Blog Archives

Signposts on the seeker’s highway

If one wants to know whether one is climbing upwards toward success, there are certain signs and indications that can help him to determine his progress.

1. As one becomes more knowledgeable, one becomes more humble and merciful to others. Think of an expensive pearl: the more heavy and valuable it is, the deeper it is in the ocean. A wise person knows that though knowledge is a gift, Allah tests the one whom He gives it to. When one is thankful for the gift of knowledge, one will be raised in ranking.

Allah will exalt in degree those of you who believe and those who have been granted knowledge. (Qur’an 58: 11) Read more…

Blessings in disguise

And indeed we have destroyed towns [populations] round about you. (Qur’an 46:27)

There is the tragic example of the Barmak family, a family that lived a life of opulence, comfort, and extravagance. Their end, however, has served as a lesson and example for all Arabs who came after them. Haroon ar-Rasheed, the ruler during their period, ordered an unexpected attack on the Barmak family and on their possessions. Allah’s decree came to pass over them in the morning at the hands of the closest person to them: he destroyed their homes, took possession of their slaves, and shed their blood. Their loved ones and children wept at their disgrace. There is none worthy of worship except Allah; those who know the story should especially appreciate the transitory nature of power and wealth in this world:

Then take admonition, O’ you with eyes [to see]. (Qur’an 59: 2) Read more…

An obsession for revenge is poison that flows through a diseased soul

The Crucified Ones in History is a book full of stories about revenge-seekers who inflicted harsh punishments on their enemies. What one realizes as one reads this book (which is probably what the author wants us to realize) is that killing their enemies was not enough to quench their thirst for revenge. The irony that the author conveys is that the crucified person, for instance, ceases to feel pain after his soul departs from his body. Meanwhile, the revenge-seeking killer will never find peace or happiness because the fire of revenge has engrossed, or rather taken over, his entire being. Read more…

Thus we have made you a just nation

Thus we have made you a just nation. (Qur ‘an 2: 143)

Both your conscience and your Religion demand that you be just, which means that you should neither exaggerate nor understate, neither go into excess nor do too little. Whoever seeks happiness should be just, regardless of whether he is in an angry, a sad, or a joyful mood. Exaggeration in our dealings with others is unacceptable. The best course is the middle course. Whoever follows his desires will likely magnify the importance of any given situation, always making a big deal out of nothing. He will feel jealousy and malice toward others. Since he lives in a world of exaggeration and imagination, he will envisage everyone else to be against him, even to the extent that he feels others to be always conspiring to destroy him. Because of this, he lives under a dark cloud, constantly overcome by fear and apprehension. Read more…