The one who constantly remembers death is ennobled with contentment, with his heart's activities directed toward obedience, and with prompt repentance (when wrongs occur). The one who is heedless of death is afflicted with the opposite of all three.
The word "alms" has no singular, as if to teach us that a solitary act of charity scarcely deserves the name. Water will quench a flaming fire; and alms makes an atonement for sins. If you have abundance, give alms accordingly; if you have but little, be not afraid to give according to that little.
The reality of thoughts and the power they have to create and to change the world around us brings with it a supremely important realization: We can bless and we can heal. Blessing and healing are not mystical secret powers reserved for a special few. They are the God given right----and----responsibility-----of every human being, and as soon as we admit to ourselves that we can really be instruments of God's healing love, we can begin to make the kind of changes in our lives and in the world that we always wanted to make, but did not feel that we were worthy or capable of offering.
Thoughts can make or break us. Such is the power of thoughts. We must respect the power of thoughts. We do not create our lives from nothing, but we certainly set into motion the events that create circumstances. By the time we see a circumstance, we are seeing the effect of a series of events that began with a thought long ago. Any change in circumstances is due only to a change in the way we think. If we want to change our circumstances, we must change the way we think. We cannot allow ourselves the luxury of an "idle thought", for there is no such thing. Every thought is a seed. What we plant in our mental garden will grow. This is the law of mind.
Anger is truly an amazing phenomenon if one reflects on its nature and presence in human life and character, its peril and liability, as well as its utility and necessity.
There is a correlation between what a person does and what he receives from Allah in kind -- a correspondence that our all wise Lord has placed in the working of creation. If one wishes not to incur the wrath of Allah, then this person should not be wrathful or angry with people unjustly.
Anger is not a negative emotion in and of itself. It is part of human creation as our flesh and limbs are. Without anger, there are many things that would not have been achieved. Anger can be a positive monitor. The Prophet's (peace be upon him) anger was always in response to an aberration in human character and behavior offensive to Allah.
Holding the anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing at someone else, and you are the one who gets burned. Anger and jealousy can no more bear to lose sight of their objects than love.
It is part of ancient wisdom to remind people that all accomplishments people admire and praise will perish until no one remembers it. There is foolishness in having vanity over what one has accomplished, given its ephemeral nature. But when one is thankful to Allah and acknowledges and praises Him as the source of this goodness, then the accomplishment outlasts our earthly lives and the memories of people.
If one accomplishes something, let him or her remember Allah and be grateful, and not swagger with haughtiness. For if we do not humble ourselves, Allah will humble us. When men and women are blessed with exceptional outward beauty, they introduce ugliness when they have vanity for it. To rid oneself of vanity or to prevent it from entering one's heart,one should reflect long and hard on the fact that all blessings are entirely from Allah and that we cannot create any benefit nor harm without His permission.
The righteous salaf were as fearful of their good deeds being squandered and not accepted as the present generation is certain that their neglect will be forgiven.
Another disease of the heart is vanity, known in Arabic as ujb, which is related to arrogance. The possessor of vanity is impressed with himself, and so admires his talents, possessions, looks, and status, and he considers himself better than others.
Ujb is a nefarious kind of vanity in which a person rejoices in the blessings he has, but forgets the sources of these blessings. The fact that someone has talent and is able to develop into a higher skill and craft and achieve remarkable things does nothing to diminish the obvious--that it is from Allah. Realizing that Allah is the source of all blessings prevents vanity from entering the heart.
Petty people seek out the faults of great people, while great people overlook the faults of petty people. If a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size.
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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