LESSON OF THE DAY 1078

Ayahs of the Day:
We will certainly test you until we know those of you who strive and those who are constant; We will certainly bring out the facts about you. As for those who scoff and obstruct others from the way of God, and contend with the messenger after guidance has been made clear to them, they will never harm God at all, and God will defeat their actions. [47: 31,32]

Hadith of the Day:
If you do not loose your temper with any of your fellow creatures, you will be safe from the wrath of Allah on the Day of Judgment. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Beneficial knowledge is that which increases your fear of God Most High, improves your ability to discern the faults of your ego, discloses to you the plots and delusions of the Devil, and makes you more cognizant of how to worship your Lord. [Shaykh Hamza Karamali]

Guidance of the Day:
The feeling and expression of Love is the common need of all human beings. There is never a person with tough exterior who was not soft and sensitive underneath. When we ask for anything, we are asking for love. The meanest person in the world craves the feeling of love just as much as you and I do, perhaps even more so. It is the seeking of love that is the hidden motive behind all questions and disruptions, and the giving of love that satisfies them.

Yet, too often we speak unthinkingly, with sarcasms, innuendoes, barbs, and banter, acting as if the other guy would be able to take a joke that we, ourselves, could not. We must never underestimate the healing potential of any act of kindness that we do, however small. We can overcome negativity with love. The fruit of thoughtfulness sometimes remain hidden until the moment is ripe. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
It is no coincidence that the words human and kind have been put together to form this family. Let us live what our name implies. We are one entity, humankind. And, like our bodies, to injure one part is to hurt the whole. We are a team and when one player is injured, the entire team suffers. It is time that we look past our external differences and realize that we are all the same color on the inside. The man who lives for self alone, lives for the meanest mortal known.

Pearls of Wisdom....116

1. The one who truly knows Allah fills all his moments seeking meaning, and perpetually increasing in obedience. [Ibrahim bin Adham]

2. When death comes it does not return empty handed, so occupy every moment in preparedness of it. [Shaqeeq al Balkhi]

3. Look at the heavens and realize Who its Creator is, and be wary that He always knows your states. [Bayazeed al Bustami]

4. Try to cultivate six habits:

1. Take nothing from Allah's provision when you disobey Him.

2. Leave Allah's dominion when you intend to disobey Him.

3. Disobey Allah only where He cannot see you.

4. At the time of death ask for respite from the angel of death.

5. Do not allow the questioning angels into the grave with you.

6. Refuse to enter the Hellfire when you are ordered to.... If none of these are possible then do not disobey Him.[Ibrahim bin Adham]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1077

Ayah of the Day:
So recognize that there is no deity but God, and seek forgiveness for your fault, and for the believing men and believing women: for God knows your comings and goings and your dwellings. [47: 19]

Hadith of the Day:
If you love what Allah and His messenger love, you will be among their beloved ones. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Sincerity is that you call upon no one other than God to be a witness to your doings. [al-Qushayri]

Guidance of the Day:
Understand well the meaning of service. You must now put your ideas into practical expression, for time is short and the need paramount. Though you understand the necessity of service, you must understand its urgency in this time of shadows. In a darkened room, a tiny candle casts a great beam.

As you enter the ranks of those who serve humankind, you awaken to the very purpose of those whose intention is the end of all suffering. Hold to your highest values in all of your endeavors. Set your mind on the Kingdom of Heaven, even when you act on earth. Be not dissuaded by thoughts of mediocrity and mundane goals. Your goal is the expression of Love to God. Accept nothing less, for nothing else has any meaning. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Sin makes its own hell, and goodness its own heaven. Little sins make room for great, and one brings in all. Every man carries the bundle of his sins upon his own back. God pardons those who do through frailty sin, but not those that persevere therein.

Pearls of Wisdom....115

1. Repentance of liars is mere lip service, for the true repentance liberates one from sins. [Rabia Basri]

2. Even after burying your own parents you take no lesson; knowing that death is inevitable, you choose to remain heedless of it. [Ibrahim al Adham]

3. He who desires honor in this world should not make his needs known to anyone in creation, nor should he seek out the faults of any other. [Bishr Al Hafi

4. The wealthiest person is the one who has abundance of taqwa.

5. Satan does not bother to misguide the one who runs after the world for he is already misguided. [Mohammad Waa'se]

6. Those who Allah loves are granted three things--------the overflowing generosity of the river, the illumination of the sun, and the humbleness of the earth. [Bayazeed al Bustami]

7.He who truly fears his Lord has freed his tongue of vain talk. [Fudhail ibn Iyaadh]

8. He whose heart is in the awe of his Lord, everything in creation is in awe of him. [Fudhail ibn Iyaadh]

9. The one who remains fearful of Allah is never touched by the worries of the world. [Sufyan al Thawri]

10. One's wordly abstinence is commensurate with one's longing for the world to come. [Fudhail bin Iyaadh]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1076

Ayahs of the Day:
As for those receptive to guidance, God increases guidance for them, giving them their conscience. So are they waiting for anything but the end of time, lest it come upon them suddenly? But signs of it have already come; so how can their reminder benefit when it has come upon them? [47: 17,18]

Hadith of the Day:
Put your trust in Allah, you will be the strongest of men. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Actions are but lifeless forms whose soul is the secret of sincerity in them. [Ibn Ata'Allah]

Guidance of the Day:
When you meditate, dedicate your upliftment to the upliftment of all humanity. Have the intention that you are not just meditating for yourself, but for the benefit of all. We have within our very minds, hearts, and hands the power to heal and to transform the world. One kind word, look, or touch can make all the difference to a brother or sister in need of love. It is said that "if everyone on earth loved each other, the earth would shine brighter than the sun."

If every one of us would do one little kind act for another person on just one day, the earth would be redeemed instantly. It would release such a powerful energy of light and love that the forces of darkness, in the form of pollution, weapons, and hatred, would immediately disburse. Such a day would set into motion a snowball of service that could cleanse the earth of all the negative things that have ever been accumulated, and release the spirit of hope and giving throughout the universe so that every planet in every galaxy would reap the benefit. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Time is fixed income and, as with any income, the real problem facing most of us is how to live successfully within our daily allotment. Learn to use ten minutes intelligently. It will pay you huge dividends. Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.

Pearls of Wisdom....114

1. The wise one is too judicious to waste his time in nonsense and to spend his money in something that will not bring him return.

2. Determination can overcome unsurmountable barriers. It is the fuel that propels one to higher virtues.

3. It is not enough to be merely intelligent; one needs true guidance as well.

4. Every true man, who is a little above the level of the beasts and plants, lives so as to give a meaning and a value to his own life.

5. Life has value only when it has something valuable as its object------for the Believers it is the Akhirah.

6.No material success can for a moment give such inner satisfaction as the sense of living for a purpose.

7. Life is full of opportunities-------no great man ever complains of want of opportunity.

8. Do whatever you do intensely. The immature mind hops from one thing to another; the mature mind seeks to follow through.

9. The superior man is modest in his speech, but excels in his activity.

10. Adversity introduces a man to himself. He knows not his own strength who has not met adversity.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1075

Ayah of the Day:
The model of the garden promised to the conscientious: in it are streams of water made pure and clean; and streams of milk whose taste never changes; and streams of wine that is bliss to those who drink it; and streams of pure honey. And there is every kind of fruit for them there, and forgiveness from their Lord. Is that like the state of those who remain in the fire, and given boiling water to drink, and it lacerates their guts? [47: 15]

Hadith of the Day:
If you do not complain to any fellow creature, you will be the most honorable of men. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Allah's generosity is connected to gratitude, and gratitude is linked to increase in His generosity. The generosity of Allah will not stop increasing unless the gratitude of the servant ceases. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
When we take from the great bounty of God, but refuse to give it, we remain entrapped in a web of self. Sharing what we have received, spiritually and physically, is the true expression of brotherhood. When we give to all what God has given to us, God shall not diminish our supply, but only increase it.

When we perform an act of service and consecrate it in the name of Love, we align ourselves with all the selfless servants of humanity through whom the world has ever been blessed. When we reach out to another, we join all the devotees of loving kindness. When we work for God, we cannot fail. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
You end up as you deserve. In old age you must put up with the face, friends, the health, and the children you have earned. A comfortable old age is the reward of a well-spent youth. Instead of its bringing sad melancholy prospects of decay, it would give us hopes of eternal youth in a better world.

