WORDS HAVE POWER! A Kind Word Can Change Somebody's Life.

 

Words Have Power!

A Kind Word Can Change

Somebody’s Life.

(M. Javed Naseem)

We cannot stress the importance of a kind, polite, nice and friendly word more than Allah did in the Holy Quran, teaching us how to talk to others. A kind word from us represents Islam whereas a harsh tone reminds us of devil.

«Tell my bondmen to speak that which is kindlier.

Lo, the devil sows discord among them.

Lo, the devil is for man an open foe.»

(al-Quran 17:53)

«A kind word with forgiveness is better

than almsgiving followed by injury.

Allah is Absolute, Clement.»

(al-Quran 2:263)

They say that there is power of life and death in the tongue. Actually, it’s the words that come out of that tongue that can make or break your life. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift him up and help him make it through the day. On the other hand, a destructive word, from the same tongue, to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill him.

Let me tell you a story. A group of frogs were travelling through the woods. Suddenly, two of the frogs fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit was, they lost all hopes and told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs, clinging to life as hard as

possible, ignored their comments and tried to jump out of the pit with all their strength. The other frogs kept telling them to stop as it was no use to kill themselves by exhausting their bodies. They told them to wait until some miracle happens otherwise forget it. They thought the two will be dead soon and went their way. Finally, one of the two frogs accepted the majority opinion and gave up.

He thought the others were probably right. He jumped half-heartedly for the last time and fell down … and died.

The second frog continued to jump as hard as he possibly could. He saw his colleague lying dead nearby but never gave up. He decided to try one more time with the fullest possible strength he could muster. He told himself that with confidence and determination he can jump out of the pit. He needs to jump from the right angle, the right spot and with maximum force. So, he tried one more time giving his best, and made it out of the pit. When he got out, he called the others to wait for him and then joined them. The other frogs asked him: ‘Did you not hear us?’ The frog said that he heard their noise and screams. ‘I thought you were encouraging me the entire time. That’s why I never gave up and kept trying harder and harder, the frog said.

There are many lessons to be learned from this story but the most important is the ‘good word’ or the encouraging ‘kind word’. With just one word you can destroy your friendship or damage a good relationship. And with one word you can bring somebody back from the threshold of death. There is power in the word. Be careful of what you say, how you say and when you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. It is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way.

Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times. But special is the individual who will care to encourage others with his kind and polite words. This is not something extra-ordinary that we are required to do. As Muslims it is one of the basics of our conduct and manners. Remember what is mentioned in the beginning of this story? The Almighty Allah says:

«A kind word with forgiveness is better

than almsgiving followed by injury…»

(al-Quran 2:263)

We should show good manners and good conduct to others and treat them nicely. Giving others a good piece of advice is Sadaqah (charity); even a smile is Sadaqah (charity) and Allah will reward us for that in the Hereafter. Amongst the Muslims, the best is the one who has the best manners and the best conduct.

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THE MAGIC OF PRAYER: When You Whisper To God, He Listens!

 

The Magic Of Prayer

When You Whisper

To God, He Listens!

(M. Javed Naseem)

 

«And when my servants question you

(O Muhammad) concerning Me, then surely

I am nigh. I answer the prayer of the suppliant

when he cries unto Me. So, let them hear

My call and let them trust in Me,

in order that they may be led aright.»

(al-Quran 2:186)

When you offer prayer (Salaat), you whisper with Allah, the Almighty. It means that you are communicating with your Creator directly, one on one. Sometimes when you don’t offer prayer and say that you don’t have time for it or you forgot to offer prayer, there is a message in it. Maybe Allah is telling you that you are disconnected. You are doing something against God's commands, like an act of disobedience. Think about it. You must have committed a sin or done something wrong! You should, therefore, repent and try to get back on the right track. He is the most Merciful and will definitely forgive you.

Think about your faith (Imaan), its level, its intensity and its depth! If your faith is so weak that it cannot carry you to your local mosque nearby for prayer, how would it carry you to Paradise on the Day of Judgment? Did you ever ponder? Did you ever try to understand the meanings of the call for prayer? Pick up a booklet on the subject of ‘Salaat’ and read the translation of ‘Azaan’ and the contents of ‘Salaat’. When the caller (Mouazzan) says: ‘Haeeya al-alfalah’, he is saying; ‘Come to the success’.

Now, everybody wants to be successful in life because it is considered to be the ultimate goal. But ironically when the caller (Mouazzan) invites us to success five times a day, we ignore it with one excuse or the other. We are looking for success all over the world, throughout our lifetime, but don’t find it. On the other hand when success itself calls us, we don’t even respond. Funny?

