LESSON OF THE DAY 971

Ayahs of the Day:
Say, "I am only a herald; and there is no god but the God, the One, the Omnipotent, Lord of the skies and the earth and all that is between them, the Mighty, the Forgiving." [38: 65,66]

Hadith of the Day:
Whoever desires that Allah increase his provision and extend his life, let him maintain his family ties. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Allah's love for us manifests itself in His giving us the ability to know what kind of actions, what kind of life, will lead us to salvation and felicity; and how to save ourselves from things that are against our birthright, our nature, and our reason for being in this world. [Imam Birgivi]

Guidance of the Day:
Determination is the very opposite of "chance." When we practice determination, we take our destiny into our hands. The determined person refuses to surrender to the random winds of circumstance. Determination is mastery, and chance slavery. If we rest our fate in the hands of fortune, sometimes we shall succeed, and sometimes we shall fail, but always shall we be weak. When we practice determination, we live up to our identity as masters of destiny. In so taking charge of our fate we shall succeed most of the time and fail some of the time, but we shall always be strong. We shall have no regrets about our life, for we know that we gave it all we had to give.

Be determined. Be tough. "When the going gets tough, the tough gets going." Seize on opportunities to practice mastery and determination. Meet your tests with enthusiasm, knowing that through conquering your challenges you are bound to become stronger. Remember that you will never be faced with a challenge that you cannot overcome, and that you and God are a majority. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it by the handle of anxiety, or by the handle of faith. As your faith is strengthened you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your greater delight and benefit.