Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Fairest Stature
Al-Tin (The Fig) - Chapter 95: Verse 4

"Very truly, We created man in the fairest stature."

God has created the human being in a fine and sublime form, his very anatomy - upright and symmetrical - a metaphor in motion for his high station among creation and the graceful nature of his inner being.

Such is the original state of man, and none among creation may undo this. Yet the human being itself holds the power to reverse its own condition, repeal its eminent position, deface its appearance, and demean its special distinction. In the blind and frenzied pursuit of the disparate passions craved by man's worldly being, his soul is pulled apart and disintegrates, until the fabric of sacred truth - that connects him and all creation - frays against the jagged edges of his fragmented intellect, ravaged by the onslaught of the lower world, until all that is beautiful and many-splendored in life is left ragged, disenchanted, utterly bereft of higher meaning. This, then, is when man can no longer believe in anything, least of all in the "vertical" purpose of his own being. Thus does he fall into the abyss of faithlessness.

Compiled From:
"The Gracious Quran" - Ahmad Zaki Hammad, pp. 279, 280

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Mira

The word mira, or mumarat, means an indulgence in soul-destroying arguments which serve no worthy purpose and mar the climate of fraternity and peace. Mira often consists in objecting to the speech of another person in order to show its defects either explicitly or by implication. The motive is usually self-commendation and the attribution of ignorance to others. The hallmark of mira is that it humiliates its victim, and leads to embitterment and hostility.

Mira is often referred to as the opposite of husn-al-khulq - good and pleasant character. The Sunnah emphasizes the moral enormity of mira to such an extent that it is held to interfere with the integrity of faith of the believing perpetrator. Thus, according to one Hadith:

Perfection in faith (Iman) cannot be accomplished unless the believer abandons distortion in the jokes he makes, and abandons acrimonious contention (al-mira), even if what he is saying is true. [Al Maqdisi]

The relevance of mira to personal piety is seen in the following Hadith which promises distinction and a great reward for those who avoid it.

A dwelling shall be built in the highest [echelons] of Paradise for him who refrains from mira even though he be in the right; and for him who is in the wrong but refrains from mira, a dwelling shall be built in the outer realms of Paradise. [Tirmidhi]

Compiled From:
"Freedom of Expression in Islam" - Mohammad Hashim Kamali, pp. 153-155

Blindspot!

Self-Acceptance

Compassion is the essence of self-esteem. When you have compassion for yourself, you understand and accept yourself the way you are. You tend to see yourself as basically good. If you make a mistake, you forgive yourself. You have reasonable expectations of yourself. You set attainable goals.

Compassion is a skill. That means you can improve it if you already have it, or you can acquire it if you don't. The next time you hear your inner critic chastising you about something you did or did not do, counter this negativity by telling yourself something like "I'm doing the best I can," or "Given my circumstances, this is all I am capable of at this time." Learning to be compassionate toward yourself will also help you make contact with your sense of self-worth.

Compiled From:
"Healing Your Emotional Self" - Beverly Engel, p. 134