The Islamic Bulletin Shawwal/Zul-Qidah 1420 January/February 2000 Page 8 When it comes to the materialistic world, one should look to those who have less than them in order to be thankful to Allah for what he has given us. If perfection is your goal, then you have the lowest standards! Why the lowest? Because perfection cannot be achieved by any human being. Perfection belongs to Allah alone! Thus, if this is your standard, you will never achieve it, and then you will just give up. Instead, focus on what you are doing right, and keep growing that plant. And when, not if, you do something wrong, something displeasing to Allah, bounce back immediately in Tawbah to Allah. Quickly come back and make things better. Those people whom come back to Allah the fastest are the most blessed children of Adam. If one gets in their car and has no destination in mind, they will never arrive at the ‘nothing’ in their mind. You will never arrive if you don’t know where you are going or take actions to get there. Paradise is something that must be hoped for day and night. Because they hoped and prayed for it so much, they lived their lives striving towards it. Envision yourself entering the highest level of Jannah! And now.............work for it! It is said that a person will do more to avoid pain then achieve pleasure. Let’s say you don’t ‘feel’ like working for Jannah. Well then, let’s introduce ourselves to Hellfire. There are only two destinations. Everything in life is a gift from Allah, it’s not ‘ours’. It’s a test to see if we will truly be thankful to Allah, by doing what He commanded and staying away from what He forbids. All these commandments are meant to raise us to be humans in the greatest mold. Anything less is subhuman. Paradise or Hellfire? Your choice. We tend to not disobey Allah ‘until’ we think that no one is watching us. If only we knew. The angels of Allah are watching us all the time, writing everything that we do. Our very body parts that we use to obey or disobey are watching us and will testify on the day of Repayment. The earth that we walk on will bear witness to whatever we did. There is a book that records everything, small or large, that we do; if you read it you would be amazed! And above all, Allah is watching. You’re not alone. If anything on earth reaches a state of excellence, it is the promise of Allah that He will bring it back down to earth. Nothing on earth remains in the pinnacle state. And because of that, whenever we get something, when it’s our day to ‘boast’, we should instead humble ourselves to Allah. Imagine what life would be like if we loved each other, thought everyone else was better than us in some way, and sincerely sought to treat people good because we truly hoped for Allah’s pardon. Be humble. It feels so good. If you lose hope, you’ve already lost. The test of life is too hard for us to enter it wishy-washy. Be confident, strong, and determined in seeking Allah’s love, in seeking His paradise. This is what HE commands of us. It is not Allah that wishes to see us thrown in to Hellfire. Shaytaan is the one that wishes that end. Allah Ta’ala wants for us to be forgiven, wants for us to be protected from Hellfire, wants for us to enter His paradise. The question now is: what do we want? And what are we doing about it? Do you have full conviction that Allah has the power to guide your heart to achieve your goal here? If you are feeling a little doubtful, then silence the doubt, raise your hands, and make dua to Allah to grant you the favor of achieving your heart’s goal. Trust in Allah, following the footsteps of all the Messengers of Allah, and Allah will be all the strength you need. The no.1 reason that people enter hellfire? Open your mouth and stick out your tongue! Our tongues are the no.1 reason. How could such a simple piece of flesh be so destructive? It’s the backbiting, the slander, the lies, the mocking of nations, the name calling, and on and on, that we indulge our tongues in. Let’s watch our tongue today, and every day, and cultivate it to be a beautiful flower, only sweetness coming from it. And if there is nothing sweet to be said, then … silence. “Just as I, had I been the one to make the mistake, would wish to be forgiven, I forgive you.” This is one of the most powerful rockets to Jannah. Go to sleep every night without harboring any grudges or grievances against your Muslim brothers and sisters. I forgive you for the sake of Allah. And I pray that Allah will forgive me too. The snake bite doesn’t kill, it’s the venom that seeps through the blood that kills. Don’t let that venom of RAMADAN! LET’S MAKE A CHANGE “’The no.1 reason that people enter hellfire? Open your mouth and stick out your tongue!?”
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