You must not waste your health and free time: do not become remiss in performing deeds of obedience to your Lord because you depend on past good actions. Take advantage of your health and free time by working and striving. Remember that you cannot always make up for lost time and that sooner or later, you will rue those times that you have wasted away in idleness. The wiser said: “If work causes one to tire, then inactivity causes one to decay.”
Another wiser said :
“Don’t spend your day doing something that will not benefit you and don’t let your wealth remain idle by not investing it in some project. For there is too little time in one’s life to throw it away on something useless, and one’s supply of money is too small not to invest it. So the wise one is too judicious to waste his time in nonsense and to spend his money in something that will not bring a return.”
More profound than that is the saying of ‘Eesa (Jesus):
“Piety is in three: in speech, in sight, and in silence. Whoever’s speech is not in remembrance (of GOD) has spoken nonsense. Whoever looks without trying to learn a lesson has forgotten (his true purpose). And whoever’s silence is not accompanied with reflection has been heedless.”
Also more profound than that is the saying of mohammad (bpuh):
God does not judge you according to your appearance and your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and looks into your deeds.
Monday, March 23, 2009
GOD protects those who believe (13-9)
Every man, whether he admits it or not, is in need of a god, and it follows that god must possess certain qualities, such as omnipotence, power, richness, and everlastingness. The One Who has all of these , and all other perfect qualities , is ALLAH, the Lord of all that exists.
Therefore the sincere seeker is drawn to and then finds comfort in his belief in GOD. He is the sanctuary of the weak and of the ones who seek refuge.
Whoever worships other than GOD, even if he loves Him to a certain degree, is much worse off than the one who enjoys eating food that has been poisoned.
The need we have for GOD is shown by the connection sought by us between the transient and the Everlasting, the weak and the Almighty, the poor with the All-Rich.
And whoever does not take Allah to be his Lord and God will positively take other than Him as a god.
He will, for example, take pictures, objects of love, or his desires to be his deity, and then he becomes the slave and servant of that false deity, And of this there is no doubt.
Know that the need of the slave to worship ALLAH alone, without associating partners with Him, is more urgent than the need to breathe air.
A person’s reality resides in his heart and soul. And neither one’s heart nor soul is healthy except by worshipping Allah.
“Whoever craves for a meeting with GOD, loves Him, And GOD will be for him stronger in love, The opposite holds true for the one who hates. So ask GOD For His Mercy and Favor, but don’t depend on this alone, but perform good deeds also.
Even if one finds pleasure in other than GOD, it is a condition that will not last, for when one becomes bored with one object or person, he immediately seeks another. He will find blessings with this person at one time, and find annoyance and vexation with the same person at another time. Indeed, he might even come to hate a person whose company at one time had given him the utmost of pleasure.
As for GOD, one is in constant need of Him, on all occasions and at all times.
Therefore the sincere seeker is drawn to and then finds comfort in his belief in GOD. He is the sanctuary of the weak and of the ones who seek refuge.
Whoever worships other than GOD, even if he loves Him to a certain degree, is much worse off than the one who enjoys eating food that has been poisoned.
The need we have for GOD is shown by the connection sought by us between the transient and the Everlasting, the weak and the Almighty, the poor with the All-Rich.
And whoever does not take Allah to be his Lord and God will positively take other than Him as a god.
He will, for example, take pictures, objects of love, or his desires to be his deity, and then he becomes the slave and servant of that false deity, And of this there is no doubt.
Know that the need of the slave to worship ALLAH alone, without associating partners with Him, is more urgent than the need to breathe air.
A person’s reality resides in his heart and soul. And neither one’s heart nor soul is healthy except by worshipping Allah.
“Whoever craves for a meeting with GOD, loves Him, And GOD will be for him stronger in love, The opposite holds true for the one who hates. So ask GOD For His Mercy and Favor, but don’t depend on this alone, but perform good deeds also.
Even if one finds pleasure in other than GOD, it is a condition that will not last, for when one becomes bored with one object or person, he immediately seeks another. He will find blessings with this person at one time, and find annoyance and vexation with the same person at another time. Indeed, he might even come to hate a person whose company at one time had given him the utmost of pleasure.
As for GOD, one is in constant need of Him, on all occasions and at all times.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Signposts on the seeker’s highway (13-10)
If one wants to know whether one is climbing upwards toward success, there are certain signs and indications that can help him to determine his progress:
1. As one becomes more knowledgeable, one becomes more humble and merciful to others. Think of an expensive pearl, the more heavy and valuable it is, the deeper it is in the ocean. A wise person knows that though knowledge is a gift, GOD tests the one whom He gives it to. When one is thankful for the gift of knowledge, one will be raised in ranking.
