LESSON OF THE DAY 529

Ayahs of the Day:
God has made an example of a city that was secure and peaceful, its provision coming to it abundantly from all quarters; yet it was ungrateful for the favors of God, so God enveloped them in hunger and fear because of what they were doing. A messenger from among them did come to them, but they called him a liar, so the penalty afflicted them as they were being oppressive.[16: 112,113]

Hadith of the Day:
Should any of you burp or sneeze, let him suppress the sound. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Put your hope in no one except your Lord. Have fear of nothing other than your sins. [Othman radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
The art of happiness. Among the greatest of blessings is to have a calm, stable, and happy heart. For in happiness the mind is clear, enabling one to be a productive person. It has been said that happiness is an art that needs to be learned. And if you learn it you will be blessed in this life. A basic principle of achieving happiness is having an ability to endure and to cope with any situation. Therefore you should neither be swayed nor governed by difficult circumstances, nor should you be annoyed by insignificant trifles. Based on the purity of the heart and its ability to endure, a person will shine. When you train yourself to be patient and forbearing, then hardship and calamity will be easy for you to bear.

The opposite of being content is being short sighted, being concerned for no one but one's own self and forgetting about the world and all that is in it. it is as if such people see themselves as being the whole universe, or atleast the center of it. They think not of others, nor do they live for anyone but themselves. It is incumbent upon you and I to take time out to be preoccupied with more than just us, and to sometimes distance ourselves from our own problems in order to forget our wounds and hurts. By doing this we gain two things: we make ourselves happy, and we bring joy to others.

Basic to the art of happiness is to bridle our thoughts and to restrain them, not allowing them to wander, stray, escape, or go wild. For if you were to leave your thoughts to wander as they wish, then they will run wild and control you. They will open the catalogue of your past woes. They will remind you of the history of your misfortunes. If your thoughts are left to roam, then they will bring to you images of a future that is frightening. These thoughts will shake your very being and will cause your feelings to flare. Therefore bridle them, and restrain them by directing them to the concentrated application of the kind of serious thought that begets fruitful and beneficial work. [Don't be Sad]

Food for Thought:
Each experience in your life was absolutely necessary in order to have gotten you to the next place, and the next, up until this moment.