Ayahs of the Day:
The day the opponents of God will be herded into the fire, they will be driven along until when they get there their hearing and their seeing and their skins will testify against them about what they used to do. And they will say to their skins, "Why did you testify against us?" They will say, "God has made us speak; God, who has made all things speak, who created you the first time, and to whom you will be returned.[41: 19,20, 21]
Hadith of the Day:
Take advantage of five before (another) five: your life before your death, your health before your illness, your free time before your preoccupation, your youth before your old age, and your wealth before your poverty. [Ahmad & Bayhaqi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Demand not that the shaykh grant you a special place in his thoughts. Rather, require yourselves to grant him a special place in your thoughts. For, to the degree that you revere the shaykh, he will revere you. [Shaykh Abul Abbas al Mursi]
Guidance of the Day:
We fight life only because we do not perceive our own best interests. It is rare that we can know any particular experience will fit into the whole plan of good in our lives. Often there is difference between what we think is good for us, and what God knows is good for us. God means everything for good. This is difficult to see from a limited point of view, but easy and natural to see from grandest point of view.
It is said that "Prayer is the contemplation of the facts of life from the highest point of view." When we look at our experience through Divine eyes, we can see the essence of goodness in all experiences, and letting go is no longer a trial to be feared, but to be embraced as an opportunity to be fulfilled in with something wonderful. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]
Food for Thought:
It is in giving that we receive
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
It is in surrendering that we are born a new.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Pearls of Wisdom....53
1. Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything, except what you must be doing now, and do it.
2. There are always options when you have an open mind, make your life consistent in action and word.
3. Anything less than a conscious commitment to the important is an unconscious commitment to the unimportant.
4. You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. Give what you wish to receive.
5. Get involved and make your life meaningful. You don't want to miss the chance to perform a good deed or share love with another living thing.
6. We learn much from the disagreeable things people say, for they make us think, whereas the good things only make us glad.
7. That which we are, we are, and if we are ever to be any better, now is the time to begin. Every man must live with the man he makes of himself.
8. Snowflakes are one of the nature's fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together.
9. People who act in spite of their fear are truly great. First decide what you want to do, and then have the courage to start toward the goal, no matter how impossible.
10. No one can create anger or stress within you. Only you can do that by virtue of how you process your world. Be the cure. Don't look outside for it.
2. There are always options when you have an open mind, make your life consistent in action and word.
3. Anything less than a conscious commitment to the important is an unconscious commitment to the unimportant.
4. You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. Give what you wish to receive.
5. Get involved and make your life meaningful. You don't want to miss the chance to perform a good deed or share love with another living thing.
6. We learn much from the disagreeable things people say, for they make us think, whereas the good things only make us glad.
7. That which we are, we are, and if we are ever to be any better, now is the time to begin. Every man must live with the man he makes of himself.
8. Snowflakes are one of the nature's fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together.
9. People who act in spite of their fear are truly great. First decide what you want to do, and then have the courage to start toward the goal, no matter how impossible.
10. No one can create anger or stress within you. Only you can do that by virtue of how you process your world. Be the cure. Don't look outside for it.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
LESSON OF THE DAY 1015
Ayahs of the Day:
A revelation from the Benevolent, the Merciful; a Book whose verses are logically ordered in and Arabic recitation for people who know, a herald and a warning: but most of them turn away, not listening. [41: 2,3,4]
Hadith of the Day:
There are two bounties that many people lose (by not taking full advantage of them): health and free time. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The man who piles up wealth and is puffed up with this world's goods, despising those otherwise endowed, will come to an evil end, for his hopes were not built on Allah. [Abdullah Yusuf Ali]
Guidance of the Day:
When we cling to someone in resentment, we bind ourselves to him or her by our thoughts and memories. The river of life would have us flow to the ocean, but we would cling to the rock upon which we dashed our foot. We cannot change the events in the past, but we can always change the way we look at those events.
Those who seemed to bring us pain and hardship were our teachers who presented us with challenges which helped us to grow into greater personal strength. When we realize that the problem was not in them, but in the way we were looking at them, we free ourselves as well as them. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]
Food for Thought:
When the fight begins within himself, a man's worth something. There is little that can withstand a man who can conquer himself. The man who masters his own soul will forever be called conqueror of conquerors.
