LESSON OF THE DAY 375

Ayah of the Day:
And who is more wrong than one who invents a lie against God? They will be set before their Lord and the witnesses will say, "These are the ones who lied against their Lord. Behold--the curse of God is on the unjust. [11: 18]

Hadith of the Day:
He who buys stolen property with the knowledge that it is stolen, shares in the sin and shame of stealing. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The one who holds on to Allah's door finds all other doors opened up in front of him. [Abu Hafs Haddad]

Guidance of the Day:
Anger is something both the Shariah and the sound intellect regard as generally blameworthy. This is why the Beloved of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) told the one who sought his counsel, "Don't get angry," repeatedly.

Khattabi said, 'The meaning of 'Do not get angry' is: don't fall into those matters that cause anger and those matters that stir one's anger--because anger itself is an intrinsic human trait and one can't get rid of it.

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Forbearance (hilm) is the best of traits." Forbearance is for one not to be moved by one's anger and emotions; rather, one acts in accordance with the dictates of Revelation and reason. [Sunni Path]

Du'a of the Week:
A'udhu bi kalimaati'Llaahi't-taammaati min sharri ma khalaq. (I seek refuge in the complete words of Allah from the evil of what He has created).

Food for Thought:
If you use the Quran as your guide, you will never lose your sense of direction. There is only one real way to attain success and that is to be in the will of God.

LESSON OF THE DAY 374

Ayahs of the Day:
As for those who desire the life of this world and its pomp, We will pay them for their works in it; and nothing will be withheld of what is due to them. They are the ones for whom there is nothing in the hereafter but the fire; and what they have done here is futile, and their works are in vain. [11: 15,16].

Hadith of the Day:
It is not permissible to sell an article without making it clear, nor is it is permissible for anyone who knows its defects to refrain from mentioning it. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Quran is above-all a Book of Guidance. There can be little blessing for those who have insufficient respect and veneration for the Quran to follow its guidance and command. [Shaykh Faraz Rabbani]

Guidance of the Day:
Good character traits may be present in some cases by natural disposition and nature. More commonly, however, they need to be acquired by making oneself used to performing good works, by observing those of good works and keeping their company. These are the worthy associates and brethren in godliness, for natures acquire both good and bad from the company one keeps.

The one for whom all three means are present are in a highly noble state, while the one with a lowly disposition who has bad companions whom he learns from, until the means to bad deeds become easy for him, is extremely far from Allah. Between these two stations are those with varying acquisition of these means, each with a station of closeness or distance depending on their state and situation. "And whoso does ill an atom's weight will see it then." (99: 7,8) [Sunni Path]

Food for Thought:
Any person worth their salt will stick up for what they believe in, but it takes a slightly bigger person to acknowledge instantly and without reservation that they are in error.

LESSON OF THE DAY 373

Ayahs of the Day:
If We let man taste mercy from Us, and then withdraw it from him, he despairs and is ungrateful. And if We let him taste favor after affliction has touched him, he will say, "The ills have gone from me!" Indeed he exults and is boastful. The exceptions are those who are patient and do good works; for them there is forgiveness, and a great reward. [11: 9,10,11]

Hadith of the Day:
He who cheats is not from us. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The most serious misdeed is that which the perpetrator thinks insignificant. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
The one who wants to become a legal scholar of deep understanding needs to undertake the works of such scholars, namely repeated study of legal texts and keeping the company of jurists, until he is characterized by legal understanding, and thus becomes such a jurist.

Likewise, the one who seeks to purify his self, perfect it and adorn it with noble traits and good works has no way to achieve this except in the same manner. Just as the student of law cannot become a jurist by a night's study or reading, the one seeking to purify his self cannot achieve it by a night's worship or be debarred from it by a day's disobedience. However, a day's remissness could lead to another until, little by little, the self becomes accustomed to remissness and leaves its striving. [Sunni Path]

Food for Thought:
Troubles are usually the brooms and shovels that smooth the road to a good person's fortune.

LESSON OF THE DAY 372

Ayah of the Day:
And if We deferred the punishment for them for a determined time, they would surely say, "What holds it back?' Ah, the day it comes to them, it will not be diverted from them; and what they used to ridicule will surround them. [11: 8]

Hadith of the Day:
Visit the sick, free the captives, and feed the hungry. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
There is nothing worse than heedlessness, and there is nothing stronger than one's lusts, yet by extinguishing heedlessness, lusts are easily overcome. [Ahmad Hazria]

Guidance of the Day:
The food of hearts is wisdom, knowledge of Allah, and love of Him. Its turning away from its natural disposition is the result of sicknesses that afflict it, as when a sickness afflicts a person's stomach, causing him not to desire food or drink though they are the means for his survival. Thus, every heart that inclines to love Allah has a sickness to the extent of its inclining. The only exception is if it loved that thing as a means to the love of Allah and His religion. This is subtle, however, and only known by those of spiritual insight.

