LESSON OF THE DAY 1278

Ayahs of the Day:

Ruined are the hands of the one who flares up, and ruined is he: His wealth is no avail to him, nor what he's acquired: He will roast in a flaming fire, his wife carrying the fuel, with a rope around her neck. [111: 1 TO 5]

Hadith of the Day:

Whoever is slowed by his deeds, will not be hastened by his lineage. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:

The night is long, so do not shorten it by sleeping, and the day is brilliant, so do not obscure it with your sins. [Yahya ibn Mu'adh]

Guidance of the Day:

While we cannot count our blessings, we are charged to be grateful for having them. The fact that the Quran has been revealed to us to reflect on these blessings is in itself a great blessing, for the human being cannot on his own figure out how to live with guidance. To deny God's blessings can lead to outright disbelief and denial of God the Exalted. God will not take away a blessing unless people show ingratitude. A poet said, "If you are in a blessing, guard it, for disobedience shall snatch away." Gratitude to God protects one from having blessings removed.

There is an interesting concept called istidraj, in which God allows an ingrate to flaunt his blessings, while God does not diminish the ingrate's blessings in the least. In fact, He may increase it. The person will then begin to think that God really loves him, and the only thing worse than a person who is misguided is the person who is stray but believes himself to be favored by God. [Hamza Yusuf, Purification of Heart]

Food for Thought:

The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress. We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden. Readjusting is a painful process, but most of us need it at one point or another. Change the fabric of your soul and your own visions, and you will change all. He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils.