People do the strangest things

This guy walks out of the Masjid and realises he has on one of the Masjid's hats. Rather than walking back in and returning it to the hat basket, where he got it from, instead he has an idea to put it on the head of the person praying closest to where he now stands. He does so and walks off. People do the strangest things!

Fly free. Reign supreme

Shun the demons of doubt,

break loose the shackles of security,

leap off the island of comfort,

into the ocean of chance.

Sail the expanse of opportunity!

Fortune favours the brave.

---

Or, (as kindly brought to my attention) in cartoon form:

Encouraging good works

I try my best to answer anyone who contacts me, whatever the communication medium. Even if it takes a number of months, I make a mental (and written!) note and it irritates me and I feel indebted until I respond.

Lately I had been thinking, why bother? Doing so detracts me from doing what I want to do and I could always choose to "forget". This was until someone mentioned to me in passing how he and others appreciated their being able to get through to me, and I thought "oh".

I felt really good inside after hearing this and couldn't understand why, until I stumbled upon this Hadith: "... The Prophet (SAWS) said, 'When anybody among you finds a good attribute in his brother, let him tell him of it, as it will give him encouragement to do good works'..."

Sarcasm

My sister tells me I need to make a resolution this Ramadhan to cut down on the sarcasm. How fortunate I am to have someone to point my errors out to me. If she slapped me across the head every time I made a sarcastic remark, that would be even better.

14, Purification of the Heart

Title: Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms, and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart
Author: Hamza Yusuf
Paperback: 220 pages
Publisher: Starlatch Press, US (Jun 2004)
Language: English

Maybe because I am most in need of it, but this is one of the best books I have read and will ever read, maa sha Allah.

Imam Abu Hanifa said, as quoted in this book, "If the kings knew the pleasure we are in [worshipping God and gaining knowledge of His religion], they would send their armies with swords to take it away from us."

Such is true of this book. A knowledge more valuable/pleasurable than gold or oil or any such commodity.

The book is excellently structured/sectioned to allow for broken up periodic reading and digestion in parts. Some of the "diseases" discussed include miserliness, hatred, love of the world, envy, fear of poverty, displeasure with the divine degree, negative thoughts, vanity, anger, boasting and arrogance.

Get it if you want to better yourself as a person. A must for all, irrespective of religious belief.