People are the mirror of the individual. If he behaves well towards them they will behave well towards him, so his nerves will be calmed, and he will be content, and he will feel that he is living in a friendly environment.
But if a person treats others badly and is harsh towards them, he will find that people treat him badly and in a rough and harsh manner. Whoever does not respect people will not be respected by them.
The one who has a good attitude will have more peace of mind and is less likely to be anxious and distressed or find himself in painful situations. In addition to that, having a good attitude is an act of worship to Allah, the Most High, and is something that He encourages a great deal.
God Almighty has said in the Holy Qur’an:
“There are servants of God who walk humbly on the earth and when an ignorant one converses with them, they pray for his welfare.” [25:63]
This shows that it is not desirable for a mu’min (true believer) to unnecessarily quarrel with those ignorant folk who walk arrogantly on God’s earth.
The Prophet (s.a.w) has said:
“Good manners (adab) are part of faith.”
He has also said:
“My Lord taught me the best of manners.”
People should learn manners from Zulaikha who covered the face of her idol when she was alone with Yusuf. When Yusuf asked her to state the reason she said, “I do not want my deity to witness the scene of impropriety. It is against good manners.”
But when Yusuf had met her father, and Zulaikha has embraced Islam and was properly married to him, she was hesitant to go in privacy with Yusuf.
At this Yusuf said, “What is the matter with you? Don’t you love me?” She said, “I love you now even more, but you see, when I was an idol worshipper I did not like to be in privacy with you in front of my deity, who could not see, but now that I am a Muslim and my God can see what we do. I do not know how I should conceal my act of impropriety from Him.”
It must be remembered that the beauty of all affairs, religious or temporal, lies in good manners and decorum. It is unanimously agreed upon by all men whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims that good behaviour is one of the most essential qualities in every walk of life.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
The soul deserves more care than the body
When ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz was caliph, he ordered a man to buy him garment for eight dirhams. The man bought it and brought it to him.
‘Umar placed his hand on it and said: “How lovely and soft it is!”
The man who had brought it smiled, and ‘Umar asked him, “Why are you smiling?”
He said: “Because, O’ Amir al-Mu’minin (Leader of Believers), before you became caliph, you ordered me to buy a silk cloak for you, and I bought it for one thousand dirhams, but you put on it and said, ‘How rough it is!’ Today you find an eight-dirham garment soft.”
‘Umar said: “I don’t think that a man who buys a garment for one thousand dirhams fears Allah.”
Then he said: “I have an ambitious soul. Every time it attains one position, it looks for something higher. I became governor, then I wanted to become caliph. Now I have become caliph, and my soul is longing for something greater than that, namely Paradise.”
‘Umar placed his hand on it and said: “How lovely and soft it is!”
The man who had brought it smiled, and ‘Umar asked him, “Why are you smiling?”
He said: “Because, O’ Amir al-Mu’minin (Leader of Believers), before you became caliph, you ordered me to buy a silk cloak for you, and I bought it for one thousand dirhams, but you put on it and said, ‘How rough it is!’ Today you find an eight-dirham garment soft.”
‘Umar said: “I don’t think that a man who buys a garment for one thousand dirhams fears Allah.”
Then he said: “I have an ambitious soul. Every time it attains one position, it looks for something higher. I became governor, then I wanted to become caliph. Now I have become caliph, and my soul is longing for something greater than that, namely Paradise.”
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The Importance of Knowledge
The Prophet (s.a.w) says, “The search of knowledge is obligatory for all Muslim men and women.” He also says, “Seek knowledge even if it is in China.”
We should know that knowledge is boundless and life is short. It is therefore not incumbent on man to perfect all branches of learning such as astronomy, mathematics and other sciences except to the extent necessitated by shariat.
For instance man has to learn that much of astronomy which enables him to determine the time (of prayer) by stars in the night; of medicine to preserve health, and of mathematics to calculate share of inheritance and iddat (duration of the period of divorce and menstruation).
