Don't Be Sad: Happiness Every Day

IN THE NAME OF

Allah

THE ALL-COMPASSIONATE, ALL-MERCIFUL

Don't Be Sad

Happiness Every Day

www.al-Qarni.com

Table of contents

* Chapter 1: About this Book

* Chapter 2: Introduction

* Chapter 3: O'Allāh, Seek me by Your Mercy!

* Chapter 4: Thanking God for His Blessings

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the Publisher.

Chapter 1: About this Book

All praise, gratitude and thanks are to Allah (God), the Master of the Universe and of Every Heart. All prayers and blessings are upon His Messenger, his family, friends, and followers.

This book is not only for Muslims; rather, it is suitable for all readers. While writing it, the author took into consideration feelings and emotions that are common to all people. This book is an earnest invitation to your happiness and success.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him said, Whoever follows a path to seek knowledge, Allah (God) will make the path to Jannah (Paradise) easy for them.

This book brings glad tidings and hope to anyone who feels distressed, depressed, and burdened with grief, sorrow, and worries. It invites everyone to expect a way out and to look forward to ease after hardship. Allah, Glory be to Him, the Exalted, said this twice consecutively, with difficulty comes ease. For indeed, with hardship will be ease.

It is a promise from Allah (God), and is therefore a certainty. However, Allah, the most Merciful and the most Beneficent, did not put a time period on the difficulty. It may be an hour or it may last the entire lifetime. Whatever it is, the relief will be greater. So do not despair. Be optimistic, for God is with you always.

Worship God as if you see Him, for if you don’t see Him, He sees you. If He has written for you happiness, no one can steal that from you, and if He has written for your heart to break, then no-one can mend it but He, so always put your trust in He.

And whatever has befallen you was not meant to escape you, and whatever has escaped you was not meant to befall you.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, when pondering upon Allah’s blessings upon us, we realize how numerous they are and how undeserving we are of these blessings. Shedding tears out of remembrance of Allah is not something that anyone can do, which is why it is one of the characteristics required to achieve Allah’s love. This action can only happen if you really know Allah and understand His blessings upon you, as well as what He is capable of doing. Allah actually mandates our gratitude because He knows how being grateful affects the heart. Expressing thanks to Him helps us be aware of His presence and helps us replace anxiety with peace and joy. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, if a person is afraid or feels hopeless and helpless, say:

O'Allah, I'am your slave, the son of your slave and the son of your maid-slave. Your command over me is forever executed and Your decree over me is just. I ask you by every Name belonging to You, which You have Named Yourself with, or revealed in Your Holy Books, or You taught to any of Your creation, or You have preserved in the knowledge of the unseen with You, relieve my tired heart and soul with the strength of faith. I seek refuge in You from being afraid of anyone but You, from depending upon anyone but in You, from putting my life and trust in anyone but in You, and from worshiping or invoking anyone but You.

This book is about finding personal happiness. The authors shine a light on why happiness is so elusive for many of us and shows you where to find your greatest joy. We all want to be happy, but in the haste of our busy lives we often forget that happiness is not a destination, but a state of mind that lies outside the comfort zone.

Christopher Columbus said: You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.

This beautiful quote represents our attitude to risk and to fear in life. The shore represents our comfort zone, an area that we are aware of and feel safe. Beyond the the shore is a new world that demands exploration. We will never be able to cross the ocean unless we have the courage to lose sight of the shore, our safety net. Beyond our comfort zone is a world of unknown that is beyond our imagination that fuels our imaginative spirit and courage. We are living our lives not questioning our thoughts, deeds and words. We often pretend that we cannot affect the course and quality of our life. But deep down we know that the truth is exactly the opposite: we are all creators of our own happiness. Happiness takes courage, patience, and lots of hard work.

Ibn Kathir wrote the original versions of this book, then Dr. al-Qarni summarized it further and added his invaluable comments. This book was written for anyone who is living through pain and grief or who has been afflicted with a hardship that results in sadness and restless nights. For the cure, the authors have filled the pages of this book with stories and prescriptions from the Prophet, God's Book, poetry, poignant anecdotes, parables, and other true stories.

{Whoever obeys God and His Messenger - those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions.}

Know that the happiness of everything, its serenity, its pleasure, indeed the pleasure of everything accords with the needs of its nature. The nature of every single thing accords with what it has been created for. The ears delight in hearing harmonious sounds, and the eyes delight in seeing pretty pictures, and every limb can be described like this. The heart’s distinctive delight is in the knowledge of God, the Almighty, the Most High, the possessor of heaven and earth, because the heart is created from it, divine knowledge.

