Ayah of the Day:
The day We roll up the sky like a scroll. As We created original nature, We will restore it, as a promise up to Us, for We are the author of creation. [21: 104]
Hadith of the Day:
Allah does not look at your appearance or wealth but looks at your heart and actions. [Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
You must control your tongue and know your contemporaries. Talk to the people so that they can understand and omit that which they cannot understand. [Shaykh al Junayd]
Guidance of the Day:
By general concurrence and agreement, even religious practice, when it is merely an imitation, is considered a sin. There are a lot of people talking who only pretend to be wise, and a lot of books written that will lead one astray. Of course, long accepted and respected interpreters should be followed. But even in these cases, one should not blindly imitate the branch of Islamic teaching to which one belongs, but study and learn its origins and principles. Only by so doing one will be following the principles of the Holy Book and the Tradition of the Prophet.
Even with the best of intentions, students remain in danger of creating distortions. If you are arrogant, and see and decide on things wholly according to your own mind and opinions, you will establish your own destructive innovations in the practice of religion. That is even worse than blindly following innovations instituted by others. Such danger is yet another example of the power of our egos to fool us into sin. [The Path of Muhammad by Imam Birgivi]
Food for Thought:
Not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. A good memory and a tongue tied in the middle is a combination which gives good immortality to conversation.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 674
Ayah of the Day:
Whoever does good works and is a believer, there is no rejection of his striving, and We are recording it for him. [21: 94]
Hadith of the Day:
You are not superior to a white, or black-skinned person, unless you excel him in piety. [Ahmad]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Knowledge is not what is memorized; knowledge is what benefits. [Imam al Shafii]
Guidance of the Day:
Often enough the ego fools us by presenting attractive examples and suggesting that we imitate them. Hidden under the make-up that makes them beautiful, these attractions are evil and hideous. Heedlessly one takes them as friends, partners in fun and games, drunkenness and debauch, or even as guides and leaders.
Following the example of a way of behavior or an appearance with unwarranted trust, without investigating and seeking proofs of its being desirable, is blind imitation. According to religious precepts, imitation is strongly discouraged----unless one has reached the decision to follow after closely examining the suggested exemplar (even if only in summary manner). Over and over again, in the Holy Qur'an, there are warnings against imitation. We are urged to investigate and carefully consider everything in existence before we follow its example. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
Conversation is an art in which man has all mankind for competitors.
Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood.
Whoever does good works and is a believer, there is no rejection of his striving, and We are recording it for him. [21: 94]
Hadith of the Day:
You are not superior to a white, or black-skinned person, unless you excel him in piety. [Ahmad]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Knowledge is not what is memorized; knowledge is what benefits. [Imam al Shafii]
Guidance of the Day:
Often enough the ego fools us by presenting attractive examples and suggesting that we imitate them. Hidden under the make-up that makes them beautiful, these attractions are evil and hideous. Heedlessly one takes them as friends, partners in fun and games, drunkenness and debauch, or even as guides and leaders.
Following the example of a way of behavior or an appearance with unwarranted trust, without investigating and seeking proofs of its being desirable, is blind imitation. According to religious precepts, imitation is strongly discouraged----unless one has reached the decision to follow after closely examining the suggested exemplar (even if only in summary manner). Over and over again, in the Holy Qur'an, there are warnings against imitation. We are urged to investigate and carefully consider everything in existence before we follow its example. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
Conversation is an art in which man has all mankind for competitors.
Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 673
Ayahs of the Day:
Indeed, this community of yours is one single community, and I am your Lord, so serve Me. But they differed in their religion one from another, they will all return to Us. [21: 92,93]
Hadith of the Day:
Voluntary charity extinguishes the anger of the Lord and prevents an unpleasant death. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
O son of Adam, you are but a few days, whenever a day is gone, part of you is too. [Hasan al Basri]
Guidance of the Day:
It is necessary to fight an endless battle in this life in order to protect ourselves against the ego---the greatest of evil enemies. A continuous effort must be made to repel it, or at least to reduce our acquiescence to its demands. Perhaps the first attempt should be to change our habits, which usually already represent the established rule of our egos. That struggle is the true sign of the righteous. It is the only way to take hold of the force that leads us astray. We must fight to bring our egos under control, in order to save our souls and afford them their rightful ruling place in our lives.
If you wish your Lord to lead you on the straight path to truth, first you must eliminate the hindrance of your ego on that path. Then Allah will certainly act upon what He promises. In the struggle with the ego, we should be careful not to tyrannize ourselves. Among the desires of our flesh there are things permissible, even necessary. One should be able to gauge the strength and insistence of these desires: it is excess that makes them blameworthy. Indeed, it is not possible for human nature totally to deny what the flesh and the ego desire. The exaggeration of asceticism is forbidden in Islam. Even in our worship moderation is advised. To seek rest, comfort, and recreation, not for their own sake, but to give one strength and motivation to live a righteous life, is to abide by the rules of religion. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
The rose and the thorn, and sorrow and gladness are linked together. Where there is much light, the shadow is deep. Joy and grief are never far apart. The luster of diamonds is invigorated by the interposition of darker bodies; the highest pleasure which nature has indulged to sensitive perception is that of rest after fatigue.
Indeed, this community of yours is one single community, and I am your Lord, so serve Me. But they differed in their religion one from another, they will all return to Us. [21: 92,93]
Hadith of the Day:
Voluntary charity extinguishes the anger of the Lord and prevents an unpleasant death. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
O son of Adam, you are but a few days, whenever a day is gone, part of you is too. [Hasan al Basri]
Guidance of the Day:
It is necessary to fight an endless battle in this life in order to protect ourselves against the ego---the greatest of evil enemies. A continuous effort must be made to repel it, or at least to reduce our acquiescence to its demands. Perhaps the first attempt should be to change our habits, which usually already represent the established rule of our egos. That struggle is the true sign of the righteous. It is the only way to take hold of the force that leads us astray. We must fight to bring our egos under control, in order to save our souls and afford them their rightful ruling place in our lives.
If you wish your Lord to lead you on the straight path to truth, first you must eliminate the hindrance of your ego on that path. Then Allah will certainly act upon what He promises. In the struggle with the ego, we should be careful not to tyrannize ourselves. Among the desires of our flesh there are things permissible, even necessary. One should be able to gauge the strength and insistence of these desires: it is excess that makes them blameworthy. Indeed, it is not possible for human nature totally to deny what the flesh and the ego desire. The exaggeration of asceticism is forbidden in Islam. Even in our worship moderation is advised. To seek rest, comfort, and recreation, not for their own sake, but to give one strength and motivation to live a righteous life, is to abide by the rules of religion. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
The rose and the thorn, and sorrow and gladness are linked together. Where there is much light, the shadow is deep. Joy and grief are never far apart. The luster of diamonds is invigorated by the interposition of darker bodies; the highest pleasure which nature has indulged to sensitive perception is that of rest after fatigue.
Monday, October 30, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 672
Ayahs of the Day:
And We did give Moses and Aaron the Criterion, and illumination, and reminder for the conscientious, those who fear their Lord in private, dreading the end of time. So this is a blessed reminder that We have sent down; now are you denying it? [21: 48,49,50]
Hadith of the Day:
A soul will never die until it fully receives all of its livelihood. [Ibn Maja]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Character is what defines a human being, not the outward form. [Shaykh al Jonayd]
Guidance of the Day:
There is a disease of the heart between faith and faithlessness, which shows itself when people get involved in trying to alter the precepts of the religion. The cause of this illness is total dependence on limited human logic and intelligence; total faith in one's own opinions; obedience to desires of one's flesh and the ambitions of one's ego or simply blindly following someone who is misled. The worse of these is slavery to the ego.