«And there may spring from you, a group

who invite to goodness, and enjoin right

conduct and forbid indecency. Such are

they who are successful.»

(al-Quran 3:104)

We measure success on the scale of wealth or material possessions. Wealth and material possessions are temporary for this world only. A Believer should always think about the Hereafter, because, according to the Quran, that is the real and everlasting life. This world is a trial for us. A wise man once said: Try to live in the world and don’t let the world live in you. Because a boat floats well as long as it stays in the water, but if the water stays in the boat, it sinks.

We all believe in luck. Most of the times we Muslims say that everything is pre-destined, whatever we do, wherever we go, whatever we get or don’t get, whatever we achieve, etc. This is not 100% true. Only a part of it is true. Allah has taught His creation how to pray, how to beg for His mercy or how to supplicate for His blessings. When humans pray, Allah likes it, listens to it and grants it. You can change things with prayer! Had Allah pre-destined every little affair as ‘luck’, He would not have taught humans to pray or supplicate (Dua). Supplication can change your condition. Prayer is not a spare wheel that you pull out when in trouble. It is a steering wheel that always directs you to the right path.

As human beings, we get frustrated over small failures and sometimes we lose hope. That is not the right attitude. Never lose hope! Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, Allah smiles from above and seems like saying: ‘Relax, it’s just a bend, not the end.’ 

 

All things in life are temporary. If it is going well, enjoy it. It is not going to last for ever. And if it is not going well, don’t worry. It can’t last for ever either. Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles, it rather takes away today’s peace. Try to be content with whatever God has given you. But trust Him for His blessings for the future. And pray for it. Look at the birds how they put their trust in Allah. Every morning they leave home in search of food (or Allah’s bounty). They don’t even know where they are going and what they are going to get to eat. Allah takes care of them and provides them with food and water. Every evening when they fly back home, they carry no food in their beaks for tomorrow. They trust their Creator for that.

Learn your ‘Tawakkal’ (trust) from the birds. God listens to everybody’s prayers, especially those who are in distress, and He answers them too. When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them. And sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone else has prayed for you. Prayer brings peace to your mind and heart. Prayer can do magic. Put this magic to work!

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LIVE AS A MUSLIM, DIE AS A MUSLIM! (If You Want To Please Allah.)

 

If You Want To Please Allah,

Live As A Muslim,

Die As A Muslim!

Islam Means Submission or

Surrender To The Will of Allah.

(M. Javed Naseem)

Today, people talk of the similarities among different religions. The parts that have not been changed by humans, remained similar to Islam; and the commands that were a bit difficult to implement or hard to obey, were modified, edited or altogether replaced to make things easier for the followers. That happened many times in the history of mankind, therefore, there are hundreds of religions. And the funny thing is that every religion claims to be based on truth.

The truth does not need to find any similarities in the falsehood. On the contrary, it is the falsehood that ‘needs’ such similarities to prove its authenticity. The truth is truth! It comes from God and will always prevail.

The Most Merciful Allah is our Creator and He wants us to remain faithful to Him by obeying His Commands. The believers are required to prove their loyalty by submission or surrender to the Will of Allah. This is called Islam. Islam is the norm of the universe as it was in the past and it will always be in future. In the eras of other Prophets or Messengers of God, the languages and the cultures were different but they all delivered the same message: Worship none but Allah and make no partners with Him; glorify (offer prayers) the name of Allah and thank Him for all the blessings; pay the poor-due and help the needy; and fast during a certain period to seek piety. Those who obeyed these commands and followed the Prophets of Allah, they were called the faithful Muslims. Allah commands us in the Quran:

قُلْ آمَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا

وَمَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ

وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَٱلأَسْبَاطِ

وَمَا أُوتِىَ مُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ وَٱلنَّبِيُّونَ

مِنْ رَّبِّهِمْ لاَ نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُمْ

وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ

“Say: We believe in Allah, and in what

has been revealed to us and what was

revealed to Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac,

Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books)

given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets,

from their Lord. We make no distinction

between one and another among them, and

to Allah do we bow our will in Islam.”

(al-Quran 3:84)

The most important part of the verse is the last phrase in Arabic which reads: ‘Wa nahnu lahu Muslimoun’. This phrase has been used by the people of Moses, David and Solomon, by the disciples of Jesus. We find them in many Surahs (chapters) of the Holy Quran. The phrase means: ‘And we are His Muslims’. In other words, we are the people who have surrendered/submitted ourselves to the Will of Allah.

