The friends of God when they do speak,
It is the truth that flows from their mouths.
When they are silent, think them not to be mute,
For their silence is inward remembrance.
The friends of God, their glances pierce the veils of darkness,
Their ears harken to the call of the Friend for whom they are friends.
Their will surrendered to His will,
Their footsteps tracing the path to His abode.
They are immersed in the ocean of His light,
And although among us, drunk by the wine of His love,
Scintillating in the luminosity of His proximity.
O friend become a friend of God before this life ceases to flow
Enter the inner courtyard of His intimacy.
Breathe that air filled with the fragrance of His Beauty
And leave the care of the world to those whose only friend is the world.
By
Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Friday, January 30, 2015
Monday, January 26, 2015
Lesson of the day 1370
Ayahs of the day:
And whoever chooses friendship with God and God's messenger and those who believe, it is the partisans of God who are the triumphant. [5: 56]
Hadith of the day:
Read the Qur'an, for it will come on the Day of Resurrection interceding for its companions. [Muslim]
Wise quote of the day:
Of all the possessions, few are more precious than a grateful heart. It is a well-spring of belief, attaining us to the Divine presence and driving us to His worship. [Imam Magid bin Muhammad]
Guidance of the day:
Let the servant who is providentially assisted strive to nurture his ties of kinship in whatever manner he is able to -- kindness, service, gifts, donations, visits, and comforting. He should make the appropriate choice as to which of these is suitable with each of his relatives, so he will have discharged his duties toward them, nurtured his kinship bonds, and comforted them.
He should never fail to nurture his kinship bonds out of indolence or avarice, treating lightly those bonds to which God has attributed so much importance and severely threatened those who sever them. It is the servant's to do his best, according to his means, and it is God's to assist and forgive. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
No one will dare maintain that it is better to do injustice than to bear it. If you suffer injustice, console yourself, the true unhappiness is in doing it. The one who commits injustice bears the greatest burden -- he is made more wretched than he who suffers it.
And whoever chooses friendship with God and God's messenger and those who believe, it is the partisans of God who are the triumphant. [5: 56]
Hadith of the day:
Read the Qur'an, for it will come on the Day of Resurrection interceding for its companions. [Muslim]
Wise quote of the day:
Of all the possessions, few are more precious than a grateful heart. It is a well-spring of belief, attaining us to the Divine presence and driving us to His worship. [Imam Magid bin Muhammad]
Guidance of the day:
Let the servant who is providentially assisted strive to nurture his ties of kinship in whatever manner he is able to -- kindness, service, gifts, donations, visits, and comforting. He should make the appropriate choice as to which of these is suitable with each of his relatives, so he will have discharged his duties toward them, nurtured his kinship bonds, and comforted them.
He should never fail to nurture his kinship bonds out of indolence or avarice, treating lightly those bonds to which God has attributed so much importance and severely threatened those who sever them. It is the servant's to do his best, according to his means, and it is God's to assist and forgive. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
No one will dare maintain that it is better to do injustice than to bear it. If you suffer injustice, console yourself, the true unhappiness is in doing it. The one who commits injustice bears the greatest burden -- he is made more wretched than he who suffers it.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Pearls of Wisdom 366
1. Be mindful of God by obeying Him, and obey God by being mindful of Him.
2. Restrain your hand that it never sheds the blood of a Muslim.
3. Restrain your stomach that it never consumes the wealth of others. [unlawfully].
4. Restrain your tongue that it is never defiled by transgressing against their honor.
[Abu Bakr radi Allah anhu]
5. Be pleased with what God has measured out for you and you will be the wealthiest of people.
6. Avoid what God has forbidden for you and you will be the most impeccable of people.
7. Perform the obligatory acts God, Most High, has imposed upon you and you will be the most devout of people.[Ibn Mas'ud radi Allah anhu]
8.There is no good in people who do not give sincere advice, and there is no good in people who do not love those who offer sincere advice. [Omar radi Allah anhu]
