Shirk

"We are filled with nifaq (hypocrisy). We may not make Sajda to any statue or any tree or any fire, but our heart makes Sajda to the beauty of ghair mehram. That's what you should think. You shouldn't think 'my eyes look'. You should think 'my heart is making Sajda to her. That's what I'm doing'. You actually say it: 'it's irresistible', 'I'm addicted', 'I'm hooked', 'I'm attracted'. You have become weak. Yes what you seek is weak, false, fake, but you are weak for wanting that. This is a type of nifaq. Just imagine then that Allah Taala is concealing our nifaq like he concealed their* nifaq. What if on the day of judgment Allah Taala exposes our nifaq just like he is going to expose their nifaq?"

* i.e. the munafiqeen (hypocrites) of Madinah at the time of the Prophet Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam

Shaykh Mufti Kamaluddin Ahmed from a talk in England on "The Fake Muslim"

(transcribed from audio so it may be slightly different from his exact words)

Full talk available on www.islamicspirituality.org

Reasons for Fatigue

1. Depression
2. Stress
3. Anxiety
4. Lack of exercise
5. Bad nutritional choices
6. Dehydration
7. Withdrawal symptoms hours from the last coffee

Money: Its purpose

source: http://www.ashrafiya.com/2015/04/15/money-its-purpose/


A seeker living abroad for his medical training wrote,

The travelling expenses for visiting home will be around three thousand dollars (a substantial amount for a foreign trainee in mid 1990’s). Would it be appropriate to spend so much money on myself?

Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah protect him) replied,

‘Assess your financial capacity (for spending). If no major necessity is affected and you do not have to draw loan then (be aware that) money is for providing happiness and comfort to one’s self and family. Moreover, making parents happy (by visiting them) is a reward-able action.’

Islahi khatoot  

Grudges

source: http://www.ashrafiya.com/2015/03/18/grudges


Our master Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him), said,

“The gates of Paradise are opened every Monday and Thursday. Every slave who has not associated any partner with Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is forgiven except one who has enmity with his (Muslim) brother. It is said regarding them “Leave them until they make peace with each other”.

Explanation: The meaning of this Hadith is explained by another narration which Imam Mundhiri (rahimahullah) has narrated in Targheeb wa Tarheeb with reference to Awsat Tabrani.  It is stated in that narration that everyone’s deeds are presented (to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala) every Monday and Thursday. Whoever asked for forgiveness is forgiven, and whoever made Tawba, his Tawba is accepted. But the deeds of those who keep a grudge against each other are returned (meaning their istighfar and tawba are not accepted) until they stop having a grudge against each other. There are also some other Hadith regarding this topic. It is learnt from them that if a Muslim has a grudge against his Muslim brother then he does not deserve the mercy and forgiveness of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) until he cleans his heart from this grudge.

Source: Hadith # 411, Al-Adab Al-Mufrad by Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) with Urdu translation and explanation by Maulana Muhammad Khalid Sahab Khangarhi

Letting others be

source: http://zenhabits.net/frustrate/

Trying to change others, wanting them to be the way we want them to be, just doesn’t work. The alternative, though, is unthinkable to most of us: to just let others be however they want to be. Even when that annoys you.

Here’s the way of being that I’m trying to cultivate:

To remind myself that I don’t control others.
To remind myself that other people can live their lives however they want.
To see the good in them.
To let go of an ideal that I have that’s causing the frustration.
To see that when others are being difficult, they are having a hard time coping. And to empathize with this.
To remember when I’ve had a hard time, when I struggled with change, when I’ve been frustrated.
To do what I can to help them: to be of service, to listen, to make them feel heard, to make them feel accepted.

You're the content, and the container

Don't brood or panic. Manage and compose. Contain.

Voices in your head

Here’s the key: Be strategic and intentional about who (the author was talking about the voices in our head, Joey, the one that's too hard on us, and Vicky, that's emphatic and reassuring) you listen to, especially if the voices are inside your head. Those can be the sneakiest. It’s pretty easy to call Joey a jerk and ignore him; it’s much harder to dismiss the voice in your head because, well, it’s you.

Try this tactic: when you hear the voices, give them names and personalities. Imagine a Joey on one side, a Vicky on the other.

The summary. Hear the voice which helps you Improve. Not the one which makes you feel comfortable. Be it the comfort of misery, or the comfort of reassurance.

source: https://hbr.org/2015/04/managing-the-critical-voices-inside-your-head