LESSON OF THE DAY 1212

Ayahs of the Day:

As for the conscientious, they will abide in the shade around springs, with fruits as they desire -- "Eat and drink with enjoyment, for what you have done. For that is how We reward those who do good." [77: 41 to 44]

Hadith of the Day:

When you see someone who is better off than you are, look at someone who is less well off. Doing this will keep you from belittling the blessings God has given to you.

Wise Quote of the Day:

Whenever you come to see that in everything that exists you have no Benefactor except Him, then you will be a thankful servant. [Shaykh Abul Hasan al-Shadhili]

Guidance of the Day:

Sincere renunciation has many marks. Among these is that one does not rejoice for what one has nor mourn for what one has not, and that the pursuit and enjoyment of the world do not distract one from that which is better for one in the sight of his Lord. Remove the love of dinars and dirhams from your heart until they become as pebbles and sand in your eyes.

Remove the wish to be thought highly of from your heart until you are indifferent to people's praise and condemnation, and to whether they are attracted or repulsed by you. For the love of prominence is more harmful than that of money, and both indicate desire for the world. The basis of the love of prominence is to love being considered great by others. Now greatness is one of God's attributes, and this is therefore disputing with His Lordship. [Al-Haddad, The Book of Assistance]

Food for Thought:

The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore. The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high and heroic temper.

Pearls of wisdom 248

1. Speak the truth wherever you are, do not make many oaths even if you are a truthful person.

2. Do not argue, even if you are right.

3. Beware of excessive speech, even if you are eloquent.

4. Beware of ostentation (in religion), even if you are a scholar.

5. Know the ruling concerning what you say before you speak.

6. Accommodate people as long as you do not compromise your religion by doing so.

7. Treat people with good character and avoid hypocrisy in all situations.

8. Do not be too shy to say, "God knows best," concerning something you lack knowledge of.

9. Do not reveal you secrets to everyone, and do not give a person more credit that he deserves.

10. Reverence the gatherings of the scholars, know the value of spiritual sages. [Above quotes by Imam Harith al Muhasibi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1211

Ayahs of the Day:

That will be the day they do not speak, as they won't be allowed to make excuses. Woe to the scoffers that day! That will be the day of decision; We will assemble you all, and the ancients too. So if you have a scheme, go on and scheme against Me. Woe to the scoffers that day! [77: 35 to 40]

Hadith of the Day:

The sign of a person who is aware and intelligent is that he has his ego under control and devotes his life to the preparation for the Hereafter. The sign of the weak person is that he continues being a slave to his ego and hopes for his Lord's forgiveness. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:

Invoking strengthens the limbs and facilitates pious works. It eases difficult matters, opens locked doors, mitigates hardship, and lessens toil. It is the source and foundation of God's friendship; forgetfulness is the origin and summit of His enmity. [Ibn Ata'Allah]

Guidance of the Day:

The origin of renunciation is the heart's knowledge of the vileness and insignificance of the world, and that 'had it been worth so much as a gnat's wing to God He would not have given a disbeliever a sip of its water', and that it is accursed and all that it contains except that which is for God'; and that anyone who takes more than is necessary from it is unwittingly taking his own destruction.

The intended result of such knowledge is to abandon inwardly desire for the world, and to abandon outwardly delighting in its pleasures. The lowest degree of renunciation is that one is not induced by the world to commit a sin, nor to neglect any act of obedience, while the highest degree is that you take nothing from it unless you know that to take is more pleasing to God than to leave it. There are many degrees between these two. [Al-Haddad, The Book of Assistance]

Food for Thought:

It is the biggest mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little -- do what you can. Remember, by changing one life you change the world. Every action has its effects. So make a difference and help someone get back into the ocean of life. You need not risk your life carrying them through the surf, but find out what they need to get back into swim. Then help them do it. Make a difference!!!

