Ayahs of the Day:
Are those others waiting for anything but the angels to come to them, or the decree of your Lord to come? That is what before them did. And God did not wrong them; rather it was they who wronged themselves. So the evils of what they did came upon them, and what they had laughed at surrounded them. [16: 33,34]
Hadith of the Day:
Whoever would be pleased to have their sustenance and lifespan increased, let them maintain their ties of kinship. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Know that it is with ilm (knowledge) that you must speak, and that it is with hilm (forbearance) that you must remain silent. [Omar radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Practice being in the "eye of the storm." The eye of the storm is that one spot in the center of a twister, hurricane, or tornado that is calm, almost isolated from the frenzy of activity. Everything around the center remains peaceful. How nice it would be if we too could be calm and serene in the midst of chaos--in the eye of the storm.
Surprisingly enough, it's much easier that you might imagine to be in the eye of a "human storm." What it takes is intention and practice. Suppose, for example, that you are going to a family gathering that is going to be chaotic. You can tell yourself that you are going to use the experience as an opportunity to remain calm. You can commit to being the one person in the room who is going to be an example of peace. You can practice breathing. You can practice listening. You can let others be right and enjoy the glory. The point is, you can do it if you set your mind to it.
By starting out with harmless scenarios like family gatherings, you can build a track record and enjoy some success. You'll notice that by being in the eye of the storm, you'll be more present-moment. You'll enjoy yourself more than ever before. Once you have mastered harmless circumstances like these, you can practice on more difficult areas of life--dealing with conflict, hardship or grief. If you start slowly, have some success, and keep practicing, pretty soon you'll know how to live in the eye of the storm. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
To be wronged is nothing, unless you remember it.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Monday, February 27, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 481
Ayahs of the Day:
Everlasting gardens, where they will enter, with rivers flowing below them, where they will have what they want. Thus does God reward the conscientious. Those who are in wholesome states when the angels take them, saying, "peace upon you. Enter the garden for what you have done." [16: 31,32]
Hadith of the Day:
Worship Allah and associate no other with Him. Perform salah, give zakah, and maintain good family relations. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
An expert jurisprudent is one who does not cause people to despair God's mercy, does not cause them to lose hope of refreshment from God, and does not cause them to feel exempt from the design of God. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
When you feel yourself getting angry, take a long, deep inhalation, and as you do, say the number one to yourself. Then, relax your entire body as you breathe out. Repeat the process with the number two, all the way through atleast ten (if you're really angry, continue to twenty-five). What you are doing here is clearing your mind with a mini version of a meditation exercise.
The combination of counting and breathing is so relaxing that it's almost impossible to remain angry once you are finished. The increased oxygen in your lungs and the time gap between the moment you became angry and the time you finish the exercise enables you to increase your perspective. It helps you make "big stuff" look like "little stuff." The exercise is equally effective in working with stress or frustration. Whenever you feel a little off, give it a try. The truth is this exercise is a wonderful way to spend a minute or two whether or not you are angry. It's relaxing and enjoyable. Often, it keeps one from getting angry in the first place. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
PS: Instead of the numbers, if we mention "Allah" with each breath it will be rewarding as well, inshaAllah.
Food for thought:
Kind words are short and easy to speak, but their echos are truly endless.
Everlasting gardens, where they will enter, with rivers flowing below them, where they will have what they want. Thus does God reward the conscientious. Those who are in wholesome states when the angels take them, saying, "peace upon you. Enter the garden for what you have done." [16: 31,32]
Hadith of the Day:
Worship Allah and associate no other with Him. Perform salah, give zakah, and maintain good family relations. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
An expert jurisprudent is one who does not cause people to despair God's mercy, does not cause them to lose hope of refreshment from God, and does not cause them to feel exempt from the design of God. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
When you feel yourself getting angry, take a long, deep inhalation, and as you do, say the number one to yourself. Then, relax your entire body as you breathe out. Repeat the process with the number two, all the way through atleast ten (if you're really angry, continue to twenty-five). What you are doing here is clearing your mind with a mini version of a meditation exercise.
The combination of counting and breathing is so relaxing that it's almost impossible to remain angry once you are finished. The increased oxygen in your lungs and the time gap between the moment you became angry and the time you finish the exercise enables you to increase your perspective. It helps you make "big stuff" look like "little stuff." The exercise is equally effective in working with stress or frustration. Whenever you feel a little off, give it a try. The truth is this exercise is a wonderful way to spend a minute or two whether or not you are angry. It's relaxing and enjoyable. Often, it keeps one from getting angry in the first place. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
PS: Instead of the numbers, if we mention "Allah" with each breath it will be rewarding as well, inshaAllah.
Food for thought:
Kind words are short and easy to speak, but their echos are truly endless.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 480
Ayah of the Day:
And it will be said to those who were conscientious, "What did your Lord send down?" They will say, "Good." For those who have done good in this world there is good. And the home of the hereafter is even better still. How excellent is the home of the conscientious. [16: 30]
Hadith of the Day:
Verily, the best of all good-doing is for one to do good to those who were beloved by his father. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
It is Jihad which lays down the last brick of iman. [Abu Bakr radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Turn your melodrama into a mellow-drama. In a certain respect, this strategy is just another way of saying, "Don't sweat the small stuff." Many people live life as if life were a melodrama--"an extravagantly theatrical play in which action and plot predominate." In dramatic fashion, we blow things out of proportion, and make a big deal out of little things. We forget that life isn't as bad as we're making it out to be. We also forget that when we're blowing things out of proportion, we are the one's doing the blowing.
I've found that simply reminding myself that life doesn't have to be a soap opera is a powerful method of calming down. Almost always, this takes the edge off my seriousness and helps me laugh at myself. Often, this simple reminder enables me to change the channel to a more peaceful station. My melodrama is transformed into a "mellow-drama."
If you ever watched a soap opera, you've seen how the characters will take little things so seriously as to ruin their lives over them--someone says something to offend them, looks at them wrong. Their response is usually, "Oh my gosh. How could this happen to me?" Then they exacerbate the problem by talking to others about "how awful it is." They turn life into an emergency--a melodrama. The next time you feel stressed out, experiment this strategy--remind yourself that life isn't an emergency and turn your melodrama into a mellow-drama. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.
And it will be said to those who were conscientious, "What did your Lord send down?" They will say, "Good." For those who have done good in this world there is good. And the home of the hereafter is even better still. How excellent is the home of the conscientious. [16: 30]
Hadith of the Day:
Verily, the best of all good-doing is for one to do good to those who were beloved by his father. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
It is Jihad which lays down the last brick of iman. [Abu Bakr radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Turn your melodrama into a mellow-drama. In a certain respect, this strategy is just another way of saying, "Don't sweat the small stuff." Many people live life as if life were a melodrama--"an extravagantly theatrical play in which action and plot predominate." In dramatic fashion, we blow things out of proportion, and make a big deal out of little things. We forget that life isn't as bad as we're making it out to be. We also forget that when we're blowing things out of proportion, we are the one's doing the blowing.
I've found that simply reminding myself that life doesn't have to be a soap opera is a powerful method of calming down. Almost always, this takes the edge off my seriousness and helps me laugh at myself. Often, this simple reminder enables me to change the channel to a more peaceful station. My melodrama is transformed into a "mellow-drama."
If you ever watched a soap opera, you've seen how the characters will take little things so seriously as to ruin their lives over them--someone says something to offend them, looks at them wrong. Their response is usually, "Oh my gosh. How could this happen to me?" Then they exacerbate the problem by talking to others about "how awful it is." They turn life into an emergency--a melodrama. The next time you feel stressed out, experiment this strategy--remind yourself that life isn't an emergency and turn your melodrama into a mellow-drama. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 479
Ayahs of the Day:
Those opposing their own souls when the angels take them; they will propose peace--'We did no wrong'--but God is well aware of what you have been doing. "So enter the gates of hell, to abide therein. And wretched indeed is the abode of the arrogant." [16: 28,29]
Hadith of the Day:
The good that can be done for the parents after their death is by praying for them, asking forgiveness for them, fulfilling their obligations by honoring their friends, and maintaining family ties that would not exist but for them. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
For those who put in order what is between them and God, God will put in order what is between them and other people. And those who put in order their task for the Hereafter, God puts in order their business in this world. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Be grateful when you are feeling good and graceful when you are feeling bad. The happiest person on earth isn't always happy. In fact, the happiest people all have their fair share of low moods, problems, disappointments, and heartache. Often the difference between a person who is happy and someone who is unhappy isn't how often they get low, or even how low they drop, but instead, it's what they do with their low moods. How do they relate to their changing feelings?