2. The more one performs good deeds, the more one becomes cautious and fearful, in the sense that he does not feel secure from error, such as a slip of the tongue or a change of heart. He is always in a state of watching over himself and of being wary. He is like a careful bird: each time it lands on a tree, it soon leaves it for another, afraid of the skilled hunter and his bullet.
3. The older one gets, the less covetous should one be for this world, for he comes to know with certainty that his time is soon finished.
4. The wealthier one becomes, the more generous should one be towards others. The wealthy person must understand that his wealth is a trust given to him, and that GOD is testing him in that wealth.
5. The higher one’s status becomes in society, the closer should he be to ordinary people, showing humility and fulfilling their needs.
But there are also signs that indicate wretchedness:
1. The more knowledge one attains, the more haughty and arrogant he becomes. Such a person’s knowledge is not beneficial. His heart is empty and his company is heavy to bear.
2. The more he increases in deeds, the more proud he becomes and the more contemptuous he becomes of others. He doesn’t give the benefit of the doubt to anyone except to his own self Thus, he deems that he is the only one who achieves salvation while all others are bound for destruction.
3. The older he gets, the more avarice and cupidity become part of his character. He gathers, but he never shares. Calamities and misfortune fail to move him into becoming a benefactor to others.
4. The wealthier he becomes, the more miserly he becomes with his money.
5. The higher his position in society, the higher his level of arrogance and haughtiness.
In each of the points discussed above, I mentioned some of GOD’s favors, favors by which He tests His slaves, some of those slaves will pass the test while others will fail it.
1. As one becomes more knowledgeable, one becomes more humble and merciful to others. Think of an expensive pearl, the more heavy and valuable it is, the deeper it is in the ocean. A wise person knows that though knowledge is a gift, GOD tests the one whom He gives it to. When one is thankful for the gift of knowledge, one will be raised in ranking.
2. The more one performs good deeds, the more one becomes cautious and fearful, in the sense that he does not feel secure from error, such as a slip of the tongue or a change of heart. He is always in a state of watching over himself and of being wary. He is like a careful bird: each time it lands on a tree, it soon leaves it for another, afraid of the skilled hunter and his bullet.
3. The older one gets, the less covetous should one be for this world, for he comes to know with certainty that his time is soon finished.
4. The wealthier one becomes, the more generous should one be towards others. The wealthy person must understand that his wealth is a trust given to him, and that GOD is testing him in that wealth.
5. The higher one’s status becomes in society, the closer should he be to ordinary people, showing humility and fulfilling their needs.
But there are also signs that indicate wretchedness:
1. The more knowledge one attains, the more haughty and arrogant he becomes. Such a person’s knowledge is not beneficial. His heart is empty and his company is heavy to bear.
2. The more he increases in deeds, the more proud he becomes and the more contemptuous he becomes of others. He doesn’t give the benefit of the doubt to anyone except to his own self Thus, he deems that he is the only one who achieves salvation while all others are bound for destruction.
3. The older he gets, the more avarice and cupidity become part of his character. He gathers, but he never shares. Calamities and misfortune fail to move him into becoming a benefactor to others.
4. The wealthier he becomes, the more miserly he becomes with his money.
5. The higher his position in society, the higher his level of arrogance and haughtiness.
In each of the points discussed above, I mentioned some of GOD’s favors, favors by which He tests His slaves, some of those slaves will pass the test while others will fail it.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Being blessed with honor is also a test (13-11)
If one is endowed with power, honor, status, rank, or wealth, he must realize that he is being tested.
Thus GOD gives a blessing to see who accepts it properly, by being thankful for it, by preserving it, and by taking advantage of it in a good way; and to see who denies it, by not being thankful, by wasting away the favor, or even by using it to wage war against the One Who gave it to him in the first place!
We must understand, therefore, that blessings are trials from GOD. It is through trials that the gratitude of the grateful person becomes revealed while the ingrate becomes exposed. And we must remember that GOD tests us in good times as well as in bad times.
Thus GOD gives a blessing to see who accepts it properly, by being thankful for it, by preserving it, and by taking advantage of it in a good way; and to see who denies it, by not being thankful, by wasting away the favor, or even by using it to wage war against the One Who gave it to him in the first place!
We must understand, therefore, that blessings are trials from GOD. It is through trials that the gratitude of the grateful person becomes revealed while the ingrate becomes exposed. And we must remember that GOD tests us in good times as well as in bad times.
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