Don’t be swallowed by the voices in your mind

“Tell my servant that I am indeed the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.” (Qur’an 15:49)

There are days when faith feels like a candle at the edge of its wick, the wax is at its final drips, and you just brace yourself for the darkness. A darkness that comes like a rogue wave out at sea but you tell yourself it is in the darkest of nights that the stars shine the most bright. But what of the days when the moon even turns away, what about when the sky becomes nothing but a black blanket of sorrow. When the pain inside is clawing at your throat and your stomach feels like a cage for butterflies with wings made of razor-blades that attack your final pieces of peace. Where do I look now? This pain is too sharp to admit to, this pain is real but I am embarrassed before God to complain, the voice inside my head is an automatic rifle that shoots thoughts like grenades into my chest "just smile it away, pretend it away, don't be so ungrateful, don't be so negative, why are you so weak, there are kids dying in the Middle East, there are hungry children in Africa, you don't have the right to feel, you are so thankless, you are so arrogant, you are so worthless..."

These voices in my head steal every ounce of confidence inside of me. I feel like all that I am is the dirt that I am made of, what more can there be when I have lost the ability to love myself...This is when a voice says, "I did not create you for heaven or for hell, I created you to overcome yourself, and to find Me reflected underneath! I never created you to silently weep, to hide your pain from Me, when I see every burden that you carry, every secret heart break, every shattered dream, every lonely night, every mask of smiles, I see the tears you keep for those dark nights where the world is a sleep, I don't sleep, I have been here since before I said Be. My creation, I already know your pain, any attempt to hide it is in vain for I love you too much to forget about you even if you forget My Name. For My Breathe swims through you, I am closer than your veins and blood, don't ever say you are not good enough because I don't make mistakes even if you doubt Me and lose faith I never walk away from you. So come back, come back and tell me of your pains, tell me of your sorrows, tell me of your regrets and your fears for tomorrow. Come to Me. Ask of Me. I am waiting, I have always been waiting to hear you, to embrace you, to show you My Love. You are permitted to feel, however small or big do not do this alone I am waiting to forgive, when I am here to give you all that exists. Do not isolate yourself, do not put yourself in a prison of guilt, My Love is greater than any mistake you could ever make. My plans for you are greater than any mistake you could ever make. Come to me. Return to me. I already know every feeling, I already know every thought, and I still love you because My Love is not dependent on you so nothing you do can extinguish this love that I carry for you. Come back to Me, come back, come back and ask of me, come back, and experience the infinite Mercy that I have.

Humility is fertile soil for the seeds of patience

"Seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult save for the humbly submissive." (Qur’an 02:45)

This verse tells us only the humble can be patient! Impatience is a fruit from the tree of arrogance. The reason impatience is related to arrogance is because impatience is when you are telling God that your timeline, your will, your deadline, and what you think is best for your life supersedes and is better than God's timing, will, and plan for you. Our Lordship and self-management is manifested through our attachment to our agendas over what God seeks for us. In other words, our impatience is a veiled face of arrogance where at it's we think we know better than God what is good for us and it is when we put our trust in our very limited subjective perspective of reality over having faith in God's Loving objective all encompassing Will and Knowledge. When we are in a state of impatience we are also in a state of resistance, closed off to the many unexpected blessings of Allah. Our narrowed vision of the world makes us inflexible, rigid, and thus on edge and easy to trigger if things don't go according to our plans. This is why we can gage our sense of surrender to Allah based on our level of patience.

The more patient we are, the more surrendered we are to God and His Will for us. True prayer and prostration is the state of utter humility where you bow to God and fully except yourself as a slave before the Origin of Love and before his Divine Supremacy. When we lack humility in prayer we end up praying in a way that is transactional, where we put in hours of worship and prayer not because we long to be with our Lord but because we expect to get paid in the form of our prayers answered. When we do this we make God the means to a worldly end instead of making the world and everything created a means to get us closer to God. When we know that impatience is a byproduct of arrogance is a blessing because it allows us to witness the places where we rely on ourselves instead of God as the main source of our guidance and helps us through that awareness to begin to surrender those places to God.

