Pearls of Wisdom 386

1. Act in accordance with what you know for what you do not know to be unveiled to you. [Imam al Ghazali]

2. Your knowledge should improve your heart and purge your ego. [Imam al Ghazali]

3. Whenever you interact with people, deal with them as you would wish yourself to be dealt with them, for a Believer's faith is incomplete until he wants for other people what he wants for himself. [Imam al Ghazali]

4. Not a day or night passes for any person without his death during it being a possibility [Imam al Ghazali]

5. Occupy yourself with inspecting your heart, discerning the features of your personality, giving worldly attachments a wide berth, purging yourself of ugly traits, and you would occupy yourself in adoring God the Exalted, worshipping Him and acquiring good qualities. [Imam al Ghazali]

6. If one is not satisfied with what suffices him, no abundance will ever enrich him. [Omar radi Allah anhu]

7. This world is an abode of tests. The object of life is not to avoid or deny its tests and trials, rather to successfully pass them. [Imam Zaid Shakir]

8. Many think that tests from God are always signs of His wrath. As Muslims, we believe that the trials afflicting us can be signs of His love. [Imam Zaid Shakir]

9. Human suffering is real. However, human perseverance and human dignity are just as real. They allow us to nobly endure the trials of this world. [Imam Zaid Shakir]

10. How bad can any suffering in this world be if it opens the door to unimaginable, eternal good in the life hereafter. [Imam Zaid Shakir]

Intermittent fasts....

A wonderful TEDx talk at the link below which outlines the latest research that, yet again, confirms the sunnah of our dear Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and discusses how to maintain good physical, mental and emotional health.

We know firsthand, as Muslims, the spiritual upliftment we experience through fasting -- since we connect with the Creator and the best of the creation (peace and blessings upon him):

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/12/11/neuroscientist-shows-what-fasting-does-to-your-brain-why-big-pharma-wont-study-it/

Lesson of the day 1391

Ayahs of the day:
Were you to obey most of those on earth, they would divert you from the way of God; for they follow only conjecture, and they are only guessing. Your Lord knows best who strays from the way of God, and knows best who is guided. [6: 116,117]

Hadith of the day:
Keep your evil away from the people and that will be a charitable act from your self upon your self. [Muslim]

Wise quote of the day:
Someone who seeks to travel the path of Allah should begin with a sound repentance from all sins. [Ibn al Haddad]

Guidance of the day:
Detachment of the world is one of the best saving things and worthy devotions. The essence of detachment is for the love and desire for this world to depart from the heart of the servant and it becomes so insignificant in his eyes that for it to withdraw and leave in scarcity becomes more pleasing to him and preferable than for it to come to him and make him affluent.

He who loves the world, desires it in his heart, and strives to amass it with the intention of enjoying its pleasures is one who loves the world and in whom there is no detachment at all.

He who inclines toward the world and desires it, not to enjoy but to enjoy it in benevolent and devotional pursuits is doing good if his behavior tallies with his intention. However, he is not safe from danger.

He who desires and pursues the world, but is unable to acquire it, remaining poor and destitute, he is a poor man, not a renunciate. If he is patient and contented in his poverty, he will have great merit and reward.

As for he who takes a large share of the world and enjoys its pleasures freely, then claims he neither desires nor loves it in his heart, he is presumptuous self deceiver. His claim is groundless and he cannot pretend to be following the example of any of the rightly-guided leaders and virtuous scholars, neither among the ancient nor the latecomers. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
What counts in a making a happy marriage is not so much as how compatible you are, but how you deal with your incompatibility. A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. The difficulty with a marriage i

Honesty -- the best policy

~A Muslim Does not Cheat {A Bus Driver’s Test}~

The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “He who cheats others is not one of us.” [Muslim]

Commentary: Several years ago a Muslim moved to London. He regularly took the bus to the Masjid in the downtown area. Some weeks after he arrived, he had taken the same bus. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him too much change, a twopence extra.

As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, “You better give it back. It would be wrong to keep it.” Then he thought, “Oh, forget it, it's only a tuppence! Who would worry about this little amount? The bus company already charges too much; they’ll never miss it. Accept it as a gift from Allah.”

When his stop came, the Muslim paused momentarily at the door, then he handed the twopence back to the driver and said, “Here, you gave me too much change.” The (non-Muslim) driver replied, “I’ve been thinking lately of going to worship at your Mosque. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change.”

When the man stepped off the bus his knees were weak and he had to grab the nearest light pole for support. He looked up to the heavens and cried, “Oh Allah, I almost sold You and Islam for two pennies!”

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf – Muhammad the Honest :http://www.halaltube.com/hamza-yusuf-muhammad-the-honest

Pearls of Wisdom 385

1. Act in accordance with what you know for what you do not know to be unveiled to you. [Imam al Ghazali]

2. Your knowledge should improve your heart and purge your ego. [Imam al Ghazali]

3. Whenever you interact with people, deal with them as you would wish yourself to be dealt with them, for a Believer's faith is incomplete until he wants for other people what he wants for himself. [Imam al Ghazali]

4. Not a day or night passes for any person without his death during it being a possibility [Imam al Ghazali]

5. Occupy yourself with inspecting your heart, discerning the features of your personality, giving worldly attachments a wide berth, purging yourself of ugly traits, and you would occupy yourself in adoring God the Exalted, worshipping Him and acquiring good qualities. [Imam al Ghazali]

6. If one is not satisfied with what suffices him, no abundance will ever enrich him. [Omar radi Allah anhu]

7. This world is an abode of tests. The object of life is not to avoid or deny its tests and trials, rather to successfully pass them. [Imam Zaid Shakir]

8. Many think that tests from God are always signs of His wrath. As Muslims, we believe that the trials afflicting us can be signs of His love. [Imam Zaid Shakir]

9. Human suffering is real. However, human perseverance and human dignity are just as real. They allow us to nobly endure the trials of this world. [Imam Zaid Shakir]

10. How bad can any suffering in this world be if it opens the door to unimaginable, eternal good in the life hereafter. [Imam Zaid Shakir]

Lesson of the day 1390

Ayahs of the day:
And do not insult what they pray to besides God, lest they revile God in a hostile way, without knowledge. Thus do We make every people's actions seem charming to them; but then their return will be to their Lord, who will inform them of what they had been doing. [6: 108]

Hadith of the day:
Whoever desires that Allah increase his provision and extend his life, let him maintain his family ties. [Bukhari]

Wise quote of the day:
O my people prove the sincerity of your respect for the Qur'an by putting its teachings into practice, not by arguing about it. [Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani]

Guidance of the day:
The essence of gratitude is for the servant to know that all the favors in his possession, outward as well as inward, are from God and by His grace and munificence. It is part of gratitude to rejoice and to thank in the presence of favors because they are the means to work in God's obedience and attain to His proximity.

It is part of gratitude to busy oneself with God's obedience, use His favors as a help in doing so, and use them as God likes them to be used - this is the utmost gratitude. One should not become arrogant, boast before others of the blessings he has been granted, transgress, wrong others, or overstep the limits in dealing with them. He who does so has not been thankful, but has denied God's favors. Denial leads to dispossession and to one's blessings being changed into afflictions. He who shows gratitude deserves goodness and increase. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
Marriage, like money is still with us, and, like money, progressively devalued. In every marriage more than a week old, there are grounds for divorce. The trick is to find, and continue to find, grounds for marriage. More marriages might survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse.The bonds of matrimony are like any other bond -- they come slowly.

Hijab -- Muslimah's identity and much more

Pearls of Wisdom 384

1. A disobedience that bequeaths humiliation and extreme need is better than an obedience that bequeaths self-infatuation and pride.

2. The trials that arrive in this world are but reminders to you of what you ignore of indigence.

3. The best of your moments is the one wherein you witness the existence of your indigence and, through it, arrive at the existence of your lowliness.

4. There are two graces from which no being can be separated and that are inevitable for every creature -- the grace of existence, and the grace of sustenance.

5. Whoever supposes that His gentleness (lutf) is separate from His decree of fate (qadr) does so out of short sightedness.

6. Do not press claims against your Lord because your request has been delayed; instead, press claims against yourself for slackening in your behavior.

7. When He makes you submissive to His commands outwardly and provides you with resignation to His power inwardly, then He has enhanced the greatness of the favor accorded you.

8. He commanded you in this world to reflect upon His creation; but in the Hereafter He will reveal to you the perfection of His essence.

9. So long as you are in this world, be not surprised at the existence of sorrows. For, truly, it manifests nothing but what is in keeping with its character or its inevitable nature.

10. What has he found who has lost YOU, what has he lost who has found YOU. [Ibn Ata'Allah]

Lesson of the day 1389

Ayahs of the day:
No vision comprehends God, but God comprehends all vision; and God is most subtle, aware. Insights from your Lord have already come to you: so if anyone sees, it is for his own benefit; and if anyone is blind, it is to his own detriment. [6: 103,104]

Hadith of the day:
Whoever is deprived of kindness is deprived of all goodness. [Muslim]

Wise quote of the day:
The past and almost all that was in your possession during the past is not with you now. You may thus rationally come to the conclusion that the present and all that is in your possession will also leave you. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the day:
The believer will need much patience when performing his acts of obedience, so as not to neglect them out of indolence and to perform them as God commands him to do, with perfect presence, sincerity, and lack of ostentation or affectation in the presence of others. It is natural for the ego to drag its feet in acts of obedience so that the servant needs to impose  them upon it with gracious patience.

