What a Beauty
What a Beauty!
By Latiefah Achmat**
Dec 05, 2005
Some time ago I spent one Saturday at the harbor. I sat on the beachfront and watched the many different kinds of boats and ships moving around. I must admit that I’d had a problem with some friends and I was trying to sort things out, so sitting around by myself at the beach was the perfect thing to do.
I have many different kinds of friends and sometimes I often think it’s my fault that we have problems because I feel a bit negative toward them. So it helps if I think things through and try to analyze why I feel like that. I found that people are just different. Yet even though we are different, we are all like so many pieces in a mosaic that if we can just learn to fit together (work harmoniously) and acknowledge each other’s importance in the shape of things, then mankind will make a beautiful picture.
So as I sat and watched the boats, I began to think. Because I was a bit far away I couldn’t see the people working on the boats, so it seemed just like it was me and the ships. And my mind set to work.
I found that I have some friends who are always helping me. They are the ones who never complain; they carry the heavy loads of others and are bright and breezy and always positive. They are the tugboats of life.
Then there are the boring people who do their duty in life but without shining or brightness. They don’t really give happiness or hope to others; they are just there. The cargo ships, the carriers, the ferries—the silent, strong, and steady voiceless ships that pass us by without us really noticing them. Can you imagine life without cargo ships? They serve important purposes of carrying life-giving goods but they seem lifeless in themselves; just carriers. I don’t want to be a cargo ship.
Most people stand up and admire the ocean liners. Maybe because they carry the elite of the world on their luxury cruises, helping them to enjoy life instead of giving something back to it. They look nice; they appear indestructible—but then so did the Titanic! There are many people like ocean liners; they look good but they are only bent on enjoying life and taking from it, not on being instrumental to positive change or being a beneficial influence in someone’s life. Ocean liners don’t make good friends. When the going gets tough, they’re off somewhere to have fun.
This made me think of the tugboats again. They are the ones that pull the exotic ocean liners and dull cargo ships out to sea so they can do their part in life. If it weren’t for the tugboats of the world, those huge, costly, well-adorned luxury ships would sit and rot in port.
I love to watch the skips. They are light and fast. Always going somewhere. They fly past all the other kinds of crafts like liners, cargo ships, fishing boats, and tugboats. They know where they are going and how they are going to get there. Often you’ll see them with an outboard motor and a sail. They’re ready for nearly anything. They are graceful, positive-looking boats skimming across the surface of the water. They are ever young. Friends like that are maybe hard to keep up with, but life is sure exciting.
The ones you have to watch are the ones you can’t always see. The submarines of life. They are strong and powerful and can see you when you can’t see them. They have this advantage and are potentially dangerous. They’ll just pop up and surprise you one day. No one really needs friends like that.
Now which kind of friend suits me? The whirling skips, the tired-looking cargo ships, the flighty liners, the hard-working, loyal tug boats? Hmmm, the quiet fishing boats, the row boats that only move when I move them, or the sail boat that is carried by the wind?
That’s a good question but perhaps rather than ask myself which one suits me, I should find out which one I am like. That means I’ll have to be honest with myself, which is difficult to do at times and often painful. How do others see me?
But anyway, at the end of the day each one plays an important part and we can’t really do without any one of them—boats or people. For each one, if we sit back and admire its individuality, its beauty, its purpose and charm, we’d say, “What a beauty!”
Releasing Grudges From Your Heart
By Anthea Davis **
October 23, 2005
How do you feel today? I think this is one of the most frequently asked questions and one of the least correctly answered. How many times have you been asked this question and in reality you feel awful! You feel like your world is caving in. You feel like your spiritual battery is almost flat and that you are on your hands and knees struggling through each day of your life. Yet, despite all this, you answer, "Oh me? I'm fine." What a lie!
