Ayahs of the Day:
Your Lord will decide between them by divine wisdom, being the Almighty, the Omniscient. So trust in God, for you are based on evident truth. [27: 78,79]
Hadith of the Day:
If you wish to enter Paradise, lessen your ambitions. Know that the end of your life is between two blinks of an eye, and have shame in front of Allah. [Ibn Abi Dunya]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Follow His commandments and bear every affliction with patience. Adhere consciously for this was the path chosen by the sages, the path that will lead you to the ultimate freedom. [Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani]
Guidance of the Day:
What really nurtures a loving life, is our willingness to remain in a loving space and to respond with love during more difficult moments. It's easy to be loving when everything is going smoothly and people are acting loving toward you. It's something else entirely to feel love for others (or for life itself) when you are in the midst of a chaos or when other people aren't acting as you would like-------when you are being criticized, when people are making demands on your time, when you do something nice that isn't appreciated.
We can always rationalize our own unloving reactions and behavior, of course, we can easily convince ourselves that it's appropriate to be angry in a certain situation. And that may even be true. So we give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. Yet shouldn't we extend that same courtesy to others when they act less than loving toward us? [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Good will, like a good name, is got by many actions, and lost by one. Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company. What people say behind your back is your standing in the community.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 794
Ayahs of the Day:
As for the Recital , it tells the children of Israel about most of what they differ on. And it is certainly guidance and mercy for the believers. [27: 76,77]
Hadith of the Day:
O sons of Adam, if you have any sense, count yourselves among the dead! Certainly that is the sole certainty. Do you think you can prevent Allah from taking your life? [Tabarani]
Wise Quote of the Day:
He who knows that all matters are in God's hands is recollected through trust in Him. [Ibn Ataillah]
Guidance of the Day:
Just as pain and anger helps us in our growth, so too do mistakes. To assume that we can be perfect, or to attempt to strive toward perfection, is instantly demoralizing. Perfection is a goal that lies forever outside our grasp. Rather, we need to embrace our mistakes and learn from them. Each mistake can bring us closer to genuine love. And as the love grows, our lives grow-----and we can live a life full and complete, thinking with our heads but living from our hearts.
If we can learn to accept-----even love-----our hatred, our dependency, our needs, and our fears as part of the human experience, we can extend this love and acceptance to another. This is true compassion. When this is achieved, we can more easily connect to the life force, to the universe, and to a truly spiritual kind of love-------unconditional love. If we want our love to flourish in our lives, we must make loving choices. And we have to remember that love is not just a noun but a verb as well. In reality, we do vote with our actions. True, loving choices require true, loving actions. We have dozens of chances, every day, to make loving choices-------choices that translate into warm feelings, gratitude, acceptance, positive relationships and hope. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Of all acts of man repentance is the most divine. The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none. True repentance is to cease from sinning. Repentance is another name for aspiration.
As for the Recital , it tells the children of Israel about most of what they differ on. And it is certainly guidance and mercy for the believers. [27: 76,77]
Hadith of the Day:
O sons of Adam, if you have any sense, count yourselves among the dead! Certainly that is the sole certainty. Do you think you can prevent Allah from taking your life? [Tabarani]
Wise Quote of the Day:
He who knows that all matters are in God's hands is recollected through trust in Him. [Ibn Ataillah]
Guidance of the Day:
Just as pain and anger helps us in our growth, so too do mistakes. To assume that we can be perfect, or to attempt to strive toward perfection, is instantly demoralizing. Perfection is a goal that lies forever outside our grasp. Rather, we need to embrace our mistakes and learn from them. Each mistake can bring us closer to genuine love. And as the love grows, our lives grow-----and we can live a life full and complete, thinking with our heads but living from our hearts.
If we can learn to accept-----even love-----our hatred, our dependency, our needs, and our fears as part of the human experience, we can extend this love and acceptance to another. This is true compassion. When this is achieved, we can more easily connect to the life force, to the universe, and to a truly spiritual kind of love-------unconditional love. If we want our love to flourish in our lives, we must make loving choices. And we have to remember that love is not just a noun but a verb as well. In reality, we do vote with our actions. True, loving choices require true, loving actions. We have dozens of chances, every day, to make loving choices-------choices that translate into warm feelings, gratitude, acceptance, positive relationships and hope. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Of all acts of man repentance is the most divine. The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none. True repentance is to cease from sinning. Repentance is another name for aspiration.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 793
Ayahs of the Day:
In fact your Lord is certainly gracious to humanity, even though most of them are not thankful. And in fact your Lord does know what their hearts conceal, and what they reveal. And there is no mystery in the sky and the earth but it is in an enlightening Book. [27: 73,74,75]
Hadith of the Day:
You gather from this world that which you cannot finish eating. You are ambitious for things you can never have. You build things you do not need. [Bayhaqi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Surrender yourselves before God in the manner of the devout saints; then God will hold you just as dearly as He did the devout who went before you. [Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani]
Guidance of the Day:
The heart grows when it is in covenant with someone. While there is intimacy, there must also be boundaries. Anger, for example, is one face of love. Anger, so often seen as negative within our society, can be a cleansing force. It is crucial for us to understand the role of anger in moving into the heart. And dealing with anger-----our own and others'-----means setting and accepting limits. These limits, though initially they may seem to, help us as we move toward genuine love.
We have to learn to make one another safe so that we can evolve and heartwork can happen. Genuine love has a lot to do with safety. Without clear boundaries, which act as a protection for the self, we do not feel comfortable opening up to intimacy. And it is empathy for one another's point of view that also aids us in feeling safe. As we work on our boundaries and empathy, we open to intimacy and experience genuine love. That is where a spiritual practice comes in. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
What is a man born for but to be a reformer, a remaker of what has been made, a denouncer of lies, a restorer of truth and good. Reform must come from within, not from without.
In fact your Lord is certainly gracious to humanity, even though most of them are not thankful. And in fact your Lord does know what their hearts conceal, and what they reveal. And there is no mystery in the sky and the earth but it is in an enlightening Book. [27: 73,74,75]
Hadith of the Day:
You gather from this world that which you cannot finish eating. You are ambitious for things you can never have. You build things you do not need. [Bayhaqi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Surrender yourselves before God in the manner of the devout saints; then God will hold you just as dearly as He did the devout who went before you. [Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani]
Guidance of the Day:
The heart grows when it is in covenant with someone. While there is intimacy, there must also be boundaries. Anger, for example, is one face of love. Anger, so often seen as negative within our society, can be a cleansing force. It is crucial for us to understand the role of anger in moving into the heart. And dealing with anger-----our own and others'-----means setting and accepting limits. These limits, though initially they may seem to, help us as we move toward genuine love.
We have to learn to make one another safe so that we can evolve and heartwork can happen. Genuine love has a lot to do with safety. Without clear boundaries, which act as a protection for the self, we do not feel comfortable opening up to intimacy. And it is empathy for one another's point of view that also aids us in feeling safe. As we work on our boundaries and empathy, we open to intimacy and experience genuine love. That is where a spiritual practice comes in. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
What is a man born for but to be a reformer, a remaker of what has been made, a denouncer of lies, a restorer of truth and good. Reform must come from within, not from without.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 792
Ayahs of the Day:
Say, "Travel the earth and see how the sinners ended up." But don't grieve over them, and don't be troubled by what they plot. [27: 69,70]
Hadith of the Day:
The intelligent one is the one who remembers death most often, and prepares for it. They leave this world in honor and with the blessings of the Hereafter. [Ibn Abi Dunya]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Hidden creatures good and bad always touch the heart. The touch of the angel is inspiration; Satanic touches temptations untold. Tarry with patience until your confusion is resolved and you know whom you rejected and who became the leader of your heart. [Mawlana Rumi]
Guidance of the Day:
Empathy cannot happen from the mind. It is a pure heart function. Often it is the proverbial breaking of the heart that ushers in the powerful onset of empathy. Though pain may crack the heart open----leaving us raw----rather than taking something away from us, it offers us a chance to be present to our own life process, to feel the heart stirrings-----even though there is pain. The only thing wrong with pain is when we run from it. Pain is often the impetus that motivates us as we strive to open fully to ourselves, to others, and to life. Our spiritual practice can put both the pain and the capacity to love into a framework.