A revelation from the Benevolent, the Merciful; a Book whose verses are logically ordered in and Arabic recitation for people who know, a herald and a warning: but most of them turn away, not listening. [41: 2,3,4]
Hadith of the Day:
There are two bounties that many people lose (by not taking full advantage of them): health and free time. [Bukhari]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The man who piles up wealth and is puffed up with this world's goods, despising those otherwise endowed, will come to an evil end, for his hopes were not built on Allah. [Abdullah Yusuf Ali]
Guidance of the Day:
When we cling to someone in resentment, we bind ourselves to him or her by our thoughts and memories. The river of life would have us flow to the ocean, but we would cling to the rock upon which we dashed our foot. We cannot change the events in the past, but we can always change the way we look at those events.
Those who seemed to bring us pain and hardship were our teachers who presented us with challenges which helped us to grow into greater personal strength. When we realize that the problem was not in them, but in the way we were looking at them, we free ourselves as well as them. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]
Food for Thought:
When the fight begins within himself, a man's worth something. There is little that can withstand a man who can conquer himself. The man who masters his own soul will forever be called conqueror of conquerors.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Pearls of Wisdom....52
1. Do not fear physical illness. Sometimes it is the greatest of teachers.
2. Serenity is found when we stop judging others.
3. If you look through the window of blame, you will never find peace.
4. There is no way to peace; Peace is the way.
5. It's choice-----not chance-----that determines our destiny. We have a choice what to add to our personal universe. We need to choose wisely.
6. When we increase or alter the quantity of meaningful information, beliefs, and activities in our life, rather than the objects, we change the quality of our life for better.
7. Your birth may be an uncontrollable event, but you do have the ability to determine how you spend you life. You are the only one who can serve your sentence and determine whether your life will be spent in a prison or a playground.
8. How you relate to others determines a great deal about the quality of your life. Give yourself a long, healthy life by giving to others and developing healing relationships.
9. Life is precious and time is a key element. Let's make every moment count.
10. Living in a body means we are living in time. If we are to accomplish anything with these bodies we are gifted with, we must use our time wisely.
2. Serenity is found when we stop judging others.
3. If you look through the window of blame, you will never find peace.
4. There is no way to peace; Peace is the way.
5. It's choice-----not chance-----that determines our destiny. We have a choice what to add to our personal universe. We need to choose wisely.
6. When we increase or alter the quantity of meaningful information, beliefs, and activities in our life, rather than the objects, we change the quality of our life for better.
7. Your birth may be an uncontrollable event, but you do have the ability to determine how you spend you life. You are the only one who can serve your sentence and determine whether your life will be spent in a prison or a playground.
8. How you relate to others determines a great deal about the quality of your life. Give yourself a long, healthy life by giving to others and developing healing relationships.
9. Life is precious and time is a key element. Let's make every moment count.
10. Living in a body means we are living in time. If we are to accomplish anything with these bodies we are gifted with, we must use our time wisely.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
LESSON OF THE DAY 1014
Ayahs of the Day:
When their messengers came to them with clear proofs, they were happy with what science they already had, even as they were surrounded by what they had been ridiculing. Then when they saw Our force, they said, "We believe in God as One, and we reject what we used to associate with God." But their belief on seeing Our force did not profit them, according to the custom of God already in effect among mortals. And here the scoffers were lost. [40: 83,84,85]
Hadith of the Day:
When you stand for your prayer, perform a farewell prayer (as if there is to be no prayer after it). [Ahmad & Ibn Maja]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The heart has no more than one aspect (at a time), such that when it is occupied with (a particular aspect), it is veiled from another. So take care that you are not drawn toward anything but God, lest He deprive you of the delights of intimate converse with Him. [Shaykh Abu Madyan]
Guidance of the Day:
If we enjoyed something in such a way that we feel sorrow for its absence, we enjoyed it in the wrong way. We enjoyed the mortal, changing element of the person or the thing, and that element can never bring peace. Only when we enjoy the eternal, Godly, inner aspect of and experience can it bring us real happiness. When we look back on the experiences that we cherished, we should feel no sense of loss whatsoever, for those were the experiences that made visible to us the Light that is within us now. The Light was there then, It is here now, and It will be here tomorrow.
It is not the person or the experience that counts, it is the spirit that is precious, and spirit is present in all experiences. People and events are like teacups-----vessels-----through which God gives us love and loving lessons. Though teacups may fade, crack, or be lost, the God that gave them to us in the first place is always present, with an endless supply of new vessels in His Divine pantry. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]
Food for Thought:
We learn to do something by doing it. There is no other way. We can do anything if we put our focus on how to do it rather than on why we can't.
