Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Ignoble Pursuits
Al-Imran (The House of Imran) - Chapter 3: Verse 26 (partial)

"[O God], You exalt whomever You will, and You debase whomever You will."

Dignity with God comes to those who are humble before Him; who place prime value on how they are received by their Maker and not by how they will be judged by the ephemeral norms of people. Dignity and honor are gifts.

Proofs of this Divine law abound. There are many accounts, for example, of people who were once in positions of authority and wealth, who then find themselves paupers completely stripped of their former glory, reduced, in many instances, to wards of the state. God is powerful over all things, and all good, authority, and provision are in His hand, not ours.

From this, we derive an important principle: if one ignobly pursues an attribute, he or she will be adorned by its opposite. If one is humble before God, He will render him or her honorable. Conversely, God humbles and humiliates the haughty ones, those who arrogantly seek out rank and glory before the eyes of people. The Quran gives the examples of Pharaoh and Korah and their abject fall and disgrace.

Compiled From:
"Purification of the Heart" - Hamza Yusuf. pp. 17, 18

From Issue: 873 [Read original issue]

Understanding The Prophet's Life

The Victory of Moses

The most virtuous day of Muharram (the First Month of Islamic Calendar) is the day of Ashura - the tenth of Muharram. It is reported in Sahih al-Bukhari, when Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) came to Madinah, he saw the Jews fasting on the day of Ashura. He said: 'What is this?' They said: 'This is the day when Allah saved Musa from drowning, so we fast on this day.' Then he said: “We have more right to Musa than you.” So he fasted on this day and advised the Muslims to do the same.

Also, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “When Allah's Messenger observed the fast of the day of Ashura and ordered (his Companions) to fast, they said: “O Messenger of Allah! It is a day revered by Jews and Christians.” Allah's Messenger said: “The coming year, if Allah wills, we will fast on the ninth (also).” [Sahih Muslim, vol: 1, p: 359]

Ibn Abbas also reported: “I never saw the Prophet more keen to fast on any day other than the day of Ashura and any month than the month of Ramadan.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]

The phrase 'more keen' of Ibn Abbas indicates that the Prophet looked forward to fast on the day of Ashura in order to earn the reward for doing so. The Prophet said: “Fasting the day of Ashura, I hope will be an expiation of sins for the year before.” [Sahih Muslim v: 1, p: 368]

Thus, the day of Ashura is mercy from Allah and an opportunity for one to get his sins forgiven. It is recommended for the Muslim Ummah to fast both the tenth and the ninth of Muharram since Allah's Messenger fasted the tenth and intended to fast the ninth. Another important thing to be understood here is that voluntary fasts are expiation for minor sins, as long as one completely refrains from major sins and is always cautious about minor sins. Some people who are deceived rely greatly on voluntary worships (like fasting on the day of Ashura or the day of Arafat) while neglecting the obligatory worships (praying five daily prayers, fasting in Ramadan, etc.)

Compiled From:
"Muharram: The Month of Allah" - As-Sunnah Bimonthly Islamic Newsletter

From Issue: 510 [Read original issue]

Cool Tips!

Avoid Conflict

Even petty disputes between individuals can be costly. The time, money, and effort spent in the conflict itself, not to mention the mental and emotional cost that's involved mobilizing for the conflict and getting over it, can be heavy indeed.

The least costly way to deal with conflict is to avoid it. Many conflicts are simply not worth having, and with a bit of forethought and prevention, they can be stopped before major damage is done. Abraham Lincoln wrote, "Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbours to compromise whenever you can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser in fees, expenses, and waste of time."

Take the following steps in order to prevent conflict before it starts:

Know who you're dealing with: One of the characteristics of Japanese businesspeople is to spend a great deal of time checking out people or firms before embarking on business ventures with them. They intend to do business for a long time and want to make sure mistakes are avoided at the outset. Westerners often find the practice tedious and unnecessarily time-consuming. But it does have its merits.

Get it in writing: Spell out as many eventual sources of contention as you can anticipate. An old proverb advises: "Good fences make good neighbours."

Avoid impossible situations: Don't think you are Superman or Wonder Woman. Unless you are expert at turnaround situations, if really good people have failed, you probably will, too.

Check out great deals going in: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. Investigate. Ask for references. Ask hard questions. It's better to risk offending someone than having an economic loss or embarrassment later on.

These tactics can save you a great deal of time and effort in conflict resolutions involving any relationship.

Compiled From:
"Time Tactics of Very Successful People" - B. Eugene Griessman, p. 145-146.

From Issue: 568 [Read original issue]