The capacity to love, to develop in heart and empathy, is fundamental to our worldwide survival. Living from the heart offers the ability to look into another's eyes, see into his or her life, so as to cultivate an understanding of what it's like to walk in his or her shoes. A person who is functioning from the heart assesses problems with an eye focused not only on the individual but also on what is best for the collective. We all know exercise is good for us, but how easy is it to maintain a regimen? Similarly, though living from the heart offers rich rewards, this state is difficult to achieve and maintain. Looking at "family as a spiritual practice," we can interpret the dissension that inevitably erupts as an invitation to heart exercise. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Live your life while you have it. Life is a splendid gift. There is nothing small in it. For the greatest things grow by God's law out of the smallest. But to live your life you must discipline it. Make your thoughts, your acts, all work to the same end and that end, not self but God. That is what we call character.
Say, "Travel the earth and see how the sinners ended up." But don't grieve over them, and don't be troubled by what they plot. [27: 69,70]
Hadith of the Day:
The intelligent one is the one who remembers death most often, and prepares for it. They leave this world in honor and with the blessings of the Hereafter. [Ibn Abi Dunya]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Hidden creatures good and bad always touch the heart. The touch of the angel is inspiration; Satanic touches temptations untold. Tarry with patience until your confusion is resolved and you know whom you rejected and who became the leader of your heart. [Mawlana Rumi]
Guidance of the Day:
Empathy cannot happen from the mind. It is a pure heart function. Often it is the proverbial breaking of the heart that ushers in the powerful onset of empathy. Though pain may crack the heart open----leaving us raw----rather than taking something away from us, it offers us a chance to be present to our own life process, to feel the heart stirrings-----even though there is pain. The only thing wrong with pain is when we run from it. Pain is often the impetus that motivates us as we strive to open fully to ourselves, to others, and to life. Our spiritual practice can put both the pain and the capacity to love into a framework.
The capacity to love, to develop in heart and empathy, is fundamental to our worldwide survival. Living from the heart offers the ability to look into another's eyes, see into his or her life, so as to cultivate an understanding of what it's like to walk in his or her shoes. A person who is functioning from the heart assesses problems with an eye focused not only on the individual but also on what is best for the collective. We all know exercise is good for us, but how easy is it to maintain a regimen? Similarly, though living from the heart offers rich rewards, this state is difficult to achieve and maintain. Looking at "family as a spiritual practice," we can interpret the dissension that inevitably erupts as an invitation to heart exercise. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Live your life while you have it. Life is a splendid gift. There is nothing small in it. For the greatest things grow by God's law out of the smallest. But to live your life you must discipline it. Make your thoughts, your acts, all work to the same end and that end, not self but God. That is what we call character.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 791
Ayahs of the Day:
Say, "No one in the heavens or earth knows the unseen except God; and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected." Even less can their knowledge understand the Hereafter: No! They are in doubt about it; or rather, they are blind to it. [27: 65,66]
Hadith of the Day:
Remember death, which will take away the pleasure of all you taste. You will find that you will be relieved in moments when you are troubled------and you will find out that if you do not remember it when you are happy in life, you will be troubled. [Ibn Hibban]
Wise Quote of the Day:
What a tremendous gift has been given to the one who finds acts of disobedience difficult! [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
To have a happy life, we have to practice loving people, including their imperfections, which means learning and practicing tolerance and compassion. If you are here for a limited time, would you rather spend it being irritated or being loving?
This is how love is the very atmosphere that we live in------it's like air. If we didn't have air, we would not be able to sustain our lives. And love, like the air, is a continuous, constant, life-giving presence that sustains us all, literally, in ways that we don't even know and can't comprehend. We really have to understand that love is the atmosphere, the very air we breathe. Then we can give love and receive it-------breathe out, breathe in------and love will always fill our lives.
We have thousands of opportunities everyday to express love------with our bodies; with out language; with our choices; with our relationships to our possessions, to our children, to the other people we love. If we start expressing the truth of our connection to other people, we will begin to feel more love, to feel that the world is a more harmonious place, that we belong in it and that it is a gracious, genteel, compassionate environment. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting. Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life. Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them. We should be as careful of the books we read, as of the company we keep.
Say, "No one in the heavens or earth knows the unseen except God; and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected." Even less can their knowledge understand the Hereafter: No! They are in doubt about it; or rather, they are blind to it. [27: 65,66]
Hadith of the Day:
Remember death, which will take away the pleasure of all you taste. You will find that you will be relieved in moments when you are troubled------and you will find out that if you do not remember it when you are happy in life, you will be troubled. [Ibn Hibban]
Wise Quote of the Day:
What a tremendous gift has been given to the one who finds acts of disobedience difficult! [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
To have a happy life, we have to practice loving people, including their imperfections, which means learning and practicing tolerance and compassion. If you are here for a limited time, would you rather spend it being irritated or being loving?
This is how love is the very atmosphere that we live in------it's like air. If we didn't have air, we would not be able to sustain our lives. And love, like the air, is a continuous, constant, life-giving presence that sustains us all, literally, in ways that we don't even know and can't comprehend. We really have to understand that love is the atmosphere, the very air we breathe. Then we can give love and receive it-------breathe out, breathe in------and love will always fill our lives.
We have thousands of opportunities everyday to express love------with our bodies; with out language; with our choices; with our relationships to our possessions, to our children, to the other people we love. If we start expressing the truth of our connection to other people, we will begin to feel more love, to feel that the world is a more harmonious place, that we belong in it and that it is a gracious, genteel, compassionate environment. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting. Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life. Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them. We should be as careful of the books we read, as of the company we keep.
Monday, March 26, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 790
Ayah of the Day:
Is it not He Who initiates creation and then repeats it; and Who provides you sustenance from the sky and the earth? Is there a deity besides God? Say, "Bring your proof, if you are being truthful." [27: 64]
Hadith of the Day:
The remembrance of death suffices you for counsel, and a sincere faith suffices you for riches. [Tabarani]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Engage only in such leisure pursuits as may be offered to God. [Abdul Hakeem Murad]
Guidance of the Day:
Learning to love more effectively merely involves performing and practicing like a movie star or an athlete. They spent a lot of time practicing and working their way up. So becoming a loving person works exactly the same way---------rehearsing and practicing. Find role models. We can choose to act. We are given a lifetime to practice and become as good as we want to be. But we must remember that we cannot perform well all the time. Therefore, we need to be forgiving of ourselves and others.
Sometimes, it takes the threat of death for people to pay attention to love and to make it a priority. Our mortality can be a teacher. Laughter brings out the child in everybody. It diffuses much of the fear and resentment people have of one another, making it easier to be loving. We need to communicate about the pain we suffer and listen to one another in order to heal. We can't assume that everyone thinks or feels like we do. We are here to learn to love more fully, to be angels in disguise for one another, to show our love, to show our compassion, to be active in creation. That is the reason and the meaning behind our lives. Each of us has a choice about how to love the world in our unique way. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
The power of choosing good and evil is within the reach of all. Do good, and evil shall not find you. To a good man nothing that happens is evil. As surely as God is good, so surely there is no such thing as necessary evil.