Now, the most interesting point in this declaration is that we believe in Allah and those revelations and books which were sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and his twelve sons, and the holy scriptures of Moses, Jesus and other Prophets of Allah among whom we make no distinction because …..? Because we are His Muslims.

In other words, we believe in all those elements the other Prophets and their nations believed in; and there is no distinction or difference between them; and we do the same because we are Muslims – the true servants or slaves of Allah. Is there any doubt left that all those Prophets from Abraham to Jesus to Muhammad (s.a.w.) did believe in the same God and the same teachings or the same religion like we Muslims do today?

Allah has named particularly Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and his sons (or tribes), Moses and Jesus among other Prophets of God, clearing all doubts or misconceptions about their Faith. They belonged to the same Faith; followed the same path; and delivered the same Message of their Lord Almighty. They were all Muslims because they surrendered or submitted themselves to the Will of Allah in Islam. Allah commands all believers:

يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ

وَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنْتُمْ مُّسْلِمُونَ

“O you who believe! Fear Allah as

He should be feared, and die not

except in a state of Islam.”

(al-Quran 3:102)

The true religion with Allah is Islam and the above mentioned verse of the Holy Quran is the proof of that. As a matter of fact, it was the only religion that was prescribed by the Almighty for the entire mankind.

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IT'S NOT ALWAYS THE WAY WE WANT IT. Nature Has Its Own Course.

 

It Is Not Always

The Way We Want It.

Nature Has Its Own Course.

Be Nice And Just Do Your Part!

(M. Javed Naseem)

“Lo! We have placed all that is on the

earth as an ornament thereof that We may

test them, which of them is best in conduct.”

(al-Quran 18:7)

Your conduct matters most; everything else is secondary! Good conduct (call it 'good manners' or 'good character') defines you who you are. It is your conduct that will earn you a place, good or bad, in your society. You would be known by the way you behave or by the things you do (good or bad).

For a believer, life in this world is a test or a trial; the real and eternal life being in the Hereafter. But our conduct in this world helps us shape our lives in the Hereafter. Every good thing we do, carries a good reward. Allah, the Most Merciful, is so kind to us that He promised multiple or manifold rewards for every good deed we perform. Even giving somebody a good advice is considered charity (or Sadaqah); every good word is Sadaqah; even your smile is Sadaqah and carries reward in the Hereafter.

There was once that guy who fell in love with a pretty young woman. He was not rich but had talent. He was hardworking, honest, sincere and very romantic. One day, as a token of his love, he gave this girl a cardboard box containing three miniature paintings. In the first picture he painted there were two silhouettes on the beach with a beautiful sunset in the background. He wrote underneath: You & Me. In the second picture he painted some garden and two trees bending towards each other and making an arch. He wrote underneath: Love. The third painting was of a country house and the title read: Our
Home. Sweet sentiments!

The girl was touched and very impressed. At that time he was little known guy working in a company, with nothing to brag about. But they were happy and enjoyed each other's company. One day that girl told him that she was not sure about their future. She was moving to some far away town. So, they parted and went their own ways. Despite his efforts the guy could not see the girl. He was heart-broken. But his job kept him busy and he continued working hard. Finally with all the hard work and some help from friends, he was able to set up his own small company.

You never fail until you stop trying!

One rainy day while he was driving home, he saw an elderly couple sharing an umbrella and walking in the rain. They were both drenched. He felt sorry for the couple and wanted to give them a ride. So, he stopped near them, lowered the window and asked if he could bring them somewhere. Suddenly, he realized that they were the parents of the girl he loved. He wanted to show them that finally he had made it and he had become ‘somebody’. He was successful in business, had a luxury car and a house. The couple got into the car and told him that they were not going far; just a couple of hundred meters, to a cemetery.

He was very excited and asked them about the girl. They told him that they were going to visit the grave of that girl. He was shocked, but accompanied them to the graveyard. And finally he saw his girl, a photograph of her smiling sweetly as ever from her tombstone. Then he saw his three miniature paintings just beside her. Her parents told him that she never moved out of town. She was ill with cancer and had no hope. She did not want to be an obstacle in your career, being a liability. Therefore, she chose to leave you. But she was sure that you would make it one day. Since she always loved you, she told us to put these miniature paintings on her grave in case one day you come by to see her and decide to take
these paintings with you.

"Oh my God!" the guy said, and he wept, and wept. The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside him/her knowing you can’t have him/her, can’t see him/her or be with him/her ever again. Just because someone does not love you the way you want them to, doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all their heart. Once you have loved, you will always love. For what’s in your mind may escape but what’s in your heart will remain
forever.

