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.