Ayah of the Day:
Say, "Who provides for you from the skies and the earth? and who has power over hearing and seeing? And who brings forth the living from the dead, and brings forth the dead from the living? and who governs the order? They will say, "God." So say, "then will you not be alert?" [10:31]
Hadith of the Day:
A person's real wealth is whatever he spends during his life (on good deeds), while the wealth of his heirs is whatever he leaves after his death [Bukhari]WISE
Quote of the Day:
Leaving what is displeasing to Allah is one of the greatest spiritual works. [Sheikh Faraz rabbani]
Guidance of the Day:
Jihad against the ego is the Greater Jihad, for it is a kind of war in which no truce is possible as long as one has an "ego". The prophet (may blessings and peace be upon him) said, "A fighter (mujahid) is someone who fights his caprices, and an emigrant (muhajir) is someone who renounces what God has forbidden." This is because there are certain specific times in which the jihad of armed combat can be carried out, after which it ends, which is not the case with the jihad against the ego.
Similarly, emigration in the time of the Prophet was to Medina. Thus the true fighter did not endure hardships and dangers, heroic battles, and the separation from family and property, until he had conquered his caprices and subdued his ego for the sake of God's pleasure.
It is a well known fact that in the jihad against the ego one must acquire arms, equipment and helpers if one is to be able to subdue it and proceed on the path to the Real so as to attain the station of Tawhid and perfect intimacy in the proximity of the One, the Glorious. Without them there can be no victory. These arms and equipment consist of useful knowledge and good works, which lead to the coolness of certainty and the reality of faith. The helpers are the guides on the Path, who point out its landmarks, and who transmit the Messages of God, and take each others' hands in traveling this rocky terrain and ascending these heights. They are beacons to the travelers, guides to the perplexed, the waymarks, and the very essence of realization. [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Thursday, September 29, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 335
Ayah of the Day:
As for those who have done evil, evil like it is their reward; and ignominy will cover them. They will have no defense against God. It will be as if their faces were covered with a piece of night, plunging them into the darkness: they are the inmates of the Fire, where they will abide. [10: 27]
Hadith of the Day:
The first to be summoned to Paradise on the Day of Resurrection will be those who praise God in (both) prosperity and adversity. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The one who blindly follows the dictates of his ego, is like the one who has befriended a sworn enemy of Allah. [Sahl bin Abdullah]
Guidance of the Day:
Jihad is the foremost foundation of religion and its most exalted duty. By means of it, God has raised up the rank of Islam and Muslims, and abased that of idolatry and idolaters. It is the highest form of enjoining good--the highest level of good being Islam and Tawhid--and is the most exalted form of forbidding evil, since the vilest reprehensible things and of sins is disbelief and idolatry. It is an obligation which is a public duty, in which one can either participate in person or through one's wealth.
So let whoever is capable of jihad do it, and let him hurry and roll up his sleeves and be neither lazy nor remiss. And let whoever is not capable harbor good intentions regarding jihad, and pray to God abundantly on behalf of those who go, and help them as much as he can. [Key to the GARDEN]
Du'a of the Week:
Allahumma inna nas aluka hubbaka wa hubba man ahabbaka wa hubba ma yuqarribuna ilaika (O Allah, grant us love of You, and to love those who love You, and to love whatever brings us closer to You).
Food for Thought:
Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves. As a person grows wiser, they talk less and say more.
As for those who have done evil, evil like it is their reward; and ignominy will cover them. They will have no defense against God. It will be as if their faces were covered with a piece of night, plunging them into the darkness: they are the inmates of the Fire, where they will abide. [10: 27]
Hadith of the Day:
The first to be summoned to Paradise on the Day of Resurrection will be those who praise God in (both) prosperity and adversity. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The one who blindly follows the dictates of his ego, is like the one who has befriended a sworn enemy of Allah. [Sahl bin Abdullah]
Guidance of the Day:
Jihad is the foremost foundation of religion and its most exalted duty. By means of it, God has raised up the rank of Islam and Muslims, and abased that of idolatry and idolaters. It is the highest form of enjoining good--the highest level of good being Islam and Tawhid--and is the most exalted form of forbidding evil, since the vilest reprehensible things and of sins is disbelief and idolatry. It is an obligation which is a public duty, in which one can either participate in person or through one's wealth.
So let whoever is capable of jihad do it, and let him hurry and roll up his sleeves and be neither lazy nor remiss. And let whoever is not capable harbor good intentions regarding jihad, and pray to God abundantly on behalf of those who go, and help them as much as he can. [Key to the GARDEN]
Du'a of the Week:
Allahumma inna nas aluka hubbaka wa hubba man ahabbaka wa hubba ma yuqarribuna ilaika (O Allah, grant us love of You, and to love those who love You, and to love whatever brings us closer to You).
Food for Thought:
Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves. As a person grows wiser, they talk less and say more.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 334
Ayahs of the Day:
And God calls to the abode of peace; and guides anyone, at will, to a straight path. For those who have acted rightly is happiness and more: no dust will cover their faces, and no ignominy. They are the company of the Garden, where they shall abide. [10: 25,26]
Hadith of the Day:
Every sin of a martyr is forgiven except debt. [Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Love your friend with some reserve,
for he might become inimical to you someday.
Despise your enemy with some reserve,
For he might become your friend someday. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
It is common knowledge that to offer and to accept advice is an obligation, this being among the most important duties which flow from La ilaha illa'llah. No Muslim can avoid either of them; he is not excusable if he remains silent when he sees something reprehensible. Rather he must change or remove it at one of the three degrees of faith mentioned in the hadith: "When one of you sees something reprehensible, he should change it with his hand. If he cannot do this, then with his tongue; and if he cannot, then with his heart, which is the weakest degree of faith."
The first degree, which is to effect the change with one's "hand" can usually be achieved only by those in positions of power and high office, and those appointed by the ruler as judges and police magistrates, and those who have dedicated themselves to struggle for God's sake. The second degree, which is to effect the change by speaking, is available to majority of Muslims, although it is a more emphatic duty for the scholars, since they are aware of the rulings laid down by God the Exalted, and they know how to speak and how to restrain and admonish people by means of sermons and wise words.
The third degree is to change it with one's heart, in which the heart must find it unpleasant and hateful, and implore God to remove it. This is the act of one who is powerless to change it with his hands or tongue. A man who is content with a sin is party to it, even if he is in the East and the perpetrator (of the sin) is in the West. [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
This world is our mirror, it mirrors our faults and failings as well as the Divine within us. Every rose is a reflection of a smile or a kind word, and every thorn is the result of an unkind word or action.
