Thursday, 9 January 2020

Mind Over Mood

Al-Hadid (Iron) 57:16

أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَلَا يَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ
Is it not time that the hearts of all who have attained to faith should feel humble at the remembrance of God and of all the truth that has been bestowed [on them] from on high, lest they become like those who were granted revelation aforetime, and whose hearts have hardened with the passing of time so that many of them are [now] depraved?


Al-Hadid (Iron) 57:23
لِكَيْلَا تَأْسَوْا عَلَى مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا تَفْرَحُوا بِمَا آتَاكُمْ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُورٍ
[Know this,] so that you may not despair over whatever [good] has escaped you nor exult [unduly] over whatever [good] has come to you: for, God does not love any of those who, out of self-conceit, act in a boastful manner.

Surah Al-Maun [107:1-7]
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Have you seen him who denies the Requital? (1) So, he is the one who pushes away the orphan, (2) And does not persuade (others) to feed the needy. (3) So, Woe to those performers of Salat , (4) Who are neglectful of their Salat, (5) Who (do good only to) show off, (6) and who withhold even the common necessaries (small kindnesses, neighbourly needs) from others. (7)

Al-Imran (The Family of Imran) 3:92

لَن تَنَالُواْ الْبِرَّ حَتَّى تُنفِقُواْ مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ وَمَا تُنفِقُواْ مِن شَيْءٍ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ
[But as for you, O believers,] never shall you attain to true piety unless you spend on others out of what you cherish yourselves; and whatever you spend - verily, God has full knowledge thereof.

Porya Wali - a Wrestler
There is an example and lesson, which demonstrates true bravery, and which we could draw from the story of Poryay Wooly (sic), a famous wrestling champion. He sets a parable for what a true champion should be. He was the epitome of gentlemanly conduct and magnanimity. The story goes like this: One day, our champion arrived in a town where he was scheduled to meet in a contest with the top wrestler of that town. While he was on a tour in that town, he came across an old woman who was giving out pieces of sweets to passersby. She gave him a piece of chocolate and asked him for a prayer. He asked her whether there was anything in particular she wanted him to pray for. She said to him that her son was the wrestling champion of their town and that he was going to meet later in the week, another wrestler who came from another town. She added that she felt apprehensive about her son’s chances of winning, in that he might lose, and that his defeat would not only be considered a setback for her son, but it would mean that their source of income would dry up. In short, his defeat would spell disaster for the family. Our champion told her to have peace of mind, in that he would pray for her son to win the match. After that conversation with the old woman, he was in a reflective mood, calling to mind that “he who overcomes his inclinations is the bravest of people”. At the appointed time of contest between him and his opponent and as the contest progressed, he came to know that his opponent was much weaker than him and that if he wanted to, he could have defeated him in no time. However, having reached a decision that he would let his opponent defeat him, he overindulged in evasive movements to give the impression that the contest was proceeding normally, and in the opportune time, he gave way and let his opponent defeat him. The storyteller went on to say that at the moment of defeat, our champion felt that his heart became wide open for God, as though he were in His dominion. And because that man did battle with his soul and scored a victory over its inclinations, he had become among the friends of God. You might ask, why? The answer is because “the true mujahid is the one who does battle with his soul”, the “bravest of people is he who overcomes his desires”, and lastly, because he demonstrated the kind of courage and magnanimity that made him excel over all champions.
More significant is the  story of Imam Ali (a.s.) and Amr bin Wid, a battle-hardened fighter, who earned the nickname of “the Knight of Yelyel. This story goes like this: At the battle of Khandaq (the Trench) the army of Muslims was on one side of the trench and that of the polytheists (mushrikeen) was on the other side. A group of infidels, among them Amr bin Wid, managed to cross over to the side of the Muslim army. Ibn Wid, mounting his horse, started yelling and challenging the Muslim fighters to fight him in a duel. The Prophet (s.a.w.) turned to his companions, enquiring whether anyone of them was willing to fight the challenger. All were quiet, apart from Ali, who stood up and said, “I am his match.” The Prophet said, “He is Amr. Sit down.” Ibn Wid grew more vociferous, taunting the Muslims and making fun of their assertion that whoever was killed among Muslims would go to heaven. For the second time, Ali stood up and volunteered to face him in combat. He was asked by the Prophet to sit down. Amr bin Wid shouted for the third time, throwing down the gauntlet. Ali picked up the gauntlet and asked the Prophet to give him permission to fight Ibn Wid. The result of the sword fight was in favor of Ali. The high point of the combat came when Ali overcame Ibn Wid, by seriously wounding him, and wanted to deal him the last blow. Ibn Wid spat in the face of Ali who was sitting on his chest, prior to beheading him. Ali let go of him and moved away to have a stroll before returning to finish him off. While Ali was in the process of doing just that, Ibn Wid asked him as to why he moved away and came back. Ali replied that he was hurt and offended when Ibn Wid spat at him, preferring to move away as not to let his dealing him the last blow be considered as though it were for taking personal revenge. That is, killing him would not count in the cause of God. So, the short time Ali AS took between the incident of spitting and moving away from the fallen foe and coming back to finish him off was for suppressing his anger, so that his killing him would be deemed in the cause of God, and not for Ali’s personal vendetta.