The conditions of knowledge are determined by their utility to act rightly. God Almighty has deprecated the sort of knowledge which is harmful and useless. Says He: “They teach what is harmful and useless” [2:102]. The Prophet (s.a.w) has said: “I seek God’s protection against useless knowledge.”
We should know that one can achieve great success through a little knowledge. But knowledge should always be followed by practice. For the Prophet (s.a.w) has condemned knowledge without good deeds in the following words, “The worshipper without the knowledge of fiqh (Islamic law) is like the donkey driving a flour mill, which is at the same place in the evening where it started work in the morning.”
One of the signs of the ignorant is that they seek knowledge for worldly fame. This is not knowledge. It is ignorance. In short, the greatest virtue of knowledge is Truth of God and all the stages and states of nearness of God can be attained only through knowledge.
We should know that knowledge is boundless and life is short. It is therefore not incumbent on man to perfect all branches of learning such as astronomy, mathematics and other sciences except to the extent necessitated by shariat.
For instance man has to learn that much of astronomy which enables him to determine the time (of prayer) by stars in the night; of medicine to preserve health, and of mathematics to calculate share of inheritance and iddat (duration of the period of divorce and menstruation).
The conditions of knowledge are determined by their utility to act rightly. God Almighty has deprecated the sort of knowledge which is harmful and useless. Says He: “They teach what is harmful and useless” [2:102]. The Prophet (s.a.w) has said: “I seek God’s protection against useless knowledge.”
We should know that one can achieve great success through a little knowledge. But knowledge should always be followed by practice. For the Prophet (s.a.w) has condemned knowledge without good deeds in the following words, “The worshipper without the knowledge of fiqh (Islamic law) is like the donkey driving a flour mill, which is at the same place in the evening where it started work in the morning.”
One of the signs of the ignorant is that they seek knowledge for worldly fame. This is not knowledge. It is ignorance. In short, the greatest virtue of knowledge is Truth of God and all the stages and states of nearness of God can be attained only through knowledge.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Wealth & Prosperity
I have read the biographies of dozens of rich and famous people worldwide, who did not have faith in God, and I discovered that their lives ended in misery and disgrace. Where are they now? Where is the wealth and treasure that they accumulated? Where are the palaces and mansions that they built?
It has all come to an end. Some of them committed suicide, others were killed, some were imprisoned and the rest were arrested and taken to court for their sins, crimes, foul play and mischief. They became the most miserable of people, when they imagined that their wealth could buy them everything – happiness, love, health and youth – then they found out real happiness, real love, perfect health and real youth cannot be bought with money.
Yes, they could buy imaginary happiness, false love and health in the marketplace, but all the wealth in the world cannot buy a heart, generate love or create joy.
There are people who spend their youth and health to accumulate wealth, then they spend the rest of their lives spending all that they have acquired in an attempt to buy happiness, but all they get is misery. Or they try to reclaim their youth, but old age overtakes them. Or they try to get their health back, but incurable disease overtakes them.
Please don't misunderstand. There is nothing wrong with making money. In our country, people are free to pursue wealth. And for that matter, some of God’s choice people enjoyed great wealth: for instance, Abraham and King Solomon. Many people think that “money is the root of all evil” but to my simple mind it is actually “the love of money which is the root of all evil”.
So, what really is the distinction between wealth and prosperity?
Wealth is a mere accumulation of money and treasure. Prosperity, however, is when blessings flow. We prosper when we have money, or sometimes when money is scarce! We also prosper when our lives flourish in love, security, family, self-worth and a peace that passes understanding.
Nowadays many of us are obsessed with material wealth. And material wealth is not in itself a bad thing; in fact, it can be a good thing when it comes with the full-orbed understanding of God’s blessing. This understanding of wealth includes wholeness of spirit, soundness of mind, and generosity of heart and is grounded on an authentic love relationship with God Himself.
The abundance for which the human heart longs will never be experienced by emitting thoughts into the Universe in hopes they bounce back with a new BMW, as wonderful as a new BMW might seem. I have always believed that a meaning-filled life means we walk in conformity with the purpose for which we were made.
