LESSON OF THE DAY 979

Ayah of the Day:
Is this one who practices devotion at night time, prostrating himself and standing up, heedful of the end, and placing his hope in the mercy of his Lord? Say, "Are they equal, those who know and those who do not know?" Only those with reason take heed. [39: 9]

Hadith of the Day:
You cannot reach all people with your wealth, so let your smiling face and good character reach them. [Hakim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
One way to know ourselves is by comparison. We should not compare ourselves to other people, which would be comparing an unknown with an unknown. But we should compare our state, to what we are supposed to be, as God meant us to be. [Imam Birgivi]

Guidance of the Day:
We must take care to think and attract to ourselves only that which is in harmony with our highest aspirations. If we think on or pray for something that is a passing desire, we may be forced to face the object of our desire long after the thought that spawned it has faded into obsolescence. Be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it......you pray and pray and beseech God for a certain person or experience, and then when it comes to pass, you wish God wouldn't have listened to you!

There is no need to be concerned about stray thoughts of disaster or failure. They have no power unless we feed them with fear. We are thinking many, many thoughts per second and we are also catching the thoughts of those around us. Occasional thoughts of negativity or failure may creep into our consciousness, but if we "throw them off" before we indulge in them, they cannot harm us. It is thought habits that count. Continually dwelling on the same thoughts, feelings, and mental pictures begets conditions. Keep your thought pattern positive, and little negativities shall have no power to penetrate your established force field of positivity. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]

Food for Thought:
Generosity gives assistance, rather than advice. Our worth is determined by the good deeds we do, rather than by the fine emotions. When a person is down in the world, an ounce of help is better than a pound of preaching. Live and let live is not enough; live and help live is not too much.