So what does all this tell us? Well, first people are not always honest with each other. We do not always open up and say what is on our minds, but yet we keep up the nice manners, politeness, and all that to keep our relations OK with those around us. But the second and more important point is that we live with the state of our own hearts. And that state is the very foundation onto which our being is built. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told us about the importance of the heart:
That which is lawful is plain and that which is unlawful is plain and between the two of them are doubtful matters about which not many people know. Thus he who avoids doubtful matters clears himself in regard to his religion and his honor, but he who falls into doubtful matters falls into that which is unlawful, like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein. Truly every king has a sanctuary, and truly Allah's sanctuary is His prohibitions. Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh which, if it be whole, all the body is whole and which, if it be diseased, all of it is diseased. Truly it is the heart. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Having a healthy heart is the basis of enjoying good health in body and mind. There are many diseases that are triggered from having a stressful mind and a troubled heart. Having a peaceful mind is one of the most sought-after things in life and very few people get it. People might search for peace and tranquility in a bottle of alcohol or in drugs of addiction that, at best, provide a quick transient moment of pleasure and relief but which plunge the person back to reality after the affects wear off. All such attempts at gaining peace end in frustration because real peace lies deep within the heart. Peace is found in a place known only to you and your Creator. It is a place that is free of shirk—meaning that you worship only Allah the Almighty. It is free of pride—meaning you realize your smallness in the vastness of creation. It is free of corruption—meaning you live a life of piety. It is free of hate—meaning you hold no grudges and forgive easily.
For many people the last one is the hardest to achieve. Why? Is it because we live in a world where we are continually being hurt and misused by others? Difficulty and hardship are the nature of this worldly life. We all hurt and are hurt. The problem is when we forget the sins that our own hands and tongues have sent forward and, instead, focus on what others have done and said to hurt us.
When we nurture wounds—remembering harsh words that were spoken and continually recalling painful events—our sense of injustice is ignited, our anger flares, the healing of our inner wounds is slowed down, and the whole body and mind is put under great stress.
So it is important to release grudges from the heart so as to not allow the heart to foster negative feelings towards others. But how can this be done, especially when people really do say and do hurtful and harmful things to each other?
We must realize from deep within our hearts that Satan is our open enemy and that he loves to sow discord, division, and bad feelings and grudges between people. Do not let him win!
He waits in ambush for mankind, waiting for us to be in our weakest moment and then—whammy! His helpers from among mankind say and do things to hurt us. He wants to damage our hearts because he realizes their importance in our eternal success.
So take the first step to keep your heart free of spiritual disease and adopt a forgiving nature like that of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Allah the Almighty says: [Kind words and forgiving of faults are better than charity followed by injury. And Allah is Rich and He is Most Forbearing] (Al-Baqarah 2:263).
By Latiefah Achmat**
Dec 05, 2005
Some time ago I spent one Saturday at the harbor. I sat on the beachfront and watched the many different kinds of boats and ships moving around. I must admit that I’d had a problem with some friends and I was trying to sort things out, so sitting around by myself at the beach was the perfect thing to do.
I have many different kinds of friends and sometimes I often think it’s my fault that we have problems because I feel a bit negative toward them. So it helps if I think things through and try to analyze why I feel like that. I found that people are just different. Yet even though we are different, we are all like so many pieces in a mosaic that if we can just learn to fit together (work harmoniously) and acknowledge each other’s importance in the shape of things, then mankind will make a beautiful picture.
So as I sat and watched the boats, I began to think. Because I was a bit far away I couldn’t see the people working on the boats, so it seemed just like it was me and the ships. And my mind set to work.
I found that I have some friends who are always helping me. They are the ones who never complain; they carry the heavy loads of others and are bright and breezy and always positive. They are the tugboats of life.
Then there are the boring people who do their duty in life but without shining or brightness. They don’t really give happiness or hope to others; they are just there. The cargo ships, the carriers, the ferries—the silent, strong, and steady voiceless ships that pass us by without us really noticing them. Can you imagine life without cargo ships? They serve important purposes of carrying life-giving goods but they seem lifeless in themselves; just carriers. I don’t want to be a cargo ship.
Most people stand up and admire the ocean liners. Maybe because they carry the elite of the world on their luxury cruises, helping them to enjoy life instead of giving something back to it. They look nice; they appear indestructible—but then so did the Titanic! There are many people like ocean liners; they look good but they are only bent on enjoying life and taking from it, not on being instrumental to positive change or being a beneficial influence in someone’s life. Ocean liners don’t make good friends. When the going gets tough, they’re off somewhere to have fun.
This made me think of the tugboats again. They are the ones that pull the exotic ocean liners and dull cargo ships out to sea so they can do their part in life. If it weren’t for the tugboats of the world, those huge, costly, well-adorned luxury ships would sit and rot in port.
