••• Never to Give Up •••

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

 Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and begin to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly.
Then, to everyone’s amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw.

With every shovel of dirt that fell on his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and totted off!

Moral -- Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick is to not to get bogged down by it.

We can get out of the deepest wells by not stopping. And by never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!

LESSON OF THE DAY 1313

Ayahs of the day:
Those who consume usurious interest are only in the sort of business in which one maddened by Satan's touch engages. That is because they say trade is like usury; but God has permitted trade and forbidden usury. Whoever gives this up with admonition from his Lord comes to him, let bygones be bygones; his case is up to God. But those who repeat are inmates of hellfire, wherein they remain. [2: 275]

Hadith of the day:
O people, repent to Allah, for I repent to Allah one hundred times a day. [Muslim]

Wise quote of the day:
Repentance of liars is mere lip service, for the true repentance liberates one from sins. [Rabia al Basari]

Guidance of the day:
A distracted heart is that which is distracted from remembering death often, as well as what comes after it, the conditions of the blessed and those of the wretched, and not to dwell on these at length.

It is distracted not  assiduously to keep company of those who know God and His religion, who remind of His days, His graces, His promises, and His threats, who exhort, with both words and deeds, to His obedience and to avoiding disobedience.

Those who are unable to find such people should make up for that by reading their books. However-God willing -- the earth will never be entirely devoid of them, even when  corruption is rife and falsehood and its champions dominate, when everyone has turned away from God and from supporting the truth, except those whom God wills, and a very few are they. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

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

Let us partake in this tremendous blessing...

As Salaam Alaykum wa RahmatuLlahi wa Barakatuhu and Ramadan Mubarak,

I pray this message finds you in a state of well-being,

As many of you know, I've had the blessed privilege of teaching at the Islamic Institute of Education (IIE) in Elgin, IL for the last 12 years. Over those years i have witnessed first-hand the fruits of the sincerity and selflessness of everyone dedicated to serving the Islamic legacy of sacred knowledge.

In particular, I wish to commend the tireless efforts of Maulana Abdullah Saleem and his entire family, who have devoted their lives to producing the next generation of Ulema in the United States. It is not often that one sees an entire family so committed to the vision of one man. This, in itself, can be seen as a sign of Allah's acceptance of their efforts.

My appeal is to everyone reading this message; that we also partake in the tremendous blessing of this noble effort by contributing a small but consistent, monthly amount, such as $20-a-month ($10 each for IIE and Musjid ul Islam). Let us go one step further and intend thereby sadaqa jariya for our parents -- making them a part of this noble effort is the very least we can do for every thing our patrents have done/ and are doing for us.

Please visit  www.iieonline.org and make your contribution for Allah's good pleasure.

May Allah Almighty  bless you, your parents, and all your loved ones, thereby, ameen!

Heart touching story....

A doctor entered the hospital in hurry after being called in for an urgent surgery. He answered the call asap, changed his clothes & went directly to the surgery block. He found the boy's father pacing in the hall waiting for the doctor. On seeing him, the dad yelled:

"Why did you take all this time to come? Don't you know that my son's life is in danger? Don't you have any sense of responsibility?"

The doctor smiled & said:
"I am sorry, I wasn't in the hospital & I came as fast as I could after receiving the call and now, I wish you'd calm down so that I can do my work"

"Calm down?! What if your son was in this room right now, would you calm down? If your own son dies now what will you do??" said the father angrily

The doctor smiled again & replied: "From dust we came & to dust we return, blessed be the name of God". Doctors cannot prolong lives. Go & intercede for your son, we will do our best by God's grace"

"Giving advises when we're not concerned is so easy" Murmured the father.

The surgery took some hours after which the doctor went out happy,
"Thank goodness!, your son is saved!" And without waiting for the father's reply he carried on his way running. "If you have any question, ask the nurse!!"

"Why is he so arrogant? He couldn't wait some minutes so that I ask about my son's state" Commented the father when seeing the nurse minutes after the doctor left.

The nurse answered, tears coming down her face: "His son died yesterday in a road accident, he was in the burial when we called him for your son's surgery. And now that he saved your son's life, he left running to finish his son's burial."

"Moral-Never judge anyone because you never know how their life is & what they're going through"

Let's resolve to learn to control our anger this blessed month of Ramadan....

"The strong is not the one who is physically powerful, but indeed, the one who controls himself when angry." [Bukhari]

1. He who angers you controls you.

2. If a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size.

3. Anger is a momentary madness, it is only one letter short of danger.

4. Anger begins with folly, and ends with regret -- how much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.

5. Consider how much more you suffer from your anger and grief, than from those things for which you are angry and grieved.

6. Speak when you are angry -- and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.

7. For every minute you remain angry you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.

8. No man can think when his fists are clenched.

9. Anger is a killing thing -- it kills the angry man, for each rage leaves him less than he had been before it, it takes something from him.

10. Holding to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing at someone else -- imagine what it will do to the person's hand who is holding it.

11. Whenever you are angry, be assured that it is not only a present evil, but that you have increased a habit.

12. Anger blows out the lamp of mind -- thus an angry man is again angry with himself when he returns to reason.

13. When a man is wrong and won't admit it, he always gets angry.

14. Anger and intolerance are the twin enemies of correct understanding.


15. Anyone can become angry -- that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way -- is something we all need to practice.

16. The best remedy for anger is delay.

Also repeating after ever salah seven times"Ya Subbooh, Ya Quddoos, Ya Ghafoor, Ya Wadood", will help us control our anger, inshaAllah. 

Pearls of Wisdom 343

1. When the mirror of the heart becomes pure
    and clear, impressions of the other world
    will become manifest. The image and the
   image maker will become visible, like the
   carpet and the carpet-spreader.

2. The falcon made the king's hand his joy,
    and became indifferent to the search for
    carrion. All animals from the gnat to the
    elephant are of the family of God and
   depend on Him for sustenance. What a
   sustainer is God!

3. Do away with superfluous speech, and
    sacrifice what you hold dear, that His grace
    may utter praise of you and the heaven be
   envious of your exalted estate.

4. When God's decree becomes your pleasure,
    you become a willing slave,
   not because of burdening yourself,
   not on account of recompense,
   but by virtue of the nature now so pure
   that whatever divine edict may take you,
   living and dying appear the same.
   You live for God, not for riches;
   you die for God, not from fear or pain.

5. The face of David shone with His glory,
    and the mountains sang His praise.
    The mountains sang along with David;
    both elated in praising the King.
    He hears the melody of the pure-spirited,
    every moment, every place. [Mawlana Rumi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1312

Ayahs of the day:
Those who give their wealth night and day, secretly and openly, have their reward with their Lord; no fear will be on them, and they will not sorrow. [2: 274]

Hadith of the day:
There shall remain a group in my nation, successfully upholding the truth, unharmed by those who oppose them, till the day of judgment. [Muslim]

Wise quote of the day:
The wealthiest person is the one who has abundance of taqwa. [Dhunnun al Misri]

Guidance of the day:
Distraction is blameworthy and may induce extreme harm. The distracted heart is that which does not awaken and become attentive when exposed to counsels or rebukes. It does not take them seriously, being so distracted and forgetful, so engrossed in its playthings and trivia, in the attractions of this worldly life and the pursuit of his passions.

It is to be distracted to read or listen to the Noble Qur'an, but neither reflect upon it, nor attempt to understand its meanings, neither obey its injunctions, nor its prohibitions, and neither accept its counsels, not it rebukes. The same applies for the traditions of the Messenger of God -- may blessings and peace be upon him -- and the discourses of the virtuous predecessors --may God be pleased with them. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
The mark of an immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature is that he wants to live humbly for one. The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. Respectable men and women content with good and easy living are missing some of the most important things in life. Unless we give ourselves to some great cause we haven't even begun to live.