Pearls of wisdom 247

1. Obey God even if it means disobeying people, and never obey people if it means disobeying God, Most High.

2. Do not hold back anything from God in your devotional acts.

3. Do not allow your soul to be pleased with an action that should have been undertaken solely for God.

4. Stand before God in prayer with your entire being.

5. Earnestly and energetically convey the obligatory poor due.

6. Protect your fast from lying and backbiting.

7. Carefully guard the rights of the neighbor, the poor, and the relative.

8. Be upright for justice as your Lord has commanded you.

9. If you are motivated to do some good hasten to it.

10. If the religious ruling concerning something escapes you, leave it. [Above quotes by Imam Harith al Muhasibi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1210

Ayahs of the Day:

Haven't We made the earth a gathering place for the living and the dead, putting towering mountains on it, and giving you sweet water to drink? Woe to the scoffers that day -- "Rush off to what you used to deny -- rush off into a triple shadow that gives no shade and is of no avail against the blaze, for its shoots spark like castles, like a herd of yellow camels." Woe to the scoffers that day! [77: 25 to 34]

Hadith of the Day:

What destroys the human being is arrogance, following lusts and the desires of the ego, and miserliness. [Bazzaz]

Wise Quote of the Day:

Do not sit idle, for indeed death is seeking you. [Hasan al-Basri]

Guidance of the Day:

You must renounce the world, for renunciation is the forerunner of felicity, the manifestation of Providence, and the sign of sanctity. Just as loving the world is the origin of all sins, so also is hating it the origin of all obedience and excellence. It is enough to make you renounce the world to know that in numerous passages in His Book God has called it the Comfort of Illusion, and as being but a distraction and a play to which no intelligent person should pay any attention and to which only ignorant fools are attracted.

Know that to renounce the world is an immediate felicity, and that only those whose breasts God has opened up by the drawing of the lights of gnosis and certainty are capable of it. The Prophet has said, may blessings and peace be upon him: 'Renouncing the world relieves the heart and the body, while desire for the world increases worry and sorrow. ' And: 'Renounce the world, and God will love you.' And: 'When the light enters the heart it opens up and is enlarged -- the sign of which is to shun the abode of illusion and attend to the abode of immortality.' [Al-Haddad, The Book of Assistance]

Food for Thought:

Diseases can be our spiritual flat tires -- disruptions in our lives that seem to be disasters at the same time, but end by redirecting our lives in a meaningful way. There is in the worst of fortune the best of chances for a happy change. Let us not be needlessly bitter: certain failures are sometimes fruitful.

Pearls of wisdom 246

1. Do not burden yourself with what has been guaranteed you.

2. Do not fall short pursuing what you have been entrusted to seek.

3. Pardon those who oppress you, and give to those who deny you.

4. For God's sake join relations with those who cut you off.

5. Give preference to those who love you for God's sake.

6. Freely extend your soul and your wealth to your brothers.

7. Be careful to fulfill the religious rights owed to your Lord.

8. Do not consider any good deed you perform to be great, nor any bad deed your perpetrate to be insignificant.

9. Beware of hidden guiles of the heart.

10. Beware of dissemblance with your knowledge just as you are cautious not to become conceited with your actions. [Above quotes by Imam Harith al Muhasibi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1209

Ayahs of the Day:

Did We not destroy the ancients? We will make those of latter days follow them too. That is what We do with sinners. Woe to the scoffers on that day! Didn't We create you from an insignificant fluid, which We then put in a secure place for a determined term? For We decide, being the best at deciding. So woe to the scoffers that day! [77: 16 to 24]

Hadith of the Day:

Good news for those who are sincere! They are the lamps enlightening the path to truth. They uncover the darkness of all who cause mischief. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:

Love the creation for the love of the One who created it. [Imam Birgivi]

Guidance of the Day:

It is part of thankfulness to praise God frequently, and to rejoice for the favors bestowed, because they are means of attaining to the propinquity of God, and because they are evidence of God's solitude for His servant. It is part of thankfulness, too, to make much of His favors, even those that are small. It is related that God once said to one of His Prophets: 'Whosoever I grant you a poor grain of wheat, know that I have remembered you thereby; therefore thank Me for it.'

