Lesson of the day 1328

Ayahs of the day:
And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord, and to a garden broad as the heavens and the earth, prepared for conscientious, those who spend in good times and bad, and those who restrain anger, and those who forgive people; and God loves those who do good. [3: 133,134]

Hadith of the day:
Richness is not having a great deal of wealth; rather richness is richness of the soul. [Bukhari]

Wise quote of the day:
Do not ask one who flees from your requests, but instead, ask the One Who had commanded you to ask of Him. [Ibn al-Samaak]

Guidance of the day:
The sign of good fortune is that in his lifetime the servant is granted success in performing good works and that they be rendered easy for him. On the other hand, the sign of wretchedness is that they not be rendered easy for him and that, furthermore, he is afflicted with evil works.

Also know that the believer possessed of discernment in religion, well steeped in knowledge and certainty, is he who excels in his works for the sake of God, exerts his utmost, then depends on God and His grace, not on his own works and brilliancy. Thus were the Prophets, the scholars, and the virtuous among the old and the recent generations -- may peace, mercy, and satisfaction be upon them. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood. A good memory and a tongue tied in the middle is a combination which gives immortality to conversation. Not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult is to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.

We need to say....

1. Yes to beautiful smile that sends a message of warmth and friendliness to others.

2. Yes to kind words that establish friendship as permitted in Islam and dispel rancor.

3. Yes to acceptable charity that brings happiness to the poor and feeds the hungry.

4. Yes to sitting with the Qur'an, reciting it,  pondering in its meaning and acting upon them, and repenting and seeking forgiveness.

5. Yes to remembering Allah a great deal and praying for forgiveness, persisting in du'a and offering sincere repentance.

6. Yes to raising children in Islam, teaching them the Sunnah and guiding them to that which will benefit them in this world and the next.

7. Yes to modesty and hijab as enjoined by Allah, which is the identity of a Muslima and a means of self-protection.

8. Yes to the love and friendship of those who fear Allah, love Islam and resolve for high values.

9. Yes to honoring one's parents, upholding the ties of kinship, honoring one's neighbors and caring for orphans.

10. Yes to reading useful, informative and beneficial books, and listening to lectures which will give us the understanding of our deen and bring us closer to Allah Most High.

We need to say.....

1. No to wasting time in trivial pursuits, and love of revenge and futile arguments.

2. No to giving priority to money and accumulation of wealth over one's health, happiness, sleep and peace of mind.

3. No to seeking out other people's faults and backbiting about them, while forgetting one's own faults.

4. No to indulging in physical pleasure and giving in to every whim and desire.

5. No to wasting time with shallow people and spending hours in idle pursuits.

6. No to neglecting physical hygiene and cleanliness in the house, and being disorganized.

7. No to haram food, drinks, cigarettes and all foul things.

8. No to thinking of past calamities and dwelling on past mistakes.

9. No to wasting money on haram things, being extravagant with regard to permissible things, and falling short in acts of worship and giving charity.

10. No to forgetting Hereafter and neglecting to strive for it, and to being careless of what will happen in the Hereafter.

Pearls of Wisdom 327

1. A person with knowledge of God strives to fulfill His commandments and follows the conduct of the Prophet. The nearer one is to God, the more eager he is to do His bidding, and the farther he is from God, the more averse he is to follow His Apostle.

2. Knowledge is the spirit that saves the heart from the death of ignorance; it is light that saves it from darkness of iniquity. The hearts of the iniquitous are dead because they are oblivious to God, and the hearts of the heedless are sick because they ignore His commandments.

3. Since man is made of clay, he can never be completely pure. Since clay is basically foul, how can  humans escape their basic nature? Purity does not lie in rituals, nor can human nature be changed by effort. Those who love God and remain conscious only of their Beloved attain purity.

4. The light of love and union with God is like the light of the sun and the moon shining together. The light of the sun and moon is worthless before the light of love. Visual perception can only see the sun and the moon or the skies, but the eye of the heart witnesses the empyrean.

5. When Shibli heard the verse "And remember your Lord when you forget," he declared, "The need for remembrance arises because of forgetfulness. The world has stopped remembering Him." At that a loud shriek escaped his lips, and he fainted. Upon regaining consciousness, he said, "The universe is lost in His praise, except the humans. I wonder at those who hear the dictates of God, yet continue to transgress." [Shaykh Ali al Hujwiri]

Remember the best of creation.....

THE HOLY PROPHET SALLALLAHU ALAYHI WASALLAM

When becoming humiliated, remember the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi
wasallam) in Ta'if.

When being starved, remember the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam)
tying two stones to his stomach in the battle of Khandaq.

When becoming angry, remember the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam)'s
control of anger on the martyrdom of his beloved Uncle Hamza.

When losing a tooth, remember the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam)'s
tooth in the battle of Uhud.

When bleeding from any part of the body, remember the Prophet
(sallallahu alayhi wasallam)'s body covered in blood on his return from
Ta'if.