This book says the following: Rejoice and be happy; remain positive and at peace. Indeed it says this as well: Live life as it should be lived,wholesomely, happily, and productively. This book diagnoses the mistakes we make that go against the intrinsic logic that we, as human beings, have been endowed with, but which we often tend to forget when we do not follow correct guidance, whether those mistakes are in our thinking or in our dealings. And Allah's Book is always there as a guidance for those conscious of Allah.

Allah the Almighty said: I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I will mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I will mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm's length, I will draw near to him a cubit, and if he draws near to Me a cubit, I will draw near to him a fathom. And if he comes to Me walking, I will go to him at speed.

Another possible rendering of the Arabic is: I am as My servant expects Me to be. The meaning is that forgiveness and acceptance of repentance is subject to His servant truly believing that He is forgiving and merciful always. However, not to accompany such belief with right action would be to mock the Lord of the Universe and Sustainer of all that exists. It was related by al-Buhkari and at-Tirmidhi.

This book forbids you from persisting in ways that conflict with the realities of life and with what Allah has preordained. Know that even if a person is pricked by a tiny thorn, a pain which often lasts but a few seconds, then this pain too leads to the forgiveness of sins and happiness.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: There was amongst those before you a man who had a wound. He was in such pain and anguish that he took a knife and made with it a cut in his arm, and the blood did not cease to flow till he died. Allah the Almighty said: My servant has himself forestalled Me, so I have forbidden him Paradise.

Allah said: If My servant likes to meet Me, then I like to meet him; and if he dislikes to meet Me, then I dislike to meet him. The Prophet's explanation of this: He who likes to meet Allah, then Allah likes to meet him; and he who dislikes to meet Allah, then Allah dislikes to meet him. Aishah, the Prophet's wife, (may Allah be pleased with her) said: O'Prophet of Allah, is it because of the dislike of death, for all of us dislike death? The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: It is not so, but rather it is that when the believer is given news of Allah's mercy, His approval and His Paradise, he likes to meet Allah and so Allah likes to meet him, but when the unbeliever is given news of Allah's punishment and His displeasure, he dislikes to meet Allah and so Allah dislikes to meet him. It was related by al-Bukhari and Malik. The Prophet's version is related by Muslim.

There are some important issues regarding this book that we now want to clarify:

1. A reminder of God’s mercy and forgiveness, sincere faith in Him, belief in preordainment and decree, a life that is lived within the boundaries of today, and a reminder of God’s countless favors; these are some of the more important themes of this book.

2. With its cures and ideas, this book strives to help banish worry, sadness, grief, hopelessness, and sense of failure.

3. We gleaned whatever we found to be pertinent to the topic of the book from these sources: Verses from God's Book, sayings of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, stories, parables, poems, and sayings of the wise. This book is no mere sermon, idle exercise in thought, or invitation to a political ideology. Rather, this book is an earnest invitation to your happiness and success.

4. This book is not only for Muslims; rather, it is suitable for all readers. While writing it, we took into consideration feelings and emotions that are common to everyone. Nevertheless, we wrote it based on the true religion, whether or not we deviate from it, that is intrinsic to us all.

5. You will find sayings of Eastern and Western writers and philosophers. We do not think we should be held blameworthy because of that, for wisdom is the goal of every believer; wherever one finds it, one is most deserving of it.

6. We did not add any footnotes to the book, thus making it easier for the reader to peruse without interruption. The source of a quote is mentioned within the text of the book.

7. Imitating those before us, scholars and writers from centuries ago, we did not mention page or volume numbers of sources, deeming this approach to be more beneficial for this particular book. Sometimes we often directly quoted a passage, and other times we summarized its main idea.

8. We varied the content, inserting topics that might not be directly related to the ones before or after them. And we moved quickly from one topic to another, sometimes returning to a previous topic in order to make the perusal of this book more enjoyable.

9. We often did not mention the numbers of verses. If a story or hadith is weak, we indicated that. If it is authentic or reliable, we either pointed that out or said nothing. All this has been done for the purpose of conciseness.

10. The reader will notice that some meanings and topics are repeated, though in varying style, throughout the book. This we have done on purpose, so that a given meaning may attach itself to the reader’s mind through repetition. Whoever reflects on how recurring themes are found in the Quran should appreciate the benefits of following this methodology.

These are ten points to keep in mind while you are reading this book. We do hope, though, that you will be just in your judgment and that your bias will be towards true and correct knowledge. This book is not written for a specific group of people; rather, it is for anyone who wants to live a happy life.

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: The gates of Paradise will be opened on Mondays and Thursdays, and every servant of Allah who associates nothing with Him will be forgiven, except for the man who has a grudge against his brother or sister. About them it will be said: Delay these two until they are reconciled. It was related by Muslim, Malik and Abu Dawud.