Our egos and the appetites of our physical being contain a tendency toward wrongdoing. They have the strength to impose their wishes in our lives---but to obey all their desires is surely the way to our downfall. Almost always they lead to forbidden things, harmful even to our material being and life in this world, in addition to being disastrous for the Hereafter. They push us to revolt against Allah's prescriptions and the path of salvation, leading us to regions of pain, confusion, disaster, and sin by pretending that these are desirable conditions and good for us. And those of us who remain slaves to their egos become lowly, immoral, tyrannical, selfish, stingy, hypocritical, lying, cursed beings, enemies of the public and of themselves. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
The secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have, and to be able to lose all desire for things beyond your reach. It is right to be contented with what we have, never with what we are.
And We did give Moses and Aaron the Criterion, and illumination, and reminder for the conscientious, those who fear their Lord in private, dreading the end of time. So this is a blessed reminder that We have sent down; now are you denying it? [21: 48,49,50]
Hadith of the Day:
A soul will never die until it fully receives all of its livelihood. [Ibn Maja]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Character is what defines a human being, not the outward form. [Shaykh al Jonayd]
Guidance of the Day:
There is a disease of the heart between faith and faithlessness, which shows itself when people get involved in trying to alter the precepts of the religion. The cause of this illness is total dependence on limited human logic and intelligence; total faith in one's own opinions; obedience to desires of one's flesh and the ambitions of one's ego or simply blindly following someone who is misled. The worse of these is slavery to the ego.
Our egos and the appetites of our physical being contain a tendency toward wrongdoing. They have the strength to impose their wishes in our lives---but to obey all their desires is surely the way to our downfall. Almost always they lead to forbidden things, harmful even to our material being and life in this world, in addition to being disastrous for the Hereafter. They push us to revolt against Allah's prescriptions and the path of salvation, leading us to regions of pain, confusion, disaster, and sin by pretending that these are desirable conditions and good for us. And those of us who remain slaves to their egos become lowly, immoral, tyrannical, selfish, stingy, hypocritical, lying, cursed beings, enemies of the public and of themselves. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
The secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have, and to be able to lose all desire for things beyond your reach. It is right to be contented with what we have, never with what we are.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 671
Ayahs of the Day:
And We will set up the scales of justice for the day of resurrection, so no soul will be mistreated at all; even so much as the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring out, and We are quite capable of taking account. [21:47]
Hadith of the Day:
Satan runs through a human like blood runs (through the body) [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Belief causes the faculty of will to be employed in God's name, and makes it sufficient before everything it may face. Like when a soldier employs his insignificant strength on account of the state, he can perform deeds thousands of times greater than his own strength. [Badi Uzzaman Sa'id Nursi]
Guidance of the Day:
If the approval of others relates to your attitude and actions in this world, simply remember that what they have praised in you is temporal, as are this life, this world, and their very approval, respect, and friendship for you. If their praise relates to your spiritual state, the medicine against the sickness is to increase your efforts to acquire knowledge and apply it in your spiritual life; and to hold on to sincerity.
Most of the time, the causes and effects of ambition, praise and criticism, and the damage they produce, are totally ignored by the ones who are affected. Knowledge and living according to our knowledge lead to a state of awe and fear of Allah, which is a defense against all evil within and without ourselves. That state is better than the state of those who take refuge in their worship, caring only for the eternal life in the Hereafter, and living in security and peace. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
To confess a fault freely is the next thing to being innocent of it. Open confession is good for the soul. The confession of evil works is the beginning of good works.
And We will set up the scales of justice for the day of resurrection, so no soul will be mistreated at all; even so much as the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring out, and We are quite capable of taking account. [21:47]
Hadith of the Day:
Satan runs through a human like blood runs (through the body) [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Belief causes the faculty of will to be employed in God's name, and makes it sufficient before everything it may face. Like when a soldier employs his insignificant strength on account of the state, he can perform deeds thousands of times greater than his own strength. [Badi Uzzaman Sa'id Nursi]
Guidance of the Day:
If the approval of others relates to your attitude and actions in this world, simply remember that what they have praised in you is temporal, as are this life, this world, and their very approval, respect, and friendship for you. If their praise relates to your spiritual state, the medicine against the sickness is to increase your efforts to acquire knowledge and apply it in your spiritual life; and to hold on to sincerity.
Most of the time, the causes and effects of ambition, praise and criticism, and the damage they produce, are totally ignored by the ones who are affected. Knowledge and living according to our knowledge lead to a state of awe and fear of Allah, which is a defense against all evil within and without ourselves. That state is better than the state of those who take refuge in their worship, caring only for the eternal life in the Hereafter, and living in security and peace. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
To confess a fault freely is the next thing to being innocent of it. Open confession is good for the soul. The confession of evil works is the beginning of good works.
Friday, October 27, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 670
Ayah of the Day:
Say, "I only warn you through revelation." But the deaf do not hear the call when they are warned. [21: 45]
Hadith of the Day:
Livelihood seeks a person out in the same way that his death does. [Abu Nu'aym]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The whisperings of the ego are far worse than the Satanic whisperings, for dhikr easily wards off the devil's mischief, whereas warding off the ego's mischief is extremely difficult. [Shaykh al Jonayd]
Guidance of the Day:
Blame is rarely complete without truth. Therefore we should be thankful to those who are critical of us, even if their intentions are insulting---for they make us aware of our flaws in our character or our actions of which we were unaware. Our critics are our allies against our enemy, which is our own ego. If you are absolutely sure that you do not deserve to be criticized, the criticism is still good for you---although disastrous for your critic! Therefore you should pity him and pray for his forgiveness, because he is guilty of slander. On the Day of Judgment, Allah will take his good deeds and give them to you, and take your sins and give them to him. But in any case, if you recognize the fault mentioned by him in yourself, you must do all that is possible to correct it.
People have justified praise because it makes us taste human perfection. If not totally, at least in some aspects of our character we are made to feel better than we are. The love we feel toward those who praise us captures our hearts and friendship in turn---and perhaps through them, captures their hearts and respect of still other people. Yet the effort to hold onto this love and consideration distorts our character. For in reality the praiser is our enemy, since he is the ally of our enemy----our ego. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
Constant complaint is the poorest sort of pay for all the comforts we enjoy. The usual fortune of complaint is to excite contempt more than pity. The wheel that squeaks the loudest is the one that gets the grease, and is the first to be replaced.
Say, "I only warn you through revelation." But the deaf do not hear the call when they are warned. [21: 45]
Hadith of the Day:
Livelihood seeks a person out in the same way that his death does. [Abu Nu'aym]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The whisperings of the ego are far worse than the Satanic whisperings, for dhikr easily wards off the devil's mischief, whereas warding off the ego's mischief is extremely difficult. [Shaykh al Jonayd]
Guidance of the Day:
Blame is rarely complete without truth. Therefore we should be thankful to those who are critical of us, even if their intentions are insulting---for they make us aware of our flaws in our character or our actions of which we were unaware. Our critics are our allies against our enemy, which is our own ego. If you are absolutely sure that you do not deserve to be criticized, the criticism is still good for you---although disastrous for your critic! Therefore you should pity him and pray for his forgiveness, because he is guilty of slander. On the Day of Judgment, Allah will take his good deeds and give them to you, and take your sins and give them to him. But in any case, if you recognize the fault mentioned by him in yourself, you must do all that is possible to correct it.