It has become clear, then, that it is certainly possible to acquire good character traits by spiritual discipline, which is forcing oneself to perform certain actions until they become a habit. This is a result of the wondrous relationship between the heart and limbs, the self and the body. Every attribute that appears in the heart leaves traces on the limbs, until they do not move except in accordance with it. And every action of the limbs can leave traces in the heart, so the relationship is circular. [Sunni Path]

Food for Thought:
Silence is an ultimate weapon of power. It is never wise to argue with a fool, a bystander does not know which is which.

LESSON OF THE DAY 371

Ayah of the Day:
And it is God who created the heavens and the earth in six days while God's throne was upon the water, to test which of you is best in conduct. But if you were to say, "You will be resurrected after death," those who scoffed would say, "This is but obvious witchcraft" [11: 7]

Hadith of the Day:
Whoever Allah wishes well for, He gives deep understanding of religion (fiqh). [Bukhari & Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
There is no rest for the envier; there is no moral integrity for the liar; there is no well-being for the miser; there is no nobility for the ill-mannered; there is no abrogation for Allah's decree. [Ahnaf ibn Qays]

Guidance of the Day:
If the self finds pleasure from the habit and its habitual company in the worthless and inclines to them, then how can it not find pleasure in the worthwhile if it is returned to it for a period and made to return attached to it while mixing with the righteous and keeping their company?

In reality, the self's inclination towards despicable things is contrary to its natural disposition and a kin to an inclination to eat mud. As for it inclining to wisdom, the love and knowledge of Allah and His worship, it is like its inclination to food and drink. It is a result of the natural disposition of the heart, for the heart is a lordly matter. Thus, the self's inclining to its passions is alien to it, and foreign to its disposition. [Sunni Path]

Food for Thought:
It is better, beyond compare, to seek out the company of those who help one achieve contentment with God. When one is content, little will suffice. But without contentment, nothing will suffice.

LESSON OF THE DAY 370

Ayah of the Day:
And there is no moving creature upon the earth but whose sustenance is up to God; and God knows its time and place, and its grave. All is in a clear writ. [11: 6]

Hadith of the Day:
When three of you meet, let not two of you step aside and whisper something to each other, as that is bound to hurt the feelings of the third. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The greatest wealth is unconcern with people's possessions. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
One who wishes to become generous, for example, should force himself to act as a generous person would, by spending money. Then one consistently struggles with one's self by giving until it becomes naturally easy to give, and one becomes generous by nature.

Likewise, one who wishes to become characterized by humility after arrogance was preponderant, should force himself to perform the actions of the humble for a while, struggling with his lower self, until it becomes a character trait, and these actions become easy. All traits that are praiseworthy in the Sacred Law may be attained by this means.

Keeping the company of perfected spiritual guides and avoiding the company of those with blameworthy traits has a strong effect, for dispositions can acquire good traits through company as it can acquire bad traits. Moreover, for many people a Guide's reminders and reprimands may achieve what mere determination and spiritual may not. It may be that a student may leave the mire of lowly traits by the reminders and reprimands of his Guide far more quickly than by his determination and spiritual alone. [Sunni Path]

Food for Thought:
The race of mankind would perish, did they cease to help each other. Hardwork brings prosperity; playing around brings poverty.

LESSON OF THE DAY 369

Ayah of the Day:
See how they fold up their hearts, to lie hidden from God! Even when they cover themselves with their clothing, God knows what they conceal and what they reveal, for God knows what is in hearts. [11: 5]

Hadith of the Day:
He who alleviates the suffering of a brother in this world, God will alleviate his suffering on the Day of Resurrection. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Make it a habit to weep in the awe of the Divine, so that you may laugh on the Day of Resurrection. [Yahya bin Mu'adh]

Guidance of the Day:
Allah Most High said, "Those who control their anger and are forgiving towards people; Allah loves the good." (Qur'an, 3: 134). Allah did not say, "Those bereft of anger." Anger and passion are to be returned to a balanced state, such that they neither overcome nor master the intellect. Rather, the sacred Law and intellect are to be the standards and masters over anger and passion. This is clearly possible, and is what is meant by changing character traits.

