Day: 30 September 2020

There was no timetable nor a room designated for PRAYERS in the

School. The School was ‘secular,’ hence prayers were not supposed to

be allowed.

After being interviewed and accepted by the school administration,

the eager teaching prospect said in protest: “Let me see if I’ve got this

right.” You want me to go into that room with all those kids and fill

their every waking moment with a love for learning. And I’m

supposed to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity, modify their

disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse and even censor

their T-shirt messages and dress habits.

You want me to wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, check their backpacks for

weapons of mass destruction, and raise their self-esteem.

You want me to teach them firm belief in God, patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship, and

fair play, how and where to register to vote, how to balance a checkbook, & how to apply for a job.

I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment, recognize signs of antisocial

behavior, offer advice, write letters of recommendation for student employment and scholarships,

and encourage respect for their elders and future employers.

And I am to communicate regularly with the parents by letter, telephone, newsletter, & report card.

All of this I am to do with just a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a few books, a bulletin board, and a

big smile AND on a starting salary that qualifies my family for food stamps!

You want me to do all of this, and you expect me NOT TO PRAY.

You expect me not to pray when Holy Quran (Baqarah 2:45) says: “Nay, seek (Allah’s) help with

patient perseverance and PRAYER: It is indeed hard, except to those who bring a lowly spirit.”

“O my Lord! Make me and my children among those who establish prayers.” (Ibrahim: 40)

“Indeed it is the Prayers, which helps to refrain from indecent acts and evils.” (Ankabut: 45)

You want me to do all of this and you expect me not to pray when SUCCESS of every one depends

on Prayers. Holy Quran (Al-Mu’minuun: 9) says that successful believers are: “…… those who are

punctual in their prayers.”

Dear sir, since I am sure that I will not be able to fulfill your expectations, nor I will be successful in

my career WITHOUT prayers, “I resign willingly from the post.”

The Administrator looked down for a while then suddenly declared: “Young man, go ahead with

your job. You have taught me a very important lesson today: Without prayers and help from God,

no work is a success. We shall make special arrangements for prayers from today.”

Once there was a king who had presented his daughter, the princess, with a beautiful diamond

necklace. The necklace was stolen and his people in the kingdom searched everywhere but could

not find it. Some said a bird might have stolen it. The king then asked them all to search for it and

put a reward for $50,000 for anyone who found it.

One day a clerk was walking home along a river next to an industrial area. This river was

completely polluted, filthy and smelly. As he was walking, the clerk saw a shimmering in the river

and when he looked, he saw the diamond necklace. He decided to try and catch it so that he could

get the $50,000 reward. He put his hand in the filthy, dirty river and grabbed at the necklace, but

some how missed it and didn’t catch it. He took his hand out and looked again and the necklace

was still there. He tried again, this time he walked in the river and dirtied his pants in the filthy

river and put his whole arm in to catch the necklace. But strangely, he still missed the necklace!

He came out and started walking away, feeling depressed.

Then again he saw the necklace, right there. This time he was determined to get it, no matter what.

He decided to plunge into the river, although it was a disgusting thing to do as the river was

polluted, and his whole body would become filthy. He plunged in, and searched everywhere for the

necklace and yet he failed. This time he was really bewildered and came out feeling very depressed

that he could not get the necklace that would get him $50,000.

Just then a saint who was walking by, saw him, and asked him what was the matter. The clerk

didn’t want to share the secret with the saint, thinking the saint might take the necklace for himself,

so he refused to tell the saint anything. But the saint could see this man was troubled and being

compassionate, again asked the clerk to tell him the problem and promised that he would not tell

anyone about it. The clerk mustered some courage and decided to put some faith in the saint. He

told the saint about the necklace and how he tried and tried to catch it, but kept failing. The saint

then told him that perhaps he should try looking upward, toward the branches of the tree, instead

of in the filthy river. The clerk looked up and true enough, the necklace was dangling on the branch

of a tree. He had been trying to capture a mere reflection of the real necklace all this time.

Material happiness is just like the filthy, polluted river; because it is a mere reflection of the TRUE

happiness in the spiritual world.

We can never achieve the happiness we are looking for no matter how hard we endeavor in

material life. Instead we should look upwards, toward God, who is the source of real happiness, and

stop chasing after the reflection of this happiness in the material world. This spiritual happiness is

the only thing that can satisfy us completely.