When you observe peaceful, relaxed people, you find that when they are feeling good, they are very grateful. They understand that both positive and negative feelings come and go, and that there will come a time when they won't be feeling so good. To happy people, this is okay, it's the way of things. They accept the inevitability of passing feelings. So, when they are feeling depressed, angry, or stressed out, they relate to these feelings with the same openness and wisdom. Rather than fight their feelings and panic simply because they are feeling bad, they accept their feelings, knowing that this too shall pass. This allows them to come gently and gracefully out of negative feeling states into more positive states of mind.
The next time you are feeling bad, rather than fight it, try to relax. See if, instead of panicking, you can be graceful and calm. Know that if you don't fight your negative feelings, if you are graceful, they will pass away just as surely as the sun sets in the evening. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
If enough of us shied away from conflict and confrontation, just imagine how much war we could eliminate. The total being called human being cannot function harmoniously when the components are in conflict.
Those opposing their own souls when the angels take them; they will propose peace--'We did no wrong'--but God is well aware of what you have been doing. "So enter the gates of hell, to abide therein. And wretched indeed is the abode of the arrogant." [16: 28,29]
Hadith of the Day:
The good that can be done for the parents after their death is by praying for them, asking forgiveness for them, fulfilling their obligations by honoring their friends, and maintaining family ties that would not exist but for them. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
For those who put in order what is between them and God, God will put in order what is between them and other people. And those who put in order their task for the Hereafter, God puts in order their business in this world. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Be grateful when you are feeling good and graceful when you are feeling bad. The happiest person on earth isn't always happy. In fact, the happiest people all have their fair share of low moods, problems, disappointments, and heartache. Often the difference between a person who is happy and someone who is unhappy isn't how often they get low, or even how low they drop, but instead, it's what they do with their low moods. How do they relate to their changing feelings?
When you observe peaceful, relaxed people, you find that when they are feeling good, they are very grateful. They understand that both positive and negative feelings come and go, and that there will come a time when they won't be feeling so good. To happy people, this is okay, it's the way of things. They accept the inevitability of passing feelings. So, when they are feeling depressed, angry, or stressed out, they relate to these feelings with the same openness and wisdom. Rather than fight their feelings and panic simply because they are feeling bad, they accept their feelings, knowing that this too shall pass. This allows them to come gently and gracefully out of negative feeling states into more positive states of mind.
The next time you are feeling bad, rather than fight it, try to relax. See if, instead of panicking, you can be graceful and calm. Know that if you don't fight your negative feelings, if you are graceful, they will pass away just as surely as the sun sets in the evening. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
If enough of us shied away from conflict and confrontation, just imagine how much war we could eliminate. The total being called human being cannot function harmoniously when the components are in conflict.
Friday, February 24, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 478
Ayah of the Day:
Then on the day of resurrection God will humiliate them, saying, "Where are the partners attributed to Me, about which you used to contend?" Those who have been given knowledge will say, "The shame today, and the misery, is on the atheists. [16: 27]
Hadith of the Day:
No one can be given a blessing better and greater than patience. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
In the Divine court lineage has no place. Rather it is the righteousness of the action which is the ultimate arbiter. [Owais Qarni]
Guidance of the Day:
Breath before you speak. This simple strategy has had remarkable results for virtually everyone who has tried it. The almost immediate results include increased patience, added perspective, and, as a side benefit, more gratitude and respect for others. The strategy itself is remarkably simple. It involves nothing more than pausing--breathing--after the person to who you are speaking is finished.
You will get used to the power and beauty of breathing, and you will come to appreciate it as well. It will bring you closer to, and earn you more respect from, virtually everyone you come in contact with. You'll find that being listened to is one of the rarest and most treasured gifts you can offer. All it takes is intention and practice. You will sense a feeling of relief coming from the person to whom you are speaking--a much calmer, less rushed feeling between the two of you. No need to worry that you won't get your turn to speak--you will. In fact, it will be more rewarding to speak because the person you are speaking to will pick up on your respect and patience and will begin to do the same. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
Your reputation is in the hands of others. That's what a reputation is. You can't control that. The only thing you can control is your character.
Then on the day of resurrection God will humiliate them, saying, "Where are the partners attributed to Me, about which you used to contend?" Those who have been given knowledge will say, "The shame today, and the misery, is on the atheists. [16: 27]
Hadith of the Day:
No one can be given a blessing better and greater than patience. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
In the Divine court lineage has no place. Rather it is the righteousness of the action which is the ultimate arbiter. [Owais Qarni]
Guidance of the Day:
Breath before you speak. This simple strategy has had remarkable results for virtually everyone who has tried it. The almost immediate results include increased patience, added perspective, and, as a side benefit, more gratitude and respect for others. The strategy itself is remarkably simple. It involves nothing more than pausing--breathing--after the person to who you are speaking is finished.
You will get used to the power and beauty of breathing, and you will come to appreciate it as well. It will bring you closer to, and earn you more respect from, virtually everyone you come in contact with. You'll find that being listened to is one of the rarest and most treasured gifts you can offer. All it takes is intention and practice. You will sense a feeling of relief coming from the person to whom you are speaking--a much calmer, less rushed feeling between the two of you. No need to worry that you won't get your turn to speak--you will. In fact, it will be more rewarding to speak because the person you are speaking to will pick up on your respect and patience and will begin to do the same. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
Your reputation is in the hands of others. That's what a reputation is. You can't control that. The only thing you can control is your character.
LESSON OF THE DAY 478
Ayah of the Day:
Then on the day of resurrection God will humiliate them, saying, "Where are the partners attributed to Me, about which you used to contend?" Those who have been given knowledge will say, "The shame today, and the misery, is on the atheists. [16: 27]
Hadith of the Day:
No one can be given a blessing better and greater than patience. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
In the Divine court lineage has no place. Rather it is the righteousness of the action which is the ultimate arbiter. [Owais Qarni]
Guidance of the Day:
Breath before you speak. This simple strategy has had remarkable results for virtually everyone who has tried it. The almost immediate results include increased patience, added perspective, and, as a side benefit, more gratitude and respect for others. The strategy itself is remarkably simple. It involves nothing more than pausing--breathing--after the person to who you are speaking is finished.
You will get used to the power and beauty of breathing, and you will come to appreciate it as well. It will bring you closer to, and earn you more respect from, virtually everyone you come in contact with. You'll find that being listened to is one of the rarest and most treasured gifts you can offer. All it takes is intention and practice. You will sense a feeling of relief coming from the person to whom you are speaking--a much calmer, less rushed feeling between the two of you. No need to worry that you won't get your turn to speak--you will. In fact, it will be more rewarding to speak because the person you are speaking to will pick up on your respect and patience and will begin to do the same. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
Your reputation is in the hands of others. That's what a reputation is. You can't control that. The only thing you can control is your character.
Then on the day of resurrection God will humiliate them, saying, "Where are the partners attributed to Me, about which you used to contend?" Those who have been given knowledge will say, "The shame today, and the misery, is on the atheists. [16: 27]
Hadith of the Day:
No one can be given a blessing better and greater than patience. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
In the Divine court lineage has no place. Rather it is the righteousness of the action which is the ultimate arbiter. [Owais Qarni]
Guidance of the Day:
Breath before you speak. This simple strategy has had remarkable results for virtually everyone who has tried it. The almost immediate results include increased patience, added perspective, and, as a side benefit, more gratitude and respect for others. The strategy itself is remarkably simple. It involves nothing more than pausing--breathing--after the person to who you are speaking is finished.
You will get used to the power and beauty of breathing, and you will come to appreciate it as well. It will bring you closer to, and earn you more respect from, virtually everyone you come in contact with. You'll find that being listened to is one of the rarest and most treasured gifts you can offer. All it takes is intention and practice. You will sense a feeling of relief coming from the person to whom you are speaking--a much calmer, less rushed feeling between the two of you. No need to worry that you won't get your turn to speak--you will. In fact, it will be more rewarding to speak because the person you are speaking to will pick up on your respect and patience and will begin to do the same. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
Your reputation is in the hands of others. That's what a reputation is. You can't control that. The only thing you can control is your character.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 477
Ayah of the Day:
Those before them had schemed, but God took their structures from their foundations and the roof collapsed on them from over head; and the punishment came to them from where they did not perceive. [16: 26]
Hadith of the Day:
The greatest sins are to associate partners with Allah, to disobey one's parents and to bear false witness. [Bukhar & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Trust in God! Laugh in misfortune's face; it too will laugh.