It has all come to an end. Some of them committed suicide, others were killed, some were imprisoned and the rest were arrested and taken to court for their sins, crimes, foul play and mischief. They became the most miserable of people, when they imagined that their wealth could buy them everything – happiness, love, health and youth – then they found out real happiness, real love, perfect health and real youth cannot be bought with money.
Yes, they could buy imaginary happiness, false love and health in the marketplace, but all the wealth in the world cannot buy a heart, generate love or create joy.
There are people who spend their youth and health to accumulate wealth, then they spend the rest of their lives spending all that they have acquired in an attempt to buy happiness, but all they get is misery. Or they try to reclaim their youth, but old age overtakes them. Or they try to get their health back, but incurable disease overtakes them.
Please don't misunderstand. There is nothing wrong with making money. In our country, people are free to pursue wealth. And for that matter, some of God’s choice people enjoyed great wealth: for instance, Abraham and King Solomon. Many people think that “money is the root of all evil” but to my simple mind it is actually “the love of money which is the root of all evil”.
So, what really is the distinction between wealth and prosperity?
Wealth is a mere accumulation of money and treasure. Prosperity, however, is when blessings flow. We prosper when we have money, or sometimes when money is scarce! We also prosper when our lives flourish in love, security, family, self-worth and a peace that passes understanding.
Nowadays many of us are obsessed with material wealth. And material wealth is not in itself a bad thing; in fact, it can be a good thing when it comes with the full-orbed understanding of God’s blessing. This understanding of wealth includes wholeness of spirit, soundness of mind, and generosity of heart and is grounded on an authentic love relationship with God Himself.
The abundance for which the human heart longs will never be experienced by emitting thoughts into the Universe in hopes they bounce back with a new BMW, as wonderful as a new BMW might seem. I have always believed that a meaning-filled life means we walk in conformity with the purpose for which we were made.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Smile at Life
When we smile even though our hearts are filled with worry, we reduce our suffering and open a door to the way out. Do not hesitate to smile, for inside us there is a kind of energy full of smiles. Beware of suppressing it, for that means that we are strangling ourselves with pain and suffering. It will not harm us if we smile, even when we are talking to others about serious matters from the depth of our hearts.
How wonderful it is when our lips speak the language of smiles!
A westerner once said: “Smiling is a social obligation,” and he was right, because if we want to mix with people, we have to be nice to them. We have to understand that social life requires human skills at which we have to be proficient, one of which is smiling.
This is a social phenomenon which is common to all people. When we smile at people, we are giving them glad tidings of the best that they can hope for. But if we meet them with a face that is devoid of compassion, we are tormenting them and disturbing them with such appearance.
How can you accept to be the cause of other people's misery?
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Poison Thoughts
We can poison our minds. There are many more people with sick minds than there are with sick bodies. Many sick minds are sick because they are mentally undernourished. Many sick minds are sick because of lack of mental exercise. They are not given enough thought-stimulation to keep them healthy. But most sick minds are sick because they are given a daily dose of mental poison in the form of POISON THOUGHTS!
How do POISON THOUGHTS get into our minds? We think them! That’s all we have to do to mentally poison our minds, and to make ourselves sick – just think of POISON THOUGHTS. That’s all. It’s just as simple as that.
POISON THOUGHTS may or may not kill us physically. They may not even kill our entire minds – not all of it – they kill the cybernetic (goal-reaching) part of our minds.
When POISON THOUGHTS first sicken…then weaken…then kill…the cybernetic (goal-reaching) part of our minds, we become a ship without a rudder…easily blown off course by the wind…buffeted about by the sickening waves…finally crashing, smashing, helplessly into the rocks by the inevitable storms.
The tragedy of insecurity and instability is happening – in some degree – to many people whom we know, or see in person or in television, or about whom we read in the daily newspapers. We may not realize that their minds have been poisoned – made sick by POISON THOUGHTS.
Violence and hate are the two most deadly POISON THOUGHTS.