People have justified praise because it makes us taste human perfection. If not totally, at least in some aspects of our character we are made to feel better than we are. The love we feel toward those who praise us captures our hearts and friendship in turn---and perhaps through them, captures their hearts and respect of still other people. Yet the effort to hold onto this love and consideration distorts our character. For in reality the praiser is our enemy, since he is the ally of our enemy----our ego. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
Constant complaint is the poorest sort of pay for all the comforts we enjoy. The usual fortune of complaint is to excite contempt more than pity. The wheel that squeaks the loudest is the one that gets the grease, and is the first to be replaced.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 669
Ayah of the Day:
Every living being tastes death: and We try you with ill and good, as a test; and you will be returned to Us. [21: 35]
Hadith of the Day:
The consultant is placed in a position of trust. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Know that patience, if viewed against one's affairs is like the head to the body, if the head leaves the body the whole body will be spoiled, likewise,if patience leaves, all affairs will be spoiled. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
To believe oneself to be exceptional, better than others, having a right over others---or to wish to be in that state is the result of weakness of faith, which reduces us to being a slave of our egos and the desires of our flesh. The surest way to rid oneself of the desire to be superior to others is to separate oneself from others--if not literally, then by freeing oneself from their opinions and considerations. The only time a place above others ceases to be dangerous is when one is neither attached to it nor ambitious for it.
The fear of criticism and the love of praise are very much like the sickness of feeling or hoping that one is superior to others. To rid oneself of the fear of criticism we should try to see the truth in it. This practice helps us to see ourselves and our faults, or to remind us of our faults. The pain that comes from criticism is felt only by people whose whole life and care is for this world. For those who care for the Hereafter, criticism is a gift and a cause of salvation and peace. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
The fantastic advances in the field of electronic communication constitute a greater danger to the privacy of the individual.
Every living being tastes death: and We try you with ill and good, as a test; and you will be returned to Us. [21: 35]
Hadith of the Day:
The consultant is placed in a position of trust. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Know that patience, if viewed against one's affairs is like the head to the body, if the head leaves the body the whole body will be spoiled, likewise,if patience leaves, all affairs will be spoiled. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
To believe oneself to be exceptional, better than others, having a right over others---or to wish to be in that state is the result of weakness of faith, which reduces us to being a slave of our egos and the desires of our flesh. The surest way to rid oneself of the desire to be superior to others is to separate oneself from others--if not literally, then by freeing oneself from their opinions and considerations. The only time a place above others ceases to be dangerous is when one is neither attached to it nor ambitious for it.
The fear of criticism and the love of praise are very much like the sickness of feeling or hoping that one is superior to others. To rid oneself of the fear of criticism we should try to see the truth in it. This practice helps us to see ourselves and our faults, or to remind us of our faults. The pain that comes from criticism is felt only by people whose whole life and care is for this world. For those who care for the Hereafter, criticism is a gift and a cause of salvation and peace. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
The fantastic advances in the field of electronic communication constitute a greater danger to the privacy of the individual.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 668
Ayahs of the Day:
We never sent a messenger before you revealing to him that there is no God but Me; so serve Me. [21: 26]
Hadith of the Day:
Even the slightest ostentation (in good works) is associating others with Allah. [Ibn Maja]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Sincerity is to forget to regard men by continuously regarding their Maker. [Abu Othman]
Guidance of the Day:
Wisdom,valor, and chastity and innocence----in their pure state, without any false intentions---are the three guardians of an honorable condition. That condition is called justice. Whatever generates from justice is a manifestation of good character.
A person who has been blessed with good character, whether given naturally or acquired through effort, can preserve it only among other people of good character. Such a person should avoid the company of evil friends who indulge in fun and games, debauchery and drunkenness, and the exchange of gossip and meaningless debates, for this is the environment in which the ego feeds and strengthens and takes over.
What keeps the ego weak and obedient is applying learning and knowledge in good actions; being aware of one's state; meditating upon causes and effects; appreciating the gifts bestowed by good character; and listening to the advice of others engaged in the same pursuit. On such food, our ego will obey its Lord. What we need most is to cleanse our heart of all that is evil and decorate it with beautiful behavior. The truth of Islam is no more than two things: to leave what is bad, and to advance what is best, in one's character. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
Anyone can be a barbarian; it requires a terrible effort to remain a civilized man. Civilization ceases when we no longer respect and no longer put into their correct places the fundamental values, such as work, family, and country. The true civilization is where every man gives to every other every right that he claims for himself.
We never sent a messenger before you revealing to him that there is no God but Me; so serve Me. [21: 26]
Hadith of the Day:
Even the slightest ostentation (in good works) is associating others with Allah. [Ibn Maja]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Sincerity is to forget to regard men by continuously regarding their Maker. [Abu Othman]
Guidance of the Day:
Wisdom,valor, and chastity and innocence----in their pure state, without any false intentions---are the three guardians of an honorable condition. That condition is called justice. Whatever generates from justice is a manifestation of good character.
A person who has been blessed with good character, whether given naturally or acquired through effort, can preserve it only among other people of good character. Such a person should avoid the company of evil friends who indulge in fun and games, debauchery and drunkenness, and the exchange of gossip and meaningless debates, for this is the environment in which the ego feeds and strengthens and takes over.
What keeps the ego weak and obedient is applying learning and knowledge in good actions; being aware of one's state; meditating upon causes and effects; appreciating the gifts bestowed by good character; and listening to the advice of others engaged in the same pursuit. On such food, our ego will obey its Lord. What we need most is to cleanse our heart of all that is evil and decorate it with beautiful behavior. The truth of Islam is no more than two things: to leave what is bad, and to advance what is best, in one's character. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
Anyone can be a barbarian; it requires a terrible effort to remain a civilized man. Civilization ceases when we no longer respect and no longer put into their correct places the fundamental values, such as work, family, and country. The true civilization is where every man gives to every other every right that he claims for himself.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 667
Ayah of the Day:
God cannot be questioned for what God does---it is they who will be questioned. [21: 23]
Hadith of the Day:
Blessed is the man whom God has made a key for the good and a lock for the evil. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of Day:
The one to whom small calamities seem large, will certainly be affected by truly large calamities. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
All ill is cured by the action of its opposite. It is difficult, when one is used to a state, to face the certainty of a contrary state. It necessitates forming an intention and making a great deal of effort. The intention and the effort consist of self-evaluation, critiquing both our evident state and our hidden feelings and thoughts, and then taking action to oppose our habitual way of being. For instance, if you are a miser, act like a spendthrift. If you are a coward, be brave--but not so as to endanger yourself!
In all these attempts, be conscious. Calculate and reflect upon your actions and their effects, and be firm in your intentions and decisions. You must continue until your evil-commanding self, your ego, realizes that the effect of these efforts is a more natural, better, and easier life. Good health is easy to keep. All one has to do is be moderate. To cure yourself of a bad feature of character is an obligation. It will save you from the disasters of this world as well as of the Hereafter. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
Between two evils choose neither; between two goods, choose both. He who chooses the beginning of a road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determine the end.
God cannot be questioned for what God does---it is they who will be questioned. [21: 23]
Hadith of the Day:
Blessed is the man whom God has made a key for the good and a lock for the evil. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of Day:
The one to whom small calamities seem large, will certainly be affected by truly large calamities. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
All ill is cured by the action of its opposite. It is difficult, when one is used to a state, to face the certainty of a contrary state. It necessitates forming an intention and making a great deal of effort. The intention and the effort consist of self-evaluation, critiquing both our evident state and our hidden feelings and thoughts, and then taking action to oppose our habitual way of being. For instance, if you are a miser, act like a spendthrift. If you are a coward, be brave--but not so as to endanger yourself!