The believer also needs patience to refrain from sins and forbidden things, for the ego incites to them and thinks about committing them. He thus needs to restrain it with patience and prevent it from outwardly committing sins and inwardly inclining toward and thinking about them.

The believer also needs much patience to refrain from permissible appetites, those that the ego desires for no other reason than to enjoy the pleasures of this world, when to indulge himself to excess and allow himself free rein in doing so will lead him to fall into the suspect and forbidden, increase one's desire for the world even more, arouse one's greed for it, incite to find comfort and give priority to it, while forgetting the hereafter. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al_Haddad]

Food for thought:
Every day is a new beginning. Our best preparation for tomorrow is the proper use of today. We need to plan our future carefully -- we are going to spend the rest of our life there.

Pearls of Wisdom 383

1. Some of the most sublime bestowals of God are contentment with the reliance upon God in hardships, and recourse to Him in reverses of fortune.

2. Love is a seizure that God grants to the heart of His servant and that distracts him from seeing everything save Him, so that you can see the soul inclining to obey Him.

3. If anyone would abide strictly by the command of God, let him do it by remembrance, reflection, promptness, and submission to the command of God.

4. Allow not your soul to be attached to anything, and you will be one of those well rooted in religious knowledge from whom no secret or knowledge is hidden.

5. If thoughts of disobedience and the world occur to your heart, caste them under your feet with disdain and indifference, and your heart will be filled with knowledge and the right guidance.

6. There is no guidance at all except for one who fears God, and there is no fear of God (taqwa) except who shuns the world.

7. He who neglects his heart despises his religion, and he who is preoccupied with his outer behavior is taking his religion as a jest.

8. The grace of God in the matter of contentment with His decree is that it causes you to forget your misfortunes by looking forward to the Day of Rendezvous.

9. Good intention in relation to matters between God and you means turning the heart respectfully toward God, with respect for the commanding of God, and with respect to what He has commanded.

10. The understanding man is one who has an understanding from God of His signs and whose occupation is dhikr and reflection upon His favors, taking refuge in and avowing dire need of Him, and seeking protection with Him. He appeals to God, and so God responds to him. [Above quotes by Shaykh Abul Hasan al Shadhili]

Forbearance -- a beautiful treasure

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Whoever has forbearance Allah will help him. Whoever tries to be independent, Allah will enrich him. Whoever tries to be patient, Allah will give him patience. And no one is given a better or vaster gift than patience.” [related from Imam Malik in Muwatta]

Forbearance is the reservoir from which spring other beautiful qualities of character. Generosity cannot happen unless one is content/does sabr with what one has; bravery cannot exist in a person unless he/she can have patience with the consequences; kindness exists in a person when they consider others and not give prime importance to themselves, rather exhibit patience with their own situation. Therefore, patience is a treasure, for without this treasure one cannot exhibit the other qualities required to earn the pleasure of Allah (subhana wa ta'ala). The most content person in the world is the Mumin who has been gifted with patience.

The beautiful thing about forbearance is that the more you force yourself to it the more it grows in you and becomes a part of your nature. It is like a smile, for when you smile your brain begins to believe you are happy and you genuinely feel happy.
[Daily Hadith]

Lesson of the day 1388

Ayahs of the day:
And God is the one who created you from one soul, a residence and a repository. We have made the signs clear to people who understand. [6: 98]

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:
The hijab is indeed an amulet (ta'weez) that wards off the evil eye. [Abdul Hakeem Murad]

Guidance of the day:
Among the greatest of saving things are to bear God's trials with fortitude, receive His favors with gratitude, and detach yourself from this world, for it is distracting you away from Him.

Faith has two halves -- fortitude and gratitude. The believer needs fortitude when calamities strike, in times of hardships, afflictions,or injuries, so that he does not panic, but retains his inner peace and dignity, does not feel anxious and impatient, but  returns to God humbly and submissively, with supplications and implorations, thinking well of his Lord, in the certain knowledge that God the Exalted only afflicted him with this trial because there is much good for him in it, whether it be raising his degree, increasing his good deeds, or expiating his sins. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
Faith is like a muscle. It must be exercised to grow. Repeated experiences of having to trust what we can't see and repeated experiences of learning to trust that things will work out, are what makes our faith muscles grow strong.

Pearls of Wisdom 382

1. Let not obedience make you joyous because it comes from you, but rather, be joyous over it because it comes from God to you.

2. Whoever is not thankful for graces runs the risk of losing them, and whoever is thankful fetters them with their own cords.

3. Be fearful lest the existence of His generosity towards you and the performance of your bad behavior towards Him not lead you step by step to ruin.

4. He made the Hereafter an abode to reward His believing servants only because this world cannot contain what He wishes to bestow upon them and because He deemed their worth too high to reward them in a world without permanence.

5. The real journey is when the world's dimension is rolled away from you so that you see the Hereafter closer to you than yourself.

6. Far be it for our Lord to recompense with credit the servant who deals with Him in cash.

7. Suffice it is a recompense for you for obedience that He has judged you worthy of obedience.

8. When He gives, He shows you His kindness; when He deprives, He shows you His power. And in all that, He is making Himself known to you and coming to you with His gentleness.

9. Deprivation hurts you only because of the lack of your understanding of God in it.

10. When He loosens your tongue with a request, then know that He wants to give you something. [Ibn Ata'Allah]

Draw the Prophet [Video]

Pearls of Wisdom 381

1. Your striving only for what has already been guaranteed to you (ie. dunya), and your remissness in what is demanded of you
(ie. akhirah), are signs of the blurring of your intellect.

2. Actions are lifeless forms, but the presence of an inner reality of sincerity within them is what endows them with life-giving spirit.

3. Your postponement of deeds till the time when you are free is one of the frivolities of the ego.

4. Your being on the look out for the vices hidden within you is better for you than your being on the look out for the invisible realities
veiled from you.

5. The source of every disobedience, indifference, and passion is self-satisfaction. The source of every obedience, vigilance, and virtue
is dissatisfaction is one self.

6. Travel not from creature to creature, otherwise you will be like a donkey at the mill; Rather, go from creatures to the Creator.

7. A sign of heart's death is the absence of sadness over the acts of obedience that you have neglected and the abandonment of regret
over the mistakes that you have made.

8. You might be in a bad state; but your associating with one who is in a worse state makes you see virtue in yourself.

9. There is no minor sin when His justice confronts you; and there is no major sin when His grace confronts you.

10. Whoever does not draw near to God as a result of the caresses of love is shackled to Him with the chains of misfortune. [Ibn Ata'Allah]

Lesson of the Day 1387

Ayahs of the day: 
And God it is who made the stars for you, that you may be guided by them in the darknesses of land and sea. We have made the signs clear to people who discern. [6: 97]

Hadith of the day: 
A friend cannot be considered a friend until he is tested on three occasions -- in time of need, behind your back, and after your death. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Wise quote of the day: 
Fear of God is knowledge enough, to be pleased with one's knowledge is ignorance enough. [Abdul Hakim Murad]

Guidance of the day: 
Among saving things are hope in God and fear of Him. Both are noble stations which God has attributed to His Prophets, Messengers, and those among the virtuous believers who followed them with excellence. Hope and fear are like the wings of the bird, or the pans of the scales. Fear is a rebuke that restrains people from sins and contraventions, while hope is a leader that leads the servant to acts of obedience and conformity. He who is not rebuked by his fear from disobeying God nor led by his hope to obey Him, both his hope and fear are but ineffective ruminations of the soul that are of no consequence, for they have failed to lead to their intended goal and benefit. Let the believer beware of both extremes -- feeling secure from God's ruses on the one hand, or despairing of His mercy on the other. For a person to feel secure from God's ruse is to have so much hope and so little fear of Him as to think it highly unlikely that He will chastise and torment him. As for the despair, it is to have so much fear and so little hope in God as to feel it highly unlikely to be shown mercy and forgiven. Both are major sins, so beware of them. Remain between fear and hope. Do not deceive yourself concerning your Lord and do not be too bold with Him, for your Lord is swift in chastisement, but He is also Forgiving and Compassionate. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought: 
The common people give thanks for being fed and clothed, while the elite give thanks for meanings that enter their hearts. Thankfulness of the eyes is that you conceal a fault you see in your companion, and thankfulness of the ears is that you conceal a fault that you hear about him. Thankfulness is delighting in praising Him for giving what you do not deserve. 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. [Al Hujwiri]

Lesson of the day 1386

Ayahs of the day:
And God it is who made the stars for you, that you may be guided by them in the darknesses of land and sea. We have made the signs clear to people who discern. [6: 97]

Hadith of the day:
A friend cannot be considered a friend until he is tested on three occasions -- in time of need, behind your back, and after your death. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Wise quote of the day:
Fear of God is knowledge enough, to be pleased with one's knowledge is ignorance enough. [Abdul Hakim Murad]

Guidance of the day:
Among saving things are hope in God and fear of Him. Both are noble stations which God has attributed to His  Prophets, Messengers, and those among the virtuous believers who followed them with excellence. Hope and fear are like the wings of the bird, or the pans of the scales. Fear is a rebuke that restrains people from sins and contraventions, while hope is a leader that leads the servant to acts of obedience and conformity. He who is not rebuked by his fear from disobeying God nor led by his hope to obey Him, both his hope and fear are but ineffective ruminations of the soul that are of no consequence, for they have failed to lead to their intended goal and benefit.