This balanced state is achieved in two ways: firstly, by divine generosity and sound natural predisposition, such that one is born with a high intellect and good character, and with their passion and anger in balance. This is the case of the Prophets (Allah bless them and give them peace)...

The other way to attain these noble traits is by spiritual struggle and discipline, namely to make oneself perform the actions that a desired trait entails. These traits are then gradually acquired by becoming used to those actions, as well as by keeping the company of those who already possess these traits. [Sunni Path]

Food for Thought:
Take time to read--it is the foundation of knowledge. Take time to think--it is the source of power.

LESSON OF THE DAY 368

Ayahs of the Day:
And that you seek forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to God, that God may grant you a good provision for a determined period, and bestow divine grace on all the virtuous; but if you turn away, then I fear for you punishment of a grievous day. Your return is to God, Who has power over all things. [11: 3,4]

Hadith of the Day:
He who greets first is nearest to God. [Ahmad, Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
There are two kinds of speeches and two kinds of silences. Speech is either truth or falsification, and silence is either fruition or heedlessness. If one speaks the truth, his words are better than his silence, but the one who invents falsifications, his silence is better than his speech. [Al Hujwiri]

Guidance of the Day:
In reality, those who deny that character traits may be changed have confused changing traits with removing them. What is not possible is the second. If one sought to completely remove all traces of anger and passion, it would not be possible. However, it is possible to control and direct them through spiritual struggle and discipline, which we have been commanded to do, and these are the means of our salvation and the path to reach Allah. At the same time, dispositions vary. Some are quick to change, others slow.

How can it be desirable to uproot passion and anger completely when without anger, jihad would not be possible? How could that be a goal if the Prophets (Allah bless them and give them peace) were characterized by them? For our Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, "I am a human, and I get angry as humans do." Similarly, if someone spoke in his presence about a disliked matter, he would get angry until his cheeks were red. However, he would not speak other than the truth, so his anger would not make him leave the truth. [Sunni Path]

Food for Thought:
Don't be concerned with who's right, but what's right. Kindness to evil men is like injury to good men.

LESSON OF THE DAY 367

Ayahs of the Day:
A Book, whose signs are confirmed, then explained, from One who is most wise and aware, that you not worship but God, from whom I am a warner and a herald of good news. [11: 1,2]

Hadith of the Day:
The best thing in Islam is feeding the poor and offering salutation to whom you know and whom you do not know. [Bukhari & Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Kill your ego, so you may truely live. [Ahmad Hazria]

Guidance of the Day:
As for the attribute of anger, its good lies in its suppression and expression being according to the dictates of wisdom. Likewise, the good and uprightness and passion lies in its being under the indication of wisdom; that is, the indications of the intellect and Sacred Law.

Know, then, that those whom laziness has overcome find it difficult to carry out spiritual struggle, discipline, purify the self, and refine their character. They wrongly believe that because natures do not undergo change, it is not possible to change character traits. If this were the case, then counsels, admonitions, and discipline would have been of no use. How can it be impossible to change the behavior of humans, when it is evidently obvious that it is possible to change the behavior of animals such as eagles, dogs, and horses by training? [Sunni Path]

Food for Thought:
My interest is in the future (Akhira) because I am going to spend the rest of my life there.

LESSON OF THE DAY 366

Ayahs of the Day:
Say, "O people! Truth has come to you from your Lord, so whoever accepts guidance is guided for the sake of his own soul alone, and whoever strays only strays to its detriment. So I am not incharge of you." So follow the inspiration revealed to you, and be patient until God renders judgment, for God is the best of judges. [10: 108,109]

Hadith of the Day:
The thing which will make majority of people enter Paradise is fear of God and good manners. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Whoever is pleased with himself is veiled from his Lord. [Shah al Kirmani]

Guidance of the Day:
Character traits are attributes of the self by which it leans to one of either beauty or ugliness. Complete outward beauty is not possible through the beauty of the eyes alone, without the nose, mouth, and cheeks; rather, it is necessary that all these be beautiful. Similarly, inward beauty needs four essential elements for good character to be complete through an appropriate balance and temperance of these elements. These elements are knowledge, anger, passion, and justice between the other three elements.

As for the attribute of knowledge, its good and uprightness lies in its ability to comprehend between truthfulness and lying in speech, between truth and falsehood in belief, between the good and evil in actions. If this attribute of knowledge is made upright, then its fruits are wisdom, which is at the root of good character.