It’s not always the way we want it. Everybody loves in his/her own special way. In the circle of friends, in the family, among relatives and in the neighborhood, there are always people who like you, even love you to the extent that they will do anything for you.

 

Be nice to people and help them whenever you can, and with whatever you can. It’s the gesture that counts as charity (Sadaqah) and needless to mention that you will be rewarded for that in the Hereafter too. Find time to realize that there is one person who means so much to you, for you might wake up one morning losing that person – who you thought meant nothing to you! Be nice and kind to people! We all need love, compassion and mercy; and a shoulder to lean on.

“Verily the most honored of you in the

sight of Allah is (he who is) the most

righteous of you. And Allah has full

knowledge and is well acquainted

(with all things).”

(al-Quran 49:13)

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MERCY IS GODLY! If You Are Merciful To Others, You'll Be Treated Mercifully!

 

Mercy Is Godly!

If You Are Merciful To Others,

You'll Be Treated Mercifully!

(M. Javed Naseem)

“And the mercy of your Lord is better

than (the wealth) which they amass.”

(al-Quran 43:32)

Allah is infinitive love! Allah is infinitive compassion! And Allah is infinite mercy! Every good and kind thing comes from Him. He loves mankind so much that He forgives us every time when we repent after sinning or making a mistake. The virtues of compassion, justice and mercy (or forgiveness) are Godly. We need them to maintain peace and prosperity in the society in this world; and we need them to be successful in the Hereafter as well.

The mercy of the Supreme Creator, the Almighty Allah, encompasses the entire universe. He is Rahman and Raheem – the Benevolent and the Merciful. But man needs to be honest, sincere and faithful to his Creator. He should repent and seek Allah's forgiveness after committing every sin/mistake.

“Your Lord has prescribed for Himself mercy!

Verily, if any of you does evil in ignorance and

repents thereafter, and amends (his conduct),

lo, He is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.”

(al-Quran 6:54)

Somebody narrated a beautiful story relating to love and compassion. Once a man reprimanded his 3-year old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and times were tough. He became infuriated when he saw the child trying to decorate a gift box and wasting the gold foil. The 3-year old child was probably preparing some Eid gifts for her friends. Nevertheless, the little girl finished packing.

The next day she brought the gift to her father and said, “This is for you Daddy! Happy Eid Mubarak!” The man was embarrassed by his earlier over-reaction. He felt ashamed but put a smile on his face and hugged the girl thanking her for the gift. But the moment he opened the box he got mad with anger again. The box was empty. “What the hell..…”, he screamed at the girl. “Don’t you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something in the box? How could you..…?”

The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, “But Daddy, it is not empty. The box is not empty at all. I blew one hundred kisses into the box. They are all for you, Daddy.”
The father was crushed. Tears started running on his cheeks. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.

Children have their feelings and sentiments too. They learn quickly from others, from their surroundings, from story-books, from TV and media. When they express themselves, we should listen carefully and appreciate their good gestures. They cannot think on the level of adults. Therefore, don't rush in judging them from their innocent but sometimes silly gestures. We should guide them with patience and compassion. We should not get angry or furious with kids as those sentiments may have lasting effects on them.

Anger and fury burn your good qualities like the fire burns the wood. It is difficult to control your anger. Only the people with strong character and patience can do that. The saying goes: “The strong is not the one who overcomes people by his strength; but the strong is the one who controls himself in anger and fury.”

Now, getting back to the story; only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. Her father was devastated. He kept the gift box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged or demoralized, he would take out an imaginary kiss from the box and remember the love of the child who had put the kisses there.

The gestures and expressions of love are the best consolation. They work like pain-killers. In today's life, which is full of stress, pressure and problems, everybody needs compassion and love/mercy. And we don't forget those who were kind and merciful to us when we were down and demoralized. Similarly, we should be mindful of Allah Who is every kind and merciful to us in a million ways.

“And if you would count the favors of Allah,

you cannot reckon it. Lo! Allah is indeed

Oft-Forgiving, Most-Merciful.”

(al-Quran 16:18)

We need love to survive. Each one of us is given a gift box filled with unconditional love, compassion and mercy – from our children, family members and friends. and Allah. There is simply no other possession anyone could hold, more precious than this. Shouldn't we appreciate that and give thanks to the Almighty for that?

‘Lo, your Lord is full of grace
for mankind, but most of them
do not give thanks.’
(Quran 27:73

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