Allah is Generous, loves generosity....

Sadaqa -- Proof of Imaan, Key to Allah's pleasure, His forgiveness, barakah in sustenance, well-being, and every single good in this life and the Hereafter.

1. O believers, give of what We have provided for you, before there comes a day in which there is no barter, and no friendship, and no intercession. The scoffers are the wrongdoers. (2: 254)

2. Those who give of their wealth in the way of God are like grain that sprouts seven ears with a hundred kernels in each ear. And God may choose to multiply what anyone has, at will. And God is all-embracing, all-knowing. (2: 261)

3. Those who spend their wealth in the way of God and then do not follow what is spent with reproach or with abuse have their reward with their Lord; they will not suffer fear, nor will they grieve. (2: 262)

4. If you reveal acts of charity, they are excellent in themselves, but if you conceal them and get them to the needy, that is better for you. It will expiate some of your evils, And God is aware of what you do. (2: 271)

5. Those who give of their wealth night and day, secretly and openly, have their reward with their Lord; no fear will be on them, and they will not sorrow. (2: 274)

6. God deprives usury of blessing, and grants increase for charities. And God does not love any ungrateful sinners. (2: 276)

7. And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord, and to a garden broad as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the conscientious -- those who spend in good times and bad, and those who restrain their anger, and those who forgive people; and God loves those who do good. (3: 133, 134)

8. And whatever you spend on the cause of God will be repaid to you, and you will not be wronged. (8: 60)

9. And give what We have provided you, before death comes to one of you and he says, "My Lord, why didn't You let me stay awhile -- I would have given charity, and would have been among the righteous." (63:10)


1. The Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The most rewarding charity is that you give when you are healthy and miserly, fearing poverty and hoping for riches." [al-Bukhari]
                                 
2. "Charity does not decrease the wealth. No one forgives, but Allah will increase him in honor, and no one humbles himself for the sake of Allah but Allah raises him in status." [Muslim]

3. Allah Most High says: "Spend, O son of Adam, so I will spend on you." [Hadith Qudsi/Bukhari]

4. "Beware of stinginess, for stinginess destroyed those who came before you." [Muslim]

5. "Indeed charity extinguishes the wrath of the Lord and it protects against the evil death." [al-Tirmidhi]

Pearls of Wisdom....342

1. He that was born in the dark water of material
    wealth, how could he tell the freedom of open
    country from the dismal prison of the well?
    When you relinquish the ego for fear of God,
    the elixir of His fountain will arrive.

2. Relying upon the promise of "tomorrow,"
    many people have wandered around that
    door, but that tomorrow never comes.

3. When you experience pain,
    ask God for forgiveness.
    By the command of the Creator,
    it be eliminated.
    For when He decrees, pain becomes joy,
    and fetters become freedom.

4. Hardship may dishearten at first,
    but every hardship passes away.
    All despair is followed by hope;
    all darkness is followed by sunshine.

5. When clutches of the "self" break away,
    they clap their hands and break into dance
    as their imperfections fade away.
    The musicians within strike the tambourine,
    and the seas burst into foam at their ecstasy.

6. Wisdom is the table, not bread or meat.
    Wisdom is the light, food for the soul.
    No nutriment can compare to the nourishment
   of light. Nothing can nourish the soul but light.
   Rid yourself of material needs and be set free.
   Taste the original victual, the dainty morsel of
   light. [Mawlana Rumi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1311

Ayahs of the day: 
If you reveal acts of charity, they are excellent in themselves, but if you conceal them and get them to the needy, that is better for you. It will expiate some of your evils. And God is aware of what you do. [2:271]

Hadith of the day: 
“When someone with whose religion and character you are satisfied asks your daughter in marriage, accede to his request. If you do not do so, there will be temptation on Earth and extensive corruption.” [Al-Tirmidhi]

Wise quote of the day: 
Whoever desires to purify his heart then let him prefer Allah to his desires. [Ibn al Qayyim]

Guidance of the day: 
Beware of hardness, which is for the heart to become so coarse and callous that it is no longer affected by counselling, and neither softens nor is sensitive to the mention of death, of promises and threats, or of the events of the hereafter. Our predecessors have said, "four things are signs of wretchedness: hardness of the heart, dryness of the eye, avarice, and long hopes." So beware of these four. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al Haddad]

Food for thought: 
Calamity is man's touchstone. Calamities are the perfect glass wherein we truly see and know ourselves. Calamity is the test of integrity. Calamity is 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 true man.

Peace of Mind.....

1. Peace of mind is that mental condition in which you have accepted the worst.

2. Forgiving those who hurt us is the key to personal peace.

3. When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves it is useless to seek elsewhere.

4. If we do not find peace in ourselves, we will never find it anywhere else.

5. If there is to be any peace it will come through being, not having.

6. Nothing can bring us peace but ourselves.

7. In a world filled with causes for worry and anxiety  -- we need the peace of God standing guard over our hearts.

8. Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God no matter what the conflict.

9. There may be those on earth who dress better or eat better, but those who enjoy the peace of God sleep better.

10. A man's business is to do the will of God;  then God Himself takes on the care of that man; therefore that man ought never to be afraid of anything.

                              No God no peace -- Know God know peace

Pearls of Wisdom 341

1. With the divine solace "Be not afraid"
    all fear of oceans or waves or foam should
    be gone. Rejoice in Him and nothing else.
    He is the spring; everything else is desolate ice.

2. Seek self-discipline with all your soul.
    Devote yourself to worship and save your
    soul. Be grateful that God gave you the gift
   of self-discipline, for you had no power over it.
   He inspired it within you with the command "Be!"

3. Rejoice in sorrow; it will unite you with God.
    Bow down and reach the highest peak.
    Turn inward, toward the heart,
    and delight in the green shade of trees
    and many gushing springs.

4. The object of search is never withheld from
     the seeker. Thus the sun is paired with heat
    and the cloud with water. This present world
    is the Creator's prison. You chose to invite
    punishment, so suffer punishment! God said,
    "To whom We bestowed a particular disposition,
    We also sent the appropriate provision."

5. Beware! Do not let avarice waylay you!
    Do not let greed tear you up by the roots!
    For as you sleep,
    the stench of your spurious deeds
    is thundering on the azure sky. [Mawlana Rumi]

Lessons to be learned in patience and perseverance....

When you are hurt by the people who share blood relations with you, recall Yusuf [alayhi salaam] who was also betrayed by his brothers.

When you find your parents opposing you (in deen) recall Ibraheem [alayhi salaam] who was made to jump into a blazing fire by his father.

When you are mocked and abused by your own relatives just because you adopted deen over duniya, recall Rasul Allah [sallalhu... alaihi wa sallam] who faced the same.

When you are stuck into some problem and find no way out recall Yunus [alayhi salaam] who was stuck inside the belly of a whale.

When you fall ill and your whole body cries with pain, recall Ayoob [alayhi salaam] who was more ill than you.

Wh en someone slanders you, recall Ay'esha [radiallahu anha] who was also slandered throughout the city.

When you feel lonely recall how Adam [alayhi salaam] felt when he was created alone at first.

When you can't see any logic in what's going on and your heart asks why this is happening, recall Nooh [alayhi salaam] who built the biggest ship without questioning.

Subhan Allah! Allah put all those great personalities in trial so that the generations to follow may learn a lesson in patience and perseverance. May Allah swt include us among His patient and grateful servants. Ameen!

