Friday Nasiha

Al-Hashr \r\n (The Gathering)
\r\n Chapter 59: Verse 19

Safety \r\n from Forgetfulness of God
\r\n "And be not like those who forget God \r\n and whom He causes to forget their own souls: truly those are corrupted'"

Constancy in remembrance of the Lord (Exalted) brings \r\n about security from forgetfulness of Him. This forgetfulness is the cause \r\n of the servant's misery both in his worldly life and on the appointed \r\n Day. This is because forgetfulness of his \r\n Lord ... leads to forgetfulness of his own soul and its welfare.

If a servant forgets his own soul - turning away from \r\n it, disregarding what benefits it and becoming engrossed with other things \r\n - then its ruin and corruption are inevitable. It is the same as if he \r\n had a field of grain, an orchard or anything else that depended on his \r\n care, and he neglected it, forgot about it, buried himself with something \r\n else and disregarded what it needed. This is where someone else could \r\n take his place.

But what about the misery, ruin and destruction of his \r\n own soul? If he ignores his soul, forgets \r\n it and gets distracted from its good; if he fails to care for it and gives \r\n up seeking what is beneficial to it, the what more can he expect than \r\n ruin, destruction and loss?

Source:
\r\n "The \r\n Invocation of God" - By Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya, pp. 54, 55

Forming \r\n A Leading Generation

The greatest single achievement of the Prophet, peace \r\n be upon him, is to secure the long and successful continuance of Islam \r\n by educating a whole generation of men and women to establish it so firmly. \r\n To succeed in this activity of education, he needed the best insight and \r\n wisdom, and knowledge of the dispositions and manners of particular individuals. \r\n Three important features of the Prophet's teachings are especially worth \r\n noting.

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Firstly, he placed due \r\n emphasis on individual education and did not restrict himself to general, \r\n collective guidance. Reform of the individual was the \r\n essential foundation for reform of the community: virtue and right guidance \r\n spread outward from each virtuous and right-guided individual to influence \r\n the community which in its turn offers the best environment for other \r\n individuals to realize their potential for virtue and right guidance.

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Secondly, the Prophet \r\n picked the moment when, as well as the person whom, he would seek to \r\n improve. If there is inward readiness for it, acquisition \r\n of knowledge is easier, more enduring and more fruitful. In the same \r\n way as watering a thirsty land is more profitable than pouring the same \r\n water on impermeable rocks, so attention needs to be paid to the occasions \r\n and circumstances in which guidance is presented.

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As well as teaching the right person at the right moment \r\n to the right degre, the Prophet encouraged \r\n consistency and regularity in good acts. A strenuous \r\n act of virtue soon disappears as a gesture, whereas a little good done \r\n regularly brings greater benefit for longer. That is surely the meaning \r\n of the authentic hadith: 'The acts most \r\n pleasing to Allah are those which are done regularly, even if they amount \r\n to little.' [Bukhari, Muslim] Sustained good deeds have \r\n an assured, solid increase - just as drops of water may accumulate into \r\n a river or ocean.

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Source:
\r\n "Muhammad: \r\n The Perfect Model for Humanity" - Mustafa Ahmad al-Zarqa, pp. \r\n 30, 31

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  Think about the \r\n consequences of every action. Use wisdom, not emotion. \r\n

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  Say ‘No’ \r\n with courage. Make it clear how you feel about the \r\n situation. Explain why. It may be an opportunity to invite your \r\n friends to the Islamic way of life.

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  Use Humour. Throw \r\n out a funny line to ease the tension and show how you feel! “I \r\n don’t drink. I can’t afford to kill my brain cells. \r\n Unfortunately, I only have a few left as it is!”

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  Suggest a better \r\n idea. “Why don’t we play some hockey, \r\n instead of watching that movie? It’ll save us some money too!” \r\n

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  Remember Allah, \r\n your best Friend! He is there to help you. The Prophet \r\n told his close companion: “By Allah! Whoever gives up something \r\n for the sake of Allah, Allah will replace it with something better \r\n than it!”

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