It is part of thankfulness likewise to speak of God's favors without, however, digressing into anything that might suggest self-righteousness in religious matters or insolence in matters of the world. Deeds are according to the intentions behind them. And all good comes from following our virtuous predecessors in all circumstances; and God knows best. [Al-Haddad, The Book of Assistance]

Food for Thought:

The great and glorious masterpiece of man is how to live with purpose. What most counts is not to live, but to live aright. Choosing a goal and sticking to it changes everything. Everything's in the mind -- that's where it all starts. Knowing what you want is the first step toward getting it. Strong lives are motivated by dynamic purposes -- the aim of life is self-development.

Pearls of wisdom 245

1. Be deliberate in those situations that seem to demand haste.

2. Do not get angry with people in defense of yourself, become angry with yourself for the sake of God.

3. Do not respond to anyone's wickedness in kind.

4. Limit your laughter and avoid unnecessary joking.

5. Hide your pain, be chaste, internalize trust.

6. Be patient in dealing with afflictions.

7. Be aware of the inability of people to help you.

8. Be content with what God has allotted you.

9. Be absolutely certain concerning God's promise and apprehensive of His punishment.

10. Acknowledge your need of everything God blesses you with, and long for salvation from Him. [Above quotes by Imam Harith al Muhasibi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1208

Ayahs of the Day:

What you are promised is sure to take place -- when the stars are extinguished and the sky is split open and the mountains blown away and the messengers are appointed their time -- to what day has it been put off? To the day of decision. And what will let you know what the day of decision is? Woe to the scoffers on that day! [77: 7 to 15]

Hadith of the Day:

Accept the apology of your fellow Muslim if you wish to drink from the fountain of Kawthar when you are thirsty on the Day of Judgment. [Tabarani]

Wise Quote of the Day:

Intellect is a man's wings and feathers. If he lacks intellect, let him find the intellect of a guide. Be either triumphant, or in search of a triumphant man! Either posses vision or seek the possessor of vision! [Mawlana Rumi]

Guidance of the Day:

Know that just as you must thank God for favors which are proper to you, such as knowledge and health, you must also thank Him for favors which are general, such as the sending of Messengers, the revelation of Books, raising up the sky, and stretching out the earth. The basis of thankfulness is that the heart be aware of such favors, that they are from God alone, and that nothing comes to one through one's own ability and power, but only through God's grace and mercy.

The limit of thankfulness is to use each of His favors in His obedience; if you do not do so you will have neglected to give thanks for it, and if you use them to disobey Him you will have fallen into ingratitude, whereby favors turn into afflictions. Anyone who still enjoys some favors while using them in disobedience to God is being lured. 'God gives rein to the wrongdoer until, when He takes him, He does not let him go'. [Al-Haddad, The Book of Assistance]

Food for Thought:

The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts. Think like a man of action and act like a man of thought. Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action. Good actions ennoble us, we are the sons of our deeds.

Pearls of wisdom 244

1. The surest path to salvation for the servant lies in acting on the basis of knowledge, allowing his fear to be a source of caution in religious matters, and being sufficed by God, Mighty and Majestic.

2. Work diligently to reform your state, acknowledge your need for your Lord, and rise above entertaining doubtful matters.

3 Decrease your dependency on people, love for them what you love for yourself, and hate for them what you hate for yourself.

4. Never consider any sin to be insignificant, never divulge a secret, never reveal what God has concealed.

5. Never contemplate committing a sin, and never persistently commit a minor transgression.

6. Seek refuge in God during every time of need, acknowledge your need for Him in every situation, and rely on Him in every affair.

