your behavior is harmful to them. Indeed, your fasting or praying is between you and Allah and has nothing to do with human beings. If you seek other people's recognition of your piety, you are setting up partners to Allah---unless you want to set an example to others, you are the same as the secular hypocrite who wishes to become the commanding of the army by showing false valor in battle, and gets himself killed.

What is most pernicious is hidden hypocrisy---hidden even from the hypocrite himself. It is more difficult to detect than the sound of an ant's footsteps. That is why a sincere person must take great care to learn the signs of hidden hypocrisy.

Sometimes we find joy, satisfaction, and a little pride in people's approval and praise of things we have done with the true intention of helping others, leading them to the straight path, or serving as an example of selfless obedience to Allah. If we do these things without remembering that they are all undertaken for His sake and that He is the one who rewards us by hiding our faults and showing us only His beautiful side----then there is danger of hypocrisy. To be happy and satisfied in yourself, thankful to Allah for making you act like a human being, and hopeful of His favors in the Hereafter, is not a sign of hypocrisy. The test is in our ability to look into ourselves in sincerity. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
The small courtesies sweeten life; the greater ennoble it. We must be as courteous to a man as we are to a picture, which we are willing to give the advantage of a good light. True politeness consists in being easy one's self, and in making everyone about one as easy as one can.

LESSON OF THE DAY 676

Ayahs of the Day:
And We recorded in the Psalms, after the Reminder, that My servants, people of integrity, will inherit the earth. There is indeed in this a message for people who worship. [21: 105,106]

Hadith of the Day:
The closest to Allah of people is the one who begins the salam. [Abu Dawud]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Do not use your energy except for a cause more nobler than yourself. Anyone who uses his energy for the sake of the vanities of the world is like someone who exchanges gemstones for gravel. [Ibn Hazm]

Guidance of the Day:
Another sickness of the heart and cause of faithlessness is sanctimony. Sanctimony in the ordinary sense means attempting to succeed in this world through one's devotion, worship, and prayers, while also making public these acts of devotion. Even simply telling someone about your religious practice without being asked, or without an intention of teaching or correcting religious concepts, is sanctimonious.

Sanctimony is a form of hypocrisy, which is the attempt to appear to be what one is not. Its opposite is sincerity, the foundation of true faith. Sincerity means to undertake good deeds and behavior in harmony with our actual faith and religion, out of concern for salvation and peace in the Hereafter and a pure wish to come close to our Lord. Such actions, devotions, worship, and prayers are kept hidden, away from the sight and hearing of others. The reward for sincerity is the greatest gift of Allah in this world: the conviction that you are in the plain view of Allah while you are performing your worship. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
This is no time for ease and comfort. It is the time to dare and endure. True courage is like a kite; a contrary wind raises it higher. It is grace under pressure. The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart. One man with courage makes a majority.

LESSON OF THE DAY 675

Ayah of the Day:
The day We roll up the sky like a scroll. As We created original nature, We will restore it, as a promise up to Us, for We are the author of creation. [21: 104]

Hadith of the Day:
Allah does not look at your appearance or wealth but looks at your heart and actions. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
You must control your tongue and know your contemporaries. Talk to the people so that they can understand and omit that which they cannot understand. [Shaykh al Junayd]

Guidance of the Day:
By general concurrence and agreement, even religious practice, when it is merely an imitation, is considered a sin. There are a lot of people talking who only pretend to be wise, and a lot of books written that will lead one astray. Of course, long accepted and respected interpreters should be followed. But even in these cases, one should not blindly imitate the branch of Islamic teaching to which one belongs, but study and learn its origins and principles. Only by so doing one will be following the principles of the Holy Book and the Tradition of the Prophet.

Even with the best of intentions, students remain in danger of creating distortions. If you are arrogant, and see and decide on things wholly according to your own mind and opinions, you will establish your own destructive innovations in the practice of religion. That is even worse than blindly following innovations instituted by others. Such danger is yet another example of the power of our egos to fool us into sin. [The Path of Muhammad by Imam Birgivi]

Food for Thought:
Not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. A good memory and a tongue tied in the middle is a combination which gives good immortality to conversation.

LESSON OF THE DAY 674

Ayah of the Day:
Whoever does good works and is a believer, there is no rejection of his striving, and We are recording it for him. [21: 94]

Hadith of the Day:
You are not superior to a white, or black-skinned person, unless you excel him in piety. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Knowledge is not what is memorized; knowledge is what benefits. [Imam al Shafii]

Guidance of the Day:
Often enough the ego fools us by presenting attractive examples and suggesting that we imitate them. Hidden under the make-up that makes them beautiful, these attractions are evil and hideous. Heedlessly one takes them as friends, partners in fun and games, drunkenness and debauch, or even as guides and leaders.

Following the example of a way of behavior or an appearance with unwarranted trust, without investigating and seeking proofs of its being desirable, is blind imitation. According to religious precepts, imitation is strongly discouraged----unless one has reached the decision to follow after closely examining the suggested exemplar (even if only in summary manner). Over and over again, in the Holy Qur'an, there are warnings against imitation. We are urged to investigate and carefully consider everything in existence before we follow its example. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
Conversation is an art in which man has all mankind for competitors.
Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood.

LESSON OF THE DAY 673

Ayahs of the Day:
Indeed, this community of yours is one single community, and I am your Lord, so serve Me. But they differed in their religion one from another, they will all return to Us. [21: 92,93]

Hadith of the Day:
Voluntary charity extinguishes the anger of the Lord and prevents an unpleasant death. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
O son of Adam, you are but a few days, whenever a day is gone, part of you is too. [Hasan al Basri]

Guidance of the Day:
It is necessary to fight an endless battle in this life in order to protect ourselves against the ego---the greatest of evil enemies. A continuous effort must be made to repel it, or at least to reduce our acquiescence to its demands. Perhaps the first attempt should be to change our habits, which usually already represent the established rule of our egos. That struggle is the true sign of the righteous. It is the only way to take hold of the force that leads us astray. We must fight to bring our egos under control, in order to save our souls and afford them their rightful ruling place in our lives.

If you wish your Lord to lead you on the straight path to truth, first you must eliminate the hindrance of your ego on that path. Then Allah will certainly act upon what He promises. In the struggle with the ego, we should be careful not to tyrannize ourselves. Among the desires of our flesh there are things permissible, even necessary. One should be able to gauge the strength and insistence of these desires: it is excess that makes them blameworthy. Indeed, it is not possible for human nature totally to deny what the flesh and the ego desire. The exaggeration of asceticism is forbidden in Islam. Even in our worship moderation is advised. To seek rest, comfort, and recreation, not for their own sake, but to give one strength and motivation to live a righteous life, is to abide by the rules of religion. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
The rose and the thorn, and sorrow and gladness are linked together. Where there is much light, the shadow is deep. Joy and grief are never far apart. The luster of diamonds is invigorated by the interposition of darker bodies; the highest pleasure which nature has indulged to sensitive perception is that of rest after fatigue.

LESSON OF THE DAY 672

Ayahs of the Day:
And We did give Moses and Aaron the Criterion, and illumination, and reminder for the conscientious, those who fear their Lord in private, dreading the end of time. So this is a blessed reminder that We have sent down; now are you denying it? [21: 48,49,50]

Hadith of the Day:
A soul will never die until it fully receives all of its livelihood. [Ibn Maja]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Character is what defines a human being, not the outward form. [Shaykh al Jonayd]

Guidance of the Day:
There is a disease of the heart between faith and faithlessness, which shows itself when people get involved in trying to alter the precepts of the religion. The cause of this illness is total dependence on limited human logic and intelligence; total faith in one's own opinions; obedience to desires of one's flesh and the ambitions of one's ego or simply blindly following someone who is misled. The worse of these is slavery to the ego.

Our egos and the appetites of our physical being contain a tendency toward wrongdoing. They have the strength to impose their wishes in our lives---but to obey all their desires is surely the way to our downfall. Almost always they lead to forbidden things, harmful even to our material being and life in this world, in addition to being disastrous for the Hereafter. They push us to revolt against Allah's prescriptions and the path of salvation, leading us to regions of pain, confusion, disaster, and sin by pretending that these are desirable conditions and good for us. And those of us who remain slaves to their egos become lowly, immoral, tyrannical, selfish, stingy, hypocritical, lying, cursed beings, enemies of the public and of themselves. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
The secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have, and to be able to lose all desire for things beyond your reach. It is right to be contented with what we have, never with what we are.