Let the believer beware of both extremes -- feeling secure from God's ruses on the one hand, or despairing of His mercy on the other. For a person to feel secure from God's ruse is to have so much hope and so little fear of Him as to think it highly unlikely that He will chastise and torment him. As for the despair, it is to have so much fear and so little hope in God as to feel it highly unlikely to be shown mercy and forgiven. Both are major sins, so beware  of them. Remain between fear and hope. Do not deceive yourself concerning your Lord and do not be too bold with Him, for your Lord is swift in chastisement, but He is also Forgiving and Compassionate. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
The common people give thanks for being fed and clothed, while the elite give thanks for meanings that enter their hearts. Thankfulness of the eyes is that you conceal a fault you see in your companion, and thankfulness of the ears is that you conceal a fault that you hear about him. Thankfulness is delighting in praising Him for giving what you do not deserve.

Pearls of Wisdom 380

. A friend cannot be considered a friend until he is tested on three occasions -- in time of need;
behind your back; and after your death. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

2. One of your sins should seem weightier to you than a thousand of your virtues. [Imam Ja'far al Sadiq]

3. There can be no good in excess, just as there is no excess in good. [Imam Abu Hanifah]

4. If there is a good deed which is difficult, hold on to it, for in the end, the good deed will remain and
the difficulty will perish. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

5. To be humble is to accept the truth and submit to it even if you heard it from a child or someone who
is uneducated or ignorant. [Fudhayl ibn Iyaadh]

6..Even if you studied for a hundred years and collected a thousand books, you would not be eligible for
the mercy of Allah except through action. [Imam al Ghazali]

7. Live as long as you want, but you must die; love whoever you want, but you will become separated
from it; and do what you want, but you will be repaid for it. [Imam al Ghazali]

8. Allah loves the voice of the one who recites the Qur'an, and the voice of the one who seeks forgiveness
before dawn break. [Sufyan al Thawri]

9. Knowledge without action is madness and action without knowledge is void. [Imam al Ghazali]

10. Know that the knowledge which does not remove you from sins today and does not convert you to
obedience, will not remove you tomorrow from the Hell fire. [Imam al Ghazali]

This too will pass....

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: “O Allah! There is no life worth living except the life of the Hereafter, so (please) make righteous the Ansaar and the emigrants.” [Sahih al Bukhari]

Commentary: A powerful king, ruler of many domains, was in a position of such magnificence that wise men were his mere employees. And yet one day he felt himself confused and called the sages to him.

He said: “I do not know the cause, but something impels me to seek a certain ring, one that will enable me to stabilize my state. I must have such a ring. And this ring must be one which, when I am unhappy, will make me joyful. At the same time, if I am happy and look upon it, I must be made sad.”

The wise men consulted one another, and threw themselves into deep contemplation. Finally, they came to a decision as to the character of this ring which would suit their king.

The ring which they devised was one upon which was inscribed the legend: THIS, TOO, WILL PASS.

This life, however it is, will pass. A drop compared to the ocean is what this life is compared to the Hereafter. And the ocean of the next existence will be wonderful only for the righteous. That is why the Messenger of Allah ( peace and blessings upon him) prayed to Allah (Most high) to make his Companions righteous.

Lesson of the day 1385

Ayahs of the day:
It is God who causes the grain and the date stone to split and sprout; God brings forth the living from the dead, and is the one who brings forth the dead from the living. That is God for you; so how can you be deceived? [6: 95]

Hadith of the day:
Circulate knowledge and teach the ignorant, for knowledge does not vanish except when it is kept secretly (to oneself). [Bukhari]

Wise quote of the day:
Whenever you interact with people, deal with them as you would wish yourself to be dealt with by them, for a believer's faith is incomplete until he wants for other people what he wants for himself. [Imam al Ghazali]

Guidance of the day:
It is a most certain duty upon all Muslims to guard themselves thoroughly against all sins, for in them lies God's wrath and loathing, and furthermore, they are the cause of all the afflictions and catastrophes that befall people both in this world and the next. Should a person fall into a sin, he must repent to God immediately and strive neither to persist nor feel comfortable with it.

Every believer should repent continuously to God, renewing his repentance at every moment and in every situation, for sins are numerous, there are minor as well as major ones, manifest as well as hidden ones, and sins that the servant is aware of as well as others he is not. He may be asked to account for not making an effort to learn whether certain acts are sinful or not, as well as their having preliminaries and signs that, had he known them, might have allowed to do something about them. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
You must give time to your fellow men, even if it's a little thing, do something for others -- something for which you get no pay but privilege of doing it. What do we live for if not to make life less difficult for each other!

Pears of Wisdom 379

1. Agreeing with everything one hears is from the habits of hypocrites and disputing
with everything one hears is the breeding ground of enmity.

2. The sign that Allah is pleased with His servant is that His servant is pleased with His decree.

3. For those of spiritual insight, everything they lay eyes upon have within it a lofty message and a gentle reminder.

4. Slay your lowly desires with the sword of knowledge (ilm), and your anger with the sword of forbearance (hilm).

5. Go not near places of wickedness and indecency, for they are the epicenters of Allah's wrath and punishment.

6. The worst sin committed by one -- is the one not deemed so when it is done.

7. The best of the words is that which is confirmed with the best of actions.

8. When a man's character becomes goodly, his words become lofty.

9. What a tremendous gift has been given to the one who finds acts of disobedience difficult.

10. Perfecting one's intellect causes one to speak less, and those words spoken will be adorned with wisdom. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Beautiful duas....

Dua is not just asking, it is a longing of the soul. It is
a daily admission of one's weakness before the Almighty.

It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than
words without a heart.



O Allah, make our love for You the most beloved thing to us,
and our fear for You the most fearful thing to us.

O Allah, Remove from us all worldly needs and wants,
by instilling a passion for meeting You,

O Allah, when You have given the people of the world the
pleasures of this world, give us pleasure in worshipping
You,

O Allah, Please don't let us turn away from You, no matter
how many trials You test us with, let these difficulties
serve to make us close to You.

O Allah, grant us the best of company as our friends --
those who will inspire us to love and worship and obey You.

O Allah, grant us a heart that loves to obey You.

O Allah, shine Your light on any secret or unseen rebellion in our
hearts and destroy it before it takes root.

O Allah, guide us away from any pride, selfishness, jealousy,
hypocrisy, malice, and greed and make us uncomfortable with sins.

O Allah, penetrate our hearts with Your love and reverence today and always.

O Allah, make apparent to us the truth in any situation and let them not be
misled by falsehood.

O Allah, grant us the ability to make clear decisions and let us always be attracted
to good things that are pure, noble, true and just.

O Allah, guide us in making choices that please You.

O Allah, help us to taste the sweetness of walking with a humble spirit in obedience and
submission to You.

O Allah, grant us the wisdom to choose our words carefully and bless us with a generous
and caring spirit.

O Allah, we pray that we never stray from the path of deen and that You give us a future
filled with Your best promises.

O Allah, always keep us cleansed and pure from the evil Satan.

O Allah, keep us steadfast in establishing Salah and help us revere the Glorious Quran as
Your Word and Law and help us read it with understanding daily, let it be our source of light
and guidance, ameen.

Eid Mubarak!!!

InshaAllah we are almost there, may He accept all our ibadahs and duas, ameen. 

Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout.

Do you know why a Car's WINDSHIELD is so large & the Rear view Mirror is so small?
Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. Look Ahead and Move on.

Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.

All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.

Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamonds! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!

Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says,
"Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!''

When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in Your Abilities.

A blind person asked a wise person "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"

When you pray for others, God listens to you, blesses you and them. Sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

WORRYING does not take away tomorrows' TROUBLES, it takes away today’s' PEACE.

Lesson of the day 1383

Ayahs of the day:
And so leave those who take their religion for play and amusement, whom the life of the world has deceived. Remind them that a soul is delivered to perdition by what it has earned; it has no protector but God, and no intercessor; and even if it pays every ransom, none will be accepted from it. [6: 70]

Hadith of the day:
The earth has been made for me (and my followers) as a place for praying and a means to perform Tayammum, therefore anyone of my followers can pray wherever the time of a prayer is due. [Abu Dawood]
                                       
Wise quote of the day:
One who often thinks and reflects develops his foresight and vision. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the day:
One of the greatest faults of the tongue is lying, which is to state other than what is, whether by affirming what is not, or by denying what is.

Another great fault of the tongue is backbiting, which is for you to say things about your brother in his absence which he would have resented had he heard them. Backbiting is strictly forbidden.

Among the tongue's faults is tale-bearing, which is to inform each party of what the other said about him, so as to cause discord and sedition.

Of the tongue's faults is to insult a Muslim and offend him to his face, to mock and scorn a Muslim, or laugh at him in disdain. Also among the faults of the tongue are false oaths, false witness, cursing, making false promises, double talk, all other forms of repulsive or indecent speech, as well as disputing, arguing contentiously, competing for speech, frequent quarreling, and talking about that which does not concern them. These were all dispraised in numerous verses of the Qur'an and well known hadiths. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
When the believer is overcome by misfortune, only by repenting can he truly find a way out of his difficulties. All that we achieve and all that we fail to achieve is the direct result of our own thoughts. Our thoughts, not our circumstances, determine how we feel. An absence of negative thought brings forth a positive feeling.

