LESSON OF THE DAY 1270

Ayahs of the Day:

By the age, man is indeed at loss, except those who have faith and do good works and (join together) in the mutual teaching of truth, and of patience and perseverance. [103: 1,2,3]

Hadith of the Day:

A prudent man subdues his passions and works for what comes after death, but an imprudent man follows his passions and puts his hope in God (for forgiveness). [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:

Had there not been five bad qualities, all the people would have been righteous -- contentment with ignorance, love for worldly life, miserliness, ostentation in good deeds, and pride in their own intelligence. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:

Be an example of peace: The old saying "Do as I say, not as I do" doesn't work very well at home! What does work, however, is the reverse, or "Do as I do, not as I say." Whether you live alone, with one other person or with many, the most effective way to create a more peaceful home is for you to become an example of peace. The emotional climate you live in begins with you. If you are agitated, nervous, frantic, and frustrated, it's unrealistic to expect that the people in your home are going to thrive.

If you wait for others to set the example you'd like to see, you're going to have a long wait! However, when you are calm, patient, and loving, you bring out the best in those around you. By being an example of peace, you open the door for others to be more patient, accepting and gracious. By being peaceful, you eliminate many of the mental distractions that interfere with your wisdom and common sense, thus making it easier to see solutions instead of problems.

The first step in becoming calmer yourself is to acknowledge this goal as a priority in your life. Instead of waiting for others to step forward and blaming them for the chaos in your home, make the decision to have peace as your priority -- decide it's a goal worth striving toward. When peace is your primary goal most everything else will fall into place and will be much easier to deal with. In addition, you'll be setting the stage for others to live a more peaceful life, which, in turn, further reduces the chaos you must live with. Becoming more peaceful might not happen over night, but it is certainly a goal worth striving for. Beginning now, you can make choices that lead you in this direction. [Carlson, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff -- with your family]

Food for Thought:

The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits. There is no substitute for hard work. The best prize life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. Work is not man's punishment, it is his reward and his strength and his pleasure. Nothing ever comes to one that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.