LESSON OF THE DAY 1310

Ayahs of the day:
God gives wisdom to whomever God wishes; and whoever is given wisdom has indeed been given much good. But no one takes heed except those with understanding. [2: 269]

Hadith of the day:
He is sagacious who brings his soul to reckoning and works for what comes after death; and he is inadequate who follows his passions and harbors (illusory) hopes in God. [Tirmidhi, Ibn Maja]

Wise quote of the day:
Meet people in such a manner that if you die, they should weep for you, and if you live they should long for you. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the day:
Do your very best to come to your Lord with a heart that is free of idolatry, hypocrisy, heresy, and reprehensible traits of character such as arrogance, ostentation, jealousy, deceitful behavior toward Muslims, and so on. Seek God's help and be patient. Strive in earnest and repeat often, "Our Lord, do not cause our hearts to swerve after You have guided us; and bestow upon us mercy from You, for You are the Bestower "(3:8). For this is how God has described those of His believing servants who are firmly steeped in knowledge. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

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 the rope. And that is always the saddest predicament which anyone can get into. What we hope to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence.

Gentle Reminders....

1. When the inward is good the outward is also inevitably so, for the outward follows the inward, whether for good or evil.

2. Prove the sincerity of your respect for the Qur'an by putting its teachings into practice, not by arguing about it.

3. You must fill your time with worship so that no period of time elapses whether by night or by day, without being used in some act of goodness.

4. Good character consists in three traits: avoiding that which is forbidden, seeking that which is permitted, and being generous.

5. Whoever busies himself with that which does not concern him, then he misses out on much of that which does concern him.

6. If we spend our time paying attention to the wisdom of our heart rather than the wisdom of our head, we will benefit greatly.

7. Love is always the answer to every question and problem. We are here to love and be loved and learn a few things in the process.

8. To begin anew, we must say good-bye to who we once were.

9. Have the courage to begin the new life that each day brings you. No matter what changes and losses you have experience, step back and see where you need to begin.

10. How do we find joy in our lives? Too often it comes at a significant price. You learn that you are mortal and suddenly what used to seem important isn't. Things that used to bother you don't anymore. What then becomes significant are the people who you love and who love you.

Fear oppression, because oppression will be intense darkness on the Day of Resurrection. [al Hadith]

Pearls of wisdom....340

1. God scatters His light over all spirits.
    The fortunate hold up their skirts to receive it.
    Those who receive His light turn from all except God.
     Without the skirt of love, we cannot receive our share.

2. Give your life for the cup of divine wisdom.
    How can you succeed without endurance and patience?
    To wait for the sake of that cup is no hardship.
    Show patience, for patience is the key to joy.

3. The spiritual path ruins the body, but subsequently
     restores it to health. It ruins the house to reveal the
     treasure, and with that treasure it builds better
     than before.

4. God made the illusion look real and the real an
    illusion. He concealed the sea and made the foam
    visible, the wind invisible, and the dust manifest.
    You see the dust whirling, but how can the dust rise
    by itself? You see the foam, but not the ocean.
    Invoke Him with deeds, not words, for deeds are
    real and will save you in the afterlife.

5. In the hour of grief you turn to Him;
    when grief departs you transgress.
    In adversity you moan entreating Him;
    when ease returns you turn away.
   Those who know God remain steady,
   but those who doubt exult at times
   and become despondent at others. [Mawlana Rumi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1309

Ayahs of the day:
Satan threatens you with poverty and compels you to indecencies, whereas God promises you divine forgiveness, and grace. And God is all-embracing, all-knowing. [2: 268]

Hadith of the day:
He whose heart contains as much as a mustard seed of arrogance will not enter Paradise. [Muslim]

Wise quote of the day:
All humans are dead except those who have knowledge, and all those who have knowledge are asleep except those who do good deeds, and all those who do good deeds are deceived except those who are sincere, and those who are sincere are always in a state of worry. [Imam al-Shafi'i]

Guidance of the day:
Strive for presence with God, reflect on the meanings of what you say, and do your best to acquire the behavior He likes and avoid that which He dislikes. Concentrate on your inward aspect. Confirm your words with your acts, your acts with your intentions and your sincerity, and your intentions and sincerity by purifying your inward and reforming your heart. For the heart is the essential thing upon which everything else depends. Therefore it is a duty to attend to it and concentrate on making it sound and upright. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

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

Try to be the most knowledgeable of the gnostics....

Imām Ibn al-Qayyim {may Allāh have mercy upon him} said:-

The ignorant one complains about Allāh to the people!
This is the height of ignorance in complaining and in whom the complaint is about.

For if a person were to truly know his Lord, he would never complain of Him.

If he truly knew people, he would never complain to them …

The gnostic complains only to Allāh,

and the most knowledgeable of the gnostics are those who complain to Allāh about themselves, not others …

In short there are three levels:-

# 1/-The most contemptible who complains to people about Allāh;

#2/  The loftiest who complains to Allāh about oneself;

#3/ The middle level who complains to Allāh about others.


Source: al-Fawa’id
Transcribed from: Translator’s Footnote from ‘The Exquisite Peal –
 [The Journey to Allāh & The Home of the Hereafter’ | Shaykh ‘Abd 

Pearls of Wisdom....339

  1. Both Moses and Pharaoh
    dwell within your being.
    Seek these opponents within your being.
    The conception of Moses is a reawakening.
    The light is the same,
     though the lamp is different.

2. Do not regard yourself as infamous or weak.
    Reflect upon your aspirations, O noble one.
    No matter what your station be,
    keep searching.
    For this pursuit is a blessed course.
    This quest removes all impediments to God.

3. He complained of his pain a hundredfold.
    God said, "Grief and pain make you modest and noble.
    Your real enemy is your own medicine, the elixir that
    seeks to win your heart. Flee from it to solitude and seek
    help of God's grace. Your friends are really your enemies,
    for they occupy you and make you oblivious of God."

4. The wisdom of this world brings doubt. The wisdom
     of religion soars above the skies. Reflection on Truth
     opens the way to the kingdom. Treasures and armies
     do not make you a king. A true king is a king within
     himself. [Mawlana Rumi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1308

 Ayahs of the day:
O believers, give of good things you have earned, and from what We have produced for you from the earth. And do not choose the bad thereof to give away, while you would not take it without disregard for it. And know that God is independent, most worthy of praise. [2:267]

Hadith of the day:
Whoever desires that Allah increase his provision and extend his life, let him maintain his family ties. [Bukhari]

Wise quote of the day:
Your real possession is that which you will not lose in a ship wreck -- i.e. your imaan and good deeds with sincerity. [Imam Ghazali]

Guidance of the day:
Impose upon yourself to realize the meanings of invocations and supplications that you use and acquire them so as to make them your own attributes. For example, when you say, "Transcendent is God!" (Subha'Allah) your heart should be full with the magnification of God and awareness of His Transcendence. And when you say, "Praise belongs to God," (Al-Hamdu lil' llah) your heart should be full of praises and thanks for God. And when you say, "I ask Allah to forgive me," (Astaghfiru'llah) it should be at the same time full of hope for God's forgiveness, yet fearful of His not granting it; and so on. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
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. Whenever you are angry, be assured that it is not only a present evil, but that you have increased  a habit. The greatest remedy for anger is delay. When a person is wrong and won't admit it, he always gets angry.

A priceless quote from a confident Muslim woman....

Nobel Peace Prize winner "Tawakkul Karman," 'The mother of Yemen's revolution,' when asked about her Hijab by journalists and how it is not proportionate with her level of intellect and education, replied:

“Man in early times was almost naked, and as his intellect evolved he started wearing clothes. What I am today and what I’m wearing represents the highest level of thought and civilization that man has achieved, and is not regressive. It’s the removal of clothes again that is a regression back to the ancient times.''