LESSON OF THE DAY 671

Ayahs of the Day:
And We will set up the scales of justice for the day of resurrection, so no soul will be mistreated at all; even so much as the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring out, and We are quite capable of taking account. [21:47]

Hadith of the Day:
Satan runs through a human like blood runs (through the body) [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Belief causes the faculty of will to be employed in God's name, and makes it sufficient before everything it may face. Like when a soldier employs his insignificant strength on account of the state, he can perform deeds thousands of times greater than his own strength. [Badi Uzzaman Sa'id Nursi]

Guidance of the Day:
If the approval of others relates to your attitude and actions in this world, simply remember that what they have praised in you is temporal, as are this life, this world, and their very approval, respect, and friendship for you. If their praise relates to your spiritual state, the medicine against the sickness is to increase your efforts to acquire knowledge and apply it in your spiritual life; and to hold on to sincerity.

Most of the time, the causes and effects of ambition, praise and criticism, and the damage they produce, are totally ignored by the ones who are affected. Knowledge and living according to our knowledge lead to a state of awe and fear of Allah, which is a defense against all evil within and without ourselves. That state is better than the state of those who take refuge in their worship, caring only for the eternal life in the Hereafter, and living in security and peace. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
To confess a fault freely is the next thing to being innocent of it. Open confession is good for the soul. The confession of evil works is the beginning of good works.

LESSON OF THE DAY 670

Ayah of the Day:
Say, "I only warn you through revelation." But the deaf do not hear the call when they are warned. [21: 45]

Hadith of the Day:
Livelihood seeks a person out in the same way that his death does. [Abu Nu'aym]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The whisperings of the ego are far worse than the Satanic whisperings, for dhikr easily wards off the devil's mischief, whereas warding off the ego's mischief is extremely difficult. [Shaykh al Jonayd]

Guidance of the Day:
Blame is rarely complete without truth. Therefore we should be thankful to those who are critical of us, even if their intentions are insulting---for they make us aware of our flaws in our character or our actions of which we were unaware. Our critics are our allies against our enemy, which is our own ego. If you are absolutely sure that you do not deserve to be criticized, the criticism is still good for you---although disastrous for your critic! Therefore you should pity him and pray for his forgiveness, because he is guilty of slander. On the Day of Judgment, Allah will take his good deeds and give them to you, and take your sins and give them to him. But in any case, if you recognize the fault mentioned by him in yourself, you must do all that is possible to correct it.

People have justified praise because it makes us taste human perfection. If not totally, at least in some aspects of our character we are made to feel better than we are. The love we feel toward those who praise us captures our hearts and friendship in turn---and perhaps through them, captures their hearts and respect of still other people. Yet the effort to hold onto this love and consideration distorts our character. For in reality the praiser is our enemy, since he is the ally of our enemy----our ego. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
Constant complaint is the poorest sort of pay for all the comforts we enjoy. The usual fortune of complaint is to excite contempt more than pity. The wheel that squeaks the loudest is the one that gets the grease, and is the first to be replaced.

LESSON OF THE DAY 669

Ayah of the Day:
Every living being tastes death: and We try you with ill and good, as a test; and you will be returned to Us. [21: 35]

Hadith of the Day:
The consultant is placed in a position of trust. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Know that patience, if viewed against one's affairs is like the head to the body, if the head leaves the body the whole body will be spoiled, likewise,if patience leaves, all affairs will be spoiled. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
To believe oneself to be exceptional, better than others, having a right over others---or to wish to be in that state is the result of weakness of faith, which reduces us to being a slave of our egos and the desires of our flesh. The surest way to rid oneself of the desire to be superior to others is to separate oneself from others--if not literally, then by freeing oneself from their opinions and considerations. The only time a place above others ceases to be dangerous is when one is neither attached to it nor ambitious for it.

The fear of criticism and the love of praise are very much like the sickness of feeling or hoping that one is superior to others. To rid oneself of the fear of criticism we should try to see the truth in it. This practice helps us to see ourselves and our faults, or to remind us of our faults. The pain that comes from criticism is felt only by people whose whole life and care is for this world. For those who care for the Hereafter, criticism is a gift and a cause of salvation and peace. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
The fantastic advances in the field of electronic communication constitute a greater danger to the privacy of the individual.

LESSON OF THE DAY 668

Ayahs of the Day:
We never sent a messenger before you revealing to him that there is no God but Me; so serve Me. [21: 26]

Hadith of the Day:
Even the slightest ostentation (in good works) is associating others with Allah. [Ibn Maja]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Sincerity is to forget to regard men by continuously regarding their Maker. [Abu Othman]

Guidance of the Day:
Wisdom,valor, and chastity and innocence----in their pure state, without any false intentions---are the three guardians of an honorable condition. That condition is called justice. Whatever generates from justice is a manifestation of good character.

A person who has been blessed with good character, whether given naturally or acquired through effort, can preserve it only among other people of good character. Such a person should avoid the company of evil friends who indulge in fun and games, debauchery and drunkenness, and the exchange of gossip and meaningless debates, for this is the environment in which the ego feeds and strengthens and takes over.

What keeps the ego weak and obedient is applying learning and knowledge in good actions; being aware of one's state; meditating upon causes and effects; appreciating the gifts bestowed by good character; and listening to the advice of others engaged in the same pursuit. On such food, our ego will obey its Lord. What we need most is to cleanse our heart of all that is evil and decorate it with beautiful behavior. The truth of Islam is no more than two things: to leave what is bad, and to advance what is best, in one's character. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
Anyone can be a barbarian; it requires a terrible effort to remain a civilized man. Civilization ceases when we no longer respect and no longer put into their correct places the fundamental values, such as work, family, and country. The true civilization is where every man gives to every other every right that he claims for himself.

LESSON OF THE DAY 667

Ayah of the Day:
God cannot be questioned for what God does---it is they who will be questioned. [21: 23]

Hadith of the Day:
Blessed is the man whom God has made a key for the good and a lock for the evil. [Tirmidhi]

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

Guidance of the Day:
All ill is cured by the action of its opposite. It is difficult, when one is used to a state, to face the certainty of a contrary state. It necessitates forming an intention and making a great deal of effort. The intention and the effort consist of self-evaluation, critiquing both our evident state and our hidden feelings and thoughts, and then taking action to oppose our habitual way of being. For instance, if you are a miser, act like a spendthrift. If you are a coward, be brave--but not so as to endanger yourself!

In all these attempts, be conscious. Calculate and reflect upon your actions and their effects, and be firm in your intentions and decisions. You must continue until your evil-commanding self, your ego, realizes that the effect of these efforts is a more natural, better, and easier life. Good health is easy to keep. All one has to do is be moderate. To cure yourself of a bad feature of character is an obligation. It will save you from the disasters of this world as well as of the Hereafter. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
Between two evils choose neither; between two goods, choose both. He who chooses the beginning of a road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determine the end.

LESSON OF THE DAY 666

Ayahs of the Day:
If there were a deity besides God in the sky and earth, both would go awry: so glory to God, Lord of the Throne, beyond what they ascribe. [21: 22]

Hadith of the Day:
There is no harm in wealth for one who fears Allah the Powerful, the Exalted. [Ibn Majah]

Wise Quote of the Day:
He who comes to the realization of his Lord after much contemplation and reflection will find easy increase in all of his other worships. [Yahya bin Mu'adh]

Guidance of the Day:
The cure of every ill depends on realizing that one is sick. When we recognize the harm of our condition, we can seek its cause and the ways to counteract it. Finding these, we can believe firmly in the beneficence of the measures necessary to counter our ills. And we will know the source of our cure.

Knowing our ills requires that we inspect ourselves, our actions, and our relations with others. It is helpful to listen to and accept the criticisms of real friends---even the accusations of our enemies---because, often enough, our friends merely excuse our faults, while our enemies see those faults magnified. The criticisms we make of others are a good means of seeing the same faults in ourselves. Each person is a mirror to other people, and those who realize this can see their own faults elsewhere, and take lessons from them.