Is it not He Who initiates creation and then repeats it; and Who provides you sustenance from the sky and the earth? Is there a deity besides God? Say, "Bring your proof, if you are being truthful." [27: 64]
Hadith of the Day:
The remembrance of death suffices you for counsel, and a sincere faith suffices you for riches. [Tabarani]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Engage only in such leisure pursuits as may be offered to God. [Abdul Hakeem Murad]
Guidance of the Day:
Learning to love more effectively merely involves performing and practicing like a movie star or an athlete. They spent a lot of time practicing and working their way up. So becoming a loving person works exactly the same way---------rehearsing and practicing. Find role models. We can choose to act. We are given a lifetime to practice and become as good as we want to be. But we must remember that we cannot perform well all the time. Therefore, we need to be forgiving of ourselves and others.
Sometimes, it takes the threat of death for people to pay attention to love and to make it a priority. Our mortality can be a teacher. Laughter brings out the child in everybody. It diffuses much of the fear and resentment people have of one another, making it easier to be loving. We need to communicate about the pain we suffer and listen to one another in order to heal. We can't assume that everyone thinks or feels like we do. We are here to learn to love more fully, to be angels in disguise for one another, to show our love, to show our compassion, to be active in creation. That is the reason and the meaning behind our lives. Each of us has a choice about how to love the world in our unique way. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
The power of choosing good and evil is within the reach of all. Do good, and evil shall not find you. To a good man nothing that happens is evil. As surely as God is good, so surely there is no such thing as necessary evil.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 789
Ayah of the Day:
Is it not He Who guides you in the darknesses of the land and the sea, and who sends the winds as heralds of Divine mercy? Is there a deity besides God? God transcends any association that they attribute. [27: 63]
Hadith of the Day:
Remember death often: it will prevent you from sinning and help you to repent for your sins. [Ibn Abi Dunya]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The excellence of knowledge lies in its practice; and the excellence of kindness to others lies in mentioning it not. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Remember, we are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not. Our actions and states of mind matter, because we are so deeply interconnected with one another. Working on our own consciousness is the most important thing that we are doing at any moment, and being love is the supreme creative act. When we are being love, we extend outward an environment that allows others to act different, more loving and peaceful ways than they are used to behaving. Not only does it allow them to be more loving, it encourages them to be so.
Love is so important. When we are in pain, if someone is there for us, loving us, we receive the greatest gift in the world and we ultimately hurt a lot less. The best way around this is to practice and rehearse loving behavior daily. And the other people are changed by simply being loved; it really becomes easier to love them. With this basic approach, over time we change our state of health, our relationships, and many other aspects of our life. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Every quarrel begins in nothing and ends in a struggle for supremacy. A long dispute means that both parties are wrong. In quarreling the truth is always lost. When we quarrel, how we wish we had been blameless!
Is it not He Who guides you in the darknesses of the land and the sea, and who sends the winds as heralds of Divine mercy? Is there a deity besides God? God transcends any association that they attribute. [27: 63]
Hadith of the Day:
Remember death often: it will prevent you from sinning and help you to repent for your sins. [Ibn Abi Dunya]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The excellence of knowledge lies in its practice; and the excellence of kindness to others lies in mentioning it not. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Remember, we are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not. Our actions and states of mind matter, because we are so deeply interconnected with one another. Working on our own consciousness is the most important thing that we are doing at any moment, and being love is the supreme creative act. When we are being love, we extend outward an environment that allows others to act different, more loving and peaceful ways than they are used to behaving. Not only does it allow them to be more loving, it encourages them to be so.
Love is so important. When we are in pain, if someone is there for us, loving us, we receive the greatest gift in the world and we ultimately hurt a lot less. The best way around this is to practice and rehearse loving behavior daily. And the other people are changed by simply being loved; it really becomes easier to love them. With this basic approach, over time we change our state of health, our relationships, and many other aspects of our life. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Every quarrel begins in nothing and ends in a struggle for supremacy. A long dispute means that both parties are wrong. In quarreling the truth is always lost. When we quarrel, how we wish we had been blameless!
Friday, March 23, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 788
Ayah of the Day:
Is it not He Who answers the cry of the one hard pressed, and removes adversity, and makes you heirs of the earth? Is there a deity besides God? You hardly pay attention. [27: 62]
Hadith of the Day:
Do not wish for death, because it cuts off life with a terrible shock. A long life is a passage of salvation and felicity with which Allah blesses some, leading them to truth. [Bayhaqi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
A human being is not a human being while his tendencies include self-indulgence, covetousness, temper and attacking other people. [Imam al Ghazali]
Guidance of the Day:
In order to fill our lives with love, we must learn to think and act selectively. People don't place a high enough value on how much they are nurtured doing whatever it is that totally absorbs them. Whenever people are totally caught up in what they are doing-----their passion-------a timeless quality exists in which they are expressing the real essence of their authentic self. And this genuine essence, this authentic self, thereby helps their inner love grow.
The activity could be anything: doing brain surgery, straightening up a room, or painting a picture. Whatever it is, if it makes their heart happy, they are extending who they truly are, not only into what they are doing but into the love that flows through the universe. What love can be greater than giving the world the gift of our authentic selves? Working on our own consciousness is the most important thing that we are doing at any moment, and being love is the supreme creative act. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
No one is so rich that he does not need another's help; no one so poor as not to be useful in some way to his fellow man; and the disposition to ask assistance from others with confidence, and to grant it with kindness, is part of our very nature.
Is it not He Who answers the cry of the one hard pressed, and removes adversity, and makes you heirs of the earth? Is there a deity besides God? You hardly pay attention. [27: 62]
Hadith of the Day:
Do not wish for death, because it cuts off life with a terrible shock. A long life is a passage of salvation and felicity with which Allah blesses some, leading them to truth. [Bayhaqi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
A human being is not a human being while his tendencies include self-indulgence, covetousness, temper and attacking other people. [Imam al Ghazali]
Guidance of the Day:
In order to fill our lives with love, we must learn to think and act selectively. People don't place a high enough value on how much they are nurtured doing whatever it is that totally absorbs them. Whenever people are totally caught up in what they are doing-----their passion-------a timeless quality exists in which they are expressing the real essence of their authentic self. And this genuine essence, this authentic self, thereby helps their inner love grow.
The activity could be anything: doing brain surgery, straightening up a room, or painting a picture. Whatever it is, if it makes their heart happy, they are extending who they truly are, not only into what they are doing but into the love that flows through the universe. What love can be greater than giving the world the gift of our authentic selves? Working on our own consciousness is the most important thing that we are doing at any moment, and being love is the supreme creative act. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
No one is so rich that he does not need another's help; no one so poor as not to be useful in some way to his fellow man; and the disposition to ask assistance from others with confidence, and to grant it with kindness, is part of our very nature.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 787
Ayah of the Day:
Is it not He Who made the earth steady, and put rivers in its clefts, and set mountains on it, and placed a partition between the two seas? Is there a deity besides God? No, but most of them do not know. [27: 61]
Hadith of the Day:
The worst of men--------The one who has a long life and spends it selfishly. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Practice what you have learned, for theory without practice is like a spirit without a body. [al-Hujwiri]
Guidance of the Day:
We give our love to the world from that place of soul where we share the inner side of ourselves with others. We have a choice about how we show our soul place. If a soul is filled with love, a soul place is very different from one that is filled with obsession, anger, or resentment. If the psyche is filled with these negative feelings, there is no room for love to move through us. It is the equivalent of a lung that has emphysema or a physical body that is disabled and hasn't learned to function optimally.
