Ponder this...

"I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man with no feet..."

And Do Not Cut Ties with the Wombs that Bore You...

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالاً كَثِيراً وَنِسَاء وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءلُونَ بِهِ وَالأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا

"O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife (Haawa), and from them both He created many men and women, and fear Allaah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (DO NOT cut the ties with) the wombs (of kinship) . Surely, Allaah is Ever an All-Watcher over you."

Surah An-Nisaa [4:1]

Seek Out Your Heart in Three Places

Ibnul-Qayyim رحمه الله said,

“Seek out your heart in three places: when listening to the Qur'aan, in the gatherings of [Allaah’s] remembrance, and when [alone] in privacy. And if you do not find it in these places, then ask Allaah to grant you a heart – for verily, you do not have one.”

(Fawaaidul-Fawaaid, p.479)

When Ibn Baaz Lost his Eyesight

 

“Shaikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Humoodi mentioned a story to me about His Eminence, Sheikh ’Abdul-’Aziz ibn Baaz’s mother, so I asked him to write it which he did and for which I am grateful, dated 11/10/1421.  Here is the text of the letter:

الحمد لله وحده، والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعده

Thereafter, at the request of my brother ’Abdul-Aziz ibn ’Abdullah as-Sadhaan that I write down for him the story of what happened to our father, His Eminence, Sheikh ’Abdul-’Aziz ibn Baaz, may Allaah’s Mercy be on him, and on our parents and all Muslims, [I present the following].

’Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Naasir ibn Jaabir from Riyadh told me that the Sheikh, may Allaah have mercy on him, lost his eyesight at the prime of his youth. His mother’s residence, and she was from the family of Huzaim, was in a district called Dikhnah, to the east of al-Hakm Palace. She used to have a neighbour who was the wife of Prince ’Abdul-’Aziz ibn Turki Aal-Su’ood.

Know that Nasr (aid) is accompanied by having Sabr (patience)

 Sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzaan

From the modes of Sabr, is having patience upon the decree of Allaah that is distressful in what happens to the servant from the calamities and by definition it is restraining the soul from becoming restless/impatient, refraining the tongue from complaining, wailing and mourning; refraining the body from unlawful actions like striking the side of the face, tearing the clothes and making supplication of the Pre-Islaamic Era [i.e. all these occurrences are from one who mourns the deceased].

And having patience upon the calamity that happens suddenly is similar to what the Prophet (صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم) said:

“Patience is with the first blow.”

And Allaah (سُبحانه وتعالى) says:

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوفْ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الأَمَوَالِ وَالأنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ

"And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sâbirin (the patient ones, etc.)."

(Al-Baqarah 2:155)

Therefore it is a duty placed upon the believer to be patient upon whatever befalls him and whatever patience has been made easy upon him towards those affairs.

Yaa Miskeen!

Al-Imaam Al Fudayl ibn ‘Iyaad said:

“O Miskeen! You are an evil-doer and you think yourself to be one who does good. You are an ignoramus and you think yourself to be a scholar. You are a miser and you think yourself to be generous. O foolish one! You see that you are intelligent. Your time is short, but your hope is long.”

[Adh-Dhahabi]: I say: Yes, by Allah, he has spoken the truth. And you are an oppressor and you think yourself to be the one who is oppressed. And you eat what is unlawful and you think that you are cautious and fearful (in this regard). And you are a sinner and you think yourself to be just and upright. And you seek the knowledge (of the religion) for the world, and yet you think that you seek it for Allaah.

Source: Siyaar A’laam an-Nubalaa  سير أعلام النبلاء 8/440

Al-Fursah: Opportunity

 

“From the wonders that I see from myself and all other people is inclination towards heedlessness of what is in our hands, despite us knowing how short life is and despite us knowing the fact that increase of reward over there (the Hereafter) is tied to the deeds performed over here.

So, O soul! O you whose life is so short! Take advantage of these days of mine, and wait for the Day when all shall flee, and beware of preoccupying

your heart with what it has not been created for.

Carry the burdens of your soul over the times of bitterness, and tame it if refuses. Do not let it roam freely for long because indeed you are only within a pasture.

Certainly, despicable is the person who lies between two rows and yet preoccupies himself with other than them.”

- Ibn al-Jawzi رحمه الله

(Sayd al-Khatir pg. 301)

What a wonderful thing it is to know Him (i.e Allaah)!

Ibnul Qayyim (Rahimahullaah) said : 

"What a wonderful thing it is to know Him (i.e Allaah)! But how can one know Him & not love Him? How can one hear the caller but fail to respond? How can one know the profit that shall be gained in dealing with Him but still prefer others? How can one taste the bitterness of disobeying Him but still abstain from seeking the pleasure of obeying Him? How can one feel the severity of engaging in trivial speech but fail to open your heart with His remembrance? How can one be tortured by being attached to others but not rush towards the bliss of turning to Him in Repentance? Perhaps it is most surprising to know that while you are in need of Him, you are still reluctant to move towards Him because you seek others." 

{Al Fawaa'I'd. Page 72}