Advice

A man once asked Abu Al-Darda – radiyaAllahu ‘anhu- for advice.  He said:

Remember Allah in good times and He will mention you in hard times. When you remember those who have passed away, consider yourself like one of them. And when you think of involving yourself in some worldly matter, consider first what it will lead to in the end.

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Load the ship and set out

Load the ship and set out. No one knows for certain whether the vessel will sink or reach the harbor. Cautious people say, “I’ll do nothing until I can be sure”. Merchants know better. If you do nothing, you lose. Don’t be one of those merchants who wont risk the ocean.

– Rumi

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Love of Allah

Love of Allaah is life itself, and to be deprived of it entails a terrible death; it is the light
without which one would sail in a sea of darkness; it is the cure without which one’s heart
will be overwhelmed by a multitude of diseases; it is the joy without which one will
remain in permanent grief; it is the essence of faith and deeds, without which they become
like a soulless body.
It is the means without which people will never reach their destination nor attain their
place in Paradise; it is the means with which people reach their beloved (i.e., Allaah). I
swear by Allaah that if people can achieve this honour in both this life and the Hereafter,
then they have attained the true joy and happiness.

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Prevention is the best remedy

Al-Hasan once said

“O son of Adam, to abstain from a sin is easier for you than curing it later on through repentance. How can you be sure that you will not commit a deed so grave in its wickedness that the door of repentance will be closed before you?”

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Abandon sins big & small

خَلِّ الذنوبَ صغيرَها و كبيرَها ذاكَ التُّقى
واصْنَع كَماشٍ فوقَ أرضِ الشّوكِ يَحْذَرُ ما يَرَى
لا تَحْقِرَنّ صغيرةً إنّ الجِبالَ منَ الحَصى

Abandon sins – big and small: that is Taqwa…
And be like a person walking one a land of thorns, cautious about what he sees…
Belittle not the small sins,

Indeed mountains are made up of small stones….

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Oh my lord if my sins are great in multitude, then I know your forgiveness is greater

يا رب إن عظمت ذنوبي كثرة*** فلقد علمت بأن عفوك أعظم
أدعوك ربي كما أمرت تضرعاً*** فإذا رددت يدي فمن ذا يرحم
إن كان لا يرجوك إلا محسن***فمن الذي يرجو المسيء المجرم
مالي إليك وسيلة إلا الرجا*** وجميل عفوك ثم أني مسلم–-Oh my lord if my sins are great in multitude, then I know your forgiveness is greater
I call on you lord as you have commanded in humility, so if you reject my hand who will have mercy on me?
If only the righteous have hope in you, then in whom should the transgressing criminals hope in?
I have no path to you except hope, and your beautiful forgiveness, and that I am a Muslim.

-Four verses found under Abu Nuwas’ pillow when he died..

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The Slanderer

من نمّ لك نمّ عليك,
ومن نقل اليك نقل عنك

Whoever slanders to you about others, will slander about you
And whoever reports to you, will soon report about you

– Imam al-Shafi’ee

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A Contented Life

Let the days pass as they will
Be content with Allah’s will.
Do not regret what this day’s cast,
For this world’s pains for sure won’t last.
Be a man against fears strong,
Be kind and loyal, all life long.
If in folk’s eyes your faults abound,
And you wish that they be gowned:
Then shelter seek beneath kind acts,
For kindness well all blame retracts.
From enemies hide your weakness
For gloating foes do bring distress.
From misers never seek favor:
In fire there is no water.
Patience won’t reduce income,
Nor fretfulness increase the sum.
Neither pain nor joy shall last,
Nor poverty, nor riches vast.
But if your heart is satisfied
Then you do own the whole world wide.
A man on whom his fate alights
No depths shall save, nor any heights.
Allah’s earth is wide, but know,
That destiny makes it narrow.
Face each day on even keel.
There’s no balm from death can heal.

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