LESSON OF THE DAY 1311

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

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

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

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

Food for thought: 
Calamity is man's touchstone. Calamities are the perfect glass wherein we truly see and know ourselves. Calamity is the test of integrity. Calamity is a virtue's opportunity. It is only from the belief of the goodness and wisdom of a Supreme Being that our calamities can be borne in the manner which becomes a true man.

Peace of Mind.....

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

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

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

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

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

6. Nothing can bring us peace but ourselves.

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

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

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

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

                              No God no peace -- Know God know peace

Pearls of Wisdom 341

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LESSON OF THE DAY 1310

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

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

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

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

Food for thought:
It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is what are we busy about? Whoever admits that he is too busy to improve his methods has acknowledged himself to be at the end of the rope. And that is always the saddest predicament which anyone can get into. What we hope to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence.

Gentle Reminders....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pearls of wisdom....340

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

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

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

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

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

LESSON OF THE DAY 1309

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The gnostic complains only to Allāh,

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

In short there are three levels:-

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

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

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


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

Pearls of Wisdom....339

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

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

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

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

LESSON OF THE DAY 1308

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

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

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

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

Food for thought:
Anybody can become angry -- that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way -- that is not within everybody's power and is not easy. Whenever you are angry, be assured that it is not only a present evil, but that you have increased  a habit. The greatest remedy for anger is delay. When a person is wrong and won't admit it, he always gets angry.

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

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

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

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

Pearls of Wisdom 338

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

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

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

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

LESSON OF THE DAY 1307

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some thoughts for the day....

LESSON OF TIME

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

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

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

Smile Rebounding 

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

ALWAYS REMEMBER:

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

~ Authors Unknown

Pearls of Wisdom 336

1. Knowledge is light; avarice ice.

    Knowledge is water; this world dirt.

    A trickle of wisdom appears from beyond

    to check the vices of this world.

    Should the trickle become abundant,

    none would endure, be it virtue or vice. 

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

    Happy the eye that sheds tears for His sake.

    Fortunate the heart that burns for His sake

    Laughter always follows tears.

    Blessed are those who understand.

    Life blossoms wherever water flows.

    Where tears are shed Divine Mercy is shown.

3. Your bounty fulfills every need.

     Why should we turn to any other?

     The scant knowledge that endures in my soul,

     deliver it from the wiles of the body's clay

     before this clay consumes it away,

     before these winds sweep it away.

4. Come, O lover!

    Come, let Me ease your suffering.

    Let Me improve your state.

    Come, O lover!

    Come, surrender yourself to Me

    that I may give you My life

    and make you rejoice once again.  [Mawlana Rumi]

    

LESSON OF THE DAY 1306

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

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

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

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

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

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

~The Triple Filter Test~

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

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

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

The Man: "Triple Filter Test?"

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

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

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

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

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

The Man: "No, not really."

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

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

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

Pearls of wisdom 335

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

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

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

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

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

LESSON OF THE DAY 1305

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

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

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

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

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

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