The Knowledge of Self

Source: sacred-texts.com

KNOWLEDGE of self is the key to the knowledge of God, according to the saying: “He who knows himself knows God,”[1] and, as it is Written in the Koran, “We will show them Our signs in the world and in themselves, that the truth may be manifest to them.” Now nothing is nearer to thee than thyself, and if thou knowest not thyself how canst thou know anything else? If thou sayest “I know myself,” meaning thy outward shape, body, face, limbs, and so forth, such knowledge can never be a key to the knowledge of God. Nor, if thy knowledge as to that which is within only extends so far, that when thou art hungry thou eatest, and when thou art angry thou attackest some one, wilt thou progress any further in this path, for the beasts are thy partners in this? But real self-knowledge consists in knowing the following things: What art thou in thyself,

[1. Traditional saying of Muhammad.]

{p. 20}

and from whence hast thou come? Whither art thou going, and for what purpose hast thou come to tarry here awhile, and in what does thy real happiness and misery consist? Some of thy attributes are those of animals, some of devils, and some of angels, and thou hast to find out which of these attributes are accidental and which essential. Till thou knowest this, thou canst not find out where thy real happiness lies. The occupation of animals is eating, sleeping, and fighting; therefore, if thou art an animal, busy thyself in these things. Devils are busy in stirring up mischief, and in guile and deceit; if thou belongest to them, do their work. Angels contemplate the beauty of God, and are entirely free from animal qualities; if thou art of angelic nature, then strive towards thine origin, that thou mayest know and contemplate the Most High, and be delivered from the thraldom of lust and anger. Thou shouldest also discover why thou hast been created with these two animal instincts: whether that they should subdue and lead thee captive, or whether that thou shouldest subdue them, and, in thy upward progress, make of one thy steed and of the other thy weapon.

{p. 21}

The first step to self-knowledge is to know that thou art composed of an outward shape, called the body, and an inward entity called the heart, or soul. By “heart” I do not mean the piece of flesh situated in the left of our bodies, but that which uses all the other faculties as its instruments and servants. In truth it does not belong to the visible world, but to the invisible, and has come into this world as a traveller visits a foreign country for the sake of merchandise, and will presently return to its native land. It is the knowledge of this entity and its attributes which is the key to the knowledge of God.

Some idea of the reality of the heart, or spirit, may be obtained by a man closing his eves and forgetting everything around except his individuality. He will thus also obtain a glimpse of the unending nature of that individuality. Too close inquiry, however, into the essence of spirit is forbidden by the Law. In the Koran it is written: “They will question thee concerning the spirit. Say: ‘The Spirit comes by the command of my Lord.'” Thus much is known of it that it is an indivisible essence belonging to the world of decrees, and

Dazzling Time-Lapse Reveals America’s Great Spaces (Video)

 After quitting a comfortable day job, photographer Shane Black spent two months on the road shooting time-lapses of some of America’s most beautiful spots. His “Adventure Is Calling” video is the mesmerizing result, made from about 10,000 of the photos he took.

Recreation and Fitness in Islam

Source: alkalima.com

By: Justin Ducote

As Muslims, we believe Islam is a complete way of life, providing a foundation and framework for all its aspects. In a time when increasing emphasis is being placed upon physical fitness and recreation, we should know how to maximize our benefit from these pursuits in accordance with our Islamic values.

Recreation

Recreation has always been a part of human existence. It can be a natural break which allows people time for refreshment and clearing the mind. We read in the Qur’ân how the brothers of Prophet Yûsuf used it as a way to appeal to their father:

“Send him with us tomorrow that he may eat well and play” (12:12).

We have many examples from the time of the Prophet during which the companions participated in many different forms of lawful entertainment and play. They engaged in sports like footraces, horseracing, wrestling, and archery. They spent time telling jokes and in lighthearted conversation. One of the Companions, Abû al-Dardâ’ is reported to have said:

“I seek recreation in something that is neither useful nor unlawful, and this makes me stronger on the truth.”