When their messengers came to them with clear proofs, they were happy with what science they already had, even as they were surrounded by what they had been ridiculing. Then when they saw Our force, they said, "We believe in God as One, and we reject what we used to associate with God." But their belief on seeing Our force did not profit them, according to the custom of God already in effect among mortals. And here the scoffers were lost. [40: 83,84,85]
Hadith of the Day:
When you stand for your prayer, perform a farewell prayer (as if there is to be no prayer after it). [Ahmad & Ibn Maja]
Wise Quote of the Day:
The heart has no more than one aspect (at a time), such that when it is occupied with (a particular aspect), it is veiled from another. So take care that you are not drawn toward anything but God, lest He deprive you of the delights of intimate converse with Him. [Shaykh Abu Madyan]
Guidance of the Day:
If we enjoyed something in such a way that we feel sorrow for its absence, we enjoyed it in the wrong way. We enjoyed the mortal, changing element of the person or the thing, and that element can never bring peace. Only when we enjoy the eternal, Godly, inner aspect of and experience can it bring us real happiness. When we look back on the experiences that we cherished, we should feel no sense of loss whatsoever, for those were the experiences that made visible to us the Light that is within us now. The Light was there then, It is here now, and It will be here tomorrow.
It is not the person or the experience that counts, it is the spirit that is precious, and spirit is present in all experiences. People and events are like teacups-----vessels-----through which God gives us love and loving lessons. Though teacups may fade, crack, or be lost, the God that gave them to us in the first place is always present, with an endless supply of new vessels in His Divine pantry. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]
Food for Thought:
We learn to do something by doing it. There is no other way. We can do anything if we put our focus on how to do it rather than on why we can't.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Pearls of Wisdom....51
1. Stop criticizing, and just be the person you wish everyone else to be.
2. Right beliefs are one thing, but right actions are everything.
3. Think of life as an exercise program. The more flexible you become and the more you work things out, the stronger you will become.
4. We are disturbed not by things, but the view which we take of them.
5. Life needs to be appreciated more than it needs to be understood.
6. We are free up to the point of choice, and then the choice controls the chooser.
7. Those who keep themselves and their minds focused on what is good, positive, true, and solid will gain wisdom.
8. Be sympathetic in your words and actions, you never know when you may need some sympathy yourself.
9. Deafness is darker by far than blindness. We hear a great deal, but do we listen to what we hear.
10. When you cannot let go of bitterness, resentment, and aggravation over whatever has happened, then you allow it to continue to damage your own life.
2. Right beliefs are one thing, but right actions are everything.
3. Think of life as an exercise program. The more flexible you become and the more you work things out, the stronger you will become.
4. We are disturbed not by things, but the view which we take of them.
5. Life needs to be appreciated more than it needs to be understood.
6. We are free up to the point of choice, and then the choice controls the chooser.
7. Those who keep themselves and their minds focused on what is good, positive, true, and solid will gain wisdom.
8. Be sympathetic in your words and actions, you never know when you may need some sympathy yourself.
9. Deafness is darker by far than blindness. We hear a great deal, but do we listen to what we hear.
10. When you cannot let go of bitterness, resentment, and aggravation over whatever has happened, then you allow it to continue to damage your own life.
Monday, May 19, 2008
LESSON OF THE DAY 1013
Ayah of the Day:
Haven't they traveled the earth and seen how those before them ended up? They have been more numerous than these, and more powerful in strength and in their effects on the earth, but what they had achieved did not profit them. [40: 82]
Hadith of the Day:
Remember the destroyer of pleasures-----death-----often. Verily, no one remembers it during straitened times in his life except that it makes the matter easier upon him. And no one remembers it during ease except that it makes the matter tighter upon him. [Bayhaqi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Don't just grow up, grow better with time and grow more experienced with age, keep being passionate about whatever you do, keep trying new things. Keep patient and keep trying your best. The path to God is straight through wilfull surrender to God. [Dawud Wharnsby Ali]
Guidance of the Day:
You must make yourself an empty cup in order to learn. One who thinks that he already knows, cannot be taught anything. Put in other words, it is only when we stop trying to hold onto the past that we are able to fully accept the blessings that the present can offer us. Clinging (in reminiscence or bitterness) to a thought or an experience is the same as clutching to a person or a thing. It takes us out of our here-and-now center and detracts from our experience of fullness of this moment.
Too often we hold onto memories of "The Good Old Day," when we were "really happy," and when things went just right. If they were really good, then we would not feel pain in missing them now, for what is good is liberating, and if we are bound to the experience, it certainly did not liberate us very much. The real good old days were those which showed us that we are free to live fully in any moment, including----and especially----now. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]
Food for Thought:
What time is it?
