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- Whosoever puts his trust in Allah(SWT), then He
will suffice him -
"From the
signs of truthfulness is fear of Allah and
asceticism in life; for the truthful with conviction
fears consuming from what is impermissible and bears
poverty and hardship for the sake of Islam. If he
commits sin then he does not sleep until he returns
to his Lord and repents, in order to free himself
from the sin, and its burden.
Ibn Jarir at-Tabari: I was in Makkah during the
season of Hajj and I saw a man from Khurasaan
calling out to the people: “Oh pilgrims, oh people
of Makkah – from those who are present and those far
off, I have lost a pouch that contains a thousand
dinars. So whoever returns the pouch, Allah will
reward them with good, save them from the hell fire,
and His bounty and favors will be acquired on the
Day of Accounting (Day of Judgment).”
An old man from the people of Makkah approached him
and said: “Oh Khurasaani, our city is in a very
tough condition, and the days of hajj are few, and
its season is appointed, and the doors of
profit-making are closed. This money might fall in
the hands of a believer who is poor and old in age.
Maybe he plans to give it if you make a promise that
you will give him a little bit of money that is
halal (permissible) for him to use.”
The Khurasaani said: “How much does he want?”
The old man said: “He wants one-tenth of the money
(a hundred dinars).”
The Khurasaani said: "No. I will not grant him the
money and instead I will take my case to Allah, and
complain to Him on the day we meet Him, and Allah is
sufficient for us and the best one to trust in.“
Ibn Jarir at-Tabari said: “I realized that it was
the old man is poor, and he was the one who took the
pouch of dinars and wishes to have a little portion
of it. So I followed him until he returned to his
home. My assumptions were confirmed. I heard him
calling onto his wife:”Oh Lubabah.”
She said: “I am at your service, O Abu Ghayth.”
The old man said: I found the owner of the dinars
calling for it, and he does not intend to give any
reward to the person who finds it. I said to him
“Give us a hundred dinars and he refused and said he
would take his case to Allah. What should I do O
Lubabah? I must return it, for I fear my Lord, and I
fear that my sin is multiplied.
His wife said to him: Oh Man! We have been
struggling and suffering from poverty with you for
the last 50 years, and you have 4 daughters, 2
sisters, my mother and I, and you are the ninth.
Keep all the money and feed us for we are hungry,
and clothe us for you know better our situation.
Perhaps Allah, the All-Mighty, will make you rich
afterwards and you might be able to give the money
back after you fed your children, or Allah will pay
the amount you owe on the day when the kingdom will
belong to the King (Allah).
He said to her: Will I consume haram after 86 years
of my life, and burn my organs with fire after I
have been patient with my poverty, and become worthy
of Allah anger, even though I am close to my grave?!
No, By Allah, I will not do so!
Ibn Jarir at-Tabari said: I left with amazement
concerning his condition and that of his wife. At a
later point during the day, I heard the owner of the
pouch calling out...
Saying: “O people of Makkah, O pilgrims, who ever of
you find a pouch containing a thousand dinars, let
him return it and they shall surely find great
reward with Allah."
The old man said: Oh Khurasaani, I have addressed
you the other day and advised you that our land is
low on cultivation, so reward the person who found
the pouch so that he is not tempted to break the
laws of Allah. I have advised you to pay the person
who finds it a hundred dinars but you refused. If
your money falls into hands of a person who fears
Allah the All-Mighty, will you give him 10 dinars at
least, instead of a 100?
The Khurasaani said: I will not do so, and I will
complain to Allah on the day I meet him, and Allah
is sufficient for us and the best one to trust in.“
Ibn Jarir at-Tabari said: The people dispersed and
left. Later on during the hours of the day, once
again, the Khurasaani made the same call, saying:
“O people of Makkah, O pilgrims, who ever of you
find a pouch containing a thousand dinars, let him
return it and they shall surely find great reward
with Allah."