Imagine if I gave you $86,400

“Truly by the token of time, human beings are in loss except those who have faith and do righteous deeds and encourage each other in the teaching of truth and patient perseverance.” (Qur’an 103:1-3)

Imagine if every single day I put $86,400 in your bank account. The only catch would be at the end of the day whatever you didn’t spend would be cancelled out to zero. How would you spend that money? How committed would you be to spending every dollar knowing that at the end of the day the account would be cleared? The thing is we all actually have an account like this. It’s called the bank of Time. Every day God gives us 84,600 seconds of time to use. At the end of the day the time we didn’t use or take advantage of does not roll over to the next day it is lost forever. There is no overdraft from the future and there is no saving for the next day, every second you have is perishable, precious, and irreplaceable. Time is one of the greatest gifts God has given us and He will ask us if we spent our time on Earth planting seeds of kindness and love or if we mis-managed our time and wasted this great blessing.

Practice:

•     What do you see as a potential threat to managing your time efficiently this Ramadan? What are 2-3 things you can do to consistently be mindful of your goals?

•     Would it be helpful to have dedicated times every day for reading the Qur’an or doing your practices? Would it be possible to have time periods throughout the day where you turn off your phone and step away from technology?

•     Reflect on your answers and make the intention of implementing them.

Allah is Love

“To Allah belongs the most beautiful names.” (Qur’an 7:180)

God is Al-Wadud, the Origin of Love. God does not start loving you to stop loving you, because His Love is Eternal and has no beginning to have an end. Love is not something God does, love is something God is. Love is a part of God's Essence; you cannot separate love from God, any more than you can separate water from the ocean. God is not motivated or moved by human emotions, good deeds, or sins. We are given the choice to respond to Allah’s love by loving and worshiping Him, but our unwillingness to honor Allah does not change His love for us, as Allah is entirely “independent of His creatures.” (3:97) Whereas the human being can be kind, God is Kindness (Ar-Ra’uf); where we can be merciful, God is Mercy (Ar-Rahman). God is not just forgiving, He is Forgiveness (Al-Ghaffur); He is not just peaceful, He is Peace (As-Salam). God’s love and attributes do not change in response to our choices because God is not reactive. He is the cause of everything in existence.

The Prophet (pbuh) explains that if every single human on Earth reached the height of spiritual piety or if they were all the worst of existence, it would not add or take away anything from Allah’s sovereignty. The Prophet (pbuh) continues to say that if Allah chose to fulfill the prayer of every single human being at once, it would not decrease what Allah has “any more than a needle decreases what is in the ocean when it is put into it.”4 As C.S. Lewis said, “A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.” Allah’s love for us never diminishes. What changes is our ability to be receptive to Divine Love.

Practice: When we are kind and loving to others reflecting God’s Love upon the Earth, we are more able to receive the unconditional love of God. Reach out to someone you love with a call or text and just let them know what they mean to you.

The Story of the King and Hassan

“Whoever submits his or her whole self to God and is a doer of good has indeed grasped the most trustworthy handhold; for with God rests the final outcome of all endeavors.” (Qur’an 31:22)

There once was a king who had many young and beautiful servants, but preferred his oldest servant Hassan over all the others. When asked by a guest why Hassan was his favorite, the King replied by saying, “Because of his sincerity. But let me show you what I mean through a demonstration.” The king summoned all of his servants. The king then called his guards to open the large golden doors that led to the priceless treasures of the palace and told his servants to go inside and take whatever they saw or desired. The servants trampled over one another as they entered the treasury stuffing their pockets with gemstones, pearls, and gold. Everybody crowded the treasure chamber except for Hassan who stood next to the king calmly washing the greedy commotion of the servants. The king then turned to Hassan and said, “Why don’t you go inside the treasury and take what you desire for yourself or your family?” Hassan replied to the king, “I do not want anything, but to serve you. You are the only one I want to please. You own my heart, and your approval of me is the only reward that I seek.”