7. Do not be content to wait for good to come to you.

8. Constantly thank God and seek His forgiveness abundantly.

9. Reflect on your thoughts, and prepare for tribulations with sound knowledge.

10. Isolate your whimsical inclinations. [Above quotes by Imam Harith al Muhasibi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1207

Ayahs of the Day:

This is a message: let whoever will take a path to his Lord. But none of you have the will unless God wills. For God is all-knowing, completely wise. God admits anyone at will to divine mercy, but for the unjust has arranged an intense agony. [76: 29,30, 31]

Hadith of the Day:

Make each of your prayers as if it will be your last prayer. Prevent yourself from doing things for which you will later be sorry. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:

To abandon a single desire is of more benefit to the heart than a year's worship. [Sulayman al-Darani]

Guidance of the Day:

You must thank God for all He has favored you with. You have no good thing, whether outward or inward, religious or worldly, but that it comes from Him. You should do as much as you can to thank your Lord, and confess your total incapacity to do so adequately.

Know that thankfulness leads to perpetuation of favors already received and to the obtaining of others that are desired. The Prophet, may blessings and peace be upon him, has said: 'Let each of you have an invoking tongue and a thankful heart.' And: 'Faith has two halves: one is patience and the other is thankfulness.' [Al-Haddad, The Book of Assistance]

Food for Thought:

The most important thing about getting somewhere is starting right where we are. Everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was. Sometimes we look so intently toward the pinnacle that we stumble over the steps leading to it. Development begins just where you are. The beginning is half of every action.

Pearls of wisdom 243

One can attain impeccability ----
1.By adhering to the way of the righteous Imams,

2. By studying the etiquettes of the sincere seekers of guidance through spiritual exertion.

3. By being spiritually alert through consistent self-accounting and being just in one's actions.

4. By adorning oneself by refraining from harming others.

5. By sharing one's virtue while not reminding others of the good one has done for them.

6. By having dignified comportment free from even a hint of jealousy.

7.By being content through a love for anonymity.

8. By remaining silent for extensive periods of time desiring to be safe.

9. By being humble with people while not feeling cut off from their love.

10. By finding intimacy with the remembrance of God in solitude.

11. By freely serving others.

12. By gathering all of your spiritual energy to be constantly vigilant.

13. By seeking salvation on the path of religious rectitude. [Above quotes by Imam Harith al Muhasibi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1206

Ayahs of the Day:

It is We who have sent the Qur'an down to you as revelation: so be constant to the wisdom of your Lord, and don't be obedient to the sinner or the disbeliever among them: and invoke the name of your Lord morning and evening, and bow to God at night, and glorify God long into the night. As for these, they love the ephemeral and leave behind them a grave day. We created them and energized them; and whenever We wish We'll substitute their like by a change. [76: 23 to 28]

Hadith of the Day:

The most miserable and most incompetent of men are those who cannot even pray. And the stingiest of men are those who do not greet others when they see them. [Tabarani]

Wise Quote of the Day:

Good character is a disposition deeply ingrained in the soul from which beautiful acts spring easily. [Imam Ghazali]

Guidance of the Day:

Fourthly, patient renunciation of desires, which are all those boastfully worldly things to which the soul inclines. Perfect patient denial is attained by inwardly stopping the soul from thinking and leaning toward them, and outwardly restraining it from seeking or coming close to them.

This kind of fortitude is helped by knowledge of the distraction from God and His worship which comes from seeking and fulfilling desires, the risks of falling into the suspect and prohibited things and the arousal of greed for the world and the wish to remain therein so as to be able to enjoy its pleasures. God will honor the one who grows accustomed to denying himself his desires by removing the love of these things from his heart. [Al-Haddad, The Book of Assistance]

Food for Thought:

Minutes! Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day. Until you value yourself; you won't value time, until you value time, you will not do anything with it. Time is the coin of your life. Let him know who would enjoy a good future (the hereafter), waste none of his present.

Pearls of wisdom 242

1. God has created for each limb a command and a prohibition as a binding obligation. He has created between these two a space for permissible actions. Leaving that space is a laudable virtue for the servant.