The old man came again and said: O Khurasaani, I
said to you the day before yesterday to reward the
finder a hundred dinars and you refused. Then I
advised you to give him ten dinars and you refused,
so will you give only one dinar so that he can buy
with half of it things he needs and with the other
half, sheep milk, so that he can give to the people
and feed his children?
The Khurasaani said: I will not do so, and I will
complain to Allah on the day I meet him, and Allah
is sufficient for us and the best one to trust in. “
The old man angrily said: Come you, and take your
money so that I can sleep at night, for I have not
had a good mood ever since I found this money.
Ibn Jarir said: So the old man went with the owner
of the money and I followed them until the old man
entered his house, dug a hole and pulled out the
money and said: Take your money and ask Allah to
forgive me and bless me from His bounty.
The Khurasaani took the money and intended to leave,
but when he reached the door he said: O old man, my
father died, May Allah have mercy on him, and left
behind three thousand dinars and said to me: Take
out a third of this money and give it to a person
from the people who is most deserving of it.
Therefore I tied it in a pouch so that I may spend
it on someone who is worthy of it. By Allah, I have
not seen a person, since I left Khurasaan until now,
who is more worthy of it then you. So take it, May
Allah’s blessing be upon you, and May He reward for
the trust you kept, and your patience during
poverty. The Khurasaani man left without the money.
The old man wept and prayed to Allah, saying: May
Allah bless the owner of the money in his grave, and
May Allah bless his son.
Ibn Jarir said: I left after the Khurasaani but Abu
Ghayth (the old man) followed me and brought me
back. He asked me to sit down, and said: I have seen
you following me since the first day; you have come
to know of our situation yesterday and today. I have
heard that the Prophet said: "If you are gifted from
the provision of Allah, without begging or asking,
then accept it and do not reject it." So this is a
gift from Allah to all those attending.
The old man called: O Lubabah, O so and so, O so and
so. He called on his daughters and his sisters and
wife and her mother, and sat down and made me sit
down. We were 10. He opened the bag, and said spread
your clothing over your laps.
So I (Ibn Jarir) did, but the girls did not have
proper clothing that would enable them to do that,
so they extended their hands. The old man gave dinar
by dinar in order until he reached me (Ibn Jarir)
and said: "Here is a dinar." The process continued
until the bag was empty and I received a hundred
dinars.
Ibn Jarir at-Tabari said: So joy filled my heart
because of the provision they received more then the
joy I had because I received a hundred dinars.
When I was leaving the old man said: O young man.
You are blessed; keep this money with you for it is
halal. And know that I use to wake up for Fajr
prayer with this wet shirt. After I was done I would
take it off, and give it so that my daughters can
pray - one by one. Then I would go to work between
Dhuhr prayer and Asr prayer and then I would come
back at the end of the day with what Allah has given
me from dates and dry pieces of bread. Then I would
take off my clothes for my daughters and they would
pray Dhuhr prayer and Asr prayer, and the same would
happen for the Maghrib and Isha prayers. And we did
not ever expect to see this kind of money. So may
Allah make us make good use of them, and may Allah
bless the person in his grave and multiply the
reward for him.
Ibn Jarir said: So I greeted him goodbye, and took
the hundred dinars and used them to write knowledge
for two years! I used it to buy paper and pay rent
and after sixteen years I returned to Makkah and
inquired about the old man. I was told that he died
a few months after the incident that occurred
between us. His wife died, along with her mother,
and his 2 sisters. The only ones that remained were
the daughters whom, when I asked about, found that
they were married to kings and Princes. I dropped by
and they honored me as a guest and treated me kindly
until they died also. So May Allah bless them in
their graves.
{That will be an admonition given to him who
believes in Allâh and the Last Day. And whosoever
fears Allâh and keeps his duty to Him, He will make
a way for him to get out (from every difficulty).