Food for Thought:
Duty without enthusiasm becomes laborious; duty with enthusiasm becomes glorious.

LESSON OF THE DAY 364

Ayah of the Day:
And if God touches you with hurt, no one can remove it but God. And if God wishes you well, no one can prevent God's blessing, which God may send to any devotee at will. And God is the epitome of forgiveness and mercy. [10: 107]

Hadith of the Day:
A true believer in God is an embodiment of love. There is no goodness in him who does not show affection to others and to whom others do not show affection. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
A person is truly a human if he or she learns, and teaches, and inspires others. It is difficult to regard as truly human someone who is ignorant and has no desire to learn. [Fethullah Gulen]

Guidance of the Day:
The importance of Good Character: Good character is an attribute of the Master of the Messengers, and the best of works of the veracious (Siddiqin), and is in reality half of religion, the fruits of the spiritual struggles of the god-fearing, and the efforts of the worshippers.

Lowly character is a killing poison, a deadly destroyer, a humiliating abaser, clear lowliness, and filth that distances one from the sanctuary of the Lord of the worlds. It makes the one characterized by it of the Satans, and it is the open door to the burning fire of Allah, as good character is the open bounties of the Gardens and proximity to the Merciful. Lowly character is a sickness of the heart and a disease of the lower self. It is a sickness that endangers the ever-lasting life. Thus, it is necessary to pay utmost attention to it, even more than outward sickness. [Sunni Path]

Food for Thought:
One of the sure ways to Divine Favor and Paradise is excellence and dutifulness to parents, especially when they are old and needy. Thus someone who fails to be good to their parents and fails to serve them in their old age has atleast missed out on a means for tremendous reward--and, depending on their conduct, could well have fallen into the major sin of being bad to one's parents.

LESSON OF THE DAY 363

Ayahs of the Day:
And, "Set your face to religion devoutly; and do not be an idolater, And do not pray to anything but God, anything that neither helps nor hurt you; for if you do so you will be a wrongdoer." [10: 105,106]

Hadith of the Day:
Charity appeases the Lord's anger and averts an evil death. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The total and lasting mistake is to have free time and not betake yourself to Him or for the obstacles to be few and not journey to Him. [Ibn Ataillah]

Guidance of the Day:
Refining character traits is one of the most central concerns of the righteous. They are distinguished from others by their good character, and through it they were known. Whoever reflects on the Quran and Sunna will know that good character is as central to religion as a foundation is to a building.

Improving character traits is not possible except through spiritual struggle at the hands of a perfected spiritual guide who has struggled with his own self, opposed his caprice, left lowly character traits, and adorned himself with praiseworthy ones. Whoever thinks they can achieve this by mere knowledge and the study of books has erred and gone far astray. Just as (outward) knowledge is only acquired through study with scholars, good character is acquired by struggling to attain it at the hands of the knowers of Allah. [Sunni Path]

Food for Thought:
Strange thing how trouble acts different on folks, it's like hot weather---sours milk but sweetens apples.

LESSON OF THE DAY 362

Ayah of the Day:
Say, "O people! If you are in doubt about my way, I do not worship the things that you worship instead of God. Rather, I worship God, the One Who will take your souls. and I have been ordered to be of the believers. [10: 104]

Hadith of the Day:
Have mercy upon the earthly creatures that the One Who is in the Heavens have mercy on you. [Abu Daud]

Wise Quote of the Day:
True repentance entails constant regret of your sins. Without remorse, good deeds, be they abounding, could be eclipsed by pride that follows piety. Remorse for a sin is superior to good works. Never forget your transgressions to save yourself from conceit. [Al Hujwiri]

Guidance of the Day:
Measures recommended to deal with anger:

Remember the clemency, forbearance, and easy going nature of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) with others, and did not get angry unless the anger was for the sake of Allah. The examples of this from his life are numerable. The scholars say that every Muslim should strive to read about the life and example of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) daily.

Beware of the harms of anger, which include falling into that which Allah deems impermissible of words or actions, and acting in a way unbefitting of a believer. Would we act like this if we were aware that Allah sees all our actions? Would we act like this in the presence of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Remember that anger is generally animalistic. Beware that one resembles animals, more than noble humans, when in a state of anger. [Sunni Path]

Food for Thought:
There is no personal charm so great as the charm of a cheerful temperament. It would be a great world if we were always as pleasant as we sometimes are.