We come into this world ready to receive and learn about love, and give it back. A baby is born into the world as a lovable, vulnerable bundle, capable of evoking love and actually needing it to physically grow. Babies who aren't loved die, even if their physical needs are taken care of. It's as if our very matter, our cells require a certain amount of love even to grow on a physical level. As adults, we no longer need love to grow physically; nevertheless, it remains an essential nutrient for the soul. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday. Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today. Putting off an easy thing makes it hard, and putting off a hard one makes it impossible. Even if you are on the right track-------you get run over if you just sit there.
Is it not He Who made the earth steady, and put rivers in its clefts, and set mountains on it, and placed a partition between the two seas? Is there a deity besides God? No, but most of them do not know. [27: 61]
Hadith of the Day:
The worst of men--------The one who has a long life and spends it selfishly. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Practice what you have learned, for theory without practice is like a spirit without a body. [al-Hujwiri]
Guidance of the Day:
We give our love to the world from that place of soul where we share the inner side of ourselves with others. We have a choice about how we show our soul place. If a soul is filled with love, a soul place is very different from one that is filled with obsession, anger, or resentment. If the psyche is filled with these negative feelings, there is no room for love to move through us. It is the equivalent of a lung that has emphysema or a physical body that is disabled and hasn't learned to function optimally.
We come into this world ready to receive and learn about love, and give it back. A baby is born into the world as a lovable, vulnerable bundle, capable of evoking love and actually needing it to physically grow. Babies who aren't loved die, even if their physical needs are taken care of. It's as if our very matter, our cells require a certain amount of love even to grow on a physical level. As adults, we no longer need love to grow physically; nevertheless, it remains an essential nutrient for the soul. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday. Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today. Putting off an easy thing makes it hard, and putting off a hard one makes it impossible. Even if you are on the right track-------you get run over if you just sit there.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 786
Ayahs of the Day:
Say, Praise be to God, and peace upon the servants God has chosen. Is God better, or what they associate with God? Is it not He Who has created the heavens and the earth, and sends down rain from the sky for you? With it We produce orchards full of beauty, whose trees you could not produce. Is their a deity besides God? No, but they are a deviant people. [27: 59,60]
Hadith of the Day:
The best of men---------The one who has a long life and spends his time in good deeds. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Religion has only one door, whose name is repentance. [Abdul Hakeem Murad]
Guidance of the Day:
Love is an energy that surrounds us, and energy to which we give particular form through an open heart. It logically follows that the more we open our heart, the more our lives are filled with love; the more love we give away, the more we become filled with it. On the physiological level, our bodies function best if we breathe deeply and fill our lungs with oxygen. However, unlike the body, where the breathing mechanism normally happens whether we want it to or not, we must consciously fill our heart and our lives with love in order to live lives rich in love and its blessings. We need to take love in and send it out again. The more we engage in this cycle, the healthier we become and the more our lives are filled with love.
Just as the physical heart fills and empties almost one hundred times a minute, the "invisible heart" needs to do the same thing. It needs to keep moving----love in, love out, giving, receiving. Unlike the physical heart, which operates instinctively, the soul heart takes in and gives out as a choice. We must choose to fill our heart with love from the people in our lives and from the love that exists in nature and the universe. To breathe in love, to receive it, we need to see the beauty and open our heart to it. We need to meditate on what is peaceful. Once we are "filled up" in this way, we once again have an abundance of love to send out into the world. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
A prejudice is a vagrant opinion without visible means of support, which sees what it pleases, cannot see what is plain. When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotions. Beware prejudices. They are like rats, and men's minds are like traps; prejudices get in easily, but it is doubtful if they ever get out.
Say, Praise be to God, and peace upon the servants God has chosen. Is God better, or what they associate with God? Is it not He Who has created the heavens and the earth, and sends down rain from the sky for you? With it We produce orchards full of beauty, whose trees you could not produce. Is their a deity besides God? No, but they are a deviant people. [27: 59,60]
Hadith of the Day:
The best of men---------The one who has a long life and spends his time in good deeds. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Religion has only one door, whose name is repentance. [Abdul Hakeem Murad]
Guidance of the Day:
Love is an energy that surrounds us, and energy to which we give particular form through an open heart. It logically follows that the more we open our heart, the more our lives are filled with love; the more love we give away, the more we become filled with it. On the physiological level, our bodies function best if we breathe deeply and fill our lungs with oxygen. However, unlike the body, where the breathing mechanism normally happens whether we want it to or not, we must consciously fill our heart and our lives with love in order to live lives rich in love and its blessings. We need to take love in and send it out again. The more we engage in this cycle, the healthier we become and the more our lives are filled with love.
Just as the physical heart fills and empties almost one hundred times a minute, the "invisible heart" needs to do the same thing. It needs to keep moving----love in, love out, giving, receiving. Unlike the physical heart, which operates instinctively, the soul heart takes in and gives out as a choice. We must choose to fill our heart with love from the people in our lives and from the love that exists in nature and the universe. To breathe in love, to receive it, we need to see the beauty and open our heart to it. We need to meditate on what is peaceful. Once we are "filled up" in this way, we once again have an abundance of love to send out into the world. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
A prejudice is a vagrant opinion without visible means of support, which sees what it pleases, cannot see what is plain. When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotions. Beware prejudices. They are like rats, and men's minds are like traps; prejudices get in easily, but it is doubtful if they ever get out.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 785
Ayahs of the Day:
As for those who do not believe in the hereafter, We have made their doings seem fair to them, so they rove astray. Those are the ones for whom there will be the worst torment, as they will be the biggest losers in the hereafter. [27: 4,5]
Hadith of the Day:
If you are unable to see Him, certainly He sees you. [Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
A sign that Allah despises you is when you find yourself wasting your time with trivial matters; And a sign that Allah likes you is when you find yourself fulfilling more duties than you have time for. [Ibn al Qayyim]
Guidance of the Day:
We cannot change until we believe in our abilities, until we trust in ourselves. But trust alone is not alone. We must also work at it. We cannot simply will our lives to be filled with love. No, we must do the willing and the filling. The overweight person who yearns for a beautiful physique cannot lose weight and develop muscles by desire alone. So it is with love. The desire for love is important, but only through action can love manifest itself. Love is a verb, an action word. If we want to love, we must move toward love by reaching out to others in love. Love is energy, and love is motion.
Give away your love, freely and without expectation. Give it away, and soon your life will be filled with love, and you will have set others on the path of love and peace. The measure of our lives and the influence that we have on the world and one another is determined by the degree of love and openness in our hearts, it is the basic criterion to evaluate ourselves and our actions. It is a real test, one of the greatest challenges, to remain in balance and in a "loving space" despite the vast differences. If we don't keep our hearts open, even to those people whose actions we oppose, we become part of the problem. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Prayer is the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening. No man ever prayed heartily without learning something. Prayer is a confession of one's own unworthiness and weakness. Pray as if everything depended on God, and work as if everything depended upon man.
As for those who do not believe in the hereafter, We have made their doings seem fair to them, so they rove astray. Those are the ones for whom there will be the worst torment, as they will be the biggest losers in the hereafter. [27: 4,5]
Hadith of the Day:
If you are unable to see Him, certainly He sees you. [Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
A sign that Allah despises you is when you find yourself wasting your time with trivial matters; And a sign that Allah likes you is when you find yourself fulfilling more duties than you have time for. [Ibn al Qayyim]
Guidance of the Day:
We cannot change until we believe in our abilities, until we trust in ourselves. But trust alone is not alone. We must also work at it. We cannot simply will our lives to be filled with love. No, we must do the willing and the filling. The overweight person who yearns for a beautiful physique cannot lose weight and develop muscles by desire alone. So it is with love. The desire for love is important, but only through action can love manifest itself. Love is a verb, an action word. If we want to love, we must move toward love by reaching out to others in love. Love is energy, and love is motion.