Crying washes heart’s maladies

Source: islamweb.net

It is a fact which no one can debate that crying washes out the maladies of the heart. Crying out of fear from Allaah softens the heart and cleans it from its filth. Yazeed Ibn Maysarah said: “Crying happens due to one of seven things, joy, sadness, terror, to show off, pain, gratitude and out of fear from Allaah one tear from which extinguishes as huge as oceans size of fire”

The Lighthouse

By: Reehab Ramadan

Source: suhaibwebb.com

Imagine being a captain on a ship, lost at sea in the midst of dark deep waters. The sun sets and you are left trying to get your GPS to pick up a signal, any signal, to let you know where you might possibly be. As your GPS refuses to work, you begin to think about all the possible dangers in the water—the dark water that you can not see into because the night is pitch black. You pray that you will not accidentally stray into dangerous waters that may leave your boat punctured, and as a result, only hours away from sinking into that cold water yourself. Suddenly you see something, up ahead, and you heave a sigh of relief: A lighthouse. The light flashes, making apparent where the dangerous areas of water are. The light flashes multiple times, and you scurry to your lighthouse map and figure out where exactly this lighthouse is: you’re found—no longer lost at sea. Your worry is gone, your mood at ease, and you continue on your way with confidence and motivation. Imagine that feeling, and then take notice of this: that lighthouse is an example of who we want to be, in so many ways.

Muslim girl Raped and Muslim boy jailed as a result of bad friends (Video)

 A Muslim girl gets called out by her friends to go to a party and while at the party she gets drugged and from there the men that drugged her raped her and when her father got the news he died on the spot. A Muslim boy goes with a friend who steals a car and then blames the Muslim for the crime so he gets sent to jail, some really scary but true stories and all as a result of being around bad friends. This is a great show you don’t want to miss.

Benefits to be learned from watching the show

1. The difference between good and bad friends
2. Why bad company is the worst company
3. Scary true stories of real situations
4. How bad friends can destroy your Deen
5. How to know when you should change your friends
6. Friends that you have grown close to
7. How to respectfully part ways but leave the door open
All this and more on TheDeenShow this week

The Trews: Russell Brand – Mainstream Media Corruption Is Killing People (Video)

 Government budget cuts have meant over 5000 UK firefighters being axed, 39 fire stations closed & emergency response times significantly increasing. Lives are being lost as a result so why are the mainstream media not covering this?

HOW TO ACT DURING CHAOTIC TIMES AND THE END DAYS VIOLENCE

Source: muslimmatters.org

By: Sheikh Abu Aaliyah Shurkeel

One of the enormous achievements of our Prophet is that in less than twenty years he managed to bring law and order to a land that had hitherto been plagued with lawlessness and the absence of any political organisation whatsoever. In the event of a crime or injustice being committed, the norm was for the injured party to take the law into its own hands and dispense “justice” to the aggressor. Usually, this would lead to acts of great barbarity and would normally provoke reprisals, vendettas and tribal feuds which could often drag on for generation after generation. War was a permanent feature of pre-Islamic Arabian society. Rule of law didn’t enter the picture;‘asabiyyah(“tribalism”, “clan zealotry” or “partisanship”) did.

To all those drowning in their attempt to please people

By: Yasmin Mogahed

Pleasing Allah is NOT dependent on pleasing people. Say this a million times, until you absorb it! We *can’t* please people. We can only do our part, as best we can, for the sake of Allah. The result comes from Allah. Not from us. If we are not successful at pleasing people, it does NOT mean we’ve failed! You have not failed. You are not a failure. You need to start to accept and value who you are. You need to value yourself. And stop trying to mold yourself into what you are not, in order to please those around you. Your goal is to please Allah and Allah did not ask you to become something you’re not. Nor did Allah expect you to please people. That’s not your job. Your job is to please Him.