This story is not about a king and a servant it is about Allah and us. We are not called to serve Allah because we seek to attain a reward we are called to serve and love Allah because our loving of Allah is the reward. As Imam Ali says there are three types of people who worship God: There are those who worship God out of fear of punishment and there worship is like that of slaves and there are people who worship God seeking for a reward and their worship is like that of traders or those doing commerce and then there are those who worship Allah for the sake of Himself because His Love deserves to be honored and that is the worship of the free because they are not tied to punishment or reward. The true lovers of Allah, love Him for lovings sake. They are free in their worship because they are tied to nothing but Allah.

The path begins where you are

“Bow down in adoration and draw near.” (Qur’an 96:19)

Our path of return to God begins exactly where we are. We are not meant to be worthy of God before we turn to faith, but rather it is through God’s All-Encompassing Mercy (Ar-Rahman) that we are made worthy. In other words, there is no such thing as being too bad, too lost, or too broken for a God who created everything in existence to fix and repair. As Rumi says, “Water says to the dirty, ‘Come here.’ The dirty one says, ‘I am ashamed.’ Water says, ‘How will your shame be washed away without me?’”

Do not listen to the voices that say you are too imperfect for a perfect God, that you are too filthy to be cleaned, or too horrible to be redeemed because no matter the past you have lived or the life you have led your mistakes or sins can never be greater than God’s mercy. Allah says, “Oh My servants who have transgressed against their souls! Do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” (39:53) Allah forgives all sins so we do not lose when we sin, we lose when we do not ask to be forgiven. The

Prophet (pbuh) said, “Satan, the rejected, said to Allah: ‘I shall misguide your servants for as long as their souls are in their bodies.’ Allah replied: ‘Then I shall forgive them for as long as they turn to Me in repentance.’” Allah is Al-Afuw or “The Most Forgiving,” whose forgiveness is like a divine presidential pardon where He completely eradicates the record of our sin and removes all the negative consequences of our choices. As the Qur’an says, “Glorify the praises of your Lord and ask for His Forgiveness. Verily He is the One who accepts the repentance and forgives.” (110:03)

Do not be discouraged if you find yourself facing the same problem or temptation that you thought you had already conquered. Spiritual progress follows the shape of a spiral, where even when it seems like you are going back to where you started, you can actually be ascending in a deeper way. The practice of Tawba is a means of spiritual course correction, where we re-align our hearts and intention so that we do not over time unknowingly go astray from the path of God. A modern day example of the importance of having a system of checks and balances is perfectly seen with airplanes. It’s amazing to consider airplane spends 90-95% of its time off course due to weather and human error; the only way it reaches its desired destination is through constant course correction. No matter how much we stumble off the straight path, we can still reach the destination of divine eternal love, so long as when we go astray we keep striving to return to the straight course.

When we turn away from Allah’s light, like the earth when it turns away from sun, we fall into a state of spiritual darkness, not because Allah punished us but because out of our free will we chose to turn our awareness away from the light of truth. Just as falsehood is an illusion, as it is entirely dependent on the existence of truth, the darkness of separation is an illusion, for it is a function of our forgetfulness that Allah is closer to us than the very breath in our lungs. Repentance is returning our awareness to the divine connection we are already plugged into by awakening us from the dream of separation into the awareness of unity. When we return to face Allah through repentance Allah not only forgives our sins, but then those repented sins themselves become reminders of Allah’s mercy and forgiveness. In this way, our sins become good deeds because they become symbols of Allah’s love and thus serve to return our gaze to the face of the Divine. As the Qur’an says, “Except those who repent and believe, and do righteous deeds, for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (25:70) Allah blesses us beyond what we deserve and gives to us without accounting from the storehouses of His Grace. As the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven in the last third of every night, and he says: ‘Who is calling upon me that I may answer him? Who is asking from me that I may give to him? Who is seeking my forgiveness that I may forgive him?’” Allah’s mercy precedes His wrath because His Mercy (Ar-Rahman) encompasses everything and everyone without discrimination.