Give away your love, freely and without expectation. Give it away, and soon your life will be filled with love, and you will have set others on the path of love and peace. The measure of our lives and the influence that we have on the world and one another is determined by the degree of love and openness in our hearts, it is the basic criterion to evaluate ourselves and our actions. It is a real test, one of the greatest challenges, to remain in balance and in a "loving space" despite the vast differences. If we don't keep our hearts open, even to those people whose actions we oppose, we become part of the problem. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Prayer is the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening. No man ever prayed heartily without learning something. Prayer is a confession of one's own unworthiness and weakness. Pray as if everything depended on God, and work as if everything depended upon man.
Monday, March 19, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 784
Ayahs of the Day:
These are signs of the Recital, a clarifying Book, guidance and good news for the believers, those who pray regularly, and give alms, and who are sure of the hereafter. [27: 1,2,3]
Hadith of the Day:
The sign of a person who is aware and intelligent is that he has his ego under control and devotes his life to the preparation for the Hereafter. The sign of a weak person is that he continues being a slave to his ego and hopes for his Lord's forgiveness. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
When a thing for which you ask is slow to come, know that through delay gifts are received. [Ali bin Hussain]
Guidance of the Day:
The concept of pure love that gives without taking sounds simple, but its practice is not easy. Few of us are strong enough to give without expectations. But real love comes without strings attached. And it is only real love that is given without expectations. Indeed, if we love with any expectation whatsoever, we eventually are disappointed, for it's quite improbable that anyone is able to meet all our needs, regardless of the strength of his or her love or devotion.
Expecting something from others as our "right" is a prescription for unhappiness. Perhaps we can never totally surrender our wants, but to the extent to which we can live without demands or expectations of others is the extent to which we are free from disillusionment and disappointment. Others give us only what they are able to, not necessarily what we desire them to give. When we cease placing conditions on love, we take a giant step toward learning to love. An excellent way to begin is by taking loving chances. Consciously choose to participate actively in love and, most important, trust that you are capable of changing. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
There is no knowledge that is not power. Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power. Power will intoxicate the best hearts, as wine the strongest heads. No man is wise enough, nor good enough to be trusted with unlimited power.
These are signs of the Recital, a clarifying Book, guidance and good news for the believers, those who pray regularly, and give alms, and who are sure of the hereafter. [27: 1,2,3]
Hadith of the Day:
The sign of a person who is aware and intelligent is that he has his ego under control and devotes his life to the preparation for the Hereafter. The sign of a weak person is that he continues being a slave to his ego and hopes for his Lord's forgiveness. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
When a thing for which you ask is slow to come, know that through delay gifts are received. [Ali bin Hussain]
Guidance of the Day:
The concept of pure love that gives without taking sounds simple, but its practice is not easy. Few of us are strong enough to give without expectations. But real love comes without strings attached. And it is only real love that is given without expectations. Indeed, if we love with any expectation whatsoever, we eventually are disappointed, for it's quite improbable that anyone is able to meet all our needs, regardless of the strength of his or her love or devotion.
Expecting something from others as our "right" is a prescription for unhappiness. Perhaps we can never totally surrender our wants, but to the extent to which we can live without demands or expectations of others is the extent to which we are free from disillusionment and disappointment. Others give us only what they are able to, not necessarily what we desire them to give. When we cease placing conditions on love, we take a giant step toward learning to love. An excellent way to begin is by taking loving chances. Consciously choose to participate actively in love and, most important, trust that you are capable of changing. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
There is no knowledge that is not power. Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power. Power will intoxicate the best hearts, as wine the strongest heads. No man is wise enough, nor good enough to be trusted with unlimited power.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 783
Ayahs of the Day:
And trust in the Almighty, the Merciful. Who sees you as you stand, and your movements in the company of those bowing down; for God is all-hearing, all-knowing. [26: 217 to 220]
Hadith of the Day:
What destroys the human being is arrogance, following lusts and the desires of the ego, and miserliness. [al Bazzaz]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Worry about Allah and what He wants you to do and He will take care of your worries. [Shaykh Nuh Keller]
Guidance of the Day:
Of course, the past has value and there are unknown treasures in the future. Only the moment, however, has true value, for it is here and can be lived fully. The rest is merely our imagination. Love knows this, for love does not look back. Instead, love experiences the past and takes the best from it. Nor does love look forward, for it realizes that tomorrow's dream remains awaiting and may never come. It is only in the now that love can be a reality. All else is but memory or hope.
Adding love to life is always good. But as we fill our lives with love, we should consider the type of love we look to. The greatest love is what gives all, expecting nothing in return. Love is always willing, even delighted, to receive in return, but it never asks for anything-----other than to be allowed to be continue being. This is the purest love. It is often the most delightful love, for it can never be painful. If nothing is expected in return, we can never be deceived or disappointed. Love can only be painful when it demands something in return. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Avoid popularity if you would have peace----it has many snares and no real benefit, it is exhausting. Seek not the favor of the multitude; it is seldom got by honest and lawful means. But seek the testimony of the few; and number not voices, but weigh them.
And trust in the Almighty, the Merciful. Who sees you as you stand, and your movements in the company of those bowing down; for God is all-hearing, all-knowing. [26: 217 to 220]
Hadith of the Day:
What destroys the human being is arrogance, following lusts and the desires of the ego, and miserliness. [al Bazzaz]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Worry about Allah and what He wants you to do and He will take care of your worries. [Shaykh Nuh Keller]
Guidance of the Day:
Of course, the past has value and there are unknown treasures in the future. Only the moment, however, has true value, for it is here and can be lived fully. The rest is merely our imagination. Love knows this, for love does not look back. Instead, love experiences the past and takes the best from it. Nor does love look forward, for it realizes that tomorrow's dream remains awaiting and may never come. It is only in the now that love can be a reality. All else is but memory or hope.
Adding love to life is always good. But as we fill our lives with love, we should consider the type of love we look to. The greatest love is what gives all, expecting nothing in return. Love is always willing, even delighted, to receive in return, but it never asks for anything-----other than to be allowed to be continue being. This is the purest love. It is often the most delightful love, for it can never be painful. If nothing is expected in return, we can never be deceived or disappointed. Love can only be painful when it demands something in return. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Avoid popularity if you would have peace----it has many snares and no real benefit, it is exhausting. Seek not the favor of the multitude; it is seldom got by honest and lawful means. But seek the testimony of the few; and number not voices, but weigh them.
Friday, March 09, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 782
Ayahs of the Day:
And warn your closest relatives. And lower your wing to the believers who follow you. Then if they disobey you, then say, "I am innocent of what you are doing." [26: 214, 215,216]
Hadith of the Day:
Do not be misled by your egos, or you will be led away from the truth and into lies. [Hadith Qudsi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The men of elite are only distinguished from normal men by the battle they wage against their individual soul. [Ahmad ibn Ajiba]
Guidance of the Day:
Sometimes love may be difficult to recognize because it has a different manner of revealing itself to and through each person. To expect others to love in the same way you do at the moment is unrealistic and even foolish. Only you are you. Only you can respond to love, can give love, and can feel love as you do. The adventure lies in the discovery of love in yourself and in others. The excitement comes from understanding what love is, rather than what you insist it must be.
One of the most difficult concepts to grasp is that love lives in the present moment. Unfortunately, most of us are either struck in yesterday or anxiously waiting for tomorrow. We have lost sight of the present moment. We must remember that life is a process, not the goal. Life is all about striving to get there and enjoying the journey, not simply the arrival. In life and love, there is only that moment, the now. The only reality we know is what we experience this very second. Reality is not what has passed or what has yet to come into being. Grabbing hold of this simple idea makes life magical because it brings love alive. This understanding does not mean, however, that we should strive to live for the moment. It does mean that we should strive to live in the moment, which is very difficult. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Perseverance often comes through strong will. There is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within, no really insurmountable barrier save our own inherent weakness of purpose. Consider the postage stamp, it secures success through its ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.