2. The obligation for the heart, after faith and repentance, is being sincere in the actions undertaken for the sake of God; entertaining a good opinion of God during those situations that vex your understanding; trusting in His promise; fearing His punishment; and hoping for His grace.

3. The obligation governing speech is being truthful during times of pleasure or anger, refraining from harming others secretly or openly, and avoiding ostentatious speech, whether it is good or evil.

4. The obligation of the sight is that it is averted from gazing at something forbidden, and that it does not seek out what is veiled or hidden from it.

5. The obligation of hearing is consistent with that of the speech and sight. Everything prohibited for you to speak about or to look at is prohibited for you to listen to or to enjoy audibly.

6. Searching for what is hidden from you is unlawful spying.

7. Listening to empty amusement, sensuous singing, and words harming Muslims in any way is as forbidden as consuming carrion or blood.

8. There is no appendage more damaging to the servant, after his tongue, than his ears, because they are the fastest messenger to the heart, and the quickest to surrender to temptation.

9.The obligation of the hands and feet is that they are not extended towards something forbidden, and that they are never closed from engaging the truth.

10. To ensure that we use our limbs in ways pleasing to God we have to ensure that our hearts are pure and in tune with the Divine law, and that we strive to attain the special status of Walaya, or love and nearness to God. When we are in a relationship of love and nearness to God, He ensures that we use our limbs in ways that are pleasing to Him, ways that are consistent with the law He has revealed. [Above quotes by Imam Harith al Muhasibi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1205

Ayahs of the Day:

As for the upright, they will drink from a cup of a blend of camphor, a source from which devotees of God drink, making it flow freely. They fulfill vows, dreading a day whose ill is impending; and they feed, for love of God, the poor, the orphan, and the captive: "We are feeding you solely for the sake of God; we want no compensation from you, not even thanks. For we dread a dismal day of calamity from our Lord." [76: 5 to 10]

Hadith of the Day:

The one who loves this world loses the Hereafter; the one who is concerned with the Hereafter loses interest in this world. I hope you will choose the lasting over the passing. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:

Belief is the life of the heart; worship is the blood flowing in its veins; and reflection, self-supervision, and self-criticism are the foundations of its performance. [Fethullah Gulen]

Guidance of the Day:

The second kind of unpleasant things comprises those which are caused by other men, whether by way of offences to oneself and one's honor, or of some act of withholding. Complete fortitude in this regard means preventing oneself from hating the offender, if he is a Muslim, or wishing him to come to harm, preventing one's tongue from praying to God against him, and not reproaching him at all, which thing should be accomplished either by forbearance or fortitude, through one's reliance on God's assistance, or by reconciliation, in the wish for His reward.

This kind of patience is helped by knowledge of that which is in suppressing one's anger, enduring injuries, and forgiving others. The Prophet, may blessings and peace be upon him, has said: 'God fills the heart of the one who suppresses his anger when able to carry out its demands with serenity and faith.' And: 'A herald will call on the Day of Rising: "Let those whose reward must be granted by God arise!" and there shall arise those men who were forgiving of others.' The one who perseveres in this kind of fortitude will be honored by God with a goodly character, which is the source of all virtues and the foundation of all perfections. [Al-Haddad, The Book of Assistance]

Food for Thought:

Faith in God is the key to mastery of fear. Deep faith eliminates fear. There is much in the world to make us afraid, there is much more in our faith to make us unafraid. A perfect faith would lift us absolutely above fear. Fear imprisons, faith liberates; fear paralyzes, faith empowers; fear disheartens, faith encourages; fear sickens, faith heals; fear makes useless, faith makes serviceable. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble -- therefore we will not fear.

Pearls of wisdom 241

1.The source of the varying types of excessiveness that affect the heart manifest themselves in -- hearing, sight, speech, food, clothing, and houses.

2. Excessive hearing leads to forgetfulness and heedlessness.

3. Excessive sight leads to heedlessness and confusion.

4. Excessive food leads to greed and artificial needs.

5. Excessive clothing leads to boasting and ostentatious behavior.

6. Excessively large houses lead to waste and conceit.

7. You should know that protecting the limbs is an obligation, while abandoning excessiveness is a highly desired virtue.