The Pearl Necklace

“Behold! Allah enjoins justice, and the doing of good, and generosity toward [one’s] fellow men.” (Qur’an 16:90)

The following story narrated about the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) beautifully articulates how acts of human generosity done in God’s name are magnified manyfold by Allah:
One day a man came across the Prophet (pbuh) and said, “Oh Prophet of Allah! I am starving, so feed me; I am naked, so cloth me; and I am poor, so help me!” The Prophet  (pbuh) said although he had nothing to give the man, he knew that his daughter Fatima Zahra may be able to be of help.

The man was guided to Fatima Zahra’s house and when he knocked on her door and she answered him, he made the same plea he made to the Prophet (pbuh). Fatima Zahra looked in her
house and saw it empty except for a piece of goatskin her beloved sons Hussein and Hassan would sleep on. She took the goatskin and gave it to the man. The man said, “Oh daughter of the Prophet of God! I complain to you of hunger and you give me a goatskin? How can I eat this?”

Fatima thought for a moment to herself if she had anything else to give the man until she remembered she was wearing a pearl necklace she was given to her on her wedding day. She took the necklace off and gave it to the man and told him to sell it and acquire what he needs. The man then took this necklace to the Prophet (pbuh). When the Prophet (pbuh) saw the pearl necklace tears welled up in his eyes because he knew it was something Fatima loved.

A companion of the Prophet  (pbuh) that was present by the name of Ammar bin Yasir said, “Oh Messenger of Allah! Do you allow me to buy this necklace?” The Prophet (pbuh) gave his companion permission to do so. The companion gave the poor man money, food to eat, clothes to wear, and a horse to get back home. Ammar then took the necklace perfumed it with musk and sent the necklace and one of his slaves as a gift for Fatima.5

When the slave knocked on Fatima’s door she accepted the necklace and freed the slave. When the slave was freed he began laughing loudly in the street. Someone asked him what he was so hysterical about and he said, “I laughed when I thought of the abundance of goodness in this glorious necklace - it came out of the house, fed a hungry man, clothed a naked man, and provided for a lost wayfarer. It then freed a slave from his bond and then returned to its rightful owner.” Only Allah through His generosity could make a single necklace produce so much goodness without incurring any cost. Human generosity is in the giving of what we have, but Allah’s generosity is about multiplying the benefits of what is given beyond the scope of the giver or receiver. Allah’s giving transcends our understanding of both the outer manifestation and the inner reality.

Reflection: As Muslims, we are called to give like the sun gives to the Earth, freely and without conditions. As the Persian poet Hafiz ecstatically said, “Even after all this time the sun never says to the Earth, “You owe me.” Look what happens with a love like that. It lights the whole sky.”

Live humbly

“All that is on this Earth will perish; but forever will abide the Face of your Sustainer, full of Majesty and Abundant Honor.” (Qur’an 55:26-27)

If you study the life of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) you will see that he was not concerned regarding attaining power, money, or fame, but rather his only goal was to please His Loving Lord. In fact, when one of the Prophet’s (pbuh) companions saw his living quarters he began to cry. When the Prophet (pbuh) asked why he was crying, he said while the Kings of Persia and Rome live in luxury and comfort he couldn’t bear that the Prophet of God (pbuh) would sleep on a mat that was so rough that it would leave behind marks on his body. The Prophet (pbuh) responded by reminding his companion that the perishing comforts of this life meant nothing to him; perhaps this is because his eyes were on the Hereafter where the comforts are without end, where the beauty is without comparison, and most importantly he would be in close proximity with His Lord.6

Practice: Send blessings on the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) by saying 100 x Allahumma Salli ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammadin wa Aalihi wa Sabihi Wasallim, which means “Oh Allah! Send Your Blessings upon our Master Muhammad and his family, his companions and grant peace.”

