Are We Doing Our Duty?

O negligent people! O you, who are so indifferent to your obligations and so unmindful of your duties, remember that you will not be excused for such carelessness and negligence. O you, who want to go out of the folds of religion, remember that you shall not be left unquestioned and unpunished.

How is it that I find you drifting away and away from God and swaying towards ungodly thoughts and deeds? You are behaving as if you are cattle whom the pastor is driving through a pasture or a watering place where deadly cattle diseases are raging and they cannot resist this drive, or like sheep who are being fattened on fresh grams and good grass to be butchered and they do not realise they are being so well treated so that when killed they give soft and fat meat. Their vision is so limited that they consider the day they are passing to be the whole span of their lives, and their sole purpose of their existence is to eat and drink. 

~Imam Ali (as) in Nahjul Balagha sermon 173

Courtesy Costs Nothing...

It is often said that courtesy costs  nothing. At the same time, courtesy is something of such fundamental value in human society that its importance cannot be over emphasized.

Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) stressed the value and merit of acts of courtesy where he says: "Know that acts of courtesy earn praiseworthy results, and end in rewardable gains. If you were to see acts of courtesy personified as a man, you would perceive him to be good and handsome, pleasing for people to behold, and transcending all the worlds. And if you were to see acts of vileness personified, you would perceive an ugly, revolting, disfigured man, whom the hearts would be averse to, and whom the eyes would turn away from in disgust." (Mustadrak al-Wasail)

Imam Ali (as) says in this regard: "People who perform acts of courtesy towards others benefit more from them than the recipients of their kindness, for verily they have the reward for them, the [rewarding feeling of] pride for having helped someone as well as a mention. So however much good a man may do for others, it ultimately always starts by benefiting himself, such that he never seeks thanks for the benefit incurred by himself through helping others." (Kashf al-Ghamma)

Have a courteous day! :)

 

I Wonder...

"I wonder at the mentality of a miser, fearing poverty he takes to stinginess and thus hastily pushes himself head- long into a state of want and destitution, he madly desires plenty and ease, but throws it away without understand- ing. In this world he, of his own free will, leads the life of a a beggar and in the next world he will have to submit an account like the rich.

I wonder at the arrogance of a haughty and vain person. Yesterday he was only a drop of semen and tomorrow he will turn into a corpse.

I wonder at the man who observes the Universe created by Allah and doubts His Being and Existence.

I wonder at the man who sees people dying around him and yet he has forgotten his end.

I wonder at the man who understands the marvel of genesis of creation and refuses to accept that he will be brought back to life again.

I wonder at the man who takes great pains to decorate and to make comfortable this mortal habitat and totally forgets his permanent abode."

~Imam Ali (as)

Back for a while...

Assalamu alaikum!

I am back after the (relatively) lengthy break alhamdulillah. Some of you may be aware that I was blessed with the opportunity to visit Imam Ridha (as) in Mashhad (Iran). There are so many things I felt I would want to write about when I got back from there, but now that I am actually sitting at the screen and typing, I have absolutely no words to write about my experiences. There are things that one can only experience and feel, and so putting them down on paper/reducing them to material format would not do justice to their reality.

That being said, I will try and incorporate my experiences and things I learnt in my upcoming posts. Perhaps my poetry blog may have a bit more to share, but for now, I don't know. I am grateful for your prayers, and ask you to keep remembering me in them.

On a slightly different tangent, I have been thinking a lot about priorities and life decisions. There are so many moments in our lives when we make life changing decisions, and so many priorities we make which have a major impact on the course our lives take, but how much thought do we actually put into such moments and priorities? Or if we do actually put thought into them, and know what priorities we do want to have, are we still able to keep the priorities? 

There is so much I don't know at this point,

The shore seems distant, and sky and shore joint.

The waves toss me upon their tempest,

Exposing me to my shocking frailty,

And the oceans of tears empty and fill,

Both in the same gasping breath.

I don't know where this raft will land,

I am not sure what direction I am facing any more.

Am I at the sunrise, 

Or did sunset arrive while I was distracted?

In the waves of unknowns, only one certainty lingers:

Your Mercy is beyond measure,

this ark will take me to the shore,

and when I get there,

I will plead for Your mercy some more.

