LESSON OF THE DAY 681

Ayah of the Day:
O humanity, if you are in doubt about the resurrection, remember that We created you from dust, then from a drop, then from a clot, then from a lump of flesh, formed and unformed, in order to edify you. And We keep in the womb those We wish, up to a designated term; then We bring you out as infants, and enable you to reach your maturity: but some of you will be kept here until the age of senility, such that they know nothing of what they knew before. [22:5]

Hadith of the Day:
The cure for ignorance is to question. [Abu Dawud]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Abstention from sin is of greater importance than plenteous supererogatory worship. [Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanwi]

Guidance of the Day:
3. When the Devil cannot prevent us from following Allah's ordinances in our lives, nor force us to delay our duties, he pushes us to hurry. He says: "Do it quickly, so that you will have time for other things." The wise can resist by saying: "Less done, but completely, is better than much which is incomplete."

4. Then the Devil incites us to show off our deeds. If the faithful are protected by their Lord from hypocrisy, they can say: "People can neither help me nor harm me except by the will of Allah. Neither their praise nor their curse touches me. My Lord is All-Seeing and He is sufficient for me."

5. The most dangerous of evil temptations induces us to be proud. The Devil whispers in our ear: "How wise and heedful you are, while the whole of humanity is asleep!" If we are guided by our Lord, we can respond: "All praise and thanks are due to my Lord if I am heedful. His is the guidance, His is the success. All I have is His gift. If it were not so, all the good that comes through me would not reduce the swamp of my sins by a single drop." [The Path of Muhammad]

Food for Thought:
What is defeat? Nothing but education, nothing but the first step to something better. Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure. He who is accustomed to defeat, yet persists, will some day succeed. He who is accustomed to success, and becomes indifferent, will some day fail.