LESSON OF THE DAY 552

Ayahs of the Day:
And give relatives their due, and the poor and the wayfarer, but do not squander wastefully. For squanderers are brothers of the devils. [17: 26,27]

Hadith of the Day:
A believer is to be marveled at because every condition of his is good. This is exclusive to the believer. If he attains happiness, he is thankful, and that is good for him, and if calamity overtakes him, he is paient, and that is good for him. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Human suffering is real. However, human perseverance and human dignity are just as real. They allow us to nobly endure the trials of this world. [Imam Zaid Shakir]

Guidance of the Day:
Patience: In man are two conflicting forces. The one force impels him toward religion and righteousness, while the other drives him toward base desires. Asserting the religious force and subduing the force of base desires is called patience (sabr). In the state of patience, the religious force in man asserts its dominance over the force of base desires. Its definition is as follows: maintaining control over the lower self in the face of such things that the lower self abhors. There are three kinds of patience: patience in the practice of righteous deeds, patience while engaging in righteous deeds, and patience in refraining in the unlawful.

The first type entails being firm and constant in practicing righteous deeds. The second type entails having patience while engaging in a righteous deed: the lower self is held in check and prevented from distraction while engaged in an act of virtue. Acts of worship have to be discharged adequately by the observance of the principles and rules pertaining to them. Full attention has to be directed toward the act. The third type entails having patience in the non-commission of any unlawful act or to restrain the lower self from indulging in the prohibitions of Allah Most High.

Blessings produce delight and happiness, which in turn result in love of Allah, the Benefactor. On the other hand, hardships produce frustration and grief. Thus the occasion of patience is in the face of hardship. Hardship is a condition detested by the lower self. This condition is of two kinds: the form of hardship and true hardship. Grief and frustration follow in the wake of true hardship, which is the consequence of sin. Hardship that brings about the strengthening of one's bond with Allah and elevates one's spiritual condition is not true hardship. It increases one's submission to Allah Most High. [The Path to Perfection]

Food for Thought:
If we could see that everything, even a tragedy, is a gift in disguise, we would then find the best way to nourish our soul. Often it is our lowest points in life that we learn the most. Those low moments are the magical moments.