Once you know your ills, you should not attribute them to a general and total failure. Learn to identify each separately and seek its causes, both outside and inside yourself. Then attempt to eliminate or change those causes. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
Health is the condition of wisdom, and the sign is cheerfulness,---an open and noble temper. Cheerfulness in most cheerful people, is the rich and satisfying result of strenuous discipline. Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness, and its power of endurance---the cheerful man will do more in the same time, will do it better, and will preserve it longer, than the sad or sullen.

LESSON OF THE DAY 665

Ayahs of the Day:
Everyone in the skies and on the earth belongs to God; even those in the presence of God are not too proud for the service of God, and neither do they weary; they celebrate the glory of God night and day, never weakening. [21: 19, 20]

Hadith of the Day:
Whoever deceives us is not of us. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The best people are those who, after being generous to people, seek generosity only from Allah, and those who, after exemplifying the blessed sunnah, seek a lawful means of living. [Abu Hafs al Haddad]

Guidance of the Day:
Another great power in our being is lust. It is always in motion, seeking what the flesh desires. In equilibrium it is called chastity---the pursuit of our loves and desires in an exclusively lawful manner. Excess of lust is shamelessness, debauchery, which prods us toward whatever we fancy without any consideration either of the object itself, or of the physical or spiritual consequences to ourselves. And deficiency of lust leads to total loss of interest in all that is desirable, a state of complete lack of emotional involvement.

Wisdom, valor, and chastity are gained when consciousness manifests in communication among all the parts of ourselves, and between ourselves and others. Then we can draw our wit, our anger, and our lust under our control---we can, in fact, take them into our service. And stupidity, fury, cowardice, licentiousness are the result when anger, lust, and self-regard overcome our consciousness, reason, and conscience. The observe of wisdom, valor, and chastity are vicious and perverse influences leading to vileness and disgrace. Most bad habits and character are caused by these and related excesses. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
There is no personal charm so great as the charm of a cheerful temperament, which is the off-shoot of goodness. The best way to cheer yourself is to cheer somebody else up. So of the cheerfulness, or a good temper, the more it is spent, the more it remains.

LESSON OF THE DAY 664

Ayahs of the Day:
We did not create the sky and the earth and what is in between them in jest; Had We wanted to take up a sport, We would have taken it from Our own dominion, were We going to do so. [21: 16,17]

Hadith of the Day:
There is no intelligence like planning, no ability like good character, and no piety like restraint. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
A bad thought about someone that occurs in one's heart is a notion suggested by the Devil, and one should not only dismiss it but increase one's concern and respect for him, as this will put off the Devil and he will not suggest the like of it. [Imam al Ghazali]

Guidance of the Day:
The extreme development of understanding is a sharp intelligence, a quick-wittedness, which allows one to decipher hidden secrets such as destiny, or allegorical and ambiguous verses of the Qur'an. Excess of wit may push one to do things that are harmful to other people. Too much of this kind of intelligence leads to unreasonableness, lack of conscience---indeed to stupidity---which blinds the eye of the heart. It may leave a person in such a state that he can no longer tell what is good from what is bad.

The situation with intelligence is similar to the situation with anger. Anger is a necessary capacity. We require it in order to eliminate influences dangerous to our existence. The moderation of anger is called valor---a strength that enables a person to fight destructive forces. But excess of anger is fury, a madness that makes us forget both the reason for fighting and its results. And the deficiency of anger is cowardice, a state that renders us passive before a deadly danger. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
A wise man will make haste to forgive, because he knows the value of time, and will not suffer it to pass away in unnecessary pain.

LESSON OF THE DAY 663

Ayahs of the Day:
When they felt Our severity, they ran away from it. Do not run away, but come back to the good things of this life given to you, and to your homes, in order that you may be called to account. [21: 12,13]

Hadith of the Day:
He who does not keep his trust has no faith, and he who does not keep his agreements has no religion. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Everything in the creation is pleased with the one who is pleased with the Creator. [Yahya bin Mu'adh]

Guidance of the Day:
Know that the education and purification of the heart are more important than concern for any other part of your physical being. The heart is like a king whose decision is law. The other parts of your body are like the king's subjects. A heart is healthy when it is cleansed of wrong concerns and negative feelings by good morals and beneficent feelings.

Our first care should be about the ways acquiring good habits and character, to keep them, and to improve them and reinforce them. Good morals are such a discipline that they develop into good actions. Character can be changed: in fact the aim and purpose of religion is exactly that. The ability to change differs from one person to another, depending on the strength of each person's wish and native ability, as well as upon the environment.

The forces that can change character are existent in everyone. The first is the ability to communicate. This ability depends upon the strength of one's understanding, and also upon one's equilibrium. Even if a person's capacity for understanding is only average, the door to wisdom is open. Wisdom is the ability to distinguish right from wrong. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
He who waits to do a great deal of good at once, will never do anything. The truly generous is the truly wise; and he who loves not others, lives unblessed. A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.

LESSON OF THE DAY 661

Ayah of the Day:
We have sent down a Book to you, wherein is your reminder; so will you not understand. [21: 10]

Hadith of the Day:
The most virtuous form of remembrance is La ilaha illa 'Llah, and the most virtuous supplication is Al-hamdu li 'Llah. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
When Allah wishes well, He wakes you up and makes you aware of your own faults. [Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani]

Guidance of the Day:
Knowledge is the criterion of the right and the wrong, the lawful and the unlawful. It is the light that enlightens the path of the people destined for Paradise. It is the best friend of those who feel alone in the exile of this world. It is a beneficent colleague, a guide for those who feel lost, a sword in the hand of the warrior of God, an adornment that beautifies you to your friends and your enemies alike.

God raises the fortune of some people and makes them leaders: their legacy guides future generations. People follow their example and solve their problems using their opinions. Angels follow them wherever they are, caressing them with their wings. The wet and the dry, the warm and the cold, the fishes in the sea, the lambs and the tigers of this world pray for their sins, because knowledge is that which gives life to hearts and light to eyes.

The one who knows reaches the level of the service of God, which is the highest level to which anyone can aspire in this world or the Hereafter. To meditate is better than fasting. To teach is better than praying. Knowledge brings people together. The right and the wrong, the lawful and unlawful are known by it alone. Knowledge precedes action. Action depends on knowledge. Those who are blessed are inspired by it. Those who disobey God are punished by the lack of it. [The Path of Muhammah]

Food for Thought:
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes. All change is not growth; all movement is nor forward.

LESSON OF THE DAY 660

Ayahs of the Day:
Their reckoning has drawn near for humanity, yet they turn away in heedlessness. Whenever a reminder from their Lord comes to them newly revealed, they only listen to it as they play. [21: 1,2]

Hadith of the Day:
The likeness of knowledge from which no benefit is derived is that of a treasure from which no portion is spent in the path of Allah. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Blessings tend to flee from those who have no measure and gratitude for them. [Sari al Saqati]

Guidance of the Day:
Faith is surety, security, confirmation of teachings brought by the messenger of God from God, believing them in your heart and expressing them with your tongue, your behavior, and your actions. Faith and Islam are one and the same. Every believer is a Muslim and every Muslim is a believer. Knowledge, sincerity, fear and hope in God, honesty, good character and behavior, and good deeds are part of faith and an indication of the perfection of faith. If we sometimes fail in acting upon our faith, we are not faithless, but our faith is weak.

Shari'ah, orthodoxy, the canon law in Islam, literally means the source. It is an obligation for every Muslim to know what to do, how to behave, how to lead his life, even if he does not know or consider why. According to the canons an imitator of right behavior is a firm believer, yet in our times there have appeared a great many innovations, diluting, annulling, or exaggerating and adding to the original codes of Islam at the time of the Prophet. The believer who in all sincerity imitates this kind of behavior is certainly sinning nonetheless.

It is no excuse that we do not know the reason, the source, the causes and effects of what we are asked to do. Therefore, although an imitator is still considered to be a believer, whoever follows the shari'ah blindly is held to be remiss, for he has not made an effort to know the reason, the cause, and the source of what he is doing. Let to themselves, such Muslims may fall into doubt and may claim as right things that which have been asserted by God to be wrong, or even forbidden. This is the cause of losing one's faith in Islam. May Allah protect us from such an eventuality. May we pass through the trials of this life as truly faithful, relying on God and the intercession of His prophet, and attain peace and felicity in this world and the world to come. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
It is a good thing to learn caution from the misfortunes of others. Among mortals second thoughts are wisest. Be slow of tongue and quick of eye. Deliberate with caution, but act with decision; and yield with graciousness, or oppose with firmness.