8. The meaning of sincerity is the servant not returning to what he has repented to his Lord for.

9. Repentance is not proper unless it involves four things -- A conviction not to return to the sinful behavior; a request for forgiveness coupled with remorse; the usurped property or rights are returned or restored to the aggrieved party; and the limbs are protected from the potentially corrupting influence of the seven senses, namely: hearing, sight, speech, smell, the two hands, the two feet, and the heart, which is the commander of the others -- with it lies the rectitude or ruin of the body. [Above quotes by Imam Harith al Muhasibi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1204

Ayahs of the Day:

Hasn't there been a time when man was nothing worth mention, for We made man from a mixed drop, in order to test him, giving him hearing and sight. We have shown him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful: We have prepared chains, yokes, and fire for the ungrateful. [76: 1 to 4]

Hadith of the Day:

Those who backbite their fellow human beings in this life will be made to eat their corpses in the Hereafter: they will wail and scream in horror. [Tabarani]

Wise Quote of the Day:

When He loosens your tongue with a request, then know that He wants to give you something. [Ibn Ata'Allah]

Guidance of the Day:

Thirdly, patient endurance of unpleasant things. These are of two kinds: The first comprises those which come from God without an intermediary, as for example illness, infirmity, loss of wealth, or the death of dear relatives or friends. This kind of fortitude is realized inwardly by forsaking restlessness, which is to become annoyed and irritated, and outwardly not complaining to any creature.This is not incompatible to describing an illness to a physician, or with one's eyes overflowing with tears at a time of loss; but it is, however, incompatible with slapping one's cheeks, rending one's clothes, wailing, and such like.

This kind of fortitude is helped by the knowledge that impatience is painful in itself, in addition to its leading to punishment and the loss of reward. Complaining to one who can neither benefit nor protect his own self is foolish, and such are all creatures. Furthermore, to complain is evidence of not finding one's sufficiency in God. God will give the one who perseveres in this kind of fortitude to taste the sweetness of surrender and find rest in the serenity of contentment (rida). [Al-Haddad, The Book of Assistance]

Food for Thought:

The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Victories that are cheap are cheap. Those only are worth having which come as the result of hard fighting. The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it. The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.

Pearls of wisdom 240

1.The signs of sincerity in a truthful servant are -- when he studies he contemplates.

2. When he falls silent he reflects.

3. When he speaks he mentions God.

4. When something is denied he is patient.

5. When he is given something he is thankful.

6. When he is tested he says, "We belong to God and unto Him we are all returning."

7. If someone behaves ignorantly with him he bears their abuse.

8. When he learns something he humbles himself.

9. When he teaches something he does so with gentleness.

10. When questioned he responds to the full extent of his knowledge. [Above quotes by Imam Harith al Muhasibi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1203

Ayahs of the Day:

Does the man think he'll be left for naught? Wasn't he a drop of seed emitted, and then he was a clot? Thus God created and proportioned, and made of human a pair of mates -- male and female. Isn't the one who did that able to revive the dead? [75: 36 to 40]

Hadith of the Day:

There is no greater worship in the opinion of God than the knowledge of one's religion. A scholar is a warrior against evil, and his strength is a thousand times greater than that of the pious. [Bayhaqi]

Wise Quote of the Day:

The believer conjoins excellent behavior with fear, while the hypocrite conjoins vile behavior with security. [Hasan al-Basri]

Guidance of the Day:

Secondly, patient endurance is renouncing sins. This is realized outwardly by avoiding them and by keeping away from the places where they might be committed, and by preventing the soul from discoursing upon them and from inclining to them, for the very beginning of a sin is a thought.