Pearls of Wisdom....113

1. It's Allah's words, not music, that brings peace to a person. Music is a cheap and forbidden substitute.

2. Performing virtuous deeds is the crown on the head of a happy life.

3. There is a secret to guide you in this life---------and that is to know the triviality of this world.

4. Reading good material opens the mind, guides one to correct morals and sharpens one's ability to think.

5. The heart does not feel deserted except when it disobeys its Lord.

6. Three things of life once gone never come back-------time, words, and opportunity.

7. Three things of life must never be lost---------peace, hope, and honesty.

8. From the rights of mutual love is to forgive and overlook shortcomings.

9. Being blessed with honor is also a test.

10. From the lack of fairness is to expect refinement in the world, while you yourself are unrefined.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1074

Ayahs of the Day:
And how many cities have been more powerful than yours that expelled you: We destroyed them, and there was no one to help them. Is one who follows evidence from his Lord like one to whom the evil of his acts seems good, as they follow their desires? [47: 13,14]

Hadith of the Day:
Do good to others and you will be the best of men. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Renunciation of the world is followed by peace; its desire brings sorrow. Restrain your desires and discipline your self. [Rabia al Adawiya]

Guidance of the Day:
All acts of charity or giving are valuable only inasmuch as they recognize the same dignity of those toward whom the contribution is directed. Any money or time given to another, without recognizing their full equality, is as chaff in the wind, and serves only the mockery of ego.

No matter what our personal path to God, service is always a necessary step on the path. The student of Truth must teach what he has learned, by living it. The lover of God must love God in his brethren. Awakening is useless unless it awakens the world; wisdom is meaningless unless it is lived; and love is fruitless unless it is given. He who would be worthy of that which has been given to him must share it. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Courage is an inner resolution to go forward in spite of obstacles and frightening situations; cowardice is a submissive surrender to circumstance. Courage breeds creative self-affirmation; cowardice produces destructive self-abnegation. Courage faces fear and thereby masters it; cowardice represses fear and is thereby mastered by it. We must constantly build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.

Pearls of Wisdom....112

1. The habit of looking on the bright side in every circumstance is more valuable that having a large income.

2. The ideal person is he who takes pleasure in serving others. The noble hearted person works for people.

3. Happiness, cheerfulness, and calmness are often more effacious than doctors' pills.

4. Hardship before comfort is analogous to hunger before food--------food comes at a time when it has its greatest effect on the taste buds.

5. Hardship is as beneficial to the soul as it is unwelcome in one's life.

6. Whoever looks reflectively at the universe knows that the One Who created it perfectly is All-Wise and is not playing with the dice.

7. Anger is one of the factors that cause depression and sadness--------we need to get rid of it.

8. By seeking to be the center of attention and by trying to please others, you lose both peace and stability in your life.

9. The Muslim has a mission and a message that are more important than revenge, malice, and hate.

10. Performing noble deeds is the way to happiness--------doing good to others brings happiness to both heart and soul.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1073

Ayah of the Day:
Those who believe and do good deeds God will admit them into gardens below which rivers flow. And as for those who scoff, they enjoy themselves a while, eating like cattle, but their abode will be the fire. [47: 12]

Hadith of the Day:
Desire for others what you desire for yourself, and you will be the most just of men. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
If God elevates you, you will be firmly established, but if you rely on yourself you will fall. [Shaykh Abu Madyan]

Guidance of the Day:
Too often we want the other person to consider our needs more than we are willing to consider theirs. The quickest way for us to end any strife is to show our "opponent" that we are aware of his or her point of view. The moment he or she feels recognized, even in the slightest way, their wrath will subside, and resolution is possible. When "You listen to me" becomes "I am willing to hear you," peace replaces discord. Agree with your adversary quickly, in this way will harmony be where bitterness was.

The highest form of service is forgiveness. It is very difficult, from human point of view, to forgive. Yet, to see the Light of God within a human being, no matter what their outer circumstance or appearance, is a deep act of love. In forgiving, we are affirming the true worth of a brother or sister who may have been spurned by a heartless world. We are serving him or her by recognizing the holiness within them, though the world would recognize only evil. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Indeed, this need of individuals to be right is so great that they are willing to sacrifice themselves, their relationships, and even love for it. When you are willing to give up being right, you will find peace and happiness. It is when you are ready to learn that, you will be right. If you wish to be happy and free, give up having to be right all the time.

Pearls of Wisdom....111

1. Do not be shaken by criticism; instead, be firm. And know that, in proportion to your worth, the level of people's criticism rises.

2. Patience, as opposed to anxiety, bears the fruit of comfort; and the one who does not voluntarily show patience will have it forced upon him by circumstances.

3. Tribulation is similar to sickness; it must run its course before it goes away, and the one who is hasty in attempting to remove it, often causes it to augment and increase.

4. It is imperative that the one who is afflicted be patient; he must wait with hope for relief, and he must be persistent in his prayers.

5. If you are of sound judgment, show resolution. For ill judgment is in hesitation.

6. Life is too short to make it even shorter through disputes.

7. Do not grieve over trivialities--------and know that the whole world is trivial.

8. A person's value is measured according to his determination and his goal.

9. Do not grieve when you are shown overt enmity, for if you forgive and forget, you will have achieved nobility in this world and honor in the next.

10. An angry man is always replete with poison. Who needs the poison?

LESSON OF THE DAY 1072

Ayahs of the Day:
Haven't they traveled the earth and seen how those before them ended up? God destroyed them; and the same will happen to the disbelievers. That is because God is the Protector of those who believe, while the disbelievers have no protector. [47: 10, 11]

Hadith of the Day:
Fear Allah, and you will be the most learned of men. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
By analogy, the external form of salat is its body, and humility (khudu) and self-effacement (khushu), is its soul. What is the benefit of the body without the soul? [Shaykh al Kabbani]

Guidance of the Day:
Service is not always enjoyable and pleasant; sometimes it is demanding and repugnant to the senses. True love is no game of the faint-hearted and the weak; it is born of strength and understanding. In order to truly serve, we must be willing to reach out to the unreachable; to tolerate the intolerable; and to love the unlovable. Then, and only then, can we understand the true meaning of selfless service.

When we are willing to serve in this way, we find the end of argument, strife, and discord in our lives. Practicing outward thinking brings freedom and joy beyond compare. The nature of argument is two people selfishly grabbing for themselves, like a tug of war. All the words and actions can be boiled down to "Me!". . . countered by, "No, Me!" and so on, until both parties withdraw in painful isolation, or one person is willing to let go a little bit and give in to the other. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
The deadliest sins are the consciousness of no sin. The greatest security against sin is to be shocked at its presence. Take away the motive, and the sin is taken away. For one to sin, indeed is human: but to persevere in sin is not human but altogether satanic.

Pearls of Wisdom....110

1. Live with heart, body, and soul for today only, without dwelling upon the past and without being anxious for the future.

2. Being preoccupied with the past and dragging past woes into present---------these are the signs of an unstable and unsound mind.

3. Idleness is destructive, and most people who suffer from worries and anxieties are the same people who are idle and inactive.

4. Rumors and gossip are the only dividends for those that are bankrupt of meaningful and fruitful work.

5. Do what is right, and turn your back to every vulgar criticism.

6. Forbearance buries the faults, tolerance is superior, silence conquers the enemy, and forgiveness is honor for which you shall be rewarded.

7. When facing criticism or unjust rebuke, those who have sensitive feelings must pour a certain amount of coolness into there nerves by force.

8. Forbearance in the times of distress is the path to both success and happiness.

9. Higher goals are not achieved through dreaming or fantasizing; they can only be reached through dedication and commitment.

10. Hardships strengthen your heart, atones for your sins, and helps to suppress an inclination towards pride and haughtiness.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1071

Ayahs of the Day:
Believers, if you help God, God will help you, making your steps steady. As for those who scoff, there is misery for them, and God will let their works be lost. That is because they hate what God has revealed, so God makes their works fruitless. [47: 7,8,9]

Hadith of the Day:
Faith wears out in the heart of anyone of you just as clothes wear out, so ask Allah to renew the faith in your hearts. [Tabarani]

Wise Quote of the Day:
If those who do not possess knowledge avoid scholarly discussion, disagreements will end. [Imam al-Ghazali]

Guidance of the Day:
Our work in the world is made easy when we share the load. There is an expansion of the energy that we offer to another; they receive much more than we give. There is an essence of love that is added to time or energy rendered in service. It makes life satisfying for the giver and for the receiver. It inspires us to know a higher possibility for life than we have been taught to believe in.

Loving kindness in the form of service is closer to the heart of God than any other act. Serving others is a way of participating in the Grace of God. Through service it is possible not only to set aside one's own burden, but to lift the load from the shoulders of another. Serving another, then, bears a double reward. Not only do we participate in the alleviation of his or her suffering, but we free ourself, as well. When we serve we feel the bliss of God. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
You will never "find" time for anything. If you want time you must make it. What we love to do we find time to do. Time will stay long enough for anyone who will use it. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. Those who make the worst of their time most complain of its brevity.

Pearls of Wisdom....109

1. There's only one thing more contagious than the measles; and that's a good example.

2. The reason many people don't climb the ladder of success is that they are waiting for the elevator.

3. The human soul is not made for jealousy and revenge.

4. "Today is my only day" is one of the most important statements in the dictionary of happiness, for those who desire to live life in its fullest splendor and brilliance.