“Happy is the man who always kept the

afterlife in his view, who remembers

the Day of Reckoning through his deeds,

who led a contented life and who was

happy with the lot that Allah hath

destined for him.” Imam Ali (AS)

There was a country long time ago where the people would change a king every year. The person

who would become the king had to agree to a contract that he would be sent to an island after his

one year of being a king.

One king finished his term and it was time for him to go to the island and live there. The people

dressed him up in expensive clothes and put him on an elephant and took him around the cities to

say goodbye to all the people. This was the moment of sadness for all the kings who ruled for one

year. After saying farewell, the people took the king with a boat to remote island and left him there.

On their way back, they discovered a ship that had sunk just recently. They saw a young man who

survived by holding on to a floating piece of wood. As they needed a new king, they picked up the

young man and took him to their country. They requested him to be a king for a year. First he

refused but later he agreed to be a king. People told him about all the rules and regulations and

that how he will be sent to an island after one year.

After three days of being a king, he asked the ministers if they could show him the island where all

the other kings were sent. They agreed and took him to the island. The island was covered with

thick Jungles and sounds of vicious animals were heard coming out of them. The king went little bit

inside to check. Soon he discovered the dead bodies of all the past kings. He understood that as

soon as they were left in the island, the animals came and killed them.

The king went back to the country and collected 100 strong workers. He took them to the island

and instructed them to clean the Jungle, remove all the deadly animals & cut down all excess trees.

He would visit the island every month to see how the work was progressing. In the first month, all

the animals were removed and many trees were cut down. In the second month, the whole island

was cleaned out. The king then told the workers to plant gardens in various parts of the island.

He also took with himself useful animals like chickens, ducks, birds, goats, cows etc. In the third

month, he ordered the workers to build big houses and docking stations for ships. Over the months,

the island turned into a beautiful place.

The young king would wear simple clothes and spend very little

from his earnings as a king. He sent all the earnings to the island

for storage. When nine months passed like this, the king called the

ministers and told them: “I know that I have to go the island after

one year, but I would like to go there right now.” But the ministers

didn’t agree to this and said that he has to wait for another 3

months to complete the year.

3 months passed and now it was a full year. The people dressed up

the young king and put him on an elephant to take him around the

country to say goodbye to others. However, this king is

unusually happy to leave the kingdom.

People asked him, “All the other kings would cry at this moment and why are you laughing?”

He replied, “Don’t you know what the wise people say? They say that when you came to this world

as a baby, you were crying and everyone was smiling. Live such a life that when you are die, you

will be smiling and everyone around you will be crying. I have lived that life. While all the other

kings were lost into the luxuries of the kingdom, I always thought about the future and planned for

it. I turned the deadly island into a beautiful abode for me where I can stay peacefully.”

The moral lesson from this story is about how we should live our life. The life of this world is to

prepare for the life hereafter. In this life, we shouldn’t get lost into the deceiving and attractive

things of this world and forget about what is to come in the afterlife. Rather, even if we are kings,

we should live a simple life like our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and save all our

enjoyments for the hereafter. May Allah make it easy for us all. Amin.

Holy Quran (31:34) says: Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah (alone). It is He Who

sends down rain, and He Who knows what is in the wombs. Nor does any one know what it is that

he will earn on the morrow: Nor does any one know in what land he is to die. Verily with Allah is

full knowledge and He is acquainted (with all things).

Holy Quran (59:18) urges us to prepare for tomorrow: O ye who believe! Fear Allah, and let every

soul look to what (provision) He has sent forth for the morrow. Yea, fear Allah: for Allah is

well-acquainted with (all) that ye do.

Some body asked Imam Hassan (AS),

Why are we reluctant to die, why don’t we like death?

“Because,” replied the Imam Hassan (AS),

“You ruined your next world and developed this one; naturally,

you do not like to be transferred from flourishing to decline.”

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim

to a small, desert like island.

The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray

to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory

between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree

on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man’s parcel of land remained

barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship

was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other

side of the island, there was nothing.

Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these

were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife

could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at

his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife

and decided to leave the second man on the island.

He considered the other man unworthy to receive God’s blessings,

since none of his prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, “Why are you

leaving your companion on the island?”

“My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them,” the first man answered.

“His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything.”

