Five Counsels on Spiritual Concern - Ibrahim ibn Adham RA

A man came to Ibrahim ibn Adam and said, “Advise me!”

Ibrahim replied:

I advise you with five things:

1. If people busy themselves with worldly matters, busy yourself with next-worldly matters.

2. If people busy themselves with beautifying their outward, busy yourself with beautifying your inward.

3. If people busy themselves with building palaces, busy yourself with preparing for your grave.

4. If people busy themselves with others’ faults, busy yourself with your own faults.

5. If people busy themselves with serving created things, busy yourself with serving the Creator.

source : http://islamicthinking.tumblr.com

COOL!

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. #islam #smile

Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding. (Quran 3:190)

(Source: kari-shma)

Traffic Stop

The tired-looking man in well-worn clothes stood at the large intersection wearing a large sign that read, “Have a family, will work for food.” I had passed him many times as I made my way around town, yet somehow I never got around to offering help to this fellow traveller as I went about my work.

One day as I was going past the same intersection, I saw him once again steadfastly standing there. The traffic had stopped for a red light, and in the lane to my left a lady quickly got out of her car with two full bags of groceries, which she promptly handed to the man. They exchanged a few words before the lights changed, she jumped back in her car and drove away.

:)

Sayyiduna Abdullah Ibn Umar (R.A) reported that someone asked the Holy Prophet (PBUH) who was the wisest person? The Holy Prophet (PBUH) replied, “The one who remembers death often and is ever engaged in making preparation for it. These are the men who have become masters of the honour of this world and the next.

-[Tabrani]

Kaligrafi Part IV

:)

source : http://islamicthinking.tumblr.com/

A Thousand Camels

In the times of Umar (Radiallahu Anhu) there was a severe famine. All the people of Madinah were suffering due to the shortage of food. A caravan made up of a thousand camels loaded with a large stock of food grains belonging to Uthman (Radiallahu Anhu) arrived from Shaam (Syria).

Several merchants offered to buy all of it. He asked them what profit they would pay. “Five per cent,” they said. He answered that he could get higher profit than that. They began to argue with him, saying that they did not know of any merchant who would offer him more than their quote.

He said to them, “I know of one who repays a profit of more than seven hundred to a dirham (Arabian currency).” He then recited the verse of the Noble Quran in which Allah Ta’ala mentioned this profit.

Put the Glass Down

A professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see and asked the students, ‘How much do you think this glass weighs?’

’50 grams!’…. ’100 grams!’…… ’125 grams’ …… the students answered.

‘I really don’t know unless I weigh it,’ said the professor, ‘but, my question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?’

‘Nothing’ the students said.

‘Ok! What would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?’ the professor asked.

:)

The life of this world and the hereafter, in the heart of a person are like the two scales of a balance, when one becomes heavier, the other becomes lighter.

-Amr ibn Abdullah

Success of a Farmer

Here was a farmer who grew superior quality, award-winning corn in his farm. Each year, he entered his corn in the state fair where it won honours and prizes.

One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew his corn. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbours.

“How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbours when they are entering corn in the competition with yours each year?” The reporter asked. “Why bother ? ”

The farmer replied, “Didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen grains from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbours grow inferior, sub-standard and poor quality corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I have to grow good corn, I must help my neighbours to grow good corn too.”