And He will provide him from (sources) he never
could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allâh,
then He will suffice him. Verily, Allâh will
accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allâh has set a
measure for all things. (At-Talaq 65: 2-3)
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- The Miser and the Angel of Death -
A miser had
accumulated, by effort, trade and lending,
three-hundred thousand dinars. He had lands and
buildings, and all kinds of wealth. He then decided
that he would spend a year in enjoyment, living
comfortably, and then decide as what his future
should be.
But, almost as soon as he had stopped amassing money
the Angel of Death appeared before him, to take his
life away.
The miser tried, by every argument which he could
muster, to dissuade the Angel, who seemed, however,
adamant. Then the man said: "Grant me but three more
days and I will give you one-third of my
possessions."
The angel refused, and pulled again at the miser's
life, tugging to take it away.
Then the man said: "If you only allow me two more
days on earth, I will give you two-hundred thousand
dinars from my store."
But the Angel would not listen to him. And the Angel
even refused to give the man a solitary extra day
for all his three-hundred thousand pieces.
The the miser said: "Please, then, give me just time
enough to write one little thing down."
This time the Angel allowed him this single
concession, and the man wrote, with his own blood:
"Man, make use of your life. I could not buy one
hour for three-hundred thousand dinars. Make sure
that you realize the value of your time."
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- The role of the mind -
After years of
study abroad a young man returned with three
questions which could not be answered by any person
he had met. In order to help him solve this problem
his parents found a local scholar to answer these
questions. The dialogue was as follows:
Young man: Who are you? Can you answer my questions?
Scholar: I am one of Allah's(SWT) slaves and Insha-Allah
(God willing), I will be able to answer your
questions.
Young man : Are you sure? A lot of Professors and
experts were not able to answer my questions.
Scholar: I will try my best, with the help of
Allah(SubHana Wa Ta`ala ).
Young Man: I have three questions:
- Does God exist? If so, show me His shape.
- What is taqdir (fate)?
- If Shaitan (Satan) was created from the fire, why at
the end (i.e.after judgement day) will he be thrown
into hell that was also created from fire. It
certainly will not hurt him at all, since Shaitan
(Satan) and the hell were created from fire. Did God
not think of it this far?
Suddenly, the Scholar slapped the young man's face
hard.
Young Man [feeling pain]: Why do you get angry at
me?
Scholar: I am not angry. The slap is my answer to
your three questions.
Young Man: I really don't understand.
Scholar: How do you feel after I slapped you?
Young Man: Of course, I felt the pain.
Scholar: So do you believe that pain exists?
Young Man: Yes.
Scholar: Show me the shape of the pain!
Young Man: I cannot.
Scholar: That is my first answer. All of us feel
God's existence without being able to see His shape.
Scholar: Last night, did you dream that you will be
slapped by me?
Young Man: No.
Scholar: Did you ever think that you will get a slap
from me, today?
Young Man: No.
Scholar: That is takdir (fate).
Scholar: My hand that I used to slap you, what is it
created from?
Young Man: It is created from skin.
Scholar: How about your face, what is it created
from?
Young Man: Skin.
Scholar: How do you feel after I slapped you?
Young Man: In pain.
Scholar: Even though Shaitan (Satan) and also the
hell were created from the fire, if Allah wants,
insha-Allah (God willing), the hell will become a
very painful place for Shaitan (Devil).
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- Three Solid Truths -
Once, a person was
verbally abusing Abu Bakr (RA) while the Prophet
(SAW) was curiously watching with a smile. After
taking much abuse quietly, Abu Bakr responded to a
few of his comments. At this, the Prophet exhibited
his disapproval, got up and left. Abu Bakr caught up
with the Prophet and wondered, 'O Messenger of
Allaah, he was abusing me and you remained sitting.
When I responded to him, you disapproved and got
up.' The Messenger of Allaah responded,
'There was an angel with you responding to him. When
you responded to him, Shaytaan took his place.'