“You are mistaken!” the voice rebuked him. “He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for

that, you would not have received any of my blessings.”

“Tell me,” the first man asked the voice, “What did he pray for that I should owe him anything?”

“He prayed that all your prayers be answered.”

For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us.

The night fell heavy in the heights of the mountains and the man could not see anything. All was

black. Zero visibility, and the moon and the stars were covered by the clouds. As he was climbing

only a few feet away from the top of the mountain, he slipped and fell in to the air, falling at great

speed. He could only see black spots as he went down, and the terrible sensation of being sucked by

gravity.

He kept falling, and in the moments of great fear, it came to his mind all the good and bad episodes

of his life. He was thinking now about how close death was getting, when all of a sudden he felt the

rope tied to his waist pull him very hard. His body was hanging in the air.

Only the rope was holding him and in that moment of stillness he had no other choice other to

scream: “Help me God.”

All of a sudden a deep voice coming from the sky answered, “What do you want me to do?”

“Save me God.”

“Do you really think I can save you?”

“Of course I believe You can.”

“Then cut the rope tied to your waist.”

There was a moment of silence and the man decided to hold on to the rope with all his strength.

The rescue team tells that the next day a climber was found dead and frozen, his body hanging

from a rope. His hands holding tight to it. Only one foot away from the ground.

And We? How attached we are to our rope will we let go??? Don’t ever doubt about

the words of God. We should never say that He has forgotten us or abandoned us.

Once upon a time there was a man who had a big garden. He had planted many fruit trees and

cared for them till they bear fruits. Now he wanted to pick up the fruits and sell them to make

money for his family.

One fine day while picking fruits with his son, the man saw a stranger

sitting on the branch of a tree and picking the fruits. This man become

angry and shouted, “Hey you! What are you doing on my tree? Aren’t you

ashamed of stealing fruits in the day time?” The stranger on the branch

just looked at the gardener but didn’t reply, and continued picking the

fruits. The gardener was very angry and shouted again, “For a whole year

I have taken care of these trees, you have no right to take the fruits without

my permission so come down at once!”

The stranger on the tree answered, “Why should I come down? This is the garden of God and I am

the servant of God, so I have the right to pick these fruits and you should not interfere between the

work of God and his servant.” The gardener was very surprised at this answer and thought of a

plan. He called his son and said, “go bring a rope and get this man down from the tree.” His son

brought the rope and the gardener ordered him to tie the stranger to the tree. The gardener then

took a stick and started to beat the stranger. The stranger began to scream. “Why are you beating

me? You have no right to do this.”

The gardener paid no attention and continued beating him. The stranger screamed, “Don’t you

fear God, you are beating an innocent man? The gardener answered, “Why should I fear? This

wood in my hand belongs to God and I am too the servant of God, so I have nothing to fear, and

you shouldn’t interfere with the work of God and his servant.” The stranger hesitated and then

spoke, “Wait don’t beat me, I am sorry for taking the fruits. This is your garden and I should seek

your permission before taking the fruits. So, please forgive and set me free.”

The gardener smiled and said, “Since you have now realized your mistake, I will forgive you but

remember that God has given all his servants brains so every person’s deeds are in his own hands.”

Then the gardener untied him and let him go free.

TO TELLTHE TRUTH

“Who did this?” asked my teacher. Thirty children tried to think about

not only what they had done, but also what our teacher may have found

out. “Who did this?” asked my teacher once more. She wasn’t really

asking, she was demanding an answer. She seldom became angry, but

she was this time. She held up a piece of broken glass and asked, “Who

broke this window?”

“Oh, oh,” I thought. I was the one who broke the window. I had not done it intentionally. It was

caused by an errant throw of a baseball. I was working on my knuckleball. It needed more work.

Why did it have to be me? It wasn’t really my fault. If I admitted guilt, I would be in a lot of trouble.

How would I be able to pay for a big window like that? I didn’t even get an allowance. “My father is

going to have a fit,” I thought. I didn’t want to raise my hand, but some force much stronger than I

was pulled it skyward. I told the truth. “I did it.” I said no more. It was hard enough saying what I

had.

My teacher went to one of our library shelves

and took down a book. She then began walking “Do not be like persons on whom advice has no

effect; they require punishments to improve them.

towards my desk. I had never seen my teacher

A sensible man acquires guidance through

to strike a student, but I feared she was going to

advice, while brutes and beasts always improve

start with me and she was going to use a book

through punishments.” Imam Ali (AS)

for the swatting.