In all these attempts, be conscious. Calculate and reflect upon your actions and their effects, and be firm in your intentions and decisions. You must continue until your evil-commanding self, your ego, realizes that the effect of these efforts is a more natural, better, and easier life. Good health is easy to keep. All one has to do is be moderate. To cure yourself of a bad feature of character is an obligation. It will save you from the disasters of this world as well as of the Hereafter. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
Between two evils choose neither; between two goods, choose both. He who chooses the beginning of a road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determine the end.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 666
Ayahs of the Day:
If there were a deity besides God in the sky and earth, both would go awry: so glory to God, Lord of the Throne, beyond what they ascribe. [21: 22]
Hadith of the Day:
There is no harm in wealth for one who fears Allah the Powerful, the Exalted. [Ibn Majah]
Wise Quote of the Day:
He who comes to the realization of his Lord after much contemplation and reflection will find easy increase in all of his other worships. [Yahya bin Mu'adh]
Guidance of the Day:
The cure of every ill depends on realizing that one is sick. When we recognize the harm of our condition, we can seek its cause and the ways to counteract it. Finding these, we can believe firmly in the beneficence of the measures necessary to counter our ills. And we will know the source of our cure.
Knowing our ills requires that we inspect ourselves, our actions, and our relations with others. It is helpful to listen to and accept the criticisms of real friends---even the accusations of our enemies---because, often enough, our friends merely excuse our faults, while our enemies see those faults magnified. The criticisms we make of others are a good means of seeing the same faults in ourselves. Each person is a mirror to other people, and those who realize this can see their own faults elsewhere, and take lessons from them.
Once you know your ills, you should not attribute them to a general and total failure. Learn to identify each separately and seek its causes, both outside and inside yourself. Then attempt to eliminate or change those causes. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
Health is the condition of wisdom, and the sign is cheerfulness,---an open and noble temper. Cheerfulness in most cheerful people, is the rich and satisfying result of strenuous discipline. Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness, and its power of endurance---the cheerful man will do more in the same time, will do it better, and will preserve it longer, than the sad or sullen.
If there were a deity besides God in the sky and earth, both would go awry: so glory to God, Lord of the Throne, beyond what they ascribe. [21: 22]
Hadith of the Day:
There is no harm in wealth for one who fears Allah the Powerful, the Exalted. [Ibn Majah]
Wise Quote of the Day:
He who comes to the realization of his Lord after much contemplation and reflection will find easy increase in all of his other worships. [Yahya bin Mu'adh]
Guidance of the Day:
The cure of every ill depends on realizing that one is sick. When we recognize the harm of our condition, we can seek its cause and the ways to counteract it. Finding these, we can believe firmly in the beneficence of the measures necessary to counter our ills. And we will know the source of our cure.
Knowing our ills requires that we inspect ourselves, our actions, and our relations with others. It is helpful to listen to and accept the criticisms of real friends---even the accusations of our enemies---because, often enough, our friends merely excuse our faults, while our enemies see those faults magnified. The criticisms we make of others are a good means of seeing the same faults in ourselves. Each person is a mirror to other people, and those who realize this can see their own faults elsewhere, and take lessons from them.
Once you know your ills, you should not attribute them to a general and total failure. Learn to identify each separately and seek its causes, both outside and inside yourself. Then attempt to eliminate or change those causes. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
Health is the condition of wisdom, and the sign is cheerfulness,---an open and noble temper. Cheerfulness in most cheerful people, is the rich and satisfying result of strenuous discipline. Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness, and its power of endurance---the cheerful man will do more in the same time, will do it better, and will preserve it longer, than the sad or sullen.
Friday, October 20, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 665
Ayahs of the Day:
Everyone in the skies and on the earth belongs to God; even those in the presence of God are not too proud for the service of God, and neither do they weary; they celebrate the glory of God night and day, never weakening. [21: 19, 20]
Hadith of the Day:
Whoever deceives us is not of us. [Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The best people are those who, after being generous to people, seek generosity only from Allah, and those who, after exemplifying the blessed sunnah, seek a lawful means of living. [Abu Hafs al Haddad]
Guidance of the Day:
Another great power in our being is lust. It is always in motion, seeking what the flesh desires. In equilibrium it is called chastity---the pursuit of our loves and desires in an exclusively lawful manner. Excess of lust is shamelessness, debauchery, which prods us toward whatever we fancy without any consideration either of the object itself, or of the physical or spiritual consequences to ourselves. And deficiency of lust leads to total loss of interest in all that is desirable, a state of complete lack of emotional involvement.
Wisdom, valor, and chastity are gained when consciousness manifests in communication among all the parts of ourselves, and between ourselves and others. Then we can draw our wit, our anger, and our lust under our control---we can, in fact, take them into our service. And stupidity, fury, cowardice, licentiousness are the result when anger, lust, and self-regard overcome our consciousness, reason, and conscience. The observe of wisdom, valor, and chastity are vicious and perverse influences leading to vileness and disgrace. Most bad habits and character are caused by these and related excesses. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
There is no personal charm so great as the charm of a cheerful temperament, which is the off-shoot of goodness. The best way to cheer yourself is to cheer somebody else up. So of the cheerfulness, or a good temper, the more it is spent, the more it remains.
Everyone in the skies and on the earth belongs to God; even those in the presence of God are not too proud for the service of God, and neither do they weary; they celebrate the glory of God night and day, never weakening. [21: 19, 20]
Hadith of the Day:
Whoever deceives us is not of us. [Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The best people are those who, after being generous to people, seek generosity only from Allah, and those who, after exemplifying the blessed sunnah, seek a lawful means of living. [Abu Hafs al Haddad]
Guidance of the Day:
Another great power in our being is lust. It is always in motion, seeking what the flesh desires. In equilibrium it is called chastity---the pursuit of our loves and desires in an exclusively lawful manner. Excess of lust is shamelessness, debauchery, which prods us toward whatever we fancy without any consideration either of the object itself, or of the physical or spiritual consequences to ourselves. And deficiency of lust leads to total loss of interest in all that is desirable, a state of complete lack of emotional involvement.
Wisdom, valor, and chastity are gained when consciousness manifests in communication among all the parts of ourselves, and between ourselves and others. Then we can draw our wit, our anger, and our lust under our control---we can, in fact, take them into our service. And stupidity, fury, cowardice, licentiousness are the result when anger, lust, and self-regard overcome our consciousness, reason, and conscience. The observe of wisdom, valor, and chastity are vicious and perverse influences leading to vileness and disgrace. Most bad habits and character are caused by these and related excesses. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
There is no personal charm so great as the charm of a cheerful temperament, which is the off-shoot of goodness. The best way to cheer yourself is to cheer somebody else up. So of the cheerfulness, or a good temper, the more it is spent, the more it remains.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 664
Ayahs of the Day:
We did not create the sky and the earth and what is in between them in jest; Had We wanted to take up a sport, We would have taken it from Our own dominion, were We going to do so. [21: 16,17]
Hadith of the Day:
There is no intelligence like planning, no ability like good character, and no piety like restraint. [Bayhaqi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
A bad thought about someone that occurs in one's heart is a notion suggested by the Devil, and one should not only dismiss it but increase one's concern and respect for him, as this will put off the Devil and he will not suggest the like of it. [Imam al Ghazali]
Guidance of the Day:
The extreme development of understanding is a sharp intelligence, a quick-wittedness, which allows one to decipher hidden secrets such as destiny, or allegorical and ambiguous verses of the Qur'an. Excess of wit may push one to do things that are harmful to other people. Too much of this kind of intelligence leads to unreasonableness, lack of conscience---indeed to stupidity---which blinds the eye of the heart. It may leave a person in such a state that he can no longer tell what is good from what is bad.