Violence is an insane form of ego expression – the last mind explosive resort of those who cannot intelligently cope successfully with personal problems. Violence is the complete collapse of ability to deal rationally with life.
Hate is a mental poison which instantly distorts the mind. It transforms admirable people into evil demons bent on destruction of the object of hate by whatever means their twisted minds devise.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to get rid of hate in our lives?
Hate is an emotion. The more violent the emotion, the more violent the hate. So get rid of the violent feeling and the hate feeling is gone. When we don’t feel hate, we feel clean inside. Don’t we? Relieved…relaxed…free!
Enjoy feeling free of hate. Take a deep breath. Exhale. Relax. Smile. Laugh. Laugh again. And again.
Let’s laugh hate out of our lives!
How do POISON THOUGHTS get into our minds? We think them! That’s all we have to do to mentally poison our minds, and to make ourselves sick – just think of POISON THOUGHTS. That’s all. It’s just as simple as that.
POISON THOUGHTS may or may not kill us physically. They may not even kill our entire minds – not all of it – they kill the cybernetic (goal-reaching) part of our minds.
When POISON THOUGHTS first sicken…then weaken…then kill…the cybernetic (goal-reaching) part of our minds, we become a ship without a rudder…easily blown off course by the wind…buffeted about by the sickening waves…finally crashing, smashing, helplessly into the rocks by the inevitable storms.
The tragedy of insecurity and instability is happening – in some degree – to many people whom we know, or see in person or in television, or about whom we read in the daily newspapers. We may not realize that their minds have been poisoned – made sick by POISON THOUGHTS.
Violence and hate are the two most deadly POISON THOUGHTS.
Violence is an insane form of ego expression – the last mind explosive resort of those who cannot intelligently cope successfully with personal problems. Violence is the complete collapse of ability to deal rationally with life.
Hate is a mental poison which instantly distorts the mind. It transforms admirable people into evil demons bent on destruction of the object of hate by whatever means their twisted minds devise.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to get rid of hate in our lives?
Hate is an emotion. The more violent the emotion, the more violent the hate. So get rid of the violent feeling and the hate feeling is gone. When we don’t feel hate, we feel clean inside. Don’t we? Relieved…relaxed…free!
Enjoy feeling free of hate. Take a deep breath. Exhale. Relax. Smile. Laugh. Laugh again. And again.
Let’s laugh hate out of our lives!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
World's Greatest Lovers
Love is of two kinds. Firstly, man’s love for human being which is really the desire of touching and embracing the beloved. Secondly, the love for the non-homogenous Creator, in which the lover finds peace of mind, and tries to achieve His vision. The existence of love for God is unanimously agreed upon by all sections of people and in all books of etymology and none of the intellectuals have denied it.
It has been said that there is not a single human being who has not tasted the fruit of love, or has not experienced its charms, or has not been intoxicated with it, or has not been annihilated by it. This is because love is ingrained in the very nature of man. It is food for the heart. The heart with no love is a lump of flesh. Love is a force which cannot be subdued or suppressed by effort. It has charms unknown anywhere in the world.
The Prophet (s.a.w) has said: “Allah loves to meet those who love to meet Him and dislikes to meet those who dislike to meet Him.”
He also said: “When Allah loves a man, he says to Jibrail: ‘O Jibrail, I love such and such a man, you love him as well.’ So Jibrail starts to love him and tells all the angels to love him as God loves him. And then all the angels love him; and God blesses him so much that all the inhabitants of earth love him too. The opposite is the case with the hated ones.”
It must be remembered that the love of God for man, and the love of man for God, stands proven by the Qur’an and Hadith. Undoubtedly, God is the possessor of such beautiful qualities that He really deserves to be loved and loves those who love Him.
This is the love He wants to flow through all of us in order to help each person realize that he or she has a value, a purpose and significance. All persons on earth matter to God and they should matter to each one of us.
