Noon Laam

  بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم YOU HAD IT COMING, PAL. .الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنّ البلاءَ للظّالمِ أدبٌ “Misfortune is a form of discipline for the wrongdoer.” Imam Ali (a) (Bihar Al Anwar V. 81) We all must have heard this frequently used word in conversation with our peers. Karma is a spiritual principle of cause and effect where the intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect). Good intent and good deeds contribute to a good future and, while bad intent and bad deeds contribute to a bad future. The theory of karma can be thought to be an extension to Newton's third law of action and reaction where every action of any kind including words, thoughts, feelings, the totality of our existence, will eventually have a reaction, the same type of energy coming back to the one that caused it. In terms of spiritual development, Karma is not about punishment or reward. It makes a person responsible for their own life, and how they treat...

  بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم  FEARLESS .رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) : لا تَخَفْ في اللّه‏ِ لَوْمَةَ لائمٍ “ Do not fear the reproach of the reproacher on the path of Allah.” Prophet Muhammad (s) (Al Khisaal) When a man feels responsible, he doesn’t feel fear. When a man walks alone, the entire universe begins to follow him. When a man is left in the cold by his people, he becomes a one-man army. When a man has no one on his back, He gets by his side. When a man is brave enough to fight for the truth, when he is fearless enough to stand against the system, when a man is strong enough to shake up the world within a few hours, when a man sacrifices his everything for the sake of humanity, he is called Husain (a). Imam Husain (a) said: ‘Be steadfast and firm in the way toward what is right, even if your journey is full of pain and challenges.’ [Usul al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 28] The Prophet (s) said, ‘Allah does not empower anyone over man except one whom he fears. If man w...

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم DESTROY AND GET DESTROYED .رسولُ اللهِ‏ِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) : كُفَّ أذاكَ عنِ النّاسِ ؛ فإنّهُ صَدَقةٌ تَصّدَّقُ بها عَلى نَفْسِكَ   “Abstain from harming others for this is your charity towards yourself.” Prophet Muhammad (s) (Bihar Al-Anwar 75) Imam al-Sadiq (a) said, ‘A man who keeps his hand from harming people is keeping one hand from [harming] them, whilst they would keep many hands from [harming] him [as a result].’[al-Khisal, p. 17, no. 60] The universe is a gigantic blob of pure light, full of love and positivity. If you harm someone whilst being within its premises, you have infringed the default direction of life’s flow. Nature forgives no one, it takes your negative act as a declaration of war and this grand crystal clear mirror reflects your deeds on you resulting in your loss. Preventing yourself from purposely hurting others is, in fact, preventing yourself from universal trouble.  Imam al-Sadiq (a) said, ‘Allah, Mighty and E...

  بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم SMART ENOUGH? .الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): الأدبُ في الإنسانِ كشَجَرةٍ أصلُها العقلُ “Good manners in man resemble a tree whose root is the mind.” Imam Ali (a) (Ibn Abi Al Hadid) Ethics have always been linked with intellect. Possessing good moral values is an indication of having a great mind. History is littered with examples of brilliant scientists, mathematicians, artists, and musicians who inflicted deep misery on those whose chauvinist or racist beliefs would shock us today. In the Hebrew Bible, for example, “the fool” is a moral category more than an intellectual one.  Imam Ali (a) said, ‘Everything needs the mind, and the mind needs good manners.’[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 6911] Good moral virtues are water to the tree of wisdom, which means they’re directly proportional to each other. One surely has more capacity to absorb knowledge if he s/he is a person of character.  Imam Ali (a) said, ‘O Believer! This knowledge and good manners are...

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم CHILDREN .رسولُ اللهِ‏ِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) : أحِبُّوا الصِّبْيانَ وَارْحَمُوهُم “Love your children, and be kind and merciful to them.” Prophet Muhammad (s) (Makarim al-Akhlaq) Every year during the days of aza - mourning for Imam Hussain (a), we shed tears for the innocent cheeks that kept on changing their color from Karbala to Syria, we cry for the children who were brutally tortured and killed. We mourn for the littles ones who were heartbroken and scared. Our hearts tremble just by hearing the loss of the household of the Prophet (s).   But one, if ever observes us, would be amazed by the hypocrisy of ours. We treat our children just like the people of Yazid, right after cursing them and lamenting for those oppressed flowers. We weep for the little soldiers of Imam Husain (a), besides the young army of Imam e Zamana (a) weep because of us. This pattern is beyond one’s intellect! @divinefourteen #SensibleSunday Imam Sajjad (...