As it laughs, it will diminish; it will be changed and transformed. [Said Nursi Badiuzzaman]
Guidance of the Day:
Understand the statement, "wherever you go, there you are," the significance of this statement is that it can teach you to stop constantly wishing you were somewhere else. We tend to believe that if we were somewhere else--on vacation, with other partner, in a different carrier, a different home, a different circumstance--somehow we would be happier and more content. We wouldn't!
The truth is, if you have destructive mental habits--if you get annoyed and bothered easily, if you feel angry and frustrated a great deal of the time, or if you are constantly wishing things were different, these identical tendencies will follow you, wherever you go. And the reverse is also true. If you are a generally happy person who rarely gets annoyed and bothered, then you can move from place to place, from person to person, with very little negative impact.
Something wonderful begins to happen with the simple realization that life, like an automobile, is driven from the inside out, not the other way around. As you focus more on becoming more peaceful with where you are, rather than focusing on where you would rather be, you begin to find peace right now, in the present. Then, as you move around, try new things, and meet new people, you carry that sense of inner peace with you. It's absolutely true that "Wherever you go, there you are." [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Du'a of the Week:
Allahumma'hfazni mim bayni yadayya wa min khalfi, wa an yamini, wa an shimali, wa min fawqi wa min tahti. (O'Allah! Protect me from (the evil that comes from) in front of me, behind my back, my right, my left, and from above me and from below me).
Food for Thought:
Your body is a garage where you park your soul. Life is never boring, but some people choose to be bored...Boredom is a choice.
Those before them had schemed, but God took their structures from their foundations and the roof collapsed on them from over head; and the punishment came to them from where they did not perceive. [16: 26]
Hadith of the Day:
The greatest sins are to associate partners with Allah, to disobey one's parents and to bear false witness. [Bukhar & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Trust in God! Laugh in misfortune's face; it too will laugh.
As it laughs, it will diminish; it will be changed and transformed. [Said Nursi Badiuzzaman]
Guidance of the Day:
Understand the statement, "wherever you go, there you are," the significance of this statement is that it can teach you to stop constantly wishing you were somewhere else. We tend to believe that if we were somewhere else--on vacation, with other partner, in a different carrier, a different home, a different circumstance--somehow we would be happier and more content. We wouldn't!
The truth is, if you have destructive mental habits--if you get annoyed and bothered easily, if you feel angry and frustrated a great deal of the time, or if you are constantly wishing things were different, these identical tendencies will follow you, wherever you go. And the reverse is also true. If you are a generally happy person who rarely gets annoyed and bothered, then you can move from place to place, from person to person, with very little negative impact.
Something wonderful begins to happen with the simple realization that life, like an automobile, is driven from the inside out, not the other way around. As you focus more on becoming more peaceful with where you are, rather than focusing on where you would rather be, you begin to find peace right now, in the present. Then, as you move around, try new things, and meet new people, you carry that sense of inner peace with you. It's absolutely true that "Wherever you go, there you are." [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Du'a of the Week:
Allahumma'hfazni mim bayni yadayya wa min khalfi, wa an yamini, wa an shimali, wa min fawqi wa min tahti. (O'Allah! Protect me from (the evil that comes from) in front of me, behind my back, my right, my left, and from above me and from below me).
Food for Thought:
Your body is a garage where you park your soul. Life is never boring, but some people choose to be bored...Boredom is a choice.
LESSON OF THE DAY 477
Ayah of the Day:
Those before them had schemed, but God took their structures from their foundations and the roof collapsed on them from over head; and the punishment came to them from where they did not perceive. [16: 26]
Hadith of the Day:
The greatest sins are to associate partners with Allah, to disobey one's parents and to bear false witness. [Bukhar & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Trust in God! Laugh in misfortune's face; it too will laugh.
As it laughs, it will diminish; it will be changed and transformed. [Said Nursi Badiuzzaman]
Guidance of the Day:
Understand the statement, "wherever you go, there you are," the significance of this statement is that it can teach you to stop constantly wishing you were somewhere else. We tend to believe that if we were somewhere else--on vacation, with other partner, in a different carrier, a different home, a different circumstance--somehow we would be happier and more content. We wouldn't!
The truth is, if you have destructive mental habits--if you get annoyed and bothered easily, if you feel angry and frustrated a great deal of the time, or if you are constantly wishing things were different, these identical tendencies will follow you, wherever you go. And the reverse is also true. If you are a generally happy person who rarely gets annoyed and bothered, then you can move from place to place, from person to person, with very little negative impact.
Something wonderful begins to happen with the simple realization that life, like an automobile, is driven from the inside out, not the other way around. As you focus more on becoming more peaceful with where you are, rather than focusing on where you would rather be, you begin to find peace right now, in the present. Then, as you move around, try new things, and meet new people, you carry that sense of inner peace with you. It's absolutely true that "Wherever you go, there you are." [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Du'a of the Week:
Allahumma'hfazni mim bayni yadayya wa min khalfi, wa an yamini, wa an shimali, wa min fawqi wa min tahti. (O'Allah! Protect me from (the evil that comes from) in front of me, behind my back, my right, my left, and from above me and from below me).
Food for Thought:
Your body is a garage where you park your soul. Life is never boring, but some people choose to be bored...Boredom is a choice.
Those before them had schemed, but God took their structures from their foundations and the roof collapsed on them from over head; and the punishment came to them from where they did not perceive. [16: 26]
Hadith of the Day:
The greatest sins are to associate partners with Allah, to disobey one's parents and to bear false witness. [Bukhar & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Trust in God! Laugh in misfortune's face; it too will laugh.
As it laughs, it will diminish; it will be changed and transformed. [Said Nursi Badiuzzaman]
Guidance of the Day:
Understand the statement, "wherever you go, there you are," the significance of this statement is that it can teach you to stop constantly wishing you were somewhere else. We tend to believe that if we were somewhere else--on vacation, with other partner, in a different carrier, a different home, a different circumstance--somehow we would be happier and more content. We wouldn't!
The truth is, if you have destructive mental habits--if you get annoyed and bothered easily, if you feel angry and frustrated a great deal of the time, or if you are constantly wishing things were different, these identical tendencies will follow you, wherever you go. And the reverse is also true. If you are a generally happy person who rarely gets annoyed and bothered, then you can move from place to place, from person to person, with very little negative impact.
Something wonderful begins to happen with the simple realization that life, like an automobile, is driven from the inside out, not the other way around. As you focus more on becoming more peaceful with where you are, rather than focusing on where you would rather be, you begin to find peace right now, in the present. Then, as you move around, try new things, and meet new people, you carry that sense of inner peace with you. It's absolutely true that "Wherever you go, there you are." [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Du'a of the Week:
Allahumma'hfazni mim bayni yadayya wa min khalfi, wa an yamini, wa an shimali, wa min fawqi wa min tahti. (O'Allah! Protect me from (the evil that comes from) in front of me, behind my back, my right, my left, and from above me and from below me).
Food for Thought:
Your body is a garage where you park your soul. Life is never boring, but some people choose to be bored...Boredom is a choice.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 476
Ayahs of the Day:
When it is said to them, "What has your Lord sent down?" They say, "Fables of the ancients." Let them bear their burdens in their entirety on the day of resurrection, and some of the burdens of those they misled without knowledge. Is not miserable what they will bear. [16: 24,25]
Hadith of the Day:
The only way a child can repay his/her father or mother is to buy his/her parent's freedom if he/she finds either of them in bondage. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The bitterness of this world is the sweetness of the Hereafter, and the sweetness of this world is the bitterness of the Hereafter. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
See the glass as already broken (and everything else too). The essence of this teaching is that all of life is in a constant stage of change. Everything has a beginning and everything has an end. Every tree begins with a seed and will eventually transform back into earth. Every rock is formed and every rock will vanish. In our modern world, this means that every car, every machine, every piece of clothing is created and all will wear out and crumble; it's only a matter of when. Our bodies are born and they will die. A glass is created and will eventually break.