And God calls to the abode of peace; and guides anyone, at will, to a straight path. For those who have acted rightly is happiness and more: no dust will cover their faces, and no ignominy. They are the company of the Garden, where they shall abide. [10: 25,26]
Hadith of the Day:
Every sin of a martyr is forgiven except debt. [Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Love your friend with some reserve,
for he might become inimical to you someday.
Despise your enemy with some reserve,
For he might become your friend someday. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
It is common knowledge that to offer and to accept advice is an obligation, this being among the most important duties which flow from La ilaha illa'llah. No Muslim can avoid either of them; he is not excusable if he remains silent when he sees something reprehensible. Rather he must change or remove it at one of the three degrees of faith mentioned in the hadith: "When one of you sees something reprehensible, he should change it with his hand. If he cannot do this, then with his tongue; and if he cannot, then with his heart, which is the weakest degree of faith."
The first degree, which is to effect the change with one's "hand" can usually be achieved only by those in positions of power and high office, and those appointed by the ruler as judges and police magistrates, and those who have dedicated themselves to struggle for God's sake. The second degree, which is to effect the change by speaking, is available to majority of Muslims, although it is a more emphatic duty for the scholars, since they are aware of the rulings laid down by God the Exalted, and they know how to speak and how to restrain and admonish people by means of sermons and wise words.
The third degree is to change it with one's heart, in which the heart must find it unpleasant and hateful, and implore God to remove it. This is the act of one who is powerless to change it with his hands or tongue. A man who is content with a sin is party to it, even if he is in the East and the perpetrator (of the sin) is in the West. [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
This world is our mirror, it mirrors our faults and failings as well as the Divine within us. Every rose is a reflection of a smile or a kind word, and every thorn is the result of an unkind word or action.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 333
Ayahs of the Day:
The life of the world is but as water we send down from the sky to be absorbed into the vegetation, from which humans and livestock eat. Then when the earth takes on its golden ornamentation and is all adorned, the people on it think they have power over it. Our order comes to it by night or by day; then We have it mown down, as if it had not flourished the day before. Thus do We explain the signs to people who reflect. [10: 24]
Hadith of the Day:
God has forbidden to you to rebel against your mothers. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The sign that one intimately knows Allah is that his heart is ever increasing in His remembrance. [Sahl bin Abdullah]
Guidance of the Day:
The invoker should beware of absentmindedness while he supplicates God. It is said in a hadith that "God does not respond to the supplication of a distracted heart." How could the heart taste what it does not comprehend or understand what it does not reflect on?
Someone whose heart is full of the images fed to him by his senses will seldom feel the meaning of La ilaha illa'llah,even if he should repeat it a thousand times. On the other hand, if one repeats it only once when one's heart is empty of everything other than God, then one will experience a pleasure which cannot be described in words. Al-Hasan al-Basri once said, "Seek sweetness in three things: Ritual Prayer, Remembrance, and the recitation of Quran. If you find it, then praised be God! But if you do not, then know that the door is closed." The "close" can only be the result of sickness or distraction. Or are there locks on their hearts? (Quran,47:24) [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
In our religion everybody has something they can give back to the society and each of us has a goal that God turns us toward. For us, the message is one of humanity.
The life of the world is but as water we send down from the sky to be absorbed into the vegetation, from which humans and livestock eat. Then when the earth takes on its golden ornamentation and is all adorned, the people on it think they have power over it. Our order comes to it by night or by day; then We have it mown down, as if it had not flourished the day before. Thus do We explain the signs to people who reflect. [10: 24]
Hadith of the Day:
God has forbidden to you to rebel against your mothers. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The sign that one intimately knows Allah is that his heart is ever increasing in His remembrance. [Sahl bin Abdullah]
Guidance of the Day:
The invoker should beware of absentmindedness while he supplicates God. It is said in a hadith that "God does not respond to the supplication of a distracted heart." How could the heart taste what it does not comprehend or understand what it does not reflect on?
Someone whose heart is full of the images fed to him by his senses will seldom feel the meaning of La ilaha illa'llah,even if he should repeat it a thousand times. On the other hand, if one repeats it only once when one's heart is empty of everything other than God, then one will experience a pleasure which cannot be described in words. Al-Hasan al-Basri once said, "Seek sweetness in three things: Ritual Prayer, Remembrance, and the recitation of Quran. If you find it, then praised be God! But if you do not, then know that the door is closed." The "close" can only be the result of sickness or distraction. Or are there locks on their hearts? (Quran,47:24) [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
In our religion everybody has something they can give back to the society and each of us has a goal that God turns us toward. For us, the message is one of humanity.
Monday, September 26, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 332
Ayah of the Day:
Then when God rescues them, behold--they act unjustly on earth, unfairly without reason. O humanity! You only oppress your own selves, as the stuff of the life of the world; after that you will return to Us, and We will tell you about what you had been doing. [10: 23]
Hadith of the Day:
The pleasure of the Lord lies in the pleasure of the parents, and His displeasure in their displeasure. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Know that as long as you neglect to guard your limbs you have neglected to fulfill what you owe to Him. [Sahl bin Abdullah]
Guidance of the Day:
There are three kinds of Remembrance: of the heart, of the tongue, and of the heart and tongue combined, which is superior to the first two.
People have one of the two objectives in Remembrance: the commonality aspire to receive recompense, while the elite aspire to presence and closeness to God. Between the two degrees there lies a vast gulf, which separates those who gain recompense while remain behind their veil and those who draw nearer until they join the elect among the beloved.
Should you aim to be blessed with a luminous heart,
That is pure from alterities, hold fast to Remembrance!
You should keep it always, by morning and night,
And in every state, with your tongue and your heart.
For should you adhere to it with concentration,
A light will appear unlike the full moon or sun;
A light that proceeds from God, that He mentions
In the Sura of Light--so recite it with care. [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
True religion is real living, living with one's soul, with one's goodness and righteousness. Pursue modern education only after getting the foundation of your faith right if you don't wish to be misled.
Then when God rescues them, behold--they act unjustly on earth, unfairly without reason. O humanity! You only oppress your own selves, as the stuff of the life of the world; after that you will return to Us, and We will tell you about what you had been doing. [10: 23]
Hadith of the Day:
The pleasure of the Lord lies in the pleasure of the parents, and His displeasure in their displeasure. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Know that as long as you neglect to guard your limbs you have neglected to fulfill what you owe to Him. [Sahl bin Abdullah]
Guidance of the Day:
There are three kinds of Remembrance: of the heart, of the tongue, and of the heart and tongue combined, which is superior to the first two.