The Young and Old Lumberjack

“And Strive for Allah with striving due to Him.” (Qur’an 22:78)

I once read a story about a lumberjack contest that really stood out to me. A lumberjack is a person who cuts down trees for a lumber company or for personal use for fire, building a house, etc. As the story goes there was a young lumberjack by the name of Jack and a famous older lumberjack that most people called Grandaddy who were competing for a title for who could cut down the most amount of trees in the forest in a 24 hour period. The young lumberjack Jack was convinced that with his strength and his youth he could definitely out finesse the older Grandaddy. Before the contest began each lumberjack was put in different parts of the forest and a gun was fired to signal the contest had began. Jack cut tree after tree after tree and stopped only briefly to listen to how Grandaddy was doing. He could hear trees falling from the other side of the forest but he could also hear that Grandaddy’s saw was also off for periods at a time and he thought perhaps since he was old he needed to take many breaks. Jack cut and cut and cut and was convinced there was no way he could lose considering how fast and consistent his pace was. Eventually the sun set and the second gun was fired to signal the competition had ended.

Jack pridefully looked over the dozens of trees he had cut and headed over to Grandaddy’s side of the forest to be respectful, but also to feed his ego. But when he arrived he was shocked to see that the old man had cut many many more trees than him. Jack didn't understand how that was possible considering how often the old man took breaks. When Grandaddy was given the trophy, Jack pulled him aside and said, “How did you beat a young strong man like me?” Grandaddy smiled widely and said, “It’s easy really. I took breaks to sharpen my saw.” I thought this story would be a perfect one to share around the midway point through Ramadan because it reminds us to stop, reflect and sharpen our saw of awareness so that we don’t get sloppy with our practices. Jack lost the contest not because he wasn't capable but because he was so focused on what he was doing that he didn’t take the necessary time to do checks and balances. Jacks dull saw resulted in him working twice as hard while producing half as much as Grandaddy. Sometimes praying and doing spiritual practices can be harder than they need to be.

The story of the Battle of the Beetles

“Those who guard themselves for God when a passing impulse from the Devil touches them bring God to remembrance and at once they see things clearly.” (Qur’an 7:201)

There used to be this gigantic strong tree in Colorado that had outlived devastating avalanches, wild storms and apparently was struck by lightning 14 times. Many natural disasters had passed through the forest while this tree stood continuously growing. As the story goes this tree was eventually leveled by an army of beetles. Age did not kill this tree, storms did not drown this tree, lightning did not burn this tree, but rather it was an army of small beetles that destroyed this tree. First the beetles ate passed the bark of the tree to its core. Then from the inside they slowly worked their way out until this incredible forest giant fell to the ground. An insect small and weak enough to be crushed between the fingers of man was able to kill this tree through consistent attacks from within the tree.

This story is a reminder that a lot of us can withstand moments of intense pain or overcome great obstacles, but it’s the things we consider to be little compounded over time that can result in our destruction. Many of us are destroyed from the inside out by the things that we minimize like jealousy, envy, greed and lust. Over time these vices can attack the soul within us decaying the core strength of our faith.

Practice:

•     What are 2-3 sins you struggle with?

•     Make the prayer for Allah to help you to let go of your attachment to these sins or inclinations.

•     At the end of the day reflect on how you did in facing these vices throughout the day?

•     If you did well, celebrate that success!

•     If you felt you could do better, ask yourself where you fell short and in what ways you can strengthen your defenses.

•     Implement the necessary changes and continuously ask God for help with your discipline.

The story of Two Frogs in Milk

“And whoever keeps his duty to God, God will appoint a way out for him.” (Qur’an 65:2)

There is a story of two frogs, one who was fat and the other who was skinny, who went on a journey to find food and decided to jump into a vat of milk. Unfortunately the bucket of milk had slippery sides so once the frogs jumped in they were unable to jump out. The fat frog told his friend, “There is no way we are going to get out of here! And nobody’s around to help us, we are doomed!” The skinny frog told his friend, “Just keep paddling, just keep paddling, don’t give up and we will get out of here. Somebody will get us, just keep paddling.” So the two frogs paddled for hours. After nobody came and nothing changed the fat frog told his friend again, “I am so tired my friend. Don’t you see nobody is going to get us. It is a Sunday and nobody is coming, we are doomed. We might as well give up and drown in peace.” The skinny frog replied to his friend, “Don’t lose hope, keep paddling. Somebody will get us, something will change, we will get out of here together.”