Ibn Ayyadh, used to be a thief. He turned his back to this type of wrongdoing and turned to God in a true penitence. Having mended his ways, he became a great man, turning into a famous teacher and educationalist for many people. In the spell when he had taken to stealing, Ibn Ayyadh was in the process of breaking into a house with the intent to steal. While he was scaling the fence of the house, he noticed that the owner of the house was in the middle of a devotional prayer, reciting the Holy Qur’an in a submissive voice. He heard the man recite, “Has not the time arrived for the believers that their hearts in all humility should engage in the remembrance of Allah ...” (57:16). While listening to this Qur’anic verse being recited, he somehow felt that as though he were being addressed with those words. The words shocked him to the core, so much so that he retorted, “O Lord! Yea. O Lord! Yea. It is high time. And it’s up.” He then came down the fence, after he had been dissuaded from carrying out his raid. This was the last time he carried out an offending, be it a criminal activity, consuming alcohol or gambling, and all other sins. He made a clean break with his unsavory past. And in order to wipe the slate clean and forget about his past, he made amends with the victims of his crimes and reached a settlement with them, i.e. compensating them for what he stole from them and asking their forgiveness. He further made amends with his Creator. Therefore, Ibn Ayyadh fits the definition of immigration, in that he abandoned the vile deeds he was hooked on. 
In Baghdad, and during the lifetime of Imam Mousa al-Kadhim (a.s.), there was a well know man called Bishr al-Hafi. One-day, al-Kadhim was passing by the house of Bishr. It happened that one of his maids opened the door to leave a bag of rubbish in front of the house. The Imam asked her if the owner of the house was a slave or a freeman. She answered, without hiding her bewilderment at his question, that he was a freeman. The Imam said, “You are right. Had he been a slave he would have feared his Lord”. The Imam then left the scene. When the maid went back into the house, Bishr, who was in a drinking session, asked her as to what kept her so late. She told him the story. It seems that the words of the Imam descended on him like a thunderbolt waking him up from his deep slumber and forgetfulness. After the maid had told him of the direction the Imam continued his walk in, he quickly set off trying to catch up with the Imam, so much so that he forget to wear his slippers. While he was in hot pursuit, he was saying to himself that the man who uttered those words must have been Imam Mousa bin Ja’far alKadhim (a.s.). Indeed, he went to the house of the Imam and apologized to him. And while still weeping, declared in his presence that he wanted to repent and become a slave, not to anyone, but to God. He went on saying that he did not want any more the type of freedom he was used to, i.e. that which imprisoned in him his humanity and set forth the animal base instigation; that he did not want any more to chase lofty positions and repute; that he did not want to wade in the mire of sins and become their hostage; that he did not want to suffocate inside him the good innate nature and sound mind. He concluded that he wanted to be a true slave to God and a freeman when dealing with others. Thus, Bishr announced his repentance at the hands of Imam al-Kadhim. From that point in time onward, he was never to relapse in his previous bad ways, i.e. he discarded his sins (hajara thunubah) and began a clean sheet, destroying all objects and symbols of wrongdoings, and turning to submission to and worship of God. Accordingly, Bishr met the criterion of immigration for he turned his back to all misdeeds and immoralities.


It has been reported that al-Ma’moun (Mamoon) [the Abbasid Caliph] was suffering from the habit of devouring dust. Conventional remedies were doomed to failure. In a gathering, people were talking about alMa’moun’s habit and how he could not give it up. Among those present was a dervish who shouted that he had the remedy for al-Ma’moun’s habit. The people turned their eyes in his direction and asked him as to what could this magic potion be. He answered, “A firm will of the sort kings are capable of.” When the story of the dervish reached al-Ma’moun, he said that the man was right and took a decision to give the habit up completely and forthwith. 

Faults, Light, Pleasant Life, Job, Forgiveness

"Blessed is he whose own faults keep him from seeing the faults of others." -Imam Ali (AS).
"There is always enough light for the one who wants to see." ~ Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (ع).
"There are two ways to live a pleasant life, either in someone's heart or in someone's prayer." -Imam Ali (AS).
The most merciful person is the one who forgives when he is able to revenge. Imam Hussein (AS).

Your job is not to judge. Your job is not to figure out if someone deserves something. Your job is to lift the fallen, to restore the broken, and to heal the hurting.”
Forgiveness is almost a selfish act because of its immense benefits to the one who forgives.

Dua'a Jaushan E Sagheer

'Once you stop learning you start dying'. Albert Einstein

NOT acting is a crime against society, your family, and YOURSELF. Grant Cardone

“Inaction is the worst action of human beings!”