People have one of the two objectives in Remembrance: the commonality aspire to receive recompense, while the elite aspire to presence and closeness to God. Between the two degrees there lies a vast gulf, which separates those who gain recompense while remain behind their veil and those who draw nearer until they join the elect among the beloved.
Should you aim to be blessed with a luminous heart,
That is pure from alterities, hold fast to Remembrance!
You should keep it always, by morning and night,
And in every state, with your tongue and your heart.
For should you adhere to it with concentration,
A light will appear unlike the full moon or sun;
A light that proceeds from God, that He mentions
In the Sura of Light--so recite it with care. [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
True religion is real living, living with one's soul, with one's goodness and righteousness. Pursue modern education only after getting the foundation of your faith right if you don't wish to be misled.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 331
Ayah of the Day:
It is God Who eases your way on land and sea, even when you are in ships: for they travel on them by good winds, and rejoice thereat; but when a violent wind comes, and surging waves come upon them from all sides, and they think they are surrounded by them, they call to God with sincere religiosity, "If you rescue us from this, we will really be grateful!" [10:22]
Hadith of the Day:
Those who wish their lives to be prolonged, their provision to be increased, and to be protected against an evil death, let them fear God and safeguard their kinship bonds. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Of all worldly possessions, few are more precious than a grateful heart. It is a wellspring of belief, attuning us to the Divine presence and driving us to His worship. [Imam Magid bin Muhammad]
Guidance of the Day:
Remembrance is the greatest station for worshippers, where they take their traveling provisions, make bargains, and to which they constantly return. God has assigned times and numbers to all forms of worship except Remembrance, with regard to which He simply commanded us to do it abundantly, without setting any limits. He has said, "O believers! Remember God abundantly! (33:41), meaning that it should be done in all circumstances, night and day, on land and sea, in sickness and in health, at home or when traveling, silently and loud.
It is God Who eases your way on land and sea, even when you are in ships: for they travel on them by good winds, and rejoice thereat; but when a violent wind comes, and surging waves come upon them from all sides, and they think they are surrounded by them, they call to God with sincere religiosity, "If you rescue us from this, we will really be grateful!" [10:22]
Hadith of the Day:
Those who wish their lives to be prolonged, their provision to be increased, and to be protected against an evil death, let them fear God and safeguard their kinship bonds. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Of all worldly possessions, few are more precious than a grateful heart. It is a wellspring of belief, attuning us to the Divine presence and driving us to His worship. [Imam Magid bin Muhammad]
Guidance of the Day:
Remembrance is the greatest station for worshippers, where they take their traveling provisions, make bargains, and to which they constantly return. God has assigned times and numbers to all forms of worship except Remembrance, with regard to which He simply commanded us to do it abundantly, without setting any limits. He has said, "O believers! Remember God abundantly! (33:41), meaning that it should be done in all circumstances, night and day, on land and sea, in sickness and in health, at home or when traveling, silently and loud.
He has allowed no excuses for forsaking it, except for those whose faculty of reason has departed. There is a hadith recorded by bukhari and Muslim that states that "those who remember their Lord and those who do not are like the living and the dead." And the Prophet (may blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, "shall I tell you which action is the best and the purest in the sight of your Lord, is most elevating to your degrees, and which is better for you than giving away gold and silver, and than encountering your enemies so that you may strike at their necks and they strike at yours?" "Please do, O Messenger of God!" they said. And he told them, "The Remembrance of God." [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
Avoid greed for greed itself is poverty. The richest is the one who is not entrapped by greed. Wealth does not reside in the amount of one's property, but rather in one's own needlessness.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 330
Ayah of the Day:
When We have made people taste mercy after misfortune has touched them, behold--they plot against Our signs. Say,"God is swifter to plan!" For Our emissaries record what you plot. [10: 21]
Hadith of the Day:
Know your lineages, that you may be able to maintain your kinship bonds. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The one desires the bounties of this world should strive to keep the company of the righteous and content. [Harith al Muhasabi]
Guidance of the Day:
Remembrance is to feel the presence of the One Remembered in one's heart and to free oneself from distraction and forgetfulness. This is accomplished by maintaining the heart in a state of constant attentiveness, articulating the Remembrance with the tongue and forsaking the fold of awareness for the wide space of Witnessing.
When We have made people taste mercy after misfortune has touched them, behold--they plot against Our signs. Say,"God is swifter to plan!" For Our emissaries record what you plot. [10: 21]
Hadith of the Day:
Know your lineages, that you may be able to maintain your kinship bonds. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The one desires the bounties of this world should strive to keep the company of the righteous and content. [Harith al Muhasabi]
Guidance of the Day:
Remembrance is to feel the presence of the One Remembered in one's heart and to free oneself from distraction and forgetfulness. This is accomplished by maintaining the heart in a state of constant attentiveness, articulating the Remembrance with the tongue and forsaking the fold of awareness for the wide space of Witnessing.
Remembrance is the companion and spirit of actions. See how God pairs it with the ritual Prayer, which is the best of all acts of worship, and makes Remembrance the very reason for it, when He says, Establish the Prayer for My Remembrance. (20:14). The Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said, "God the Exalted says, "I am the companion of the one who remembers Me"--and what must you think of someone whose companion is God Himself! This is a special attribute of Remembrance: attending to the Exalted Presence and attainment to the rank of proximity, which is expressed by "being with" and "companionship."
Food for Thought:
If you are truthful, if you are good tempered, if you are moderate in taking food, and if you are trustworthy, then you are rich and should not wish for the possessions that you may not have. These four qualities are enough possessions and wealth for a wise person.
Friday, September 23, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 329
Ayahs of the Day:
Say, "Had God willed, I would not have recited it to you, and God would not have taught it to you. And I have sojourned among you for a lifetime before this; so won't you understand? So who does more wrong than one who invents falsehood about God or repudiates the signs of God? Sinners do not attain their aim. [10: 16,17]
Hadith of the Day:
A believer is affable and easy to approach. There is no good in those who are neither affable nor easy to approach. [Ahmad]
Wise Quote of the Day:
O son of Adam! Be your own administrator in respect to your wealth, and do with it what you wish would be done with it after your passing. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
People of sound intellect know that this world is a place of constant change and a road that leads to the Abode of the Afterlife. This is why it is called dunya: short-lived, swiftly evanescent. Its first stage is the cradle, its last the grave. The destination is either the Garden or the Fire. A lifetime, therefore, is a distance to be covered, of which the years are its stages.
