Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Al-Shams (The Sun)
Chapter 91: Verses 7-10

Self-Liberation
By the soul in the body (al-nafs) and what has balanced it (given it form) and inspired [both] its licentiousness and its intimate sense of God (its piety). He who purifies it will certainly be happy and he who corrupts it will certainly be lost (crushed).

Muslim spirituality is the work the consciousness of the believer does on the self in order to be liberated from all forms of worship of things other than the Transcendent and to find the way to the original breath (fitra) and its purity. This way toward the One is difficult and demanding, because human nature also tends to be drawn to the contingent realities of the world. Caught between longing for the Most High and the attraction of the world, the believer's first experience of awareness is of facing an internal conflict. The choice is between liberating one's self or losing one's self and drowning in the varieties of life.

Islamic teaching has given us concrete tools to help us succeed in this work on ourselves and to arrive at a balance. The daily requirements of Muslim practice give us the direction and the first steps along the way to this freedom. Awareness of the Presence and of the closeness of the Very Near One moves toward the centre, the heart of the same community of faith, through the five daily meetings in prayer, the weekly gathering of that community of faith, the purifying tax on one's possessions (zakat), the fasting for a full month of the year, and the making of the pilgrimage once in a lifetime (if one has the means). By meditating on these requirements, we discover that they really are demanding and operate on several levels: the memory (for people are so inclined to forget); on the management of time (the daily rhythm of prayers and other practices throughout the year); on the individual and communal aspects of being before God (communal prayer, giving zakat, and so on); and on the division of efforts among the various elements that constitute the human being (heart, spirit, body, possessions).

Source:
"Western Muslims and The Future of Islam" - Tariq Ramadan, pp. 119-121

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Carrying Children in Prayer

If a very small child walks or craws in front of a praying person, it is not a problem. The small child should not be pushed away or treated harshly.

It is established in the authentic Sunnah that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to treat small children in a special manner even while he was praying.

Narrated by Abu Qatadah al-Ansari that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray carrying his grand-daughter Umamah bint Abi al-As, who was the daughter of his daughter Zaynab, and used to carry her upon his neck. When he prostrated, he put her down. When he stood up, he lifted her up again. [Sahih al-Bukhari (494), Sahih Muslim (543)]

It is also related that while he was praying, when he went into prostration, his grandchildren al-Hasan and al-Husayn would jump onto his back. When the people tried to stop them, he signaled to them to leave the children alone. When he finished his prayer, he said: “Whoever loves me should love those two.” [Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah (887)]

Source:
“IslamToday.com” – Abd al-Wahhab al-Turayri

Blindspot!

Cracks in the Social Mirror

When it comes to how you feel about yourself, which mirror are you looking at? There are two mirrors to choose from. One the social mirror, the other the true mirror. The social mirror is a reflection of how other people see you. The true mirror is a reflection of the real you. Looking to the social mirror is bad news for several reasons:

The social mirror is unrealistic. Somehow the media has sold everyone the lie that looks are everything. And we've bought it! Our culture proclaims that if you are good-looking, skinny, or buff, you can have it all - popularity, boyfriends, girlfriends, success, and happiness. The problem is that the images of how we're supposed to look come from movies and magazines that feature unrealistic models of perfection.

The social mirror is always changing. If your self-perception comes from how others see you, you'll never feel stable, because opinions, fads, and fashion are always changing. It's hard to keep up. You'll start to feel like Alice in Wonderland.

The social mirror isn't accurate. You are so much more than the opinions of others. You are so much more than how you look on the outside. You have beauty and potential that no one recognizes, not even you.

Beware of the social mirror.

Source:
"The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make" - Sean Covey, pp. 269-273