There is a peace to be found in this teaching. When you expect something to break, you're not surprised or disappointed when it does. Instead of becoming immobilized when something is destroyed, you feel grateful for the time you have had. The easiest place to start is with the simplest things, a glass of water for example. Pull out your favorite drinking glass. Take a moment to look at and appreciate its beauty and all it does for you. Now, imagine that same glass as already broken, shattered all over the floor. Try to maintain the perspective that, in time, everything disintegrates and returns to its original form
Obviously, no one wants their favorite drinking glass, or anything else, to be broken. This philosophy is not a prescription for becoming passive or apathetic, but for making peace with the way things are. When your drinking glass does break, this philosophy allows you to maintain your perspective. Rather than thinking. "Oh my God," you'll find yourself thinking, "Ah, there it goes." Play with this awareness and you'll find yourself not only keeping your cool but appreciating life as never before. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
Life is an attitude. It's what you choose to believe, always. Nothing out there is bad unless you believe that it is.
When it is said to them, "What has your Lord sent down?" They say, "Fables of the ancients." Let them bear their burdens in their entirety on the day of resurrection, and some of the burdens of those they misled without knowledge. Is not miserable what they will bear. [16: 24,25]
Hadith of the Day:
The only way a child can repay his/her father or mother is to buy his/her parent's freedom if he/she finds either of them in bondage. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The bitterness of this world is the sweetness of the Hereafter, and the sweetness of this world is the bitterness of the Hereafter. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
See the glass as already broken (and everything else too). The essence of this teaching is that all of life is in a constant stage of change. Everything has a beginning and everything has an end. Every tree begins with a seed and will eventually transform back into earth. Every rock is formed and every rock will vanish. In our modern world, this means that every car, every machine, every piece of clothing is created and all will wear out and crumble; it's only a matter of when. Our bodies are born and they will die. A glass is created and will eventually break.
There is a peace to be found in this teaching. When you expect something to break, you're not surprised or disappointed when it does. Instead of becoming immobilized when something is destroyed, you feel grateful for the time you have had. The easiest place to start is with the simplest things, a glass of water for example. Pull out your favorite drinking glass. Take a moment to look at and appreciate its beauty and all it does for you. Now, imagine that same glass as already broken, shattered all over the floor. Try to maintain the perspective that, in time, everything disintegrates and returns to its original form
Obviously, no one wants their favorite drinking glass, or anything else, to be broken. This philosophy is not a prescription for becoming passive or apathetic, but for making peace with the way things are. When your drinking glass does break, this philosophy allows you to maintain your perspective. Rather than thinking. "Oh my God," you'll find yourself thinking, "Ah, there it goes." Play with this awareness and you'll find yourself not only keeping your cool but appreciating life as never before. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
Life is an attitude. It's what you choose to believe, always. Nothing out there is bad unless you believe that it is.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 475
Ayahs of the Day:
Your God is One God: as for those who do not believe in the hereafter, their hearts refuse to acknowledge, arrogant as they are. There is no doubt that God knows what they conceal and what they reveal; God does not love the arrogant. [16: 22,23]
Hadith of the Day:
The best of you are those who are slow to anger and swift to cool down. Beware of anger, for it is a live coal on the heart of the descendants of Adam. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
To the conscious gaze each leaf is a book telling of Divine knowledge. In everything a window opens on to knowledge of God. [Sa'di Shirazi]
Guidance of the Day:
Search for the grain of truth in other opinions. If you enjoy learning as well as making other people happy, you'll love this idea. Almost everyone feels that their own opinions are good ones, otherwise they wouldn't be sharing them with you. One of the destructive things that many of us do, however, is compare someone else's opinion to our own. And, when it doesn't fall in line with our belief, we either dismiss it or find fault with it. We feel smug, the other person feels diminished, and we learn nothing.
Almost every opinion has some merit, especially if we are looking for merit, rather than looking for errors. The next time someone offers you an opinion, rather than judge or criticize it, see if you can find a grain of truth in what the person is saying. If you think about it, when you judge someone else or their opinion, it really doesn't say anything about the other person, but it says quite a bit about your need to be judgmental.
If you practice this simple strategy to find the grain of truth in other positions, some wonderful things will begin to happen: You'll begin to understand those who you interact with, others will be drawn to your accepting and loving energy, your learning curve will be enhanced, and, perhaps most important, you'll feel much better about yourself. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
Did you ever notice how difficult it is to argue with someone who is not obsessed with being right.
Your God is One God: as for those who do not believe in the hereafter, their hearts refuse to acknowledge, arrogant as they are. There is no doubt that God knows what they conceal and what they reveal; God does not love the arrogant. [16: 22,23]
Hadith of the Day:
The best of you are those who are slow to anger and swift to cool down. Beware of anger, for it is a live coal on the heart of the descendants of Adam. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
To the conscious gaze each leaf is a book telling of Divine knowledge. In everything a window opens on to knowledge of God. [Sa'di Shirazi]
Guidance of the Day:
Search for the grain of truth in other opinions. If you enjoy learning as well as making other people happy, you'll love this idea. Almost everyone feels that their own opinions are good ones, otherwise they wouldn't be sharing them with you. One of the destructive things that many of us do, however, is compare someone else's opinion to our own. And, when it doesn't fall in line with our belief, we either dismiss it or find fault with it. We feel smug, the other person feels diminished, and we learn nothing.
Almost every opinion has some merit, especially if we are looking for merit, rather than looking for errors. The next time someone offers you an opinion, rather than judge or criticize it, see if you can find a grain of truth in what the person is saying. If you think about it, when you judge someone else or their opinion, it really doesn't say anything about the other person, but it says quite a bit about your need to be judgmental.
If you practice this simple strategy to find the grain of truth in other positions, some wonderful things will begin to happen: You'll begin to understand those who you interact with, others will be drawn to your accepting and loving energy, your learning curve will be enhanced, and, perhaps most important, you'll feel much better about yourself. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
Did you ever notice how difficult it is to argue with someone who is not obsessed with being right.
Monday, February 20, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 474
Ayahs of the Day:
And God knows what you keep secret and what you reveal. As for those to whom others pray besides God, they do not create anything, and are themselves created, inert, void of life; and they do not know when they'll be resurrected. [16: 19,20,21]
Hadith of the Day:
Be a little reserved in your love for your friend, for someday he may become your enemy. And a little reserved in your hatred for your enemy, for someday he may become your friend. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Know that it is not your family and friends, but rather your deen which truly looks after you. [Hasan radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Just for fun, agree with the criticism directed toward you, then watch it go away. So often we are immobilized by the slightest criticism. We treat it like an emergency, and defend ourselves as if we were in a battle. In truth, however, criticism is nothing more than an observation by another person about us, our actions, or the way we think about something, that doesn't match the vision we have of ourselves. Big deal!
When we react to criticism with a knee-jerk, defensive response it hurts. We feel attacked, and we have a need to defend or to offer a countercriticism. We fill our minds with angry or hurtful thoughts directed at ourselves or at the person who is being critical. All this reaction takes an enormous amount of mental energy. An incredibly useful exercise is to agree with criticism directed toward you. I am not talking about turning into a doormat or ruining your self-esteem by believing all negativity that comes in your direction. I'm only suggesting that there are many times when simply agreeing with criticism defuses the situation, satisfies a person's need to express a point of view, offers you a chance to learn something about yourself by seeing a grain of truth in another position, and, perhaps most important, provides you an opportunity to remain calm.
Reacting to criticism never makes the criticism go away. In fact, negative reactions to criticism often convince the person doing the criticizing that they are accurate in their assessment of you. Give this strategy a try. I think you'll discover that agreeing with an occasional criticism has more value than it costs. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
When you are immobilized by what anybody else thinks of you, what you are saying is that your opinion of me is more important than my own opinion of myself.
And God knows what you keep secret and what you reveal. As for those to whom others pray besides God, they do not create anything, and are themselves created, inert, void of life; and they do not know when they'll be resurrected. [16: 19,20,21]
Hadith of the Day:
Be a little reserved in your love for your friend, for someday he may become your enemy. And a little reserved in your hatred for your enemy, for someday he may become your friend. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Know that it is not your family and friends, but rather your deen which truly looks after you. [Hasan radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Just for fun, agree with the criticism directed toward you, then watch it go away. So often we are immobilized by the slightest criticism. We treat it like an emergency, and defend ourselves as if we were in a battle. In truth, however, criticism is nothing more than an observation by another person about us, our actions, or the way we think about something, that doesn't match the vision we have of ourselves. Big deal!