Say, "Had God willed, I would not have recited it to you, and God would not have taught it to you. And I have sojourned among you for a lifetime before this; so won't you understand? So who does more wrong than one who invents falsehood about God or repudiates the signs of God? Sinners do not attain their aim. [10: 16,17]
Hadith of the Day:
A believer is affable and easy to approach. There is no good in those who are neither affable nor easy to approach. [Ahmad]
Wise Quote of the Day:
O son of Adam! Be your own administrator in respect to your wealth, and do with it what you wish would be done with it after your passing. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
People of sound intellect know that this world is a place of constant change and a road that leads to the Abode of the Afterlife. This is why it is called dunya: short-lived, swiftly evanescent. Its first stage is the cradle, its last the grave. The destination is either the Garden or the Fire. A lifetime, therefore, is a distance to be covered, of which the years are its stages.
Time and days are a man's capital, while his inclinations, his desires, and his various ambitions are the highway robbers. His success is to meet with God and attain everlasting happiness. He loses by being veiled from God and being consigned to the painful torment of Hell.
For this reason the intelligent believer transforms all his breaths into acts of obedience and fills them only with the Remembrance (dhikr) of God. The man who is guilty of heedlessness, even if only for the space of a single breath in his entire lifetime, exposes himself to endless remorse and irreparable ruin. Continuous Remembrance is beat accomplished by excellence in devotion and committing oneself solely to Him. This results in one finding serenity and contentment. Serenity arises from certainty, just as restlessness comes from doubt. The Remembrance of God brings tranquility to the hearts of believers and allows certainty to dwell therein. [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
The cure for ignorance is to ask and learn. The most ignorant is the one who does not learn from the changes in the world.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 328
Ayah of the Day:
Yet when Our clear signs are rehearsed to them, those who do not look forward to meeting Us say, "Bring a recital other than this, or change it." Say, "It is not for me to change it of my own accord. I only follow what has been revealed to me. Indeed I fear, if I disobeyed my Lord, the torment of a terrible day. [10: 15]
Hadith of the Day:
Whosoever shields a Muslim, God will shield him in this world and the next. And God continues to aid the servant so long as the servant is aiding his brother. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The deceased await your imminent arrival, so gather now your provisions for that journey. [Dawud Tai]
Guidance of the Day:
Inward struggle (mujahada) is an interaction between a man and his ego, which he drives toward that which is both immediate and ultimate benefit, and results in success and happiness, during which time it resists him and pulls him toward its whims, in accordance with its nature. It is also the interaction between him and his other enemies, the strongest of whom is Satan the repudiate. He has to guard himself against the latter, fight the disbelievers (who aggress), support Islam, rebut the people of falsehood, suppress the unjust, enjoin good, and forbid evil.
A man's ego (the nafs which incites to evil) is contained between his flanks and is the fiercest of his enemies. There is a tradition to the effect: "Your worst enemy is your ego which lies between your flanks." Because of this, the jihad against the ego is the "Greater Jihad," whereas jihad against armed enemies is the "Lesser Jihad."
Someone who eats just enough for his sustenance, sleeps just enough to gain rest, speaks only when appropriate, mixes with people only rarely--for fear of falling into some blameworthy form of conduct--is worthy to hold the reins of his ego, so that he may lead it along the path of the noble ones, which is the way of Shari'a. [Key to the GARDEN]
Du'a of the Week:
Allahumma azhib anniyal hamma wal huzn (O Allah remove from me grief and sorrow, ameen).
Food for Thought:
Moderate spending is half the earning, making friends is half the wisdom, and asking questions is half the knowledge.
Yet when Our clear signs are rehearsed to them, those who do not look forward to meeting Us say, "Bring a recital other than this, or change it." Say, "It is not for me to change it of my own accord. I only follow what has been revealed to me. Indeed I fear, if I disobeyed my Lord, the torment of a terrible day. [10: 15]
Hadith of the Day:
Whosoever shields a Muslim, God will shield him in this world and the next. And God continues to aid the servant so long as the servant is aiding his brother. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The deceased await your imminent arrival, so gather now your provisions for that journey. [Dawud Tai]
Guidance of the Day:
Inward struggle (mujahada) is an interaction between a man and his ego, which he drives toward that which is both immediate and ultimate benefit, and results in success and happiness, during which time it resists him and pulls him toward its whims, in accordance with its nature. It is also the interaction between him and his other enemies, the strongest of whom is Satan the repudiate. He has to guard himself against the latter, fight the disbelievers (who aggress), support Islam, rebut the people of falsehood, suppress the unjust, enjoin good, and forbid evil.
A man's ego (the nafs which incites to evil) is contained between his flanks and is the fiercest of his enemies. There is a tradition to the effect: "Your worst enemy is your ego which lies between your flanks." Because of this, the jihad against the ego is the "Greater Jihad," whereas jihad against armed enemies is the "Lesser Jihad."
Someone who eats just enough for his sustenance, sleeps just enough to gain rest, speaks only when appropriate, mixes with people only rarely--for fear of falling into some blameworthy form of conduct--is worthy to hold the reins of his ego, so that he may lead it along the path of the noble ones, which is the way of Shari'a. [Key to the GARDEN]
Du'a of the Week:
Allahumma azhib anniyal hamma wal huzn (O Allah remove from me grief and sorrow, ameen).
Food for Thought:
Moderate spending is half the earning, making friends is half the wisdom, and asking questions is half the knowledge.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 327
Ayahs of the Day:
We destroyed communities before you when they did wrong. Their messengers came to them with clarifications, but they could not believe. Thus do We requite sinful people. Then We made you successors on earth after them, that We might see how you act. [10: 13,14]
Hadith of the Day:
Whosoever lightens the burden of someone in need, God will lighten his burden in this world and the next. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The presence of taqwa is recognizes by three things: Rushing to fulfill Allah's commands; seeking nothing from people; speaking and acting only what benefits one in this life and in the Hereafter. [Shaqeeq al Balkhi]
Guidance of the Day:
This is a reminder, so whoever wishes will take a path to his Lord (76:29), which means the path to His gnosis, good pleasure, and proximity to Him in His Garden. Such a path consists, inwardly, of strengthening one's faith and certainty through remembrance and reflection, and, outwardly, zealous seeking useful knowledge through the senses, performing good actions-- which are the Law (Shari'a)--and maintaining sincerity and courtesy, and keeping the company of the people of gnosis, so that one may reach the serenity of certitude, which is realization.