What an inspiration...I know of no one who could have said it better!

Pearls of Wisdom 338

1. Seek a true friend,
    for a friend seeks the benefit of a friend,
    Do good to the people for the sake of God
    or for the peace of your own soul
    that you may always see what is pure
    and save your heart from the darkness of hate.

2. The Merciful God promised Mustafa,
     "You will die but the Qur'an will prevail.
    I shall exalt your Book and its Miracle
    and protect its face from being changed.
    This Qur'an to you is Moses' staff;
     like that dragon it will devour all deception."

3. The bottom of the river is full of jewels.
    Take heed! Do not make the water turbid.
    The spirit of man is like the air:
    when dust surrounds it the sky is veiled.
    Not withstanding such a state of darkness,
    God made visions to help you
    find the road to redemption.

4. The servile earth and the lofty sky:
     without this opposite
     the sky would not be so high.
     The low and high of the earth
     are winter and spring.
     The low and high of time
     are night and day.
     The low and high of the body
     are sickness and health.
     By means of these opposites
     the world is kept alive;
     by means of these doubles
     souls feel fear and hope. [Mawlana Rumi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1307

Ayahs of the day:
Those who spend their money seeking to please God and to strengthen their own souls are like a garden on a hill; when a heavy rain hits it, it brings forth double its fruits. And if a heavy rain does not hit it, then dew. For God sees what you do. [2:265]

Hadith of the day:
The Abdal in my community will not enter the Garden by their works, but by God's mercy, clean breasts, generous souls, and compassion for all Muslims. [Bayhaqi]

Wise quote of the day:
People count with self satisfaction the number of times they have recited the name of God on their prayer beads, but  they keep no beads for reckoning the number of idle words they speak. [Imam Ghazali]

Guidance of the day:
He who is satisfied with Islam as religion will revere its rites and sacrosanct things and will persistently strive to acquire the kind of knowledge and perform the kinds of works which confirm it and increase it in ability and steadfastness. He should be happy with it, anxious for it not to be taken away from him, respectful of its people, and averse to those who deny or antagonize it.

He who is satisfied with Muhammad (peace and blessing upon him) as Prophet should emulate him, follow his guidance, adhere to his law, uphold his Sunna, magnify his rights, and abundantly invoke blessings and peace upon him. He should love his family and companions, invoke God's mercy and satisfaction upon them, and be concerned for the Prophet's community and of good counsel to them. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al Haddad]

Food for thought:
Anger and intolerance are the twin enemies of correct understanding. An angry man is again angry with himself when he returns to reason. Anger is a momentary madness, so control your passion or it will control you. Anger begins with folly and ends with regret.

Some thoughts for the day....

LESSON OF TIME

"When a bird is alive...It eats Ants,
When the bird is dead… Ants eat the bird!
Time & Circumstances can change at any time……..
Don’t devalue or hurt anyone in life.

You may be powerful today… But Remember,
Time is more powerful than you!!!

One tree makes a million match sticks…
But when the time comes…
Only one match stick is needed
to burn a million trees...
So be good and do good."
Have a wonderful day ahead

Smile Rebounding 

"A smile costs nothing
A smile is something
you can't give away;
it always comes back
to you."

ALWAYS REMEMBER:

"IT'S EASY TO LAUGH AT OTHERS BUT NOT
THAT  EASY TO MAKE OTHERS LAUGH."

~ Authors Unknown

Pearls of Wisdom 336

1. Knowledge is light; avarice ice.

    Knowledge is water; this world dirt.

    A trickle of wisdom appears from beyond

    to check the vices of this world.

    Should the trickle become abundant,

    none would endure, be it virtue or vice. 

2. Sometimes in order to help He makes us cry.

    Happy the eye that sheds tears for His sake.

    Fortunate the heart that burns for His sake

    Laughter always follows tears.

    Blessed are those who understand.

    Life blossoms wherever water flows.

    Where tears are shed Divine Mercy is shown.

3. Your bounty fulfills every need.

     Why should we turn to any other?

     The scant knowledge that endures in my soul,

     deliver it from the wiles of the body's clay

     before this clay consumes it away,

     before these winds sweep it away.

4. Come, O lover!

    Come, let Me ease your suffering.

    Let Me improve your state.

    Come, O lover!

    Come, surrender yourself to Me

    that I may give you My life

    and make you rejoice once again.  [Mawlana Rumi]

    

LESSON OF THE DAY 1306

Ayahs of the day:
O believers! Do not nullify your charities by reproach or abuse, like those who spend their money to be seen by the people, not believing in God or the last day. They are like hard rock with some dust on it, hit by rain and left barren. They can do nothing with what they have acquired. For God does not guide atheistic people. [2:264]

Hadith of the day:
Ask God for pardon and safety, for, after certainty, no one is ever given anything better than safety. [Tirmidhi]

Wise quote of the day:
Do not sit idle for indeed death is seeking you. [Hasan al Basri]

Guidance of the day:
To love, for God's sake, those who obey Him, and to detest, for God's sake, those who disobey Him, are two of the strongest knots of faith. He who is satisfied with God as Lord should of necessity be satisfied with His management of his affairs and the choices He makes for him, including the bitter things He may ordain. He should be content with whatever provision He allots him, remain obedient to Him, careful to perform what He made obligatory upon him and avoid what He forbade him.

He should be patient when enduring His tests, thankful for His favors, desirous to meet Him, satisfied with Him as Patron, Ally, and Guardian, sincere in His worship, relying on Him in both that which he can observe and that which is hidden from his view. He should seek no other help but His in times of difficulty and rely on none other than Him for the fulfillment of his needs. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddah]

Food for thought:
Aim at the sun, and you may not reach it; but your arrow will fly far higher than if aimed at an object on a level with yourself. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail. Not failure, but low aim, is crime. High aims form high characters, and great objects bring out great minds.

~The Triple Filter Test~

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Keep away from ill-thinking/suspicions because ill-thinking is the greatest falsehood.” [Sahih Bukhari]

Commentary: During the Abbasid period one of the scholars in Baghdad was greeted by an acquaintance who said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

Scholar: "Hold on a minute, before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."

The Man: "Triple Filter Test?"

Scholar: "That's right, before you talk to me about my friend it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

The Man: "No, actually I just heard about it and ..."

Scholar: "All right, so you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

The Man: "No, on the contrary..."

Scholar: "So, you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: The filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

The Man: "No, not really."

Scholar: "Well, if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) asks us: "O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh (meat) of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful." [Qur'an 49:12]

Let's pass our intended speech through the triple filter test before we madly utter our every thought. And lets subject others to the triple filter test too before we hear any number of damaging things from them.

Pearls of wisdom 335

1. If you wish for light, be ready to receive light.
Nourish your ego and be deprived of light.
If you wish to find a way out of this prison,
do not turn away;
bow down in worship and draw near.

2. "Unless You give no one gives.
O Creator, unlock the gates of Your bounty."
He turned his face to heaven and said,
"No one knows my devotion save You.
You put that prayer into my heart.
You raised a hundred hopes."

3. When you resolve to become pious, the devil
in your nature cries out at you: "Tread not
those paths, O confused one; distress and poverty
will overcome you. You will be despised, let down
by friends, you will regret it." Dread of the devil
has bound their souls; the cries of the devil are
the drover of the damned; the call of the Lord
is a guardian of the saints.

4. When we are ignorant we live in His prison;
when we become prudent we live in His palace;
when we fall asleep we become intoxicated;
when we are awakened we are in His hands.

