Tuesday 12 March 2013

THE COMPARISON MAN AND NATURE - BEAUTIFUL EXPLANATION



Mar 12, '13 12:31 PM
for everyone


In Islam, the relation of man with nature resembles that of a farmer with the farm, of a merchant with the market, and of a devotee with the temple. For a farmer, land is not the goal but the means. His home is elsewhere but he uses the land to secure livelihood and the means of comfort and happiness, He ploughs it, scatters seeds, weeds it, harvests it, etc. The world is the farm of the hereafter, and this land should not be taken by a farmer for his permanent home. For a merchant, a market is a place of work in which he uses his capital and efforts to gain profit. This is how man should view the world.
Someone came to Imam Ali and began blaming the world since he had heard that the Imam did the same. He did not know that Ali (as) reproached the worship of the world, which is contrary to the worship of God and truth, and negation of all human values. Ali was angry at this and said: "O the reproaching man, O you who are deceived, the world has not deceived you, but you have deceived yourself."
As an example, I may say that an old woman deceives a young man with her make-up, and her false teeth and hair. The youth realizes suddenly that he has been deceived. Or maybe the old woman comes forward and, admitting her deficiencies makes an offer for marriage. In that case, the woman has not deceived him; rather the young man has deceived himself,
Imam Ali (as) says: "The world has not hidden anything from you to deceive you. Did the world deceive you on the day you buried your father? The world says:  "I am what you see, and I have no stability, discern me the way as I am. Why do you suppose me to be what you wish, not what I really am?" So, the world deceives no one. Let us see whether the world has betrayed you or vice versa. It is you who follow your carnal desires." Then, Ali added: "The world is the trade market of saints, and the mosque of God's friends."
The idea that the world is a prison or a cage is based on a psychological view that had been prevalent in India and in pre-Islamic Greece but is unacceptable to Islam. It says that human spirit has been created in a perfect form in another world and introduced, in a cage, to this world, in which case he has no alternative but to break the cage. But the Qur'an says:
"And certainly We created man of an extract of clay; then We made him a small life-germ in a firm resting place; then We made the life-germ a clot, then We made the clot a lump of flesh, then We made (in) the lump of flesh bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, then We caused it to grow into another creation" (Sura al-Mu'minun,23:12-14).
The last sentence shows that man was made into something else, which is the spirit, and this spirit is produced from matter. Therefore, it has not been perfected elsewhere in order to be put in a cage here. Man lives in nature, which is like a mother's lap for him, and it is here that he undergoes evolution and perfection. Islam says; if you do not rise higher from this natural position, you will remain here in the lowest of the low, and in hell hereafter. The Qur’an says:
"What is the terrible calamity! And what will make you comprehend what the terrible calamity is? The day on which men shall be as scattered moths, and the mountains shall be as loosened wool, then as for him whose measure of good deeds is heavy, he shall live a pleasant life. And as for him whose measure of good deeds is light, his abode shall be the abyss. And what will make you know what it is? A burning fire!' (Sura al-Qari’ah, 101:1-11).

How to Be Happy and Love Oneself Even When Being Put Down



Mar 12, '13 12:33 PM
for everyone


Being happy and loving oneself can be hard enough as it is, not to mention if you're in a situation where others are putting you down. It is important to keep your head up and to be confident in yourself no matter what others may be saying about you.

Instructions:
Step1
Focus on all of the positive things in your life and less on others' negative remarks. Remembering all that you have to be thankful for will help you to be happy in the face of adversity. 
Step2
Make a list of all of your positive attributes, and read the list every day or several times a day. In order to love yourself more and to stop paying attention to others' negative comments, you need to recognize your strengths and start believing in yourself. 
Step3
Stand up for yourself without putting the other person down. It's never easy to be the bigger person and walk away from a situation where people are putting you down, but if you sink to their level, you will only feel worse about yourself in the end. 

Step4
Surround yourself with friends and family who love you and accept you for who you are. 

Step5
Talk to a close friend, family member or a counselor about your feelings so that they can help you to gain perspective on the situation. Receiving emotional support is key to loving oneself and feeling happy.

NOT TO BE DECEIVED BY THE PLEASURES OF THIS WORLD



Mar 12, '13 12:36 PM
for everyone

Immersion and/or getting busy  in the affairs of this world does indeed place a veil of oblivion and neglect before the vision of man, it causes him to turn his back on lofty spiritual values, so that in the end he meets death empty-handed.

