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

[Cordoba]

God's Justice

Throughout our lives, each of us has perhaps experienced and witnessed many people acting unjustly. Such behavior is routinely witnessed at work, while testifying, or making a decision. They constantly protect their own interests, or, at least, do not consider being just.

Justice is one indication that the person possesses moral excellence, as well as honesty and sincerity. Such people who practice justice even at their own personal loss will earn their community’s love and respect and, despite having different opinions on various matters, will be respected and even declared to be heroes.

Allah, the source of infinite justice, makes all of His judgments with precise justice. All people have received their portion of justice, and will continue to do so in the future. Every person will fully receive the reward of their deeds with Allah. The Qur’an tells us how His justice will be implemented perfectly in the Hereafter:

On the Day We summon every people with their records, those who are given their book in their right hand will read their book and will not be wronged by even the smallest speck. (Surat al-Isra’, 71)

Say: “Our Lord will bring us all together and then will judge between us with the truth. He is the Just Decider, the All-Knowing.’” (Surah Saba’, 26)

Being sure of receiving Allah’s justice, a person submits to Allah with boundless love and absolute trust. Subsequently, in all situations he knows that Allah’s justice is manifest in that incident and thus welcomes with absolute love and happiness any incident that our Lord creates.

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

[Cordoba]

To be Forgiving

Believers, who are very patient and forgiving, will not become angry and end their friendships just because of some minor mistakes and misgivings. Instead, they will give the other person another chance, remind them of the truth, and help them change their behavior.

Instead of feeling anger and animosity toward their friends in public, they attempt to fix their mistakes and misgivings by giving examples from the Qur’an. In sincere love, feelings of great understanding and tolerance reign supreme. Every situation will be resolved with love, understanding, and in peace.

http://www.harunyahya.com/books/faith/love/love_of_07.php

[Cordoba]

The Greatness of God

He governs the affairs of the various kingdoms and He commands and forbids, creates, sustains, gives death, gives life, gives power, strips power (to and from whom He wills) and alternates the night and day.

He gives varying fortunes to people and alternates governments (and states), destroying some and bringing some into existence. His Command and Power are dominant in the heavens and their zones, the earth and all that which is on and in it, in the seas and in the air. His Knowledge has encompassed everything and He counted everything.

He forgives an evil deed, makes depression vanish and brings reprieve from disasters, relief for whoever needs it, wealth for the poor, guidance for the misguided, light for the lost, help for he who is desperate, fullness for the hungry, cover for the barely clothed, cure for the ill and ease for he who suffers.

He accepts he who repents, gives reward for he who does good, gives aid for he who was dealt with injustice, destroys an arrogant person, covers mistakes, gives safety after fear end elevates some people and humiliates others.

If those who inhabit His heavens and His earth and all those whom He created, whether mankind or the Jinns, had hearts similar to the most pious heart, His Kingdom will not increase.

Source: http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=237

[Cordoba]

Mercy is something that we cannot live without

The reality for those seeking knowledge - as it is compulsory for us to seek knowledge of our religion - is that if there is not, along with that knowledge, a soft heart, then we cannot taste the beauty of that knowledge.

As Hassan Al-Basri had said, "If a man seeks knowledge, it will appear in his face, hands and tongue and in his humility to Allah."

What is most beneficial in this life is a soft heart. We should strive to achieve it because everything else would be meaningless and useless if we do not have softened hearts.

Source: http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=444

[Cordoba]

Love for the sake of God

Love for the sake of Allah, and not for the sake of anything else in this life which is filled with greed, desires and interests, is very difficult, and none can attain it except the one who is pure of heart, for whom this world is as nothing compared to the pleasure of Allah.

It is not surprising that Allah should give them a status and blessing which is commensurate with their position in this world, above whose concerns they have risen. We find proof of this in the hadith of Mu'adh who said that the Prophet said:

"Allah said: 'Those who love one another for My glory, will have minbars of light, and the Prophets and martyrs will wish that they had the same." [Reported by al-Tirmidhi]

Allah gives to those who love one another for His sake a gift which is even greater than this status and blessing: that is His precious love which is very difficult to attain. This is proven by the hadith of Abu Hurayrah in which the Prophet said:

"A man went to visit a brother of his in another village. Allah sent an angel to wait for him on the road. When the man came along, the angel asked him, 'Where do you intend to go?' He said, 'I am going to visit a brother of mine who lives in this village.' The angel asked, 'Have you done him any favour (for which you are now seeking repayment)?' He said, 'No. I just love him for the sake of Allah.' The angel told him, I am a messenger to you from Allah, sent to tell you that He loves you as you love your brother for His sake."' (Muslim)

http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=562

[Cordoba]

Purifying the Heart

There is no doubt that the heart becomes covered with rust, just as metal dishes - silver, and their like - become rusty. So the rust of the heart is polished with the remembrance of Allah (dhikr), for dhikr polishes the heart until it becomes like a shiny mirror.

However, when dhikr is abandoned, the rust returns; and when it commences then the heart again begins to be cleansed.

Thus the heart becoming rusty is due to two matters: sins and neglecting remembrance of Allah.

Likewise, it is cleansed and polished by two things : seeking Allah's forgiveness and dhikr."

http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/purification/0035.htm

[Cordoba]

Doing Good to Others

A wealthy man discovered that his six year old son had cancer. As his condition deteriorated, the doctors said the boy only had a few months left.

One day, as the father was driving back home and thinking of his son, he found a poor lady looking for food in dustbins, so he stopped and asked her what she was doing. The woman answered that she is looking for food for her children, as she had no money to feed them.

On hearing that, the man went with this mother and saw the children and decided he was going not just to help them with one payment, but for his help to be on-going. So he went to the nearby grocery store, and agreed with its owner to give this family all food they needed and that he would pay him in advance on a monthly basis. He did the same with other needs for the children like clothes, ... etc.

Within a few days, to his surprise he found his son's condition getting better. So he took him to the doctors, and they could not believe the results of the new tests: the cancer was starting to recede, and within a few months the boy started to recover and to come back to normal.

Doing good to others is a sign of mercy in the heart, and is the way forward towards a better society and towards the love of God. As they say, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you".

All the best.

[Cordoba]

Kindness to Parents

Kindness to parents in Islam, is a top priority, which is so important that it comes as a second priority straight after belief in God:

"For a Muslim, being kind to parents is much more than remembering them on their birthdays or Mother’s or Father’s Day. Being kind to them means listening respectfully to their opinion and obeying them in everything that is not disobedience to God. For an adult child it means to see that they have the necessities of life and whatever more one can afford; to keep them under one’s roof when they are elderly without grudge; to never speak unkindly to them or physically abuse them."

http://www.islamonline.net/english/...article02.shtml

Kindness to parents is a reflection of mercy in the heart.

Those who deserve most mercy are parents who took care of their children when they were young, with love, care and affection.

Without this mercy in the heart, a believer will not attain God's Love, and will therefore never reach a state of complete spiritual health.