Time is a Precious Commodity

نِعْمَتَانِ مَغبونٌ فيهما كَثيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ الصِّحَّةُ ، وَالفَرَاغُ

The two most undervalued assets by people are good health and leisure time.

—The Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him)

[Bukhārī 5933, Tirmidhī 2226, Ibn Mājah 4160, Aḥmad 2224, 3038, Dārimī 2591, Riyad al-Saliheen #97]

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The Fault is in Us, Not in Time

نَعِيبُ زَمَانَنَا وَ العَيبُ فِينَا

وَ مَا لِزَمَانِنَا عَيبٌ سِوَانَا

“We blame time and the fault is in us,

There is no fault in time except us.”

— Imām al-Shāfi‘ī RH [d. 204H/820CE]

(Read on pg 39, Dr. Gohar Mushtaq, The Intelligent Heart, The Pure Heart. Ta-Ha Publishers. London: 2006.)

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“Losing time is worse than death, as losing time keeps you away from Allah and the Hereafter, while death keeps you away from the worldly life and people.”

– Ibn al-Qayyim RH

Today is All You Have

إن بلاءنا أننا نعجز عن حاضرنا و نشتغل بماضينا ، نهمل قصورنا الجميلة ، و نندب الأطلال البالية . . . الريح تتجه إلى الأمام ، و الماء ينحدر إلى الأمام ، و القافلة تسير إلى الأمام ، فلا تخالف سنة الحياة

Our tragedy is that we are incapable of dealing with the present. Neglecting our beautiful castles, we wail over dilapidated buildings. Everything on earth marches forward, preparing for a new season—and so should you.

—‘Āiḍ al-Qarnī, Don’t Be Sad. International Islamic Publishing House. 2002

Beware of Three

Beware of Allah’s anger with regards to three:

Beware that you fall into shortcomings concerning what He has commanded you.
Beware that He sees you while you are feeling discontent concerning the provision He has granted you.
Beware of feeling dismay at your Lord if you seek a provision of this life, but cannot acquire it.

—’Sufyān al-Thawrī RH [161H/778CE]

(Read on pg 24, Abdul-Malik bin Muhammad ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Qasim, Life is a Fading Shadow. Darussalam Publishers. Riyadh:1999.)

Remedy for the Heart

There are two main things you have to do. The first is to move your heart from dwelling on the things of this world and move it to dwell on the Hereafter, then focus all your heart on the Qur’an and ponder its meanings and why it was revealed. Try to understand something from every aayah and apply it to the disease of your heart. These aayaat were revealed (to treat) the disease of the heart, so you will be healed, by the permission of Allah.

—Ibn al-Qayyim RH [d. 751H/1350CE] on curing one’s heart

(Read on pg 57, Shaikh Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid, Weakness of Iman. Dar us-Sunnah Publisher. Birmingham:2003.)

Satan’s 3 Wishes

Iblis (satan) said, “If I win three things from the son of Adam, I will have earned what I wanted from him: if he forgets his sins, thinks high of his actions, and becomes fond of his opinion.”

—Dirar b. Murrah RH

Sifatus-Safwah vol. 3, p. 116

(Read on pg 39, Abdul-Malik bin Muhammad ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Qasim, Life is a Fading Shadow. Darussalam Publishers. Riyadh:1999.)

Its not the land that make anyone Holy . . .

The Companion Abu’l-Dardā’ RA who was living in the land of al-Shām (present day Syria/Palestine) once invited his colleague Salmān al-Farsī RA to come and live with him in the Holy Land. Salmān RA wrote back to him:

إِنَّ الأَرْضَ لا تُقَدِّسُ أَحَدًا ، وَإِنَّمَا يُقَدِّسُ الإِنْسَانَ عَمَلُهُ

It is not the land that makes anyone holy, but one’s deeds.

—Salmān al-Farsī RA [d. 35/644]

[Muwaṭṭa’ Mālik]

You Are Everything Today but MUSLIM!

Lament that in the world, Muslims are descending

We say this in reply that you are condescending

With alien ways and culture you are not transcending

Are you Muslim still, what message are you sending

You are Syed, you are Mirza, Afghan in origin

Everything you are, but ARE YOU MUSLIM in religion?

—The timeless poet Muḥammad Iqbāl RH [d 1357/1938]

[from Rhymed Translations of Selected Ghazals by Khwaja Tariq Mahmood]

أفضل الأعمال ما أكرهت عليه النفوس

Imam Abu Bakr ibn Abid Dunya (rahimahullah) has recorded this as the statement of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdil ‘Aziz (rahimahullah). (Muhasabatun Nafs, Hadith: 113)

Translation

“The best actions are those which the nafs is forced to carry out/dislikes doing.”