Let's purify our hearts this Ramadan al Kareem....

Click Here: A must listen as soon as possible

Don’t Stop Being Kind: The Small Things Are Greater than You Think

Ramadan’s a great time to be kinder

We plant trees to overcome pollution, take vitamins to beat fatigue, vacuum the house to clean the dust; it makes sense to conquer the negative with a positive, and what’s more beautiful than a fresh batch of hope to revive this ummah? Investing in small acts of kindness this Ramadan should be our ultimate goal. It’s effortless, simple and free. You make someone happy, which makes you feel better and makes the world a better place. Win. Win Win. This isn’t just about the mega bonus of Ramadan’s multiplied rewards! (Actually it so is, who are we kidding?)
Here’s a list to get you started:

For your lovely parents

Thank your mom every day for the food she cooked and make yummy noises! (Cooking while you’re fasting is not easy! Trust me). Kiss her hands that have done so much for you.
Ask your dad daily: “What can I do to make your day better?” Help him out with organizing his stuff, clearing his email or even just discussing things he loves to talk about.

For your precious grandparents

Umm, hello! Call and visit them! Make them feel special before they’re gone. Make them feel wanted and relevant by asking them to tell you stories – because there’s nothing they want more!

For your spouse and children

Hide a note with a funny joke, compliment or piece of advice in your kids’ backpacks or clothes.
Text your husband or wife saying ‘I Love You’ or how much you appreciate what they do.
A minimum of three hugs a day for each member of the family (I’m serious! Sometimes all we need is a warm embrace).
Be kind to your children whenever they nag about being hungry or tired. It’s the best time to teach them patience!
Ask if your spouse needs any help in the kitchen or would like a nice warm foot massage after a tiring day at work. Keep your love alive.

For relatives, neighbors and friends:

Send flowers (or yummy dessert) to a distant relative with a card saying “Just a little something to make you smile”. Invite them for iftar or share some specially made delicacies with them.
Offer to mow your neighbor’s lawn or wash their cars.
Go out of your way to restore ties of kinship this Ramadan.
Tell your friends how much they mean to you and make dua for them.
Volunteer to offer drinks and dates at a nearby masjid during taraweeh for the people. Make a flask of tea or coffee for the late night prayers (Qiyam al Layl) for the ones who come to the mosque!

For co-workers and other workers:

Bring homemade cookies to share at work (with chocolate chips please!) Don’t worry, we will save them till after iftar!
Praise clerks, assistants and workers and thank them for their hard work. Try doing this everyday!
Leave a nice comment on articles you enjoyed (Uhmm Hint Hint).
For absolute strangers:

Greet people with a smile (it’s a sunnah too!).
Give up your seat for the elderly or a pregnant woman or just anyone who looks like they need to sit down!
Hand out balloons to kids on the street. Distribute packs of dates and water (and additionally any delicacy if you wish) along your street to those who pass by.

For God’s beautiful creations:

Leave a bowl of water outside for the birds (that’s when I had to explain to my son why animals don’t fast).
Make tasbih (glorifying Allah) outdoors. Trees, insects, even the mountains and soil will join and bloom.

For those in dire need of small kindnesses:

Leave a couple of colors and coloring books in the waiting room of a public hospital.
Do some fun story-telling at an orphanage and bring them toys or snacks.
Share a meal with a homeless person and sit with them on the ground.

Listen to someone who is sad or lonely.

The ideas are endless. Just doing one simple act of kindness a day without expecting anything in return can truly change the world, and is beyond joyful and fulfilling. It’s in fact the number one reason behind success, inner peace and sound sleep! Helping others feel better is simply the meaning of happiness because:

“Is there any reward for good other than good?” [Qur’an: Chapter 55, Verse 60]
So believe in your Lord’s promise, have compassion, pray from the heart and invest in those simple acts of kindness during this blessed Holy month. And if that makes you a pushover, well, consider yourself the luckiest person on Earth for being one!

Share with us more small kindnesses that we can engage in daily during Ramadan and after!


Click to read more: http://productivemuslim.com/dont-stop-being-kind/#ixzz3eHf87b5s

Why we Muslims pray the way we pray....

An onlooker (Muhammad Asad -- before Islam), unfamiliar with the Islamic mode of prayer, asked a simple Muslim:

"Might it not be better only to look into one's self and to pray to Him in the stillness of one's heart? Why all these movements of your body?"

This was his response....

1. 'How else should we worship God? Did He not create us both, soul and body, together? And this being so,should man not pray with his body as well with his soul? Listen, I will tell you why we Muslims pray the way we pray.

2. We turn toward the Kaaba, God's holy temple in Mecca, knowing that the faces of all Muslims, wherever they may be, are turned to it in prayer, and that we are like one body, with Him as the center of our thoughts.

3. First we stand upright and recite from the holy Qur'an, remembering that it is His word, given to man that he may be upright and steadfast in life.

4. Then we say "God is the Greatest,"  reminding ourselves that no one deserves to be worshipped but Him; and bow down deep because we honor Him above all, and praise His power and glory.

5. Thereafter we prostrate ourselves on our foreheads because we feel that we are but dust and nothingness before Him, and that He is our Creator and Sustainer on High.

6. Then we lift our faces from the ground and remain sitting, praying that He forgive us our sins and bestow His grace upon us, and guide us aright, and give us health and sustenance.

7. Then we again prostrate ourselves on the ground and touch the dust with our foreheads before the Might and the Glory of the One.

8. After that, we remain sitting and pray that He bless the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) who brought His message to us, just as He blessed the earlier Prophets; and that He bless us as well, and all those who follow the right guidance;and we ask Him to give us the good of this world and of the good of the world to come.

9. In the end we turn our heads to the right and to the left, saying,"Peace and the grace of God be upon you" -- and thus greet all who are righteous, wherever they may be.

10. It was thus that our Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) used to pray and taught his followers to pray for all times, so that they might willingly surrender themselves to God -- which is what Islam means -- and so be at peace with Him and with their own destiny.' [The Road to Mecca by Muhammad Asad]

Ramadan Mubarak!!!

My Ramadan Prayer
Imam Zaid Shakir

As we stand on the verge of beginning the great fast,
let us pray that the blessings we enjoy are decreed to last.

Let us pray for the people, who have lost their homes, fields and cattle in the flood, that they
are patient and see their sins washed away by torrents of forgiveness and divine love.

Let us pray for all of those living in lands that have been invaded and occupied, that their resolve
for deliverance is not weakened nor their hearts rendered cold, callous and dry.

Let us pray for the elders who have seen only war as successive decades pass by, that they are
not so traumatized that they cannot find tears to cry.

Let us pray for the fathers, who watch as their sons are mercilessly dragged away, that they will
live to see the justice of a better day.

Let us pray for our sisters, who with such great dignity represent all of us, that they never lose sight
of the fact that they are carrying a divine trust.

Let us pray for the teachers, who toil sometimes in unbearable situations, that they remain strong and
undaunted in their commitment to future generations.

Let us pray for the believers everywhere,
that they are the recipients of divine aid and celestial care.

Let us pray for the babies, be they little boys or girls,
that they will be blessed to inherit a saner, safer and more secure world.

Let us pray for this troubled nation we live in,
to realize that we cannot forever escape the wages of our sins.

Let us pray for the children, whose mothers or fathers have been deported, that their dreams will not be deferred nor their hearts distorted.

Let us pray for the legions, who for someone’s profits have been incarcerated, that through the message of the Prophet their minds can be liberated.

Let us pray for all of the boys and girls in the ‘hood,
to learn that virtue is its own reward, and that its recompense is always good.

Let us pray for even the malicious fools, who picket Masjids and burn the Qur’an, that they repent, are guided, and come to know the blessings of Ramadan.

Lesson of the day 1382

Ayahs of the day:
And when you see  those who take up Our signs rashly, avoid them until they take up another topic. And if Satan would make you forget, then after remembering do not sit with people who are wrong. For the conscientious have no responsibility for anything on their account, except reminder, that they may become conscientious. [6: 68,69]

Hadith of the day:
Whoever builds a masjid for Allah, Allah will build for him a palace in Jannah. [Bukhari]

Wise quote of the day:
The responsibility of maintaining a religious and modest society weighs on the shoulders of both Muslim men and women, so let us take this role seriously. [Shaykh Amjad Rasheed]

Guidance of the day:
The affairs of the tongue are most important, for it is the organ with most control over the servant and most influence in leading him to perdition should he fail to control it and prevent it from what God forbids.

The perils of the tongue are immense and frightening. Only maintaining silence and speaking only when strictly necessary may save one from them. A person should keep so occupied with reciting the Book of God and remembering Him in abundance as to prevent him from delving into falsehood or what does not concern him. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. We should be as careful of the books we read, as of the company we keep. No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting. Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them all.

Pearls of Wisdom 378

1. Friendships with the ignorant and the heedless are as fickle as the changing times and as quick
to disappear as the setting sun.

