Pearls of Wisdom 325

1. Two groups of people seek proximity of God, those who revere Him publicly and are held in high regard by the sacred law, and those who do not display their devotion. Secure in the knowledge that God alone bestows all that is good or bad in this world, they choose Him as their companion and are delivered of want. The former because of their own need remain veiled from divine guidance, while latter transcend through selflessness.

2. Speech is a great blessing conferred on man by God, thereby distinguishing him from all other creatures. But speech like wine intoxicates the mind. Thus the Prophet said: "He who keeps silent shall be saved." For in silence are concealed many spiritual blessings and in speech many evils.

3. Knowledge is of  three kinds: from God, with God, of God. Knowledge of God is disclosed to all prophets and saints; it is a divine guidance and cannot be acquired. Knowledge from God is the sacred law made obligatory upon us. Knowledge with God is the knowledge of the paths and stations and the development of saints.

4. This world is an abode of troubles; the world hereafter of terrors. Humans are in the midst of troubles and terrors  until they reach the final abode of Paradise or Hell. Happy is the soul that has detached itself from troubles and terrors and has attached itself to God alone.

5. True repentance entails constant regret of your sins. Without remorse, good deeds, be they abounding, could be eclipsed by pride that follows piety. Remorse  for a sin is superior to good works. Never forget your transgressions to save yourself from conceit.

6. There are two kinds of speeches and two kinds of silences. Speech is either truth or a falsification, and silence which is either fruition or heedlessness. If one speaks the truth, his words are better than his silence, but he who invents falsifications, his silence is better than his speech. [Shaykh Ali al Hujwiri]

Lesson of the day 1324

Ayahs of the day:
O believer, be conscious of God with due reverence, and do not die without your having surrendered to God. [3: 102]

Hadith of the day:
No person conceals (the faults of) another in this world but Allah will conceal him (his faults) on the Day of Resurrection. [Muslim]

Wise quote of the day:
Reckon your self before you are reckoned and weigh your self before you are weighed. [Omar radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the day:
Good works are only possible in this world and are inconceivable elsewhere. The hereafter is a place of reward, not of action. Ask God's help and be patient, strive earnestly, hasten to good works before there comes a time when you are incapable of performing them, make the best you can of your time before the end overtakes you unaware!

You are prone to ailments, a target for the arrows of death. Your capital, with which you can buy perpetual happiness from God, is but your lifetime. Beware of spending your moments,days, hours, and breaths in that which is of no benefit, devoid of good, for your regrets will be prolonged and your grief after death immense, once you realize with certainty how much you have missed. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
Every charitable act is a stepping stone towards heaven. If we do not have any charity in our heart, we have the worst kind of heart trouble. What we frankly give, forever is our own. Prayer carries us half way to God, fasting brings us to the door of His palace, and the alms-giving procures us admission. One must be poor to know the luxury of giving. It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Momin dies Working....

The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: "The Momin dies with his sweat on his brow (i.e. with labor and hard work)." [Tirmidhi, Nasai]

A Momin's work is never done. If a conscientious student is sitting for a three hour exam and gets done in two and a half hours, he/she will go over their work making sure that they did not miss anything or make any mistakes. Moreover, if an exam has been designed for three hours, it is meant to take around three hours to finish.

Our lifespan should likewise be fully utilized to make sure we have not left anything undone that we could have earned Jannat with. This is the only chance we get; there will be no exams after this, only results. Therefore, we have to give this one exam our best shot.

If somebody is sitting around with nothing to do, it means that they have not understood the purpose of life, what Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) gave it to us for! There is no time to waste, no moment to lose. As long as we are alive we can keep earning thawaab. A Momin, therefore, keeps working to please Allah t(subhana wa ta'ala) before death overtakes him, and his exam paper is taken away from him.

The online version of Daily Hadith is available.

Pearls of Wisdom 324

1. Practice what you have learned, for theory without practice is like a spirit without a body. One who is content with learning alone is not learned, for the truly learned seek more than mere words. Divine guidance entails self-mortification, without which contemplation is unattainable.

2. Fear and hope are two pillars of faith. By practicing either one of them a person will not fall into error, because both fear and hope lead to union. Those who fear devote themselves to God through fear of separation from Him, and those who hope worship in hope of realizing the ultimate union.

3. When Moses conversed with God, he asked, "Lord, where shall I seek You?"
    God answered, "Among the brokenhearted."
    Moses continued, "But, Lord, no heart could be more despairing than mine."
    And God replied, "Then I am where you are."

4. The lower soul dissuades from conforming to faith. The more the self is subdued, the easier it becomes to glorify God. When the ego is annihilated, worship becomes sustenance, just as it sustains the angels.

5. Those who believe everything to be created by God see Him in everything.They find comfort in regarding the Creator and not His creation. All problems stem form the illusion that created things hold the ultimate power. Turn to Him, therefore, if your seek deliverance.