So the two frogs continued paddling for a few more hours. Then after nothing changed the fat frog told his friend, “Nothing is happening from all our effort and nobody is coming. I am done trying, I am going to stop paddling and drown because there’s no use in trying anymore.” And so the fat frog stopped paddling and as a result drowned in the vat of milk. Although the skinny frog was sad to see his friend give up he kept paddling and suddenly after another 10 minutes of paddling he felt something hard beneath his feet and he pressed against it and suddenly jumped out the vat of milk. It just so happened that all of that paddling had churned the milk into butter.

See a lot of times in our life we feel like we are in impossible situations unaware that walking through that situation is what makes us able to overcome it. Many of us may be stuck in a metaphorical vat of milk, seeing just a hopeless situation we can never get out of. But in those situations we must remember that we cannot sit back and dream the impossibility of something because it is walking through that something that changes the reality. Imagine if a caterpillar sat back and thought about how it could never fly, it would seem like an impossibility. But just like a caterpillar has to go through a cocoon to be given wings in order for it to be able to fly, it is through paddling through our personal “vats of milk” that we come to see that it is through God’s Grace and our striving that our circumstances begin to change

The story of the woman walking down the street

“If you do good, you do good for your own souls.” (Qur’an 17:7)

One day a great mystic was walking down the street when a shopkeeper started hurling compliments at her saying, “Oh my Lord, you are the most beautiful women in the world! I have never laid my eyes on someone as angelic as you! Let me be your most sincere lover for my heart belongs only to you.” The wise mystic said, “Oh you think I am beautiful you should look behind me at my sister who is far more beautiful.” The man at once turned his head to see who she was talking about. The mystic then slapped him across the face with her bag and said, “How pathetic and insincere is your love that upon hearing something that sounded better you heart turned quickly away.” I always think this story is such a beautiful reminder of how sincere we are called to be in our relationship with God. True love is not conditional. True love sees beyond the forms, it sees something more than the eyes can capture. If we say that we love Allah that means that no job offer, person, or temptation makes us look passed Him. Loving God means we keep our eyes on Him, regardless of how good the ego and devils temptations may sound to our minds. Loving God means seeing Him first before we see anything else.

The story of the woman walking down the street

“Do not fear for Allah is with us.” (Qur’an 9:40)
I recently heard of a Native American tradition from the Cherokee Tribe where a young boy’s rite of passage into manhood consists of a terrifying night alone in the forest. The tradition says a boy is blindfolded by his father and taken into the middle of the forest at night. The boy is placed on a tree stump and told he cannot move from his place until he sees the rays of the sun shine through the fabric of his blindfold. He must withstand an entire night in the forest without removing his blindfold or leaving the tree stump. There is no one to call to and no one to seek help from. Even as the wild animals roar, the wind makes noises in every direction and the sounds of forest amplify the boy may shake with fear but cannot move from the tree stump if he wants to become a man. After a horrible night of fear, the sun finally rises and as the boy removes his blindfold he surprisingly finds that his father had sat on a tree stump behind him throughout the entire night watching over him. The morale of this story is that even though it sometimes feels like we are alone, like we have to navigate the dark night of our souls on our own, we must remember that Allah is always present and that our guide, the father of the believers, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is spiritually beside us in a way we can’t always see but whose presence and prayers consistently protects us.

Practice:

•     Close your eyes and breathe in deeply 3 times.

•     Once you feel grounded contemplate on the following line: God’s light and love surrounds you in this very moment.

•     What does it feel like to be reminded that you are never alone and that God is always watching over you?

Fixing the Kaaba Wall

“As for those who walk straight He adds to their guidance and bestows upon them their piety.” (Qur’an 47:17)

One of the many reasons the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has been respected and honored by Muslims and non-Muslims worldwide is due to his honesty and unique ability to find a peaceful resolution to conflicts that faced his community. There are several stories documenting the unique attributes depicting the character of the Prophet Muhammad  (pbuh). For example, after a fire had damaged parts of the Kaaba, the clans of Mecca decided to remove the sacred Black Stoneuntil renovations were finished. However, once the Kaaba walls were fixed the tribal leaders of Mecca began to argue over who would be given the honor of returning the Black Stone to its place.

