LESSON OF THE DAY 515

Ayah of the Day:
Do not be like she who breaks what she has spun, after it is strong, into untwisted strands. You exploit your trust to defraud each other, lest one people become more numerous than another. God is only testing you thereby, and will clarify for you on the day of resurrection what you differed about. [16: 92]

Hadith of the Day:
The (significance of) this world (in comparison) to the Hereafter is similar to one of you dipping his finger in the ocean and then seeing (the amount of water that) has stuck to it. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
A Muslims humiliation comes from his heedlessness of his religion, not in his lack of wealth or stature. [Othman radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
How to deal with criticism. You will always have to face criticism, which in its onslaught is like an interminable war: It shows no sign of ending. As long as you shine, give, produce, and have an effect upon others, then disapproval and condemnation will be your lot in life. Until you escape from people by finding a tunnel in the ground or a ladder leading to the sky, they will not desist from censuring you, from finding fault in your character. For that reason, as long as you are from the denizens of earth, expect to be hurt, to be insulted, to be criticized.

And here is something you should contemplate: a person who is sitting on the ground does not fall, and people do not kick a dead dog. Therefore their anger toward you can be attributed to you surpassing them in righteousness, knowledge, manners, or wealth. In their eyes you are a transgressor whose wrongs cannot be atoned for--unless you abandon your talents and strip yourself of all praiseworthy qualities, so that you become stupid, worthless, and to them, innocuous. This result is exactly they want for you.

So remain firm and patient when facing their insults and criticism. If you are wounded by their words and let them have an influence over you, you will have realized their hopes for them. Instead, forgive them by showing them the most beautiful of manners. Turn away from them and do not feel distressed by their schemes. Their disapproval of you only increases you in worth and merit. You will not be able to silence them, but you will be able to bury their criticism by turning away from them and dismissing what they have to say. In fact, you will be able to increase in their rage by increasing your merits and developing your talents. If you desire to be accepted by all and loved by all, you desire the unattainable. [Don't be Sad]

Food for Thought:
Everything in life is a paradox. The more you want approval, the more you become a person that other people don't want to approve of, the less you care about whether you get approval, the more you get.