Hazrat Shibli (r.a.) went to a Hakim (Indigenous doctor) and asked if he could cure a patient who commits sins regularly.
Nearby a saintly person was sitting and collecting the straws and was murmuring: "Those who adore You (Allah) collect straws."
He called Hazrat Shibli (r.a.) and gave him the prescription.
"Take the flowers of shyness, the fruits of contentment, root of submissiveness, young shoots of grief, leaves from the tree of truth, the bark of civility and the seeds of politeness. Start grinding them in the grinder of devotion. Add daily the tears of shame. Put this mixture into the pan of your heart and bake it in the oven of fondness. When ready strain it in the strainer of the purity of the heart, mix the sugar of sweet words, cook it on the high flame of love. When the mixture is ready cool it with the air of fear of Allah. Then use it."
source: 20 Lessons for Muslim Women by Maulana Aashiq Elahi[/QUOTE]
Here is a story I came across on Ahmeds World Of Islam Blog.
Prepared by Muhammad Alshareef
Shaykh Sa'eed ibn Musfir tells the following account...
I was walking out of the Haram (the Ka'bah in Makkah) when I saw a man begging from everyone that passed by him. Just then a man who had parked his tinted Mercedes excessively close to the Haram in a designated VIP parking walked passed the beggar on his way to his car. As he pulled the keys out and the alarm did the 'whup whup', the beggar raised his finger to the sky and said, "Please, for the sake of Allah!"
Trying to end the moment and avoid a dip into the pocket, the Mercedes man said back, "Allah will provide!" The beggar said back, "What! Did you at any moment think that I thought YOU were my provider! I'm not asking for your provision, I KNOW Allah will provide for me."
Shaykh Misfir continues. The two stood there staring at one another for a moment and then the Mercedes tinted windows came up and the man drove away. A needy African sister who was sitting nearby on the street selling textiles was moved by the incident. She did not have much, but from what she did have, she pulled out 1 riyal and placed it in the hands of that beggar. He smiled and went on his way.
Meanwhile the Mercedes man could not drive on with the choke of guilt. He turned the car around and made his way through the crowd to the place where the incident had happened. Shaykh Misfir says...I saw with my own eyes as he pulled out a 10 riyal bill from his briefcase to give to the beggar. But he looked left and right and could not find him. What was he to do? He had already pulled out the bill to give for the sake of Allah and was not going to put it back. So he found the nearest person he thought was worthy of the bill, placed it in her lap and went on his way.
The 10 riyals sat in the lap of the sister that had given the beggar!
Hazrat Abu Hurairah(R.A.) reported that Rasulullah (sallallaahu alaiyhi wassallam) has said that Allah's injunction is:
"O my servants ! Spend and you will be given." [Bukhari, Muslim]
Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas(R.A.) reported that Rasulullah(sallallaahu alaiyhi wassallam) has said that
"Charity does not diminish wealth." [Tibrani]
In the City Of Ashkabad, an old lady, would Stand in the bazaar handing out
hot cups of tea, to passersby.
Someone asked her; " Be it rain or shine, or the freezing cold of winter you spend your days serving beverages to strangers that also, without charge, why don't you enjoy a life of comfort and ease at your age."
She replied; " People are under so much stress these days. Being an old and lonely Woman who has reached the autumn of life, I thought that perhaps I should make myself useful by spreading good will. I hand out cups of tea and share a few kind words.
" The People leave my little stall in the Bazaar in a Cheerful mood, so perhaps by my act of kindness towards them those people are motivated to show kindness to others during the rest of the day, be it at work or at home.
" I may not be able to change the world, but I can certainly make a difference to Someones day. Kindness to others always bears fruit."
Just a Thought.
A little act of kindness can go along way so why are we so miserly in offering it.
Even to our close relatives and friends.
May Allah fill our Hearts with kindness and compassion towards others, ameen.
P.S. I humbly request your Duas Insha'Allah.[/QUOTE]
[B]"If you want happiness for an hour — take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day — go fishing.
If you want happiness for a year — inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime — help someone else."[/B]
The Following is Something I read on another site.
I decided to be mindful of how I spend my time......
Since last night my young son has been unwell. When I got back from work this evening I decided to take him to hospital despite my exhaustion. Indeed, fatigue for his sake is rest. There were many waiting;perhaps we will be delayed by more than an hour. I took my number and sat down in the waiting room. There were many faces, young and old, but all silent. Some brothers made use of the many booklets available in the waiting room. Some of those waiting had their eyes closed,while others were looking around. Most were bored.
Once in a while the long silence was broken by a nurse calling out a number. Happiness appears on the one whose turn it is, and he gets up quickly;then silence returns.