5. If you desire to be accepted by all and loved by all, you desire the unattainable----------But desire to be accepted by God.

6. This is the way of the noble: they face difficulties with firm resolution, and they wrestle hardship to the ground.

7. Do not be preoccupied with matters that are insignificant. If you follow this advice, you will find that most of your worries will have left you.

8. The heart should be filled with tenderness, virtue, benevolence, and a genuine love for spreading goodness to all those that are connected to it.

9. If you seek happiness, then seek out knowledge and enlightenment, and you will find anxiety, depression, and grief will leave you.

10. Live every day as if it were the last day of your life---------with this frame of mind and outlook toward life, you have no reason to allow sadness or anger to steal the little time you have.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1070

Ayahs of the Day:
Those who reject the way of God and also block others from it, God lets their works be lost: while those who believe and do good works, believing in what was sent down to Muhammad----as it is the truth from their Lord-----God will remove their evils from them and will make them whole. That is because those who scoff follow falsehood, while those who believe follow the truth from their Lord. Thus does God give people their models. [47: 1,2,3]

Hadith of the Day:
Know that victory accompanies perseverance, relief accompanies affliction, and ease accompanies hardship. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Sky-scraping material achievements are of no value to the true Muslim if they hinder rather than help his spiritual growth. [Abu Muhammad Asad]

Guidance of the Day:
Opportunities to give love are always waiting for us with outstretched arms, and God's promise becomes His gift when we are but willing to embrace them. There are infinite number of ways to serve. Each of the ways is equally important. Do not berate yourself because you are not a great doctor or a social activist.

Any service that we give is essential to the well-being of all. It is a marvelous web of interdependence that unites us. All are equally dependent on each other for our work in the world, and we are all equally dependent on God, Who serves us through one another. Sometimes we are not even aware of the importance of the service that we have rendered. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Your success as family, our success as a society, depends not on what happens in the White House, but on what happens inside the house. Home is not where you live but where they understand you.

Pearls of Wisdom....108

1. Other people may complicate our lives, but life without them would be unbearably desolate.

2. Don't just do what you feel like doing; instead do what the Lord asks of you.

3. Who is wealthy? He who is content with what he has.

4. The fear of God may indeed be the beginning of wisdom and the corner stone of proper living.

5. When we have learned how to live, life itself is a reward.

6. It is only when you are no longer afraid to die that you can say that you are truly alive.

7. It is a sign of maturity when we stop asking------what does life have in store for me? And start asking-----what am I doing with my life?

8. There is no way to prevent dying. But the cure for the fear of death is to make sure that you have lived according to the commandments of the Lord Almighty.

9. Having an impact on another person, shaping his or her life in some small but vital way, is one of the most enduring satisfactions we will know.

10. Life, if you will, is a work of art, and if we paid loving attention to its details, we will be able to take pride in the finished product.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1069

Ayahs of the Day:
And there are degrees for everyone, according to what they have done, as recompense for their deeds; and they will not be wronged. And on the day that scoffers will be put before the fire, (it will be said to them): "You wasted your good things in your life in this world, even as you relished them, so today you are repaid with the torment of abasement, because of your unjust arrogance on earth, and because you have been dissolute." [46: 19,20]

Hadith of the Day:
Know that what has passed by was never to befall you. And what has befallen you was never to have passed you. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
O Allah! Grant us to deal with others on the basis of thankfulness to You. [Abdul Hakeem Murad]

Guidance of the Day:
Too often, we miss the opportunities because we believe that "work" is bad. We call our opportunities "obligations" or "chores" and we grumble through them when, with just a slight shift in perspective, they can become invitations to the path to God. Treat all of your tasks, however small, as opportunities to see God and to serve Him. This is a sure way to liberation.

We do not need to leave our family or job to give God's love to all. We can begin exactly where we are, and we will find many, many opportunities to "think outward" and to serve. Every little thought and action, in fact, can be of Divine service. If you are doing the laundry, you can fold each garment with a touch of love and a word of blessing. All acts are opportunities to give love. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving. When you are giving love, you are beautiful. Today, instead of hiding behind your "scars" find some way to give love and become beautiful.

Pearls of Wisdom....107

1. There is a big difference between having a good time, and having time to be good.

2. A credit card adds to your credit; but adds even more to your creditors.

3. A truth told with bad intent, beats all the lies you can invent.

4. Friendship is a living thing that lasts as long as it is nourished with kindness, sympathy, and understanding.

5. True happiness consists not in the multitude of friends, but in the worth and choice.

6. Discussion is an exchange of knowledge. Argument is an exchange of ignorance.

7. Tell your child to lie for you, and your child will learn to lie to you.

8. A good leader takes a little more than his share of blame, and a little less than his share of credit.

9. The pursuit of happiness is the wrong goal. You don't become happy by pursuing happiness. You become happy by living a life that means something.

10. One human being is no human being. None of us can truly be human in isolation. The qualities that make us human emerge only in the ways we relate to other people.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1068

Ayahs of the Day:
And We have enjoined on man goodness to his parents; his mother carried him in distress and bore him in distress: and his gestation and weaning take thirty months. Then when he attains his full maturity, reaching forty years, he says, "My Lord, inspire me to be grateful for the kindness You have bestowed on me and on my parents; and to do good pleasing to You. And grant me good luck in my issue. I turn to You, acquiescent." They are those from whom We accept the best of what they have done, and for whom We overlook their sins, in the company of paradise, as the true promise they have been promised. [46: 15,16]

Hadith of the Day:
Be beloved to Allah during times of prosperity, He will know you in times of adversity. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Death must come to all, but life and faith are not objects of ridicule. Truth will outlast all mockery: it is Allah who calls, because He cares for you. [Abdullah Yusuf Ali]

Guidance of the Day:
If we feel irritated because we do not receive a "thank you" from someone for a kind act, then we did not do it out of a desire to give love; we did it to receive something, and this is not service; it is business. When we do not receive acknowledgment for a gift or an act, we should be grateful, for this means we did it for God.

God sees all we do, even if no one else does, and He will reward us more faithfully than anyone in the world ever could. "Be not like the hypocrites who say their prayers and do good acts to be noticed by others. Do your service in secret, and your God will reward you." Those who know God know that the best way to serve God is to serve people. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Sins are like circles in the water when a stone is thrown into it; one produces another----When anger was in Cain's heart, murder was not far off. Every sin is a mistake, as well as a wrong; and the epitaph for the sinner is, "Thou fool!"

Pearls of Wisdom....106

1. We need our mistakes. We have to experience how error feels to begin to be free from it.

2. We may become wise enough to welcome difficult times because we can trust that they are, in truth, opportunities for transformation.

3. Death sets a limit on our time in this life and urges us to do what we need to do in the time we are given.

4. Death is a friendly but invisible companion, reminding us to live our lives and not just exist.

5. Whatever prepares us for death enhances our lives. Awareness of our mortality will facilitate important shifts in our priorities and values.

6. The best way to fight evil is to make energetic progress in the good.

7. Prayer and meditation are disciplines on our life journey toward our spiritual journey.

8. Take the spiritual side of life seriously.

9. Practice forgiveness. It changes everything, and its rewards are permanent.

10. Sort out and pass along the things from your attic, garage, basement, closets that you no longer use.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1067

Ayahs of the Day:
Those who say "Our Lord is God" and then are steadfast in uprightness shall have no burden of fear, and neither shall they grieve. Such shall be the companions of the Paradise, where they will abide forever, as a reward for what they have done. [46:13,14]

Hadith of the Day:
Know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you with anything except that which Allah has already recorded for you. If they gather to harm you by something, they would not be able to harm you by anything except what Allah has already recorded against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have been dried. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
I looked at my friends, and I did not find a better friend than safeguarding my tongue. I thought about all the dresses, but did not find a better dress than piety. [Omar radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
If we aspire to serve others and to make some kind of contribution to humanity, we must first let go of our own self-pity, fear, and doubt. There is a part of each of us that is preoccupied with itself, and which ironically mocks those whose love can most help us. At the same time, we also have within us a self------and aspect of our real nature-----that has a deep compassion for the needs of others and desires to give rather than get.

The reward of service is that when we turn our attention to help another, we forget our own misery, which was created and maintained only by our willingness to dote on it. Real service is given without any expectation of reward or acknowledgment. In this attitude, we can never be disappointed and we will always feel fulfilled. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Four steps to achievement;
Plan purposefully,
Prepare prayerfully,
Proceed positively,
Pursue persistently.
a.hsSig {cursor: default}

Pearls of Wisdom....105

1. Even when people tell you there isn't any hope, there is. There is always hope, purpose, and a new magical lesson.

2. Nourishing the soul is a life long journey--------traveled day by day, that is worth making the most important focus of our lives.