I love to watch the skips. They are light and fast. Always going somewhere. They fly past all the other kinds of crafts like liners, cargo ships, fishing boats, and tugboats. They know where they are going and how they are going to get there. Often you’ll see them with an outboard motor and a sail. They’re ready for nearly anything. They are graceful, positive-looking boats skimming across the surface of the water. They are ever young. Friends like that are maybe hard to keep up with, but life is sure exciting.
The ones you have to watch are the ones you can’t always see. The submarines of life. They are strong and powerful and can see you when you can’t see them. They have this advantage and are potentially dangerous. They’ll just pop up and surprise you one day. No one really needs friends like that.
Now which kind of friend suits me? The whirling skips, the tired-looking cargo ships, the flighty liners, the hard-working, loyal tug boats? Hmmm, the quiet fishing boats, the row boats that only move when I move them, or the sail boat that is carried by the wind?
That’s a good question but perhaps rather than ask myself which one suits me, I should find out which one I am like. That means I’ll have to be honest with myself, which is difficult to do at times and often painful. How do others see me?
But anyway, at the end of the day each one plays an important part and we can’t really do without any one of them—boats or people. For each one, if we sit back and admire its individuality, its beauty, its purpose and charm, we’d say, “What a beauty!”
Releasing Grudges From Your Heart
By Anthea Davis **
October 23, 2005
How do you feel today? I think this is one of the most frequently asked questions and one of the least correctly answered. How many times have you been asked this question and in reality you feel awful! You feel like your world is caving in. You feel like your spiritual battery is almost flat and that you are on your hands and knees struggling through each day of your life. Yet, despite all this, you answer, "Oh me? I'm fine." What a lie!
So what does all this tell us? Well, first people are not always honest with each other. We do not always open up and say what is on our minds, but yet we keep up the nice manners, politeness, and all that to keep our relations OK with those around us. But the second and more important point is that we live with the state of our own hearts. And that state is the very foundation onto which our being is built. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told us about the importance of the heart:
That which is lawful is plain and that which is unlawful is plain and between the two of them are doubtful matters about which not many people know. Thus he who avoids doubtful matters clears himself in regard to his religion and his honor, but he who falls into doubtful matters falls into that which is unlawful, like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein. Truly every king has a sanctuary, and truly Allah's sanctuary is His prohibitions. Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh which, if it be whole, all the body is whole and which, if it be diseased, all of it is diseased. Truly it is the heart. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Having a healthy heart is the basis of enjoying good health in body and mind. There are many diseases that are triggered from having a stressful mind and a troubled heart. Having a peaceful mind is one of the most sought-after things in life and very few people get it. People might search for peace and tranquility in a bottle of alcohol or in drugs of addiction that, at best, provide a quick transient moment of pleasure and relief but which plunge the person back to reality after the affects wear off. All such attempts at gaining peace end in frustration because real peace lies deep within the heart. Peace is found in a place known only to you and your Creator. It is a place that is free of shirk—meaning that you worship only Allah the Almighty. It is free of pride—meaning you realize your smallness in the vastness of creation. It is free of corruption—meaning you live a life of piety. It is free of hate—meaning you hold no grudges and forgive easily.
For many people the last one is the hardest to achieve. Why? Is it because we live in a world where we are continually being hurt and misused by others? Difficulty and hardship are the nature of this worldly life. We all hurt and are hurt. The problem is when we forget the sins that our own hands and tongues have sent forward and, instead, focus on what others have done and said to hurt us.
When we nurture wounds—remembering harsh words that were spoken and continually recalling painful events—our sense of injustice is ignited, our anger flares, the healing of our inner wounds is slowed down, and the whole body and mind is put under great stress.
So it is important to release grudges from the heart so as to not allow the heart to foster negative feelings towards others. But how can this be done, especially when people really do say and do hurtful and harmful things to each other?
We must realize from deep within our hearts that Satan is our open enemy and that he loves to sow discord, division, and bad feelings and grudges between people. Do not let him win!
He waits in ambush for mankind, waiting for us to be in our weakest moment and then—whammy! His helpers from among mankind say and do things to hurt us. He wants to damage our hearts because he realizes their importance in our eternal success.
So take the first step to keep your heart free of spiritual disease and adopt a forgiving nature like that of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Allah the Almighty says: [Kind words and forgiving of faults are better than charity followed by injury. And Allah is Rich and He is Most Forbearing] (Al-Baqarah 2:263).
posted by Lil Noorie berkata at 5:07 PM
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