'for the rest of your life'

Someone said that to me, that I should be happy for the rest of my life. 'The rest of my life' does not seem like it's that long. Doesn't sound like a strong enough excuse, to forsake what I have held for half my worldly life. I think perhaps I should struggle a bit more, and enjoy the fruits of my struggle in the Afterlife. May Allaah guide me/us to what is best for this world and the Hereafter.

Forgiveness

I try to forgive others cause Islam promotes forgiveness so very often, in hadith and in the Quran ... but if you forgive that is better for you.

It is better for you, because it truly is good for your mental and physical health.   I think that it is a requirement to achieve a 'sound heart'.

However, I have just realised that though I try to forgive others - those 'others' are often those people who are not constantly in my life.  It's easier, cause I don't face them every day.

What I've forgotten and what is tougher, is trying to forgive those people near to me, my spouse, my parents, my children - to forgive them every day, every night.

I will forgive them, and I will forgive them every day. I will also seek forgiveness from God for myself, and I will forgive myself everyday. InsyaaAllaah.

Buying Time

We buy time all the time, literally. 

When you pay for the cab fare or even for the train, you are buying time. 

When you pay for that food from the restaurant, you are buying time. 

When you purchase softwares, you are buying time. 

All these products and services, allows you to achieve your needs and wants, in a much lesser time, than if you were to do it without them. if there is no cab or buses or trains, you'd walk to work, and that would take half a day to a day - that's time.  Same goes for food, if you were to buy the ingredients and cook it yourself, that means also another half a day perhaps.  Softwares help you achieve your tasks and sharing them in a much lesser time that before they exists.

So what we're actually buying is TIME.

How about selling TIME for a change.  How can we sell time?

May Allaah show us and give us barakah. 

“By time, indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.” [Man's translation of the Quran, 103: 1-3]

Transcedent law or Law determined by positivism

Extracted from the book "Moral Vision & Social Critique" by Prof. Syed Hussein Alatas (1928-2007)
From the essay The Regeneration of Islamic Society written in 1954.  MasyaaAllaah he was only 26 years old then.

Quoting John H Hallowell :

"When law is viewed from the standpoint of positivism, true law appears to be not that which is secured transcendently but rather, simply and purely a product of the strongest will within the community.  Whether the will be that of the numerical majority or the numerical minority, positive law appears to be the only 'real' law since it is the only law that can be empirically experienced.

It cannot be a product of reason but only a product of will.  It cannot embody truths and values transcending individuals but only desire and interest peculiar to a particular individual living at a certain time ad a certain place."




Self note : God's law transcends community and time, and applies to all.  The All-Knowing, the Master Planner.   May Allah guide us all.

A sudden death game

Alhamdulillaah, when we left after the game event, I could go back to the office to get some things done, I could get the car that was parked near my office. I could attend class after that, and then meet my children and husband. I could return home, and lie on my bed. this morning, I'm having breakfast with my family and friends.

But not for Daniel.

He didn't know he'd leave this world at the game. He could not go back to office to clear his desk, or get his car, or return home and lie on his bed, or say goodbye to his family.

Last night I looked at my stuff in my room. And I thought about the stuff on my office desk. (Daniel will not be able to finish the project we were discussing). I should get rid of some things. I should leave behind things that would benefit others, insyaaAllaah.

Everyone knows death can come anytime, but it's not something that's on our minds often. Then something like this happens, like a slap of reminder to you. May God guide us all.