He then said, 'O Abu Bakr, there are three solid
truths: If a person is wronged and he forbears it
(without seeking revenge) just for the sake of
Allaah (SWT), Allaah will honour him and give him
the upper hand with His help; if a person opens a
door of giving gifts for cementing relationships
with relatives, Allaah will give him abundance; and,
if a person opens a door of seeking charity for
himself to increase his wealth, Allaah will further
reduce his wealth.' ( Mishkaat & Musnad Ahmad)
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- Fasting of all the limbs -
Abu Hurayra (RA)
relates that Rasulullah (SAW) said: "Many of those
who fast obtain nothing through such fasting except
hunger, and many a one performs "Salaat" by' night
but obtains nothing by it, except the discomfort of
staying awake."(Ibn Majah & Nasai)
With regard to this Hadith, the "Ulama" have
mentioned three different interpretations:
First, this Hadith may refer to those who fast
during the day and then for "Iftaar" eat food that
is "Haraam"; all the reward for fasting is lost
because of the greater sin of eating 'Haraam' and
nothing is gained except remaining hungry.
Secondly, it may mean those who fast duly but,
during fasting, engage themselves in backbiting and
slandering others.
Thirdly, the person referred to may be one who,
while fasting, did not stay away from evil and sin.
In this Hadith all such possibilities are included.
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- The meaning of sincerity -
It has been stated
in definition of Ikhlaas, "Ikhlaas is when the
servants internal and external actions are the same
(i.e. are in agreement with each other). And Riyaa
is when the external actions are better than the
internal actions (of the heart). And truthfulness in
one's sincerity is when the internal is better
(developed) than the external. (Madaarij us-Saalikeen
2/91)
Bilaal bin Sa'd (rh) said, "Do not be a wali
(friend) of Allaah outwardly, yet an enemy to him
internally" (Ahmad in az-Zuhd, Abu Nu'aym in al-Hilyah).
It has been stated, "Ikhlaas is that you do not
request anyone to witness your action except Allaah,
and that you do not seek anyone to reward you (for
it) except Him".
Salamah bin Dinar said, "Hide your good deeds (from
the people) just like you hide your evil deeds".
(Abu Nu'aym, Bayhaqee) And in a narration in al-Bayhaqee,
"Hide your good deed like
you hide your evil deed, and do not be amazed with
your own action, for you do not know whether you are
happy or wretched (in the Hereafter)"
It has been stated in definition of Ikhlaas, "It is
to single out Allaah, free from all imperfection, in
one's intention (qasd) in one's obedience (to Him)."
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- The blessings for a believer -
Abu Yahya Suhaib
bin Sinan (RA) reports Rasulullah (SAW) said, "How
wonderful is the case of a believer; there is good
for him in everything. If he is prosperous, he
expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for
him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it
patiently and that is better for him". (Muslim)
Abu Saeed and Abu Hurayrah (RAA) report that the
Rasulullah (SAW) "Never is a believer is stricken
with a discomfort, an illness, an anxiety, a grief
or mental worry or even the pricking of a thorn but
Allah expiates his sins on account of his patience".
(Bukhari and Muslim)
Abu Hurayrah (RA) reports that Rasulullah (SAW)
said: "He for whom Allah intends good, He afflicts
him with some difficulty". (Bukhari)
- He is unknown on earth but well known in heaven -
Abu Huraira says
(RA): The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: Allah
Almighty loves from among His creatures the purest,
the unknown and the innocent ones; those whose heads
are not combed, whose faces are dusty and whose
stomachs are empty; those who are not allowed to
enter the courts of the leaders and the kings; and
are rejected if they should ask the hand of wealthy
girls. If they are absent nobody would ask about
them and once they appear no one is pleased to see
them; when these people become sick no one visits
them and once they die none attend their funerals.