“Train your mind to be stronger than your emotions or else you'll lose yourself every time.” ... In time, these sorts of emotions can grow like weeds, slowly conditioning the mind to function on detrimental feelings and dominate our daily life.


Attitude is a powerful force that can either freeze us in our tracks or inspire us to take immediate action on any given day. With the right attitude, human beings can move mountains. With the wrong attitude, they can be crushed by the smallest grain of sand.


“Inaction only makes a task more daunting in your eye. Act quickly, before you overthink, get anxious or give up.”

“If I were to do nothing, I'd be guilty of complicity (involvement as a partner or accomplice, especially in a crime or other wrongdoing).”


“One of mankind’s greatest sins is inaction in the face of injustice.”

“Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.” Cory Booker

We can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth and doubt over confidence. The choices are ours to make. But while we curse the effect, we continue to nourish the cause. Rohn

Winters come regularly, right after autumn. Difficulty always comes after opportunity. So you must learn how to handle the winters. You must learn how to handle difficulty. Let's learn to use the seasons of life like a farmer uses the seasons of the year. Sometime high, sometimes low. Decide when to pour it on and when to ease back, when to take advantage and when to let things ride. Rohn

“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom.” Rohn

Research shows that people view themselves as more flexible and versatile than they actually are.

Reason for the gap between our ideal versus our actual level of adaptability is that it’s not easy.

Empathy is a term for deep feeling. It means, “I feel what you feel. I can put myself in your shoes.” 
Sympathy, means merely acknowledging someone else’s feelings. It results in kindness and pity, and it comes from the head. Empathy results in feeling the pain, or the joy, of the other person. It comes from the heart.

The Platinum Rule is that treat the other person the way he wants to be treated.

The ideal form of charity; do, whatever is needed according to your capability. Rohn


85 Percent of all Diseases
The American Medical Association (AMA) states 80 percent of all health problems are stress related, and even the conservative Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that 85 percent of all diseases appear to have an emotional element.

Why 99% of People are Living in Delusion


Public Speaking - A Gift: One Percent of One Percent: 99% of the population is afraid of public speaking, and of the remaining 1%, 99% of them have nothing original and interesting to say.

Habit Control
Have a look at no smoking areas. We spend 8 hours in the office. These are scenarios of control on the habit. We can use same habit control discipline in after hours.
We can train our mind like a child. If we stop child; he will cry for sometime and then forget. We cry in our routine life - we wish that world people should follow our way.
Let's admit; people have no need to follow us. We have to develop new habit. Discipline your mind with new style.

"man 'arafa nafsahu faqad 'arafa rabbahu" "He who knows himself knows his Lord" Prophetic Hadith.

“The greatest gift you can give the wicked is your inaction.”

“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”

“Rejection is more valuable than inaction. All that I have learned until now has been because of rejections. Inaction didn’t teach me a thing.”

“We may not always be able to control what we are, but we can control what we do. Everyone has a dark side, but we have a choice not to act on it.”


“Do precedes done. No precedes none.”

“Those who claim to be on the side of good yet do nothing to fight evil are on the side of evil.”

“We injure ourselves by wishing; continuous inaction cripples the soul.”


“I no longer follow the voices of the sane (sensible, of sound mind). I follow the ill because they see farther, feel much more and change what the sane will not. This is the paradox of philosophers; trying to understand mass delusion among great people that have faith and knowledge, yet they can’t graduate from their institutions of religious theology to apply the knowledge they have gained for the shifting of Zion; from words to action; from comfort to uncomfortable; from self serving to self giving; from competition to supporting; from tradition to unity; from bias to acceptance; from me to us.”
“Not long ago, I learned that if I let other people tell me how God was supposed to work in my life I would be dead. If I would have given into someone else’s version of God then I would have done nothing to improve my situation. The notion that “if it was meant to be, it will be”, is a pacifying, yet harmful quote, that many spiritualists use to soften the blow of anger. God is not passive. He is relentless, and he will build you through fire. He will put in your heart a need for answers. The intensity of what bothers your soul is often his voice trying to take you from the limited vision of mankind to the full view of the best life he would like to offer you. He is above any pastor, any bishop, any prophet, any church, any cleverly crafted sermon or multi-meaning verse. He is the master of his craft and the author of your forever. Inner peace is only found through action. Fear may darken the trail, but the light of peace stands at the end of such a journey; waiting with truth.”


“Not doing anything can be worse than doing the wrong thing.”

“Free yourself from the need to blame others. There are two reasons that you are where you are right now; action or inaction.”

Imam Ali AS
http://www.imamali.co/s/71/e


Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.

Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, either way you’re right.

Instead of giving myself reasons why I can’t, I give myself reasons why I can.

You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.

It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.

Your body hears everything your mind says.

Change your thoughts and you change your world. 


Change your thoughts and you change your world. 

The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.

It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.

We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their actions.


Put your heart, mind and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.

When something bad happens, you have three choices: You can either let it define you, let it destroy you or let it strengthen you.

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