Pearls of wisdom 307

1. Poverty is -- fear of poverty; and wealth is -- security with God Most High.

2. Neither poverty nor wealth will carry any weight on the Day of reckoning -- only patience and thankfulness will be weighed.

3. External abstaining is that there be no outward movement except for God Most High, and internal abstaining is that nothing other than God enter your heart.

4. Poor son of Adam, if he feared the Fire as much as he fears poverty, he would enter Paradise.

5. Death is like the bridge that joins the devotee to his beloved Lord.

6. To worry about the affairs of the past and to be preoccupied with the affairs of the future takes the blessing out of life.

7. The secret of success in the pursuit of the Spiritual Path is to depend entirely upon the Lord of the Universe.

8. Whoever feels joy in serving Allah will see that the whole material world feels joy in serving him.

9. The eyes that shine with the light of Allah will give light to the eyes that look upon them.

10. Every benefaction from God necessitates gratitude, and this is without end.

11. Strengthen your outer self with prayer and your inner self with remembrance of Allah.

12. Allah created man's soul and made its life dependent on remembrance; He created man's flesh and made its life dependent on prayer.

13. Allah created the world, and protection from its dangers is possible only by abandoning it (except for one's needs); He created the Hereafter and made it possible to benefit from it only by working for it. [Above quotes by Shaykh Yahya bin Ma'adh Razi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1275

Ayahs of the Day:

We have given you abundance, so pray to your Lord and sacrifice. As for the one who hates you, he'll be the one without issue. [108: 1,2,3]

Hadith of the Day:

The one who loves for the sake of Allah, hates for the sake of Allah, gives for the sake of Allah and withholds for the sake of Allah has completed his faith. [Abu Dawud]

Wise Quote of the Day:

The serene place belongs to the one occupied with the correction of his own self, who struggles against it in every state. [Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib]

Guidance of the Day:

Treat your family members (and those you love most) as if this were the last time you were going to see them. How often do we run out the door without saying good-bye -- or to say something less than kind or something critical under our breath as a parting shot as we go our separate ways? How often do we take for granted those we love and count on the most, assuming we will always be together? Most of us seem to operate under the assumption that we can always be kind later, that there's always tomorrow. But is that the wise way to live?

Our daily lives can be precious. A powerful exercise to practice on a regular basis is to imagine that this is your final good-bye. Imagine that, for one reason or another you won't see your family member again after this meeting. If this were true (and it's always a possibility), would you like to act in the same way? Would you remind your parent, child, sibling, spouse, or other loved one of yet another shortcoming, flaw, or imperfection in his or her behavior or personality? Would your last words be complaints or pessimistic comments that suggest that you wish your life were different than it is? Probably not.

Perhaps, if you thought there was always possibility that this were the last time your were going to see someone you love, you'd take an extra minute to give a loving hug and say good-bye. Or may be you'd say something kind and gentle, an affirmation of your love, instead of your business-as-usual "See you later." If you thought this were the last time you were going to see your teenager, sister,parent, in-law, or spouse, you might treat that person differently, with more kindness, and more compassionately. Rather than rushing away, you'd probably smile and tell the person how much you care. Your heart would be open.

I make this suggestion not to create a fearful environment but to encourage you to remember how precious your family is and how much you'd miss them if they (or you) weren't around to share your life with. The implementation of this strategy into my life has added additional perspective to what's most important. I believe it can help you to become more patient and loving -- and perhaps most of all, to remember to not sweat the small stuff with your family. [Carlson, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff -- with your family]

Food for Thought:

Make love, not war! Have you declared war against friends and family members and devoted yourself to changing their bad habits through criticism and conflict? Well, if you want peace of mind and happiness in your life and in the world, declare love and devote yourself to other people's well-being than trying to change them. What will you declare, love ore war?

Pearls of wisdom 306

1. The sign of vigilant awareness is choosing what God chooses, making great what God makes great, and belittling what God belittles.

2. The signs of satisfaction are -- having no preference before divine decree, and feeling no bitterness toward the divine decree.

3. Certainty (in the Hereafter) calls one to cut short worldly expectations -- which results in renunciation, renunciation bequeaths wisdom, wisdom bequeaths discernment of the outcome.