“I know how you like birds,” she said as she stood looking down at my guilt-ridden face. “Here is

that field guide about birds that you are constantly checking out. It is yours. It’s time we got a new

one for the school anyway. The book is yours and you will not be punished as long as you

remember that I am not rewarding you for your misdeed, I am rewarding you for your

truthfulness.”

WHEN THE WINDS BLOW

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired

hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful

storms that raged across the ocean, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer

interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. “Are you a good

farmhand?” the farmer asked him. “Well, I can sleep when the wind blows,” answered the man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked

well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man’s work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed

a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and

yelled, “Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!”

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly,

“No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.”

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire

him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for

the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the

haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were

in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors

were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow

away.

The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep

while the wind blew.

When you’re prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep

when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he

had secured the farm against the storm.

We with faith secure ourselves against the storms of life by putting our trust in the

God, Our Prophet (SAW) and his Ahlul Byat (AS), We don’t need to understand, and

we just need to hold His hand to be secure in the midst of the storms.

I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was

waiting for my wife to get out of work. Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society

would consider a bum. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no

money.

There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you

just don’t want to be bothered. This was one of those “don’t want to be

bothered times.”

“I hope he doesn’t ask me for any money,” I thought. He didn’t.

He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus

stop but he didn’t look like he could have enough

money to even ride the bus. After a few minutes he

spoke. “That’s a very pretty car,” he said.

He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around

him. His scraggly blond beard keeps more than his face warm.

I said, “Thanks,” and continued wiping off my car.

He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came.

As the silence between us widened something inside said, “Ask him if he needs any help.”

I was sure that he would say “yes” but I held true to the inner voice.

“Do you need any help?” I asked.

He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. We often look for

wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments.

I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me.

“Don’t we all?” he said.

I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those

three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun. Don’t we all?

I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet

and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day.

Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you

have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you

are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help.

Even if it’s just a compliment, you can give that. You never know when you may see someone that

appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don’t have. A different

perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you

through a torn world can see.

Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he was more than that.

maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to messenger to a soul too comfortable in

themselves. Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, and then said,

“Go messenger to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help.” Don’t we all?

“…..Even a smile can be charity…..” Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)

It was a bitter, cold evening. The old man’s beard was glazed by winter’s frost while he waited for

a ride across the river. The wait seemed endless. His body became numb and stiff from the frigid

north wind. He heard the faint, steady rhythm of approaching hooves galloping along the frozen

path.

Anxiously, he watched as several horsemen rounded the bend. He let the first one pass by without

an effort to get his attention. Then another passed by… and another.

Finally, the last rider neared the spot where the old man sat like a

snow statue.

As this one drew near, the old man caught the rider’s eye and said,

“Sir, would you mind giving an old man a ride to the other side?

There doesn’t appear to be a passageway by foot.”

Reining his horse, the rider replied, “Sure thing. Hop aboard.”

Seeing the old man was unable to lift his half-frozen body from the ground, the horseman

dismounted and helped the old man onto the horse. The horseman took the old man not just across

the river, but to his destination, which was just a few miles away.

As they neared the tiny but cozy cottage, the horseman’s curiosity caused him to inquire, “Sir, I

notice that you let several other riders pass by without making an effort to secure a ride. Then I

came up and you immediately asked me for a ride. I’m curious why, on such a bitter winter night;

you would wait and ask the last rider. What if I had refused and left you there?”

The old man lowered himself slowly down from the horse, looked the rider straight in the eyes, and

replied, “I’ve been around here for some time. I reckon I know people pretty good.”

The old-timer continued, “I looked into the eyes of the other riders and immediately saw there was

no concern for my situation. It would have been useless even to ask them for a ride. But when I

looked into your eyes, kindness and compassion were evident. I knew, then and there, that your

gentle spirit would welcome the opportunity to give me assistance in my time of need.”

Those heartwarming comments touched the horseman deeply.

“I’m most grateful for what you have said,” he told the old man. “May I never get too busy in my

own affairs that I fail to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion.”

Ya Allah, Make me among those about whom the Holy Quran (Hashr 59:9) has said: “And they give

them preference over their own selves even though they are in need.”