And warn your closest relatives. And lower your wing to the believers who follow you. Then if they disobey you, then say, "I am innocent of what you are doing." [26: 214, 215,216]
Hadith of the Day:
Do not be misled by your egos, or you will be led away from the truth and into lies. [Hadith Qudsi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The men of elite are only distinguished from normal men by the battle they wage against their individual soul. [Ahmad ibn Ajiba]
Guidance of the Day:
Sometimes love may be difficult to recognize because it has a different manner of revealing itself to and through each person. To expect others to love in the same way you do at the moment is unrealistic and even foolish. Only you are you. Only you can respond to love, can give love, and can feel love as you do. The adventure lies in the discovery of love in yourself and in others. The excitement comes from understanding what love is, rather than what you insist it must be.
One of the most difficult concepts to grasp is that love lives in the present moment. Unfortunately, most of us are either struck in yesterday or anxiously waiting for tomorrow. We have lost sight of the present moment. We must remember that life is a process, not the goal. Life is all about striving to get there and enjoying the journey, not simply the arrival. In life and love, there is only that moment, the now. The only reality we know is what we experience this very second. Reality is not what has passed or what has yet to come into being. Grabbing hold of this simple idea makes life magical because it brings love alive. This understanding does not mean, however, that we should strive to live for the moment. It does mean that we should strive to live in the moment, which is very difficult. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Perseverance often comes through strong will. There is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within, no really insurmountable barrier save our own inherent weakness of purpose. Consider the postage stamp, it secures success through its ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 781
Ayahs of the Day:
We never destroyed a population that did not have its warners to remind; and We have never been unjust. [26: 208,209]
Hadith of the Day:
The praise of people renders one blind and deaf to truth. [Daylami]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Put aside your pride, set down your arrogance and remember your grave. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Love is like a bell that's always ringing. All you have to do is listen. And the more you listen, the more you see opportunities to show love to others. Wouldn't it be nice to make life and love one and the same? To use everything as another opportunity to be loving?
It can be done. Life and love can be one. When you are loving people, you bring out the love within them. You may not see it every time, but the love you give gets passed along. It makes a chain that can transform the very nature of the world.
In life and in love, there is only that moment, the now. The only reality we know is what we experience this very second. Reality is not what has passed or what has yet to come into being. Grabbing hold of this simple idea makes life magical because it brings love alive. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections. One who desires to excel should endeavor in those things that are in themselves most excellent. Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time.
We never destroyed a population that did not have its warners to remind; and We have never been unjust. [26: 208,209]
Hadith of the Day:
The praise of people renders one blind and deaf to truth. [Daylami]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Put aside your pride, set down your arrogance and remember your grave. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the Day:
Love is like a bell that's always ringing. All you have to do is listen. And the more you listen, the more you see opportunities to show love to others. Wouldn't it be nice to make life and love one and the same? To use everything as another opportunity to be loving?
It can be done. Life and love can be one. When you are loving people, you bring out the love within them. You may not see it every time, but the love you give gets passed along. It makes a chain that can transform the very nature of the world.
In life and in love, there is only that moment, the now. The only reality we know is what we experience this very second. Reality is not what has passed or what has yet to come into being. Grabbing hold of this simple idea makes life magical because it brings love alive. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections. One who desires to excel should endeavor in those things that are in themselves most excellent. Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 780
Ayahs of the Day:
Do you see-----if We let them enjoy life for years, then there comes upon them what they were promised, what they had been allowed to enjoy will be of no avail to them. [26: 205 to 207]
Hadith of the Day:
The destruction that worldly fortune and fame, or the ambition for them, inflicts upon one's faith, is worse than what a pack of wolves could do to a flock of sheep. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
There are three big snakes that harm human beings: to be intolerant and impatient with the people around you; to be habituated to something you cannot leave; and to be controlled by your ego. [Shaykh Nazim al Qibrisi]
Guidance of the Day:
We don't even need to go out and look for good. We just have to release our own junk, the junk within us. When a person who eats lots of junk food decides to eat healthfully, over a period of time his or her health becomes stronger and stronger. That person hasn't really done anything, is not looking for help; he or she is simply taking care of his or her body. The junk goes out of the body and is eliminated. The same thing happens with our minds; as we eliminate the junk, the truth comes in.
We each have to find our own way, balancing the details of our lives. But we all need love. Be loving and be very aware that everything we do and say and think is coming back to us. So if we love ourselves and love life and love everybody around us, we will find that our own lives will fill with an abundance of all that is good. Get the fear out of the way, get the abuse out of the way, let people know they are loved and wanted and will be taken care of, and their true personalities come out. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable. However, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable.
Do you see-----if We let them enjoy life for years, then there comes upon them what they were promised, what they had been allowed to enjoy will be of no avail to them. [26: 205 to 207]
Hadith of the Day:
The destruction that worldly fortune and fame, or the ambition for them, inflicts upon one's faith, is worse than what a pack of wolves could do to a flock of sheep. [Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
There are three big snakes that harm human beings: to be intolerant and impatient with the people around you; to be habituated to something you cannot leave; and to be controlled by your ego. [Shaykh Nazim al Qibrisi]
Guidance of the Day:
We don't even need to go out and look for good. We just have to release our own junk, the junk within us. When a person who eats lots of junk food decides to eat healthfully, over a period of time his or her health becomes stronger and stronger. That person hasn't really done anything, is not looking for help; he or she is simply taking care of his or her body. The junk goes out of the body and is eliminated. The same thing happens with our minds; as we eliminate the junk, the truth comes in.
We each have to find our own way, balancing the details of our lives. But we all need love. Be loving and be very aware that everything we do and say and think is coming back to us. So if we love ourselves and love life and love everybody around us, we will find that our own lives will fill with an abundance of all that is good. Get the fear out of the way, get the abuse out of the way, let people know they are loved and wanted and will be taken care of, and their true personalities come out. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable. However, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 779
Ayahs of the Day:
Don't they see the earth, how many noble species of all kinds We have produced there? There is surely a sign in that, but most of them are not believers. Yet your Lord is surely the Almighty, the Merciful. [26:7,8,9]
Hadith of the Day:
Good character is-----When someone abandons you, seek his company, when someone tyrannizes you, forgive him; when someone leaves you destitute, give him whatever you have. [Bayhaqi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Silence is one of the basic principles for the wisdom of striving and the refinement of character. [al Qushayri]
Guidance of the Day:
It's important to remember that we can choose to be happy. Most of all, by choosing grateful thoughts because the more we are grateful for all the good things (not just possessions but the joys of living), the more they come to us.
Another way to bring more happiness into our lives is to be willing to forgive. That's a hard one. But lack of forgiveness locks up our hearts, keeps us in bitterness, holds us in resentment. It is perfect breeding ground for self pity. We can't love when we buy into all that. We have to look at all these negative thought patterns in the clear light, and learn to let them go. Opening the channels to this universal energy brings good into our lives, and miracles literally happen.
Good is out there, waiting to come into our lives, as long as we open ourselves to it. But if we close the doors with all the bitterness, the resentment, the anger, and the unforgiveness, our lives will be miserable and loveless. [Handbook of the Heart]
Food for Thought:
A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle; and patriotism is loyalty to that principle. To see what is right, and not do it, is want of courage, or principle.