3. Good lies in what God chooses.

4. Contentment is a treasury of good living and ease of life. While greed is a mine of loss and abasement.

5. The cost of change is high, but the cost of not changing may be higher.

6. Those who change in accordance with the deeper design of life will reap benefits themselves and those around them.

7. One learns by pain and experience, that one could not control everything, and that life is temporary.

8. The challenging journey of life requires honesty, integrity, perseverance, openness, and much more.

9. Life is a generous giver, let's not throw those gifts away unopened. That which seems hard "bad luck" on the surface, can be a hidden blessing.

10. Continual playing without significance will turn sour. How long can you just play golf and still respect yourself.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1066

Ayahs of the Day:
Revelation of the Book is from God, the Mighty, the Wise: We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them but in due proportion and for a definite term. But those who scoff turn away from the warning they have been given. [46: 2,3]

Hadith of the Day:
Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of Allah. If you seek help, seek help in Allah. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Patience comes in three stages: first, one learns not to follow the baser self; second, one learns to content oneself with one's fate; finally, one surrenders oneself to the Master's will and discovers within love and compassion, the greatest of all achievements. [Imam al-Ghazali]

Guidance of the Day:
It is now for you to master life through right use of your faculty of decision. Master this task, and you take control of your life in cooperation with God. Your resolution to harmonize with the Will for Good is a first requisite in the channeling of these faculties.

Ultimately there is but one decision that you need to make: the decision for God. All other decisions are in the service of this one. Do not underestimate the decisions that you must make, for your firm resolve in the smaller of these will unlock Heaven's gate before you. Decide and grow strong. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others. Courage is the price that life extracts from granting peace. The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things. Courage and clemency are equal virtues.

Pearls of Wisdom....104

1. By forgiving the person who hurt us, we strengthen our souls.

2. Generosity goes hand in hand with compassion. If you have no compassion you cannot have generosity.

3. All adversity is really an opportunity for our souls to grow; all adversity is really a form of growing pain.

4. A truly wise person will have the wisdom to know what he can do, accept what he can't do, and have the generosity of spirit to extend himself in ways that can make a difference.

5. To hold a grudge against anyone is like carrying the devil on your shoulders.

6. Two things, at minimum, are needed-------an ability to appreciate the positives in our life, and a commitment to action to do good.

7. Peace of mind has nothing to do with the external world; it has only to do with our connection with God.

8. The fact that you are praying and meditating is not as important as how much good you bring back from your prayer and meditation.

9. Often it is the lowest points in life that we learn the most. Those low moments are the magical moments. They are the beginning stages of our journey to our Lord.

10. We came here because the earth is abundant and alive-----a rich, rich field of lessons for us to learn. Let's get educated for our own souls.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1065

Ayahs of the Day:
And you will see every people kneeling; every people will be summoned to its record: "Today you are being repaid for what you used to do. This record of Ours speaks about you in truth; for We have been transcribing what you have been doing." And as for those who believed and did good works, their Lord will admit them into divine mercy. That is the evident success. [45: 28,29,30]

Hadith of the Day:
I am a guarantor of a house in the highest part of Paradise for the one who makes his behavior good. [Abu Dawud]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Make patience your provision, satisfaction your mount, and the Truth your goal and objective. [Shaykh Abu Madyan]

Guidance of the Day:
Decide to make your life what you want it to be. No one else can decide for you, and certainly no one else can do it for you. Your decisions will line up life in the way that you choose it. The moment we make a decision------a firm one------the forces of the universe immediately set themselves in line to manifest that decision. If desired events are not coming to pass in your life, it is because you have not firmly resolved what you want it to manifest.

Examine your circumstances carefully, and you will agree that this is so. You life is a picture of the decisions that you have made. If your life is in conflict or confused, it is only because your decisions have been in conflict or confused. Declare your decision, and your life is certain to clear up. There is no slippage in the system of mind dynamics. What you think becomes reality. Think vague, and life will be vague. Think clearly, decide firmly, and act precisely, and your life will be a picture of surety. You will have it so, by your willingness to decide. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
When you get in a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.

Pearls of Wisdom....103

1. Never do people know the force that is in them until some mighty affliction or grief has humanized the soul.

2. The time people spend in trying to impress others could be spend in doing the things by which others would be impressed.

3. Any person worth their salt will stick up for what they believe in, but it takes a slightly bigger person to acknowledge instantly and without reservation that they are in error.

4. Think of your own faults the first part of the night when you are awake, and the faults of others the latter part of the night when you are asleep.

5. Religion is an examination, a test, which distinguishes elevated spirits from base ones.

6. Your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to be.

7. You can tell more about a person by what they say about others than you can by what others say about them.

8. This world is a moment; fill it with obedience-----------this life is only one opportunity.

9. To exist is to change; to change is to mature; to mature is to create oneself endlessly.

10. If you heed Satan and you soul, you will fall to the lowest of the low. But if you heed Truth and the Quran, you will rise to the highest of the high and become the most excellent pattern of the universe.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1064

Ayahs of the Day:
Say, "God gives life, and then makes you die, and then gathers you for the day of resurrection, on which there is no doubt; and yet most people do not know." To God belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and the day on which the end of time will happen, a day on which prattlers will lose out. [45: 26,27]

Hadith of the Day:
The things that most causes people to enter the Paradise are taqwa of Allah and good behavior. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
What you love to have with you in the Hereafter you should advance today, and what you hate to have with you, you should abandon today. [Salman ibn Dinar]

Guidance of the Day:
For one week, practice being really decisive. It does not matter so much whether you say "Yes" or "No," as long as you do not day "maybe." Be crisp in your decisions. Be anything but vague. Banish fear through sincere and firm decisions. Do not waste one iota of your precious life-force on indecision. Do not give the rational mind anything to chew on. So chosen, your affairs will quickly fall into place.

In mastering the high art of decision, you will align your mind and your actions with all of the great masters of life who have used firm decision making as a tool to release spiritual power for the good of the world. They stood firmly for their beliefs. They acted with resolve. They were not without error, but they lived up to their mistakes like masters. Act with dignity and precision, and the power that made them great will uphold you in your aspiration. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Why is man's posture upright while most of the animal world's posture is horizontal? Maybe it is a sign of what our lives should be like. Perhaps we should be reaching for a higher level of living and not just living by instinct, as other animals do. The key is to be aligned in an upright position and work to accomplish higher things with our lives. Become upright in your life, relationships, and work. If you need help, find a spiritual chiropractor. Spiritual strength depends on spiritual posture.

Pearls of Wisdom....102

1. Keeping the company of the bad people will lead to the bad opinion of good people.

2. It is the virtuous and the seeker of virtue who finds the company of virtuous.

3. Contentment is a treasure of good living and ease in life, while greed is a mine of loss and abasement.

4. We must, like a painter, take time to stand back from our work, to be still, and thus see what's what-------true repose is standing back to survey the activities that fill our days.

5. Silence is one great art of conversation. According to the rule, "a fool should be answered with silence".

6. Every thing in this life has a purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from.

7. If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.

8. We "meet" God when we pray, when we are helpful and kind, when we overcome nasty habits, addictions, and pettiness in our lives.

9. Each time we choose to help others, our soul grows and flourishes.

10. Each day we are faced with opportunities to help others, to forgive them, to have compassion for them, to be tolerant of them. Do we seize these opportunities, or do we let them slip by?

LESSON OF THE DAY 1063

Ayah of the Day:
Haven't you seen someone who takes as his god his own foolish desires? God has, knowing (him as such), let him stray, and has sealed his hearing and his heart, and put a veil over his sight. So who guides him aside from God? Will you not then receive the warning. [45: 23]

Hadith of the Day:
You must adhere to truthfulness, for truthfulness leads to righteousness. And, verily, righteousness leads to Paradise. A person continues being truthful and seeking honesty until he is recorded with Allah as an honest person. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The most meritorious of the acts or services of worship is knowing and loving God Almighty, being beneficial to humanity, and seeking God's approval and good pleasure in whatever one does, always being in pursuit of what is the truest and highest ideal in life. [Fethullah Gulen]

Guidance of the Day:
Do not be rigid in your decisions that you are unwilling to reverse them when necessary. We must hold Truth in higher esteem than unthinking obstinacy. Reversing a decision for a good reason is not the same as indecision. When we reverse a decision with reason, we have executed two strong choices. When we fail to decide and fall prey to wishy-washy lethargy, we have made no choice, and remain weak.

If you decide to wait, then do it with resolution, and not procrastination. Many decisions require a gestation period before they can be brought to birth. When you perceive such a necessity, decide to wait. This is not a sign of weakness, but wisdom. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Sin has four characteristics:
self-sufficiency instead of faith,
self-will instead of submission,
self-seeking instead of benevolence,
self-righteousness instead of humility.

