Old Man and his Happiness

Once there was an old and very wise man. Every day he would sit outside a gas station in his rocking chair and wait to greet motorists as they passed through his small town. On this day, his granddaughter knelt down at the foot of his chair and slowly passed the time with him.

As they sat and watched the people come and go, a tall man who surely had to be a tourist since they knew everyone in the town began looking around as if he were checking out the area for a place to live.

The stranger walked up and asked,"So what kind of town is this that we're in?"
The older gentleman slowly turned to the man and replied," Well, what kind of town are you from?"

The tourist said,"In the town I'm from everyone is very critical of each other. The neighbours all gossip about everyone, and it's a real negative place to live. I'm sure glad to be leaving. It is not a very cheerful place. "
The man in the chair looked at the stranger and said," You know, that's just how this town is."

An hour or so later a family that was also passing through stopped for gas. The car slowly turned in and rolled to a stop in front of where the older gentleman and his granddaughter were sitting. The mother jumped out with two small children and asked where the restrooms were. The man in the chair pointed to a small, bent-up sign that was barely hanging by one nail on the side of the door.
The father stepped out of the car and also asked the man,"Is this town a pretty good place to live?"

The man in the chair replied," What about the town you are from? How is it?"

The father looked at him and said,"Well, in the town I'm from everyone is very close and always willing to lend their neighbour a helping hand. There's always a hello and thank you everywhere you go. I really hate to leave. I feel almost like we are leaving family. "

The older gentlemen turned to the father and gave him a warm smile. "You know, that's a lot like this small town."

Then the family returned to the car, said their thank yous, waved goodbye and drove away.

After the family was in the distance, the granddaughter looked up at her grandfather and asked,"Grandpa, how come when the first man came into our town you told him it was a terrible place to live and when the family came in to town you told them it was a wonderful place to live? "

The grandfather lovingly looked down at this granddaughter's wondering blue eyes and said,"No matter where you move, you take your own attitude with you and that's what makes it terrible or wonderful. "

( It's your attitude, not your aptitude that determines your altitude. Happiness is not something you find, it's something you create. )

Power of Positive Thoughts and Our Body

We are 95 per cent water before we are born and 70 per cent by the time we are adults, the affects on water mean affects on us - at least at the computer level of reality. The Earth is also 70 per cent water and so the same applies.

Research From Dr. Masaru Emoto, says that human thoughts are directed at water before it is frozen, images of the resulting water crystals will be beautiful or ugly depending upon whether the thoughts were positive or negative. Emoto claims this can be achieved through prayer, music or by attaching written words to a container of water.

Since 1999 Emoto has published several volumes of a work titled Messages from Water, which contains photographs of water crystals next to essays and "words of intent".

Water is alive, but we take it for granted.




If you think about it, even Prophet Muhammad PBUH used to blow dua on water. Many tawveez's (prayers) and duas recommend people to blow it on water and spray it over. For example, view this video.

I asked God

I asked God

Author Unknown

I asked God to take away my pain.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
Her spirit was whole, her body was only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a by-product of tribulations, it isn't granted, it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings, Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.

I ask God to help me LOVE others, as much as he loves me.
God said... finally you have the idea!

How do you live your life?

By: Muhammad Shaheen

Here is something to think about..

Every single one of us lived our lives a different way.
Some of us grew strong, while others grew weaker by each day.
Some of us were healthy, while others were sick.
Some of us flew through the day, while others watched the minutes tick.
Some of us ran to help those in need,
While others took advantage and strengthened their greed.
Some of us were wealthy, while others remained poor.
Some of the diseases destroyed lives, while scientists searched for the cure.
Some of us were fair, while others were not.
Some of us got away while others got caught.
Some of us were athletic while others remained still.
Some of us treasured life, while others searched for a way to kill.
Some of us were not afraid, while others remained meek.
Some of us were popular, while others were named as "the geek"
Some of us believed in God, while others didn't care.
Some of us believed life was cruel, while others believed it was fair.
Some of us lived life to the fullest, while others threw it all away.
Some of us gave up, while others seized the day.

Though we all lived different lives, we have not lived them in vain.

All we were given was a life to live, with everything to gain.

Ask yourself,

What am I going to do with my life, live with purpose and meaning or live with no purpose and no meaning?

Problems and Struggles in life are good for us

By: Salma Remani

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were Allah's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If Allah allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.

We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!