When we react to criticism with a knee-jerk, defensive response it hurts. We feel attacked, and we have a need to defend or to offer a countercriticism. We fill our minds with angry or hurtful thoughts directed at ourselves or at the person who is being critical. All this reaction takes an enormous amount of mental energy. An incredibly useful exercise is to agree with criticism directed toward you. I am not talking about turning into a doormat or ruining your self-esteem by believing all negativity that comes in your direction. I'm only suggesting that there are many times when simply agreeing with criticism defuses the situation, satisfies a person's need to express a point of view, offers you a chance to learn something about yourself by seeing a grain of truth in another position, and, perhaps most important, provides you an opportunity to remain calm.
Reacting to criticism never makes the criticism go away. In fact, negative reactions to criticism often convince the person doing the criticizing that they are accurate in their assessment of you. Give this strategy a try. I think you'll discover that agreeing with an occasional criticism has more value than it costs. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
When you are immobilized by what anybody else thinks of you, what you are saying is that your opinion of me is more important than my own opinion of myself.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 473
Ayahs of the Day:
So is one who creates like one who does not create? Will you not then take a lesson? Even if you tried to calculate the favor of God, you will never compute it. God is most forgiving, most merciful. [16: 17,18]
Hadith of the Day:
Among the well-known wisdom of the prophets is the saying, 'If you have no shame, then do as you please. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The tranquility of both worlds lies in the understanding of these two words: generosity towards friends, forbearance towards enemies. [Hafiz Shirazi]
Guidance of the Day:
Resist the urge to criticize. When we judge or criticize another person, it says nothing about that person; it merely says something about our own need to be critical.
If you attend a gathering and listen to all the criticism that is typically levied against others, and then go home and consider how much good all that criticism actually does to make our world a better place, you'll probably come up with the same answer that I do: Zero! It does no good. But that's not all. Being critical not only solves nothing; it contributes to the anger and distrust in our world. After all, none of us likes to be criticized. Our reaction to criticism is usually to become defensive and/or withdrawn.
A person who feels attacked is likely to do one of two things: he will either retreat in fear or shame, or he'll attack or lash out in anger. How many times have you criticized someone and had them respond by saying, "Thankyou so much for pointing out my flaws. I really appreciate it"? Criticism, like swearing, is actually nothing more than a bad habit. It's something we get used to doing; we are familiar with how it feels. It keeps us busy and gives us something to talk about.
If, however, you take a moment to observe how you actually feel immediately after you criticize someone, you'll notice that you will feel a little deflated and shamed, almost like you're the one who has been attacked. The reason this is true is that when we criticize, it's a statement to the world and to ourselves, "I have a need to be critical." This isn't something we are usually proud to admit. The solution is to catch yourself in the act of being critical. Notice how often you do it and how bad it makes you feel. Hopefully, more often than not, we can turn our criticism into tolerance and respect. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
You can't go around being what everyone expects you to be, living your life through other people's rules and be happy and have inner peace.
So is one who creates like one who does not create? Will you not then take a lesson? Even if you tried to calculate the favor of God, you will never compute it. God is most forgiving, most merciful. [16: 17,18]
Hadith of the Day:
Among the well-known wisdom of the prophets is the saying, 'If you have no shame, then do as you please. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The tranquility of both worlds lies in the understanding of these two words: generosity towards friends, forbearance towards enemies. [Hafiz Shirazi]
Guidance of the Day:
Resist the urge to criticize. When we judge or criticize another person, it says nothing about that person; it merely says something about our own need to be critical.
If you attend a gathering and listen to all the criticism that is typically levied against others, and then go home and consider how much good all that criticism actually does to make our world a better place, you'll probably come up with the same answer that I do: Zero! It does no good. But that's not all. Being critical not only solves nothing; it contributes to the anger and distrust in our world. After all, none of us likes to be criticized. Our reaction to criticism is usually to become defensive and/or withdrawn.
A person who feels attacked is likely to do one of two things: he will either retreat in fear or shame, or he'll attack or lash out in anger. How many times have you criticized someone and had them respond by saying, "Thankyou so much for pointing out my flaws. I really appreciate it"? Criticism, like swearing, is actually nothing more than a bad habit. It's something we get used to doing; we are familiar with how it feels. It keeps us busy and gives us something to talk about.
If, however, you take a moment to observe how you actually feel immediately after you criticize someone, you'll notice that you will feel a little deflated and shamed, almost like you're the one who has been attacked. The reason this is true is that when we criticize, it's a statement to the world and to ourselves, "I have a need to be critical." This isn't something we are usually proud to admit. The solution is to catch yourself in the act of being critical. Notice how often you do it and how bad it makes you feel. Hopefully, more often than not, we can turn our criticism into tolerance and respect. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
You can't go around being what everyone expects you to be, living your life through other people's rules and be happy and have inner peace.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 472
Ayahs of the Day:
And God put mountains on the earth, lest it shake with you; and rivers and roads, that you may find your way; and landmarks. And they also find their way by the stars. [16: 15,16]
Hadith of the Day:
The worst of all people are those who cause others to fear their obscenities. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
In reality zakah exists upon everything, and the zakah to be taken from the intellect is that forbearance be shown when the fool speaks. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Remember that everything has God's fingerprints on it. Everything that God has created is potentially holy. Our task as humans is to find that holiness in what appear to be unholy situations. When we learn to do this, we will have learned to nurture our souls. It's easy to see God's beauty in a beautiful sunrise, a snow caped mountain, the smile of a healthy child, or in ocean waves crashing on a sandy beach. But we can learn to find the holiness in seemingly ugly circumstances--difficult life lessons, a family tragedy, or a struggle for life?
When our life is filled with a desire to see the holiness in everyday things, something magical begins to happen. A feeling of peace emerges. We begin to see nurturing aspects of daily living that were probably hidden to us. When we remember that everything has God's fingerprints on it, that alone makes it special. If we remember this spiritual fact while we are dealing with a difficult person or struggling to pay our bills, it broadens our perspective. It helps us to remember that God also created the person you are dealing with or that, despite your struggle to pay your bills, you are truly blessed to have all that you do.
Somewhere, in the back of your mind, try to remember that everything had God's fingerprints on it. The fact that we can't see the beauty in something doesn't suggest that it's not there. Rather, it suggests that we are not looking carefully enough or with a broad enough perspective to see it. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
You can never get enough of what you want.
And God put mountains on the earth, lest it shake with you; and rivers and roads, that you may find your way; and landmarks. And they also find their way by the stars. [16: 15,16]
Hadith of the Day:
The worst of all people are those who cause others to fear their obscenities. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
In reality zakah exists upon everything, and the zakah to be taken from the intellect is that forbearance be shown when the fool speaks. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Remember that everything has God's fingerprints on it. Everything that God has created is potentially holy. Our task as humans is to find that holiness in what appear to be unholy situations. When we learn to do this, we will have learned to nurture our souls. It's easy to see God's beauty in a beautiful sunrise, a snow caped mountain, the smile of a healthy child, or in ocean waves crashing on a sandy beach. But we can learn to find the holiness in seemingly ugly circumstances--difficult life lessons, a family tragedy, or a struggle for life?
When our life is filled with a desire to see the holiness in everyday things, something magical begins to happen. A feeling of peace emerges. We begin to see nurturing aspects of daily living that were probably hidden to us. When we remember that everything has God's fingerprints on it, that alone makes it special. If we remember this spiritual fact while we are dealing with a difficult person or struggling to pay our bills, it broadens our perspective. It helps us to remember that God also created the person you are dealing with or that, despite your struggle to pay your bills, you are truly blessed to have all that you do.
Somewhere, in the back of your mind, try to remember that everything had God's fingerprints on it. The fact that we can't see the beauty in something doesn't suggest that it's not there. Rather, it suggests that we are not looking carefully enough or with a broad enough perspective to see it. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
You can never get enough of what you want.