We destroyed communities before you when they did wrong. Their messengers came to them with clarifications, but they could not believe. Thus do We requite sinful people. Then We made you successors on earth after them, that We might see how you act. [10: 13,14]
Hadith of the Day:
Whosoever lightens the burden of someone in need, God will lighten his burden in this world and the next. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The presence of taqwa is recognizes by three things: Rushing to fulfill Allah's commands; seeking nothing from people; speaking and acting only what benefits one in this life and in the Hereafter. [Shaqeeq al Balkhi]
Guidance of the Day:
This is a reminder, so whoever wishes will take a path to his Lord (76:29), which means the path to His gnosis, good pleasure, and proximity to Him in His Garden. Such a path consists, inwardly, of strengthening one's faith and certainty through remembrance and reflection, and, outwardly, zealous seeking useful knowledge through the senses, performing good actions-- which are the Law (Shari'a)--and maintaining sincerity and courtesy, and keeping the company of the people of gnosis, so that one may reach the serenity of certitude, which is realization.
God the Exalted has said, We shall guide to Our paths those who strive for Our sake (29:69). In this noble verse the Generous Lord promises to guide those who strive sincerely for His sake to the paths which lead to His pleasure and proximity. This guidance is the result of striving and of correctly following the Sunna. It is the unveiling of the clear Truth and the appearance of things from the unseen. [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
If we listen closely to the words of the wise, and we act upon them, perhaps we ourselves will one day be counted among their ranks. Then, our own words will serve to guide others.
If we listen closely to the words of the wise, and we act upon them, perhaps we ourselves will one day be counted among their ranks. Then, our own words will serve to guide others.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 326
Ayah of the Day:
And when trouble touches man, he cries to Us laying on his side, sitting and standing; but when we removed his trouble from him, he goes as if he never called Us for trouble that touched him. Thus do their habits seem good to the wasteful. [10: 12]
Hadith of the Day:
Whosoever relieves a believer from one of the hardships of this world, God will relieve him from one of the hardships of the Day of Rising. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The righteous deeds are performed by the righteous and the wicked. However only the truthful ones avoid the sinful deeds. [Sahl ibn Abdullah al Tustari]
Guidance of the Day:
A believer's reflection may lead him to some of the deep mysteries of Tawhid, its unseen secrets, and its hidden realities. He must reflect on how he had needed his Lord's creative ability to make and fashion his human form and that he must therefore need His grace and illumination to guide his essential nature.He must not ground his faith in the conclusions of human thinking, but must rather flee from his confusion to God and His Messenger, and entreat his Lord to bestow His assistance upon him, which will do away with his need for any other until such time as he witnesses only Him.
He must say, "O Lord, I seek refuge in You, lest my faith in You and what You have revealed be the product of rationalization that is tarnished by the attributes of the ego or by a mind that is mixed with the murkiness of human fallibility. Rather let it be from Your manifest light, Your most exalted assistance, the light of Your Prophet, the Chosen One, and his blessings."Thus you will find peace and cool tranquility. This is the way the rightly guided man follows in his time of need, whenever his thoughts are in turmoil and conflict. [Key to the GARDEN]
And when trouble touches man, he cries to Us laying on his side, sitting and standing; but when we removed his trouble from him, he goes as if he never called Us for trouble that touched him. Thus do their habits seem good to the wasteful. [10: 12]
Hadith of the Day:
Whosoever relieves a believer from one of the hardships of this world, God will relieve him from one of the hardships of the Day of Rising. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The righteous deeds are performed by the righteous and the wicked. However only the truthful ones avoid the sinful deeds. [Sahl ibn Abdullah al Tustari]
Guidance of the Day:
A believer's reflection may lead him to some of the deep mysteries of Tawhid, its unseen secrets, and its hidden realities. He must reflect on how he had needed his Lord's creative ability to make and fashion his human form and that he must therefore need His grace and illumination to guide his essential nature.He must not ground his faith in the conclusions of human thinking, but must rather flee from his confusion to God and His Messenger, and entreat his Lord to bestow His assistance upon him, which will do away with his need for any other until such time as he witnesses only Him.
He must say, "O Lord, I seek refuge in You, lest my faith in You and what You have revealed be the product of rationalization that is tarnished by the attributes of the ego or by a mind that is mixed with the murkiness of human fallibility. Rather let it be from Your manifest light, Your most exalted assistance, the light of Your Prophet, the Chosen One, and his blessings."Thus you will find peace and cool tranquility. This is the way the rightly guided man follows in his time of need, whenever his thoughts are in turmoil and conflict. [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool -- shun him.
He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is a child -- teach him.
He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep -- wake him.
He who knows, and knows that he knows, is a wise man -- follow him.
Monday, September 19, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 325
Ayah of the Day:
If God accelerated the ill for people as they wish to hasten the good, their time would be determined. So we leave those who do not look forward to meeting with Us wandering lost in their excess. [10: 11]
Hadith of the Day:
It is sufficiently evil for a man do despise his brother Muslim. The whole of a Muslim is inviolable to another Muslim: his blood, property, and honor. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
It is sufficient as a sin for a person that he continues to be argumentative. And it is sufficient as a sin for a person that he continues to be quarelsome. [Abu Darda radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Know that you should reflect on imminence of death and the regret and remorse which occur when it is too late. God has said: Say: the death that you flee from will indeed meet you, and you will then be returned to the knower of the unseen, and He will inform you of that which you had been doing (62:8); Until when death comes to one of them, he says, "My Lord! Send me back, that I may do good in that which I have left!" No! It is but a word he says (23:99). The benefit of this kind of reflection is that hopes become short, behavior finer, and provision is gathered for the Appointed Day.
If God accelerated the ill for people as they wish to hasten the good, their time would be determined. So we leave those who do not look forward to meeting with Us wandering lost in their excess. [10: 11]
Hadith of the Day:
It is sufficiently evil for a man do despise his brother Muslim. The whole of a Muslim is inviolable to another Muslim: his blood, property, and honor. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
It is sufficient as a sin for a person that he continues to be argumentative. And it is sufficient as a sin for a person that he continues to be quarelsome. [Abu Darda radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Know that you should reflect on imminence of death and the regret and remorse which occur when it is too late. God has said: Say: the death that you flee from will indeed meet you, and you will then be returned to the knower of the unseen, and He will inform you of that which you had been doing (62:8); Until when death comes to one of them, he says, "My Lord! Send me back, that I may do good in that which I have left!" No! It is but a word he says (23:99). The benefit of this kind of reflection is that hopes become short, behavior finer, and provision is gathered for the Appointed Day.
