LESSON OF THE DAY 678

Ayahs of the Day:
It is God who knows what is said openly and what you conceal, and I don't know but it may be a trial for you, or a delight for a while. Say, "My Lord, judge by truth." And, "Our Lord, the Benevolent One, is the resort against what they assert." [21: 110,111,112]

Hadith of the Day:
Anger ruins faith just as the aloe plant ruins honey. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
A person who renounces something for his Lord will be more than compensated with strong faith and the rewards of obedience to the Lord of the universe. [Ibn Abbad]

Guidance of the Day:
It is permissible to feel a certain security and satisfaction in hiding one's piety, one's good deeds---even hiding from our left hand what our right hand gives---as a proof to ourselves that we seek only Allah's approval. However, hypocrisy may raise its ugly head and make us expect people around us to behave well toward us in consequence. We may expect people to offer us respect, to be fair when we buy something, to show us honor, kindness, thankfulness, as if we deserved those considerations for hiding our good deeds! If our efforts were untainted by hypocrisy, we would neither expect people's regard nor mind their ingratitude and disregard.

Unless you waste no thought or care on people's reactions when you behave according to the orders of Allah, unless there is no difference between your cat seeing you pray or your neighbor, the question of hypocrisy in your actions remains. When we are confident of our truthfulness with ourselves, we may purposefully accept recognition from people in order to feel the sting of hidden hypocrisy. Allah sees and knows all; nothing is hidden from Him. The sincere believer should also be able to see in himself what Allah knows. [The Path of Muhammad by Imam Birgivi]

Food for Thought:
Crisis and deadlocks when they occur have at least this advantage, that they force us to think. As we wake or sleep, we grow strong or we grow weak, and at last some crisis shows us what we have become. Crisis refine life. In them we discover what we are.
God calls Himself "Baseer" [Observant], so that the knowledge that He is watching you may