Friday, February 17, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 471
Ayah of the Day:
And it is God who has subjected the sea, that you may eat fresh flesh from it, and extract from it ornaments for you to wear. and you see the ships ploughing the waves thereupon, that you may seek of God's bounty, and that you may be grateful. [16: 14]
Hadith of the Day:
Among the most evil of people are the two-faced; those who approach this group with one face and that group with another. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The world is not a commodity worth arguing over. [Hafiz Shirazi]
Guidance of the Day:
Let's take a moment to discuss separate realities. If you have traveled to foreign countries or seen depiction's of them in movies, you are aware of vast differences among cultures. The principle of separate realities says that the differences among individuals is every bit as vast. Just as we wouldn't expect people of different cultures to see or do things as we would (in fact, we'd be disappointed if they did), this principle tells us that the individual differences in our ways of seeing the world prohibit this as well. It's not a matter of merely tolerating differences but of truly understanding and honoring the fact that it literally can't be any other way.
I have seen an understanding of this principle change lives. It can virtually eliminate quarrels. When we expect to see things differently, when we take it as a given that others will do things differently and react differently to the same stimuli, the compassion we have for ourselves and for others rises dramatically. The moment we expect otherwise, the potential for conflict exists. I encourage you to consider deeply and respect the fact that we are all very different. When you do, the love you feel for others as well as the appreciation you have for your own uniqueness will increase. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
One of the cardinal rules of joyful living is that judging others takes a great deal of energy and, without exception, pulls you away from where you want to be.
And it is God who has subjected the sea, that you may eat fresh flesh from it, and extract from it ornaments for you to wear. and you see the ships ploughing the waves thereupon, that you may seek of God's bounty, and that you may be grateful. [16: 14]
Hadith of the Day:
Among the most evil of people are the two-faced; those who approach this group with one face and that group with another. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The world is not a commodity worth arguing over. [Hafiz Shirazi]
Guidance of the Day:
Let's take a moment to discuss separate realities. If you have traveled to foreign countries or seen depiction's of them in movies, you are aware of vast differences among cultures. The principle of separate realities says that the differences among individuals is every bit as vast. Just as we wouldn't expect people of different cultures to see or do things as we would (in fact, we'd be disappointed if they did), this principle tells us that the individual differences in our ways of seeing the world prohibit this as well. It's not a matter of merely tolerating differences but of truly understanding and honoring the fact that it literally can't be any other way.
I have seen an understanding of this principle change lives. It can virtually eliminate quarrels. When we expect to see things differently, when we take it as a given that others will do things differently and react differently to the same stimuli, the compassion we have for ourselves and for others rises dramatically. The moment we expect otherwise, the potential for conflict exists. I encourage you to consider deeply and respect the fact that we are all very different. When you do, the love you feel for others as well as the appreciation you have for your own uniqueness will increase. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
One of the cardinal rules of joyful living is that judging others takes a great deal of energy and, without exception, pulls you away from where you want to be.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 470
Ayah of the Day:
And everything God has scattered over the earth for you is different in color and form; surely in that is a sign for people who are mindful. [16: 13]
Hadith of the Day:
When you seek something, proceed with deliberation until, finally, Allah shows a way through or a way out. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The eye of contentment is too dim to perceive faults, it is the eye of anger that exhibits all vice. [Ali Mawardi]
Guidance of the Day:
Avoiding weatherproofing: The idea of weatherproofing as it pertains to peaceful living is a metaphor to explain one of our most neurotic, ungrateful tendencies. Essentially, weatherproofing means that you are on the careful lookout for what needs to be fixed or repaired. It's finding the cracks and flaws of life, and either trying to fix them, or at least point out to others. Not only this tendency alienate you from people, it makes you feel bad, too. It encourages you to think about what's wrong with everything and everyone--what you don't like. So, rather than appreciating our relationships and our lives, weatherproofing encourages us to end up thinking that life isn't all it's cracked up to be. Nothing is ever good enough the way it is. The point is, you've begun what inevitably turns into a way of life--looking for and thinking about what you don't like about someone, or something that isn't quite right.
Obviously, an occasional comment, constructive criticism, or helpful guidance isn't cause for alarm. However, occasional harmless comments have an insidious tendency to become a way of looking at life. When you are weatherproofing another human being, it says nothing about them--but it does define you as someone who needs to be critical. Whether you have the tendency to weatherproof your relationships, certain aspects of your life, or both, what you need to do is write off weatherproofing as a bad idea. As the habit creeps into your thinking, catch yourself and seal your lips. The less often you weatherproof your partner or your friends, the more you'll notice how super your life really is. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
Send out love and harmony, put your mind and body in a peaceful place, and then allow the universe to work in the perfect way that it knows how.
And everything God has scattered over the earth for you is different in color and form; surely in that is a sign for people who are mindful. [16: 13]
Hadith of the Day:
When you seek something, proceed with deliberation until, finally, Allah shows a way through or a way out. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The eye of contentment is too dim to perceive faults, it is the eye of anger that exhibits all vice. [Ali Mawardi]
Guidance of the Day:
Avoiding weatherproofing: The idea of weatherproofing as it pertains to peaceful living is a metaphor to explain one of our most neurotic, ungrateful tendencies. Essentially, weatherproofing means that you are on the careful lookout for what needs to be fixed or repaired. It's finding the cracks and flaws of life, and either trying to fix them, or at least point out to others. Not only this tendency alienate you from people, it makes you feel bad, too. It encourages you to think about what's wrong with everything and everyone--what you don't like. So, rather than appreciating our relationships and our lives, weatherproofing encourages us to end up thinking that life isn't all it's cracked up to be. Nothing is ever good enough the way it is. The point is, you've begun what inevitably turns into a way of life--looking for and thinking about what you don't like about someone, or something that isn't quite right.
Obviously, an occasional comment, constructive criticism, or helpful guidance isn't cause for alarm. However, occasional harmless comments have an insidious tendency to become a way of looking at life. When you are weatherproofing another human being, it says nothing about them--but it does define you as someone who needs to be critical. Whether you have the tendency to weatherproof your relationships, certain aspects of your life, or both, what you need to do is write off weatherproofing as a bad idea. As the habit creeps into your thinking, catch yourself and seal your lips. The less often you weatherproof your partner or your friends, the more you'll notice how super your life really is. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
Send out love and harmony, put your mind and body in a peaceful place, and then allow the universe to work in the perfect way that it knows how.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 469
Ayah of the Day:
And God has subjected the night to you, and the day; and the sun and the moon. And the stars are subject, by the Divine order. Surely in that are signs for people who discern. [16: 12]
Hadith of the Day:
Do not say , "I feel rotten." Instead, say, "I do not feel well." [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise quote of the Day:
May you have patience, for patience is to faith as the head is to the body; there is no good in a body without its head, and none in faith without patience. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Practice humility. Humility and inner peace go hand in hand. The less compelled you are to try to prove yourself to others, the easier it is to feel peaceful inside. Proving yourself is a dangerous trap. It takes an enormous amount of energy to be continually pointing out your accomplishments, bragging, or trying to convince others of your worth as a human being. Bragging actually dilutes the positive feelings you receive from an accomplishment or something you are proud of. To make matters worse, the more you try to prove yourself, the more others will avoid you, talk behind your back about your insecure need to brag, and perhaps even resent you.
Ironically, however, the less you care about seeking approval, the more approval you get. People are drawn to those with a quiet, inner confidence, people who don't need to make themselves look good, be "right" all the time, or steal the glory. Most people love a person who doesn't need to brag. a person who shares from his or her heart and not from his or her ego. The way to develop genuine humility is to practice. It's nice because you'll get immediate inner feedback in the way of calm, easy feelings. The next time you have the opportunity to brag, resist the temptation. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Du'a of the Week:
Allahumma'stur awraati wa aamin raw'aati. (O Allah! Cover my shameful things and assuage my fears).
Food for thought:
Practice being in the world, but not of the world--learn to ignore how things outside of you are going, and know that higher awareness is truly a disappearing act.
And God has subjected the night to you, and the day; and the sun and the moon. And the stars are subject, by the Divine order. Surely in that are signs for people who discern. [16: 12]
Hadith of the Day:
Do not say , "I feel rotten." Instead, say, "I do not feel well." [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise quote of the Day:
May you have patience, for patience is to faith as the head is to the body; there is no good in a body without its head, and none in faith without patience. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Practice humility. Humility and inner peace go hand in hand. The less compelled you are to try to prove yourself to others, the easier it is to feel peaceful inside. Proving yourself is a dangerous trap. It takes an enormous amount of energy to be continually pointing out your accomplishments, bragging, or trying to convince others of your worth as a human being. Bragging actually dilutes the positive feelings you receive from an accomplishment or something you are proud of. To make matters worse, the more you try to prove yourself, the more others will avoid you, talk behind your back about your insecure need to brag, and perhaps even resent you.