LESSON OF THE DAY 659

Ayahs of the Day:
And if We had ruined them as a penalty before, they would have said, "Our Lord, why didn't You send us a messenger, so we might have followed Your signs before being abased and disgraced?" Say, "Everything awaits, so watch: and you will know who is on the straight way, and who is guided. [20: 133,134]

Hadith of the Day:
The likeness of the one who remembers his Lord verses one who does not is the likeness of a living person verses a dead one. [Bukhari & Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Those who intimately know Allah are wealth in of themselves, and need no wealth from anywhere else. [Ma'ruf al Karkhi]

Guidance of the Day:
Certainly our love for Him cannot be possibly be like His love for us. The love of which we are capable is either natural love (which many of us, if not all, can feel) or spiritual love, which very few can understand and fewer still can experience. Spiritual love cannot be acquired. It is a gift, and to receive that gift we must be worthy of receiving it. The highest form to devotion is to praise the Beloved with both the natural love given to us and the spiritual love that must be won.

To receive the gift of spiritual love, we have "to know, to find, and to be." You cannot find a thing when you do not know what you are looking for, and you cannot find it if you don't the way. We cannot be that thing if we do not leave ourselves behind. Allah says in a divine tradition: "When My faithful servant comes close to Me with extra worship, I love him and he loves Me. And when I love him, I become his eyes with which he sees, his hands with which he holds, his feet with which he walks." That is when man knows, finds, and is with his Lord. But what is this "extra worship" that will bring us close to our Lord? It is service.

There are two levels of worship. One is the obligatory worship of five times daily prayer; fasting during the month of Ramadan, paying alms of one-fortieth of our liquid assets to poor Muslims, and going on the Pilgrimage once in a lifetime. The second set of obligatory worship does not have specific times. These duties are to be done now and always. They are exercised as the occasion presents itself in daily life. Such are kindness, forgiveness, concern for others, helping, protecting, feeding, advising, building and not destroying.

Allah does not permit this form of obligatory worship to be delayed. This second form of prayer through service is the "extra worship" that will bring us closer to our Lord. In fact, if we are given the occasions and are able to perform the worship of service, it is a sign that our formal devotions of daily prayers, fasting, and almsgiving are accepted. When someone has proven himself worthy to be a human being and a faithful servant of his Lord by serving selflessly in his Lord's name, he may then be given the gift of spiritual love. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
Respectable men and women content with good and easy living are missing some of the most important things in life. Unless you give yourself to some great cause you haven't even begun to live. They never fail who die in a great cause.

LESSON OF THE DAY 658

Ayah of the Day:
And direct your people to pray, and to be constant at it. We do not ask you for sustenance; it is We Who sustain you. And the reward is for the conscientiousness. [20: 132]

Hadith of the Day:
Every word uttered by a child of Adam will be held against him and not in favor of him, except enjoining good, forbidding wrong, and the remembrance of Allah. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Time wasted in youth must be made up in later years, if what you seek is a solicitous end. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Men are proud, and they do not know themselves. We are proud of what we are not, of that which our egos make us believe in real. Until we find out who we really are, our worship and devotion to God will be in hypocritical--at best, an imitation.

One way to know ourselves is by comparison. We should not compare ourselves to other people, which would be comparing an unknown with an unknown. But we should compare our state, even our imaginary state tainted with pride, to what we are supposed to be, as God meant us to be. God, as clear manifestation of His love for us, has sent His holy books and His Prophets--ideal human beings as examples to humankind----as the embodiment of all His wishes for us.

If we measure ourselves against the commands of God in the Qur'an, and if we compare our life to the life of the one whom He sent as His mercy upon the universe, we will perhaps be able to see our sad condition. Then perhaps our devotion, our worship, will be a little more sincere and true. Still it will be forced, tinted with the pain of self-disappointment, and selfish. We keep expecting reward, even if the reward is forgiveness. [The Path of Muhammad by Imam Birgivi]

Food for Thought:
The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. No cause is helpless if it is just. The mark of an immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.

LESSON OF THE DAY 657

Ayah of the Day:
And don't stretch your eyes to what We have allowed some classes of them to enjoy of the splendor of the world, as We might test them in that; for the provision of your Lord is better and more lasting. [20: 131]

Hadith of the Day:
Death is a gift for a believer. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
How can one purify others, when he cares not to purify himself. [Sari Saqati]

Guidance of the Day:
Allah's love for us manifests itself in His giving us the ability to know what kind of actions, what kind of life, will lead us to salvation and felicity; and how to save ourselves from things that are against our birthright, our nature, and our reason for being in this world. The purpose of our creation is to praise God and to serve Him. Thus praise, glorification, and thankfulness, prayer to God, is a natural manifestation of existence from all that is created.

For us who possess a human soul blown into us by Allah from His own Soul, who possess intelligence and will, to praise Allah like a mineral or a vegetable is not sufficient. These divine gifts are given to us so that we can prove our worthiness of them, Otherwise we will lower our state below that of the animals. The animal, the plant, the rock---these will never revolt against their own natures, because they do not know anything except themselves and do not do anything except what they are created to do. They are better Muslims than many human beings. [The Path of Muhammad by Imam Birgivi]

Food for Thought:
No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his well-being, to risk his body, to risk his life, in a great cause. If you want to be an orator, first get your great cause.

LESSON OF THE DAY 656

Ayah of the Day:
So endure what they say, and celebrate praises of your Lord before sunrise and before sunset, and celebrate God's praise at opportune times at night, and at the borders of the day, that you may be content. [20: 130]

Hadith of the Day:
Solitude is better than being in bad company, and being in good company is better than solitude. Saying what is good is better than silence, and silence is better than saying what is bad. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The one who is distant from the love of this world tastes the sweetness of loving the Divine, and these are not attained but through His generosity. {Ma'ruf al Karkhi]

Guidance of the Day:
On that day (the day of resurrection) those who are close to God will ride on heavenly steeds; the simple faithful will walk in the shade of God's throne. The nonbelievers will slide on their faces like worms, blind, dumb, and deaf. All will approach the great balance of justice, where good deeds will be weighed against sins.

Only the following seven kinds of believers will feel safe on that day:
1. Those who led and governed people in kindness and justice.
2. Those who passed their youth in decency and prayer.
3. Those who worshipped in together in mosques and kept up prayer.
4. Those who loved and helped each other for God's sake.
5. Those who feared God and shied away from sinning when they were tempted.
6. Those whose left hand did not know when their right hand alms for God's sake.
7. Those who remembered God by themselves, hidden from others' eyes, and shed tears in yearning for love of God and fear of losing God's care. [The Path of Muhammad by Imam Birgivi]

Food for Thought:
Calamity is the perfect glass wherein we truly see and know ourselves. It is the test of integrity, and a virtue's opportunity. It is only from the belief of the goodness and wisdom of a Supreme Being that our calamities can be borne in the manner which becomes a man. It is a man's true touchstone.

LESSON OF THE DAY 655

Ayah of the Day:
Had it not been for a word that issued from your Lord before, the inevitable would have taken place; but their is an appointed term. [20: 129]

Hadith of the Day:
The most beloved of places in the sight of Allah are the masjids, and the most disliked of the places in the sight of Allah are the markets. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
May Allah exalt the rank of the one who grants me the gift of advising me on my faults. [Omar radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
An ostentatious affection for the blessed Prophet can do little to create an authentic affinity with him. Real love between us and the Prophet is established when we follow the actions of his life: actions that made his life: actions that made his life truly the Last Messenger's life and a life that is worthy of imitation for all people until the end of the world. Following the sunnah is to submit to Allah, and to efface one's ego. In its comprehensive sense, sunnah is not just following the Prophet in one particular act, but adopting the way of the Prophet in the pursuit of meritorious acts and supererogatory practices and habits.

