LESSON OF THE DAY 463

Ayahs of the Day:
And We were aware that your chest is cramped by what they say. So celebrate praises of your Lord, and be among those who bow. And serve your Lord until the inevitable comes to you. [15: 97, 98, 99]

You will surely be tried in respect to your possessions and your selves. And you will certainly hear much that will grieve you, from those who received the Book before you (i.e. Jews and christians) and from pagan idolators. But if you persevere patiently and guard against evil, then that will be a determining factor in all affairs. [3: 186]

Hadith of the Day:
Verily, Allah does not like people who are obscene and who spread obscenities. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Those who love the beloved of Allah (awliyas) are counted by Allah as being from them. [Abu Othman Sa'ad]

Guidance of the Day:
"Choose your battles wisely" is a popular phrase in parenting but is equally important in living a contented life. It suggests that the life is filled with opportunities to choose between making a big deal out of something or simply letting it go. If you choose your battles wisely you'll be far more effective in winning those that are truly important. Certainly there will be times when you'll want or need to argue, confront, or even fight for something you believe in. Many people, however, argue, confront, and fight over practically anything, turning their lives into a series of battles over relatively "small stuff." There is so much frustration in living this type of life that you lose track of what is truly relevant.

The tiniest disagreement or glitch in your plans can be made into a big deal if your goal (conscious or unconscious) is to have everything workout in your favor. This is nothing more than a prescription for unhappiness and frustration. The truth is, life is rarely exactly the way we want it to be, and other people often don't act as we would like them to. There are always going to be people who disagree with you, people who do things differently, and things that don't work out. If you fight against this principle of life, you'll spend most of your life fighting battles.

A more peaceful way to live is to decide consciously which battles are worth fighting and which are better left alone. If your primary goal isn't to have everything work out perfectly but instead to live a relatively stress-free life, you'll find that most battles pull you away from your most tranquil feelings. Is it really important that you prove that you are right and he/she is wrong, or that you confront someone simply because it appears as though he or she has made a minor mistake? Does a small scratch on your car really warrant a suit in small claims court? These and thousands of other small things are what many people spend their lives fighting about. Take a look at your own list, you might want to reevaluate your priorities.

If you don't want to "sweat the small stuff," it's critical that you choose you battles wisely. If you do, there will come a day when you'll rarely feel the need to do battle at all. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]

Food for Thought:
What is the worth of anything but for the happiness it brings? In humility and giving up of egotism is a pleasurable reward by which a person is saved from the heavy burden of trying to make himself liked.