5. Do not mourn the worldly loss;
ask for your soul to be saved.
Many delighted in what you hold dear.
In the end it left them and became mere wind.
Escape from its love before it escapes you. [Mawlana Rumi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1305

Ayahs of the day:
Kind and loving speech is better than charity followed by abuse. And God is self-sufficient, most gracious. [2:263]

Hadith of the day:
He who commits a sin, a black spot is inscribed in his heart. If he repents, his heart is re-burnished, but if he does not, it spreads until it covers the whole heart. [Tirmidhi]

Wise quote of the day:
If someone wants to know what position he enjoys in the eyes of God, he has only to look at what place he gives to God in his heart and life. [Hakim]

Guidance of the day:
As for enjoining good and forbidding evil, they are among the greatest of religious activities, the strongest of Islam's foundations, and the most important function of Muslims. By them affairs are straightened and everything runs in a goodly manner. By neglecting them people's rights are lost, boundaries transgressed, truth disappears, and falsehood appears.

Good in this context is everything God has enjoined upon His servants and likes them to do, while evil is everything that God dislikes them to do and likes them to avoid. Enjoining good and forbidding evil is an obligation and there can be no excuse for abandoning it. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
Affliction, like the iron-smith, shapes as it smites. The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials. Strength is born in the deep silence of long-suffering hearts; not amid joy. Afflictions come to us, not to make us sad but sober; not to make us sorry but wise. Though all afflictions are evils in themselves, yet they are good for us, because they discover to us our disease and tend to cure. By afflictions God is spoiling us of what otherwise might have spoiled us.

Qualification for Allah's love....

Prophet Mumahammad (peace and blessings upon him)

is quoted Allah as saying:

"My love is obliged to those who love each other for My sake,

who sit with each other for My sake,

who visit each other for My sake,

and who spend on each other for My sake."

[al Muwattah]

Pearls of wisdom 334

1. If you have no eyes, do not walk blindly;
take a staff in your hand.
If you have no staff of insight,
do not walk without a guide.

2. Happy the man who freed himself from his "self"
and united himself with the Infinite.

3. When you sought refuge in the Qur'an of God,
you mingled yourself with the essence of the prophets.
The Qur'an is a narrative of the states of the prophets who
glory in the blessed ocean of His majesty.

4. God calls Himself "Baseer" (Observant), so that the
knowledge that He is watching you may keep you
from sinning.

5. When temptation claims your reason,
know that misfortune is about to strike.
Fall down prostrate and begin to pray.
With flowing tears implore the Lord
that He may deliver you from the throes of doubt.

6. Sever the chains of the ego. Set yourself free
and witness the bright essence of your inner being.
Discover within your heart the wisdom of a Prophet
without books, without teachers, and without prudence. [Mawlana Rumi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1304

Ayahs of the day:
Those who spend their wealth in the way of God and then do not follow what is spent with reproach or with abuse have their reward with their Lord; they will not suffer fear nor will they grieve. [2:262]

Hadith of the day:
Know that God accepts not the prayer of a distracted and heedless heart. [Tirmidhi]

Wise quote of the day:
Do not fix hopes on your health, and do not laugh away life. Remember how they walked and now their joints lie separately and the tongue with which they talked is eaten away by the worms. [Imam al Ghazali]

Guidance of the day:
Goodness is faith and obedience. Inviting others to this is a lofty rank in the sight of God and a powerful means to draw nearer to Him. Thus, he who makes enjoining goodness his habit and main preoccupation, he has taken an ample share of the heritage of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings upon him). For he was only preoccupied at all times with summoning to God, both with his words and deeds. This is why God sent him and this is what he was commanded to do.

Thus, the people nearest to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings upon him) are those who are most concerned with this matter, and most preoccupied with it, and most actively engaged in it -- enjoining good, which is faith and obedience, and forbidding their opposites, which are disbelief and sin. Success in this context being the attainment of happiness in both this world and the next. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al Haddad]

Food for thought:
Advice is seldom welcome, and those who need it the most, like it the least. He that won't be counselled can't be helped. Write down the advice of him who loves you, though you like it not at present. He that gives good advice, builds with one hand; he that gives good counsel and example, builds with both; but he that gives good admonition and bad example, builds with one hand and pulls down with the other.

"Allah is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth".

The parable of His Light is as if there were a niche and within it a lamp,
the lamp enclosed in glass,
the glass shining like a radiant star:
lit from a blessed tree -
an olive tree neither of the East nor of the West -
whose oil would almost give light (of itself) even though it had not been touched by fire.

Light upon Light!

'Allah guides whom He will to His Light.'

'Allah doth set forth Parables for men: and Allah doth know all things.' [The Holy Quran, 24:35]

Ubayy ibn Ka`b[ra] said:-

'The similitude of His light [takes place in] the Muslim's heart.'

This light, which He has placed in the heart -- love, faith and the remembrance of God. It is the light that He has sent down to His servants, by which He gives them life, and by which they walk among people. Its origin is in their hearts, but then He strengthens and increases it until it appears upon their faces, limbs, bodies, even their clothes and dwellings.

People of this nature perceive it, while others deny it.

On the Day of Judgement, however, it will come forth by their faith, and hasten before them in the darkness of the Bridge, that they might cross it.

They will proceed in proportion to either its strength or its weakness in their hearts during their life in the world.[Ibn Kathir, 3:464]

Pearls of wisdom 333

1. Hidden creatures good and bad always touch the heart. The touch of the angel is inspiration; Satanic touches temptations untold. Tarry with patience until your confusion is resolved and you know whom you rejected and who became the leader of your heart.

2. As he beheld the light of God he felt protected and was delivered from the throes of doubt.

3. Abstinence is better than seeking a remedy.
Scratching the abrasion only makes it worse.
Fasting is the foremost principle of medicine.
Fast, and behold the strength of the spirit.

4. If you wish to shine like the daylight, burn up the night of self-importance.
Dissolve the self like copper in the elixir; dissolve in Him who fosters all existence.
But you are bound by the discord of "I" and "We". The cause of your ruin is this sad dualism.

5. Be in the world or the space He is with you.
He chastises to make the impure pure.

6. Neglect devotion and be bound by fetters of pain and doubt.
Seek freedom, the remedy of all pain.
Seek the roots from which sprout leaves and fruit.
Water the roots and grow to perfection.
And when the fruit blossoms, give it to your friends. [Mawlana Rumi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1303

Ayahs of the day:
Those who give of their wealth in the way of God are like a grain that sprouts seven ears with a thousand kernels in each ear. And God may choose to multiply what anyone has, at will. And God is all-embracing, all-knowing. [2:261]

Hadith of the day:
And he said (peace and blessings upon him), he who says every morning and evening three times; "Radheetu billahi rabban wa bil islami deenan wa bi Muhammad nabiyyan -- I am satisfied with God as Lord, Islam as religion, and Muhammad as Prophet", God-without doubt -will satisfy him on Resurrection Day. [Ahmad]

Wise quote of the day:
"In the name of God" at the start is remembrance, and "All praise to God" at the end is thanks, and perceiving and thinking of those bounties and gifts of His mercy is reflection. [Badiuzzaman Sa'id Nursi]

Guidance of the day:
Praise and thank God abundantly for the grace of Islam, for it is the greatest and most immense of graces. Were God to give this world all that is in it to one of His servants, but withhold Islam, it would be a catastrophe for him. But were He to grant another of His servants Islam and withhold the whole world, it would not harm him. For when the first dies he will end up in the Fire, while the second, when he dies, will end up in the Garden.

You must maintain yourself in a state of fear and anxiety of a bad ending, for God is who turns the hearts. Know that those who neglect their obligatory prayers often suffer a bad ending to their lives, and so do those who neglect obligatory zakat, pry upon other Muslims' privacy, cheat in weights and measures, deceive Muslims and delude them by causing them confusion, whether in religious or worldly matters, and those who belie God's saints and disparage them unjustly, as well as those who falsely pretend they possess the states of the saints and their stations, and other such loathsome things.