Ironically, however, the less you care about seeking approval, the more approval you get. People are drawn to those with a quiet, inner confidence, people who don't need to make themselves look good, be "right" all the time, or steal the glory. Most people love a person who doesn't need to brag. a person who shares from his or her heart and not from his or her ego. The way to develop genuine humility is to practice. It's nice because you'll get immediate inner feedback in the way of calm, easy feelings. The next time you have the opportunity to brag, resist the temptation. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Du'a of the Week:
Allahumma'stur awraati wa aamin raw'aati. (O Allah! Cover my shameful things and assuage my fears).
Food for thought:
Practice being in the world, but not of the world--learn to ignore how things outside of you are going, and know that higher awareness is truly a disappearing act.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 468
Ayahs of the Day:
God is the one who sends you down water from the sky, from which there is drink, and vegetation for grazing. God produces grain for you thereby, and olives, and date palms, and grapes, and all kinds of fruit. Surely in that is a sign for people who reflect. [16: 10,11]
Hadith of the Day:
Good character, good understanding, and moderation constitute one part of the twenty-four parts of prophethood. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The greatness of the believer is in his God-consciousness, and his pride should be in his obedience and his courage lies in his display of good character under all circumstances. [Omar radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
You are given opportunities to choose between being kind and being right. You have chances to point out to someone their mistakes, things they could or should have done differently, ways they can improve. You have chances to "correct" people, privately as well as in front of others. What all these opportunities amount to are chances to make someone else feel bad, and yourself feel bad in the process.
Without getting too psychoanalytical about it, the reason we are tempted to put others down, correct them, or show them how we're right and they're wrong is that our ego mistakenly believes that if we point out how someone else is wrong, we must be right, and therefore we will feel better. In actuality, however, if you pay attention to the way you feel after you put someone down, you'll notice that you feel worse than before the put-down. Your heart, the compassionate part of you, knows that it's impossible to feel better at the expense of someone else.
Luckily, the opposite is true--when your goal is to build people up, to make them feel better, to share in their joy, you too reap the rewards of their positive feelings. The next time you have the chance to correct someone, even if their facts are a little off, resist the temptation. Instead, ask yourself, "What do I really want out of this interaction?" Chances are, what you want is a peaceful interaction where all parties leave feeling good. Each time you resist "being right," and instead choose kindness, you'll notice a peaceful feeling within.
Don't confuse this strategy with being a wimp, or not standing up for what you believe in. I'm not suggesting that it's not okay for you to be right--only that if you insist on being right, there is often a price to pay--your inner peace. In order to be a person filled with equanimity, you must choose kindness over being right, most of the time. The best place to start is with the next person you speak to. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
The secret of abundance is to stop focusing on what you do not have, and shift your consciousness to an appreciation for all that you are and all that you do have.
God is the one who sends you down water from the sky, from which there is drink, and vegetation for grazing. God produces grain for you thereby, and olives, and date palms, and grapes, and all kinds of fruit. Surely in that is a sign for people who reflect. [16: 10,11]
Hadith of the Day:
Good character, good understanding, and moderation constitute one part of the twenty-four parts of prophethood. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The greatness of the believer is in his God-consciousness, and his pride should be in his obedience and his courage lies in his display of good character under all circumstances. [Omar radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
You are given opportunities to choose between being kind and being right. You have chances to point out to someone their mistakes, things they could or should have done differently, ways they can improve. You have chances to "correct" people, privately as well as in front of others. What all these opportunities amount to are chances to make someone else feel bad, and yourself feel bad in the process.
Without getting too psychoanalytical about it, the reason we are tempted to put others down, correct them, or show them how we're right and they're wrong is that our ego mistakenly believes that if we point out how someone else is wrong, we must be right, and therefore we will feel better. In actuality, however, if you pay attention to the way you feel after you put someone down, you'll notice that you feel worse than before the put-down. Your heart, the compassionate part of you, knows that it's impossible to feel better at the expense of someone else.
Luckily, the opposite is true--when your goal is to build people up, to make them feel better, to share in their joy, you too reap the rewards of their positive feelings. The next time you have the chance to correct someone, even if their facts are a little off, resist the temptation. Instead, ask yourself, "What do I really want out of this interaction?" Chances are, what you want is a peaceful interaction where all parties leave feeling good. Each time you resist "being right," and instead choose kindness, you'll notice a peaceful feeling within.
Don't confuse this strategy with being a wimp, or not standing up for what you believe in. I'm not suggesting that it's not okay for you to be right--only that if you insist on being right, there is often a price to pay--your inner peace. In order to be a person filled with equanimity, you must choose kindness over being right, most of the time. The best place to start is with the next person you speak to. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
The secret of abundance is to stop focusing on what you do not have, and shift your consciousness to an appreciation for all that you are and all that you do have.
Monday, February 13, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 467
Ayahs of the Day:
And God created horses, and mules, and donkeys, for you to ride, and for adornment; and God creates what you don't know. The aim of the path is up to God; but there is the deviant from it, though God would surely have guided you all, were that the Divine will. [16: 8,9]
Hadith of the Day:
When Allah wills to take a servant (up to Himself) at some place, He creates a reason for the servant to go there. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Never rely on another's piety until you have seen how they carry themselves in anger. [Omar radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
For many people, one of the most frustrating aspects of life is not being able to understand other people's behavior. We see them as "guilty" instead of "innocent." It's tempting to focus on people's seemingly irrational behavior--their comments, actions, mean-spirited acts, selfish behavior--and get extremely frustrated. If we focus on behavior too much, it can seem like other people are making us miserable.
It's true that other people do weird things (who doesn't?), but we are the one's getting upset, so we are the one's who need to change. It doesn't mean accepting, ignoring, or advocating violence or any deviant behavior, but trying to be less bothered by the actions of people. Seeing the innocence is a powerful tool for transformation that means when someone is acting in a way that we don't like, the best strategy for dealing with that person is to distance ourselves from the behavior; to "look beyond it," so that we can see the innocence in where the behavior is coming from. Very often, this slight shift in our thinking immediately puts us into a state of compassion.
Underneath even the most annoying behavior is a frustrated person who is crying out for compassion. The next time (and hopefully from now on), when someone acts in a strange way, look for the innocence in his/her behavior. If you're compassionate, it won't be hard to see. When you see the innocence, the same things that have frustrated you no longer do. And, when you're not frustrated by the actions of others, it's a lot easier to stay focused on the beauty of life. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
The measure of your life will not be in what you accumulate, but in what you give away.
And God created horses, and mules, and donkeys, for you to ride, and for adornment; and God creates what you don't know. The aim of the path is up to God; but there is the deviant from it, though God would surely have guided you all, were that the Divine will. [16: 8,9]
Hadith of the Day:
When Allah wills to take a servant (up to Himself) at some place, He creates a reason for the servant to go there. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Never rely on another's piety until you have seen how they carry themselves in anger. [Omar radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
For many people, one of the most frustrating aspects of life is not being able to understand other people's behavior. We see them as "guilty" instead of "innocent." It's tempting to focus on people's seemingly irrational behavior--their comments, actions, mean-spirited acts, selfish behavior--and get extremely frustrated. If we focus on behavior too much, it can seem like other people are making us miserable.
It's true that other people do weird things (who doesn't?), but we are the one's getting upset, so we are the one's who need to change. It doesn't mean accepting, ignoring, or advocating violence or any deviant behavior, but trying to be less bothered by the actions of people. Seeing the innocence is a powerful tool for transformation that means when someone is acting in a way that we don't like, the best strategy for dealing with that person is to distance ourselves from the behavior; to "look beyond it," so that we can see the innocence in where the behavior is coming from. Very often, this slight shift in our thinking immediately puts us into a state of compassion.
Underneath even the most annoying behavior is a frustrated person who is crying out for compassion. The next time (and hopefully from now on), when someone acts in a strange way, look for the innocence in his/her behavior. If you're compassionate, it won't be hard to see. When you see the innocence, the same things that have frustrated you no longer do. And, when you're not frustrated by the actions of others, it's a lot easier to stay focused on the beauty of life. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
The measure of your life will not be in what you accumulate, but in what you give away.