6. Angels were created without lust and evil, the worst obstacles of humankind. Those who despite their evil nature remain pious excel angels in rank. Enthused by their purity angels denounced the human race, so God chose three angels to go to the earth and reform its inhabitants. One angel, espying the corruption, begged God to let him return. The other two, in their earthly form, gave in to lust and fell from grace. Thus God revealed to the other angels the superiority of the devout. [Shaykh Ali al Hujwiri]

Lesson of the day 1323

Ayahs of the day:
You will not attain righteousness until you give of what you care for; and whatever you give, surely God knows it. [3: 92]

Hadith of the day:
The Muslim is the brother of his fellow Muslim. He does not wrong him, let him down or despise him. [Muslim]

Wise quote of the day:
Three things destroy a person -- persisting in sin with false hopes of repentance; delaying repentance with the delusion of long life; and despairing of His mercy. [Shaqeeq al Balkhi]

Guidance of the day:
A long life in the service of God is to be desired, the longer the life is in the service of God, the more good works are accumulated, and the higher the degree. On the other hand, a long life in disobedience is a calamity and an evil, for the bad deeds will abound and sins will multiply.

Should someone claim that he wishes to live long in this world that he may increase the good deeds that will draw him nearer to God Almighty -- then if he is careful not to neglect them, eager to pursue them and to avoid those worldly things which may distract him from them, he is probably truthful in his claim.

 But if he is lazy in pursuing good works and given to postponing them, he is a liar who will keep producing false excuses that will avail him nothing, for he who wishes to live for a certain purpose is expected to be most careful never to miss any of it or allow himself to be prevented from fulfilling it. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
Every man is not the architect of his own fortune; but every man is the architect of his own character. A man never discloses his own character as clearly as when he describes another's. Character is not made in crises -- it is only exhibited.

Beautiful Dua...

O اللَّه , help me to say words of truth in the face of the mighty....
And to refrain from speaking ill in order to gain the applause of the weak...
And do not let me accuse my adversaries of treachery because their opinions oppose mine...

O اللَّه , should You give me wealth, do not take away my happiness...
And should You give me might, do not take away my wisdom....
And should You give me success do not take away my humility...
And should You give me modesty do not take away my sense of dignity...

O اللَّه, teach me to love others as I love myself...
And teach me to judge myself as I judge others...
And teach me that forgiveness is one of the greatest steps towards strength...

O اللَّه , do not curse me with arrogance should I be successful...
And neither with despair and hopelessness should I fail...

O اللَّه, remind me always that failure is the trial that precedes success....
Should You take away my wealth, do let me keep my hopefulness...
And should I fail, do let me keep the power of determination...
And should You take away the blessing of good health do let me keep the blessing of faith...

O اللَّه , should I have harmed others give the courage to apologise...
And should others harm me, do bless me with the courage to forgive...
And should I forget You Ya اللَّه  I beg that You should not exclude me from Your compassion and clemency...

For You are The Greatest, The Vanquisher, The All Powerful on all things!!!

Pearls of Wisdom 323

1. Real faith is having complete trust in God. "It is the belief in the wisdom which comes from the unseen." Such certainty can only be attained through the knowledge that emerges with divine help.

2. If you devote yourself to God in this world, He will admit you among His chosen servants in the hereafter. Such devotion, however, demands sacrifice and self-denial, the two instruments that make union with God possible.

3. We cannot do away with our daily nourishment, but let us not wallow in gluttony.

4. God fills the hearts of those who love Him with peace, thus enabling them to endure afflictions with ease. And they also plead, "We shall bear torment (of this world) with joy, but never shall we be able to endure being separated from You. When Your magnificence illumines our hearts, all our pain, our sorrows seem meaningless and vanish."

4. Do not seek sustenance from people. God is the real Provider. If He wills a certain person to be the means of your livelihood, do not consider that person to be in control of your destiny. Have faith and be certain in the knowledge that your daily bread does not depend upon any mortal, but upon God who created all.

5. "I realized what was hidden within me and conversed with You in secret. Though we were united, we still were apart. Though awe hid You from my searching eyes, ecstasy brought You close to my innermost being."

6. Those who truly know God worship Him with all their resolve; they concede to His ubiquitous bounty and obey all His commandments with the utmost fervor. As their adoration grows so does their obedience, since they are aware that this world is a madhouse and its inhabitants madmen wearing shackles of lust and chains of sin. [Shaykh Ali al Hujwiri]

A SHORT MORAL STORY.....

There was a King who had 1 Eye and 1 leg..

He asked all the painters to draw a beautiful portrait of him. But none of them could -- how could they paint him beautifully with the defects in one eye and one leg.

Eventually one of them agreed and drew a classic picture of the King.

It was a fantastic picture and surprised everyone..

He painted the King AIMING for a HUNT. Targeting with ONE Eye Closed and One Leg Bent ...

MORAL : Why cant we all paint pictures like this for others. Hiding their weaknesses and highlighting their strength