"O Most Merciful of all, we ask You by the light of Your Noble Countenance to take us to You as Muslims and make us join the virtuous, in well being, O Lord of the worlds, ameen." [Counsels of Religion by Imam al Haddad]

Food for thought:
The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts. Think like a man of action and act like a man of thought. Action may not always bring happiness; but their 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.

Wonderful touching story....

A woman baked chapatti (roti) for members of her family and an extra one for a hungry passerby. She kept the extra chapatti on the window sill, for whosoever would take it away. Every day, a hunchback came and took away the chapatti. Instead of expressing gratitude, he muttered the following words as he went his way: "The evil you do remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!" This went on, day after day. Every day, the hunchback came, picked up the chapatti and uttered the words: "The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!" The woman felt irritated. "Not a word of gratitude," she said to herself...

"Everyday this hunchback utters this jingle! What does he mean?" One day, exasperated, she decided to do away with him. "I shall get rid of this hunchback," she said. And what did she do? She added poison to the chapatti she prepared for him! As she was about to keep it on the window sill, her hands trembled. "What is this I am doing?" she said. Immediately, she threw the chapatti into the fire, prepared another one and kept it on the window sill. As usual, the hunchback came, picked up the chapatti and muttered the words: "The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!" The hunchback proceeded on his way, blissfully unaware of the war raging in the mind of the woman.

Every day, as the woman placed the chapatti on the window sill, she offered a prayer for her son who had gone to a distant place to seek his fortune. For many months, she had no news of him.. She prayed for his safe return. That evening, there was a knock on the door. As she opened it, she was surprised to find her son standing in the doorway. He had grown thin and lean. His garments were tattered and torn. He was hungry, starved and weak. As he saw his mother, he said, "Mom, it's a miracle I'm here. While I was but a mile away, I was so famished that I collapsed. I would have died, but just then an old hunchback passed by. I begged of him for a morsel of food, and he was kind enough to give me a whole chapatti. As he gave it to me, he said, "This is what I eat everyday: today, I shall give it to you, for your need is greater than mine!" " As the mother heard those words, her face turned pale.

She leaned against the door for support. She remembered the poisoned chapatti that she had made that morning. Had she not burnt it in the fire, it would have been eaten by her own son, and he would have lost his life! It was then that she realized the significance of the words:

"The evil you do remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!"

Do good and Don't ever stop doing good, even if it is not appreciated at that time.

If you like this, share it with others and I bet so many lives would be touched.

Pearls of wisdom 332

1. Treat all in a good way in the belief that they are God's creation.

2. Always abide by the rights of God and the rights of man.

3. God has bestowed on you His infinite blessings -- hence always follow His commands.

4. Establish links with Him, He is all forgiveness.

5. Abandon not the path of righteousness.

6. You will be asked about the deeds, and the relations you maintained with mankind.

7. Sovereignty belongs to Him -- He has granted you a lot and can take all away if He so desires.

8. Strictly observe Akhlaq- Husna (the code of nobility and proper conduct).

9. One should always ponder over the purpose for which he came in this world, and what he has so far achieved.

10. Spend your time in remembering Him. It is He who has granted you this time.

11. Be prepared all the time to return to your original abode.

12. This universe is His book; take lessons from it.

13. Remember Allah, not for some personal interest or worldly benefit, but as your Lord.

14. Consider your loyalty to His loved ones as an obligation you must always follow. [Above quotes by Shaykh Syed Ghulam Muhyuddin]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1302

Ayahs of the day:
God is the protector of believers, taking them out of the darkness into the light. As for scoffers, their protectors are the idols, which take them out of the light into the darkness. They are the inmates of hell fire, wherein they remain. [2:257]

Hadith of the day:
He has experienced the taste of faith who is satisfied with God as Lord, Islam as religion, and Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) as Prophet. [Tirmidhi]

Wise quote of the day:
A person who discourses on religion without remembering that he will be questioned by God on what he says knows the value of neither religion nor his own mind. [Imam Abu Hanifah]

Guidance of the day:
A person should strive to guard his Islam and strengthen it by accomplishing those acts of obedience to God which he is commanded to do. He who neglects God's commands exposes himself to die on other than Islam; for his being neglectful is evidence that he cares little for his religion and takes it lightly. Let every Muslim beware of this to the extreme.

He should also avoid sins and evil deeds, for they weaken Islam, render it feeble, shake its foundations, and make it liable to be wrested away at the time of death, as has actually happened -- may God protect us -- to many who persistently committed such acts. So reflect on this and impose upon yourself obedience to the injunctions of God the Exalted, and avoidance of what He has prohibited. Should you slip to any of these, repent to God and beware to the extreme to persist. And constantly ask God for good ending to your life. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al Haddad]

Food for thought:
Death has ten thousand several doors for men to take their exit. Every life is different from any that has gone before it and so is every death. The uniqueness of each of us extends even to the way we die. Unique circumstances of death will be granted to someone with a unique personality.

Remedy for the tarnished heart....

"There is a polish for everything that removes the Rust;

and the polish for the heart is the remembrance of Allah."

(Bukhari)

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (rahimahullah) said:-

“Doubtless, a heart grows tarnished like brass or silver, and its polish is in remembrance of Allah Mighty and Majestic, which may make it shine like a crystal mirror.

When one neglects the remembrance the heart tarnishes,and when one returns it shines.

Since the heart is tarnished by two things -- heedlessness and sin; it is polished by two things -- remembrance and seeking forgiveness.”

Pearls of wisdom 331

1. Whatever one does not like for himself, he should not under any circumstances, suggest for others.

2. Every work, spiritual or otherwise, appears difficult in the beginning but perseverance makes it easy.

3. Real pleasure lies not in accumulation but in the distribution of wealth.

4. Love of God and love of mammon cannot subsist in one heart.

5. Malice and ill-will should be rooted out from the heart.

6. One who serves becomes the master.

7. Resignation to the will of God is the real key to peace and satisfaction in life.

8. The purpose of prayer is to get rid of self-conceit. One who is ego-centric and selfish cannot achieve anything spiritually.

9. Every wealth has its zakat, and the zakat of knowledge and learning is to act upon it.

10. Self-criticism and quarrel with one's own self is better than seventy years of prayer.

11. One should be kind-hearted and should deal with people with clemency.

12. Prayers should be inspired neither by the fear of hell nor by love of heaven. Love of God should be the only inspiring motive.

13. Honest dealings alone lead to lasting fame.

14. One should hide, rather than disclose the evil deeds of others.

15. A man is in his worst state when he considers himself good and pious. [Above quotes by Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1301

Ayahs of the day:
O Believers, give of what We have provided for you, before there comes a day in which there is no barter, and no friendship, and no intercession. [2: 254]

Hadith of the day:
Gentleness is never mixed with anything without embellishing it nor is it ever taken away from anything without disfiguring it. [Muslim]

Wise quote of the day:
Who can be a greater wastrel than a man whom even learning has not been able to keep away from sin and depravity. [Imam Abu Hanifah]

Guidance of the day:
"Die not except as Muslims." [3:102] is a command from Allah the Almighty in His Book, to die adhering to Islam, (the word Islam in this context refers to original meaning of submission to God) -- God's religion, of which He informed us in His Book that it is the only Religion in His sight and that He will accept none other, that it is the religion He found pleasing for His Messenger and His believing servants.