The situation with intelligence is similar to the situation with anger. Anger is a necessary capacity. We require it in order to eliminate influences dangerous to our existence. The moderation of anger is called valor---a strength that enables a person to fight destructive forces. But excess of anger is fury, a madness that makes us forget both the reason for fighting and its results. And the deficiency of anger is cowardice, a state that renders us passive before a deadly danger. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
A wise man will make haste to forgive, because he knows the value of time, and will not suffer it to pass away in unnecessary pain.
We did not create the sky and the earth and what is in between them in jest; Had We wanted to take up a sport, We would have taken it from Our own dominion, were We going to do so. [21: 16,17]
Hadith of the Day:
There is no intelligence like planning, no ability like good character, and no piety like restraint. [Bayhaqi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
A bad thought about someone that occurs in one's heart is a notion suggested by the Devil, and one should not only dismiss it but increase one's concern and respect for him, as this will put off the Devil and he will not suggest the like of it. [Imam al Ghazali]
Guidance of the Day:
The extreme development of understanding is a sharp intelligence, a quick-wittedness, which allows one to decipher hidden secrets such as destiny, or allegorical and ambiguous verses of the Qur'an. Excess of wit may push one to do things that are harmful to other people. Too much of this kind of intelligence leads to unreasonableness, lack of conscience---indeed to stupidity---which blinds the eye of the heart. It may leave a person in such a state that he can no longer tell what is good from what is bad.
The situation with intelligence is similar to the situation with anger. Anger is a necessary capacity. We require it in order to eliminate influences dangerous to our existence. The moderation of anger is called valor---a strength that enables a person to fight destructive forces. But excess of anger is fury, a madness that makes us forget both the reason for fighting and its results. And the deficiency of anger is cowardice, a state that renders us passive before a deadly danger. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
A wise man will make haste to forgive, because he knows the value of time, and will not suffer it to pass away in unnecessary pain.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 663
Ayahs of the Day:
When they felt Our severity, they ran away from it. Do not run away, but come back to the good things of this life given to you, and to your homes, in order that you may be called to account. [21: 12,13]
Hadith of the Day:
He who does not keep his trust has no faith, and he who does not keep his agreements has no religion. [Bayhaqi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Everything in the creation is pleased with the one who is pleased with the Creator. [Yahya bin Mu'adh]
Guidance of the Day:
Know that the education and purification of the heart are more important than concern for any other part of your physical being. The heart is like a king whose decision is law. The other parts of your body are like the king's subjects. A heart is healthy when it is cleansed of wrong concerns and negative feelings by good morals and beneficent feelings.
Our first care should be about the ways acquiring good habits and character, to keep them, and to improve them and reinforce them. Good morals are such a discipline that they develop into good actions. Character can be changed: in fact the aim and purpose of religion is exactly that. The ability to change differs from one person to another, depending on the strength of each person's wish and native ability, as well as upon the environment.
The forces that can change character are existent in everyone. The first is the ability to communicate. This ability depends upon the strength of one's understanding, and also upon one's equilibrium. Even if a person's capacity for understanding is only average, the door to wisdom is open. Wisdom is the ability to distinguish right from wrong. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
He who waits to do a great deal of good at once, will never do anything. The truly generous is the truly wise; and he who loves not others, lives unblessed. A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.
When they felt Our severity, they ran away from it. Do not run away, but come back to the good things of this life given to you, and to your homes, in order that you may be called to account. [21: 12,13]
Hadith of the Day:
He who does not keep his trust has no faith, and he who does not keep his agreements has no religion. [Bayhaqi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Everything in the creation is pleased with the one who is pleased with the Creator. [Yahya bin Mu'adh]
Guidance of the Day:
Know that the education and purification of the heart are more important than concern for any other part of your physical being. The heart is like a king whose decision is law. The other parts of your body are like the king's subjects. A heart is healthy when it is cleansed of wrong concerns and negative feelings by good morals and beneficent feelings.
Our first care should be about the ways acquiring good habits and character, to keep them, and to improve them and reinforce them. Good morals are such a discipline that they develop into good actions. Character can be changed: in fact the aim and purpose of religion is exactly that. The ability to change differs from one person to another, depending on the strength of each person's wish and native ability, as well as upon the environment.
The forces that can change character are existent in everyone. The first is the ability to communicate. This ability depends upon the strength of one's understanding, and also upon one's equilibrium. Even if a person's capacity for understanding is only average, the door to wisdom is open. Wisdom is the ability to distinguish right from wrong. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
He who waits to do a great deal of good at once, will never do anything. The truly generous is the truly wise; and he who loves not others, lives unblessed. A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 661
Ayah of the Day:
We have sent down a Book to you, wherein is your reminder; so will you not understand. [21: 10]
Hadith of the Day:
The most virtuous form of remembrance is La ilaha illa 'Llah, and the most virtuous supplication is Al-hamdu li 'Llah. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
When Allah wishes well, He wakes you up and makes you aware of your own faults. [Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani]
Guidance of the Day:
Knowledge is the criterion of the right and the wrong, the lawful and the unlawful. It is the light that enlightens the path of the people destined for Paradise. It is the best friend of those who feel alone in the exile of this world. It is a beneficent colleague, a guide for those who feel lost, a sword in the hand of the warrior of God, an adornment that beautifies you to your friends and your enemies alike.
God raises the fortune of some people and makes them leaders: their legacy guides future generations. People follow their example and solve their problems using their opinions. Angels follow them wherever they are, caressing them with their wings. The wet and the dry, the warm and the cold, the fishes in the sea, the lambs and the tigers of this world pray for their sins, because knowledge is that which gives life to hearts and light to eyes.
The one who knows reaches the level of the service of God, which is the highest level to which anyone can aspire in this world or the Hereafter. To meditate is better than fasting. To teach is better than praying. Knowledge brings people together. The right and the wrong, the lawful and unlawful are known by it alone. Knowledge precedes action. Action depends on knowledge. Those who are blessed are inspired by it. Those who disobey God are punished by the lack of it. [The Path of Muhammah]
Food for Thought:
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes. All change is not growth; all movement is nor forward.
We have sent down a Book to you, wherein is your reminder; so will you not understand. [21: 10]
Hadith of the Day:
The most virtuous form of remembrance is La ilaha illa 'Llah, and the most virtuous supplication is Al-hamdu li 'Llah. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
When Allah wishes well, He wakes you up and makes you aware of your own faults. [Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani]
Guidance of the Day:
Knowledge is the criterion of the right and the wrong, the lawful and the unlawful. It is the light that enlightens the path of the people destined for Paradise. It is the best friend of those who feel alone in the exile of this world. It is a beneficent colleague, a guide for those who feel lost, a sword in the hand of the warrior of God, an adornment that beautifies you to your friends and your enemies alike.
God raises the fortune of some people and makes them leaders: their legacy guides future generations. People follow their example and solve their problems using their opinions. Angels follow them wherever they are, caressing them with their wings. The wet and the dry, the warm and the cold, the fishes in the sea, the lambs and the tigers of this world pray for their sins, because knowledge is that which gives life to hearts and light to eyes.