2. Consider not a man worthless until you had a chance to converse with him.

3. Health and well-being on the one hand and gluttony on the other are mutually exclusive.

4. Face off your difficulties with patience; and fence in your blessings with thankfulness.

5. A man's intellect becomes apparent from his speech; as does his character from the goodness
of his action.

6. Always consider your intellect to be lacking; otherwise too much faith in it surely leads to error.

7. Seek Allah's refuge from the heedlessness which comes from prosperity; so deep it is, that it will
take one very long to climb out of it.

8. It is not in the make-up of a noble person to delay in rewarding nor is it that of a generous one to
exact revenge.

9. Even if Allah had not decreed to abstain from the foul and impure the man of intellect would still
surely do so.

10. Do not consider admitting ignorance as a necessarily bad thing, for saying, "I do not know"
is itself half of knowledge. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Tips for a peaceful life....

1. Be like the bee, which lands on fragrant flowers and fresh branches.

2. You do not have time to seek out people's defects and mistakes.

3. If Allah is with you, them who do you have to fear?

4. If Allah is against you, what hope do you have?

5. The fire of envy consumes the body, and excessive jealousy is like a raging fire.

6. If you do not prepare today, then you will not be able to do anything tomorrow.

7. Withdraw peacefully from places where idle arguments are going on.

8. Let your morals and attitude be even more beautiful than a garden.

9. Do acts of kindness and you will be the happiest of people.

10. Leave people to their Creator, leave the envier to death and forget about any enemy.

11. The pleasure of haram actions is followed by regret, loss and punishment.

Lesson of the day 1381

Ayahs of the day:
Say, "God is able to send torment upon you from above you, or from beneath your feet; or to confuse you with factions and make you taste each other's viciousness." See how We explain the signs so that they may understand. [6: 65]

Hadith of the day:
Know that victory accompanies perseverance, relief accompanies affliction, and ease accompanies hardship. [Tirmidhi]

Wise quote of the day:
Adherence to Sunnah, increase in one's  worship and obedience to the Sacred Law are all signs of intimacy with the Divine. [Ibrahim bin Dawud Warqi]

Guidance of the day:
Tongue is also among the greatest of God's graces upon His servant. There is in it much good and great benefits for he who preserves it and uses it only in what it was created for. But there will be much evil and immense harm in it for he who neglects to preserve it and uses it in other than what it was created for.

God the Exalted created it for the servant to invoke Him abundantly, recite His Book, counsel His servants, invite them to His obedience, teach them His immense rights upon them, and to express whatever thoughts need to be expressed for the fulfillment of his needs, both of this world and the next. If he uses it in this manner, he will have shown gratitude; but if he uses it for other than what it was created for, he will have been one of the iniquitous transgressors. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
Prayer is the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening. Prayer is a confession of of one's own unworthiness and weakness. Pray as if everything depended on God, and work as if everything depended on man. No man prayed heartily without learning something.

Pearls of Wisdom 377

1. The more worldly greed in one's heart, the less certainty in God.

2. Why expect an evil person to hold a good opinion of others, when the best he can do is to think that others are like him.

3. Time wasted in youth must be made up in later years, if what you seek is a solicitous end.

4. Remain silent about favors done by you, yet proclaim the favors others do for you.

5. Self satisfaction is a sure sign of lacking intellect.

6. The one to whom small afflictions seem large, will certainly be afflicted by truly large calamities.

7. He whose thoughts are vile and low can have nothing but the worst opinion of others.

8. Thankfulness to the Creator in the form of service to His creation is the ultimate expression of gratitude.

9. The one who acts as if death will come tomorrow feels no sorrow when it finally comes.

10. The excellence of knowledge lies in its practice; and the excellence of kindness to others lies in mentioning it not. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Preparation for Ramadan Mubarak!

Highlights of Shaykh Amin's Pre-Ramadan Talk - May 17, 2015

--Allah is capable of doing much more than we think He is capable of doing for us, but we consistently undervalue His Ability

--Personal hygiene was made Fard `Ayn so that we could draw the attention of Angels who are otherwise repelled by foulness. Angels love purity and good smells, especially when that purity comes from Muslims making dhikr of Allah

--We must rediscover not only the academic legacy of the ummah, but also its spiritual legacy: that all humans are eligible for the Fadl of Allah, provided they access it through obligatory and extra acts of worship. Islam's greatest gift is to connect human beings to the Creator, we must remember this.

--If Allah gave Maryam(A) fruits out of season, realize that this came about because of her intense personal devotion to Allah. Islam isn't in season these days, but He can give us fruits if we immerse ourselves spiritually as she did. Maryam (A) was not a Prophet, she was literally secluded in a closet making dhikr, but she was able to experience the Fadl of Allah. Muslims are given this month of Ramadan to similarly seclude themselves and make it easier to be eligible to receive similar fruits out of season. In Ramadan, Allah wants us to focus on this spiritual realm by secluding ourselves from the dunya, so that we can gain some of this Fadl

--There are many Muslims who are closet deniers of Allah's Fadl because they see nothing happening for Muslims in the dunya. They think that because Muslims aren't winning in the games of the dunya, that Islam has failed us and isn't useful anymore.

--Allah has made it easy for us to access this Fadl by giving us this month wherein all you have to do is immerse yourself in the culture of this month, which is to remove yourself from the world for a few days. Hence Prophet(S) cursed the one who missed out on Ramadan: you don't have to do much to benefit. If you miss out, its on you, not on Him

--Ramadan is not a time for you to be concerned with the Ummah's affairs. You have the other 11 months for this. Be concerned with your soul for at least 1 month!

--Ramadan is the time for each of us to renew and increase our share of Allah's Fadl for another year

--American Muslims must change how we view Ramadan: an opportunity to gain Fadl through Ibadah. This must become a civilizational value if we truly wish to benefit from this month. Every other agenda that we have for Ramadan -- da'wah, fundraising, etc.--must be removed from our mindsets.

--Historically, Muslim civilizational values were such that everyone took extra time out during their daily lives for extra dhikr/awrad. Today, if you mention this, one group of Muslims will cry bid'ah, and another group will say that this has no benefit for fixing the problems of the Ummah.

--Imam al-Ghazali (R) writes that during his time (wherein he lamented about the death of spirituality in the Ummah), people would line up at the Jami` Masjid (the main Mosque in a city where Friday Prayers were held) on Thursday night itself in order to be the first to arrive for Jumu'ah and gain that immense reward for early arrival. They would stand all night with candles in line, but even then, many people wouldn't get in. Today, we only stand at night with candles when it's time for a vigil when people die, rather than doing something for ourselves when we're alive.

--Only when we come to terms that the reality of this spiritual realm exists, and that we need to benefit from this realm, only then we will see change in our physical world as well.

--Ramadan is a time to access that spiritual realm. Today, we spend more time in Ramadan buried in the physical dunya than outside of it.

--You should reject unnecessary social gatherings in Ramadan. We have made it a communal value to attend every single iftar and social gathering during this month, thinking that being "social" in this month is being Islamic. We have committed civilizational bidah with the amount of socializing we do today under excuse of Ramadan. The Ummah historically never did this: they socialized outside of Ramadan, not inside it like we do.

--We need to benefit ourselves from Ramadan first before going around trying to benefit others. We bring people to this watering hole under the banner of da'wah but don't drink ourselves.

--If you absolutely must do social da'wah during Ramadan by attending Iftar for 3 hrs for interfaith dialogue, then that's fine if it's a rare occurrence. But what are you doing to make up for those 3 hours for your self?

--I'tikaf isn't just a physical act that we are recommended to do for the last 10 days. It's a total month-long mindset for the Muslim in Ramadan to isolate himself from everyone else and focus on his own soul.

--All the awliya that were great social reformers that we praise today, look at their personal practices in Ramadan: they focused on ibadah/dhikr/dua/recitation of the Qur'an during this month, they did not focus on fixing the Ummahs problems. Because they did this focused spiritual practice for a month, it provided them with the energy to bear the burdens of the Ummah for the other 11 months.

--When Muslims make time for themselves in Ramadan, it climaxes in Laylat al-Qadr, such that Angels come down to invite us into their world. Laylat al-Qadr allows us to plan for a 1000 months, but this is a plan based on spirituality and worship. This is how our ancestors planned for the Ummah. We cannot praise the social and reform work of our ancestors while ignoring their level of personal worship.

--You lament that there is no Abu Hanifah of our times. Realize that Abu Hanifah saw Laylat al-Qadr every year, sometimes even outside of Ramadan! How? Because of his worship regimen on a personal level. He prayed Isha and Fajr for 40 years with the same wudu. Do his regimen first, then you can start talking about opening doors of ijtihad. Otherwise, without excess ibadah, you will fall flat on your face after merely saying the word "ijtihad"

--"Flee towards Allah": that is our theme for Ramadan. This is how our dunya will be improved, when we run away from it during this 1 month.

--You have 11 months to worry about your dunya, Allah asks you to take 1 month for your akhirah, but we think even this is too much?

Notes by Kamran M Riaz
(Darul Qasim)

Lesson of the day 1380

Ayahs of the day:
Say, "Who delivers you from the darkness of land and sea, whom you call in humility and awe: 'If only God delivers us from this, we will certainly be grateful!?" Say, God delivers you from these and from all distress, yet you worship idols." [6: 63, 64]

Hadith of the day:
Do not insult the dead, for they have moved on to what they sent forth. [Bukhari]

Wise quote of the day:
Islam is not just a religion, it is everything. [Yusuf Islam]

Guidance of the day:
Among the most important things to every believer is to watch his heart and bodily members and senses, look after them, and strive to guard and keep them from that which is hateful to God, and use them in that which is liked by God and pleasing to Him.