A human being lacks the power to force himself to die as a Muslim, but God has granted him the means to attain to that. When he makes use of the means he would have done what is his to do and obeyed what he was commanded to do, namely to intend to die a Muslim, love this, wish for it, resolve to do it, and loathe to die on any other religion. He should persist in praying for this, imploring God and beseeching Him to take him to Him as a Muslim.

Thus did God describe His Prophets and the virtuous among His servants. He said in mentioning Joseph son of Jacob -- may peace be upon them, "You are my ally in this world and the next, take me as a Muslim and make me join the virtuous, (12:101). And mentioning Pharaoh's magicians when they became believers and were threatened chastisement by Pharaoh, "Our Lord, give us fortitude in abundance and take us as Muslims, (7:126). [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
The world of bees is full of wonders that remind us of Allah's care. The tiny bee leaves its hive in order to seek out sustenance. It lands on a good and pure surface and sucks out the nectar. It then returns with a fluid that provides remedy for people, always returning to its own hive without losing its way -- a lesson to be learned from.

How to take care of the heart....

Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalaanee [rahimahullahu] said:-

The heart has been singled out because it is the leader of the body and through the purification of the leader...
the subjects become purified.

and with its corruption they become corrupted.
So if you, O servant of Allaah, wish to cure your heart then it is upon you to be truthful with regards to---

(1)Seeking refuge with Allaah
and
(2)Putting trust in Him,
to
(3)Pray a great deal of supererogatory prayers,
to
(4)Perform the actions of obedience to Allaah frequently.

(5) Pray the night prayer while the people are sleeping, and to treat your heart by

(6) Making it continuously stick to the remembrances and by

(7) Befriending only the righteous…
and to
(8)Frequently recite the Qur’aan.

And Allaah will indeed allow all of this to be preserved by Him.

Pearls of wisdom 330

1. Many a life is long in years but meager in fruits, and many a life is short in years but rich in fruits.

2. He who has been blessed in life attains in a short time, to such gifts from God that no expression or symbolic allusion could describe.

3. Meditation is the voyage of the heart and the lamp of the heart; when it goes away, the heart has no illumination.

4. He who attributes humility to himself is really proud, for humility arises only out of sublime state.

5. Real humility is the one which rises from the contemplation of His Sublimity and illumination of His Attributes.

6. He made devil your enemy so that, through him, He could drive you toward Himself, and He stirred up your soul against you so that your drawing to Him would be permanent.

7. So long as you have not contemplated the Creator, you belong to the created beings; but when you contemplated Him, created beings belong to you.

8. He only made afflictions come at the hands of people so that you not repose in them. He wanted to drive you out of everything so that nothing would divert you from Him. [Above quotes by Ibn Ata Allah Iskandari]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1300

Ayahs of the day:
Who will lend God a loan of good, which God will multiply for him greatly? And God both takes and grants, restricts and expands; and to God you will be returned. [2: 245]

Hadith of the day:
He who seeks to expose his brother's shameful secrets, God will expose his shameful secrets. [Tirmidhi]

Wise quote of the day:
We must see each others strengths and encourage those strengths, we must see others weaknesses and be patient with those weaknesses. Sometimes even look beyond what we see as weaknesses and move on with compassion, love and respect -- this takes true faith. [Dawud Whansby]

Guidance of the day:
He who fears God is one to whom profitable commerce has been granted. He who knows God but finds not in this knowledge all that he need, he indeed is wretched. He who serves God is never injured by what he may suffer in His service. What gains a servant from the eminence of wealth since all eminence belong to the God-fearing.

Taqwa is to obey God the Exalted's injunctions, and avoid what He has prohibited, outwardly and inwardly, together with feeling how formidable He is and being in fear, awe, and dread of Him. Taqwa is that Allah should be ever obeyed, never disobeyed; ever remembered, never forgotten; ever thanked, never (have his favors) denied. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
Forgive all who have offended you, not for them but for yourself. Forgiveness is the economy of the heart, it saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits. when we forgive, we in no way change the past, but we do sure change the future.

From the wise sayings of Luqman…

If you are in prayer,
take care of your heart;

If you are eating take care of your throat;

If you are in another person's house, take care of your eyes;

If you are among people take care of your tongue.

Remember two matters and forget two matters:

Remember Allah and Death, forget any good that you have done to another and any evil that was done to you by another.

Umar bin Abdul Aziz said;

Who ever contemplates death frequently -- speaks little.

While he who knows death is certain -- is satisfied with a little.

Pearls of wisdom 329

1. Nothing pleads on your behalf like extreme need, nor does anything speed gifts to you quicker than lowliness and want.

2. Were it not for His kindliness of His veiling, no deed would be worthy of acceptance.

3. He who knows God, contemplates Him in everything. He who loves Him prefers nothing to Him.

4. Sometimes you will find more benefit in state of need than you find in fasting or ritual prayer.

5. If you want gifts to come your way, then perfect the spiritual poverty you have -- 'Alms are only for the needy.'

6. Sometimes darkness (difficulties/problems) come over you in order that He make you aware of the value of His blessings upon you.

7. Do not deem His giving to be slow; but rather, deem your approaching to be slow.

8. Your obedience does not benefit Him, and your disobedience does not harm Him. It is only for your own good that He commanded the one and prohibited the other.

9. His sublimity is not increased when someone draws near to Him, and His sublimity is not decreased when someone draws away from Him.

10. Beneficial knowledge is the one whose ray of light expands in the mind and uncover the veil over the heart. [Above quotes by Ibn Ata Allah Iskandari]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1299

Ayahs of the day:
Or do you suppose you will enter paradise without there having happened to you the likes of what happened to those who passed away before you? Misery and distress befell them, and they were so shaken that the messenger and those who believed with him said, "When will God's help come?" Ah, but the help of God is near! [2: 214]

Hadith of the day:
By He in whose Hand my soul is, you will enjoin good and forbid evil, or God will soon send upon you a chastisement from Him, then you will pray Him and He will not respond. [Ahmad]

Wise quote of the day:
Don't just grow up, grow better with time and grow more experienced with age, keep being passionate about whatever you do, keep trying new things, be patient and keep trying your best, the path to God is straight through will full surrender to God's commands. [Dawud Wharnsby Ali]

Guidance of the day:
Allah Almighty has commanded His believing servants to fear Him. It is as if He has gathered in this fear of Him every good, both immediate and delayed, then enjoined it upon His believing servants, that they may succeed and gain all the goodness and merits in it, as well as happiness and success. This He did in compassion to His believing servants, for He is ever Compassionate to the believers.

Taqwa, is the counsel that the Lord of Worlds gave both ancients and the latecomers. For there is no good, immediate or remote, outward or inward, but that the fear of God is the path leading to it and the means to reach it. And there is no evil, immediate or remote, outward or inward, but the fear of God is the strongest protection and most powerful defense against it, to escape its harm. How numerous are the benefactions and immense good fortunes said to depend on it by God the Formidable in His August Book. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
Forgiveness is the sweetest revenge. The glory of Islam is to conquer by forgiveness. Life is an adventure in forgiveness. He who does not forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself, for every man has the need to be forgiven. The weak can never forgive, forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.

Ibn Mubarak's precious advice....

'When intending to do something good, do not delay it until tomorrow.

When involved in something to do with the hereafter, keep yourself involved as long as you can.

When involved in some worldly matter, put your mind to it-
so as to get it done

And if you are praying and Satan whispers, ‘You are showing off,’ then make your prayer even longer.


The Muslim is Contented and Satisfied
Abu Hurairah (radiyallaahu 'anhu) said :-

Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) said:-

"Richness is not having many belongings, but richness is the richness of the soul" (contentment).

Pearls of wisdom 328

1. When He gives, He shows you His kindness (birr); when He deprives, He shows you His power (qadr). And in all that , He is making Himself known to you and coming to you with His gentleness.