Friday, February 10, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 466
Ayahs of the Day:
And God created the cattle, wherein are warmth and advantages for you, and from which you eat. And you find beauty in them when you drive them home in the evening and when you lead them to pasture in the morning. And they carry your burdens to territory you would not have reached without troubling your selves. Your Lord is indeed Compassionate, Merciful. [16: 5,6,7]
Hadith of the Day:
It is best to give charity when you are healthy, wary of going broke, and hoping to get rich. Do not wait until your soul is ready to come up through your throat to say, 'Give so and so such and such, and so and so such and such. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Hope will incline you to servitude and worship, whereas fear will push you away from sin and inequity. [Abul Qasim Nasrabadi]
Guidance of the Day:
One of the most unavoidable life lessons is having to deal with the disapproval of others. Praise and blame are all the same in a fancy way of the old cliche that you'll never be able to please all the people all the time. The truth is, everyone has their own set of ideas with which to evaluate life, and our ideas don't always match those of other people. For some reason, however, most of us struggle against this inevitable fact. We get angry, hurt, or otherwise frustrated when people reject our ideas, tell us no, or give us some other form of disapproval.
The sooner we accept the inevitable dilemma of not being able to win the approval of everyone we meet, the easier our lives will become. When you expect to be dished out your share of disapproval instead of struggling against this fact, you'll develop a helpful perspective to assist your life journey. Rather than feeling rejected by disapproval, you can remind yourself, "here it is again. That's okay." You can learn to be pleasantly surprised, even grateful when you receive the approval you're hoping for.
Even in a landslide election victory in which a candidate secures 55 percent of vote, he or she is left with 45 percent of the population that wishes someone else were the winner. Pretty humbling, isn't it? Our approval rating from family, friends, and the people we work with isn't likely to be much higher. There are many days when we experience both praise and blame. This back and forth, good and bad, approval and disapproval is a part of everyone's life. We always prefer approval over disapproval. It feels better and it's certainly easier to deal with. The more content we become, however, the less we depend on it for our sense of well-being. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
When you think positive, happy, loving thoughts, there's a different chemistry that goes into your body than when you think depressing, negative anguished thoughts. The way you decide to think has a dramatic effect on your chemistry and on your physiology.
And God created the cattle, wherein are warmth and advantages for you, and from which you eat. And you find beauty in them when you drive them home in the evening and when you lead them to pasture in the morning. And they carry your burdens to territory you would not have reached without troubling your selves. Your Lord is indeed Compassionate, Merciful. [16: 5,6,7]
Hadith of the Day:
It is best to give charity when you are healthy, wary of going broke, and hoping to get rich. Do not wait until your soul is ready to come up through your throat to say, 'Give so and so such and such, and so and so such and such. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Hope will incline you to servitude and worship, whereas fear will push you away from sin and inequity. [Abul Qasim Nasrabadi]
Guidance of the Day:
One of the most unavoidable life lessons is having to deal with the disapproval of others. Praise and blame are all the same in a fancy way of the old cliche that you'll never be able to please all the people all the time. The truth is, everyone has their own set of ideas with which to evaluate life, and our ideas don't always match those of other people. For some reason, however, most of us struggle against this inevitable fact. We get angry, hurt, or otherwise frustrated when people reject our ideas, tell us no, or give us some other form of disapproval.
The sooner we accept the inevitable dilemma of not being able to win the approval of everyone we meet, the easier our lives will become. When you expect to be dished out your share of disapproval instead of struggling against this fact, you'll develop a helpful perspective to assist your life journey. Rather than feeling rejected by disapproval, you can remind yourself, "here it is again. That's okay." You can learn to be pleasantly surprised, even grateful when you receive the approval you're hoping for.
Even in a landslide election victory in which a candidate secures 55 percent of vote, he or she is left with 45 percent of the population that wishes someone else were the winner. Pretty humbling, isn't it? Our approval rating from family, friends, and the people we work with isn't likely to be much higher. There are many days when we experience both praise and blame. This back and forth, good and bad, approval and disapproval is a part of everyone's life. We always prefer approval over disapproval. It feels better and it's certainly easier to deal with. The more content we become, however, the less we depend on it for our sense of well-being. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Food for Thought:
When you think positive, happy, loving thoughts, there's a different chemistry that goes into your body than when you think depressing, negative anguished thoughts. The way you decide to think has a dramatic effect on your chemistry and on your physiology.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 465
Ayahs of the Day:
God created the heavens and the earth rightly; God is exalted above the associations they attribute. God created the human being from a drop; and lo he is an open antagonist! [16: 3,4]
Hadith of the Day:
Cursing a believer is like killing him/her. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Spiritual journeying is with two wings; that is through having firm belief in the truths of faith and carrying out the religious obligations. If there is defect in these two wings, the way cannot be traversed. [Imam Rabbani]
Guidance of the Day:
Life is only a test. When you look at life and its many challenges as a test, or series of tests, you begin to see each issue you face as an opportunity to grow, a chance to roll with the punches. Whether you're being bombarded with problems, responsibilities, even unsurmountable hurdles, when looked at it as a test, you always have a chance to succeed, in the sense of rising above that which is challenging you. If, on the other hand, you see each new issue you face as a serious battle that must be won in order to survive, you're probably in for a very rocky journey. The only time you're likely to be happy is when everything is working out just right. And we all know how often that happens.
As an experiment, see if you can apply this idea to something you are forced to deal with. Perhaps you have a difficult teenager or a demanding boss. See if you can redefine the issue you face from being a "problem" to being a test. Rather than struggling with your issue, see if there is something you can learn from it. Ask yourself, "Why is this issue in my life? What would it mean and what would be involved to rise above it? could I possibly look at this issue any differently? Can I see it as a test of some kind?"
If you give this strategy a try you may be surprised at your changed responses. Our real challenge is to see our struggle as a test. Seeing the issues as a test will ultimately help us to cope with biggest personal frustrations. It will become far more acceptable to us to accept things as they are. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Du'a of the Week:
Allahumma inni a'udhubika mina'l-jubni, wa'l bukhl, wa a'udhubika min ghalabati'd-dayni wa qahri'r-rijal. (O Allah! I seek Your protection from cowardice and avarice, and I seek Your protection from the stress of debts and the tyranny of men).
Food for Thought:
We came here because the earth is abundant and alive--a rich, rich field of lessons for us to learn. Even when people tell you there isn't any hope, there is. There is always hope, purpose, and a new magical lesson.
God created the heavens and the earth rightly; God is exalted above the associations they attribute. God created the human being from a drop; and lo he is an open antagonist! [16: 3,4]
Hadith of the Day:
Cursing a believer is like killing him/her. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Spiritual journeying is with two wings; that is through having firm belief in the truths of faith and carrying out the religious obligations. If there is defect in these two wings, the way cannot be traversed. [Imam Rabbani]
Guidance of the Day:
Life is only a test. When you look at life and its many challenges as a test, or series of tests, you begin to see each issue you face as an opportunity to grow, a chance to roll with the punches. Whether you're being bombarded with problems, responsibilities, even unsurmountable hurdles, when looked at it as a test, you always have a chance to succeed, in the sense of rising above that which is challenging you. If, on the other hand, you see each new issue you face as a serious battle that must be won in order to survive, you're probably in for a very rocky journey. The only time you're likely to be happy is when everything is working out just right. And we all know how often that happens.
As an experiment, see if you can apply this idea to something you are forced to deal with. Perhaps you have a difficult teenager or a demanding boss. See if you can redefine the issue you face from being a "problem" to being a test. Rather than struggling with your issue, see if there is something you can learn from it. Ask yourself, "Why is this issue in my life? What would it mean and what would be involved to rise above it? could I possibly look at this issue any differently? Can I see it as a test of some kind?"
If you give this strategy a try you may be surprised at your changed responses. Our real challenge is to see our struggle as a test. Seeing the issues as a test will ultimately help us to cope with biggest personal frustrations. It will become far more acceptable to us to accept things as they are. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]
Du'a of the Week:
Allahumma inni a'udhubika mina'l-jubni, wa'l bukhl, wa a'udhubika min ghalabati'd-dayni wa qahri'r-rijal. (O Allah! I seek Your protection from cowardice and avarice, and I seek Your protection from the stress of debts and the tyranny of men).
Food for Thought:
We came here because the earth is abundant and alive--a rich, rich field of lessons for us to learn. Even when people tell you there isn't any hope, there is. There is always hope, purpose, and a new magical lesson.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)