Time to do well,
Time to live better,
Give up that grudge,
Answer that letter,
Speak the kind word to sweeten a sorrow,
Do that kind deed you would leave 'till tomorrow.
Haven't they traveled the earth and seen how those before them ended up? They have been more numerous than these, and more powerful in strength and in their effects on the earth, but what they had achieved did not profit them. [40: 82]
Hadith of the Day:
Remember the destroyer of pleasures-----death-----often. Verily, no one remembers it during straitened times in his life except that it makes the matter easier upon him. And no one remembers it during ease except that it makes the matter tighter upon him. [Bayhaqi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Don't just grow up, grow better with time and grow more experienced with age, keep being passionate about whatever you do, keep trying new things. Keep patient and keep trying your best. The path to God is straight through wilfull surrender to God. [Dawud Wharnsby Ali]
Guidance of the Day:
You must make yourself an empty cup in order to learn. One who thinks that he already knows, cannot be taught anything. Put in other words, it is only when we stop trying to hold onto the past that we are able to fully accept the blessings that the present can offer us. Clinging (in reminiscence or bitterness) to a thought or an experience is the same as clutching to a person or a thing. It takes us out of our here-and-now center and detracts from our experience of fullness of this moment.
Too often we hold onto memories of "The Good Old Day," when we were "really happy," and when things went just right. If they were really good, then we would not feel pain in missing them now, for what is good is liberating, and if we are bound to the experience, it certainly did not liberate us very much. The real good old days were those which showed us that we are free to live fully in any moment, including----and especially----now. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]
Food for Thought:
What time is it?
Time to do well,
Time to live better,
Give up that grudge,
Answer that letter,
Speak the kind word to sweeten a sorrow,
Do that kind deed you would leave 'till tomorrow.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Pearls of Wisdom....50
1. Don't dose off in the middle of your life; keep focused on what is truly important.
2. It is easy to sit up and take notice; what is difficult is getting up and taking action. Be willing to take an action/a stand for something you believe in.
3. Do not avoid guilt feelings; they are a sign of your mental health. Listen to them and follow their guidance.
4. Never mind day light saving time; institute life-saving time now.
5. Even when you think someone is beyond communication, don't give up. There is always a way to share love.
6. Mistakes can be good teachers. The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.
7. It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do a little-----do what you can.
8. No one can force you to be happy if you would rather whine and complain. As you play the game of life, remember that it's your attitude and choices that determine the outcome.
9. In movement there is life, and in change there is power. Those who remain open to new ideas and experiences are sending "live messages" to their own body, spirit and to people around them.
10. May be we should take a lesson from the angels. We are told that angels can fly because they take themselves lightly-------they are not constantly involved in the opinions of others and the seriousness of every situation.
2. It is easy to sit up and take notice; what is difficult is getting up and taking action. Be willing to take an action/a stand for something you believe in.
3. Do not avoid guilt feelings; they are a sign of your mental health. Listen to them and follow their guidance.
4. Never mind day light saving time; institute life-saving time now.
5. Even when you think someone is beyond communication, don't give up. There is always a way to share love.
6. Mistakes can be good teachers. The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.
7. It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do a little-----do what you can.
8. No one can force you to be happy if you would rather whine and complain. As you play the game of life, remember that it's your attitude and choices that determine the outcome.
9. In movement there is life, and in change there is power. Those who remain open to new ideas and experiences are sending "live messages" to their own body, spirit and to people around them.
10. May be we should take a lesson from the angels. We are told that angels can fly because they take themselves lightly-------they are not constantly involved in the opinions of others and the seriousness of every situation.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
LESSON OF THE DAY 1012
Ayahs of the Day:
God is the one who made domestic animals for you, so you could ride some of them, and eat some of them-----and they have other uses for you-----that you may fulfill a need in your hearts through them; and you are carried on them, and on ships. And God shows you signs of the divine; now which signs of God do you deny? [40: 79,80,81]
Hadith of the Day:
What do I have to do with this worldly life? I and this worldly life are but like a traveler who stopped for a little while under a tree to get some shade and then he moved on. [Ahmad & Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Love of God is to see what is good and beautiful in everything. It is to learn from everything, to see the gifts of God and the generosity of God in everything. It is to be thankful for all God's bounties. [Shaykh Muzaffer Ozak]
Guidance of the Day:
If we feel pain at the loss of a relationship in our lives, it is not due to the loss of the person's presence; it is due to our clinging. When we stop clinging, the pain ceases. God may have been responsible for the loss, but we are responsible for the pain. This may sound stark, but it is true. In the long run, we are much better off for letting go. Is it not better to be free and happy than to be attached and in pain?