4. Servitude is that you be His slave every instant just as He is your Lord every instant.

5. Truthfulness is a sword of God -- whenever it meets with something it cuts it apart.

6. Protection of the heart is for the one who is most in possession of his tongue.

7. Whoever is busy looking for the faults of others is blinded to his own faults.

8. One who is content is saved from his contemporaries and prevails over all.

9. The key to worship is reflection -- the sign of attaining the goal is opposing the self and base desires.

10. The sign of God's displeasure with a servant is that the servant fears poverty. [Above quotes by Shaykh Dhun Nun al Misri]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1274

Ayahs of the Day:

Do you see the one who rejects religion? That is the one who rebuffs the orphan and does not encourage feeding the poor. So woe to those who pray yet are inattentive to their prayer: those who put on the appearance and yet are withholding assistance. [107: 1 to 7]

Hadith of the Day:

A believer sees his sins as if he is at the foot of a mountain and he fears that it will fall upon him. The hypocrite views his sins like a fly that lands on his nose that he just swats at. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:

God says: "I have created you, your moments, your breaths, your possessions, your lives. If they are expended on Me, if you give them to Me, the price of them is everlasting Paradise. This is your worth in My sight." [Mawlana Rumi]

Guidance of the Day:

Remember, this too shall pass: A nugget of ancient wisdom that has served me well is the saying "This too shall pass." Think about it. Everything comes and then it goes. Problems develop and they disappear. One day we are on vacation, the next we're back to work. We get a cold or flu, and it goes away. . . . . There is enormous freedom in remembering this wisdom. In fact, it can be the fountain of a very peaceful life. It serves as an important reminder that everything has a season, a time, and a place. It gives us perspective during hard times, a frame of reference that nothing lasts forever. It gives us hope and confidence that we will get through this -- it will pass; it always does.

As we look back on our lives, it's easy to see that all things come and go: winter, spring, summer, and fall; joy, sorrow, praise, and blame; hardship, ease, rest, and exhaustion; accomplishments, mess-ups, and all the rest. Genuine freedom and happiness come when we can see this dynamic, not only in retrospect but while we're going through something difficult. This way, we can keep our perspective right in the midst of the chaos. When you remember that all things come and go, it allows you to keep your perspective, an open heart, and even a sense of humor during all the phases of your life.

I encourage you to remind yourself of this bit of wisdom whenever you feel annoyed, stressed, or bothered, as well as when you are going through something terribly difficult. Life is very short. Our children are little; they grow up. We are young; we grow old. We will get through it all. The best and most effective way to maintain a grateful spirit and keep yourself from being overwhelmed is to remember that all things -- even the hard things -- will pass. [Carlson, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff -- with your family]

Food for Thought:

Being bored is an insult to oneself. Boredom is a sickness of the soul. Is not life too short for us to bore ourselves? The one sure means of dealing with boredom is to care for someone else, to do something kind and good. The amount of satisfaction you get from life depends largely on your own ingenuity, self-sufficiency, and resourcefulness. People who wait around for life to supply their satisfaction usually find boredom instead.

Pearls of wisdom 305

1. Adorer of God is His lover and whom He makes His lover -- doors of blessedness are made open to him and doors of evil are shut to him.

2. Immodest talks are signs of going astray, and to remain conscious is the sign of knowing the Truth.

3. Quest of Paradise without good deeds, hope for intersession without following the sunna, and hope for Divine blessing after disobedience (without sincere repentance) is foolishness.

4. Those who attain the true knowledge of God, live in eternal peace.

5. He who trusts in God remains secure from the evils of the people.

6. The affliction and calamity from which people should flee is heedlessness.

7. Satan loves the miser Muslim and hates the generous sinner.

8. Idol worship is outer polytheism and trust in the creation is inner infidelity.

9. The solution for the worldly tribulations is nearness to Allah Almighty. [Above quotes by Shaykh Ma'ruf al Kharkhi]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1273

Ayahs of the Day:

For the union of Quraish, their collaboration in travel, winter and summer, let them serve the Lord of this House, Who feeds them lest they starve, and gives them security from fear. [106: 1 to 4]

Hadith of the Day:

God will say on the Day of Resurrection, "Where are those who have mutual love for My sake? Today I shall shelter them in My shadow." [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:

Make it your habit to weep in awe of the Divine, so that you may laugh on the Day of Resurrection. [Yahya bin Mu'adh]

Guidance of the Day:

Become Clutter-Free: The reason so many people end up letting clutter take over their lives is that they have never felt or experienced the joy of a clutter-free home. There is, however, something incredibly peaceful about a clutter-free home: opening a closet and actually having space to hang up something; open a drawer without having to use force; being able to find virtually everything you look for; having open, airy space where there is nothing at all.