Allah created human beings pure and perfect, with no original sin. Sinners destroy this perfection with their own hands. Believers strive to preserve this perfection with their dedicated obedience. For all humanity, Allah has ordained a law and a way in conformity with His universal plan. The path of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) encompasses the whole of human life. Undeterred by any worldly power, unmoved by any offer of worldly gain, he proclaimed the glory of Allah. All who come after him should endeavor to pursue this stoic frame of mind.

Man's greatest achievement is in possessing those qualities that make him truly human. These qualities are enshrined in the eternal names of Allah, the greatest manifestations of which are to be seen in our Prophet. This is why the Prophet told us that he was sent to complete the excellence of character. A believer can hope to attain some of the sweet qualities of the Prophet by following him in both the physical acts of the sunnah as well as the spiritual acts of the sunnah. His sunnah is the only means of drawing near to Allah. By emulating every act of the Prophet, every living moment of a believer becomes significant, every action full of meaning. By following his moral and spiritual teachings, we follow the best of human examples. There are no virtues other than his virtues; all virtues are subsumed under his virtues. [The Path of Muhammad by Imam Birgivi]

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

LESSON OF THE DAY 654

Ayah of the Day:
So then it is not instructive to them, how many generations We have destroyed before them, in whose settlements they are coming and going? Surely in that is a sign for those endowed with reason. [20: 128]

Hadith of the Day:
Verily each of you is a shepherd, and each of you will be questioned (on the Day of Judgment) regarding his sheep. [Bukhari & Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
If you love that Allah should keep you upon that which you love, then remain upon that which He loves, and the good one is the one who sees no good in himself. [Ahmad ibn Hambal]

Guidance of the Day:
Nothing in this world is really useful and beneficial to you unless it has some utility and beneficial value for you in the next world. If you want to lament over things that you have lost in this world, then worry and feel sorry over the loss of things that had immortal values for you. The past and almost all that was in your possession during the past is not with you now. You may thus rationally come to the conclusion that the present and all that is in your possession will also leave you.

Inordinate desires have close relations with misfortunes and calamities. Whoever trusts this world is betrayed by it, and whoever gives it importance and exalts its position is disgraced and humiliated by it. Treat the members of your family with love and respect, because they act as wings with which you fly, and as hands that support you and fight for you. They are people toward whom you turn when in trouble and in need.

Weaknesses and shortcomings are not the things to talk about. Do not introduce ridiculous topics in your talk even if you have to repeat sayings of others. Do not be like persons on whom advice has no effect and who require punishment to correct this. A sensible and reasonable man acquires education and culture through advice, and brutes and beasts always accept correction through punishment and chastisement. [When you hear hoof beats think of a zebra]

Food for Thought:
We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. Brotherhood is the very price and condition of man's survival. Brotherhood is not just a sacred word. Out of comradeship can come and will come the happy life for all.

LESSON OF THE DAY 653

Ayahs of the Day:
Thus do We recompense one who goes beyond bounds and does not believe in the signs of his Lord. And the agony of the hereafter is more severe and more lasting. [20: 127]

Hadith of the Day:
Of the excellence of one's Islam is that he leaves that which does not concern him. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
What is there greater than patience!!! [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Do not get too worried and depressed over oppressions and cruelties, because whoever oppresses you or tyrannizes you is in reality doing himself harm. Overcome your sorrows, worries, and misfortunes through hard work, patience, and faith in the Merciful Lord; one who gives up a straight path, honest and rational ways of thinking and working, will harm himself. Poor is he who has no friends. Whoever forsakes truth finds that his path of life has become narrow and troublesome. Never ill-treat a person who has done good unto you.

Know it well, that there are two kinds of livelihood: one that you are searching for and the other, which has been destined for you, that will reach you even if you do not try to obtain it. To be submissive, humble, crawling, and begging when one is needy, powerless, and poor, and to be arrogant, oppressing, and cruel when in power and opulence are two very ugly traits of human character. The strongest relation is the one between man and Allah. [When you hear hoof beats think of a zebra]

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

LESSON OF THE DAY 652

Ayahs of the Day:
But for anyone who turns away from My reminder there is a wretched existence; and on the day of resurrection We will raise him up blind. He will say, "My Lord, why have you raised me up blind, when I used to be able to see?" "Thus did Our signs come to you, but you neglected them; and so you shall be neglected today." [20: 124,125,126]

Hadith of the Day:
How many there are who fast but do not gain anything from it but hunger, and how many there are who pass the night standing in the prayer but do not gain anything from it but sleeplessness! [Darami]

Wise Quote of the Day:
It is desirable for you that your speech and action be in accord with the law. since knowledge and action which are not modeled on the law are error. [Imam al Ghazali]

Guidance of the Day:
If you want to cease relations with your friend, then do not break off totally; let your heart retain some consideration for him, so that you still have some regard for him if he comes back to you. Under the impression that you, as a friend, can behave as you like, do not violate the rights of your friend, because when deprived of his rights and privilege, he will no longer remain your friend. Do not disappoint a person who holds a good opinion of you, and do not make him change his opinion.

A friend is like a relation, and a true friend is one who speaks well of you even behind your back. Do not run after him who tries to avoid you. The greatest achievement of your character is that the enmity of your brother against you dare not overcome the consideration and friendship you feel toward him, and his ill-treatment of you cannot overbalance your kind treatment to him. Do not ill treat members of your household and do not behave with them as if you are the worst tempered and the cruelest man alive. [When you hear hoof beats think of a zebra]

Food for Thought:
Not doing more than the average is what keeps the average down. The average person puts only 25% of his energy and ability to work. The world takes off its hat to those who put in more than 50% of their capacity, and stands on its head for those few and far between souls who devote 100%.

LESSON OF THE DAY 651

Ayahs of the Day:
But then his Lord chose him (Adam), and turned to him and guided. "Get down from there, both of you, hostile to one another. But if guidance from Me comes to you, whoever follows My guidance will not go wrong and won't be disappointed". [20: 122,123]

Hadith of the Day:
The children of Adam are all profuse wrongdoers, but the best of profuse wrongdoers are those that repent. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The prerequisite to one's outward reform is one's inward reform. [Maulana Maududi]

Guidance of the Day:
Do good to your brother when he is bent upon doing harm to you. When he ignores or declines to recognize the kinship, befriend him, go to his help, and try to maintain relations. If he is miserly and refuses monetary help, be generous with him and support him financially. If he is harsh and cruel, be kind and considerate with him. If he harms you, accept his excuses. But be careful that you do not behave thus with undeserving and mean persons.

Advise your friend to the best of your ability, though he may not like it. Keep a complete control over your temper and anger, because there is nothing more beneficial at the end and more productive of good results than such control. Be mild, pleasant, and lenient with him who is harsh, gross, and strict with you; gradually he will turn to your behavior.

Grant favor and be considerate of your enemy, because you will thus gain either one or the other of the two kinds of victories: one, rising above your enemy; the other, reducing the intensity of his enmity, because for every action there is a reaction. Treat with consideration and kindness those over whom you have power and authority. [When you hear hoof beats think of a zebra]

Food for Thought:
If you would abolish avarice, you must abolish its mother, luxury. Poverty wants some things, luxury many, avarice all things. The avaricious man is like the barren sandy ground of the desert which sucks in all the rain and dew with greediness, but yields no fruitful herbs or plants for the benefit of others.

LESSON OF THE DAY 650

Ayahs of the Day:
Exalted is God, the true ruler. Do not rush with the Recital before its revelation to you is concluded; but say, "My Lord, increase me in knowledge". [20: 114]

Hadith of the Day:
The pleasure of Allah is in the pleasure of the father, and the displeasure of Allah is in the displeasure of the father. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Do not let your difficulties fill you with anxiety; after all, it is only in the darkest nights that the stars shine more brilliantly. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
By keeping the company of good people, you will develop goodness in your character, and by avoiding the company of wicked persons you will abstain from wickedness. To oppress a weak and helpless person is the worst form of tyranny and wickedness. If your kindness or indulgence is going to bring forth cruel results, then severity and strictness is the real kindness.