The Prophet was then asked: How can we meet one of
them O Messenger of Allah? He said: One such person
is Uways Al Qarani. The Companions asked: And who is
Uways Al Qarani? He said: A wide eyed white person,
broad shouldered, with a straight built body. He
always has his beard close to his bosom, with his
eyes fixed on the place of his prostration, putting
his right hand on his left hand, reciting the Qur'an
and weeping upon himself. He has dirty clothes and
no one cares for him. He is unknown on earth but
well known in heaven. If he swears upon Allah, Allah
will surely fulfill his oath. Under his left
shoulder he has a white brilliant spot. On the Day
of Judgment it will be said to the slaves of Allah:
Enter Paradise, and Uways will be told: Stop here to
make intercession. Then Allah will make him
intercede in favor a large number of people,
equivalent to the tribes of Rabiah and Muddar. O
Umer and you Ali, if you should meet him ask him to
seek forgiveness of Allah for you; for Allah will
surely forgive you..
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- The believers prison -
'Abdullah ibn
Mubarak (may Allah have mercy on him) would say,
"The world is the believer's prison. The best action
in the prison is patience and control of one's
anger. The believer has no country in the world. His
land will be there tomorrow in the Afterlife."
- Consuming Haraam -
From the signs of
truthfulness is fear of Allah and asceticism in
life; for the truthful with conviction fears
consuming from what is impermissible and bears
poverty and hardship for the sake of Islam. If he
commits sin then he does not sleep until he returns
to his Lord and repents, in order to free himself
from the sin, and its burden.
Read the story of Abu
Ghayth here.
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- Softening the heart through remembrance of
Allah(SWT) -
- Abu
Hurairah, (RA.), reported: Allah's Messenger (SAW)
said: "Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, stated:
'I am near to the thought of My servant as he thinks about Me, and
I am with him as he remembers Me.
And if he
remembers Me in his heart, I also remember him in My
Heart, and if he remembers Me in assembly I remember
him in assembly, better than his (remembrance)
And if he
draws near Me by the span of a palm, I draw near him
by a cubit, and if he draws near Me by a cubit I
draw near him by the space (covered by)
two arms.
And if he
walks towards Me, I rush towards him.'" (Muslim)
- Jabir reported that the Prophet (SAW)
said, "Whoever recites the words, "Glory be to Allah
and His is the praise', will have a palm tree
planted for him in the Garden."
- Ibn Mas'ud (RA), said, "To Praise
Allah, may He be Exalted, is more dear to me than
spending the same number of dinars (as the number of
times I praise Him) in the way of Allah."
Remembrance of Allah is a remedy for hard hearts.
- A man once told al-Hassan, "O Abu
Sa'id, I complain to you about the hardness of my
heart." He said, "Soften it with the remembrance of
Allah."
- Makhul said, "Remembrance of Allah is
(a sign of) health, while remembrance of people is
like a disease."
- A man once asked Salman(RA) "Which
deeds are the best?" He said, "Haven't you read in
the Qur'an: "And the remembrance of Allah is
greatest". (29:45)
- Abu Musa once related that the Prophet
(SAW) said, "The difference between the one who
remembers his Lord and the one who does not is like
the difference between the living and the dead."
- Abdullah ibn Busr related that a man
once told the Prophet (SAW), "The roads to good are
many and I am unable to take all of them, so please
tell me something to which I can hold fast, but do
not overburden me lest I forget it." He said, "Make
sure that your tongue is moist and supple with the
remembrance of Allah, the Exalted."
- Abu Hurairah, (RA), reported: Allah's
Messenger (SAW) said: Two are the expressions which
are light on the tongue, but heavy in scale, dear to
the Compassionate One: "Glory be to Allah and praise
is due to Him, Glorified be Allah, The Great."
(Muslim).
- Ibn
Taimiyaa wrote, "Remembrance of Allah is to the
heart what water is to fish. What happens to a fish
when it is taken out of water?"
- Imam ibn al-Qayyim wrote said:
"Remembrance of Allah is sustenance for both the
heart and the spirit. If the servant is deprived of
it he becomes like a body which has been deprived of
food".