Before the egos of the leaders resulted in escalated conflict, an elder suggested they accept the decision of the next man to come through the precincts of the Kaaba. As God had destined, Muhammad  (pbuh) who was not yet a prophet at the time, was the first man to walk in through the gates. After Muhammad (pbuh) heard the source of their conflict he took a piece of cloth, placed the Black Stone upon it and in order to honor each clan equally he asked every clan leader to grab a corner of the cloth. All the clansmen unified together and took the stone towards the Kaaba. Then Muhammad (pbuh) put the stone in its rightful place. Even five years before officially becoming a prophet, Muhammad  (pbuh) emulated an innate ability to creatively problem solve and build unity amongst the community while preserving the hearts of all those involved. From the very beginning of his life the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) sought for ways to inspire peace and oneness among the creations of His Lord.

Practice: Take a brief moment and make a prayer of gratitude to Allah for sending the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as a role model and guide of light.

The medicine is for the patient

“But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires, and lusts surely paradise will be his abode.” (Qur’an 79:40-41)

A young man who was taken under the guidance of a sheikh was given the task of washing bathrooms and cleaning toilets at the religious retreat lodge. The young boys mother was a wealthy and well-known doctor so she didn’t like the fact that her son was doing such a lowly job. To save her families reputation she sent 12 of her best servants to take over the task of cleaning the outhouses. After thanking her for her generous offer the sheikh replied, “My beloved sister, you are a doctor so you know how medicine works. If your son had inflammation in his liver would you give the bitter medicine that would cure him to one your servants? Spiritual ailments of the ego are similar to physical diseases. We must address the root of the problem and not the symptoms. In this story the Sheikh was trying to purify the young boy from his attachment to what others, including his mother thought of him. The sheikh understood that the boy’s ego was the only thing in the way of his progress on the path to God and so he gave him a task that would confront his ego and if God willed purify it.

Practice: Make a prayer to Allah to show you places in your ego that hold you back from getting closer to Him. Recite the Fatiha 3 times and then wait and see what comes up. Trust whatever wisdom you receive and ask Allah for help in turning over those places to Him.

The Story of the sultan and the cucumber

“Don’t you see that Allah has made in service to you all that is in the Heavens and on Earth, and has made His bounties flow to you in abundant measure, seen, and unseen.” (Qur’an 31:20)

A famous Sultan once shared a cucumber with one of his most sincere and closest advisers by the name of Ayaz. The servant was grateful that the Sultan shared his cucumber with him and joyfully began to eat his half. When the Sultan bit into his half of the cucumber he was surprised by how bitter it tasted that he instantly spat it out into his hands. The perplexed king then asked Ayaz, “My friend how could you eat something so bitter and horrible tasting!” Ayaz smiled and said, “Oh my King! I have tasted so many delicious blessings from your hand and enjoyed so many joyous moments because of your generosity that whatever you give me is sweetened by the fact that I know it came from you.”

Reflection: How would your life change if you approached God the way that Ayaz approached the king?

The Qur’an Can Change You

“This Books of Blessings We have sent down to you—so that they may meditate upon its signs, and that people of insight might take them to heart.” (38:29)

The idea that the words of the Qur’an can have a profound effect on the human being is wonderfully illustrated through the following story: A wealthy merchant invited a famous doctor and a Sheikh to dinner to ask them to help his sick daughter. The merchant asked the sheikh to pray for his daughter and the sheikh said, “I will read verses of the Qur’an for your daughter and ask my beloved Lord to heal her, leaving no trace of illness.” The famous doctor interrupted the Sheikh by saying, “Are you guys crazy? What is this non-sense? Science has advanced enough for us to know words don’t heal people, medicine heals people.” In response the Sheikh screamed, “You stupid man! What do you know about the healing power of God’s Word?” The surprised doctor’s face lit up in anger as he screamed with a vengeance, “How dare you call me stupid!” The Sheikh then said, “Oh please forgive me for calling you stupid. But did you notice how a simple word made you insanely angry? If a single word from a stranger can make your eyes red, your heart beat faster in rage, your adrenaline spike, and your blood vessels dilate making your blood pressure rise then surely God’s eternal and perfect Word has the power to heal.”