Don't they see the earth, how many noble species of all kinds We have produced there? There is surely a sign in that, but most of them are not believers. Yet your Lord is surely the Almighty, the Merciful. [26:7,8,9]
Hadith of the Day:
Good character is-----When someone abandons you, seek his company, when someone tyrannizes you, forgive him; when someone leaves you destitute, give him whatever you have. [Bayhaqi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Silence is one of the basic principles for the wisdom of striving and the refinement of character. [al Qushayri]
Guidance of the Day:
It's important to remember that we can choose to be happy. Most of all, by choosing grateful thoughts because the more we are grateful for all the good things (not just possessions but the joys of living), the more they come to us.
Another way to bring more happiness into our lives is to be willing to forgive. That's a hard one. But lack of forgiveness locks up our hearts, keeps us in bitterness, holds us in resentment. It is perfect breeding ground for self pity. We can't love when we buy into all that. We have to look at all these negative thought patterns in the clear light, and learn to let them go. Opening the channels to this universal energy brings good into our lives, and miracles literally happen.
Good is out there, waiting to come into our lives, as long as we open ourselves to it. But if we close the doors with all the bitterness, the resentment, the anger, and the unforgiveness, our lives will be miserable and loveless. [Handbook of the Heart]
Food for Thought:
A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle; and patriotism is loyalty to that principle. To see what is right, and not do it, is want of courage, or principle.
Monday, March 05, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 778
Ayahs of the Day:
If We wished, We would send a sign to them from the sky so their necks would bow to it in submission. But whenever a reminder from the Benevolent One comes to them, newly revealed, they turn away from it, so they have repudiated truth; but news of what they used to sneer at will soon come to them. [26: 4,5,6]
Hadith of the Day:
The one with good morals and character already owns the best of this world and the Hereafter. [Tabarani]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The source of every disobedience, indifference, and passion is self-satisfaction. The source of every obedience, vigilance, and virtue is dissatisfaction with one's self. [Ibn Ataillah]
Guidance of the Day:
Relationships are the greatest challenge that we face as human beings. If living one's own life is difficult, living with another person is incredibly difficult. Yet this is the way in which we really refine our personalities. We are thrown headfirst into the areas of our deficiencies, forced to confront the many issues that we still need to learn. Yet it is because of this challenge that relationships become a part of our spiritual work.
Just as love flows from within and expands into widening circles, so relationships move in cyclical forms. There is something cyclical about the nature of love between people that allows people to fall away from love and then return to it. We keep recreating it. Love is a natural thing; it is simply there, if we don't push it away. We are each born with love in us. Unfortunately, as we move through life, most of us accumulate blocks to loving. If we can just get the blocks out of the way, the love naturally fills our being. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. It is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. He that can have patience can have what he will. Our patience will achieve more than our force. Patience is power; with time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes silk.
If We wished, We would send a sign to them from the sky so their necks would bow to it in submission. But whenever a reminder from the Benevolent One comes to them, newly revealed, they turn away from it, so they have repudiated truth; but news of what they used to sneer at will soon come to them. [26: 4,5,6]
Hadith of the Day:
The one with good morals and character already owns the best of this world and the Hereafter. [Tabarani]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The source of every disobedience, indifference, and passion is self-satisfaction. The source of every obedience, vigilance, and virtue is dissatisfaction with one's self. [Ibn Ataillah]
Guidance of the Day:
Relationships are the greatest challenge that we face as human beings. If living one's own life is difficult, living with another person is incredibly difficult. Yet this is the way in which we really refine our personalities. We are thrown headfirst into the areas of our deficiencies, forced to confront the many issues that we still need to learn. Yet it is because of this challenge that relationships become a part of our spiritual work.
Just as love flows from within and expands into widening circles, so relationships move in cyclical forms. There is something cyclical about the nature of love between people that allows people to fall away from love and then return to it. We keep recreating it. Love is a natural thing; it is simply there, if we don't push it away. We are each born with love in us. Unfortunately, as we move through life, most of us accumulate blocks to loving. If we can just get the blocks out of the way, the love naturally fills our being. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. It is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. He that can have patience can have what he will. Our patience will achieve more than our force. Patience is power; with time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes silk.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 777
Ayah of the Day:
Say, "It does not matter to my Lord if you do not pray; and now that you have rejected truth, the inevitable will come about. [25: 77]
Hadith of the Day:
Good character and morals transforms errors as water melts ice, while bad character alters good deeds as vinegar cuts honey. [Tabarani]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Silence at the right time is the proper attribute for men, just as speaking on the right occasion is among the noblest qualities. [al Qushayri]
Guidance of the Day:
When we are more loving, we are more likely to create miracles in our lives. Part of this process is learning to stay present within each moment. Living in the present moment is very freeing and brings us immediate comfort. Another important ingredient is gratitude. Being grateful is a powerful tool in feeling love toward everything or everyone in our lives. The energy of love we emanate changes everything around us for the better. Person by person, moment by moment, as we love, we change the world.
Love is the one source of sustaining powers of healing it is such a force that it has miraculous powers of healing in the physical, mental, and spiritual realms. We cannot try to cultivate that force and to experience it as habitually as possible. Being in a state of love releases such positive energies to flow freely around the body, it can cure any number of ailments. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Do not expect the world to look bright, if you habitually wear gray-brown glasses. The habit of looking at the bright side of every event is worth more than a thousand pounds a year. So of cheerfulness, or a good temper, the more it is spent, the more of it remains.
Say, "It does not matter to my Lord if you do not pray; and now that you have rejected truth, the inevitable will come about. [25: 77]
Hadith of the Day:
Good character and morals transforms errors as water melts ice, while bad character alters good deeds as vinegar cuts honey. [Tabarani]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Silence at the right time is the proper attribute for men, just as speaking on the right occasion is among the noblest qualities. [al Qushayri]
Guidance of the Day:
When we are more loving, we are more likely to create miracles in our lives. Part of this process is learning to stay present within each moment. Living in the present moment is very freeing and brings us immediate comfort. Another important ingredient is gratitude. Being grateful is a powerful tool in feeling love toward everything or everyone in our lives. The energy of love we emanate changes everything around us for the better. Person by person, moment by moment, as we love, we change the world.
Love is the one source of sustaining powers of healing it is such a force that it has miraculous powers of healing in the physical, mental, and spiritual realms. We cannot try to cultivate that force and to experience it as habitually as possible. Being in a state of love releases such positive energies to flow freely around the body, it can cure any number of ailments. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
Do not expect the world to look bright, if you habitually wear gray-brown glasses. The habit of looking at the bright side of every event is worth more than a thousand pounds a year. So of cheerfulness, or a good temper, the more it is spent, the more of it remains.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 776
Ayahs of the Day:
And those who say, "Our Lord, grant us delight in our spouses and children, and provide us an exemplar for the conscientious"------they will be rewarded with the highest of heavenly abodes for their constancy, and they will be greeted there with salutations and peace, to remain there forever, an excellent dwelling place and abode. [25: 74,75,76]
Hadith of the Day:
Be heedful! There is a piece of meat in your bodies that when it is well, the rest of you is well, and when it is sick, the rest of you is sick. Know that it is the heart. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Ritual prayer is a purification for the hearts and an opening-up of the door of the invisible domains. [Ibn Ataillah]
Guidance of the Day:
Each person has a reason for whatever he or she is doing. We can give other people the benefit of the doubt and stay open to listening and trying to understand them. It's important to express and demonstrate love-----not only in words but in actions, giving what's important and meaningful to the other person. Often people don't make their love tangible; they don't make the things that matter to the other person, so the other person doesn't perceive that he or she is loved.