There is something effortless and pleasant about sitting at your desk and being able to see the surface and to find your address book. There is something equally freeing about opening a kitchen cabinet and being able to choose easily and quickly from your favorite pots and baking trays without having to sort through and push back as if you were trampling through a thick forest.

Becoming clutter-free is an easy way to simplify your life and to feel more organized and in control. It gives you a peaceful feeling of space. It lifts your emotional spirit by giving you a feeling of openness and of being connected to, rather than overwhelmed by, life. [Carlson, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff -- with your family]

Food for Thought:

Prayer is a means of adding power to the strength we already possess. Sometimes we know what is right, but we lack the will power to do it. Time spent on the knees in prayer will do more good to remedy heart strain and nerve worry than anything else. A man is continually at prayer when he lives according to truth.

Pearls of wisdom 304

1. It is offensive that there should be seen in the outward appearance of man more humility than what is in his heart.

2. The scholars of the Merciful possess humility and submissiveness, and the scholars of the rulers possess pride and arrogance.

3. Whoever considers his soul to be of any worth has no share of submissiveness.

4. Submit to the Truth; obey it and accept it from whoever says it -- this is submissiveness.

5. God placed all evil in one house and made its key love of the world, He placed all goodness in another house and made its key renunciation.

6. Five of the signs of wretchedness in a man are -- hardness in the heart, severity in the eyes, paucity of shame, desire of this world, and limitless expectations of worldly gain.

7. World's renunciation is a gift from God -- granted to the chosen few.

8. On the Day of Judgment many a rich will suffer imprisonment and the office-holders will have a terrible time, being called to answer for their deeds -- so be prepared to answer for your acts on that Day. [Above quotes by Fudhail bin Iyaadh]

LESSON OF THE DAY 1272

Ayahs of the Day:

Didn't you see how your Lord treated the troops with the elephants? Did not God foil their strategy, sending against them flocks of birds pelting them with the rock-hard clay, making them like stubble of grain that's been consumed? [105: 1 to 5]

Hadith of the Day:

The first to be summoned to Paradise on the Day of Resurrection will be those who praise God in (both) prosperity and adversity. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:

If you do remember death and prepare for its coming, you will know endless joy when death arrives. Whereas if you are complacent and procrastinate, death will come to you at an unforeseen moment and you will know regrets without end. [Imam Ghazali]

Guidance of the Day:

Become Clutter-Free: As simple as this suggestion is, it's worth discussing. And as simple as it sounds, it's actually not an easy task. It's taken a great deal of persistence, but I'd estimate that I have eliminated more than 90 percent of the clutter in my life. I'm convinced that this effort has helped me measurably in becoming a more easygoing person, as well as in my desire to stop sweating the small stuff at home!

Virtually every day, different forms of "stuff," much of which is useless and only takes up physical and mental space, comes into our lives. Without a concerted and conscious effort to counter this accumulation, we end up with piles and piles of useless junk to contend with. The reason: Clutter comes into our life whether we want it or not. So, if we don't have a method of getting rid of at least as much (on average) as is coming in, it's inevitable that the piles will become ever larger and more difficult to sort through. Many people fool themselves that they will "get to it soon" or fall prey to the (almost always) false belief that they may need it someday. The latter excuse is validated by remembering a time or two when they needed something and found it buried under stacks of boxes in the back of the garage. [Carlson, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff -- with your family]

Food for Thought:

Now is the only time we own; give, love, toil with a will. And place no faith in tomorrow, for the clock may then be still. You had better live your best and act your best and think your best today; for today is the sure preparation for tomorrow and all the other tomorrows that follow. The here-and-now is no mere filling of time, but a filling of time with God.