Category Archives: Personal Development

Inner Dimensions of the Zakat

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By Shah Waliullah al-Muhaddith al-Dahlawi
Translated by Marcia K. Hermansen
 

You should know that when a need presents itself to the poor person, and he entreats God about it either verbally or through hit condition, his entreaty knocks at the door of the Divine Generos­ity. Sometimes the best interest will be fulfilled by inspiring the heart of a pure person to furnish the remedy for his want. Thus, when the inspiration descends and he is provoked (to respond), he is given success, God is pleased with Him, and blessings flow to him from above and below, and from his right side and his left, and God’s mercy is upon him.

One day a poor person asked me concerning a need in which he was hard-pressed and I sensed in my heart an inspiration com­manding me to give, and informing me of an ample reward in this world and the next, so I gave and witnessed that what my Lord had promised me was true. The knocking at the door of (Divine) Generosity, the arousal of inspiration and its selection of my heart on that day, and the manifestation of the reward, all of that hap­pened before my very eyes.

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Paradise and Hell

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Amatullah | September 21, 2011 5:00 am

Imagine that you knew the angel of death was coming to you in a few hours. What would your first thought be?

For most of us, it would be: What have I prepared for the next life?!

Doctors today speak of how people are living longer than ever before. In some countries, people live well beyond 90 years of age. Some of us may delay doing good deeds because we think we have a long life ahead of us. But, when Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) speaks of the Day of Judgment, He (swt) tells us that people will feel that they’ve only stayed in the dunya (this life) for a day or part of a day or even an hour. While 90 years is a long time to live, it does not compare to eternity. People will only realize that the next life is truly everlasting when they are standing in front of Allah (swt) and are seeing it with their own eyes. This is why the strongest motivation for a believer to do good deeds and stay away from sins, after seeking the pleasure of Allah (swt), is to remember death and the hereafter. Continue reading →

Ten Principles for Those Seeking the Path of Allah

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WebbTranslators | September 6, 2011 5:00 am

by Imam Ghazali | Translated and Abridged by Webb Translators

Principle 1: Have a sincere, unwavering intention.  Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “each person will be rewarded for what he intended” (Muslim). This calls for determination in the heart to continuously act or to abstain from something only for God’s sake. A sign of having sincere intentions is that one does not change his resolve for fleeting reasons; what is done for God, the Truth, should not be forsaken to please His creation. Continue reading →

Ramadan: Raining with Mercy

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Yasmin Mogahed | August 22, 2011 1:00 am

390577861_2f3b1611f9Originally posted in August 2010

Imagine for a moment that it’s raining. It is pouring, in fact. And imagine that you are inside your house, watching as it falls. But imagine that there is something very different about this rain. It is unlike any other you’ve ever seen. On this day, it is not raining water. It is raining something much more precious to you. Imagine that on this day it is raining hundred dollar bills.

What would you do? What would happen in your neighborhood on that day?  What would happen in the world? Would we not run outside, falling all over ourselves, competing to gain as much of the raining money as we can? Would we not stand outside all night to gather as much as possible? Continue reading →

Happens for a Reason, Happens for the Best

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Maryam Amir-Ebrahimi | June 10, 2011 5:00 am

There was a bus blocking the right turn lane and its emergency lights were flashing. “I need a quick detour!,” thought the woman driving. She turned into a parking lot to cross through to the adjacent street. As she made the turn, she felt her car heave forward heavily and realized she had not seen the curb. Embarrassed, she continued to the street and felt her car was driving differently. She swung into a side road to check on it. Continue reading →

The Advice of Sufyan al-Thawri

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By Sheikh Abdul Amin

Sufyan al-Thawri was asked by someone to give him advice, but to be very brief and concise. So he advised him saying,

“Make an effort for the world to the extent of your stay here. And make an effort for the hereafter to the extent of your stay there.”

Everyone knows that after leaving this world there is no return, and the life of the hereafter is everlasting. Therefore, one should make great effort for that which is everlasting. The stay in this world is temporary. Thus, to make too much effort for it is foolishness. What a complete and comprehensive counsel this is! Remember it and let it become imprinted in your heart.