Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

The Test
Al-Mulk (The Sovereignty) - Chapter 67: Verse 2

"[He] who created death and life that He may try you to see which of you is best in deeds, and He is All-Mighty as well as All-Forgiving."

The object of giving life to men in the world and causing their death is to test them to see which of them is best in deeds. Allusion has been made in this brief sentence to a number of truths:

1. That life and death are given by Allah; no one else can grant life nor cause death.

2. That neither the life nor the death of a creation like man, which has been given the power to do both good and evil, is purposeless; the Creator has created him in the world for the test: life is for him the period of the test and death means that the time allotted for the test has come to an end.

3. That for the sake of this very test the Creator has given every man an opportunity for action, so that he may do good or evil in the world and practically show what kind of a man he is.

4. That the Creator alone will decide who has done good or evil; it is not for us to propose a criterion for the good and the evil deeds but for Almighty Allah; therefore, whoever desires to get through the test, will have to find out what is the criterion of a good deed in His sight.

5. The fifth point is contained in the meaning of the test itself, that is, every person will be recompensed according to his deeds, for if there was no reward or punishment the test would be meaningless. 

Compiled From:
"The Meaning of the Quran" - Sayyid Abul Ala Mawdudi, vol. 15, p. 9

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Ask Him, He Listens

Turn every anxiety, fear and concern into a Dua (supplication). Look at it as another reason to submit to God and be in Sajdah (prostration), during which you are closest to Allah. God listens and already knows what is in your heart, but He wants you to ask Him for what you want. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Allah is angry with those who do not ask Him for anything (Tirmidhi).

The Prophet once said that in prayer, he would find rest and relief (Nasai). He would also regularly ask for God’s forgiveness and remain in prostration during prayer, praising God (Tasbeeh) and asking for His forgiveness (Bukhari).

Allah wants you to be specific. The Prophet advised us to ask Allah for exactly what we want instead of making vague Duas. Dua is the essence of worship (the Prophet as quoted in Tirmidhi).

Compiled From:
"25 Ways to Deal with Stress and Anxiety" - Abdul Malik Mujahid

Blindspot!

Restoring Trust

The idea that trust cannot be restored once it is lost is a myth. Though it may be difficult, in most cases, lost trust can be restored — and often even enhanced!

One of the greatest obstacles to building and restoring trust is the superficial, two-dimensional paradigm that the ideal life is challenge-free. It's not. We are going to have challenges. We are going to make mistakes. And others are going to make mistakes that affect us. That's life. The issue is how we respond to those things — whether or not we choose to prioritize the enormous long-term dividends of trust over whatever temporary satisfaction we may get from doing things that break trust, trying to justify low-trust behaviour, holding grudges, or failing to forgive.

In most cases, prioritizing trust — actively seeking to establish it, grow it, restore it, and wisely extend it — will bring personal dividends that far exceed any other path. So while trying to restore trust may be difficult, it is definitely worth it. Even if trust is not restored in the particular relationship you're working on, your efforts to restore it will increase your ability to build trust in other relationships.

As in almost every other aspects of life, breakdowns can create breakthroughs. Challenges and mistakes can become some of our greatest opportunities to learn, grow, and improve.

Compiled From:
"The Speed of Trust" - Stephen M. R. Covey, pp. 301-303