Do remember me in your prayers :-)

Sisters

“And those who joined that which Allah has bidden to be joined and have awe of their Lord and fear the evil reckoning." (Surah ar-Rā’d 13:21)

A sister is your mirror who knows and sees best your faults and shortcomings, often even more than your parents, and thus is in a position to correct you and help you mend your ways. Similarly, her similarity to you in so many ways also makes you more aware of the faults and shortcomings which you share. She is a teacher, your companion, the store of your secrets and wishes. 

A sister is aware of when you are crying, even when there are no tears in your eyes, and when you are smiling, even if it is in the dark. She is your attorney, ready to defend you against the world. 

She is your reminder and your source of inspiration. She gives you reason to go on, when you want to give up. She is also the one who is brave enough to tell you when you are wrong, and give you a telling off when you need one. A sister is a treasure, value it while it is yours. A sister a source of lessons, study her and do it well. 

Your sister is your little mother, your teacher, your best friend. A sister is a lifetime, a store of childhood memories.

A happy birthday to you my dearest sister! May Allah shower His blessings upon you always, and grant you His love and the love of those He loves <3

Random Thought

There are times when you have so much to say, but then you realize or remember, there are times only silence will keep you going.

Reminders...

It is narrated that when Hadrat Dawood (a.s.) committed his initial fault, and he went lamenting through hills and dales in penitence, he reached the cave inside which Prophet Hadhrat Hizqeel (a.s.) was busy in supplication.

When Hadrat Hizqeel (a.s.) heard the moaning of the hills and the beasts, he understood that Hadrat Dawood (a.s.) had come to him. The reason for this was that when Hadrat Dawood (a.s.) recited the Zaboor, the flora, fauna and the stones too joined him in the recitation. Hadrat Dawood (a.s.) reached the entrance of the cave and called, “O Hizqeel (a.s.)! Do you permit me to come up to you?” Hadrat Hizqeel (a.s.) said, “Please don’t come to me because you are a sinner!” But Allah (S.w.T.) sent a revelation to him, “Because of Dawood (a.s.)’s first sin, don’t reprimand him. To the contrary pray to Us for his pardon and well being! Whenever we leave anyone to his own scruples, he might commit a mistake!”

Now Hadrat Hizqeel (a.s.) caught hold of Hadrat Dawood (a.s.)’s hand and guided him inside the cave.

Hadrat Dawood (a.s.) asked Hadrat Hizqeel (a.s.), “O Hizqeel (a.s.)! Have you ever thought of committing a sin?”

He replied, “No! Never!”

Hadrat Dawood (a.s.) asked, “Did you ever feel proud?”

He replied, “No! Never!”

Hadrat Dawood (a.s.) asked, “Have you ever been tempted with the worldly pleasures?”

Hadrat Hizqeel (a.s.) replied, “Yes! I was tempted!”

Hadrat Dawood (a.s.) asked, “Then! What remedy you use against these temptations?”

He replied, “In such circumstances I get into this cave and take pity from what I witness therein.”

Hadrat Dawood (a.s.) then entered into the recesses of the cave with Hadrat Hizqeel (a.s.) He found inside there a plate of steel. On the plate was lying a human skeleton and beside it was a tablet of steel on which was inscribed: 

“I Arwai Bin Shalam

 ruled for a thousand years,

established a thousand cities,

deflowered a thousand virgins.

But,

My condition is this

That my bed is dust

My pillow a stone

And

My body is the

Dwelling place of

Insects and vermin.

Whoever sets eye on me

Should not be carried away

With worldly attractions!”

In these trying times, one must also remember to seek the help of Allah to enable him deal appropriately with all hard situations. Once ones heart is firmly established and rooted in the Islamic principles, no affair will shake it from this position. In this regard, Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.), while predicting the period of the absence of the Last Imam (atf), says, “During that troublesome period there will be so much of sedition that the angels would be astonished at the very few deaths of men of piety!” The narrator asked the Imam (a.s.),” What should the people do in that difficult time?” The Imam (a.s.) replied, “They should recite the Du’a al-Ghareeq. This consists in saying:

‘Ya Allahu  ya Rahmanu, ya Raheemu ya Muqallibul Quloob, thabbit qalbi ‘ala deenik - O Allah, O Beneficent, O Merciful, O Overturner of hearts! Keep my heart steadfast on Your religion!”