The one who knows reaches the level of the service of God, which is the highest level to which anyone can aspire in this world or the Hereafter. To meditate is better than fasting. To teach is better than praying. Knowledge brings people together. The right and the wrong, the lawful and unlawful are known by it alone. Knowledge precedes action. Action depends on knowledge. Those who are blessed are inspired by it. Those who disobey God are punished by the lack of it. [The Path of Muhammah]
Food for Thought:
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes. All change is not growth; all movement is nor forward.
Monday, October 16, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 660
Ayahs of the Day:
Their reckoning has drawn near for humanity, yet they turn away in heedlessness. Whenever a reminder from their Lord comes to them newly revealed, they only listen to it as they play. [21: 1,2]
Hadith of the Day:
The likeness of knowledge from which no benefit is derived is that of a treasure from which no portion is spent in the path of Allah. [Ahmad]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Blessings tend to flee from those who have no measure and gratitude for them. [Sari al Saqati]
Guidance of the Day:
Faith is surety, security, confirmation of teachings brought by the messenger of God from God, believing them in your heart and expressing them with your tongue, your behavior, and your actions. Faith and Islam are one and the same. Every believer is a Muslim and every Muslim is a believer. Knowledge, sincerity, fear and hope in God, honesty, good character and behavior, and good deeds are part of faith and an indication of the perfection of faith. If we sometimes fail in acting upon our faith, we are not faithless, but our faith is weak.
Shari'ah, orthodoxy, the canon law in Islam, literally means the source. It is an obligation for every Muslim to know what to do, how to behave, how to lead his life, even if he does not know or consider why. According to the canons an imitator of right behavior is a firm believer, yet in our times there have appeared a great many innovations, diluting, annulling, or exaggerating and adding to the original codes of Islam at the time of the Prophet. The believer who in all sincerity imitates this kind of behavior is certainly sinning nonetheless.
It is no excuse that we do not know the reason, the source, the causes and effects of what we are asked to do. Therefore, although an imitator is still considered to be a believer, whoever follows the shari'ah blindly is held to be remiss, for he has not made an effort to know the reason, the cause, and the source of what he is doing. Let to themselves, such Muslims may fall into doubt and may claim as right things that which have been asserted by God to be wrong, or even forbidden. This is the cause of losing one's faith in Islam. May Allah protect us from such an eventuality. May we pass through the trials of this life as truly faithful, relying on God and the intercession of His prophet, and attain peace and felicity in this world and the world to come. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
It is a good thing to learn caution from the misfortunes of others. Among mortals second thoughts are wisest. Be slow of tongue and quick of eye. Deliberate with caution, but act with decision; and yield with graciousness, or oppose with firmness.
Their reckoning has drawn near for humanity, yet they turn away in heedlessness. Whenever a reminder from their Lord comes to them newly revealed, they only listen to it as they play. [21: 1,2]
Hadith of the Day:
The likeness of knowledge from which no benefit is derived is that of a treasure from which no portion is spent in the path of Allah. [Ahmad]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Blessings tend to flee from those who have no measure and gratitude for them. [Sari al Saqati]
Guidance of the Day:
Faith is surety, security, confirmation of teachings brought by the messenger of God from God, believing them in your heart and expressing them with your tongue, your behavior, and your actions. Faith and Islam are one and the same. Every believer is a Muslim and every Muslim is a believer. Knowledge, sincerity, fear and hope in God, honesty, good character and behavior, and good deeds are part of faith and an indication of the perfection of faith. If we sometimes fail in acting upon our faith, we are not faithless, but our faith is weak.
Shari'ah, orthodoxy, the canon law in Islam, literally means the source. It is an obligation for every Muslim to know what to do, how to behave, how to lead his life, even if he does not know or consider why. According to the canons an imitator of right behavior is a firm believer, yet in our times there have appeared a great many innovations, diluting, annulling, or exaggerating and adding to the original codes of Islam at the time of the Prophet. The believer who in all sincerity imitates this kind of behavior is certainly sinning nonetheless.
It is no excuse that we do not know the reason, the source, the causes and effects of what we are asked to do. Therefore, although an imitator is still considered to be a believer, whoever follows the shari'ah blindly is held to be remiss, for he has not made an effort to know the reason, the cause, and the source of what he is doing. Let to themselves, such Muslims may fall into doubt and may claim as right things that which have been asserted by God to be wrong, or even forbidden. This is the cause of losing one's faith in Islam. May Allah protect us from such an eventuality. May we pass through the trials of this life as truly faithful, relying on God and the intercession of His prophet, and attain peace and felicity in this world and the world to come. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
It is a good thing to learn caution from the misfortunes of others. Among mortals second thoughts are wisest. Be slow of tongue and quick of eye. Deliberate with caution, but act with decision; and yield with graciousness, or oppose with firmness.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 659
Ayahs of the Day:
And if We had ruined them as a penalty before, they would have said, "Our Lord, why didn't You send us a messenger, so we might have followed Your signs before being abased and disgraced?" Say, "Everything awaits, so watch: and you will know who is on the straight way, and who is guided. [20: 133,134]
Hadith of the Day:
The likeness of the one who remembers his Lord verses one who does not is the likeness of a living person verses a dead one. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Those who intimately know Allah are wealth in of themselves, and need no wealth from anywhere else. [Ma'ruf al Karkhi]
Guidance of the Day:
Certainly our love for Him cannot be possibly be like His love for us. The love of which we are capable is either natural love (which many of us, if not all, can feel) or spiritual love, which very few can understand and fewer still can experience. Spiritual love cannot be acquired. It is a gift, and to receive that gift we must be worthy of receiving it. The highest form to devotion is to praise the Beloved with both the natural love given to us and the spiritual love that must be won.
To receive the gift of spiritual love, we have "to know, to find, and to be." You cannot find a thing when you do not know what you are looking for, and you cannot find it if you don't the way. We cannot be that thing if we do not leave ourselves behind. Allah says in a divine tradition: "When My faithful servant comes close to Me with extra worship, I love him and he loves Me. And when I love him, I become his eyes with which he sees, his hands with which he holds, his feet with which he walks." That is when man knows, finds, and is with his Lord. But what is this "extra worship" that will bring us close to our Lord? It is service.
There are two levels of worship. One is the obligatory worship of five times daily prayer; fasting during the month of Ramadan, paying alms of one-fortieth of our liquid assets to poor Muslims, and going on the Pilgrimage once in a lifetime. The second set of obligatory worship does not have specific times. These duties are to be done now and always. They are exercised as the occasion presents itself in daily life. Such are kindness, forgiveness, concern for others, helping, protecting, feeding, advising, building and not destroying.
Allah does not permit this form of obligatory worship to be delayed. This second form of prayer through service is the "extra worship" that will bring us closer to our Lord. In fact, if we are given the occasions and are able to perform the worship of service, it is a sign that our formal devotions of daily prayers, fasting, and almsgiving are accepted. When someone has proven himself worthy to be a human being and a faithful servant of his Lord by serving selflessly in his Lord's name, he may then be given the gift of spiritual love. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
Respectable men and women content with good and easy living are missing some of the most important things in life. Unless you give yourself to some great cause you haven't even begun to live. They never fail who die in a great cause.