9. Do not talk about things that do not concern you, and leave much of what does concern you.
10. Do not argue with fools or clement people.
11. Only mention your brother in ways that you would love to be mentioned.
[Abdullah ibn Abbas radi Allah anhu]
2. Restrain your hand that it never sheds the blood of a Muslim.
3. Restrain your stomach that it never consumes the wealth of others. [unlawfully].
4. Restrain your tongue that it is never defiled by transgressing against their honor.
[Abu Bakr radi Allah anhu]
5. Be pleased with what God has measured out for you and you will be the wealthiest of people.
6. Avoid what God has forbidden for you and you will be the most impeccable of people.
7. Perform the obligatory acts God, Most High, has imposed upon you and you will be the most devout of people.[Ibn Mas'ud radi Allah anhu]
8.There is no good in people who do not give sincere advice, and there is no good in people who do not love those who offer sincere advice. [Omar radi Allah anhu]
9. Do not talk about things that do not concern you, and leave much of what does concern you.
10. Do not argue with fools or clement people.
11. Only mention your brother in ways that you would love to be mentioned.
[Abdullah ibn Abbas radi Allah anhu]
Monday, January 19, 2015
The Most Beloved Human Being who ever lived.....
He is the human being who made us believe God exists.
He is the human being who helped us become more humans.
He is the human being who showed us what success looks like.
He is the human being who humbled us more than any other.
He is the human being who inspired us more than anyone else.
He is the human being who taught us what justice is.
He is the human being who demonstrated what it is to be truly free.
He is the human being who lived like a pauper when the world was at his feet.
He is the human being who forgave those who had been trying to kill him and
his family and friends for decades.
He is the human being who we want to be like.
He is Muhammad, may blessings and peace be upon him and his family.
He is the human being who helped us become more humans.
He is the human being who showed us what success looks like.
He is the human being who humbled us more than any other.
He is the human being who inspired us more than anyone else.
He is the human being who taught us what justice is.
He is the human being who demonstrated what it is to be truly free.
He is the human being who lived like a pauper when the world was at his feet.
He is the human being who forgave those who had been trying to kill him and
his family and friends for decades.
He is the human being who we want to be like.
He is Muhammad, may blessings and peace be upon him and his family.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Lesson of the day 1369
Ayahs of the day:
Your only friends are God, the messenger of God, and the believers, those who pray regularly, give alms, and bow down. [5: 55]
Hadith of the day:
The best of you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it. [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
As long as you neglect to guard your limbs you have neglected to fulfill what you owe to Him. [Sahl bin Abdullah]
Guidance of the day:
A person should nurture the bonds between him and his kin, even if they do not reciprocate. He should treat them kindly even if they show no such kindness to him. One should also bear whatever harm comes to him from them with patience and not retaliate. On the contrary, he should forgive and pardon, keep speaking to them, and treat them kindly.
The nearer the relative the more rights he has and the more deserving of benevolence. The weak, destitute next of kin are more deserving of help and kind treatment than more affluent ones. This is because the poor relative has two rights, that of blood relations and that of poverty. God coupled together the commands to do good to blood relations and the poor in the verses of His Book. There is no doubt that treating kindly he who has two rights takes precedence over treating kindly he who has one right only. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
Never does the human soul appear so strong as when it foregoes revenge and dares to forgive an injury. It is more noble by silence to avoid an injury than by argument to overcome it. No man ever did a designed injury to another, but at the same time he did a greater to himself.
Your only friends are God, the messenger of God, and the believers, those who pray regularly, give alms, and bow down. [5: 55]
Hadith of the day:
The best of you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it. [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
As long as you neglect to guard your limbs you have neglected to fulfill what you owe to Him. [Sahl bin Abdullah]
Guidance of the day:
A person should nurture the bonds between him and his kin, even if they do not reciprocate. He should treat them kindly even if they show no such kindness to him. One should also bear whatever harm comes to him from them with patience and not retaliate. On the contrary, he should forgive and pardon, keep speaking to them, and treat them kindly.