The heart and the bodily members and senses are among the greatest favors of God upon His servants. He who uses them in His obedience and adorns them with what is pleasing to Him, and uses them in that for which they were created thus shows gratitude for the favor, guards what should be guarded, and excels in service. For him God shall give the reward of the thankful and the recompense  of the excellent.

He who lets loose his heart and bodily members and senses in that which God has forbidden, neglects them and leads them to perdition, and leaves them unguarded, he thus denies the favor of God upon him and deserves to be censured and punished. They shall testify against him before God and  reveal whatever acts of disobedience he has used them to commit. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
There is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within, no really insurmountable barrier save our own inherent weakness of purpose. Consider the postage stamp, it secures success through its ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.

Pearls of Wisdom 376

1. The difference between life and death is nothing more than the difference between to-day and to-morrow.What will happen to us to-morrow is as uncertain and unknown to us as what may occur after the happening of the event called death, and yet there are many who look forward to the coming of to-morrow with joyful anticipation and to death with dismay.

2. It is natural for us to die, as it is for us to be born. It is only the passing of another milestone on our journey.

3. Harness your chariot with truth and honesty, and the devil will come a very bad second in the race.

4. You have no more right to use abusive or insolent words to a person than you have to smack him across the face.

5. Brave men do not hesitate to recognize bravery in others, even though they may be or may have been antagonists in the field.

6. A great lie is like a great fish on dry land: it may fret and fling and make a frightful bother, but it cannot hurt you. You have only to keep still, and it will die of itself.

7. Those who most distrust others are generally those who know that others have good reason to distrust them.

8. The quarrelsome person is always the one who professes to be the easiest individual in the world to get on with.

9. Some people preach more religion in one hour than they practice during the whole of their life.

10. Meanness is the evidence of a defect of intellect as well as of heart. Even the cleverness of greed and avarice is but the extreme cunning of imbecility.

[Shaykh Abdullah Quilliam]

Helpful tips to stop gossiping.....

How to stop yourself from gossiping?

What about if it’s you who’s responsible for the vain talk?

Hold your breath and recall these tips before saying a word.

1. Remember backbiting is a major sin in Islam and is one of the causes for entering the Hellfire.

2. Ask yourself:
“Would the person I am about to speak of like what I’m going to say? Would I say it if the person was present? Will I feel good about myself after saying it?”
You can save yourself some guilt ridden apologies later by simply asking these questions to yourself. In addition, you can try to think about how you felt the last time you found out that people were speaking badly or falsely about you.

3. Is it useful for anyone to know?
Allah Most High has said: “Successful are the believers, who are humble in their prayers, and who turn away from pointless talk” [23:1-3] And “Those who do not bear witness to what is false, but when they pass by pointless talk, pass by with dignity” [25:72], “When they hear pointless talk, they turn away from it” [28:55]

These verses describe the characteristics we should embody in speech. A top tip to help you is to cut short telephone conversations and keeping chat to essential things.

4. Is it necessary for anyone to know?
Even if it is, does it require your intervention? Often it is the trick of shaytan when we indulge in backbiting, as we seem to feel better about ourselves if we downgrade others. Instead ask yourself how we can improve our own character and lives.

5. Imagine that the person you are talking about can hear everything you are saying. However, know that Allah Ta’ala is The All-Seeing, All-Hearing, and All-Knowing. We should not forget about Day on which we will be held accountable for our deeds. Remember backbiting is a bad reflection on your own character.

6. Be mindful of the company you keep Keep away from people who usually turn to gossip. Recall the times in which you usually find yourself gossiping and keep yourself busy during that time with other tasks or even better – invite friends to learn about the grave consequences of gossiping!

7. Are you 100% sure about it?
Spreading false information is slander as it is creating discord and problems between Muslims. As we are told in the Quran:
“Why, when you heard it, did not the believing men and believing women think good of themselves [i.e. one another] and say: ‘This is an obvious falsehood’?” [24:12]
8. Rejoice at the time and reward you’ll gain by stopping this nasty habit not to mention the good deeds you will accumulate to efface the bad ones. You‘ll be surprised about the time, energy, and faith boost you will gain in this life, and the reward that awaits you in the akhirah insha’Allah.

9. Look for positive qualities in people. If you really have to talk about someone who’s not there, talk about how great, hardworking, funny, humble they are instead of deficiencies; as I often say ‘we are always quick to find imperfections in others but not ourselves’.

10. If you feel you have to say it to someone and that you can’t keep the news for yourself, write it in your diary or on a private piece of a paper. Reread it after a couple of days and evaluate if you still want to let the world know you are not trustworthy enough to keep a confidential fact to yourself! Discard of the paper, and of the thought in your mind – disciplining your thoughts to be good of others should be instilled instead.

11. Repent and make the intention to stop, you could keep the verses and ahadith about the punishment of this sin on your wallpaper or screen to remind you at work (where people politics can enter!). Lastly make dua’a to Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) to help you and while it takes effort, don’t give up:

“Whosoever believes in Allaah and the Last Day, then let him speak good or remain silent.” [Al-Bukhari]
[Productive muslim]

Lesson of the day 1379

Ayahs of the day:
And God is the conqueror overpowering all beings; and God sends protectors over you, until when death comes to one of you Our emissaries take the soul, without fail. Then they are returned to God, their protector, the Truth. Does not the judgment belong to God, the quickest to take account. [6: 61,62]

Hadith of the day:
It is sufficient evil for a man to look down upon his Muslim brother. [Bukhari & Muslim]

Wise quote of the day:
Faith in Allah is an inoculation against the diseases of the world. [Shaykh Muzaffar Ozaik]

Guidance of the day:
Among the most important things to every believer is to watch his heart and bodily members and senses, look after them, and strive to guard and keep them from that which is hateful to God, and use them in that which is liked by God and pleasing to Him.

The heart and the bodily members and senses are among the greatest favors of God upon His servants. He who uses them in His obedience and adorns them with what is pleasing to Him, and uses them in that for which they were created thus shows gratitude for the favor, guards what should be guarded, and excels in service. For him God shall give the reward of the thankful and the recompense of the excellent.

He who lets loose his heart and bodily members and senses in that which God has forbidden, neglects them and leads them to perdition, and leaves them unguarded, he thus denies the favor of God upon him and deserves to be censured and punished. They shall testify against him before God and  reveal whatever acts of disobedience he has used them to commit. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare. Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time. The very perfection of a man -- to find out his own imperfections.

Pearls of Wisdom 375

1. Three things to admire – intellectual power, dignity, gracefulness.

2. It is better to go with truth into the wilderness than to follow falsehood into a palace.

3. The true love of God is to love beauty, truth, and goodness.

4. Whoso feeleth Islam to have filled his heart is half-way towards heaven.

5. Courage and conviction are two good warriors. When they fight shoulder to shoulder victory
oft crowns their efforts.

6. There is music in the sound of the words of the man who practices that which he teaches.

7. Alive or dead still we are in the presence of the eternal All-Wise.

8. The best preacher is the conscience, the best teachers are time and experience, the best
book is the world, the best friend is God.

9. Do your best, God will do the rest.

10. None of us is too old to learn. When a man ceases to desire to acquire knowledge his
intellectual death has commenced, and his funeral had better be arranged for.
[Sh Addullah Quiliam]

The things that help us improve....

What makes us weak? Our fears.

What makes us whole? Our religion.

What keeps us standing? Our faith.

What makes us compassionate? Our selflessness.

What makes us honest? Our integrity.

What sustains our minds? Our quest for knowledge.

What teaches us all the lessons? Our mistakes.

What lifts our heads high? Our pride, not arrogance.

What if we can't go on? Not an option.

What makes us victorious? Our courage to climb.

What makes us competent? Our confidence.

What makes us beautiful? Our patience and sincerity.

What makes us Muslims? Our heart attached to Allah.

Whenever we don't understand what's happening in our
lives, we just need to close our eyes, take a deep breath
and say, 'O Allah I know it's from Your plan, I put my trust
in Your hand.'

Lesson of the day 1378

Ayahs of the day:
And the keys of the unseen are with God, who alone knows them. And God knows what is on the land and in the sea. And not a leaf falls but God knows it, and there is not a single grain in the darkness of the earth, and nothing green and nothing dry, but it is in an explanatory Book. [6: 59]

Hadith of the day:
In the evening, do not wait for the morning, and in the morning, do not wait for the evening. Take from your health for your weakness, and from your life for your death. [Bukhari]

Wise quote of the day:
God says, "I have created you, your moments, your breaths, your possessions, your lives. If they are expended on Me, if you give them to Me, the price of them is everlasting Paradise. This is your worth in My sight." [Mawlana Rumi]

Guidance of the day:
You must always be fair and generous in your commerce, choose to be indulgent and lenient, rather than rigorous and demanding. This is more likely to increase the baraka and accrue your gains.