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- Reasons for failure of creation -
Shaqeeq Ibn Ibaraheem said: "The doors of success
have been closed upon the creation because of six
things:
Their
busying themselves with the blessings of Allah
instead of thanking Allah for them;
Their desire for knowledge while they
abandon actions;
The hastiness to sin and delaying
repentance;
The deception of having righteous
companions and not taking them as examples;
The turning away of the dunya from them
while they chase it;
The approach of the afterlife towards them
while they turn away from it." [Al Fawaai'd by Ibn
Al Qayim: P. 161]
Return to top
- Poem - Why the rib? -
Woman was made from the rib of man,
She was not created from his head to top
him,
Nor form his feet to be stepped upon,
She was made from his side to be close to
him,
From beneath his arm to be protected by
him,
Near his heart to be loved by him. Return to top
- The people of hell... - Iyaad ibn Himaar
related that the Messenger of Allah(SAW), said, during a lengthy
khutbah: "…The people of Hell are five: the weak who lack the power to (avoid evil); the (carefree) who pursue (everything irrespective of wheher it is good or evil) and who have no concern for their families and their wealth; the dishonest people whose greed cannot be cocealed even in the case of minor things; and those who betray you, morning and evening, with regard to your family and your property. He also mentioned misers, liars, and those who are in the habit of abusing people and using obscene, foul language."
[Muslim,4/1297]
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- The believer dies between two deeds
... -
My son, when you pray,
do it like a person who is bidding farewell to this
world, and don't assume you will have another chance
to pray again. My son, know that a believer dies
between two deeds, one he offers for today, where he
will get immediate blessings and the second deed is
what he offers towards the day of resurrection, and
that is where he will gain the ultimate benefits. [Muadh
ibn Jabal (RA)]
- The people of Hell are five : -
Muslim reports from `Iyaad
ibn Himaar that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said,
during a lengthy khutbah: "…The people of
Hell are five: the weak who lack the power to (avoid
evil); the (carefree) who pursue (everything
irrespective of whether it is good or evil) and who
have no concern for their families and their wealth;
the dishonest people whose greed cannot be cocealed
even in the case of minor things; and those who
betray you, morning and evening, with regard to your
family and your property. He also mentioned misers,
liars, and those who are in the habit of abusing
people and using obscene, foul language." [Muslim, 4/1297, no. 2865]
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- How insignificant the creation -
Imam Ahmad relates :“When Cyprus was conquered and its people were dispersed and they started weeping to each other, I saw Abud-Dardaa sitting alone and weeping. So I said to him: 0
Abud-Dardaa! What makes you weep on this day that Allaah has granted strength and honor to Islaam and its people?
So he said: Woe be to you 0 Jubayr! How insignificant the creation becomes to Allaah when they turn away from His command. In front of us is a nation who were evidently powerful and who had dominion, yet they abandoned Allaah’s command, so look what has become of them.”
[Excerpt from az-Zuhd]
- The teacup - There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially teacups. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.
One day in this beautiful shop they saw a beautiful teacup. They said, "May we see that? We've never seen one quite so beautiful." As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke.
"You don't understand," it said. "I haven't always been a teacup. There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, 'Let me alone', but he only smiled, 'Not yet.'
"Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the teacup said, "and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. Stop it! I'm getting dizzy! I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, 'Not yet.'
Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head, 'Not yet.'
Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. 'There, that's better', I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Stop it, stop it!' I cried. He only nodded, 'Not yet.'
Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head saying, 'Not yet.'
Then I knew there wasn't any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and I couldn't believe it was me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful.'
'I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I had left you alone, you would have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I knew it hurt and was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened; you would not have had any color in your life. And if I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't survive for very long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you'.
MORAL: "Allah" knows what He's doing for all of us. He is the potter, and we are His clay. He will mold us and make us, so that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing, and perfect will, which we can never escape.
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