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم GENEROSITY .الإمامُ العسكريُّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنّ للسَّخاءِ مِقدارا فإنْ زادَ علَيهِ فهُو سَرَفٌ “Generosity has a set limit, and if taken to extremes becomes squandering.” Imam Hasan Askari (a) (Bihar Al Anwar V. 69) There are a number of people who find difficulty in setting boundaries. There should be a space where the other person ends and you begin.  Imam Ali (a) said: ‘You must be moderate in your affairs, for the one who deviates from moderation is unjust and one who takes to it is just.’ [Ghurar Al-Hikam]  Being generous without moderation includes all forms of generosity, it doesn’t only refer to economic generosity, it rather talks about being too much available for someone, allowing your friends and family to take advantage of you, being too forgiving, letting others treat you in an unhealthy manner, etc. If you stretch your limits beyond your endurance, and if you let people test your patience, you reach your breaking point. It is unjust...

  بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم TENDERNESS .الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): لا يُستَعانُ على السُّرورِ إلّا باللِّينِ “Happiness is useless without tenderness." Imam Ali (a) (Matalib al-Sa’ul) If happiness is the sun, tenderness is water. No matter how bright the sun shines, a flower will not bloom until it’s watered. This saying is so subtle yet very clear. Most of the time, we forget to nurture ourselves and our loved ones, we ignore the importance of the Yin (feminine energy) in our lives. One cannot simply feel bliss minus gentleness, as the ultimate happiness is fragmented without the element of softness. Imam Ali (a) said: ‘Through gentleness, the souls feel at ease.’ [Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim] When the soul feels at ease, it naturally goes to where it came from, it elevates and flows in the direction of the source, the higher self, the Creator. Softness in a spiritual pursuit matters because the world has no shortage of aggressive certainty. People are sure that their ...

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم WHO IS THE CULPRIT? .الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مِن الفَسادِ (المَفسَدَةِ) إضاعَةُ الزادِ، ومَفسَدَةُ المَعادِ “Verily, from corruption comes the loss of sustenance and hereafter.” Imam Ali (a) (Al Kafi) Today, millions of people are starving to death. They’re denied their most basic right to food. Around the world, 821 million people do not have enough of the food they need to live an active, healthy life. Around 9 million people die every year of hunger and hunger-related diseases. This is more than from AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined... One in every nine people goes to bed hungry each night, including 20 million people currently at risk of famine in South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, and Nigeria. People suffering from chronic hunger are plagued with recurring illnesses, developmental disabilities, and low productivity. They are often forced to use all their limited physical and financial resources just to put food on the table....

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم BEYOND YOUR MIGHT . الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إزَالَةُ الرَّوَاسِي أسْهَلُ مِنْ تَأْلِيفِ القُلُوبِ المُتَنَافِرَةِ “Moving mountains is easier than bringing hostile hearts together.” Imam Ali (a) (Bihar Al-Anwar V. 78) This saying is addressing the magnetic nature of the heart. Just like everything else, a human heart has its own magnetic field which is much stronger than that of the brain. The magnetic field produced by the heart is more than 100 times greater in strength than the field generated by the brain and can be detected up to 3 feet away from the body. The heart's magnetic field, which is the strongest rhythmic field produced by the human body, not only envelops every cell of the body but also extends out in all directions into the space around us. No wonder our thoughts and emotions affect the heart’s magnetic field, which energetically affects those in our environment whether or not we are conscious of it. This a...

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم SILENCE .الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) : رُبَّ كلامٍ جَوابُهُ السُّكوتُ “Many a speech is answered by silence.” Imam Ali (a) (Ghurar Al-Hikam) Sometimes we feel exhausted, done with everything, and everyone. Sometimes we intuitively know that being strategically silent is much better than revealing our thoughts about the situation we’re in. There is no doubt in the significance of expressing your ideas and emotions through your words. But, suppressing them when needed saves you from unnecessary trouble. One cannot get along with other human beings or resolve conflicts without suppressing what s/he strongly urges to say. Words have the ability to intensify the existing tension to a whole new degree. Silence allows us to take our time and stops us from giving an impulsive reaction. On the other hand, those pointless dramas are not even worth your energy and attention. Responding to such affairs makes you sound as stupid as the per...

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم ENMITY IN MY TEA Ever thought the food that you take in can turn your o wn body against you? Here, take a look: .الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): بَطنُ المَرءِ عَدوُّه “Man’s stomach is his enemy.” Imam Ali (a) (Ghurar Al-Hikam) Meanings of the Arabic words: بطن: (noun) stomach المرء: (noun) man, person عدو: (noun) enemy ه : (noun) his/her @divinefourteen #SensibleSunday If we take a look at this hadith from a literal point of view, it is mainly discussing how much negatively can excessive eating impact us. Giving our body required nutrients is our body’s right on our neck, but if we keep on feeding ourselves, even when not required, we shall have to face the consequences… Often, the craving is for foods high in sugar and fats, which can make maintaining a healthy diet difficult. Food cravings are caused by the regions of the brain that are responsible for memory, pleasure, and reward. An imbalan...