Pearls of Wisdom....101

1. A saint is not one never fails, it is the one who gets up and goes every time he fails.

2. God comforts us, not just to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters.

3. It is where one spends their money that shows where their heart lies.

4. It's not the place that makes the person, but the person that makes the place honorable.

5. Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must.

6. Never look down on someone unless you are helping them up.

7. The biggest mistake you can make is to assume to always be right.

8. Worry is like a rocking chair--------gives you something to do but doesn't get you anywhere.

9. One who wants to leave foot prints in the sands of time must wear work boots.

10. Be like the farmer who faithfully plants in the spring who reaps a harvest in the autumn.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1062

Ayahs of the Day:
Do those who commit evils reckon We will make them equal in their life and their death to those who believe and do good? What a bad judgment they make! God created the heavens and the earth with justice, that every soul be requited for what it earned, without being wronged [45: 21,22]

Hadith of the Day:
The one who guides to what is good shall have the same reward as the one who performs that good. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The real journey is when the world's dimension is rolled away from you so that you see the Hereafter closer to you than yourself. [Ibn Ata'Allah]

Guidance of the Day:
We have come on earth to learn. It is no sin to make a mistake. If you make an error, then admit it with firm resolve, do what you can to correct the mistake, and walk on. The time spent in regret is only more time wasted. All of life is for learning.

We can use the routine experiences in our lives to practice the power of decision and precision. Arriving at the meeting on time, keeping our car in good condition, and carrying out an errand that we promised someone are good ways to mobilize decisive strength. The time of the meeting, the health of the car, and the nature of the errand are not nearly as important as our ability to make a commitment and stick to it. If we master little decisions, the big ones will come easy. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Your future depends on many things, but mostly on you. Don't ask of your friends what you yourself can do. The best bet is to bet on yourself. A secure individual knows that the responsibility for anything concerning his life remains with himself-------and he accepts that responsibility.

Pearls of Wisdom....100

1. Begin each morning with a talk with God; Prayer is an armor, do not go into the day without it.

2. Prayer does one of two things---------it either frees us from the trouble we fear or gives us the strength and courage to meet the trouble when it comes.

3. If God abides in your home, His presence cannot be hidden.

4. Discontentment makes rich men poor, while contentment makes poor men rich.

5. You can't always have everything, but you can always make the best of what you have.

6. It is nice to be important; but it is more important to be nice.

7. Deal with the faults of others as gently as you deal with your own.

8. For every minute that you are angry with someone, you lose sixty seconds of happiness that you can never get back.

9. Blowing out another person's candle won't make our's any brighter.

10. When you throw mud at someone, remember that you are the one who is losing the ground.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1061

Ayahs of the Day:
Then We set you on a sacred law from the divine order; so follow it, and do not follow the whims of those who do not know. For they will never avail you aught against God; indeed, the unjust are helpers to one another, while God is the helper of the conscientious. These are insights for humanity, and guidance and mercy for people who are sure. [45: 18,19,20]

Hadith of the Day:
A servant makes a statement that is so pleasing to Allah, although he himself does not give it much concern, that Allah raises his levels due to it. And a servant makes a statement that is so displeasing to Allah, although he himself does not give it much concern, that he is thrown because of it into Hell. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Whoever desires to purify his heart, then let him prefer Allah to his desires. [Ibn al-Qayyim]

Guidance of the Day:
We always know all we need to know to make any decision with which we are confronted. Take into account whatever you know about what is required for people to live on earth in harmony and use that knowledge as the basis for your decision. Acts are judged by their intention. If you are unsure as to what course of action to take, summon your purest intention and let that be your benchmark.

If you make a "wrong" decision, then be grateful for it. Turn a minus into a plus. A negative ( - ) is half a positive ( +). Take the minus sign and add one stroke of vertical awareness to it, and you have a plus. Thank God for showing you the error that you have made, and resolve not to repeat it. This is very pleasing in His eyes. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Grant us grace, Almighty Lord, so to pray as to deserve to be heard. Help us never to judge another until we have walked in his moccasins. O Lord, You know that which is best for us. Let this or that be done, as You shall please. Give what You will, how much You will, and when You will.

Pearls of Wisdom....99

1. Avoid greed, for greed itself is poverty. The richest is the one who is not entrapped by greed.

2. If you want to live more freely, borrow less.

3. The safest way to disagree is quietly.

4. This day is yours; don't throw it away-----Time is the life of a Muslim

5. Yesterday is a canceled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have-----so spend it wisely.

6. Reflection is the mirror of the believer in which he sees his works--------evil and good.

7. What do you take with you into the city of death? Not a suitcase, not a purse, not even the pictures in your wallet. Nothing goes with you except the sum of what your life has been.

8. Remember, when you kill time it has no resurrection.

9. If you use the Quran as your guide, you will never lose your sense of direction.

10. Thank God for what you have, trust God for what you need.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1060

Ayahs of the Day:
Say to those who believe that they should forgive those who do not look forward to the days of God that God may repay people for what they earned. If one does good, it is for one's own soul; and if one does evil, it is one's own responsibility. Then you will be returned to your Lord. [45: 14,15]

Hadith of the Day:
Verily Allah the Exalted has prescribed the obligatory deeds, so do not neglect them. He has set the limits, so do not go beyond them. He has forbidden some things, so do not violate them. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Meet people in such a manner that if you die, they should weep for you, and if you live they should long for you. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
The impediment to decision making is fear of making the wrong choice or getting something we do not want. Often, however, a wrong choice is better than no choice, for then at least we would be certain of what is the right direction, and progress would be made.

When we do not know what choice to make, our best bet is to search our heart for the act that would be most in harmony with our most important ideals, and to act on that high standard. If we act in the name of love, service, and good will, we cannot make a wrong decision. God asks no more of us than to live up to the highest principles that we know. He does not hold us responsible for standards higher than those of which we are aware. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
A life spent in making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. Don't let your so-called mistakes and failures stop you from moving forward. Go ahead, take a risk, and remember that each failure brings you closer to success. You need to believe in yourself and what you choose to do in order to succeed.

Pearls of Wisdom....98

1. It is never too late to be what you might have become------A journey of thousand miles starts with a single step. All glory comes from daring to begin.

2. The people who go astray are those who focus on the physical and neglect the spiritual.

3. Mercy and kindness is twice blessed; They bless him who gives and him that takes.

4. As a person grows wiser, they talk less and say more.

5. Keep an open mind, but don't keep it too open or people will throw a lot of rubbish into it.

6. Do not just value the things you have in you life. Learn to value who you have in your life.

7. Try not to just become a man of success, but rather a man of value.

8. Not everything that counts can be counted; and not everything that can be counted, counts.

9. Speech is priceless if you speak with knowledge. Weigh it in the scales of the heart before it comes from the mouth.

10. If we listen closely to the words of the wise, and we act on them, perhaps we ourselves will one day be counted among their ranks. Then, our words will serve to guide others.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1059

Ayahs of the Day:
It is God who has subjected the sea to you, that ships may sail on it by the order of God, and that you may seek of the bounty of God, and that you may be grateful. And God has subjected to you what is in the heavens and what is on earth, all from God; surely there are signs in that for people who reflect. [45: 12,13]

Hadith of the Day:
The best among people is the believer who strives his utmost in Allah's cause with his life and wealth. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The cure of every ill depends on realizing that one is sick. Knowing our ills requires that we inspect ourselves, our actions, and our relations with others. [Imam Birgivi]

Guidance of the Day:
To make a decision is to put the Will of God directly into action. Many of the problems in our lives are not a result of wrong choices, but of lack of making a choice. If we want to accelerate our personal evolution to higher consciousness, we must begin to make clear choices and to act on them. Vagueness is not a quality of character that brings success or peace. It is a form of sloth or inertia. When we act with precision and efficiency, we are living up to our selfhood as intelligent beings.

Spiritual masters practice decision and precision on every level. If our lives do not reflect clarity, then we are not meditating correctly. If we decide with surety and resolution, we get what we decide for. If on the other hand, we flounder in indecision and procrastination, we lose power. Because time is precious, we cannot afford to vacillate in our decisions. If we really want to create movement in our lives, we must be willing to take a sure step in one direction. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Sin is not hurtful because it is forbidden,
but it is forbidden because it is hurtful. Nor
is a duty beneficial because it is commanded,
but it is commanded because it is beneficial.

