Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Divine Invitation
Yunus (Jonah) Sura 10: Verse 25

"And God invites to the Abode of Peace, and He guides whomsoever He will to a straight path."

Invitations are four: First is the invitation to tawhid and bearing witness. Second is the invitation to praise and response. Third is the invitation to following and leadership. Fourth is the invitation to generosity and hospitality.

When someone wants to invite someone and to make his friends and dear ones his guests, the condition of the entertainment is that first he sends one of those close to him, one of his own special friends, to inform them and give them the good news. Then, when they come, he sends his dear ones to welcome them. He does not invite any of them alone, but rather he invites their friends and relatives as well. He sends steeds and torches in the road, and when they come their place is made up and ready. When they sit, he first gives them rosewater, then fruit is brought. The prepared food is then served. It is also a condition that the host not hold himself back from being seen by the guests, and finally that he send them back with respect and honour.

The Lord of the Worlds has made all of this ready and set it up for the entertainment of paradise, and He reports of it and explains it in the Quran. The first to call them and give them good news is Mustafa (peace be upon him). Then the angels and Ridwan will come to welcome them. He will send them noble steeds of light as mounts. He will send lamps of light for their road. He will not call them alone, but He will also call their relatives and near ones. Then He will make their place be paradise and gardens of bliss. Their beverage is poured sealed, fine wine, whose seal is musk. Their fruit will be much fruit, neither cut off nor withheld. Their food will be the flesh of birds as much as they have appetite. More exalted than all this is that He will turn them toward the vision of Himself so that they may see Him and be delighted. Their fresh and delighted faces will gaze on the majesty and beauty of the Real, and their faces will be brighter than the sun at daytime, having won the self-disclosure of the Possessor of Majesty.

O Chevalier, wait until you see happiness and you sit secure once and for all on the carpet of union with the Friend. From the Friend you will see "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what has never passed into the heart of any mortal."

Compiled From:
"Kashf al-Asrar wa Uddat al-Abrar" - Rashid al-Din Maybudi. pp. 240, 241

From Issue: 1033 [Read original issue]

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Firm Request

According to the Traditions, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said in regard to supplication, "Whenever anyone of you invokes God for something, be firm in asking. You should not say, 'If You wish, give me...' for none can compel God to do something against His Will" (Bukhari, vol. 9, hadith no. 556).

He also said in another Tradition, "None of you should say, 'O God! Forgive me if You wish,' or 'Bestow Your Mercy upon me, if You wish,' or 'Provide me with means of subsistence if You wish,' but you should be firm in your request for God does what He will and nobody can force Him (to do anything)" (Bukhari, vol. 9, hadith no. 569).

Compiled From:
Ramadan: Motivating Believers To Action, "Remembrance of God" - Munir Abu Salman

From Issue: 1000 [Read original issue]

Cool Tips!

Avoid Conflict

Even petty disputes between individuals can be costly. The time, money, and effort spent in the conflict itself, not to mention the mental and emotional cost that's involved mobilizing for the conflict and getting over it, can be heavy indeed.

The least costly way to deal with conflict is to avoid it. Many conflicts are simply not worth having, and with a bit of forethought and prevention, they can be stopped before major damage is done. Abraham Lincoln wrote, "Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbours to compromise whenever you can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser in fees, expenses, and waste of time."

Take the following steps in order to prevent conflict before it starts:

Know who you're dealing with: One of the characteristics of Japanese businesspeople is to spend a great deal of time checking out people or firms before embarking on business ventures with them. They intend to do business for a long time and want to make sure mistakes are avoided at the outset. Westerners often find the practice tedious and unnecessarily time-consuming. But it does have its merits.

Get it in writing: Spell out as many eventual sources of contention as you can anticipate. An old proverb advises: "Good fences make good neighbours."

Avoid impossible situations: Don't think you are Superman or Wonder Woman. Unless you are expert at turnaround situations, if really good people have failed, you probably will, too.

Check out great deals going in: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. Investigate. Ask for references. Ask hard questions. It's better to risk offending someone than having an economic loss or embarrassment later on.

These tactics can save you a great deal of time and effort in conflict resolutions involving any relationship.

Compiled From:
"Time Tactics of Very Successful People" - B. Eugene Griessman, p. 145-146.

From Issue: 568 [Read original issue]