HOW TO ACHIEVE TRANQUILITY OF THE HEART

Sometimes it feels like it’s just too much – these fluctuations in our iman, the repeated sinning, the feeling that “I just don’t deserve Allah’s mercy.” The tests always feel like punishments. There is a constant worry about the future: my marriage, my money, my career, my Ummah… And some difficulties just feel like they are too great to overcome. We know we’re not supposed to ask this, but the question at the back of our minds is, “Why me?”

We have all heard that we should never despair of Allah’s Mercy. And on the surface, we try not to, but Shaytaan (the Devil) has a trick. We tend to despair of ourselves and our incapacity to change things, especially the inner turmoil that we feel. And the effect of this is basically the same as despairing of Allah’s mercy. We do not always accept that Allah can take us out of the situation we are in and we don’t need to ‘deserve’ the trouble; Allah isn’t punishing us and we don’t need to be perfect.

This doesn’t mean, however, that we shouldn’t strive, or take ourselves to account when we do mess up. The key is to develop our relationship with Allah during that trouble. If we know Allah, no situation is too hopeless. No sadness is ever permanent. We perceive trials as they are meant to be perceived – as tests of our trust in Allah, forcing us to put our knowledge into practice and bringing us closer to Him. These trials could potentially be a punishment too, that is if we let it affect us negatively by completely turning away from Him because of our sadness. But our awareness of our own state and our understanding of Allah’s Mercy allows us to turn the punishment into something positive that is manifested through repentance to Allah, alongside increasing in hasanat (good deeds) in order to erase the bad deeds.

The first exercise is for us to consciously realize that Allah knows. Whatever grief we go through, whatever hardship we endure, we must understand that we are never alone. Even if we feel abandoned by the world and those closest to us, Allah is there. He reminds us in the Qur’an,

“Fear not. Indeed, I am with you [both]; I hear and I see.” (20:46)

As long as we begin by recognizing that Allah is with us and He is close to us, there remains a solution to our inner worries. There are things we need to know in order to develop our relationship with Allah. Then there are things we need to do in order to maintain that closeness to Allah. And finally, there are things we need to aspire for to achieve the ideal relationship with our Lord. We pray that by the end of the series, we will all have developed a stronger relationship with Allah.

SOURCE:http://www.suhaibwebb.com/

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WHY GOD MADE TEACHERS

When God created teachers,
He gave us special friends
To help us understand His world
And truly comprehend
The beauty and the wonder
Of everything we see,
And become a better person
With each discovery.


When God created teachers,
He gave us special guides
To show us ways in which to grow
So we can all decide
How to live and how to do
What's right instead of wrong,
To lead us so that we can lead
And learn how to be strong.


Why God created teachers,
In His wisdom and His grace,
Was to help us learn to make our world
A better, wiser place

- Kevin William Huff

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WHY TEACHERS are CREATED.....

When God created teachers,
He gave us special friends
To help us understand His world
And truly comprehend
The beauty and the wonder
Of everything we see,
And become a better person
With each discovery.


When God created teachers,
He gave us special guides
To show us ways in which to grow
So we can all decide
How to live and how to do
What's right instead of wrong,
To lead us so that we can lead
And learn how to be strong.


Why God created teachers,
In His wisdom and His grace,
Was to help us learn to make our world
A better, wiser place.


BY Kevin William Huff

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EVERYDAY IS ‘’MOTHER’S DAY’’ IN ISLAM

One day a man came to see the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. It seemed that he was trying to solve something but couldn’t quite work it out. So he asked the Prophet. ”Tell me, O Prophet!” I have many relatives and many friends whom I love, and whom I wish to care for and help. But I often find it difficult to decide which of them has the greatest claim upon me?

Which of them should come first?” The Prophet replied immediately, ”Your mother should come first and before all others.”

The man was very pleased to have this clear guidance from the Prophet. But of course there were all his other relatives and his friends, so he asked ”and after my mother, who has the greatest claim upon me?” The Prophet’s reply this second time surprised him. ”Your mother!” he said again.

The man wondered why the Prophet was repeating himself. Perhaps he had not spoken clearly, the man thought, so he asked the question again, ”What I want to know is, after my mother, who has the greatest claim upon me? Again the Prophet said ”your mother!”
Your mother, your mother, your mother!

The Prophet had now said it three times. Slowly, the man realized why he had done so. ”The Prophet means that my mother is extremely important, so much so that my duty to her must be stressed over and over again. Even so, the man’s thoughts ran on, ”what about all the others I love and wish to care for?” Still uncertain and wanting to know more, he once again turned to the Prophet and said, ”and after my mother, who comes after her? Is there anyone besides her?” The Prophet then replied ”after your mother, your father.” ”And then?” asked the man. ”Then people who are nearest to you,” said the Prophet. Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Prophet

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