LESSON OF THE DAY 1277

Ayahs of the Day:

When God's help has arrived, and victory, and you have seen people entering the religion of God in crowds, then praise your Lord and seek Divine forgiveness, for God is merciful. [110: 1,2,3]

Hadith of the Day:

Whoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this life and the Hereafter. Allah is helping the servant as long as the servant is helping his brother. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:

Be with people in such a way that if you should die, they should weep for you, and if you live, they should long for you. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:

Obliviousness to blessings is a disease, it's a lack of acknowledgement, a noxious disregard that whatever blessing you have, it is from God. The blessings that come to us, night and day, are beyond numeration, as the Qur'an reminds. These blessings come in all forms -- what we can see and touch (by way of material good: food, clothing, shelter, wealth, and the like), as well as what we cannot see (like safety, friendship, love health, and protection from harm and calamity).

The Qur'an begins with the phrase translated as, In the name of God, the Merciful, the Mercy-Giving. Some Scholars have said that "Merciful" (Rahman) implies the giver of the major blessings, while "Mercy-Giving" (Rahim) implies the giver of subtle blessings that are not perceived until they are removed. We blink, for example, thousands of times a day without thought. There are people, however, who require artificial lubricants because their tear glands do not function.

There are countless blessings related to the eye, let alone other aspects of our lives, like our ability to walk in balance without needing to consciously stimulate dozens of muscles required to take one step. Our thumbs permit us to do with our hands what most creatures cannot attempt. God has made food delicious instead of bland. And He has given us dignity in our nutrition, which is a tremendous blessing, especially when one considers the way carnivores devour their prey. [Translation by Hamza Yusuf, Purification of the Heart]

Food for Thought:

Character is the real foundation of all worthwhile success. Try not to become a man of success, but rather a man of value. Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved. If a man is self-controlled, truthful, wise, and resolute, is there aught that can stay out of reach of such a man?