When a relationship ends, it is an opportunity to apply the principle of "Let go and let God." This means to accept that God is working for our highest good, and never against us. He would not stop this reason unless He had a good reason, and that this ending is really a beginning. Perhaps there is something or someone better in store. Perhaps we have given and shared and learned all that we could, for the time being, and now it's time to grow into a new and a better space. That has to be the way it is; God wouldn't make a mistake with His child's life. We must release the old to make room for the new. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]
Food for Thought:
We must make the best of those ills which cannot be avoided. The best thing we can do is to make wherever we're lost look as much like home as we can. There is no quality of human nature so nearly royal as the ability to yield gracefully.
God is the one who made domestic animals for you, so you could ride some of them, and eat some of them-----and they have other uses for you-----that you may fulfill a need in your hearts through them; and you are carried on them, and on ships. And God shows you signs of the divine; now which signs of God do you deny? [40: 79,80,81]
Hadith of the Day:
What do I have to do with this worldly life? I and this worldly life are but like a traveler who stopped for a little while under a tree to get some shade and then he moved on. [Ahmad & Tirmidhi]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Love of God is to see what is good and beautiful in everything. It is to learn from everything, to see the gifts of God and the generosity of God in everything. It is to be thankful for all God's bounties. [Shaykh Muzaffer Ozak]
Guidance of the Day:
If we feel pain at the loss of a relationship in our lives, it is not due to the loss of the person's presence; it is due to our clinging. When we stop clinging, the pain ceases. God may have been responsible for the loss, but we are responsible for the pain. This may sound stark, but it is true. In the long run, we are much better off for letting go. Is it not better to be free and happy than to be attached and in pain?
When a relationship ends, it is an opportunity to apply the principle of "Let go and let God." This means to accept that God is working for our highest good, and never against us. He would not stop this reason unless He had a good reason, and that this ending is really a beginning. Perhaps there is something or someone better in store. Perhaps we have given and shared and learned all that we could, for the time being, and now it's time to grow into a new and a better space. That has to be the way it is; God wouldn't make a mistake with His child's life. We must release the old to make room for the new. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]
Food for Thought:
We must make the best of those ills which cannot be avoided. The best thing we can do is to make wherever we're lost look as much like home as we can. There is no quality of human nature so nearly royal as the ability to yield gracefully.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Pearls of Wisdom....49
1. A day will never be any more than what you make of it. Practice being a "doer." Take the time to practice the skills and abilities you want to attain.
2. The question is not whether we will die, but how we live, Life may have left its mark on you, but work toward polishing your inner beauty for an outer glow.
3. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
4. We are all here for a limited period and time. There are many fine things which you mean to do some day, under what you think will be more favorable circumstances. But the only time that is yours is the present.
5. We are all dust and clay until we find inspiration in our lives. When we are inspired, we change the world, not by changing others, but by changing ourselves.
6. Build your relationships out of love and hold them together with a sense of humor.
7. Mix knowledge, determination, desire, intention, and energy and come up with a nourishing life force.
8. If your regrets and recriminations just cause you continual grief, then they are of no value and will destroy you. However, you can become a better person by assessing your if onlys.
9. Take your old life and break it up. Don't live waiting for a lucky break. You will come out of the darkness and break through into light.
10. If you are a father or a mother, don't ask for love on Father's day or Mother's day, but bestow it on those who gave you the gift of fatherhood or motherhood, and thank the Creator.
2. The question is not whether we will die, but how we live, Life may have left its mark on you, but work toward polishing your inner beauty for an outer glow.
3. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
4. We are all here for a limited period and time. There are many fine things which you mean to do some day, under what you think will be more favorable circumstances. But the only time that is yours is the present.
5. We are all dust and clay until we find inspiration in our lives. When we are inspired, we change the world, not by changing others, but by changing ourselves.
6. Build your relationships out of love and hold them together with a sense of humor.
7. Mix knowledge, determination, desire, intention, and energy and come up with a nourishing life force.
8. If your regrets and recriminations just cause you continual grief, then they are of no value and will destroy you. However, you can become a better person by assessing your if onlys.
9. Take your old life and break it up. Don't live waiting for a lucky break. You will come out of the darkness and break through into light.