Treat people how you would like to be treated

“Good and evil are not equal. Repel evil with good and you will find that your enemy has become your close friend.” (Qur’an41:34)

One of the most profound examples of the Prophet’s (pbuh) compassion is illustrated in the story of an old woman who lived in the same neighborhood as him and would throw trash at him every day. On one particular day, the Prophet (pbuh) noticed that his neighbor was not outside as usual waiting to harass him. When he inquired about her whereabouts and found out she was sick, he went to visit her to see if there was anything she needed. When she saw him, she was humbled by his compassion and amazed by the gentleness of his spirit. It was not his words, but the message of Islam in actionthat inspired her to become a Muslim.

As Muslims we are not called to just return our heartsto God, but being Muslim is also about returning to the creation as a mirror of God’s mercy, compassion, and forgiving nature. When you forgive others, it is like pointing a flashlight into the mirror, you get back the grace you gave. Allah says, “Good and evil are not equal. Repel evil with good and you will find that your enemy has become your close friend.” (41:34) Choose to see a person for their innate goodness, not their manifested evil. Choose to see someone for who God created them to be, rather than define them by their worst actions. Responding to someone who wronged you by wronging them would be like trying to put out a wild fire by pouring gasoline on it. As the Civil Rights activist, Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

The story of the wounds of the Hedgehog

“Make room for one another in your collective life; do make room; [and in return] God will make room for you [in His grace].” (Qur’an 58:11)

There was a winter in the forest that was so cold that many animals began dying. A community of desperate hedgehogs decided to fight the cold by huddling themselves together in a tight circle. This circle created an insulation that kept them warmer, but the close distant also caused the quills of the hedgehogs to poke into each other. In response to this pain they began to separate from each other, losing the insulation that was created, which caused many to freeze to death. It was at this point that hedgehogs were confronted with the choice of either withstanding the pain that came from the quills of their neighbors or dying alone in the cold. Luckily they were wise enough to go back to being in a close huddle and withstanding the pains and wounds that came from their closest companions in exchange for surviving through the winter. This story is the perfect metaphor for how the perfect relationships are not the ones where people never hurt you because we all have sharp edges that inevitably may poke the ones we love.

To be in community is not to be surrounded by perfect people it is to be surrounded by people who share the same vision and goal in life. In order to have successful relationships we have to learn to live with the wounded and imperfect parts of people before we can experience their positive attributes. So as the Qur’an says, make room for one another, because it is in being open hearted and inclusive that we experience what it means to be truly living.

Reflect on this verse of the Qur’an: “And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be guided.” (3:103)

Serve the creation for the sake of the Creator

“The worshippers of the Universally Merciful are they who walk modestly upon the earth; and if the ignorant address them, they say, ‘Peace.’” (Qur’an 25:63)

As a Muslim we are called to always be humble and kind to every soul we come across. Our kindness should never be based on the actions of others because then who we become would be dependent on others instead of ourselves. As a Muslim we are called to be a reflection of God on Earth for all people without discrimination. Just as the sun does not discriminate when it shines we are called to shine on all people regardless of race or religion, never making separation between God’s creations. This does not mean we do not hold people accountable for their wrongs, but rather it means that we do not let the wrongs of others affect our state of mind and heart. This is why the Qur’an calls us to address those who approach us with hurtful words and ignorance with peace.

We are called to be kind and to humbly and peacefully walk away from those who attempt to cast their hatred upon us because we are not called to engage and entangle ourselves with those who are ignorant. Allah calls us to mirror our character not based on those who have hurt us, but based on the prophets and lovers of God who modeled love even when they were met with hate. This is beautifully articulated in the following poem by Mother Teresa: “People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”