Love is a decision that we can make anytime under any condition, but first we have to know that it is a decision. Everyone wants to love more and be loved more-----everyone. Just remember that opening up our awareness, even in a situation that doesn't feel so loving, can soften everything. When we make our attitude the most important thing, we can inspire others and show by example what it's like to bring forth and share an attitude of love. When people really experience that attitude from another person, they want it for themselves. Living love passionately------and the key word is passionately------creates a joy all around us. The passion ignites the love into flames that are seen and felt by anyone with whom we are engaged. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
It's the inviolable law. And that's the nicest part about it: What you give, you also receive. The expression of gratitude is itself a simple gift. But the effect is huge: it creates more love in the world. The love we give away is the only love we keep.
And those who say, "Our Lord, grant us delight in our spouses and children, and provide us an exemplar for the conscientious"------they will be rewarded with the highest of heavenly abodes for their constancy, and they will be greeted there with salutations and peace, to remain there forever, an excellent dwelling place and abode. [25: 74,75,76]
Hadith of the Day:
Be heedful! There is a piece of meat in your bodies that when it is well, the rest of you is well, and when it is sick, the rest of you is sick. Know that it is the heart. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Ritual prayer is a purification for the hearts and an opening-up of the door of the invisible domains. [Ibn Ataillah]
Guidance of the Day:
Each person has a reason for whatever he or she is doing. We can give other people the benefit of the doubt and stay open to listening and trying to understand them. It's important to express and demonstrate love-----not only in words but in actions, giving what's important and meaningful to the other person. Often people don't make their love tangible; they don't make the things that matter to the other person, so the other person doesn't perceive that he or she is loved.
Love is a decision that we can make anytime under any condition, but first we have to know that it is a decision. Everyone wants to love more and be loved more-----everyone. Just remember that opening up our awareness, even in a situation that doesn't feel so loving, can soften everything. When we make our attitude the most important thing, we can inspire others and show by example what it's like to bring forth and share an attitude of love. When people really experience that attitude from another person, they want it for themselves. Living love passionately------and the key word is passionately------creates a joy all around us. The passion ignites the love into flames that are seen and felt by anyone with whom we are engaged. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
It's the inviolable law. And that's the nicest part about it: What you give, you also receive. The expression of gratitude is itself a simple gift. But the effect is huge: it creates more love in the world. The love we give away is the only love we keep.
Friday, March 02, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 775
Ayahs of the Day:
(And the servants of the Benevolent One) are those who never satisfy falsehood, and when they pass by folly they overlook it with dignity. And those who don't fall down deaf and blind before them when the signs of their Lord are mentioned to them; [25: 72,73]
Hadith of the Day:
The best of my people are those who fear Allah most, and who take the most care to follow His precepts. The best of all of are the righteous. [Tabarani]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Renunciation is abandoning whatever diverts you from God. [Abu Sulayman Darami]
Guidance of the Day:
It's an inviolable law. And that's the nicest part about it: what you give, you also receive. One of the most important aspects of a loving relationship is gratitude to the other for the gifts he or she bestows. And this is a gratitude that must be acknowledged and must be spoken. It's vitally important to be constantly thanking other people for the loving things they do.
This act falls under the general category of Not Taking Anything for Granted: not taking life for granted, not taking other people for granted, but recognizing that every time someone presents you with an act of kindness, he or she has given you a gift. It's a simple process of acknowledgment; Ah, this is a gift, it didn't have to be. And then thanking the person for it. We need to stay alert to the fact that love itself is a gift. To receive it, we have to do something, like say, "Thanks." Simple Gifts, just because they are simple doesn't mean they are not valuable. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds. Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good; try to use ordinary situations. The commonest form, one of the most often neglected, and the safest opportunity for the average man to seize, is hard work.
(And the servants of the Benevolent One) are those who never satisfy falsehood, and when they pass by folly they overlook it with dignity. And those who don't fall down deaf and blind before them when the signs of their Lord are mentioned to them; [25: 72,73]
Hadith of the Day:
The best of my people are those who fear Allah most, and who take the most care to follow His precepts. The best of all of are the righteous. [Tabarani]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Renunciation is abandoning whatever diverts you from God. [Abu Sulayman Darami]
Guidance of the Day:
It's an inviolable law. And that's the nicest part about it: what you give, you also receive. One of the most important aspects of a loving relationship is gratitude to the other for the gifts he or she bestows. And this is a gratitude that must be acknowledged and must be spoken. It's vitally important to be constantly thanking other people for the loving things they do.
This act falls under the general category of Not Taking Anything for Granted: not taking life for granted, not taking other people for granted, but recognizing that every time someone presents you with an act of kindness, he or she has given you a gift. It's a simple process of acknowledgment; Ah, this is a gift, it didn't have to be. And then thanking the person for it. We need to stay alert to the fact that love itself is a gift. To receive it, we have to do something, like say, "Thanks." Simple Gifts, just because they are simple doesn't mean they are not valuable. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds. Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good; try to use ordinary situations. The commonest form, one of the most often neglected, and the safest opportunity for the average man to seize, is hard work.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
LESSON OF THE DAY 774
Ayahs of the Day:
Except those who repent and have faith, and act with integrity------in their case God transforms their evil deeds into good, for God is most forgiving, most merciful. And whoever repents and does good is turning to God repentant. [25: 70,71]
Hadith of the Day:
Nobody has received greater profit from anything than a person receives from feeling the fear of Allah and His Ever-Presence. [Ibn Maja]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Allah will hide the faults of those who hide the faults of others. [Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad]
Guidance of the Day:
Love cures people------both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it. The effects of experiencing genuine compassion reach far beyond our own lives. It can transform our world in ways we could never imagine. It is the willingness to receive and be received that is the most fulfilling and enduring of our shared moments. Through our willingness to participate in and to witness each other's growth, we become guardians of each other's souls, guides for each other's journey. Then we can lead each other into the light as well as the dark places-----the abyss of old hurts, childhood wounds, and long-held fears, which must be illuminated and understood if we are to grow.
Love is there----always. It lives as we live. This is the essence that gives breath to our bodies and to our souls. This is the breath of God. It infuses each of us with life and purpose. It endows us with the grace to give and receive the way our bodies breathe out and breathe in. In the end, the measure of our lives will be the sum total of the love that we have shared; of those selfless, loving moments that coalesce to define a life whose marrow and being is the expression of our birthright. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
The foolish and the dead alone never change their opinions. He that never changes his opinions, never corrects his mistakes, and will never be wiser on the morrow than he is today. Those who never retract their opinions love themselves more than they love the truth.
Except those who repent and have faith, and act with integrity------in their case God transforms their evil deeds into good, for God is most forgiving, most merciful. And whoever repents and does good is turning to God repentant. [25: 70,71]
Hadith of the Day:
Nobody has received greater profit from anything than a person receives from feeling the fear of Allah and His Ever-Presence. [Ibn Maja]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Allah will hide the faults of those who hide the faults of others. [Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad]
Guidance of the Day:
Love cures people------both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it. The effects of experiencing genuine compassion reach far beyond our own lives. It can transform our world in ways we could never imagine. It is the willingness to receive and be received that is the most fulfilling and enduring of our shared moments. Through our willingness to participate in and to witness each other's growth, we become guardians of each other's souls, guides for each other's journey. Then we can lead each other into the light as well as the dark places-----the abyss of old hurts, childhood wounds, and long-held fears, which must be illuminated and understood if we are to grow.
Love is there----always. It lives as we live. This is the essence that gives breath to our bodies and to our souls. This is the breath of God. It infuses each of us with life and purpose. It endows us with the grace to give and receive the way our bodies breathe out and breathe in. In the end, the measure of our lives will be the sum total of the love that we have shared; of those selfless, loving moments that coalesce to define a life whose marrow and being is the expression of our birthright. [Handbook for the Heart]
Food for Thought:
The foolish and the dead alone never change their opinions. He that never changes his opinions, never corrects his mistakes, and will never be wiser on the morrow than he is today. Those who never retract their opinions love themselves more than they love the truth.
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