LESSON OF THE DAY 497

Ayahs of the Day:
And your Lord inspired the bee, "Make your homes in the mountains, in the trees and in the buildings they construct; then eat from all the fruits, gently walking the pathways of your Lord." From within them exudes a drink of various colors, in it healing for human kind. Surely in that is a sign for people who reflect. [16: 68,69]

Hadith of the Day:
A man has sinned enough if he neglected to feed those in need. [Fiqh us Sunnah]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Death: A single word which contains within it a goodly advice. [Omar radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Nurture a plant: At first glance this may seem like a strange or superficial suggestion. What good could it possibly do to nurture a plant? One of the goals of spiritual life and one of the requirements of inner peace is to learn to love unconditionally. The problem is, it's really hard to love a person, any person, unconditionally. The person we are trying to love inevitably says or does the wrong thing, or fails to meet our expectations in some way. So we get upset and put conditions on our love. "I'll love you, but you have to change. You must act the way I want you to act." Some people are better at loving their pets than the people in their lives. But to love a pet unconditionally is hard too. A plant, however , is easy to love just the way it is. Therefore, nurturing a plant offers us an excellent opportunity to practice unconditional love.

Why does virtually every spiritual tradition advocate unconditional love? Because love has such transformational power. Unconditional love brings forth peaceful feelings in both the giver and the receiver. Select a plant, indoor or outdoor, that you'll see every day. Practice taking care of and loving that plant as if it were your baby. Talk to your plant, tell it how much you love it. Love your plant whether it blooms or not, whether it lives or dies. Just love it. Notice how you feel as you offer this plant your unconditional love. When you offer this type of love you are never agitated, irritated, or hurried. You are simply in a loving space. Practice this type of love. Practice this type of love each time you see your plant, at least once a day.

After a short while, you'll be able to expend your loving-kindness beyond your plant as well. As you notice how good it feels to love, see if you can offer a similar love to the people in your life. Practice not needing them to change or be different to receive your love. Love them just the way they are. Your plant can be a wonderful teacher--showing you the power of love. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]

Du'a of the Week:
When becoming frustrated about paying a debt: Allahumma ikfini bi halalika an haramika wa aghnini bi fadlika amman siwaka. (O Allah, suffice me with what You have made lawful in place of what You have made unlawful, and by Your grace free me of the need for anyone besides You).

Food for Thought:
To accuse others for one's misfortunes is a sign of want of education. To accuse oneself shows that one's education has begun. To accuse neither oneself nor others shows one's education is complete.