And if We had ruined them as a penalty before, they would have said, "Our Lord, why didn't You send us a messenger, so we might have followed Your signs before being abased and disgraced?" Say, "Everything awaits, so watch: and you will know who is on the straight way, and who is guided. [20: 133,134]
Hadith of the Day:
The likeness of the one who remembers his Lord verses one who does not is the likeness of a living person verses a dead one. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Those who intimately know Allah are wealth in of themselves, and need no wealth from anywhere else. [Ma'ruf al Karkhi]
Guidance of the Day:
Certainly our love for Him cannot be possibly be like His love for us. The love of which we are capable is either natural love (which many of us, if not all, can feel) or spiritual love, which very few can understand and fewer still can experience. Spiritual love cannot be acquired. It is a gift, and to receive that gift we must be worthy of receiving it. The highest form to devotion is to praise the Beloved with both the natural love given to us and the spiritual love that must be won.
To receive the gift of spiritual love, we have "to know, to find, and to be." You cannot find a thing when you do not know what you are looking for, and you cannot find it if you don't the way. We cannot be that thing if we do not leave ourselves behind. Allah says in a divine tradition: "When My faithful servant comes close to Me with extra worship, I love him and he loves Me. And when I love him, I become his eyes with which he sees, his hands with which he holds, his feet with which he walks." That is when man knows, finds, and is with his Lord. But what is this "extra worship" that will bring us close to our Lord? It is service.
There are two levels of worship. One is the obligatory worship of five times daily prayer; fasting during the month of Ramadan, paying alms of one-fortieth of our liquid assets to poor Muslims, and going on the Pilgrimage once in a lifetime. The second set of obligatory worship does not have specific times. These duties are to be done now and always. They are exercised as the occasion presents itself in daily life. Such are kindness, forgiveness, concern for others, helping, protecting, feeding, advising, building and not destroying.
Allah does not permit this form of obligatory worship to be delayed. This second form of prayer through service is the "extra worship" that will bring us closer to our Lord. In fact, if we are given the occasions and are able to perform the worship of service, it is a sign that our formal devotions of daily prayers, fasting, and almsgiving are accepted. When someone has proven himself worthy to be a human being and a faithful servant of his Lord by serving selflessly in his Lord's name, he may then be given the gift of spiritual love. [The Path of Muhammad]
Food for Thought:
Respectable men and women content with good and easy living are missing some of the most important things in life. Unless you give yourself to some great cause you haven't even begun to live. They never fail who die in a great cause.
Friday, October 13, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 658
Ayah of the Day:
And direct your people to pray, and to be constant at it. We do not ask you for sustenance; it is We Who sustain you. And the reward is for the conscientiousness. [20: 132]
Hadith of the Day:
Every word uttered by a child of Adam will be held against him and not in favor of him, except enjoining good, forbidding wrong, and the remembrance of Allah. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Time wasted in youth must be made up in later years, if what you seek is a solicitous end. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Men are proud, and they do not know themselves. We are proud of what we are not, of that which our egos make us believe in real. Until we find out who we really are, our worship and devotion to God will be in hypocritical--at best, an imitation.
One way to know ourselves is by comparison. We should not compare ourselves to other people, which would be comparing an unknown with an unknown. But we should compare our state, even our imaginary state tainted with pride, to what we are supposed to be, as God meant us to be. God, as clear manifestation of His love for us, has sent His holy books and His Prophets--ideal human beings as examples to humankind----as the embodiment of all His wishes for us.
If we measure ourselves against the commands of God in the Qur'an, and if we compare our life to the life of the one whom He sent as His mercy upon the universe, we will perhaps be able to see our sad condition. Then perhaps our devotion, our worship, will be a little more sincere and true. Still it will be forced, tinted with the pain of self-disappointment, and selfish. We keep expecting reward, even if the reward is forgiveness. [The Path of Muhammad by Imam Birgivi]
Food for Thought:
The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. No cause is helpless if it is just. The mark of an immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.
And direct your people to pray, and to be constant at it. We do not ask you for sustenance; it is We Who sustain you. And the reward is for the conscientiousness. [20: 132]
Hadith of the Day:
Every word uttered by a child of Adam will be held against him and not in favor of him, except enjoining good, forbidding wrong, and the remembrance of Allah. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Time wasted in youth must be made up in later years, if what you seek is a solicitous end. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Men are proud, and they do not know themselves. We are proud of what we are not, of that which our egos make us believe in real. Until we find out who we really are, our worship and devotion to God will be in hypocritical--at best, an imitation.
One way to know ourselves is by comparison. We should not compare ourselves to other people, which would be comparing an unknown with an unknown. But we should compare our state, even our imaginary state tainted with pride, to what we are supposed to be, as God meant us to be. God, as clear manifestation of His love for us, has sent His holy books and His Prophets--ideal human beings as examples to humankind----as the embodiment of all His wishes for us.
If we measure ourselves against the commands of God in the Qur'an, and if we compare our life to the life of the one whom He sent as His mercy upon the universe, we will perhaps be able to see our sad condition. Then perhaps our devotion, our worship, will be a little more sincere and true. Still it will be forced, tinted with the pain of self-disappointment, and selfish. We keep expecting reward, even if the reward is forgiveness. [The Path of Muhammad by Imam Birgivi]
Food for Thought:
The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. No cause is helpless if it is just. The mark of an immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 657
Ayah of the Day:
And don't stretch your eyes to what We have allowed some classes of them to enjoy of the splendor of the world, as We might test them in that; for the provision of your Lord is better and more lasting. [20: 131]
Hadith of the Day:
Death is a gift for a believer. [Bayhaqi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
How can one purify others, when he cares not to purify himself. [Sari Saqati]
Guidance of the Day:
Allah's love for us manifests itself in His giving us the ability to know what kind of actions, what kind of life, will lead us to salvation and felicity; and how to save ourselves from things that are against our birthright, our nature, and our reason for being in this world. The purpose of our creation is to praise God and to serve Him. Thus praise, glorification, and thankfulness, prayer to God, is a natural manifestation of existence from all that is created.
For us who possess a human soul blown into us by Allah from His own Soul, who possess intelligence and will, to praise Allah like a mineral or a vegetable is not sufficient. These divine gifts are given to us so that we can prove our worthiness of them, Otherwise we will lower our state below that of the animals. The animal, the plant, the rock---these will never revolt against their own natures, because they do not know anything except themselves and do not do anything except what they are created to do. They are better Muslims than many human beings. [The Path of Muhammad by Imam Birgivi]
Food for Thought:
No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his well-being, to risk his body, to risk his life, in a great cause. If you want to be an orator, first get your great cause.
And don't stretch your eyes to what We have allowed some classes of them to enjoy of the splendor of the world, as We might test them in that; for the provision of your Lord is better and more lasting. [20: 131]
Hadith of the Day:
Death is a gift for a believer. [Bayhaqi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
How can one purify others, when he cares not to purify himself. [Sari Saqati]
Guidance of the Day:
Allah's love for us manifests itself in His giving us the ability to know what kind of actions, what kind of life, will lead us to salvation and felicity; and how to save ourselves from things that are against our birthright, our nature, and our reason for being in this world. The purpose of our creation is to praise God and to serve Him. Thus praise, glorification, and thankfulness, prayer to God, is a natural manifestation of existence from all that is created.