You should also reflect on those attributes and acts by which God has described His friends and His enemies, and on the immediate and delayed recompense which He has prepared for each group. He has said, The righteous are in felicity, and the depraved are in Hell (82:13-14); The result of this kind of reflection is that you come to love the fortunate, habituate yourself to emulating their behavior and to taking on their qualities. You should, with each kind of reflection , bring to mind those verses, hadiths, and other narratives which relate to it. [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
Wedding gifts come in beautiful wrappings, and the most beautiful of all is a happy family all wrapped up in one another.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 324
Ayah of the Day:
As for those who believe and do good works, their Lord will guide them through their faith; rivers will flow below them, in gardens of felicity. Their call there will be, "Glory to You, O God!" And their greeting there will be "Peace." And the close of their call will be, "All praise is for God, Lord of all worlds." [10: 9,10]
Hadith of the Day:
None of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Contentment is kingdom enough; goodness of character is prosperity enough. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Know that you must reflect on your shortcomings in worshipping your lord and your exposing yourself to His wrath should you do what He has forbidden you. He has said, I created jinn and men only to worship Me (51:56); Do you think that We created you in vain and that to Us you will not be returned? (23:115) and O mankind! You shall surely toil toward your Lord laboriously and you shall meet Him (84:16). This kind of reflection increases your fear of God, encourages you to blame and reproach yourself, to avoid remissness, and persevere in your zeal.
As for those who believe and do good works, their Lord will guide them through their faith; rivers will flow below them, in gardens of felicity. Their call there will be, "Glory to You, O God!" And their greeting there will be "Peace." And the close of their call will be, "All praise is for God, Lord of all worlds." [10: 9,10]
Hadith of the Day:
None of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Contentment is kingdom enough; goodness of character is prosperity enough. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Know that you must reflect on your shortcomings in worshipping your lord and your exposing yourself to His wrath should you do what He has forbidden you. He has said, I created jinn and men only to worship Me (51:56); Do you think that We created you in vain and that to Us you will not be returned? (23:115) and O mankind! You shall surely toil toward your Lord laboriously and you shall meet Him (84:16). This kind of reflection increases your fear of God, encourages you to blame and reproach yourself, to avoid remissness, and persevere in your zeal.
You must also reflect on this worldly life, its numerous preoccupations and hazards, and the swiftness with which it perishes, and reflect on the Afterlife and its felicity and permanence. God the Exalted has said, Thus does God render the signs clear to you, so that you may reflect on this world and the Afterlife (2:220); But you prefer the life of the world, when the Afterlife is better and more abiding (77:17); and The life of the world is but distraction and play; while the Last Abode is indeed the Life, if they but knew (29:64). This kind of reflection results in losing all desire for the world and in wishing for the Afterlife. [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
Look for what you do, for that is what you are worth. Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough we must do.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 323
Ayahs of the Day:
As for those who do not look forward to meeting Us, but are pleased with the life of this world and satisfied with it, and those who are heedless of Our signs, their abode is the fire, on account of what they have earned. [10: 7,8]
Hadith of the Day:
Have compassion for those on earth and the One in the heaven will have compassion on you. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Be shy toward Allah when you are in private in the same way that you are shy toward the people when you are in public. [Ka'ab radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Know that you must reflect on the favors of God and His bounties which He caused to reach you. He has said, Should you (attempt to) number the favors of God, you will not be able to do so (45:18); and All things that you possess are from God(46:53). This kind of reflection results in the heart filling with the love of God and continuously rendering thanks to Him, inwardly and outwardly, in a manner that pleases and satisfies Him.
As for those who do not look forward to meeting Us, but are pleased with the life of this world and satisfied with it, and those who are heedless of Our signs, their abode is the fire, on account of what they have earned. [10: 7,8]
Hadith of the Day:
Have compassion for those on earth and the One in the heaven will have compassion on you. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Be shy toward Allah when you are in private in the same way that you are shy toward the people when you are in public. [Ka'ab radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Know that you must reflect on the favors of God and His bounties which He caused to reach you. He has said, Should you (attempt to) number the favors of God, you will not be able to do so (45:18); and All things that you possess are from God(46:53). This kind of reflection results in the heart filling with the love of God and continuously rendering thanks to Him, inwardly and outwardly, in a manner that pleases and satisfies Him.
You should also reflect on God's complete awareness of you, and His seeing and knowing all about you: He is with you wherever you may be, and God sees what you do (57:14). This kind of reflection results in your feeling ashamed before God should He see you where He has forbidden you to be or miss you where He has commanded you to be. [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
There is very little difference between the man who knows it all and the man who knows nothing. A wise person acquires knowledge even from those who have none themselves.
Friday, September 16, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 322
Ayah of the Day:
For in the alteration of night and day, and what God has created in the heavens and the earth are signs for conscientious people. [10: 6]
Hadith of the Day:
Someone who sets forth in search of knowledge is busy in the cause of God until he returns from his quest. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
O Son of Adam! You are but a bundle of days, as each day passes away a portion of you vanishes away! [Hasan al Basri]
Guidance of the Day:
You should have a wird of reflection in every twenty-four hours, for which you should set aside one or more hours. The best time for reflection is the one which contains the fewest occupations and worries, and the most potential for the heart to be present, such as the depths of the night
For in the alteration of night and day, and what God has created in the heavens and the earth are signs for conscientious people. [10: 6]
Hadith of the Day:
Someone who sets forth in search of knowledge is busy in the cause of God until he returns from his quest. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
O Son of Adam! You are but a bundle of days, as each day passes away a portion of you vanishes away! [Hasan al Basri]
Guidance of the Day:
You should have a wird of reflection in every twenty-four hours, for which you should set aside one or more hours. The best time for reflection is the one which contains the fewest occupations and worries, and the most potential for the heart to be present, such as the depths of the night
Know that the state of one's religious and worldly affairs depends upon the soundness of one's reflection. Anyone who has a share of it has an abundant of everything good. It has been said, "An hour's reflection is better than a year worship." Ali (ibn Abi Talib), may God honor his face, has said, "There is no worship like reflection." And it has been said, "Reflection is the lamp of the heart; if it departs, the heart will have no light.