Pearls of Wisdom....97

1. The most important thing you wear is the expression on your face.

2. The only people you should try to get even with are those who have helped you.

3. Nothing is enough for the person to whom enough is too little.

4. Learn from the mistakes of others, because you can't make them all.

5. To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.

6. Look backward with gratitude and forward with confidence.

7. Responsibility is the thing that people dread the most, yet it is the only thing in the world that develops us.

8. Don't be concerned with who's right; but what's right.

9. Little said is soonest mended.10. Do today what others won't, so you can live tomorrow like others can't.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1058

Ayahs of the Day:
And in the alternation of the night and day, and the provision God sends down from the sky, by which God enlivens the earth after its death, and in the shifting of the winds, are signs for intelligent people. Those are the signs of God, which We recite to you in truth; so in what tale will they believe, other than God and the signs of God? [45: 5,6]

Hadith of the Day:
The prayer is the best matter. Whoever can increase (his prayer) should do so. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
One who wastes his 'time' is ignorant, while one who is neglectful of it is heedless. [Shaykh Abu Madyan]

Guidance of the Day:
As we grow, our ability to distinguish between what is right for us and what is wrong becomes finer and finer. Eventually we see that God is in everything, and there is nothing too small----or too big----to be unworthy of His Guidance. No act is too worldly for God, and no fork in the road is beyond our ability to make a correct choice.

Spiritual mastery begins on earth. Before we can enjoy Heavenly Bliss, we must conquer the marketplace. And that is precisely why we are here----to learn the difference between what is "right on" and what is right off. The mastery of discrimination is accomplished in traffic, at the staff meeting, and in giving the kids lunch. Since there are no traffic jams, board meetings, or luncheons in Heaven, here is our opportunity to master such challenges and gain control over our lives. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
True success is overcoming the fear of being unsuccessful. Half the things that people do not succeed in are through fear of making the attempt. We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes.

Pearls of Wisdom....96

1. Character is what defines a human being, not the outward form. [Shaykh al Jonayd]

2. One of the clearest signs of pure slave hood is an utter lack of complaining even while patiently enduring adversity. [Shaykh al Jonayd]

3. O son of Adam! You are but a bundle of days. As each day passes away, a portion of you vanishes away! [Hasan al Basri]

4. Modesty is a gift which is granted through guarding oneself from sins. [Shaykh al Jonayd]

5. Sincerity is realized through slaughtering one's ego by deeming one's greatest works as unworthy. [Shaykh al Jonayd]

6. Wisdom is the fruit of following the Sunnah, and chaos is the fruit of following one's ego. [Shaykh Othman al Jabri]

7. Only those who fear the Hereafter will find comfort in the Hereafter. [Shaykh Othman al Jabri]

8. The best sin is the one which results in sincere repentance and the worst act of worship is the one which leads to conceit. [Ibn Ataillah]

9. Adherence to the Sunnah, increase in one's worship and obedience to the Sacred law are all signs of intimacy with the Divine. [Ibrahim bin Dawud warqa]

10. The likeness of this world is that of a river, one of its shores being the Hereafter, and the boat for crossing over is built from Taqwa. [Abu Ayub bin Ishaq]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1057

Ayahs of the Day:
Revelation of the Book from God, the Mighty, the Wise: In the heavens and the earth are signs for believers; and in your constitution, and animals God propagates, are signs for a people who are sure. [45: 2,3,4]

Hadith of the Day:
The best prayer after the obligatory prayer is that during the depths of the night. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Believers know that when they leave aside anxious concern for themselves in deference to God, they enjoy the wholesome care that comes from God. [Ibn Ata'Allah]

Guidance of the Day:
Real spiritual mastery boils down to knowing when to say "Yes" and when to say "No." We can make it all the way to God on just these two words and nothing more. The test is when to use them. Being good or spiritual does not mean that we must always say "Yes" to everything. Sometimes it is spiritual to say "Yes" and sometimes it is spiritual to say "No." We have to decide which situations require which answers.

Love everyone, serve everyone, and remember God-----------It means responding uniquely to each request, according to the clearest intuition that you can feel. As we advance along the spiritual path, however, the tests and lessons become more subtle, and we have to dig deeper to find within ourself a more sensitive guide for correct action. The path is a razor's edge path, and if we are not careful we can give our trust to the wrong people. So the only answer is to develop a keen sense of discrimination, to know who to be open to, and when. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Answers to prayer often come in unexpected ways. We pray, for instance, for a certain virtue; but God seldom delivers virtues all wrapped in a package and ready to use. Rather He puts us in situations where by His help we can develop those virtues. The best answers to prayer may be the vision and strength to meet a circumstance or to assume a responsibility.

Pearls of Wisdom....95

1. The past is valuable to us as a guiding post, but dangerous if used as a hitching post.

2. Think before you speak. Even a fish wouldn't get into trouble if it kept its mouth shut.

3. There is no present like the time, every second and minute is so valuable that the entire world cannot replace it. One will realize this at the time of death.

4. Some carve out the future while others just whittle away time. Value your leisure time before you are occupied. Value life before death. Begin work now!

5. Don't refuse to accept criticism, get all the help you can. Persistence and obstinacy are evil. There is honor in admitting one's faults and correcting them.

6. People do not become great by doing great things, they do great things because they are great.

7. Life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing well those you do hold.

8. We learn and grow and are transformed not so much by what we do but why and how we do it.

9. Fools think that they need no advice, but the wise listen to others.

10. Strange thing how trouble acts different on folks; it's like hot weather-------sours milk but sweetens apples.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1056

Ayahs of the Day:
And We did not create the heavens and the earth and everything in between in jest; We created them thoroughly soundly, but most of them do not know. The day of judgment is the appointed time for everyone: the day on which no partner can avail a partner anything, and they will not be helped, except those on whom God has mercy; as God is the epitome of power and forgiveness. [44: 38 to 42]

Hadith of the Day:
Certainly, the late night prayer is an act that takes one closer to Allah, keeps one away from sins, expiates for evil deeds and repels disease from the body. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Get zeal in respect of the spirit, for your destination is the grave, and the people of the graves expect you at any moment to meet up with them. Beware, beware lest you meet up with them without provision! [Imam al-Ghazali]

Guidance of the Day:
If we know how to look at life correctly, all of our experiences are our teachers. We must cease to see life as a random play of circumstances and begin to understand that the earth is a school, and all events the lessons. Constantly ask, "What can I learn from this experience? Why was it given to me? How can I use it to further my growth?" If you think in this way, all experiences will bring you closer to understanding yourself and the Truth.

Never surrender your soul to another person, but always align it with God. You may accept the guidance and instruction of one whom you feel is genuine, but let that decision be dictated by your Godly intuition. If you would be a teacher, you must be unremitting in your dedication to Truth. You must found your life upon actions, and not upon words. If you hearken unto these strict requirements, your life will be under continual guidance. There is a hierarchy of education of which you are a part. This hierarchy has as its only purpose the uplifting of souls and the salvation of the world. Blessed are you who would share in this noble work. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Every oak tree started out as a couple of nuts who stood their ground. When we live with determination, we will spring forth and find the light. Let us remember the message of spring and the seed of life contained in each of us. When confronted with obstacles, let the wisdom guide you to light. Remember, under the bitter snow is a seed which in the spring will become a rose.

Pearls of Wisdom....94

1. The difference between the impossible and possible lies in a person's determination.

2. Quarrels would never last long, if there were not faults on both sides.

3. When one wastes time, his heart becomes complacent and lazy.

4. Deceive someone today and you will regret it tomorrow.

5. The roots of happiness grow deepest in the soil of service.

6. Watch the company you keep------If you always live with those who are lame, before you know it you yourself will learn to limp.

7. Those who do not stand for something, shall fall for anything.

8. A conceited person never gets anywhere because he thinks he is already there.

9. Conscience is an inner voice which warns us Somebody is looking.

10. The greatest homage we can pay to truth is to use it.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1055

Ayahs of the Day:
By the clear Book: We have revealed it in a blessed night, for We have been actively warning: in it is distinguished every wise command as a decree from Us: for We have been sending messages, as a mercy from your Lord, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, Lord of the skies and the earth and all that is between them, if you know for sure. There is no God but the One, Who gives life and causes death, your Lord and Lord of your ancestors. [44: 2 to 8]

Hadith of the Day:
You should perform the late night prayer for verily it was the custom of the pious people before you. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Knowing the good and evil in the heart is an obligation from which no one is exempt, so whoever does not know the good and evil in his heart is ruined. [Ibn Mas'ud radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Do not worry about finding your teacher. If you are sincere and really want God, your teacher will find you. We cannot plan how we are going to find a teacher. All you need to do is to make the most of whatever knowledge you already have, and sometimes in the strangest and most unlikely way you will be connected with one who can guide you.