A young man grabbed my attention. He was reading a pocket-sized Qur`an continuously; not raising his head even once. At first I did not think much about him. However, after one hour of waiting my casual glances turned into a deep reflection about his lifestyle and how he utilizes his time. One hour of life wasted!
Instead of making benefit of that hour,it was just a boring wait. Then the call for prayer was made. We went to prayer in the hospital's mosque.I tried to pray close to the man who was reading the Qur`an earlier in the waiting room.
After the prayer I walked with him. I informed him of how impressed I was of him and how he tries to benefit from his time. He told me that most of our time is wasted without any benefit. These are days that go from our lives without being conscious of them or regretting their waste. He said that he started carrying the pocket-sized Qur`an around when a friend encouraged him to make full use of his time. He told me that in the time other people waste he gets to read much more of the Qur`an than he gets to read either at home or in the mosque.Moreover, besides the reward of reading the Qur`an,this habit saves him from boredom and stress.
He added that he has now been waiting for one and a half hours.Then he asked, when will you find one and a half hours to read the Qur`an? I reflected;how much time do we waste? How many moments of our lives pass by, and yet we do not account for how they passed by? Indeed, how many months pass by and we do not read the Qur`an? I came to respect my companion, and I discovered that I am to stand for account and that time is not in my hand;so what am I waiting for?
My thoughts were interrupted by the nurse calling out my number;I went to the doctor. But I want to achieve something now. After I left the hospital I quickly went to the bookshop and bought a pocket-sized Qur`an. I decided to be mindful of how I spend the time. That was my intention when I put that Qur`an in my pocket. How many people will do this?
And what great reward is for the one who guides others to this idea?[/QUOTE]
I hope you dont mind, I have some spare time these days so I thought I would help out by transferring some of the posts from the original thread on sunniforum, to here.
The Following is something I read it is taken from the lecture of Maulana Tariq Jameel.
There lived an idolator in the past who made an idol out of stone and would worship it everyday. He would call it upon it by saying "Ya Sanam." For seventy years, he worshipped this idol. One day by mistake he uttered "Ya Samad" instead of Ya Sanam. Samad is a name of Allah which means The Self Sufficient Master. Allah Ta'ala immediately replied back to this idolator by saying "I am present oh My slave." The angels asked Allah why He replied to him since he didn't even call upon Him intentionally. Allah told the angels that for seventy years I have been waiting for this servant of mine to turn towards Me!
If a mother has only one child then how much would she love him? He would be the coolness of her eyes and the comfort of her heart. But if this son calls her saying "Mommy" more than four or five times, she would get irritated eventhough she loves him more than her ownself. On the other hand, when we call Allah once, He replies back to us 70 times by saying "Labbaik Ya Abdi (I am here oh My slave)." How unfortunate we are that we have not recognized our Allah who is so Kind, Merciful and Forgiving.
Source: Extracted from the lecture by Shaikh Tariq Jameel.[/QUOTE]
That's fine, i just hope it's not random posts from the thread .
My aim is was to post all relevant posts from start to finish, I managed to cover the first 10/20 pages. If you could also stick to the order then it'll be much appreciated as it'll save the confusion etc later
Shaykh Saleem al Ashkabadi, was offered a teaching post in the beautiful, Mountain resort City of Reyhan. The Shaykh decided to accept the post, he had not been in the best of health. so he thought perhaps the cooler climate of Reyhan, and its surroundings, may help in his recovery from his illness.
The Shaykh announced, to his congregation that he was leaving. Some of the locals came over to the Shaykhs residence and offered their best wishes, but no one seemed overly concerned about the Shaykhs imminent departure.The Shaykh left after a few days without any great fanfare.
Several weeks went by and the people of Ashkabad started growing restless. during times of Difficultie be they spiritual, emotional or worldly they had always approached shaykh Saleem al Ashkabadi, for his wise advice and words of comfort. Now that the Shaykh had departed they realised the great void that had been left by his departure.
The locals got together and approached the president of the Dar ul Uloom, they said; " Please write to Shaykh Saleem and ask him to return, we need him here in Ashkabad. The shaykh is an Ashkabadi and he should be here with his own people. We feel lost without his, Knowledge and guidance."
The President responded; " Oh ungrateful ones, now the shaykh is no longer with us you shed tears of yearning. You failed to appreciate the great blessing that you had when he was present. How strange it is, that only now you appreciate him. I had tried my best, to persuade the Shaykh to stay, but he was adamant on taking up his new post, in Reyhan.
" If only you people had realised sooner at what a great treasure we were about to lose and come and spoken to the shaykh . He may have changed his mind. But alas, it is now too late."