Do not rely on vain hopes, because vain hopes are the assets of idiots and fools. Wisdom is the name of the trait of remembering experiences and making use of them. The best experience is the one that gives the best warning and advice. Take advantage of opportunities before they turn their backs upon you. The worst form of folly is to waste the opportunities of this life and to lose salvation. [When you hear hoof beats think of a zebra]

Food for Thought:
Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Nothing is so wretched or foolish as to anticipate misfortunes. What madness it is to be expecting evil before it comes!

LESSON OF THE DAY 649

Ayah of the Day:
Thus have we revealed this as a Recital in Arabic, in which We have detailed some of the threat and promise so that they might be conscientious, or it might provoke in them mindfulness. [20: 113]

Hadith of the Day:
Glad tidings are for him who finds abundant invocations for forgiveness recorded in his book of deeds. [Ibn Majah]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The heart that is illumined by the remembrance of the Divine is freed from needing anyone else. [Sulaiman Darami]

Guidance of the Day:
The loses that you suffer on account of your silence can easily be compensated for, but the losses that arise out of excessive and loose talk are difficult to requite. Do you not see that the best of way of guarding water in a water bay is to close its mouth? One who talks too much makes most mistakes. Nobody can guard your secrets better than you. One who often thinks and reflects develops his foresight and vision.

To guard what you already possess is better than to ask and pray for what others possess. The bitterness of disappointment, privation, and poverty is actually sweeter than the disgrace and humiliation of begging. The returns from hard but respectable and honorable labor of a craft or profession, though small in quantity, are better than the wealth required through sin and wickedness. Livelihood acquired by foul means is the worst form of livelihood. [When you hear hoof beats think of a zebra]

Food for Thought:
Anger and intolerance are the twin enemies of correct understanding. Anybody can become angry--that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way--that is not within everybody's power and is not easy.

LESSON OF THE DAY 648

Ayahs of the Day:
And faces will be humbled to the Living, the Self-Existent. And whoever carries injustice will be hopeless. But whoever does good deeds and is a believer has no fear of injustice or injury. [20: 111,112]

Hadith of the Day:
A single jurist is more severe on Satan than a thousand worshippers. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The one who does not have knowledge should not be too shy to ask until he gets the knowledge. And the one who is asked about something he does not know should not be so shy that it keeps him from saying, "I do not know." [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Do not be carried away and do not be allured by the infatuations of worldly people living a vicious life with its pleasures. Do not be impressed by the sight of their acute struggle to possess this world. Allah has mercifully explained to you everything about this world, not only the Merciful Lord but this world has also told you everything; it has disclosed to you its mortality; it has openly declared its weakness, its shortcomings, and its vices.

Be it known to you, that you cannot have every wish of yours granted, you cannot expect to escape death, and you are passing through the days of your life as others before you have done. Therefore control your expectations, desires, and cravings; be moderate in your demands; earn your livelihood through scrupulously honest means; be contented with what you get honestly and honorably; go slow and do not let your desires drive you madly, because there are many desires that will lead you toward disappointment and loss.

Be warned that you do not make yourself a slave to anyone. Allah has created you a free man. Do not sell your freedom for anything. There is no actual gain or real value that you derive from selling your honor and self-respect or from subjugating yourself to disgrace, insults, and indignities. There is no real good in wealth and power acquired by foul means. Beware, lest avarice and greed drive you toward destruction and damnation.

If you can succeed having only Allah as your benefactor, He will grant you your share whether or not you try to gather around you donors, patrons, and benefactors. Remember that little given to you by Allah is more useful, serviceable, honorable, and respectable than what is granted by man in copious and abundant quantities. [When you hear hoof beats think of a zebra]

Food for Thought:
Who is rich? He who is content, and rejoices in his portion.
Who is wise? He who learns from everyone and everything.
Who is powerful? He who governs his passions.

LESSON OF THE DAY 648

Ayahs of the Day:
And faces will be humbled to the Living, the Self-Existent. And whoever carries injustice will be hopeless. But whoever does good deeds and is a believer has no fear of injustice or injury. [20: 111,112]

Hadith of the Day:
A single jurist is more severe on Satan than a thousand worshippers. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The one who does not have knowledge should not be too shy to ask until he gets the knowledge. And the one who is asked about something he does not know should not be so shy that it keeps him from saying, "I do not know." [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Do not be carried away and do not be allured by the infatuations of worldly people living a vicious life with its pleasures. Do not be impressed by the sight of their acute struggle to possess this world. Allah has mercifully explained to you everything about this world, not only the Merciful Lord but this world has also told you everything; it has disclosed to you its mortality; it has openly declared its weakness, its shortcomings, and its vices.

Be it known to you, that you cannot have every wish of yours granted, you cannot expect to escape death, and you are passing through the days of your life as others before you have done. Therefore control your expectations, desires, and cravings; be moderate in your demands; earn your livelihood through scrupulously honest means; be contented with what you get honestly and honorably; go slow and do not let your desires drive you madly, because there are many desires that will lead you toward disappointment and loss.

Be warned that you do not make yourself a slave to anyone. Allah has created you a free man. Do not sell your freedom for anything. There is no actual gain or real value that you derive from selling your honor and self-respect or from subjugating yourself to disgrace, insults, and indignities. There is no real good in wealth and power acquired by foul means. Beware, lest avarice and greed drive you toward destruction and damnation.

If you can succeed having only Allah as your benefactor, He will grant you your share whether or not you try to gather around you donors, patrons, and benefactors. Remember that little given to you by Allah is more useful, serviceable, honorable, and respectable than what is granted by man in copious and abundant quantities. [When you hear hoof beats think of a zebra]

Food for Thought:
Who is rich? He who is content, and rejoices in his portion.
Who is wise? He who learns from everyone and everything.
Who is powerful? He who governs his passions.

LESSON OF THE DAY 647

Ayahs of the Day:
On that day, no intercession will avail, except those whom the Benevolent One has permitted and accepted their word, knowing what is before them and what is behind them, which they do not comprehend. [20: 109,110]

Hadith of the Day:
A morning or an evening spent in the path of Allah is more superior than the world and whatever it contains. [Bukhari & Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
A deed is not useful unless accompanied by three things: awareness of Allah (Taqwa), good intention, and correctness of the deed. [Ibn Ajlaan]

Guidance of the Day:
Sometimes your prayers are turned down, and this is also in your interest; because you often, unknowingly, ask for things that are harmful to you. If your requests are granted, they do more harm than good, and many of our requests may be such that, if granted, they would result in your eternal damnation. Thus the refusal to accede to your solicitations is a blessing in disguise to you. But very often your requests, if they are not really harmful to you in this world or in the hereafter, may be delayed, but they are granted in quantities much more than you had asked for, bringing in more blessings than you could ever imagine. So you should be very careful in asking Allah for His favor, only pray for such things that are really beneficial to you, and these benefits are lasting, and in the long run they do not end in harm.

Remember, that wealth and power, if you pray for them, are such things that will not always be with you and may bring harm to you in the hereafter. Be it known to you, that you are created for the next world and not for this one. You are born to die and not to live forever. Your stay in this world is temporary. You live in a place which is subject to decay and destruction. It is a place where you will have to be busy getting ready for the next world. It is the road to the next world on which you are standing. Death is following you. You cannot run away from it. However hard you may try to avoid it, it is going to catch you sooner or later.

Therefore take care that it may not catch you unaware and unprepared, and no chance is left to you to repent the vices and sins committed and undo the harm done by you. If death catches you unaware, then you are eternally damned. Therefore, always keep three things in mind: death, your deeds and actions, and the life hereafter. In this way you will always be ready to face death, and it will not catch you unaware. [When you hear hoof beats think of a zebra]

Food for Thought:
Afflictions come to us, not to make us sad but sober; not to make us sorry but wise. Though all afflictions are evil in themselves, yet they are good for us, because they discover to us our disease and tend to our cure. By afflictions God is spoiling us of what otherwise might have spoiled us.

LESSON OF THE DAY 646

Ayah of the Day:
On that day they will follow the caller without distortion, and all voices will fade before the Benevolent One, and you will hear nothing but shuffling of feet. [20: 108]

Hadith of the Day:
Two greedy people are never satisfied: one who is greedy for knowledge can never get enough of it, and one who is greedy for the worldly possessions can never get enough of them. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Taqwa is to be free from doubt and conjecture and constant vigilance over one's heart. [Bishr al Hafi]

Guidance of the Day:
You beg of Him to grant you your heart's desires; and lay before Him the secrets of your heart; you tell Him about all the calamities that have befallen you and misfortunes that face you and beseech His help to overcome them. You invoke His help and support in difficulties and distress. You implore Him to grant you long life and sound health; you pray to Him for prosperity, and you request of Him such favors and grants that none but Him can bestow and award.

