Preserving Good Deeds From Envy

Shaykh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله mentions in his explanation of the saying of Allaah  تعالى:

ادْعُواْ رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً إِنَّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ
"Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret..."
 [al-A'araaf 7:55]

There are ten benefits of hiding your Du'aa, and from amongst these benefits he said:

‘Indeed the greatest of blessings is turning to Allaah and worshiping Him. Every blessing has the equivalent of it being envied by an envious person, whether openly or secretly. There is no greater blessing than of turning to Allaah and worshiping Him [making Du'aa], indeed the souls of the envious are attached to that blessing.

There is nothing more secure for the person who is envied than hiding his blessing from the envious person. Indeed Yaqoob said to Yusuf عليه السلام:

Frozen lemons.. What a novel idea!!

All it is.....is a frozen lemon

Many professionals in restaurants and eateries are using or consuming the entire lemon and nothing is wasted. How can you use the whole lemon without waste?

Simple.. place the washed lemon in the freezer section of your refrigerator. Once the lemon is frozen, get your grater, and shred the whole lemon (no need to peel it) and sprinkle it on top of your foods. Sprinkle it to your vegetable salad, ice cream, soup, cereals, noodles, spaghetti sauce, rice, sushi, fish dishes.... the list is endless. All of the foods will unexpectedly have a wonderful taste, something that you may have never tasted before. Most likely, you only think of lemon juice and vitamin C. Not anymore. Now that you've learned this lemon secret, you can use lemon even in instant cup noodles.

Fighting Riyaa In Acts of Worship

QUESTION: Is there any chance of getting blessings from an act ruined by riyaa if one’s intentions change to please Allaah after the thought of riyaa has already come? For example, I finish reciting Qu’raan, and the thought of riyaa enters my mind. If I immediately fight this thought with thinking about Allaah, can I still get blessings for my recitation, or is it completely ruined forever because of riyaa, given that the act is over and the riyaa thought came after it was already over?

ANSWER: Sheikh Ibn ‘Uthaimeen رحمه الله said:

Praise be to Allaah: Showing off may affect worship in three ways:

1 – When the basic motive for worship is to be seen by others, such as one who stands and prays so that people will see him, and so that they will praise him for his prayers. This invalidates the act of worship.

2 – When it is a factor that develops during the act of worship, i.e., if the worshiper is initially sincere in his intention towards Allaah, then the idea of showing off develops whilst he is doing it. In this case one of the following two scenarios must apply:

The Soul is a Grinding Stone

Ibnul Qayyim رحمه الله said:

It is well known that man has not been given to power to kill his thoughts nor the strength to severe them. They invade him just as his breathing invades his body. 
However the strength of Imân and intellect helps him to accept his best thoughts , to be pleased with them, to experience peace and tranquility from them. It also helps him to repulse his most evil thoughts and dislike and recoil from them.
Allâh created the soul similar to a grinding stone that goes round and round – one that does not stop; and always in need of something to grind. If seeds are placed therein it will grind them. If stones are placed therein it will still grind them. 
So the thoughts that revolve in the soul are like a seed that is placed in a grinding stone. That grinding stone is never left idle. Something or the other has to be placed inside it. So from amongst the people are those whose grinding stone grinds seeds which comes out as flour – which he and others derive benefit from. 
But most of them grind soil, stones, straw and so forth – so when the time of making the dough and baking comes; he sees the reality of what he ground. 

al-Fawaa’id
Page 31 and 173-174

Call yourself to account before you sleep...