You must refrain from lying altogether. Never swear by God when selling or buying, for the whole world is more insignificant and vile than to deserve a truthful oath, how much more so when you lie? There is no need for oaths. Beware to the extreme of cheating, deception, fraud, and  hiding the faults in what you are selling, for these are severely forbidden and may render transactions altogether invalid. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
Adopt the pace of nature -- her secret is patience. He that can have patience can have what he will. Our patience will achieve more than our force. Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. Patience is power -- with time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes silk.

Pearls of Wisdom 374

1. Beware of having long-term expectations (for this world), for it makes one forget his true purpose.

2. Thankfulness for blessings is the condition for attaining more blessings; and ingratitude for blessings is the condition for losing them.

3. Death is always a silent companion.

4. The heights of felicity are reached through breaking of bad habits.

5. The wise attain honor through their humbleness, whereas the fools bear humiliation through their haughtiness.

6. Regrets over misdeeds erases them, and pride over good deeds ruins them.

7. Vain desires is a ruinous companion, and bad habits make up a formidable foe.

8. The intellect of a man lies under his tongue.

9. To panic during a calamity is itself a greater calamity.

10. Honor lies in hastening to forgive. Dishonor lies in hastening to revenge. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

A head start towards Ramadan....

Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali mentions in Lata’if al-Ma’arif: The month of Rajab is the key to the months of goodness and blessings that follow it. Abu Bakr b. al-Warraq al-Balkhi said: “Rajab is the month to sow the seeds; Sha’ban is the month to irrigate the crop; and Ramadan is the month to reap the harvest.” It has similarly been related from him: “Rajab is like the wind; Sha’ban is like the water-laden clouds; and Ramadan is like the rain.”

Someone else mentioned: “The year in its entirety is like a tree: during Rajab its buds sprout; during Sha’ban it sends forth its branches; during Ramadan its fruit ripens; and the believers are the farmhands who harvest that fruit.”

It is opportune for anyone who has darkened the scroll of their deeds with sins to cleanse it with repentance during this month. Likewise, anyone who has squandered his lifetime without taking advantage of the opportunities to benefit his soul should take advantage of what remains of his life—starting with this month.

A poet said:
So cleanse your darkened hearts within Rajab;
with deeds that spare the soul Hellfire’s wrath.

One of the sacred months has come along;
no one who calls on God will be forlorn.

Heaven is for the one’s who cleanse their hearts
with lewd indecent deeds they’ll have no part.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to do righteous
deeds during this month is a source of great gain.

While filling each moment of the month worshiping
God is a bounteous virtue. End quote from Ibn Rajab.

Let us all take advantage of the weeks that come before the blessed month of Ramadan. If we begin to fast voluntarily now, the fatigue and discomfort that sometimes accompanies the beginning of our obligatory fast will be behind us and we will enter the month with great spiritual momentum. Similarly, if we begin increasing our reading of the Qur’an now we will find it easy to read an even greater amount during the month of Ramadan, a month when we celebrate the revelation of our blessed scripture. An athlete who enters a race with a running start achieves a far faster time than one who starts the race from a stationary position. Let us take advantage of these days to get a running start into Ramadan.

Imam Zaid Shakir

Dear Muslimah....

Modesty is a woman's best weapon!

Be like a diamond, precious and rare, not like a stone found every where.

Every precious thing is covered! A woman modestly dressed is like a pearl in its shell.

You may not be a fairy tale princess, but you are always a princess of Islam.

Your value as a women is not measured by the size of your waist or the number of men
who like you.

Your worth as a human being is measured on a higher scale of righteousness and piety.

Hijab includes the way you walk, talk, look, and think -- all of it should be done modestly.

The sun doesn't lose its beauty when its covered by the clouds, the same way your beauty
doesn't fade when you are wearing a hijab.

Your purpose in life despite what the fashion magazines say is something more sublime
than just looking good for men.

Your beauty is for your man (husband), not for the mankind.

Even though a man is responsible for his gaze, you are responsible for what you give him
to gaze at, so guard your modesty.

Hijab with a bad attitude isn't hijab. Hijab with tight clothes on isn't hijab.
Hijab with layers of makeup isn't hijab. Hijab is beautiful, so make it look beautiful.
Wear it with love, wear it with pride, and most of all wear it Right.

The nobel prize winner Tawakkul Kamran from Yemen, when asked about her hijab by
journalists and how it is not proportionate with her intellect and education, she replied:

"Man in the early times was almost naked, and as his intellect evolved he started wearing
clothes. What I am today and what I am wearing represents the highest level of thought
and civilization that man has achieved, and is not regressive. It's the removal of clothes
again that is regressive back to ancient times."

Lesson of the day 1377

Ayahs of the day:
When those who believe in Our signs come to you, say, "Peace be upon you." Your Lord is self-committed to mercy, so that if any of you does wrong in ignorance, then repents after that and makes mends, God is most forgiving, most merciful. Thus do we explain the signs, so the way of sinners should be evident. [6: 54,55]

Hadith of the day:
All the children of Adam err, and the best of those who err are the oft repenting. [Tirmidhi]

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

Guidance of the day:
You must make your earnings lawful, for it is incumbent upon a person to earn his living and there is merit and abundant reward in doing so when the intention is good. So let a person work with the intention of protecting his religion, saving himself from embarrassment of depending on others, sufficing himself and his dependents, and giving the surplus away as charity to the needy among the servants of God the Exalted. He would thus be working for the hereafter. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
Adopt the pace of nature -- her secret is patience. He who has patience can have what he will. Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. Our patience will achieve more than our force. Patience is power -- with time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes silk.

Pearls of Wisdom 373

1. The surest way of achieving heaven on earth is contentment with His decree.

2. Indeed the sword may wound the body, but it is foul speech which wounds the soul.

3. Steeped in error who can find time to seek out faults in others.

4. A believer's humiliation comes from his heedlessness of his religion, not in his lack of wealth or stature.

5. When the poor and needy come to you, then know that it is a gift from your Lord.

6. Sins have a tendency of creating restlessness in one's heart in one form or the other.

7. Ingratitude -- Spending of Allah's bounties in ways which are inappropriate and unbefitting.

8. Generosity is the fruit of wealth; Practice is the fruit of knowledge; Allah's pleasure is the fruit of sincerity.

9. The one who does not observe the rights of people cannot possibly observe the rights of God.

10. Lovers of fine raiment and garb! forget not that one day you will wear the shroud of the grave;
    Lovers of palaces and lofty mansions forget not that ditch where you ultimately lie in;
    Lovers of fine food and drink forget not that you are to become the food of worms and maggots.
    [Othman radi Allah anhu]

Inspiring story....

Sultan Murad IV, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623-1640, would often anonymously go into the midst of the people and see their state. One evening, he felt an uneasiness in himself and the urge to go out. He called for his head of security and and out they went. They came to a busy vicinity, and found a man lying on the ground. The Sultan prodded him but he was dead and the people were going about their own business. Nobody seemed to care about the dead man lying on the ground.

The Sultan called upon the people. They didn't recognize him and asked him what he wanted. He said, "Why is this man lying dead on the ground and why does no one seem to care?

Where is his family?" They replied, "He is so and so, the drunkard and fornicator!"

The Sultan said, "Is he not from the Ummah of Muhammad (Peace and blessings upon him)? Now help me carry him to his house" The people carried the dead man with the Sultan to his house and once they reached, they all left. The Sultan and his assistant remained.

When the man's wife saw his dead body, she began weeping. She said to his dead body, "Allah have mercy on you! O friend of Allah! I bear witness that you are from the pious ones.

"The Sultan was bewildered. He said, "How is he from the pious ones when the people say such and such things about him. So much so that no one even cared he was dead?"

She replied, "I was expecting that. My husband would go to the tavern every night and buy as much wine as he could. He would then bring it home and pour it all down the drain. He would then say, "I saved the Muslims a little today." He would then go to a prostitute, give her some money and tell her to close her door till the morning. He would then return home for a second time and say, "Today I saved a young woman and the youth of the believers from vice."

The people would see him buy wine and they would see him go to the prostitutes and they would consequently talk about him. One day I said to him, "When you die, there will be no one to bathe you, there will be no one to pray over you and there will be no one to bury you!"

He laughed and replied, "Don't fear, the Sultan of the believers, along with the pious ones shall pray over my body."
The Sultan began crying. He said, "By Allah! He has said the truth, for I am Sultan Murad. Tomorrow we shall bathe him, pray over him and bury him." And it so happened that the Sultan, the scholars, the pious people and the masses prayed over him.

We judge people by what we see and what we hear from others. Only if we were to see what was concealed in their hearts, a secret between them and their Lord.

Lesson of the day 1376

Ayahs of the day:
And do not reject those who call on their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking divine attention. You are not accountable for them in anything, and they are not accountable for you in anything, that you should reject them and so be among the unjust. [6: 52]

Hadith of the day:
In the evening, do not wait for the morning, and in the morning, do not wait for the evening. Take from your health for your weakness, and from your life for your death. [Bukhari]

Wise quote of the day:
The sign that one intimately knows Allah is that his heart is ever increasing in His remembrance. [Sahl bin Abdullah]

Guidance of the day:
One of the most important religious duties and best things with which a servant may seek to draw nearer to God, the Lord of the worlds, is carefully to keep away from the unlawful and the suspect, and seek the lawful and expend of it. He whose earnings are unlawful inevitably will be afflicted by outward and inward imperfections that will blemish his acts of obedience or even annul them.