10. If you are a father or a mother, don't ask for love on Father's day or Mother's day, but bestow it on those who gave you the gift of fatherhood or motherhood, and thank the Creator.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
LESSON OF THE DAY 1011
Ayahs of the Day:
It is He who has created you from dust, then from a drop, then from a clot, then brings you forth as an infant, then provides for you to reach your maturity, then provides for you to become old----though some of you die earlier-----providing for you to reach a definite term, and for you to understand. It is He who gives life and causes death; and having decided a matter, God merely says to it "Be," and it is. [40: 67,68]
Hadith of the Day:
Verily the world is sweet and green (appealing). And verily Allah has placed you as successors in it. And He sees how you act, so beware of the world and beware of women. [Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
When God gives you a gift, it is so that you become aware of divine kindness; when God deprives you, it is so that you become aware of divine power. [Ibn Ata'Allah]
Guidance of the Day:
A relationship based on clinging, possessiveness, or attachment cannot work. There is constant worry, fear, or threat. The moments of satisfaction in such relationship are deceptive, for they lead only to pain. If "I have him/her" can bring joy, then surely, "I am losing him/her" will bring sorrow. It is only when we hold people and things lightly that we can enjoy them fully.
Life is a constant flow of coming and going. Things and people come into our lives and they leave, just as sure as they came. Sometimes they stay for a moment, sometimes for a lifetime. We never fully know how long it will be. Nor do we have any control over how long we will share the path with someone. Our key to happiness is to enjoy a relationship while it lasts, allowing the person and the relationship to complete freedom to evolve in the highest way for them, according to God's plan. Clinging never feels good. It brings hardships to the one who possess, and to the one he or she would possess. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]
Food for Thought:
A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well. Don't fear or avoid your pain, for it might be the catalyst you need to help you release the dam and move you into healing. Under pressure charcoal becomes a diamond. Use your pain and the gifts it brings to change things and create a gem out of your life.
It is He who has created you from dust, then from a drop, then from a clot, then brings you forth as an infant, then provides for you to reach your maturity, then provides for you to become old----though some of you die earlier-----providing for you to reach a definite term, and for you to understand. It is He who gives life and causes death; and having decided a matter, God merely says to it "Be," and it is. [40: 67,68]
Hadith of the Day:
Verily the world is sweet and green (appealing). And verily Allah has placed you as successors in it. And He sees how you act, so beware of the world and beware of women. [Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
When God gives you a gift, it is so that you become aware of divine kindness; when God deprives you, it is so that you become aware of divine power. [Ibn Ata'Allah]
Guidance of the Day:
A relationship based on clinging, possessiveness, or attachment cannot work. There is constant worry, fear, or threat. The moments of satisfaction in such relationship are deceptive, for they lead only to pain. If "I have him/her" can bring joy, then surely, "I am losing him/her" will bring sorrow. It is only when we hold people and things lightly that we can enjoy them fully.
Life is a constant flow of coming and going. Things and people come into our lives and they leave, just as sure as they came. Sometimes they stay for a moment, sometimes for a lifetime. We never fully know how long it will be. Nor do we have any control over how long we will share the path with someone. Our key to happiness is to enjoy a relationship while it lasts, allowing the person and the relationship to complete freedom to evolve in the highest way for them, according to God's plan. Clinging never feels good. It brings hardships to the one who possess, and to the one he or she would possess. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]
Food for Thought:
A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well. Don't fear or avoid your pain, for it might be the catalyst you need to help you release the dam and move you into healing. Under pressure charcoal becomes a diamond. Use your pain and the gifts it brings to change things and create a gem out of your life.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Pearls of Wisdom....48
1. 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.
2. Spiritual strength depends on spiritual posture. Become upright in your life, relationships, and work. If you need help, find a spiritual chiropractor.
3. It's never too late to become the person you want to be. Fake it till you make it. By faking it and acting like the person you want to be, you begin the change, and will start to do the inner work. Decide how you want to be, work on those changes and act as if you are already there.
4. It's the constant and determined efforts that breaks down resistance, sweeps away all obstacles.
5. When making a choice, choose the difficult right over the easy wrong.
6. Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present. Taking care of what needs doing now leaves little time for fear and worry.
7. Don't use the excuse "the devil made me do it!" Pay close attention to how your actions are perceived by your kids.
8. People are only as great as they are kind. Perform the acts of kindness we all came here to do. A complete life is not about time, but about our actions-------------particularly our acts of kindness.
9. You have not fulfilled every duty, unless you have fulfilled that of being pleasant. For today, don't be or create a problem. Solve one instead.