One day, the Commander of the Faithful, `Ali, upon whom be peace, entered the market of Basra. He saw people utterly absorbed in themselves and the business of buying and selling; it was as if death and resurrection would never happen. This atmosphere of negligence deeply disturbed him, so he wept and said: "O servants of the world, O slaves to the worldly! Throughout the day you are busy buying and selling, swearing oaths as you do so, and your nights are spent in sleep and a state of complete unawareness. So day and night you are unaware of the hereafter and the outcome of your affair; when, then will you prepare yourselves for the journey that awaits you, and when will you gather the provisions you need? When will you begin to remember the hereafter and resurrection?" (Safinat al-Bihar, Vol. I, p. 674)

Imam al-Sajjad, upon whom be peace, said while addressing God in prayer, "O God, prolong my life as long as its days are spent in worship and obedience to You. If a moment should come when my life becomes the pasture of Satan, take my soul and bring my life to an end before Your dislike overtakes me or Your anger seizes me." ("Du'a-yi Makarim al-Akhlaq" in Sahifa-yi Sajjadiya)

At the same time, as long as man is in this world, he desires certain bodily pleasures and enjoyments. This urgent longing is a general one, not confined to a given group of people. The objects of this desire represent indeed a necessity, which is brought to an end only by death. Accordingly, God does not deprive anyone of these pleasures (in their pure and licit form), nor does He encourage anyone to turn away completely from the affairs of this world. However, He does encourage man to redirect his hopes away from the false and impermanent values of this world toward true values and genuine aspirations; 
He warns him not to be deceived by the transient and ambiguous pleasures of this world or to become so attached to his desires and longings that he is deprived of lasting reward in the hereafter. In other words, man is exhorted to devote his attention at all times to seeking the pleasure and satisfaction of God.

Allah will not accept acts of worship from one who has no love for the authority of Ahlul Bait




Mar 12, '13 12:49 PM
for everyone



He said: Abul Qasim Ja'far b. Muhammad reported to me from his father, from Sa'd b. Abdillah, from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa, from al-Hasan b. Mahboob, from Hisham, from Murazim who reported from al-Sadiq, Ja'far b. Muhammad, peace be upon him, who reported that:

The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "What has happened to some people in my Ummah, who become cheerful and jubilant when Ibrahim and the progeny of Ibrahim are mentioned to them; but when I and my progeny are mentioned, they detest it and frown at it! By He Who sent me as a truthful Prophet, if a person dies after having performed the (good) deeds of 70 Prophets, but he has no liking for the authority of our Ahlul Bait, Allah will not accept his obligatory or voluntary acts of worship."

The revelation descended in our homes and from us the knowledge reached the people. . .

He said: Abul Hasan Ahmad b. Muhammad b. al-Hasan reported to me from his father, from Sa'd b. Abdillah, from Ahmad b Muhammad b. Isa, from al-Hasan b. Mahboob from Yahya b. Abdillah b. al-Hasan who said:

I heard Ja'far b. Muhammad, peace be upon him, say in the presence of people of Kufa: "It is surprising to hear people claim that they have derived all their knowledge from the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progency, and having acted accordingly, they are guided. And they believe that we, Ahlul Bait, have not derived his knowledge, nor have we been guided by him, in spite of being his family members and descendants! The revelation descended in our homes, and from us the knowledge reached the people. Do you believe that they knew and were guided, while we remained ignorant and lost? This is indeed impossible."

MORE HADEES ON PRAYERS.................




The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: “One who considers the prayers to be insignificant and trivial is not from me. By Allah! He shall never come close to me at the pool of Kauthar.”

Biharul Anwar, Volume 82, Page 224 

Imam As-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: “Our intercession shall never reach one who considers his prayers to be inconsequential and unimportant.”

Biharul Anwar, Volume 82, Page 227 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: “Do not destroy your prayers for verily one who destroys his prayers shall be resurrected in the company of Qarun, Haman and Fir`awn.”

Biharul Anwar, Volume 82, Page 202

Imam Al-Baqir (peace be upon him) narrates: One day the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) was seated in the mosque when a person entered and began praying, but in a manner such that neither did he perform his ruku’ (bowing), nor his sujood (prostration) in a correct manner. Observing this, the Messenger of Allah commented: “(This person) pecks as a crow pecks. Should he die and the state of his prayers be as they are now, he shall surely not die upon my religion.”

Al-Mahajjatul Baidha, Volume 1, Page 34 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: “Prayer is the pillar of your religion and one who intentionally forsakes his prayer has destroyed his religion. And one who does not guard the times of the prayers, shall be made to enter ‘Wayl’, which is a valley in Hell, as Allah, the Exalted, has said: “So woe to the praying ones, who are unmindful of their prayers.”[9] 

Biharul Anwar,Volume 82, Page 202

The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: “Do not abandon your prayers intentionally for surely the obligations of Allah and His Messenger cease to cover one who forsakes his prayers intentionally.” 

Kanzul `Ummal, Volume 7, Tradition 19096

The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: “If a person abandons his prayer such that he neither desires its rewards nor fears its chastisement, for such a person I do not care if he dies a Jew, a Christian or a Magian.”

Biharul Anwar, Volume 82, Page 202 

The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: “The good deeds of one who, without any appropriate excuse does not offer his prayer until its time passes away, are annulled.” He then said: “The divide between a believer and disbelief is the abandonment of prayers.”

Biharul Anwar, Volume 82, Page 202 

The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: “The name of one who forsakes his prayer intentionally is written upon The door of Hell from which he shall (eventually) enter.”

Kanzul `Ummal, Volume 7, Tradition 19090
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