On of the local elders, spoke and said; " Indeed you have spoken the truth, it seems our reaction has been like the Richman who only appreciates the wealth, he had when he is struck with poverty.
Or the arrogant Young man, who only realises the value of Youth when he reaches Old age. Or the foolish one who only remembers the blessing of health, when he is struck with illness.
We only seem to appreciate a blessing once it has departed. We pay no heed to it once it is present. Now through this lack, of gratitude we have been deprived of the company of Shaykh Saleem."
Some Points to reflect:
Is this not the case with most of us.Our friends , relatives and even parents have departed this world. We are filled with remorse and regret that we did not spend enough time with them when they were alive, we remain even too busy to spend time in the company of our parents and children. Only when we are deprived of the opportunity forever do we realise our mistake.
Once the winds of time dim the pain and sorrow in our hearts. We return to our worldly pursuits of acquiring a bigger house, or a faster car etc. We remain in a perpetual state of heedlessness.
Also what will happen when we depart this world. what will our fate be. Have we made a positive impact in the lives of others? have we done enough charitable work that will benefit us in the akhirah? Will people even remember us in their Duas?
The time of Departure is nigh! what preparations have we made for it.
May Allah give us all hidayah, and especially a hypocrite and sinner like me Ameen.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=UmmeGibrel;]Just to say, my sister's friend read the following post to the girls at her school during the assembly, and everyone there found it wonderful.
Keep up the great work.
[]"A man was on his death bed, Someone asked him to give some wise counsel before he departed, the world he Said.
" When I was young I wanted to change the world and solve its problems, As I got older I realized that perhaps I should lower my sights, I thought I would be better served in changing my country as time went on I realized that people of country could not be changed. I decided to change the people of my town , but they also did not wish to change, When I reached my old age I thought I would try changing my Family, here also I found my endeavors go to waste, try as I might my family members would not change.
" Now that I am on my death bed, I have realized that if I had sought to improve myself, and removed my own defects, then perhaps my family members would have been influenced. Then seeing the behavior of my family people of my town would have been influenced. By seeing the spiritual change and improvement of the people of my town, the people of my country would have been influenced. And perhaps through the people of my country the world may have been influenced."
* Source Unknown.
Is it not the case that we spend very little time reflecting on ourselves, but seek out the faults and defects of others. I joined this forum last week, to help improve my knowledge, instead what I have found myself doing is getting engaged, in fruitless debates be it sectarian issues, political issues or otherwise. I wish to change the world but I find it near impossible, to change myself."
In the early hours of the morning Ahmed sat in the courtyard of his ancestral home engrossed in deep thought, the silence being broken by the singing of a lone sparrow somewhere in the distance.
As he listened to the cries of yearning being sang by the sparrow,the tears welled up in his eyes and made a steady stream down his face he could not control his emotions any longer as he sobbed uncontrollably.
The previous day had begun same as any other, he had watched as a poor Laborer had arrived to pay off the debt incurred on goods he had purchased on credit from the Store owned by Ahmeds father, Hajji Ibrahim.
A scenario that Ahmed had witnessed many times during his childhood was repeated. Hajji Ibrahim had gone into the store and returned with the accounts book after flicking through the pages he informed the Laborer, "My son there must be some mistake, the goods you purchased on credit have already been payed for." The Laborer insisted that he had not payed of the debt. Hajji Ibrahim showed him the accounts book and said in a firm tone; " It says payed in full and thats final."
The Man left with a puzzled expression on his face. Not realising that Hajji Ibrahim, was a generous individual who refused to accept payment from anyone needy. He would sell goods on credit and when they returned to make the payment , Hajji sahib would always show them the account book and say the debt had already been payed for.
A little while after the encounter with the laborer Hajji sahib had been taken ill,
he had been suffering from a heart ailment for several years. The doctors had informed the family that Hajji sahibs, condition had grown progressively worse, there was not much more they could do. It was for this reason that Ahmed had arrived from America a couple of weeks earlier, after having spent more then a decade abroad where he had settled with his young family.
All the relatives had gathered around Hajji sahibs bedside, several family members read Surah Yasin, as Hajji sahib after reciting the Kalimah breathed his last. Announcement where made in several of the surrounding villages, informing people of Hajji sahibs demise, and that Janaazah salah ,would be performed during the late afternoon.
Ahmeds mind had been in a fog, he had felt numb not fully able to grasp what had happened, as multitudes of people had arrived to offer their condolences and to participate in the Janaazah.
Only now as he sat on his own in the early hours, was he fully able to grieve. The rock of Support and solace that had been his father was no more. He had never fully been prepared for this day. He would no longer be able to turn to his Father for some wise counsel, in times of distress many a time he had phoned his Father. Just hearing his cheerful voice would always make Ahmed feel better.