LESSON OF THE DAY 362

Ayahs of the Day:
So do they expect anything but the likes of the days of those who passed away from them? Say, "Then wait; I will be waiting with you." Finally We will deliver Our messengers, and those who believed. So it is: it behooves Us to deliver the believers. [10: 102,103]

Hadith of the Day:
You will not believe as long as you do not love one another. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The day of justice against the oppressor is more severe than the tyranny against the oppressed. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Recommended measures to deal with anger:

Do not say anything when angry, lest it contravene the Sacred Law, or go against your personal or social interests. Change your physical posture. The Prophet (may blessings and peace be upon him) said, "If you get angry while standing, sit down...If you get angry while sitting, lie down." The wisdom in this is that it prevents one from doing that which one's anger would have made one do in that posture.

Perform ritual ablution. The Prophet informed us that anger is from Satan, and he was created from fire, so we should extinguish anger with ritual ablutions. Remember that the true strength is not physical, but spiritual and moral. This is because, the one who can control himself when his anger swells up has overcome the most powerful of his enemies and the worst of his adversaries. [Sunni Path]

Food for Thought:
Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again. Life is but a continual course of instruction.

LESSON OF THE DAY 361

Ayah of the Day:
Say, "Behold what is in the heavens and on the earth!" But signs and warners are of no avail for those who do not believe. [10: 101]

Hadith of the Day:
The poor will never suffer from starvation or lack of clothes unless the rich neglect their due. [Tabrani]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Let there be no troubled souls to whom you do not offer a hand and about whom you remain unconcerned. [Fethullah Gulen]

Guidance of the Day:
Anger is something both the shariah and the sound intellect regard as generally blameworthy. This is why the Beloved of Allah (may blessings and peace upon him) told the one who sought his counsel, "Don't get angery," repeatedly.

The scholars recommend many measures to deal with anger, including:
Turning to Allah, and seeking refuge in Allah, from Satan. One should remember Allah when angry, for this leads to fear of Allah, which directs him to obey Him and restrain one's anger by returning to proper manners. Allah Most High said, "And remember Allah when you are heedless." (18: 24)

Turn to Allah in supplication, in order to control one's anger. One should turn to Allah with one's heart and tongue, asking Him to rid one of anger, and all other lowly traits. [Sunni Path]

Food for Thought:
Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. Be great in act, as you have been in thought.

LESSON OF THE DAY 360

Ayahs of the Day:
Now if your Lord had willed, everyone on earth would have believed; are you then going to compel the people to become believers? For no soul can believe except by God's permission; and God heaps loathing on those who will not understand. [10: 99,100]

Hadith of the Day:
Two of your qualities are pleasing to God. One is your sense of self-restraint; the other is your disinclination to act hastily. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
There is no punishment greater than heedlessness or hard heartedness. [Ahmad Hawari]

Guidance of the Day:
Besides remembrance (of Allah) itself, another cause of stillness (sakina) is the actual presence of angelic beings and the absence of demonic, brought about by dhikra Llah. In our modern world we tend to shy away from mentioning unseen beings such as angels and demons, but lack of belief in something does not necessitate its nonexistence. Angels are real; they love the remembrance of Allah and will actually seek out places where He is being remembered in or to join in. Though unseen, their presence is felt by the worshipper.

The fundamental reason why remembrance of Allah effects us is simply that the entire body craves Divine remembrance more intensely than anything else. When the heart and its translator, the tongue, join in, harmony occurs. We need the prayers for our sanity and for our protection from the evils of the world. [Prophetic Invocatons]

Food for Thought:
Success is a ladder which cannot be climbed with your hands in your pockets. There is no vacations from the school of experience.

LESSON OF THE DAY 359

Ayahs of the Day:
So if you have been in doubt about what We revealed to you, then ask those who have already been reading scripture before you. Truth has come to you from your Lord, so do not be a doubter. And do not be of those who repudiate the signs of God, for then you will be losers. [10: 94,95]

Hadith of the Day:
Verily God is Pure and loves the pure, is Beneficent and loves the beneficent, is Generous and loves the generous. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Be so tolerant that your chest becomes wide like the ocean. Become inspired with faith and love of human beings. [Fethullah Gulen]

Guidance of the Day:
Breath is a Divine gift, and the tongue is a plane upon which the breezes of the breath flow. To speak we need a tongue, lips and breath. To remember God, we need a heart. We have been given all four and reminded by Allah in every Book of revelation that the reason we are created is to worship Him. Infact, everything in existence is initially created in a state of worship. However, because of their free will, human can forget the reason of their existence.