Be not anxious about how the teacher will come to you. Simply ask the Lord for guidance, do the best you can with what you know, be open to possibilities, and the teacher will be given. And you will be with the teacher for precisely the right amount of time in precisely the right way for your particular evolution. It is a wonderful and fascinating Plan-------much bigger than we would expect or can understand. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Great souls care only for what is great. Great men are they who see that spiritual is stronger than any material force; that thoughts rule the world. Nothing can make a man truly great but being truly good. Goodness is not tied to greatness, but greatness to goodness.
Once the ego is overcome peace follows. (Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani)

Pearls of Wisdom....93

1. Faith is not a pill you take, but a muscle you use.

2. The test of good manners is to be able to put up pleasantly with bad ones.

3. Common sense is seeing thing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done.

4. He who forgets the language of gratitude can never be on speaking terms with happiness.

5. Friends of Allah are those who are generous, they do not have grudges in their hearts and they have good opinions of the slaves of Allah.

6. The one who seeks faults in others is faulty himself.

7. Being ignorant is not so much as a shame, as being unwilling to learn,

8. The greatest remedy for anger is delay.

9. The person of few words doesn't have to recall so many.

10. A wise person changes his mind, a fool never does.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1054

Ayahs of the Day:
He alone is God in heaven and God on earth; He is Wise, Aware. Blessed is He Who holds control over heaven and earth, and anything in between them. He has knowledge of the hour and to Him will you be returned. [43: 84,85]

Hadith of the Day:
Do not belittle any good deed, even if it is just greeting your brother with a smiling face. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Real knowledge of what is good implies in dwelling in it, and real knowledge of evil implies departure from it. [Shaykh Abul Hasan al Shadhili]

Guidance of the Day:
It is a very positive sign that we seek guidance, for it indicates that we have a sense of a worthwhile path that we would like to follow, and that it is important to us to make the correct choice. To realize that guidance is available to us from a source within ourself is the most magnificent awakening of all.

All life contains within it the gift of guidance and instruction. As you learn to look into the elements of creation in the correct way, all of the lessons of the universe make themselves known to you. Your only need is to look into things simply. The humor of life is the reaching out that you do. The wisdom that you seek is but an aspect of your own nature. There is no secret to wisdom or guidance. It is as obvious as the new morning. You have not seen it fully because you have complicated it with your concepts. Your heart is your surest source of direction. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Do not wait for ideal circumstances, nor the best opportunities; they will never come. Conditions are never just right. People who delay action until all factors are favorable do nothing. Nothing at all will be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome. The soul of dispatch is decision.

Pearls of Wisdom....92

1. Taking control of the desires is the way to defeat Satan.

2. Never belittle any talk that involves absent people even if there is no harm in it due to the possibility of harm entering into it.

3. Should you resolve to do something then do it immediately before the resolve wanes and also you do not know whether you will be among the living or the dead tomorrow, so you must act now.

4. Treat others just as you would want to be treated and fulfill that which is due to them.

5. If you desire to live such that your religion is safe and your portion is full and your honor is sound, guard your tongue and never mention another's faults remembering that you yourself have faults and others have tongues.

6. Live treating others well and avoid aggression, and should others aggress against you leave them but in the best way.

7. Do good for the remainder of your life and you will be forgiven for what you did in the past. However, if you do evil in what remains of your life, you will be held responsible for what you did in the past and in the future.

8. The standard for happiness for a believer is whether the work he has done will help him achieve his overall goal of pleasing Allah and attaining Allah's forgiveness and mercy.

9. Everyone who claims to love Allah but does not comply with what Allah has ordered, his claim (to love Allah) is false, and everyone who loves but does not fear Allah has been deceived.

10. Sins bring death to the heart; Abandoning sins is the life of the hearts.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1053

Ayahs of the Day:
O My devoted servants! You have nothing to fear that day, and you will not sorrow, having believed in Our signs and acquiesced. Enter the garden, you and your wives, delighted: Dishes and goblets of gold will be passed around to them containing whatever souls desire and eyes find pleasing. And you shall abide there forever, for this is the garden of which you will be made the heirs because of what you used to do. There is much fruit therein for you to eat of it. [43: 68 to 73]

Hadith of the Day:
Keep your evil away from the people and that will be a charitable act from yourself upon yourself. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Just as God Most High made it customary to send winds as an announcement preceding the mercifulness of His cascading rain, so too did He make it customary to send the winds of invocation as an announcement preceding His lofty mercifulness. [Ibn Ata'Allah]

Guidance of the Day:
Nothing is too small to be undeserving of God's help. When we allow ourselves to be open to all avenues of God's guidance, we find Him everywhere. We may consider all people to be our teachers----some teach us what to do and some teach us what not to do-----not so much by their words, but by their actions. Surely this is God's way of guiding us. We can see God's lessons in action in the "little" experiences of everyday life, and He is continually etching His Truth, in the form of love, in our heart.

In order to make ourselves available to receive guidance, we must keep the mind clear and the emotions quiet. We should not ask the still, small voice to have to compete with chattering thoughts and turbulent feelings. When we worry, aggravate ourselves, or get upset, we block the path of our own perfect guidance, which is ready and willing to help us just as soon as we make space for it. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Lord, Save us from hotheads that would lead us to act foolishly, and from cold feet that would keep us from acting at all. Let us be not frightened by the problems that confront us, but rather give You thanks that You have matched us with this hour. May we resolve, God helping us, to be part of the solution, and not part of the problem.

Pearls of Wisdom....91

1. The main reason people get angry is because they are filled with themselves, their egos get in the way.

2. One can control anger by recognizing that nothing takes place without God's leave; there is no power or might except God.

3. If your actions hold you back, your lineage will not speed you up.

4. To speak about death is to speak about the urgency to live a faithful and wholesome life before death over takes.

5. The often remembrance of death gives one energy to achieve good deeds, and engenders seeking repentance right away when one slips or errs.

6. Laughter and amusement at the expense of the dignity of others is wholly inappropriate.

7. Never mock any creature of God, for it might be beloved to He who created it.

8. Those who mock people in this life shall be mocked in the Hereafter, for it is a Divine law that God recompenses people with the like of what they have done.

9. It is easy to say something that brings ruins upon its speaker. Learning how to control the tongue is an enormous discipline.

10. Time is a gift that God has given us, and what we do with it is the most important challenge. Once we realize we are accountable for our time, then every minute becomes vital.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1052

Ayahs of the Day:
Are they waiting for aught but the end of time, lest it come upon them suddenly, without their noticing? On that day, friends will be enemies to one another, except the conscientious. [43: 66,67]

Hadith of the Day:
Fasting is a shield from the Hell fire like one of your shields, shielding you while fighting. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The sensual ego is blind and deaf to God. When patience and intellect go, your ego incites evil. [Mawlana Rumi]

Guidance of the Day:
Guidance is always available. We need only to ask, listen, and accept. The wisest counselor is your very self. No teacher, therapist, or psychic could ever know more about your path than God will tell you directly. The answers to our questions are waiting within us to be retrieved like precious pearls at the ocean floor. We do not need to seek any further than our own heart.We never really know in what way guidance will come; we just need to know that it will.

Our conscience is the most helpful and loving friend that we have in this life. The still, small voice will always tell us right from wrong. It is dedicated only to our happiness, and no matter what errors we have made, it will continue to guide us, even telling us how to undo the errors that we made in not having hearkened to its original gentle bidding. There is a great resource of inner knowledge that is released within us when we open ourselves to it. Such is the nature of Divine Guide. It happily offers its help to us through any channel that we find comfortable. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
You don't start living until you accept your mortality. As long as you think you have an unlimited time ahead, you don't worry about what you are doing. You act as if you'll have time for everything, but actually, you may find you've missed out on the most important things. There is an old saying about carrying death on your shoulder to remind you to live in the moment.

Pearls of Wisdom....90

1. Pleasure may be derived from sin, while happiness arises from the struggle to overcome sin.

2. A worthy character is acquired the way we acquire anything worthwhile, by diligent effort.

3. Traits of good character are-------humility, responsibility, diligence, patience, moral courage, honesty, and chastity.

4. Each of us has within us the seeds of fine character if we believe in ourselves and work to that end.

5. Traits of good character cannot be achieved without daily prayer. The goal is too high and the forces of evil too strong to gain success without guidance of God.

6. Be content with fewer things, content to use them over and over-------you cannot lose by doing what is right.

7. Inner happiness must be earned by building the character traits. A mark of true character is to smile through adversity.

8. Relationships are not a fifty-fifty proposition but a willingness to give ninety-percent. In giving whole heartedly you receive rich compensation.

9. Be a person worthy of love, turn to God for help, if you put your trust in God and ask for strength, success is assured.

10. Be great in act, as you have been in thought.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1051

Ayahs of the Day:
Whoever shuns remembrance of the Benevolent One, We send him a devil to be his companion. And they block them from the path, yet they think they are guided, until when one of them comes to Us, he says (to his devil), "If only there were a distance between us, as far as the ends of the earth," for it is a wretched companion. And it will not profit you that day, you having done wrong, that you are partners in the punishment. [43: 36 to 39]

Hadith of the Day:
Hurry to perform Hajj, that is, the obligatory one, none of you knows what may happen to him. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
All humans are dead except those who have knowledge, and all those who have knowledge are asleep except those who act according to their knowledge, and all those who act are deceived except those who are sincere, and those who are sincere are always in a state of worry. [Imam Shafi'i]

Guidance of the Day:
As you give ascent to God, your old treasures wither like the leaves of autumn. Fear not, for what is God's shall most certainly be returned to you in great abundance, and what is no longer yours shall bear you no further need or pleasure.