Our Lord! Pour out on us patience and constancy, and make us die as those who have surrendered themselves unto You.
~The Holy Quran (7:126)

Being Tried and Tested!

By the Great Master Shaikh Muhyi'd-Diin Abdul Qadir Jilani al-Hasanii al-Husainii(ra)

When the servant [of the Lord] is tested with a trial, his first impulse is to cope with it in and by himself. If his own efforts get him nowhere he looks for help from other human beings, such as people in power, important officials, men of influence and means, or medical experts where diseases and physical ailments are involved. If he still obtains no relief, he then resorts to his Lord through prayers of supplication, humble entreaty and offering of praise.

As long he finds it possible to manage on his own, he will not turn to other people, and while human help is available he will not turn to the Creator.

[Having finally applied to Him], only to find no help forthcoming from the Creator, he throws himself down in his presence, incessantly begging, pleading, entreating, offering praise and submitting his needs in fear and hope. But the creator (Almighty and Glorious is He) now renders him incapable of supplication, and ignores him until he has reached the end of his tether. Only then does he experience the effect of the Lord's decree and the action of His work, and so this servant passes beyond material needs and behavior, to survive as spirit alone.

Since he now sees nothing but the Truth [al-Haqq] in action, he becomes, of necessity, a totally convinced believer in the divine Unity [muwahhid], affirming that in reality there is no agent but Allah, no dynamics or static force apart from Allah,and no good or evil, no loss or gain, no giving or withholding, no opening or closing, no death or life, no honor or disgrace except in the hand of Allah. His status comes to resemble that of a suckling babe in its nurse's arms, of a corpse in the hand of a washer of the dead, or of a ball on the receiving end of a polo-player's mallet-rolled and spun and knocked around, though inert in itself and imparting no motion to other bodies.

Gone forth from his own self, out into his Master's work,he now sees nothing but that Master and His work, and neither hears nor comprehends from any other source. If he perceives at all, if he does hear and learn, His speech is what he listens to, and his knowledge is what he comes to know. His favor he enjoys, through His nearness he prospers, through His proximity he is graced and honored, by His promise he is pleased and reassured. With Him he feels at peace, and His discourse he takes delight, while from all others he recoils and shrinks away.

In remembrance of Him he finds refuge and support. In Him, the Almighty and Glorious, he puts his faith and in Him he place his trust. By the light of His awareness he is guided, as he wraps and clothes himself therein. Strange marvels of His science he discovers, and the secret of His power he is apprised. To Him he listens and from him he learns, then for all this he offers praise, gives thanks, and turns to prayer.

How not to get depressed?

How to deal with Life's hardships and not be depressed?

We have to admit that sometimes there are difficult stages in our lives. During that time, we are often tested and later realize that test had a great impact on us today.

Sometimes we look at an individual and the first thing that comes to our mind if they are smiling and enjoying themselves is, "I wish I could live that person's life, they seem so happy, free from problems and hardships."

The truth is that nobody has a life free from hardships. It is easy to hide what we have been through and to keep the pain that continually adds up inside without opening up and discussing the problem. One of the most important things I have learned is constantly keeping things to yourself can lead to a more severe anxiety and depression.

Depression has become a very serious and common illness among people in today's society. It is true that depression is very hard to overcome and recover from. You cannot simply wake up one morning, go to a therapist for a 45 minute session, and feel happy and cheerful again. Recovering from depression, anxiety and panic attacks takes a while, for some people it may take weeks, and for others it may take months or even years depending on how hard they are willing to work with the therapist, psychiatrist, and anti depressants.

The hardest part to getting through depression is not knowing who to turn to for help. It becomes very hard for us to trust people and take advice because we have isolated ourselves completely from the people we love. It becomes extremely hard to control our emotions as well. The first step is to discuss your problem with the parent you feel most comfortable with. Letting out your emotions is one way of reducing depression because emotions will eventually control you if you let them build up.

I would just like to say that there is truly nothing worth being depressed over in this world. We need to put our faith in Allah and trust that he will protect us from anything and everything. Let us make the hereafter our main priority and if we focus on that alone, and I can guarantee that depression will not be a problem.

A poem which I read today By Mevlana Rumi(ra)

Love is the cure,
for your pain will keep giving birth to more pain
until your eyes constantly exhale love
as effortlessly as your body yields its scent.”

Please share your comment and views with us.

May Allah Almighty fill our hearts with the Nur of Muhammad(pbuh)

Salma Remani
Muhammad Shaheen