When feeling lonely, remember the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam)'s
seclusion in Mount Hira

When feeling tired in Salaat, remember the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi
wasallam)'s blessed feet in Tahajjud.

When being prickled with thorns, remember the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi
wasallam)'s pain from Abu Lahab's wife.

When being troubled by neighbors, remember the old woman who would
empty rubbish on the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam).

When losing a child, remember the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam)'s
son, Ibrahim.

When beginning a long journey, remember the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi
wasallam)'s long journey to Madinah.

When going against a Sunnah, remember the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam)'s
 intercession, Ummati, Ummati,Ummati (My Ummah).

When sacrificing an animal, remember the Prophet
(sallallahu alayhi wasallam)'s sacrifice of 63 animals for his
Ummah.

Before shaving your beard, remember the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi
wasallam)'s face rejecting the two beardless Iranians.

When falling into an argument with your wife, remember the Prophet
(sallallahu alayhi wasallam)'s encounter with Aisha and Hafsa.

When experiencing less food in the house, remember the Prophet
(sallallahu alayhi wasallam)'s days of poverty.

When experiencing poverty, remember the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi
wasallam)'s advice to Ashaab-e-Suffa (People of Suffa).

When losing a family member, remember the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi
wasallam)'s departure from this world.

When becoming an orphan, remember the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi
wasallam)'s age at six.

When sponsoring an orphan, remember the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi
wasallam)'s sponsor for Zaid ibn Haritha.

When fearing an enemy, remember the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi
wasallam)'s saying to Abu Bakr in Mount Thour

Whatever situation you may find yourself in, remember your role model,
the best of creation Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam).

Lesson of the day 1327

Ayahs of the day:
Believers, do not consume usurious interest, multiplied and compounded; and be conscious of God, that you may thrive. And be wary of the fire that is prepared for unbelievers. And obey God and the messenger, that you may experience mercy. [3: 130,131,132]

Hadith of the day:
A man will follow the way of his close friends, so let one of you look to whom he takes as a close friend. [Tirmidhi]

Wise quote of the day:
There are four characteristics that if one possesses them, Allah protects him from Satan -- controlling oneself in a state of craving, fearing, desiring (or lusting), and being angry. [Hasan al-Basri]

Guidance of the day:
The true believer is he whose works are good and sincere, and he hopes they will be accepted and rewarded by God's favor. He will also avoid sins, steer away from them, lest he may be afflicted with them, fear to be chastised for those he has already committed, and hopes to be forgiven by God once he has repented and turned to Him. A believer who does not fulfill these conditions is one who is confused and is in great danger. Understand this and impose upon yourself its fulfillment so that -- God willing --you will be saved and will achieve success. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
The secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what we have, and to be able  to lose all desire for things beyond our reach. Since we cannot get what we like, let us like what we can get. If we are content, we have enough to live comfortably. It is good to be contented with what we have, never with what we are.

Hasty in Judgment....

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wasallam) said: “Oh Ali, if two people come to ask you to judge between them, do not judge in favour of the first until you hear the word of the second in order that you may know how to judge.” [Ahmad, Abu Daud]

Humans are hasty by nature. We are quick to judge. A situation aggravates us and we rush to condemn without bothering to determine all the facts first. In our haste usually only one point of view is considered. This could happen in our households when children get into a fight. This also often happens when we hear things about people. We don’t stay out of things that do not concern us; then we do not bother to hear the other side of the story either. Thirdly, we also get easily influenced with one sided information broadcast at us through the media.

In short, we do exactly what Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) has forbidden, which is to make haste in passing judgment. Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) used to make dua begging Allah, “Enable me to see reality as it really is.”

Pearls of Wisdom 326

1. I never saw anyone as just as the world. As long as you pursue the world it will pursue you, but when you turn away from it and seek God, it will leave you alone and its glamour shall no longer fascinate you.

2. Prayer is an instrument through which novices find their path to God. Thus ablution symbolizes repentance; the Qibla, a spiritual guide; standing in prayer becomes self-mortification; the recitation of the Qur'an, inner meditation; bowing the head, humility; prostration, self knowledge; profession of faith, intimacy; and salutation becomes detachment from the world and bondage of stations.

3. When reason reaches its peak and the souls of His lovers feel helplessness and disabled, they grow restless and stretch their hands in supplication, seeking comfort for their burning souls. When every manner of search within their power has been consumed, the doorway to Him is opened.

4. The miraculous quality of the Qur'an is that one never grows weary of reading or listening to it. The Quresh used to come secretly by night and listen in awe to the Prophet recite. One night Utba bin Rabi'a, an eloquent poet of the time, swooned upon hearing a chapter from the Qur'an. He later swore, "I am positive those are not the words of a mortal."

5. God created the hearts of men to be the homes of His praise, but they have become the homes of lust; nothing but fear and desire  for goodness can purify them. When faith establishes itself within the heart, praise and contentment follow.

6. When a lover of God turns his eyes away from the temptations of this world, he sees the Lord with the eyes of his heart. [Shaykh Ali al Hujwiri]