For us who possess a human soul blown into us by Allah from His own Soul, who possess intelligence and will, to praise Allah like a mineral or a vegetable is not sufficient. These divine gifts are given to us so that we can prove our worthiness of them, Otherwise we will lower our state below that of the animals. The animal, the plant, the rock---these will never revolt against their own natures, because they do not know anything except themselves and do not do anything except what they are created to do. They are better Muslims than many human beings. [The Path of Muhammad by Imam Birgivi]
Food for Thought:
No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his well-being, to risk his body, to risk his life, in a great cause. If you want to be an orator, first get your great cause.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 656
Ayah of the Day:
So endure what they say, and celebrate praises of your Lord before sunrise and before sunset, and celebrate God's praise at opportune times at night, and at the borders of the day, that you may be content. [20: 130]
Hadith of the Day:
Solitude is better than being in bad company, and being in good company is better than solitude. Saying what is good is better than silence, and silence is better than saying what is bad. [Bayhaqi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The one who is distant from the love of this world tastes the sweetness of loving the Divine, and these are not attained but through His generosity. {Ma'ruf al Karkhi]
Guidance of the Day:
On that day (the day of resurrection) those who are close to God will ride on heavenly steeds; the simple faithful will walk in the shade of God's throne. The nonbelievers will slide on their faces like worms, blind, dumb, and deaf. All will approach the great balance of justice, where good deeds will be weighed against sins.
Only the following seven kinds of believers will feel safe on that day:
1. Those who led and governed people in kindness and justice.
2. Those who passed their youth in decency and prayer.
3. Those who worshipped in together in mosques and kept up prayer.
4. Those who loved and helped each other for God's sake.
5. Those who feared God and shied away from sinning when they were tempted.
6. Those whose left hand did not know when their right hand alms for God's sake.
7. Those who remembered God by themselves, hidden from others' eyes, and shed tears in yearning for love of God and fear of losing God's care. [The Path of Muhammad by Imam Birgivi]
Food for Thought:
Calamity is the perfect glass wherein we truly see and know ourselves. It is the test of integrity, and a virtue's opportunity. It is only from the belief of the goodness and wisdom of a Supreme Being that our calamities can be borne in the manner which becomes a man. It is a man's true touchstone.
So endure what they say, and celebrate praises of your Lord before sunrise and before sunset, and celebrate God's praise at opportune times at night, and at the borders of the day, that you may be content. [20: 130]
Hadith of the Day:
Solitude is better than being in bad company, and being in good company is better than solitude. Saying what is good is better than silence, and silence is better than saying what is bad. [Bayhaqi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The one who is distant from the love of this world tastes the sweetness of loving the Divine, and these are not attained but through His generosity. {Ma'ruf al Karkhi]
Guidance of the Day:
On that day (the day of resurrection) those who are close to God will ride on heavenly steeds; the simple faithful will walk in the shade of God's throne. The nonbelievers will slide on their faces like worms, blind, dumb, and deaf. All will approach the great balance of justice, where good deeds will be weighed against sins.
Only the following seven kinds of believers will feel safe on that day:
1. Those who led and governed people in kindness and justice.
2. Those who passed their youth in decency and prayer.
3. Those who worshipped in together in mosques and kept up prayer.
4. Those who loved and helped each other for God's sake.
5. Those who feared God and shied away from sinning when they were tempted.
6. Those whose left hand did not know when their right hand alms for God's sake.
7. Those who remembered God by themselves, hidden from others' eyes, and shed tears in yearning for love of God and fear of losing God's care. [The Path of Muhammad by Imam Birgivi]
Food for Thought:
Calamity is the perfect glass wherein we truly see and know ourselves. It is the test of integrity, and a virtue's opportunity. It is only from the belief of the goodness and wisdom of a Supreme Being that our calamities can be borne in the manner which becomes a man. It is a man's true touchstone.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
LESSON OF THE DAY 655
Ayah of the Day:
Had it not been for a word that issued from your Lord before, the inevitable would have taken place; but their is an appointed term. [20: 129]
Hadith of the Day:
The most beloved of places in the sight of Allah are the masjids, and the most disliked of the places in the sight of Allah are the markets. [Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
May Allah exalt the rank of the one who grants me the gift of advising me on my faults. [Omar radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
An ostentatious affection for the blessed Prophet can do little to create an authentic affinity with him. Real love between us and the Prophet is established when we follow the actions of his life: actions that made his life: actions that made his life truly the Last Messenger's life and a life that is worthy of imitation for all people until the end of the world. Following the sunnah is to submit to Allah, and to efface one's ego. In its comprehensive sense, sunnah is not just following the Prophet in one particular act, but adopting the way of the Prophet in the pursuit of meritorious acts and supererogatory practices and habits.
Allah created human beings pure and perfect, with no original sin. Sinners destroy this perfection with their own hands. Believers strive to preserve this perfection with their dedicated obedience. For all humanity, Allah has ordained a law and a way in conformity with His universal plan. The path of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) encompasses the whole of human life. Undeterred by any worldly power, unmoved by any offer of worldly gain, he proclaimed the glory of Allah. All who come after him should endeavor to pursue this stoic frame of mind.
Man's greatest achievement is in possessing those qualities that make him truly human. These qualities are enshrined in the eternal names of Allah, the greatest manifestations of which are to be seen in our Prophet. This is why the Prophet told us that he was sent to complete the excellence of character. A believer can hope to attain some of the sweet qualities of the Prophet by following him in both the physical acts of the sunnah as well as the spiritual acts of the sunnah. His sunnah is the only means of drawing near to Allah. By emulating every act of the Prophet, every living moment of a believer becomes significant, every action full of meaning. By following his moral and spiritual teachings, we follow the best of human examples. There are no virtues other than his virtues; all virtues are subsumed under his virtues. [The Path of Muhammad by Imam Birgivi]
Food for Thought:
It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is what are we busy about? Whoever admits that he is too busy to improve his methods has acknowledged himself to be at the end of his rope. And that is always the saddest predicament which anyone can get into. What we hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence.
Had it not been for a word that issued from your Lord before, the inevitable would have taken place; but their is an appointed term. [20: 129]
Hadith of the Day:
The most beloved of places in the sight of Allah are the masjids, and the most disliked of the places in the sight of Allah are the markets. [Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
May Allah exalt the rank of the one who grants me the gift of advising me on my faults. [Omar radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
An ostentatious affection for the blessed Prophet can do little to create an authentic affinity with him. Real love between us and the Prophet is established when we follow the actions of his life: actions that made his life: actions that made his life truly the Last Messenger's life and a life that is worthy of imitation for all people until the end of the world. Following the sunnah is to submit to Allah, and to efface one's ego. In its comprehensive sense, sunnah is not just following the Prophet in one particular act, but adopting the way of the Prophet in the pursuit of meritorious acts and supererogatory practices and habits.
Allah created human beings pure and perfect, with no original sin. Sinners destroy this perfection with their own hands. Believers strive to preserve this perfection with their dedicated obedience. For all humanity, Allah has ordained a law and a way in conformity with His universal plan. The path of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) encompasses the whole of human life. Undeterred by any worldly power, unmoved by any offer of worldly gain, he proclaimed the glory of Allah. All who come after him should endeavor to pursue this stoic frame of mind.
Man's greatest achievement is in possessing those qualities that make him truly human. These qualities are enshrined in the eternal names of Allah, the greatest manifestations of which are to be seen in our Prophet. This is why the Prophet told us that he was sent to complete the excellence of character. A believer can hope to attain some of the sweet qualities of the Prophet by following him in both the physical acts of the sunnah as well as the spiritual acts of the sunnah. His sunnah is the only means of drawing near to Allah. By emulating every act of the Prophet, every living moment of a believer becomes significant, every action full of meaning. By following his moral and spiritual teachings, we follow the best of human examples. There are no virtues other than his virtues; all virtues are subsumed under his virtues. [The Path of Muhammad by Imam Birgivi]
Food for Thought:
It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is what are we busy about? Whoever admits that he is too busy to improve his methods has acknowledged himself to be at the end of his rope. And that is always the saddest predicament which anyone can get into. What we hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence.
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