The ways of reflection are many. One, which is the most noble of them, is to reflect on the wonders of God's dazzling creation, the inward and outward sign of His Ability, and the signs He has scattered abroad in the realm of the earth and the heavens. This kind of reflection increases your knowledge of the Essence, Attributes and Names of God. He has encouraged by saying, "Say: Look at what is in the heavens and the earth! You yourself are one of the wondrous creatures He has made, and you should therefore reflect on yourself, for He has said, In the earth are signs for those who have certainty, and in yourselves; can you not see? [Key to the GARDEN]
Du'a of the Week:
Allahumma qanni'ni bima razaqtani wa baarikli fihi (O Allah! Make me content with what You provided me with, and bless me in it).
Allahumma qanni'ni bima razaqtani wa baarikli fihi (O Allah! Make me content with what You provided me with, and bless me in it).
Food for Thought:
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 321
Ayah of the Day:
It is God who has made the sun shine and the moon glow, and determined lunar phases that you may know the number of the years, and the calculation. God did not create that in any way but right; God makes these signs clear to people who discern. [10: 5]
Hadith of the Day:
It is part of the soundness of a man's faith that he leaves alone that which does not concern him. {Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
What has he lost who has found You (O Allah), and what has he found who has lost You (O Allah). [Ibn AtaIllah]
Guidance of the Day:
Once it is made easy for one, reflection is one of the noblest acts of worship, for it implies the Remembrance of God and brings about an increase in attachment and love. For the heart loves only the one who it believes has greatness, and the greatness of God the Exalted is only revealed through knowledge of His Attributes, ability, and the marvels of His works. In this way, reflection leads to knowledge, which in turn leads to reverence, which leads on to love.
It is God who has made the sun shine and the moon glow, and determined lunar phases that you may know the number of the years, and the calculation. God did not create that in any way but right; God makes these signs clear to people who discern. [10: 5]
Hadith of the Day:
It is part of the soundness of a man's faith that he leaves alone that which does not concern him. {Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
What has he lost who has found You (O Allah), and what has he found who has lost You (O Allah). [Ibn AtaIllah]
Guidance of the Day:
Once it is made easy for one, reflection is one of the noblest acts of worship, for it implies the Remembrance of God and brings about an increase in attachment and love. For the heart loves only the one who it believes has greatness, and the greatness of God the Exalted is only revealed through knowledge of His Attributes, ability, and the marvels of His works. In this way, reflection leads to knowledge, which in turn leads to reverence, which leads on to love.
Imam al Ghazali (may God sanctify his secret!) has said, "A man who reflects at length in order to know God, and has had unveiled to him even the minutest of the secrets of His kingdom, will find in his heart such joy and bliss in this unveiling that he will almost fly, and he will be amazed at his own steadfastness and firmness." [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
One of the basic ingredient of a successful marriage is mutual trust. Stable marriages are the basis to stable communities, it is the very fabric by which Muslim society is weaved, and tearing that fabric is disastrous for one's family and one's community.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 320
Ayah of the Day:
It is to God that you return, all: the promise of God is true. For it is God who begins the creation, and then repeats it to reward with justice those who have faith and do good works. as for those who scoff, they will have a drink of scalding water, and a painful penalty for disbelieving. [10: 4]
Hadith of the Day:
Modesty and faith are close companions; should one of them be lost, the other will be too. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The bounty that comes from Allah to a believer due to his trial is greater than the bounty that comes from Allah during his times of ease. [Ibn Rajab]
Guidance of the Day:
Reflection is the kohl of the inner eye. It is the roaming of the heart in the meanings of things in order to reach its goal. It is with reflection that one dives for the pearls of higher realities. If one's reflection is free from flaws, it will attain to the sources of Realization. It is said that it is the "lamp of the heart, which renders visible the good and evil which it contains, and what may benefit it or bring it harm." This is because a heart devoid of reflection is devoid of light as a dark house, and a house devoid of light will contain nothing but ignorance, pride, and beguilement.
It is to God that you return, all: the promise of God is true. For it is God who begins the creation, and then repeats it to reward with justice those who have faith and do good works. as for those who scoff, they will have a drink of scalding water, and a painful penalty for disbelieving. [10: 4]
Hadith of the Day:
Modesty and faith are close companions; should one of them be lost, the other will be too. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The bounty that comes from Allah to a believer due to his trial is greater than the bounty that comes from Allah during his times of ease. [Ibn Rajab]
Guidance of the Day:
Reflection is the kohl of the inner eye. It is the roaming of the heart in the meanings of things in order to reach its goal. It is with reflection that one dives for the pearls of higher realities. If one's reflection is free from flaws, it will attain to the sources of Realization. It is said that it is the "lamp of the heart, which renders visible the good and evil which it contains, and what may benefit it or bring it harm." This is because a heart devoid of reflection is devoid of light as a dark house, and a house devoid of light will contain nothing but ignorance, pride, and beguilement.
An hour's reflection is better than a whole night spent in worship. "Reflection is the mirror of the believer, in which he looks at his works, evil and good." There are several kinds of reflection. Some reflect on the evanescent nature of this world, and the way in which it betrays those who pursue it. This gives them patience, which causes their detachment to grow.
Some reflect on the beautiful reward which is in store for the worshippers, so that their ardor and enthusiasm for it wax stronger. Some reflect on the favors and blessed gifts of God and on the secrets of the Names and Attributes. In this way they increase in love for their Exalted and Majestic Creator. Some reflect on the proofs and evidences which lead to faith. Exalted, then, is the state of he who does all four! [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
The truth is the strongest argument. The greatest homage you can pay to the truth is to use it. The bare truth in newspapers does not always get proper coverage.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 319
Ayah of the Day:
Your Lord is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then mounted the throne, managing the order. There is no intercessor but on condition of divine permission. That is God for you, your Lord--so serve God. Won't you remain mindful? [10: 3]
Hadith of the Day:
He who believes in God and the Last Day should speak in a noble manner or remain silent. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Taqwa is not praying during the late night and fasting during the day and mixing between permissible and impermissible. But taqwa is to fulfill what Allah has obligated and avoid what Allah has forbidden. If in addition to that there are some good voluntary deeds, it is goodness upon goodness. [Omar ibn Abdul Azeez]
Guidance of the Day:
It is forbidden to harbor hatred for Muslims or to repudiate or boycott them. To insult them is corruption, and to wage war on them--with the claim that it is lawful to do so--is disbelief. In the heart of the believer, the word of tawhid and faith is goodly both in form and in meaning, for it expresses the nobility of tawhid and creates in the heart certainty which illuminates its every part, thereby making it goodly in its corporeal as well as incorporeal faculties. Its root, on which it arises, is knowledge of God and ascribing oneness and worship to Him alone.