When you are willing to confess that your love for God is greater than that for the world, a helping hand of brilliant light is extended to you. The new life that awaits you is one of splendor and richness. You have consciously renounced your dark dungeon of self. You have released yourself from the prison of self involvement and accepted your freedom. You have assented to your divinity, a happy reunion of all that is beautiful, lovely, and true. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
He lives long that lives well; and time misspent is not lived, but lost. A useless life is only an early death. We are in this life as it were in another man's house. . . . In heaven is our home, in the world is our Inn: Do not so entertain yourself in the Inn of this world for a day as to have your mind withdrawn from longing after your heavenly home.

Pearls of Wisdom....89

1. Our knowledge is wasted by not acting upon it.

2. Our actions are wasted by committing them without sincerity.

3. Our wealth is wasted by spending on that which will not bring us reward,

4. Our hearts are wasted for being empty of the love of Allah Most High, and empty of longing to go to Him, and empty of peace and contentment.

5. Our bodies are wasted for not being used mainly for Ibadah and service of Allah Most High.

6. Our love is wasted for being directed towards something or someone and not towards Allah Most High.

7. Our dhikr (remembrance of Allah Most High) is wasted for it does not affect our hearts and our lives.

8. Our time is wasted for not being used properly--------to compensate for that which has passed, by doing what is righteous to make up for the past deeds.

9. Our intellect is wasted for being used for things that are not beneficial, instead of in contemplation or reflection.

10. Our service is wasted for being at the service of someone who will not bring us close to Allah Most High. [Ibn Qayyim al Jawziya]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1050

Ayahs of the Day:
And were it not that humankind would become a single community, We would have provided those who disbelieve in the Benevolent One with roofs of silver for their houses, and stairs for them to climb, and doors for their houses, and couches for them to recline, and decoration. Yet all of that is but the stuff of the life of the world; while the hereafter, with your Lord, is for the conscientious. [43: 33,34,35]

Hadith of the Day:
The head of the matter is Islam. Its pillar is prayer. And its apex is jihad. [Ahmad & Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
One's life must be lived in constant awareness of God's supervision, and one must tirelessly knock on His door with supplication and contrition. [Fethullah Gulen]

Guidance of the Day:
The source of courage is conviction. Conviction is the powerful inner knowledge that what we are doing is good, an awareness unassailable by any opinion or persuasion. Conviction is crystallized faith, and courageous acts are the natural expression of conviction. To the world, the person of conviction is a fool, a martyr, an ascetic. To the faithful, sacrifice is meaningless; the joy of following the promptings of the soul far outshines the meager loss that the world bemoans.

The world labels the acts of a saint as a sacrifice only because these are threatening to the treasures the world holds dear. You are asked but to let go of a meaningless life, one which always seemed to offer peace, but delivered only emptiness. When you testify to the whisperings of your deepest inclinations, the life of Light is opened before you. This new life, unlike the old, hides not behind the promise of peace, but justifies itself in the constant giving of serenity. There is no power in the universe that can stand between courage and its expression. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Enthusiasm is nothing more or less than faith in action. No one keeps up his enthusiasm automatically. Enthusiasm must be nourished with new actions, new aspirations, new efforts, new vision. Compete with yourself; set your teeth and drive into the job of breaking your own record. It is one's own fault if his enthusiasm is gone; he failed to feed it.

Pearls of Wisdom....88

1. A happy marriage is the foundation of a happy family, and a happy family is the foundation of a stable society.

2. If we are to have peace in the world, we must begin at home.

3. One of the most serious faults is ingratitude. We are corrupted not so much by anything as our inability to appreciate what we are gifted with.

4. Look beneath the surface of most people and you will find things to appreciate.

5. The partnership in marriage can be compared to a lock and a key which join together to form a functioning unit. Each is distinct, yet neither is complete in and of itself.

6. Material things bring convenience, comfort, and pleasure; yet they don't compare to the peace which comes from living within your income.

7. Happiness is the bud, blossom, and the fruit of good actions------it must be earned.

8. Inner-happiness is a happiness of spirit, serenity, tranquility, and peace of soul-------achieved through the obedience to the Creator.

9. Unhappiness arises from weakness of character, sin, failure to fulfill responsibility, or self-centeredness.

10. Happiness is through overcoming our weaknesses, performing our duties, losing our self-centeredness, and putting ourselves in harmony with eternal laws.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1049

Ayah of the Day:
Is it they who distribute the mercy of your Lord? It is We who distribute their livelihood among them in the life of this world, and have elevated some of them to ranks over others, that some may employ others as workers. But the mercy of your Lord is better than what they amass. [43: 32]

Hadith of the Day:
The covenant that is between us and them ( the disbelievers) is the prayer, whoever abandons it has committed an act of unbelief. [Tirmidhi & Ibn Maja]

Wise Quote of the Day:
While you are occupied with looking for the faults of others, how will you be able to taste the joy of the unseen world? [Shaykh Fariduddin Attar]

Guidance of the Day:
If you are struggling with a bad habit, do not be overwhelmed by the enormity of it, for you do not have to conquer all of it yourself. God will help you. All you have to do is your share, which is to make an initial effort. When, with your good intention, you open the door to help, God will pour into you His Will, which can conquer anything. At the point that you take that one step in a new direction, you have mastered the old habit or trait that was retarding your progress.

Having passed your test, you will no longer be faced with that particular trial, except, perhaps, in the form of "fried seeds"-------old desires that occasionally arise but which do not have life in them sufficient to reproduce themselves. These obsolete desires are simply the residue of past thought patterns which can no longer entrap us, but which we must patiently bear, like the ripples of water created by a stone that we have thrown into a pond. You may experience fleeting desires to do an old bad habit, but they are nothing more than old thoughts that will eventually fizzle out. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Help us, O Lord, when we want to do the right thing, but know not what it is. But help us most when we know perfectly well what we ought to do, and do not want to do it.

Pearls of Wisdom....87

1. The greatest dignity to be found in death is the dignity of the life that preceded it.

2. Good health doesn't guarantee anything, the wisest thing to do is to live everyday as though it will be our last.

3. There is always a dignity that proceeds from the life well-lived by preparing for the next world, and from the acceptance of one's own death.

4. Death makes more precious each hour of those we have been given, it demands that life must be useful and rewarding.

5. It is not in the last weeks or days that we compose the message that will be remembered, but in all the decades that preceded them.

6. Unique circumstances of death will be granted to someone with a unique personality.

7. The race of men is like the race of leaves. As one generation flourishes, another decays.

8. Death is easiest for those who during their lives have given it most thought, as though always to be prepared for its imminence.

9. It is possible to die resigned and reconciled, patiently and tranquilly, having experienced life more fully because of the constant awareness that life may soon come to an end.

10. The utility of living consists not in the length of days, but in the use of time, a man may have lived long, and yet lived but little. [How We Die, Dr. Sherman B. Nuland]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1048

Ayahs of the Day:
The One who created all species, and made ships for you, and livestock, which you ride, that you may mount their backs and remember the favor of your Lord as you sit firmly thereupon, and say, "Glory to the One who subordinated these to us, whereas we ourselves could not. And we will surely be returned to our Lord." Yet they concede to some of God's slaves partnership with God; indeed the human being is an open infidel! [43: 13.,14,15]

Hadith of the Day:
I left you on a bright path whose night and day are alike. No one strays from it after me except he is destroyed. [Ahmad & Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Know that the education and purification of the heart are more important than concern for any other part of your physical being. The heart is like a king whose decision is law. The other parts of your body are like that king's subjects. [Imam Birgivi]

Guidance of the Day:
We can lose our awareness of our inner Light by accepting negative thoughts from the outside world. There is another way that we can lose our center. It is through curiosity. There is a very useful kind of curiosity that prods us on to explore, investigate, and discover, but there is also a wasteful form of curiosity that dissipates our mental energies. Let us concentrate on that which is ours, and leave the rest be. Curiosity simply draws overload of purposeless thoughts into our consciousness.

That which is ours is given to us only when we are willing to claim it. Like positive thinking and appreciation, we must work at remembering and acting on the Truth, and this is what integrity is all about. When we stand for Truth, we are integrated, whole, and firm. When we walk with integrity, we walk with God. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
God's wisdom is manifold because God is inexhaustible in His wonder, and in His mercy. There is a reason for everything, whether we can figure it our or not. Man's way leads to a hopeless end, God's way leads to an endless hope.