10. 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, human-kind. Make a conscious effort to connect the words human and kind. Be aware of how this changers your behavior.
2. Spiritual strength depends on spiritual posture. Become upright in your life, relationships, and work. If you need help, find a spiritual chiropractor.
3. It's never too late to become the person you want to be. Fake it till you make it. By faking it and acting like the person you want to be, you begin the change, and will start to do the inner work. Decide how you want to be, work on those changes and act as if you are already there.
4. It's the constant and determined efforts that breaks down resistance, sweeps away all obstacles.
5. When making a choice, choose the difficult right over the easy wrong.
6. Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present. Taking care of what needs doing now leaves little time for fear and worry.
7. Don't use the excuse "the devil made me do it!" Pay close attention to how your actions are perceived by your kids.
8. People are only as great as they are kind. Perform the acts of kindness we all came here to do. A complete life is not about time, but about our actions-------------particularly our acts of kindness.
9. You have not fulfilled every duty, unless you have fulfilled that of being pleasant. For today, don't be or create a problem. Solve one instead.
10. 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, human-kind. Make a conscious effort to connect the words human and kind. Be aware of how this changers your behavior.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
LESSON OF THE DAY 1010
Ayahs of the Day:
God is the one who has made the earth for you as an abode with the sky as a roof, and formed you, then refined your forms, and provided you with goods. That is God for you, your Lord; so blessed be God, Lord of the universe, the Living; there is no other deity, so pray to God, Lord of the universe. [40: 64,65]
Hadith of the Day:
By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you. But I fear that this world will be spread out for you (and given to you in abundance) as it was spread out for peoples before you, and then you will compete in it as they competed in it and it will destroy you as it destroyed them. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Applaud the good for their goodness, appreciate those who have believing hearts, and be kind to believers. Approach unbelievers so gently that their envy and hatred melt away. [Fetullah Gulen]
Guidance of the Day:
Give it all up and you will get it all back. This is an immensely potent formula for finding freedom and joy in living. Whenever we let go of something, God will either give it back to us, or give something better, or shows that we are better off without it. God is always giving exactly what we need for our highest good, and at no cost to anyone.
The idea that "He who humbles himself shall be exalted" is one of the most powerful and practical truths that can be encountered. It speaks of the miraculous principle that we do not need to "power-trip" our way through life; we will come out better in the long run if we allow
God to take care of us. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]
Food for Thought:
Among the attributes of God, although they are all equal, mercy shines with even more brilliancy than justice. Mercy among the virtues is like the moon among the stars, dispensing a calm radiance that hallows the whole. It is the light that hovers above the judgment seat. Mercy is for the merciful.
God is the one who has made the earth for you as an abode with the sky as a roof, and formed you, then refined your forms, and provided you with goods. That is God for you, your Lord; so blessed be God, Lord of the universe, the Living; there is no other deity, so pray to God, Lord of the universe. [40: 64,65]
Hadith of the Day:
By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you. But I fear that this world will be spread out for you (and given to you in abundance) as it was spread out for peoples before you, and then you will compete in it as they competed in it and it will destroy you as it destroyed them. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Applaud the good for their goodness, appreciate those who have believing hearts, and be kind to believers. Approach unbelievers so gently that their envy and hatred melt away. [Fetullah Gulen]
Guidance of the Day:
Give it all up and you will get it all back. This is an immensely potent formula for finding freedom and joy in living. Whenever we let go of something, God will either give it back to us, or give something better, or shows that we are better off without it. God is always giving exactly what we need for our highest good, and at no cost to anyone.
The idea that "He who humbles himself shall be exalted" is one of the most powerful and practical truths that can be encountered. It speaks of the miraculous principle that we do not need to "power-trip" our way through life; we will come out better in the long run if we allow
God to take care of us. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]
Food for Thought:
Among the attributes of God, although they are all equal, mercy shines with even more brilliancy than justice. Mercy among the virtues is like the moon among the stars, dispensing a calm radiance that hallows the whole. It is the light that hovers above the judgment seat. Mercy is for the merciful.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Pearls of Wisdom....47
