LESSON OF THE DAY 886

Ayah of the Day:
We gave Luqman the wisdom to be grateful to God; and whoever is thankful gives thanks for the benefit of his own soul. And if anyone is ungrateful, well, God is free of all needs, worthy of all praise. [31: 12]

Hadith of the Day:
No one is truly a servant of God until he is able to watch his tongue. [Tabarani]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The lower self dissuades from conforming to faith. The more the self is subdued, the easier it becomes to glorify God. When the ego is annihilated, worship becomes sustenance, just as it sustains the angels. [al-Hujwiri]

Guidance of the Day:
We are creatures of habit. It is simply the way we are made. The important thing is that once we have recognized this truth about ourselves, we should begin to use this self-knowledge to our advantage. The power of habits can be harnessed to help us to become the-best-version-of-ourselves, or the power of habits can be used to help us become a-second-rate-version-of-ourselves. It's the same power, but how we apply it to our lives can be radically different.

Addictions are acquired by practicing a certain type of behavior often and excessively. Character is acquired by practicing certain types of behavior often and excessively. We break addictions in the same way we form them. An addiction is a pattern of behavior. It is not enough merely to give up a certain type of self-destructive behavior. That simply does not work. We must crowd them out. In the place of self-destructive habit, we must plant a self-empowering habit. [Kelly, The Rhythm of Life]

Food for Thought:
Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. Nothing is more powerful than habit. Character is simply habit long enough continued. Good habits which bring our lower passions and appetites under automatic control, leave our natures free to explore the larger experiences of life.