LESSON OF THE DAY 670

Ayah of the Day:
Say, "I only warn you through revelation." But the deaf do not hear the call when they are warned. [21: 45]

Hadith of the Day:
Livelihood seeks a person out in the same way that his death does. [Abu Nu'aym]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The whisperings of the ego are far worse than the Satanic whisperings, for dhikr easily wards off the devil's mischief, whereas warding off the ego's mischief is extremely difficult. [Shaykh al Jonayd]

Guidance of the Day:
Blame is rarely complete without truth. Therefore we should be thankful to those who are critical of us, even if their intentions are insulting---for they make us aware of our flaws in our character or our actions of which we were unaware. Our critics are our allies against our enemy, which is our own ego. If you are absolutely sure that you do not deserve to be criticized, the criticism is still good for you---although disastrous for your critic! Therefore you should pity him and pray for his forgiveness, because he is guilty of slander. On the Day of Judgment, Allah will take his good deeds and give them to you, and take your sins and give them to him. But in any case, if you recognize the fault mentioned by him in yourself, you must do all that is possible to correct it.

People have justified praise because it makes us taste human perfection. If not totally, at least in some aspects of our character we are made to feel better than we are. The love we feel toward those who praise us captures our hearts and friendship in turn---and perhaps through them, captures their hearts and respect of still other people. Yet the effort to hold onto this love and consideration distorts our character. For in reality the praiser is our enemy, since he is the ally of our enemy----our ego. [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
Constant complaint is the poorest sort of pay for all the comforts we enjoy. The usual fortune of complaint is to excite contempt more than pity. The wheel that squeaks the loudest is the one that gets the grease, and is the first to be replaced.