1. The one who overcomes his desires is braver than him who conquers his enemies, for the hardest victory is self.
2. You will find rest from vain fancies if you do every act in life as though it were your last.
3. If you desire many things, many things will seem few.
4. Next to knowing when to seize an opportunity, the most important thing in life is to know when to forgo an advantage.
5. Having been poor is no shame, but being ashamed of it is.
6. He that can have patience can have what he wills.7. He who composes himself is wiser than he the one composes a book.
8. He that is of the opinion "money will do anything" may well be suspected of doing everything for money.
9. He that won't be counseled can't be helped.
10. If passion drives you, let reason hold your reign.
2. You will find rest from vain fancies if you do every act in life as though it were your last.
3. If you desire many things, many things will seem few.
4. Next to knowing when to seize an opportunity, the most important thing in life is to know when to forgo an advantage.
5. Having been poor is no shame, but being ashamed of it is.
6. He that can have patience can have what he wills.7. He who composes himself is wiser than he the one composes a book.
8. He that is of the opinion "money will do anything" may well be suspected of doing everything for money.
9. He that won't be counseled can't be helped.
10. If passion drives you, let reason hold your reign.
Friday, May 02, 2008
LESSON OF THE DAY 1009
Ayahs of the Day:
God is the one who made the night for you, so you could rest therein; and the day, allowing sight; for God is gracious to humanity, but most people are not grateful. That is God for you, your Lord, Creator of all things; there is no deity. So how are you deceived? Thus are deceived those who dispute the signs of God. [40: 61,62,63]
Hadith of the Day:
By Allah, (the bounties and length of) this world with respect to the Hereafter are not but as if one were to put this finger into the ocean and see with what it comes out (compared to what it leaves in the ocean). [Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Realize your attributes and He will help you with His Attributes; realize your lowliness and He will help you with His Sublimity; realize your impotence and He will help you with His Power; realize your weakness and He will help you with His Might and Force! [Ibn Ata'Illah] Guidance of the Day:
A more effective approach would be to take a clear and honest look at the way we are living our life, and see how we change, from inside out. It is easier to take a pill than to change. Real growth, however, requires change, and life is, in fact, pretty much about making the changes that lead to our greatest good.
Because the mind is the source of all of our experience, we can always trace our required lessons back to a pattern of thinking. When we discover the pattern of thought that needs to be changed, the physical symptom will disappear, for its function as the communicator of a lesson is no longer needed. Our bodies, like our lives, are not haphazard, and neither are they beyond our ability to understand their teachings and to see how healing can be accomplished. We cannot be healed if we believe we deserve to be ill. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]
Food for Thought:
If a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size.
God is the one who made the night for you, so you could rest therein; and the day, allowing sight; for God is gracious to humanity, but most people are not grateful. That is God for you, your Lord, Creator of all things; there is no deity. So how are you deceived? Thus are deceived those who dispute the signs of God. [40: 61,62,63]
Hadith of the Day:
By Allah, (the bounties and length of) this world with respect to the Hereafter are not but as if one were to put this finger into the ocean and see with what it comes out (compared to what it leaves in the ocean). [Muslim]
Wise Quote of the Day:
Realize your attributes and He will help you with His Attributes; realize your lowliness and He will help you with His Sublimity; realize your impotence and He will help you with His Power; realize your weakness and He will help you with His Might and Force! [Ibn Ata'Illah] Guidance of the Day:
A more effective approach would be to take a clear and honest look at the way we are living our life, and see how we change, from inside out. It is easier to take a pill than to change. Real growth, however, requires change, and life is, in fact, pretty much about making the changes that lead to our greatest good.
Because the mind is the source of all of our experience, we can always trace our required lessons back to a pattern of thinking. When we discover the pattern of thought that needs to be changed, the physical symptom will disappear, for its function as the communicator of a lesson is no longer needed. Our bodies, like our lives, are not haphazard, and neither are they beyond our ability to understand their teachings and to see how healing can be accomplished. We cannot be healed if we believe we deserve to be ill. [Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]
Food for Thought:
If a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Pearls of Wisdom....46
1. An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.
2. As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence.
3. Be at war with your vices, at peace with your family, friends and neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.
4. Each year one vicious habit discarded, in time might make the worst of us good.
5. By failing to preparing, we are preparing to fail------for the next world.
6. Do you love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made up of.
7. Employ your time well, if you mean to gain leisure.
8. Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing, if you want to be remembered after your death.
9. Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them.
10. Anybody can get angry-----that is easy, but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way---------that is true wisdom.
2. As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence.
3. Be at war with your vices, at peace with your family, friends and neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.
4. Each year one vicious habit discarded, in time might make the worst of us good.
5. By failing to preparing, we are preparing to fail------for the next world.
6. Do you love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made up of.
7. Employ your time well, if you mean to gain leisure.
8. Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing, if you want to be remembered after your death.
9. Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them.
10. Anybody can get angry-----that is easy, but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way---------that is true wisdom.
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