Many a time he had promised his Father he would one day come to visit, for some reason there had always been other distractions that had kept him preoccupied in America, his career, his investments, the pursuit of a bigger house, a faster car. Oh how Ahmed regretted not having spent more time with his Father but alas it was now too late. The decree of Allah had come to Pass.
Although Ahmed knew in the debts of his heart, this day would come to pass. he had ignored the whisperings of his conscience. The Duniyah had kept him preoccupied, in the mean time he had lost something immeasurable. the opportunity to spend time with his parents in their old age and to serve them.
Written by Julaybib.
May Allah give us all the tawfiq to Honor our parents Ameen.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=in fear;]Sallaams brother,
I have spent most of my day reading this thread, Masha'Allah there is so much to learn.
The above story has really touched me as we often forget the love of our parents and are quick to hurt them, even then they forgive us.
Unfortunately for me my parents are in another town and recently due to some unfortunate circumstances my husband has decided that he does not care for them anymore and makes excuses not to visit them.
Please pray for my parents and inlaws as they are all very nice and also make duaa for my husband that Allah Subhawata'A'la give him Hidayaahand give me Sabr and give Barakaah in our household. ameen.
Jazak'Allah.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Julaybib;]Salaam.
The above post was written from the Heart, in memory of my Father who passed away Three weeks ago, may Allah grant him al firdaus Ameen.
I Pray that Allah softens the Heart of your husband and turns all your difficulties into ease, Ameen.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=in fear;]Sallaams Brother,
I am so sorry to hear about your father, May Almighty Allah grant marhoom jannatul Firdos and give you and your family sabr.
AMEEN.[/QUOTE]
One night as Hamza was about to retire to bed, he heard a heavy pounding on the door, who could it be at this late hour wondered Hamza.
As Hamza opened the door of his little shack, he saw a Young man in disheveled clothing standing before him.
" Yes what is the matter? who are you? and what brings you to my door at this late hour? " enquired Hamza.
The young mans eyes welled up with tears, he explained how he had been robbed by bandits, his horse and all his belongings had been stolen. "I have been traveling on foot for two days. Once I arrived in your village, I was relieved that finally I would receive some assistance, but alas I have been turned away by everyone. no one is willing to offer me a bed for the night or some food."
Hamza feeling sorry for the young mans plight invited him into the house, to spend the night, and quickly prepared a meal of bread and lentils for his guest.
In the morning after breakfast, Hamza gave the young man two silver coins, and a Mule for transport. The youngman thanked Hamza profusely as he left and promised that; " If you ever visit the city of Ashkabad, please pay me a visit, I will repay you for all your kind hospitality."
Many years passed by and Hamza had fallen on hard times, as a result of his extreme poverty; he left his village to seek work in the City of Ashkabad.
He found employment in a restaurant, working as a waiter. One day as Hamza was going about his duties, he noticed a customer staring at him intently. Hamza continued with his work but when he looked up he noticed the customer was still staring at him.Finally the young man beckoned towards Hamza calling him over. The youngman asked Hamza; " Do you recognise me."
" No ", responded Hamza; "I think you may have mistaken me for someone else, I am quite sure we have never met before."
The Young man responded; " We have indeed met, you may have forgotten but I could never forget those two days I spent wondering without food or Shelter. Do you remember a stranger who came knocking on the door of your house in the early hours of the night seeking assistance?".
"Ah yes" replied Hamza. "I always wondered what became of you"
The Young man took out a bag of Gold coins, and said: " Here is your reward for
showing compassion to a stranger in his hour of need."
Hamza was dumbstruck! all his financial worries had been alleviated he had never before seen so much wealth.He returned happily to his village a wealthy man.
Written by Julaybib.
Just a thought.
Our forefathers used to rejoice if they received a Guest and considered it a great blessing. But what is our condition. Someone comes to visit us and after only a few hours we start giving them hints that they should leave.
Often if someone knocks on the door, at a meal time. Rather then inviting a person in or asking them to partake in the meal. People pretend they are not at home and don't even bother answering the door.
The Ulemah have enumerated abundant blessings and reward in serving and honoring a guest. Yet we remain embroiled in selfishness.
Forget strangers we find it difficult to be hospitable to our close relatives, when they arrive as guests.
May Allah guide us all and protect us from miserliness and stinginess and give us the Tawfiq to strive in his cause Ameen.[/QUOTE]
We are on Page 22 of the original thread post number 222 I believe...! Those posts which are just feedback by readers have been omitted here, only the relevant posts have been posted here...Although it does take away from the flavour of the original thread.
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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