The nearer the relative the more rights he has and the more deserving of benevolence. The weak, destitute next of kin are more deserving of help and kind treatment than more affluent ones. This is because the poor relative has two rights, that of blood relations and that of poverty. God coupled together the commands to do good to blood relations and the poor in the verses of His Book. There is no doubt that treating kindly he who has two rights takes precedence over treating kindly he who has one right only. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
Never does the human soul appear so strong as when it foregoes revenge and dares to forgive an injury. It is more noble by silence to avoid an injury than by argument to overcome it. No man ever did a designed injury to another, but at the same time he did a greater to himself.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Pearls of Wisdom 365
1. One who rectifies his inner self with an awareness of God's surveillance and sincerity; God adorns his outer self with devotional acts and adherence to the Prophetic way.
2. Anyone divested from the world finds his divestment in proportion to his knowledge, his knowledge in proportion to his intellect, and his intellect in proportion to the strength of his faith.
3. Knowledge bequeaths fear, divestment from the world bequeaths comfort, and gnosis bequeaths self criticism.
4. The basis of obedience is impeccability. The basis of impeccability is God-consciousness. The basis of God-consciousness is [balancing between] fear and hope, and the basis of those two is the knowledge of the promise and threat.
5. Good character is bearing abuse, rarely becoming angry, a pleasant face, and sweet speech.
6. Everything has an essence. The essence of human being is his intellect, and the essence of his intellect is patience.
7. The oppressor is remorseful even if people praise him. The oppressed is safe even if people condemn him.
8. The content person is wealthy even if he is hungry. And the covetous is impoverished even if he owns [plenty].
9. One who does not thank God for a blessing has called for its eradication.
10. The best person is one who does not allow his Hereafter to preoccupy him from his worldly affair, nor does he allow his worldly affair to preoccupy him from his Hereafter. [Imam Harith al Muhasibi]
2. Anyone divested from the world finds his divestment in proportion to his knowledge, his knowledge in proportion to his intellect, and his intellect in proportion to the strength of his faith.
3. Knowledge bequeaths fear, divestment from the world bequeaths comfort, and gnosis bequeaths self criticism.
4. The basis of obedience is impeccability. The basis of impeccability is God-consciousness. The basis of God-consciousness is [balancing between] fear and hope, and the basis of those two is the knowledge of the promise and threat.
5. Good character is bearing abuse, rarely becoming angry, a pleasant face, and sweet speech.
6. Everything has an essence. The essence of human being is his intellect, and the essence of his intellect is patience.
7. The oppressor is remorseful even if people praise him. The oppressed is safe even if people condemn him.
8. The content person is wealthy even if he is hungry. And the covetous is impoverished even if he owns [plenty].
9. One who does not thank God for a blessing has called for its eradication.
10. The best person is one who does not allow his Hereafter to preoccupy him from his worldly affair, nor does he allow his worldly affair to preoccupy him from his Hereafter. [Imam Harith al Muhasibi]
Wednesday, January 07, 2015
Thoughts on the Charlie Hebdo Attack
Being a part of this world means living with things you disagree with. The way to combat bad ideas is with better ideas. These are the twin thoughts swirling in my head as I've struggled to take in the totality of the terrible news of this morning's attack in Paris, ostensibly carried out by militant Muslims "defending" Islam's Prophet Muhammad from the poison pens of political cartoonists and caricaturists.
Now, to be clear, as a Muslim I find such portrayals offensive and often unnecessary. And, to be equally clear, my sense of self isn't so fragile that it can't withstand folks taking potshots at my faith. In other words, I get over it and get on with it. Yes, the target of this attack, France's long-running satire magazine Charlie Hebdo has often been critical of religion in general, Islam in particular, and Prophet Muhammad even more particular still. So are a lot of other people.
Continue reading...
Now, to be clear, as a Muslim I find such portrayals offensive and often unnecessary. And, to be equally clear, my sense of self isn't so fragile that it can't withstand folks taking potshots at my faith. In other words, I get over it and get on with it. Yes, the target of this attack, France's long-running satire magazine Charlie Hebdo has often been critical of religion in general, Islam in particular, and Prophet Muhammad even more particular still. So are a lot of other people.
Continue reading...
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