2. Deprivation hurts you only because of the lack of your understanding of good in it.

3. When He alienates you from His creatures, then know that He wants to open for you the door of intimacy with Him.

4. When He loosens your tongue with a request, then know that He wants to give you something.

5. When He makes you submissive to His command outwardly and provide you with resignation to His power inwardly, then He has enhanced the greatness of the favor accorded you.

6. Ritual prayer is a purification for hearts and an opening-up of the door of the invisible domains.

7. He knew the existence of weakness in you, so He made the number of ritual prayers small; and He knew of your need of His grace, so He multiplied their fruitful results.

8. When He wants to show His grace to you, He creates states in you and attributes them to you.

9. How can the laws of nature be ruptured for you so that miracles result, while you, for your part, have not yet ruptured your bad habits.

10. Cling to the attributes of His Lordship and realize the attributes of your servanthood. [Above quotes by Ibn Ata Allah Iskandari]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1298

Ayahs of the day:
O believers, enter wholly into Islam, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan, for he is an open enemy to you. [2: 208]

Hadith of the day:
The most blessed marriage (nikah) is the one with the least expense. [Bayhaqi]

Wise quote of the day:
To advise others is an easy matter, the difficulty is accepting advice -- since it is bitter for those who follow their own inclinations and desires. [Imam al Ghazali]

Guidance of the day:
Just as it is not allowed to backbite anyone so too it is not allowed to listen to one who backbites. If a person is present at a place where another begins to backbite someone then he should stop him from proceeding further. There are two ways to stop him -- telling him in so many words that it is a sin, if he cannot then he should introduce a new topic so that the evil is stopped. If he cannot do either then he should get up from that gathering and go elsewhere. [Spiritual Discourses by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani]

Food for thought:
Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom. Without forgiveness life is governed by an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation. 'I can forgive but I cannot forget', is only one way of saying, "I will not forgive." Forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note, torn into two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one. The weak can never forgive -- forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

The Dirty Laundry…

By Abu Muhammad Yusuf

In life we tend to be judgmental and very often look down upon others without exploring deeper and finding out why the person is behaving in such a way. The Beloved Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is reported to have said "It is enough of evil for a person to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. All of a Muslim is sacred to another Muslim: his blood, his wealth and his honour." (Hadith- Muslim)

A young couple moves into a new neighbourhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbour hanging the laundry outside. "That laundry is not very clean", she said. "She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap. "Her husband looked on, but remained silent. Every time her neighbour would hang her washing to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

Some time later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean laundry on the line and said to her husband: "Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this."

"The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows"

Lesson: If our windows are dirty so will we see others as dirty too. What we see in others is indeed a reflection of our inner-selves! So it is with life that what we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look. It is easy for us to condemn, discuss other people, their lives & things that really doesn't even concern us and we tend to forget - our windows may not be that clean after all! If we are good we will see good…

The Beloved Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is reported to have said:
"A Muslim is a mirror to another Muslim"(Hadith_Abu Dawud)

info@eislam.co.za

Pearls of wisdom 327

1. If you want to know your standing with Him, look at where He has made you abide now.

2. When He gives you obedience, making you unaware of it because of Him, then know that He has showered you liberally with His graces both inwardly and outwardly.

3. The best that you can seek from Him is that which He seeks from you.

4. Hope (raja) goes hand in had with deeds, otherwise it is a wish.

5. Sometimes He gives while depriving you, and sometimes He deprives you in giving.

6. If you want a glory that does not vanish, then do not glory in glory that vanishes.

7. The real journey is when the world's dimension is rolled away from you so that you see the Hereafter closer to you than yourself.

8. Suffice it as a recompense for the doers of good that He judged you worthy of obedience.

9. It suffices as a reward for the doers of good that He has inspired obedience to Him in their hearts and brought upon them the existence of His reciprocal intimacy.

10. He made the Hereafter an abode to reward his believing servants only because this world cannot contain what He wishes to bestow upon them and because He deemed their worth too high to reward them in a world without permanence. [Above quotes by Ibn Ata Allah Iskandari]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1297

Ayahs of the day:
And spend for the sake of God, and do not invest in ruin by your own hands. And do good; for God loves those who do good. [2: 195]

Hadith of the day:
Traders will be gathered on the Day of Judgment as transgressors, except those who feared Allah, were righteous in their oaths and spoke the truth. [Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah]

Wise quote of the day:
Before the time of prayer comes, the servant must be in a state of preparation and his attitude must be that which is essential for prayer, namely a state of meditation and recollection, free from wandering thoughts and consideration or remembrance of anything save God alone. [Abu Nasr al Sarraj]

Guidance of the day:
The Qur'an says backbiting is like eating flesh of a dead brother. It is a grave sin, a kabirah, not an ordinary one. Backbiting is a sin just as consuming wine, eating pork, stealing or robbing are sins. Rather, it is more severe. To drink wine or to consume pork is to violate rights of Allah and the sin pertains to the self of the perpetrator and has no relation with rights of fellow men. Hence, if Allah will enable the sinner at anytime and he repents to Him then He will forgive the sin.

The sin of backbiting, however, pertains to fellow human beings. The principle in such cases is that the sin is not forgiven unless the owner of the rights forgives it. The sinner may make repentance and seek forgiveness for thousands of times, offer salah and fasting, but the sin of backbiting will not be forgiven. Allah has said, "I will forgive you My rights. But, if you damage My slave physically or his property, or his honor; or you violate his rights then until he pardons you or you repay him his rights, I will not forgive you." The case of rights of fellow men is very serious but we have considered it very ordinary and minor. Backbiting is also among rights of fellow men. [Spiritual Discourses by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani]

Food for thought:
Faith means, no worrying. Faith is passionate intuition. Every tomorrow has two handles -- we can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith. He who has faith has an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well, even though to the world it may appear to come out badly.

Gentle Reminders....

'When intending to do something good, do not delay it until tomorrow.

When involved in something to do with the hereafter, keep yourself involved as long as you can.

When involved in some worldly matter, put your mind to it-
so as to get it done

And if you are praying and Satan whispers, ‘You are showing off,’ then make your prayer even longer.

Ibn Al-Mubârak in Al-Zuhd wa Al-Rqâ’iq Vol.1 p126


The Muslim is Contented and Satisfied
Abu Hurairah (radiyallaahu 'anhu) said :-

Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) said:-

"Richness is not having many belongings, but richness is the richness of the soul" (contentment).
Muslim -2/501/ # 2287)

Pearls of wisdom 326

1. One of the signs of relying on one's own deeds is the loss of hope when a downfall occurs.

2. Your striving for what has been guaranteed to you (i.e. dunya), and your remissness in what is demanded of you (i.e. akhirah), are sings of the blurring of your intellect.

3. If in spite of intense supplication, there is delay in the timing of the Gift, let that not be the cause for your despairing. For He has guaranteed you a response in what He chooses for you, not in what you choose for yourself, and at the time He desires not the time you desire.

4. Actions are lifeless forms, but the presence of an inner reality of sincerity within them is what endows them with life-giving spirit.

5. Nothing benefits the heart more than a spiritual retreat wherein it enters the domain of meditation.

6. How can it be conceived that something veils Him, since He is the one who manifests every thing?

7. How can it be conceived that something veils Him, since He is more manifest than anything?

8. How can it be conceived that something veils Him, since He is nearer to you than anything else?

9. How can it be conceived that something veils Him, since He is alongside of whom there is nothing?

10. How can it be conceived that something veils Him, since were it not for Him, the existence of everything would not have been manifest? [Ibn Ataillah Iskandari]