Spiritual Health and Purification of the Soul (morals, punishment, reject)

[Cordoba]

Tips and Steps to Increase Piety (Taqwa)

Piety is an invaluable treasure, the matchless jewel in a priceless treasure of precious stones, a mysterious key to all doors of good, and a mount on the way to Paradise.

Its value is so high that, among other life-giving expressions the Qur’an mentions it 150 times, each mention resembling a ray of light penetrating our minds and spirits.

http://www.islamonline.net/English/Ramadan/Heart_Softening/School/07.shtml

[Cordoba]

A major element of being grateful to God for His favors is that believers should use these favors to improve their prospects in the life to come.

This means that they use God's favors for good works and in ways that
facilitate obedience to God. However, believers are urged not to neglect their portions in this life.

This life wants God-fearing people to seek it, so that some of them would be rich business people, highly skilled professionals, reputable scientists and serious artists. This life is tired of the fact that unscrupulous people seek its riches, while good people turn away from it.

It wants to see honest businessmen who neither cheat nor resort to monopoly and similar wicked means to push up prices. It needs rich people who do not use their wealth to spread corruption or to look at other human beings with contempt.

It looks for the human being who realizes the nature of the role assigned to him as he is placed in charge of the Earth. Such a person provides the role model for others, showing them what it means to fulfill man's vicegerency on Earth: a vicegerency given the task to work and build, without arrogance, corruption, cheating or indulgence in sin.

http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Articles/tazkiyah/god.htm

[Cordoba]

The Love of God

The true source of love in the believers’ hearts is their profound love of Allah. Believers love Allah greatly and, at every moment, strive to gain His love and good pleasure.

Allah has created everything from nothing. While a person was still in a state of “nothingness,” Allah granted him or her life as a blessing. Our Lord, the Most Merciful, the Most Gracious, and the possessor of infinite mercy, has provided everything for His servants: a vast variety of foods, fruits, and flowers; lovely creatures and landscapes in which we take pleasure; and all other things, from the Sun to water, from the air we breathe to the vitamins we need.

He created all of this perfectly on our world, which travels thousands of kilometers per hour in outer space, and maintains it in absolute safety.

Believers who think about the blessings bestowed upon them, who are aware that He can do all things and is the sole sovereign of the universe, the Creator of everything in the best possible form, will feel their love for Allah strengthen.

Those who love and fear Allah, and hold Him in awe, will faithfully observe the boundaries that He has established for humanity, show great sensitivity when implementing His rules, and do their best to win His good pleasure, love, mercy, and Paradise.

http://www.harunyahya.com/books/faith/love/love_of_01.php

All the best.

[Cordoba]

Loving God's Creation

Every believer who loves and respects Allah and who strives to please Him, enriches the world with goodness.

Whoever loves Allah also loves His creations, feels compassion and mercy for them, and wants to protect them by bringing more goodness and beauty into the world. Allah’s messengers, the most excellent and moral people in the world, always invited their people toward love and closeness to each other and to Allah.
Allah gives the following glad tidings to these people:

That is the good news that Allah gives to His servants who believe and do right actions. Say: “I do not ask you for any wage for this—except that you love your near of kin. If anyone does a good action, We will increase the good of it for him. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Thankful.” (Surat ash-Shura, 23)

This book seeks to remind believers of the importance of feeling love toward our Lord, Who possesses infinite mercy, and the importance of Allah’s love toward His creations and the believers, as well as to demonstrate that the lack of love, which is a sign of those who deny His existence, is a great catastrophe and punishment.

Believers must do their best to avoid this situation by leading a life full of love with the hope of attaining Paradise and binding oneself with love and loyalty to our Lord, humanity’s true Friend and Guardian, and to the believers.

http://www.harunyahya.com/books/faith/love/love_of_01.php

[Cordoba]

Thanking God

Some people forget that only Allah can make people happy, treat them with respect, offer them good sustenance and blessings, create pleasing views for them, grant them a new lease on life every morning, protect them from all dangers, cure them when they are ill, ease their pain and suffering through medicine, and that He owns everything that exists.

Therefore, as all of the blessings and goodness that people experience come only from Allah, they should direct all of their love, respect, sense of obligation, loyalty, and thanks to Him. While thanking others for their help, we should never forget that our Lord has inspired them to show us mercy and help us.

http://www.harunyahya.com/books/faith/love/love_of_02.php

[Nehustan]

May God, The Source of all peace be with you, His Grace, and His blessings.

Just had a quick read of your thread, great stuff. Good to see Al Ghazali hiding in there. I will revisit and especially consider the parts about anger, as despite myself I am bound to fits of rage, may The God forgive me.

[Cordoba]

Hello Nehustan:

Thank you for your post.

There are many remedies for anger, including the following:

How to Control One’s Anger:

In addition to its call for controlling one’s anger, Islam prescribed remedy for the person when in a state of anger, asking him to sit down or lie down as it is not easy to hit someone else in those positions. Also, performing Wudu’ (or taking a shower) is a good way to put out the “fire” of his anger. May Allah forgive us all and protect us from the Hellfire, Amen.

Finally, one should also try the following:

“One should ask himself the following questions: "are you in control of yourself, or would you allow Allah to take control of you?" Think of Allah’s Punishment. Is Allah’s Wrath less than your wrath? And what happens when He expresses His Wrath? We humans who seek forgiveness from Allah must forgive others first. When one forgives someone else, it establishes peace and tranquility in one's heart, but at the same time, the matter of injustice or wrong actions which made one angry, become a dispute between him and Allah; and if one do not take revenge and forgive, Allah might act on ones behalf.”

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/S...=1119503543822

All the best.

[Cordoba]

Have a Soft Heart

There are many ways through which one can become deeply devout and pious and have a soft heart. The best and most important of such ways is to have deep faith in Almighty Allah.

True believers who deeply understand Almighty Allah’s attributes and names revere Allah with all their hearts and show complete obedience to His teachings.

Things That Help One Attain Piety and Devotion

1. Understanding Almighty Allah’s Attributes and Names

2. Contemplating Almighty Allah’s Book

3. Remembering the Day of Judgment

One of the things that help one get closer to Almighty Allah and hasten to return to Him in repentance is remembering the Day of Judgment.

http://www.islamonline.net/English/OnthePathofReturn/Articles/2005/07/04.shtml

[Cordoba]

God Protects and Helps Those who Follow His Path

People rely on Allah every moment, for there is no other helper but Him. Whenever you are faced with any form of distress, Allah is the only One Who can offer any help.

As a mercy, Allah created many blessings for people to use when they are confronted with hardship. While people benefit from these blessings, it would be a grave mistake to assume that these blessings are a source of independent strength.

Given that Allah has created all of these blessings, they should be seen as manifestations of His favor and mercy upon humanity. For example, if someone visits a doctor, only Allah can cure him. And, the doctor can only cure a person with His consent. In reality, Allah brings all issues to an end and provides for a person’s blessings in the best possible way.

For people who seek Allah’s help and who view our Lord as their true guardian, only true friend, and helper, Allah guarantees that His help will reach them from many different paths. Those who are conscious of these facts will never seek such guarantees from other people or sources, for they know that all help is from Allah and so seek everything from Him.

When people attain success, are victorious, or benefit from an unexpected source, they immediately turn to Allah and thank Him. As a result of this divine help, they regard our Lord with deep love and overflowing respect.