Who ever reflects on this and observes it in himself and others will recognize the truth of it, unless he is being deceived and lured. One should avoid the unlawful to the utmost, guard oneself against it, and keep away from it in all its forms. [Counsels of Religion by Imam Haddad]

Food for thought:
Do not expect the world to look bright, if you habitually wear gray-brown glasses. The habit of looking on the bright side of every event is worth more than a thousand pounds a year. Of cheerfulness, or a good temper, the more it is spent, the more it remains.

Pearls of Wisdom 372

1. How strange is the one who knows the Hell Fire to be real and then sins knowingly.

2. How strange is the one who believes in Paradise yet spends his days in the world leisurely.

3. How strange is the one who considers God to be the Ultimate Reality and yet relies on others exclusively.

4. How strange is the one who knows Satan to be his enemy and yet listens to him obediently.

5. O' Son of Adam! Allah has nourishingly created you for Him alone, yet you so desire to belong to others.

6. The lover of God loves his times of solitude.

7. A slip of the tongue is far more hazardous than a slip of the foot.

8. If you are bent on committing that sin, then seek out that place which will keep God out.

9. To deem that Allah is with one every moment is the greatest expression of faith.

10. The scandal monger harms three people -- himself, his listener, and his target. [Othman radi Allah anhu]

Abdurraheem Green: The Amazing Story of My Dad's Shahadah

Lesson of the day 1375

Ayahs of the day:
Warn hereby those who fear they will be gathered to their Lord -- other than which they have no protector, and no intercessor -- that they may be conscientious. [6: 51]

Hadith of the day:
All of you are shepherds, each of you is responsible for his flock. [Bukhari]

Wise quote of the day:
The losses that you suffer on account of your silence can be easily compensated for, but the losses that arise out of excessive loose talk are difficult to requite. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the day:
It is incumbent upon the believer to love the people of goodness, religion, knowledge, and virtue, both the living and the dead. He should choose for companions the virtuous and righteous and avoid the evil and the corrupt.

He who is able to find no God-fearing, virtuous, benevolent believer to keep company with, then seclusion and solitude are better and nearer rectitude than to mix with evil, corrupt people. Associating with corrupt people is of immense harm and tremendous evil. It is fraught with perils and difficult trials, both immediate and future. Among these are acquiring their attributes unaware, watching them and and so coming to find comfort in their presence, inclining toward their evil states, easing the impact of sins on the heart, being led to imitating them and approving of their words and deeds.

The poet said,
Ask not about a man, but about his companions,
For one is bound to imitate one's companions. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
Deeds, not stones, are the true monuments of the great. If we have done any deed worthy of remembrance, that deed will be our monument. If not, no monument can preserve our memory.

Pearls of Wisdom 371

1. Wasted is the scholar who is not asked about what he knows.

2. Wasted is the wealth which is not used in good.

3. Wasted is the knowledge which is not acted upon.

4. Wasted is the goodly advice which is ignored.

5. Wasted is the Mus'haf (copy of the Qur'an) which is not recited from.

6. Wasted is the heart which is firmly planted in the mud of dunya.

7. Wasted is the life which has made no provision for the ultimate journey.

8. Put your hopes in no one except your Lord, have fear of nothing other than your sins.

9. The extent to which one understands the nature of dunya measures the degree of his detachment from it.

10. A slip of the tongue is far more hazardous than a slip of the foot. [Othman radi Allah anhu]

Meaningless goals....

Overtaking Cars

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: “He whose two days are equal, is a loser.” [Daiylami]

A farmer had a dog who used to sit by the roadside waiting for cars. As soon as one came he would run down the road, barking and trying to overtake it. One day a neighbor asked the farmer "Do you think your dog is ever going to overtake a car?" The farmer replied, "That is not what bothers me. What bothers me is what he would do if he ever did overtake one."

Many people in life behave like that dog who is pursuing meaningless goals.

Each dawn is a new beginning. Let each day dawn on a resolve to make it better in any one tiny way: Determine which useless or wrong deed you are going to give up today or which additional good deed you are going to do today to draw closer to Allah Most High.

(Daily Hadith)

Lesson of the day 1374

Ayahs of the day:
Say, "The unwholesome and the wholesome are not equal, even if the abundance of the unwholesome may delight you. So be conscious of God, those of you with understanding, so that you may thrive. [5: 100]

Hadith of the day:
Anyone who shows the way to something good has the same reward as the person who does it. [Muslim]

Wise quote of the day:
Disputes that escalate to high levels can often only be defused if one of the parties lays down its arms and  surrenders, preferring family harmony and the pleasure of God Most High over personal grudges. [Hamza Karam Ali]

Guidance of the day:
The essence of companionship is sincere love and unblemished affection. When this is in God and for God, its reward is immense:

When a person loves another, becomes his friend and companion for his love of God and obedience to Him, this is love in God the Exalted.

If he loves and befriends him because he helps him uphold his religion and obey his Lord, he loves him in God.

Love and keep company with God-fearing people, people of knowledge, and those of God's virtuous servants who are detached from this world, who are His protege among believers. For a man shall be with whom he loves in this life and the next. Keeping company with God-fearing and virtuous people draws one nearer to God. This is praiseworthy, benevolent companionship -- it is for God and in God, the rewards of which are immense, and the importance in religion and rank of which is high. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
The mind is like a stomach, it is not how much you put into it that counts, but how much it digests. The defects of the mind, like those of the face, grow worse as we grow old. Old minds are like old horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order. Life is not a static thing. The only people who do not change their minds are incompetents in asylums, who can't, and those in cemeteries.

Pearls of Wisdom 370

1. Sometimes darknesses come over that He may make you aware of the value of His blessings upon you.

2. He who does not know the value of graces/blessings when they are present knows their value when they are absent.

3. Do not deem His giving to be slow; but rather, deem your approaching to be slow.

4. That part of your life that has gone is irreplaceable, and that which has arrived is priceless.

5. You have not loved anything without being its slave, but He does not want you to be someone else's slave.

6. Your obedience does not benefit Him, and your disobedience does not harm Him. It is only for your own good that He commanded the one and prohibited the other.

7. His sublimity is not increased when someone draws near to Him, and His sublimity is not decreased when someone draws away from Him.

8. When Divine inspirations come upon you, they demolish your habits; "Surely the kings, when they enter a town, ruin it."

9. That which hearts find in the way of worries and sadnesses is due to that which prevents their having inner vision.

10. Beneficial knowledge is the one whose ray of light expands in the mind and uncovers the veil over the heart. [Ibn Ata'Allah]

Satan is the third....

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing upon him) said: “Whenever a non-mahram man and woman meet in seclusion, Satan definitely is the third one joining them.” [Tirmidhi]

What this hadith means is that Satan arouses their passions and incites them to commit evil. Prevention is better than cure. Fornication and adultery rip to shreds the psychological health of society. Since the family is the building block of society, for a society to be healthy, it must have healthy families that constitute it. To prevent any situation arising which might harm the family unit, Islam nips the source of problems in the bud. A person is responsible not only for himself or herself but for the spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical well being of their children as much as it is in their control. From their children will arise many more generations. Keeping this in mind we have to do our best to provide as healthy a moral environment as we can so we are not held responsible for the destruction of future generations.

“If the breakdown of the family and female security is to be averted, only two strategies are available: firstly, members of society may be conditioned to believe that sexuality is from the devil, and should inspire feelings of guilt and distaste; or secondly, sexuality may be accepted as the loving expression of a natural human need, in which case the sexes must be separated, within reason, to avoid the risk of the temptation of weak souls and hence their unchastity.”

“Historically, the first of these two choices has been that of Christianity, while Islam has opted for the second. The modern Western attitude, in which there is both an obsession with sexuality and a casual mingling of men and women, and which has resulted in massive promiscuity (and hence infidelity, divorce, abortion and disease) does not represent an ethically coherent system.” [The Seventy-Seven Branches of Faith, translator’s note, The Quilliam Press]

(Daily Hadith)

Lesson of the day 1373

Ayahs of the day:
Heed God, and heed the messenger, and be cautious; if you turn away, know that the only duty of Our messenger is clear communication. [5: 92]

Hadith of the day:
Part of the excellence of a  person's Islam is in leaving alone what does not concern him. [Tirmidhi]

Wise quote of the day:
Keeping the company of those who are intimate with the Divine is the best of affairs. [Sahl bin Abdullah]

Guidance of the day:
Marriage requires patience in treating women with kindness, fulfilling their rights, and providing for them and the children. There is great merit in this, in addition to the merit of being the cause of procreating righteous offspring that will worship God the Exalted, pray for their parents, and ask forgiveness for them during the latter's lifetimes and after their death. Some of the children may die before puberty, which attracts immense reward for the parents.

He who wishes to marry should do so intending it to be of assistance to him in both his religious and worldly affairs, while he who abstains should intend thereby to protect his religion and opt for caution so as to be safe. Thus should both marriage and abstention be according to righteous intention that will draw one nearer to God. God is the One to grant success and assistance, there is no Lord other than He. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
War destroys men, but luxury destroys mankind -- at once corrupts the body and mind. We live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities. A simple and unassuming life is best for everyone, best for both the body and the mind.