It is through remembrance the equilibrium is established in the soul. "Is it not by the remembrance of Allah that hearts are stilled?" the Quran metorically asks. When remembering Allah one often feels His presence. While this can be true of remembrance of anyone, the presence of Allah, as well as that of Prophets and Saints, brings a stillness of the heart without comparison. [Prophetic Invocations]

Food for Thought:
The purpose of humanity is observation and compassion. Where there is a human being there is a chance for kindness.

LESSON OF THE DAY 358

Ayahs of the Day:
Say, "Those who manufacture falsehood against God will never succeed." Some stuff in the world, then back to Us is their return; then We have them taste the intense torment resulting from being ungrateful. [10: 69,70]

Hadith of the Day:
When something weighs on your conscience, give it up. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Surely worship is meant to be done in the prime of youth. [Sari Al saqati]

Guidance of the Day:
The hardening of the physical heart comes from lack of exercise and from eating animal flesh with fat. Similarly, the spiritual heart is hardened by lack of spiritual exercise and eating the dead flesh of other humans (which is a metaphysical reality of the act of backbiting). The spiritual exercise of the heart is called dhikru'Llah, which simply means remembering Allah. The practice of remembrance is a practice of recollecting another world and another time.

The sleepers of this world when they are finally and forcibly removed from the poppy field of pleasure and forgetfulness, the newly awaken come to realization that they were infact accountable for every God given breath, but they have squandered their entire lives foolishly, or worse still, spent them in malevolent deeds. [Prophetic Invocations]

Food for Thought:
Applaud the good for their goodness; appreciate those who have believing hearts; be kind to the believers. Approach unbelievers so gently that their envy and hatred melt away.

LESSON OF THE DAY 358

Ayahs of the Day:
Say, "Those who manufacture falsehood against God will never succeed." Some stuff in the world, then back to Us is their return; then We have them taste the intense torment resulting from being ungrateful. [10: 69,70]

Hadith of the Day:
When something weighs on your conscience, give it up. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Surely worship is meant to be done in the prime of youth. [Sari Al saqati]

Guidance of the Day:
The hardening of the physical heart comes from lack of exercise and from eating animal flesh with fat. Similarly, the spiritual heart is hardened by lack of spiritual exercise and eating the dead flesh of other humans (which is a metaphysical reality of the act of backbiting). The spiritual exercise of the heart is called dhikru'Llah, which simply means remembering Allah. The practice of remembrance is a practice of recollecting another world and another time.

The sleepers of this world when they are finally and forcibly removed from the poppy field of pleasure and forgetfulness, the newly awaken come to realization that they were infact accountable for every God given breath, but they have squandered their entire lives foolishly, or worse still, spent them in malevolent deeds. [Prophetic Invocations]

Food for Thought:
Applaud the good for their goodness; appreciate those who have believing hearts; be kind to the believers. Approach unbelievers so gently that their envy and hatred melt away.

LESSON OF THE DAY 357

Ayah of the Day:
They even say God has a son. Glory to God! God is the self-sufficient, to whom belongs what is in the skies and what is on the earth. You have no authority for this! Do you say of God what you do not know? [10: 68]

Hadith of the Day:
If the person who is treated unjustly bears injustice for the sake of God and declines to retaliate, then God honors him by way of recompense in this and the life to come. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Without a steady dose of knowledge, wisdom, and the advice from the scholars, our hearts will wither away and die. [Shaykh Fatah Musli]

Guidance of the Day:
It is not arrogance that one recognize a blessing given him. Arrogance is when a person feels that he or she deserved this blessing. Know that God can take a blessing away and elevate others in rank and honor--even those toward whom people aim their condescension.

As mentioned previously, recitation of the Quran during Ramadan is especially effective in reviving one's relationship with the Book of God. Imam Abu Hanifa said that reading the Quran atleast twice a year ensures that one is not estranged from the Quran or withdrawn from it. On the Day of Resurrection the Quran will bear witness against those who neglect it, even those who have learned it but who stopped giving it proper attention. If one is unable to recite, then one should listen to the recording of the Quran.

Throughout the centuries, scholars have written much about Ramadan. It truly is an exceptional opportunity to cleanse our hearts of the diseases. Ofcourse, the remedies can be applied any time. But during the month of miracles--when the Quran itself was revealed--small good deeds are magnified and large deeds multiplied over and over again. [Purification of the Heart]

Food for Thought:
Everything requires effort, the only thing which can be achieved without it is failure. The trouble with laziness is that laziness is seldom curable and never fatal.