Think that by simply granting you the privilege of praying for His favors and Mercies, He has handed over the keys of His treasures to you. Whenever you are in need, you pray and He confers His favors and blessings. But sometimes when you find that your requests are not immediately granted, then you need not be disappointed. Because the granting of prayers often rests with the true purpose and intention of the implorer. Sometimes the prayers are delayed because the Merciful Lord wants you to receive further rewards, to bear calamities and sufferings patiently, and still to believe sincerely in His help. Thus you may be awarded better favors than you requested. [When you hear hoof beats think of a zebra]

Food for Thought:
Advice is seldom welcome, and those who need it the most, like it the least. He that won't be counseled can't be helped. Write down the advice of him who loves you, though you like it not at present.

LESSON OF THE DAY 645

Ayahs of the Day:
They ask you about the mountains; say, "My Lord will pulverize them to dust, leaving them to an empty plain where you will see no roundness, no rolling." [20: 105,106, 107]

Hadith of the Day:
The most beloved actions in the sight of Allah are the regular ones, even if they amount to little in quantity. [Bukhari & Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
It is common knowledge that good moral character does not develop suddenly. Nor does it become strong and firm in the beginning. It requires consistency and gradualness. And in strengthening it there come many stages. [Mohammad al Ghazali]

Guidance of the Day:
Remember that all you give out in charities and good deeds are like loans that will be paid back to you. Therefore when you are healthy and powerful, make use of your wealth and power in such a way that you get all back on the day when you will be poor and helpless: the Day of Judgment. Be it known that your passage lies through the dreadful valley of death, and the journey is extremely trying and arduous. Here a man with light weight is far better than an overburdened person, and one who can journey fast will pass through the valley more quickly than one whom encumberment forces to go slowly. You shall have to pass through this valley. The only way out of it is either in Heaven or in Hell; there is no other way out and no possibility of retracing your steps.

Therefore, it is wise to send your things beforehand, so that your good actions arrive before you; prearrange the place of your stay before you reach it, because after death there is no repentance and no possibility of coming back to this world to undo the wrong done by you. But while you are still alive He will accept your repentance and forgive you. He never grudges His forgiveness nor refuses His mercy; on the contrary He has decreed repentance as a virtue and pious deed. He has left the door of repentance open. He hears you when you call Him. He accepts your prayers whenever you pray to Him. [When you hear the hoof beats think of a zebra]

Food for Thought:
Think like a man of action and act like a man of thought. The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts. Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action. It is by acts and not by ideas that people live. Good actions ennoble us, and we are the sons of our own deeds.

LESSON OF THE DAY 644

Ayahs of the Day:
The day the trumpet is sounded, and We gather in the sinful that day, their eyes dim with fear. They will mutter to each other, "You stayed but ten days." We know best what they will say when the most exemplary of them in conduct says, "You stayed but a day!" [20: 102,103,104]

Hadith of the Day:
The most virtuous charity is that you satisfy a hungry stomach. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Allah guards the justice-loving government, even if it is the government of the infidels, and destroys the tyrant government, even if it is the government of Muslims. [Ibn Taimiyah]

Guidance of the Day:
Vanity and conceit are forms of folly, traits that will bring you serious harm and will be a constant source of danger to you. Lead a well-balanced life; neither be conceited nor suffer from the feeling that you are inferior, and exert yourself to earn an honest living. But do not act like a treasurer for somebody; do not be a miser who hoards what he earns. And whenever you receive guidance from your Lord to achieve the thing you desire, then do not be proud of your achievement but be humble and submissive to Him and realize that your success was due to His mercy and favor.

If you find around yourself poor, needy, and destitute people who are willing to carry your load as far as the Day of Judgment, then consider this to be a boon, engage them and pass your burden onto them. Distribute your wealth among the poor, destitute, and needy--help others to the best of your ability and be kind and sympathetic to human beings. Thus, relieve yourself of the heavy responsibility and liability of submitting an account on the day of reckoning of how you have made use of His favors of health, wealth, power, and position. Thus you may arrive at the end of your journey light and fresh, and may have enough provision for you there, reward for having done your duty to man and Allah in this world. Have as many weight carriers as you can and help as many people as you can, so that you may have them when you need them. [When you hear hoof beats think of a zebra]

Food for Thought:
Almost all absurdity of conduct arises from the imitation of those whom we cannot resemble. It is the height of absurdity to sow little but weeds in the first half of one's lifetime and expect to harvest a valuable crop in the second half.

LESSON OF THE DAY 643

Ayahs of the Day:
Thus do We relate to you accounts of what has happened before; for We have brought you a message from us. Whoever turns away from it will bear a burden on the day of resurrection, to be at it forever; and they will be miserably burdened on the day of resurrection. [20: 99,100,101]

Hadith of the Day:
Love of this world is the origin of all sin. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The path of Islam consists of shunning the company of the ignorant, keeping the company of ulama, practicing upon one's knowledge, and adoring Divine Reality. [Abu Yaqub bin Ishaq]

Guidance of the Day:
Allah has not ordered you to do anything but that which is good and propagates and distributes goodness, and He has not forbidden you anything but that which is bad and will bring about bad effects. As far as your behavior with others is concerned, let your "self," act as a scale to help you judge its goodness or wickedness. Do unto others as you wish others to do unto you. Whatever you like for your "self," like for others, and whatever you dislike happening to you, spare others from.

Do not oppress and tyrannize anyone, because you surely do not like to be oppressed and tyrannized. Be kind and sympathetic to others as you certainly desire others to treat you kindly and sympathetically. Whatever habits you find objectionable and loathsome in others, abstain from developing. If you are satisfied or feel happy to receive a certain kind of behavior from others, then behave with others in exactly the same way. Do not speak about them in a way that you do not like others to speak about you. Do not speak on a subject about which you know little or nothing, and if you want to speak at all about anything or about anyone, then avoid scandal, libel, and aspersion, for you would not like yourself to be scandalized and libeled. [When you hear hoof beats think of a zebra]

Food for Thought:
Men are often capable of greater things than they perform. They are sent into the world with bills of credit, and seldom draw to their full extent. Natural abilities are like natural plants; they need pruning by study. The wind and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigator.

LESSON OF THE DAY 642

Ayah of the Day:
Your only deity is God, other than which there is nothing that is worthy of worship. God comprehends all things in knowledge. [20: 98]

Hadith of the Day:
To seek lawful earnings is an obligatory duty following other obligatory duties. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
It is impossible to be victorious on the way of salvation, except by following Mustafa (peace and blessing be upon him). All ways are closed except the highway of Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon him). [Sa'di Shirazi]

Guidance of the Day:
Develop patience against sufferings, calamities, and adversities. This virtue of patience is one of the high values of morality and nobility of character, and is the best habit that one can develop. Trust in Allah and let your mind seek His protection in every calamity and suffering. Because you will thus entrust yourself and your affairs to the Best Trustee and to the Mightiest Guardian.

Do not seek help and protection of anybody but Allah. Reserve your prayers, your requests, your solicitations, your supplications, and your entreaties for Him and Him alone. Because to grant, to give, to confer, and to bestow, as well as to withhold, to deprive, to refuse, and to debar lie in His and only His Power. Ask as much of His favors and seek as much of His guidance as you can.

Try to understand this advice, ponder it deeply, do not take it lightly and do not turn away from it. The best knowledge is that which benefits the listener. The knowledge that does not benefit anyone is useless and not worth learning or remembering. Remember that the Lord, who is the Master of death, is also the Master of life. The Creator is the Annihilator. And the One who annihilates has the power to bring everything back to existence again. The One who sends you calamities is the One who will bring you safely out of them. [When you hear hoof beats think of a zebra]

Food for Thought:
Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure there is one less rascal in the world. An honest man is the noblest work of God. We must make the world honest before we can honestly say to our children that honesty is the best policy.