Once people discover and experience God’s love, they become some of the world’s greatest lovers. The world’s greatest lovers are not Hollywood celebrities on the big or small screen. The world’s greatest lovers are not featured in magazines and on showbiz news shows. The world’s greatest lovers are often well below the radar. They are too busy truly loving people to attract much attention.
It has been said that there is not a single human being who has not tasted the fruit of love, or has not experienced its charms, or has not been intoxicated with it, or has not been annihilated by it. This is because love is ingrained in the very nature of man. It is food for the heart. The heart with no love is a lump of flesh. Love is a force which cannot be subdued or suppressed by effort. It has charms unknown anywhere in the world.
The Prophet (s.a.w) has said: “Allah loves to meet those who love to meet Him and dislikes to meet those who dislike to meet Him.”
He also said: “When Allah loves a man, he says to Jibrail: ‘O Jibrail, I love such and such a man, you love him as well.’ So Jibrail starts to love him and tells all the angels to love him as God loves him. And then all the angels love him; and God blesses him so much that all the inhabitants of earth love him too. The opposite is the case with the hated ones.”
It must be remembered that the love of God for man, and the love of man for God, stands proven by the Qur’an and Hadith. Undoubtedly, God is the possessor of such beautiful qualities that He really deserves to be loved and loves those who love Him.
This is the love He wants to flow through all of us in order to help each person realize that he or she has a value, a purpose and significance. All persons on earth matter to God and they should matter to each one of us.
Once people discover and experience God’s love, they become some of the world’s greatest lovers. The world’s greatest lovers are not Hollywood celebrities on the big or small screen. The world’s greatest lovers are not featured in magazines and on showbiz news shows. The world’s greatest lovers are often well below the radar. They are too busy truly loving people to attract much attention.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Divine Knowledge
A wise man said, “Ever since I started to act upon the knowledge of four principles, I got rid of all knowledge in the world.” When asked what those principles were, he said, “One is when I know for certain that what I am destined to get can neither be increased or decreased by my desire to get more, I feel satisfied. Secondly, I know that I have a duty to God which cannot be discharged by anyone except me and therefore I set about it. Thirdly, I know that I cannot escape death. Fourthly, when I know that whatever I do never escapes the sight of my Lord, I refrain from all evil deeds, since when the servant of God knows that He is aware of everything, he abstains from evil deeds for fear of punishment in the hereafter.”
Briefly speaking, knowledge is a good attribute and is the full understanding and explanation of one who is known (ma’lum). The best quality of knowledge is this: That it turns the ignorant into the wise. God’s knowledge comprehends everything existent or non-existent, and there is none to share that knowledge. It is neither divisible nor separable from Him. And the proof of His knowledge is incidence of His action, because action necessitates knowledge on the part of the actor. Divine knowledge embraces everything hidden and manifest. We should believe that God sees whatever we do and nothing escapes Him.
This is evident from the story of a rich man who went to his garden and saw the beautiful wife of his gardener sitting with her husband. He managed to send the husband away on some pretext and told the woman to close all doors. She said, “I have closed all doors except one which I cannot close.” “Which one?” asked he. “The one between us and our Lord,” she replied. As soon as he got this reply, he felt ashamed and prayed to the Almighty for forgiveness.
Briefly speaking, knowledge is a good attribute and is the full understanding and explanation of one who is known (ma’lum). The best quality of knowledge is this: That it turns the ignorant into the wise. God’s knowledge comprehends everything existent or non-existent, and there is none to share that knowledge. It is neither divisible nor separable from Him. And the proof of His knowledge is incidence of His action, because action necessitates knowledge on the part of the actor. Divine knowledge embraces everything hidden and manifest. We should believe that God sees whatever we do and nothing escapes Him.
This is evident from the story of a rich man who went to his garden and saw the beautiful wife of his gardener sitting with her husband. He managed to send the husband away on some pretext and told the woman to close all doors. She said, “I have closed all doors except one which I cannot close.” “Which one?” asked he. “The one between us and our Lord,” she replied. As soon as he got this reply, he felt ashamed and prayed to the Almighty for forgiveness.
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