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“The knowledge is a light that Allah throws in the hearts of those whom Allah wants – not any heart but the heart of the recipient {the one that wants to learn).”
“I looked around me and noticed all these thousands of men crying at what I am saying and I said to myself: what would be my fate if I caused them to enter Jannah and forgot about myself (moving the masses to Jannah and not moving myself).”
GEM: Worry about fixing yourself before others. Allah will ask you about yourself first! [taken from AlMaghrib Forums]
Showing off can be avoided by realizing that the entire creation put together can neither harm you or benefit you.
You don’t care what the creation does or thinks!
So why does it matter what they think of you and why should you do anything for anyone’s sake except for Allah’s?
*****
In order to avoid Riyaa’, Imam An-Nawawi recommends to continuously remind ourselves that the entirety of creation and their praise cannot help us in the slightest, nor save us from the punishment or anger of Allah, so we shouldn’t care.
[taken from the AlMaghrib Forums]
The student of knowledge is exposed to four spiritual diseases that he has to battle.
The first is jealousy, and this is directed towards your peers.
It comes from your own insecurities, your diseased heart – because you aren’t content with what Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) has given you.
Jealousy is avoided by appreciating Allah’s wisdom in that Allah chooses what to give to whom, so put your trust in him.
Anytime you are jealous of another person in a bad way, know that you have challenged Allah’s wisdom.
The second of them is Showing off: he mentioned jealousy before it (the first one) because the beginning student of knowledge is unable to show off before he is able to be jealous.
Taken from UmmBlog’s Blog, thought it was very, very beneficial:
Imaam Ath Thahabi Rahimahullah mentions in his monumental book “Seer A’alaam an Nubalaa” Vol.8 P.406 on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Al Mubaarak Rahimahullah (181H.):
“The people of knowledge and insight do not consider themselves safe from four things:
1) A past sin he committed which he does not know what Allaah will do with it (either forgive and pardon him for it or punish him with it);
2) What is left of his life, whether there is something therein waiting to destroy him;
3) A favor that Allaah bestowed upon him, perhaps it is a plot which will lead him step by step to his eventual destruction and ruin;
4) Deviance which is beautified for him so that he sees it to be guidance and in a split second, his heart can deviate and he will be stripped of his deen and he doesn’t even realize it.”
The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it but what they become by it.
[John Ruskin]
There are many times when we in our lives will look upon a person or group of people with envy. Ok, maybe not envy in the purely evil sense, but we may actually just wish to be in someone else’s shoes, or wish to have the same wonderful opportunities, to have some of the same or all of the same blessings another person may have been bestowed with. However, we are reminded in the Qur’an:
وَلاَ تَتَمَنَّوْاْ مَا فَضَّلَ اللّهُ بِهِ بَعْضَكُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ لِّلرِّجَالِ نَصِيبٌ مِّمَّا اكْتَسَبُواْ وَلِلنِّسَاء نَصِيبٌ مِّمَّا اكْتَسَبْنَ وَاسْأَلُواْ اللّهَ مِن فَضْلِهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيماً
And do not wish for that by which Allah has made some of you exceed others. For men is a share of what they have earned, and for women is a share of what they have earned. And ask Allah of his bounty. Indeed Allah is ever, of all things, Knowing.
[Surat an-Nisaa’: 32]
Instead of wishing for what others have, and thus eventually harboring evil feelings, we are told to instead go to the source of these blessings and ask Allah for His Bounty.
Along the same lines, there are many instances in the stories of the Qur’an when we might ask, “Couldn’t Allah have just done this instead and then the matter would have been settled in a shorter time? Couldn’t Allah have just saved Musa (عليه السلام) miraculously and have him defeat Pharoah likewise? Why the whole hiding the baby in the basket, sending him upon the Nile River, being raised under Pharoah’s nose, etc.? What about ‘Isa? Why all the pain for his mother Maryam?” And many, many instances like this.
To make it short, it is simply more miraculous. To have gone through the ordinary means appeals to human nature much more powerfully. It reveals the exquisite planning of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), His Wisdom and His far-reaching power. And along the way, the people involved attain virtues which would not have been attained had things been done differently: the patience of the mother of Musa, the wife of Pharoah, and Maryam, mother of ‘Isa, and many more. The struggle of Patience and Perserverence, belief and absolute trust in Allah are probably the most miraculous aspects of the entire story. And only those people who have the true belief are blessed with such virtues, because it is only Belief in Allah which makes such virtue grow, and not belief in any other diety.
So what does this have to do with wishing for what others have? Well, we might wish for the opportunities awarded to others, the blessings, and basically the “ease” that others have, but ultimately, however the fact that we have reached our destinations from sometimes ordinary means is what makes each of our lives so special. None of us is given all that life has to offer in a silver platter–and thus, if we have struggled to reach a goal, it is that struggle and reward for hard earned work which makes it all the more special and “miraculous.” For example, many of young Muslims today thirst for those once in a life time opportunities to study Islam overseas, or to learn the Arabic Language, or to be married to a virtuous spouse, etc. However, if a person were to reach all of these goals of seeking knowledge and raising a good, strong family without these opportunities, isn’t that much more “miraculous”?
And thus, when a person is given the tidings to eat and drink on the Day of Judgment as Allah says:
كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا هَنِيئاً بِمَا أَسْلَفْتُمْ فِي الْأَيَّامِ الْخَالِيَةِ
[They will be told], “Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you put forth in the days past.”
[Surat al-Haaqqah: 24]
…has special meaning to the one who is about to enter the gates of Paradise. To have struggled for it and worked hard, the reward is just…more rewarding. And Allah says many times that He could have just destroyed us for our evil, He could have made us one nation, but all matters are carried out in perfection, and this befitts the Lord of the Worlds.
اصــبر عـلى مـــضض الحســـو ** د فــإن صــبــــرك قـــاتــله
كالنـــــار تأكل بعـضـــهــا ** إن لـــم تجــــــد مــا تأكلـه
أول بــدء المـشـيب واحـدة ** تـشـعل مـا جـاورت مـن الـشـعر
مـثل الحريـق الـعظـيم تـبدؤه ** أولــ صــول صـغــيرة الـشـرر
يـا رب إن عـظـمت ذنــوبي كــثرة ** فـلـقد عـلمـت بـأن عـفوك أعـظم
أدعـوك ربـي كـمـا أمـرت تـضـرعاً ** فـإذا رددت يـدي فــمن ذا يـرحـم
إن كـان لا يــرجــوك إلا مـحسـن ** فـمن الـذي يـرجـو الـمسيء المـجرم
مـالـي إلـيـك وسـيـلـة إلا الـرجـا ** وجـمـيل عـفـوك ثـم أنـي مسـلم
Lesson To Me 