What goes around...

... can/may/will come around and hack you down.

A simple example to demonstrate a simple point:

"A man had a cow. He milked his cow everyday and sold milk after mixing water therein (fraudulently). One day there was a flood which drowned the cow. One of his sons said to him, 'The waters which you mixed with milk gathered together and washed away the cow...'"

(Source: Ihya Ulum-id-Din)

Do no evil.

Learn to Interpret

"... I never observed him [Mufti Azeez ur Rahman (RA)] rebutting anyone in their face... 'you did this wrong'. Rather, even when somebody had erred, he would say, 'No doubt you meant this...' In this way he would interpret, redress and present the correct version in such a way the listener would be in doubt as to his error but never forced into a confrontation or show down.

... redress the error in a positive and mild manner and keep your heart clean...

... Rasulullah (SAWS) said, 'Do not dispute with your brother...'"

(Source: 'Ashraf's Blessings of Marriage' by Hafiz Aslam Patel)

Very difficult. I put the quote forward as a goal for myself. Something I am far from having accomplished.

Be not like sheep

"... If a man takes food for helping his learning and action and God-fear, his food and drink are considered as divine service.

For that, he should not spend his time uselessly remaining busy like a lower being which roams from field to field in eating and drinking..."

(Source: Imam Ghazzali's Ihya Ulum-id-Din, The Book of Worldly Usages, Rules of Eating and Drinking)

The days, meals and opportunities are many. Life and death (in this world) once. Use wisely.

Fear

Bombs fall but not a tear.

My heart is diseased.

Bombs fall but we will not tear.

Ours is a great affair.

Knight of the night

You do a sin.
You think,
"What's done is done.
I'll rise in the night to atone".

You sleep through.
It dawns on you,
"Prayer in the night is an honour,
for he who sins not in the day".

Practising Arabic

"Hazrat Maulana Syed Asghar Hussain Sahib (Allah's Mercy be upon him) was a man of extraordinary spiritual qualities, and I was blessed with his loving affection. One day I presented myself to him and he said, 'Today let us talk in Arabic'. This rather amazed me because he had never before expressed such a desire. He then himself stated the reason why he wished to converse in Arabic. He said, 'Neither you nor I are able to speak Arabic fluently and freely, so we will talk less'. He then continued, 'Our case is like that of a traveller whose money is about to finish so he spends every penny very carefully'."

(Source: 'The World Within' by Mufti Muhammad Shafi (Allah's Mercy be upon him))

This quote is about avoiding meaningless talk. But it got me thinking nonetheless: It's been a long time since I spoke in Arabic (beyond "kayfa haaluk" and "alhamdulillah"). Maybe over a year. I really urgently need to find me an Arabic speaking partner.

Snowflakes and Raindrops

When I look to the great Companions of the final Messenger of God Muhammad (upon whom be the Peace and Blessings of God), men and women, (may God be pleased with them all,) I see individual personalities with unique character, built of course upon Islam.

Today, like raindrops, each person is the behaviour of his group, devoid of thought. Missing is the realisation that each one of us, in his individual uniqueness, has the potential to become a beautiful snowflake whilst still remaining true to his Islam.