LESSON OF THE DAY 641

Ayahs of the Day:
We created you from earth, and We will return you to it too; and We will bring you forth from it another time. We did show our signs to Pharaoh, all of them, but he disbelieved and disdained them. [20: 55,56]

Hadith of the Day:
What is little but sufficient is better than that which is abundant but causes heedlessness. [Ibn Habban]

Wise Quote of the Day:
To guard what you already possess is better than to ask and pray for what others possess. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Take care to provide well for your future abode. Do not lose eternal blessings for the sake of the pleasures of this mortal world. Do not talk about the things that you do not know. Do not speculate and pass judgment upon subjects that you are not in a position to form an opinion upon and are not called upon to do so. Give up when there is a possibility of you going astray. When there is danger of you wandering in the wilderness of ignorance and losing sight of the goal, it is better to give up the quest than to advance and face uncertain dangers and unforeseen risks.

Advise people to do good and to live virtuously, because you are fit to give such advice. Let your words and deeds teach the world lessons in how to abstain from wickedness and villainy. Try your best to stay away from those who indulge in vices and sins.

Fight, whenever required, to defend the cause of Allah. Do not be afraid that people will laugh at you, censure your action, or slander you. Fearlessly and boldly help truth and justice. Bear patiently the sufferings and face bravely the obstacles that come your way when you follow truth and try to uphold it. Adhere to the cause of truth and justice wherever you find it. Try to be well versed in Islamic law and theology and acquire a thorough knowledge of the canons of this religion. [When you hear hoof beats think of a zebra]

Food for Thought:
There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed. The covetous man pines in plenty. The most pitiful human ailment is a birdseed heart.

LESSON OF THE DAY 640

Ayahs of the Day:
(Moses said), My Lord does not err, and does not forget. The One who has made the earth a cradle for you, and let you travel on it along roadways, and has sent down rain from sky. And we have sent forth thereby species of various plants. Eat, and pasture your livestock; therein are signs for those with reason. [20: 51,52,53]

Hadith of the Day:
The love for something blinds and deafens. [Abu Dawud, Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Do not introduce ridiculous topics in your talk even if you have to repeat sayings of others. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
We have to listen to those who have a greater understanding of life when they tell us how to live. If not, often our choices can turn into a snake and even sometimes kill us. The ones who do not learn from the lessons of others become lessons for others.

Our rope to Allah is prayer. To love your spouse is a prayer....... it makes a heart feel good.
To help humanity is a prayer.
To help the poor is the prayer of the money.
To prostrate oneself before Allah is the prayer of the body.
To say La ilaha illa Allah is the prayer of the mouth.
To love Allah is the prayer of the heart.
To look and see lessons in everything is the prayer of the eye.
To listen only to the truth and act accordingly is the prayer of the ear.

As long you have faith in your heart, whatever you do is prayer.
Prayer will neutralize the masks you have worn and poisons you have taken to get you through life.
Work as if you will live forever and pray as if you will die tomorrow. [When you hear hoof beats think of a zebra]

Food for Thought:
Man is his worst enemy. Five great enemies to peace inhabit with us: i.e., avarice, ambition, envy, anger, and pride. If those enemies were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace.

LESSON OF THE DAY 639

Ayahs of the Day:
(Moses said) "We have brought you a sign from your Lord. And peace upon those who follow guidance. It has been revealed to us that agony is the lot of those who consider truth false and turn away. [20: 47,48]

Hadith of the Day:
To seek sacred knowledge is an obligation on every Muslim. [Ibn Majah]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Even if you studied for a hundred years and collected a thousand books, you would not be eligible for the mercy of God the Exalted except through action. [Imam Ghazali]

Guidance of the Day:
Words express what's in the heart. If you plant peppers you cannot expect to grow sugarcane. What you plant within the seedbed of your body is what you will grow. We don't know what to do with our leisure; it has become an affliction. The chief means of training the nafs, the ego, are fasting and little sleep. We should sleep little, eat little, and talk little. He who truly fasts is one who keeps his mind free from the poisoned food of base suggestions. It's not simply not eating at a prescribed time.

Islam is the means of finding joy in the heart when afflictions come. Each one of us suffers afflictions in one way or another. The lighted candle is like a true Muslim. It gets up at night with a light-filled face, pale countenance, a burning heart, weeping eye, and is wakeful. The Muslim who sleeps little and prays a lot to Allah finds that the sleep he thought he needed has become unnecessary. And the darknesses from within have been removed and replaced by Light. [When you hear hoof beats think of a zebra]

Food for Thought:
The steps you take today create the path you'll use tomorrow. Put aside all excuses and simply get the job done. What an important contribution and skill this would be to our lives---and throughout our lives.

LESSON OF THE DAY 638

Ayahs of the Day:
My Lord, expand my heart for me, and ease my task for me, and untie the knot in my tongue that they may understand my speech. And give me a counselor from my family. [20: 25 to 29]

Hadith of the Day:
Traveling involves a degree of punishment; it deprives one of his sleep. food, and drink. Therefore, when one has accomplished his purpose at his destination, he should hurry back to his family. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Whoever proposes to the world, then the world would not be satisfied until he gave up his Deen as dowry. [Malik bin Dinar]

Guidance of the Day:
There are two important things to remember, and all the great scholars will tell us about this. That is to Remember Allah; and to remember our death. Death as a symbol and in reality is a reminder that we are passing through this space, that is life, in the form as we know it, is finite. That all things we regard as precious, and all that we spend our time coveting and collecting, we will one day have to give them up.

It's important to be aware that one day we are going to die. If we are aware of this, then we are also aware of Allah as our Creator. Then we have achieved an awareness of death devoid of fear. Awareness that this life can be used as a preparation, a place to do work and prepare for the other life, which is promised in the Qur'an by Allah. One day, when we are placed in the grave, when none of our friends and loved ones can come with us, when none of our possessions can follow us, the only things that will be there to help us are our good actions.

We don't know the time of our own death. This is a great gift from Allah. Because if we knew when we would die, we would stop building, we would stop working. We wouldn't place one stone on top of another. So unawareness in this case is a benefit. [When you hear hoof beats think of zebra]

Food for Thought:
Death---the last sleep? No, it is the final awakening.
Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives.
Good men must die, but death cannot kill their name.

LESSON OF THE DAY 637

Ayahs of the Day:
I am the God; there is no deity but Me; and serve Me, and practice prayer and remember Me. For the end of time is coming, but I plan to conceal it, so that every soul be rewarded for its effort. So do not let anyone who disbelieves in it and follows his own desires alienate you from it, for you would be destroyed. [20: 12 to 16]

Hadith of the Day:
Believers are like a single person; if his eye is in pain his whole body pains, and if his head is in pain his whole body pains. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The best of which that gives life to the heart is the recitation of the Quran when accompanied with deep reflection. [Shaykh Fadl]

Guidance of the Day:
When one's heart becomes pure, then the sign of Allah is written upon our being. We want the pleasure of being close to Allah. But we don't want to go through the process of getting there. We want to love Allah without loving His creation. We want Allah to accept our love when we don't love those He created. If we want to know Allah, we can know Him through His creation.

How can we light the torch of faith in our hearts? With inspiration. We can make no action without its being preceded by inspiration. If we have an inspiration, it leads to a desire, and that desire will create an action. And how are we inspired? Obviously we are not inspired by a life vicariously lived while attached to video screens. We are involved with too much television and too much useless conversation. When these take over our lives, it leaves no time to do real work.

We can be inspired by reading the holy books sent down by Allah and by reading the books of the masters. We can be inspired by those around us who remind us of Allah. How often do we find ourselves in our car, and walking down a street with a friend, and we allow the precious time to slip away. We don't remind each other of Allah enough. We should occupy ourselves with that which will bring us honor, for a man's good or bad habits are the only means whereby his contemporaries know him. The day of a prudent man begins at night. He eats little,sleeps little, and talks little. These are his protections. Associate with such a person whose sight wakes up the remembrance of God in you. And who does not instruct by words but by his example makes you perfect in your spiritual practice. [When you hear hoof beats think of a zebra]

Food for Thought:
Everything is predictable. Yet, we have no idea what will happen. That is the curious paradox of our world. We all know we are going to die. But none of us knows just how or when or where.