Your Lord is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then mounted the throne, managing the order. There is no intercessor but on condition of divine permission. That is God for you, your Lord--so serve God. Won't you remain mindful? [10: 3]
Hadith of the Day:
He who believes in God and the Last Day should speak in a noble manner or remain silent. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Taqwa is not praying during the late night and fasting during the day and mixing between permissible and impermissible. But taqwa is to fulfill what Allah has obligated and avoid what Allah has forbidden. If in addition to that there are some good voluntary deeds, it is goodness upon goodness. [Omar ibn Abdul Azeez]
Guidance of the Day:
It is forbidden to harbor hatred for Muslims or to repudiate or boycott them. To insult them is corruption, and to wage war on them--with the claim that it is lawful to do so--is disbelief. In the heart of the believer, the word of tawhid and faith is goodly both in form and in meaning, for it expresses the nobility of tawhid and creates in the heart certainty which illuminates its every part, thereby making it goodly in its corporeal as well as incorporeal faculties. Its root, on which it arises, is knowledge of God and ascribing oneness and worship to Him alone.
A believer's good works will continue to be raised up and accepted, day and night, and draw their due profit from his Lord, as long as the tree of his faith is verdant and its branches covered in leaves. Only a hardened loser loses in his dealings with God. Only a hardened loser who persistently refuses all the graces and help extended to him by God--only such a person loses in the end. For none can lose who accepts even a few of the innumerable mercies offered to him by his Generous Lord. God has made it easy for the believers to enter Paradise and has opened so many avenues to success that only the most obtuse can fail to make use of some of them. [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
You never know what you can say or do that can change a person's whole day--whole life, that is why it is so important to say nothing but good. The power of a kind word or deed is indescribable.
Monday, September 12, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 318
Ayah of the Day:
But if they turn away, then say, "God is sufficient for me; there is no other deity; It is in God that I put my trust, as Lord of the lofty throne." [9: 129]
Hadith of the Day:
When god loves certain people He tests them; those who are content He is content with them, and those who are discontent he is discontented with them. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
To return one-sixth of a dirham (illegally gotten) is preferred to spending one hundred thousand dirhams in the way of Allah. {Abdullah ibn Omar]
Guidance of the Day:
Know that all the ties that may exist between Muslims, Islam itself is the strongest. It forms a bond between the easterner and the westerner, between the black and the white. The bond of Islam gathers them, and, through its brotherhood, relationships between widely different groups are harmonized. They are equal regardless of their lineage; the lowest among them can speak on their behalf, and they are united as one hand against all others.
But if they turn away, then say, "God is sufficient for me; there is no other deity; It is in God that I put my trust, as Lord of the lofty throne." [9: 129]
Hadith of the Day:
When god loves certain people He tests them; those who are content He is content with them, and those who are discontent he is discontented with them. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
To return one-sixth of a dirham (illegally gotten) is preferred to spending one hundred thousand dirhams in the way of Allah. {Abdullah ibn Omar]
Guidance of the Day:
Know that all the ties that may exist between Muslims, Islam itself is the strongest. It forms a bond between the easterner and the westerner, between the black and the white. The bond of Islam gathers them, and, through its brotherhood, relationships between widely different groups are harmonized. They are equal regardless of their lineage; the lowest among them can speak on their behalf, and they are united as one hand against all others.
They are concerned about one another irrespective of distance, and each rejoices when good fortune befalls his brethren, and is saddened when they are afflicted by hardships and difficulties. Each prays to God for his brothers in their absence, in gatherings and on pulpits. Each prays that God check those who threaten Islam, whether they be the aggressors, the immoral, the workers of corruption, or the disbelievers.
For the Muslims, Islam is his finest banner, in which he takes pride and by which he is ennobled in every situation, so that he becomes angered when it is slandered or attacked. He sacrifices his own life and what is dearest to him in its defense, for it is his most precious jewel, and the greatest of the gifts bestowed upon him by God. Therefore, it is incumbent upon Muslims to unite in harmony, to help each other and stand shoulder to shoulder against the adversaries of Islam and those who conspire against it and seek to bring harm to its people. It is their duty to sacrifice their lives and their wealth to make the Word of God prevail, and to bring power and honor to Islam and Muslims everywhere. "Islam is the highest grace; ever to bless a people's place." [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
First think and then speak. No answer is also an answer. Never answer a question until it is asked. You will never be hurt by something you didn't say.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
LESSON OF THE DAY 317
Ayah of the Day:
There has come to you a messenger from among yourselves; it weighs heavily on him that you be ruined, he is anxious for you, compassionate and merciful to the believers. [9: 128]
There has come to you a messenger from among yourselves; it weighs heavily on him that you be ruined, he is anxious for you, compassionate and merciful to the believers. [9: 128]
Hadith of the Day:
When a believer suffers hardship it is an atonement and a purification for him, unless he attributes what ails him to other than God and prays to other than God for relief. [Ahmad]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Wonder of wonders! How is it that the same people who leave food out of fear of sickness cannot leave sin out of fear of the Hereafter. [Yahya bin Mu'adh]
Guidance of the Day:
Know that the duty of enjoining good and forbidding evil must be carried out with wisdom and goodly exhortation. Should it be necessary to enter into a debate with someone, this must be done in the best way possible. This is more likely to lead to acceptance and success; to do otherwise would be erroneous and foolish.
It is the consensus (ijma) of the Nation that it is forbidden to accuse anyone of disbelief who recognizes the Qibla, unless he denies God, commits blatant idolatry not open to interpretation, denies Prophecy, rejects whatever else is known to be an indispensable part of religion, or something which has been handed down by many chains of transmission (tawatur) or indispensable knowledge that has been confirmed by the consensus of the Nation.
Anyone who rejects something which is known to be an indispensable part of religion, such as Tawhid,Prophecy, Muhammad's status as "Seal of the Messengers (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him), the Resurrection on the last Day, the judgment, reward and punishment, or the Garden and the Fire, is a disbeliever. No Muslim may claim ignorance as his excuse for this, unless he has only recently entered Islam, in which case he is excusable until he learns about them. [Key to the GARDEN]
Food for Thought:
In an argument the best weapon to hold is the tongue. He who blows in the fire will get sparks in his eyes.
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