As for remembering previous sins, if this results in fear or remorse it is good, if not then refraining from it is better. This kind of fortitude is helped by remembering God's threats of punishment in this world and the next for disobedience. The one who keeps to this kind of fortitude will be honored by God with finding all disobedience so repugnant that entering the Fire would be easier for him to bear than the committal of the smallest sin. [Al-Haddad, The Book of Assistance]

Food for Thought:

What is a mistake? For most of us saying "I made a mistake" means either we did the wrong thing or we did something incorrectly. But is doing something wrong the worst outcome? Mistakes can be our teachers. Be patient and await their lessons and teachings, which are not always immediately apparent. The only real mistake we make is the one from which we learn nothing. Try to see your "mistakes" in a new light today.

Pearls of wisdom 239

1. You should know that no one has adorned himself with anything as beautiful as the intellect, and no one has worn a garment more beautiful than knowledge, because God is only known through the intellect, and He is only obeyed with knowledge.

2. Knowledge leads to greater fear and greater adherence to the prophetic example. Whenever a person increases in knowledge he increases in fear, and each time he increases in action he increases in humility.

3. Seek the way of people whose knowledge increased their reverence, whose actions increased their heart-vision, and whose intellect increased their gnosis.

4. Any knowledge not characterized by three things increases the proof against you -- it prevents you from harming people by cutting off your desire for what they posses; it leads you to act with humility; and it leads you to give your utmost for the sake of fairness and mutuality.

5. Only those who struggle against the base impulses of their souls, for the sake of God, attain the lofty stations and spiritual excellence.

6. When the knowledge of the intelligent person is sound and his certitude is firm he knows that nothing will save him from his Lord except truthfulness. He therefore strives diligently in its quest and searches for the characteristics of its people, longing to know true life before his death.

7. He now has knowledge after ignorance, he is enriched after being impoverished, he has conviviality after being estranged, he is drawn near after being distant, and he rests after being exhausted.

8. The source of the heart's corruption is failing to take account of the soul and being deceived into expecting a long life.

9. If you want to rectify your heart take time to question your desires and thoughts. Engage in only those things that are strictly undertaken for the pleasure of God and leave everything else.

10. Help yourself conquer the expectation of longevity by constantly remembering death. [Above quotes by Imam Harith al Muhasibi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1202

Ayahs of the Day:

But no, you love the life of this world and ignore the hereafter. Some faces will be aglow that day, gazing at their Lord: and some faces will be frowning that day, thinking they'd be made destitute thereby. In any case, when it (the soul) reaches the collar bones and it is said, "Who can work a wonder?" and he assumes the departure is imminent, and one leg is entwined with the other, the drive that day is to your Lord. [76: 20 to 30]

Hadith of the Day:

On the Day of Judgment the pious person is told to enter Paradise, but the holder of knowledge is commanded to stay, to intercede for humankind.

Wise Quote of the Day:

Give up deception and take heed. You say you fear Allah; in truth you fear his creatures. Fear neither jinn, nor humans, nor angels. Fear not the beast, nor the scourge of this world, or the hereafter. Fear only the Creator, the Sovereign who created all. [Shaykh Abdul Qadir jilani]

Guidance of the Day:

Fortitude (Sabr) is of four kinds:

Firstly, patiently enduring one's perseverance in acts of obedience. This is realized inwardly through sincerity and presence of the heart, and outwardly through holding, constantly to them, showing zeal, and performing them in the correct and lawful way. This kind of fortitude is helped by remembering God's promised rewards, both immediate and to come, for obedience.

The man who keeps to this kind of fortitude reaches the station of nearness where he will find indescribable sweetness, pleasure, and intimacy in acts of obedience. The one to whom this happens must not rely on it in preference to God. [Al-Haddad, The Book of Assistance]

Food for Thought:

Different people must contend with different trials, but adversities in some shape or other come to everyone. Adversities do not make the man either weak or strong, but they reveal what he is. Gold is tried in fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of adversity. I never met with a single instance of adversity which I have not in the end seen was for my own good -- no one complains on his deathbed of his afflictions.