A man said: By Allah, Allah will never forgive So-and-so. At this Allah the Almighty replied: Who is he who swears by My name that I will not forgive So-and-so? Verily I have forgiven So-and-so and have nullified your own good deeds.

A similar Hadith, indicates that the person referred to was a goldly man whose previous good deeds were brought to nought through presuming to declare that Allah would not forgive someone's bad deeds. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him said: man sinned greatly against himself, and when death came to him he said to his sons: When I die, burn me, crush my bones, and scatter my ashes into the sea, for, by Allah, if my Lord takes possession of me, He will punish me in a manner in which He has punished no one else. So they did that to him.

Then the Lord of the Universe said to the earth: Produce what you have taken-and there he was! And He said to him: What caused you to do what you did? He replied: Being afraid of You. And because of this God forgave him.

A sin will often lead to feelings of guilt and shame, unhappiness, depression, sorrow, and even physical problems. A sinner will find darkness in their heart, which he or she will feel just as he feels the darkness of night. So this darkness affects their soul and even their heart as the physical darkness affects the vision. For obedience is light, and sin (disobedience) is darkness. The stronger the darkness grows, the greater the confusion, until the person falls into innovation, misguidance, and other things that lead to unhappiness and doom, without even realizing, like a blind person who goes out in the darkness of the night, walking alone, confused, and lost. This darkness grows stronger until it covers the heart and their eyes, then it grows stronger until it covers their face, which appears dark, dim, and is seen by everyone. Good deeds make the face light, bright, give light to the soul and heart, and bring about ample and abundant provision, physical strength, and love in people’s hearts. Bad deeds give darkness to the heart. It is spiritual blindness and void of light. So the consequence of ignoring or modifying the commandments is a loss of light. Less light means more darkness. More darkness means it is much harder to see. That is spiritual blindness. The more we live like God has instructed us to live, the more light and truth we will have.

A servant of Allah's committed a sin and said: O'Allah, please forgive me. And He, glorified and exalted be He, said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me. And He, glorified and exalted be He, said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me. And He, glorified and exalted be He, said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for sins. Do what you wish, for I have forgiven you. It was related by Muslim.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Allah the Almighty said: O'Son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O'Son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O'Son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said that Allah the Almighty said: There are 3 types of men whose adversary I shall be on the Day of Resurrection: (#1) A man who has given his word by Me and has broken it. (#2) A man who has sold a free man, a man who has made a slave of another and has sold him, and has consumed the price. (#3) A man who has hired a workman, has exacted his due in full from him and has not given him his wage. It was related by al-Bukhari.

Everything in our lives that God had decided for us is perfect and balanced. Allah, the most Merciful, the most Beneficent, knows the wisdom behind why we are tested often with adversity and hardships. As believers, and especially when we become more knowledgeable about God we begin to understand that whatever Allah had chosen for us is the best. We recognize that everything in life, good or bad, displeasing or pleasing, is a test.

{He who created death and life to test you as to which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the most Forgiving.}

Never lose hope because of adversity. There is something deeply profound about how the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to speak about his circumstances. And often there is a connection between how we think about things and how we speak about things. When we speak in a negative or defeatist manner, then our circumstances will almost always follow, even if they are beautiful. And that is why you could have two people with the same and exact set of circumstances, but one of them, if you ask him how he is doing, he will praise the good, however, the other person will speak to you as if they have the worst life and the most difficult one. Prophet Ibrahim, peace and blessings be upon him, when he visited his son Ismail, peace be upon him, in Mecca, he visited him twice. The first time Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, visited, he saw the wife of Ismail. He asked her how she was doing, but all she pointed to were the hardships that they were facing. And then he comes back later on, and finds that Ismail, peace be upon him, has married a more righteous wife in her place, and asks about her circumstances. She praises everything that they have, even though it is the same and exact set of circumstances. So it is not about the circumstances, but it is about how one is experiencing those circumstances, and then speaking about those circumstances.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Let not any one of you belittle himself or speak in a negative manner. They said: O'Messenger of Allah, how can anyone belittle himself? Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him said: He finds a matter concerning Allah about which he should say something, and he does not say it, so Allah, Mighty and Sublime be He, says to him on the Day of Resurrection: What prevented you from saying something about such-and-such and such-and-such? He say: It was out of fear of people. Then He says: Rather it is I whom you should more properly fear. It was related by Ibn Majah.

Allah will say on the Day of Resurrection: Where are those who love one another through My glory? Today I shall give them shade in My shade, it being a day when there is no shade but My shade. It was related by al-Bukhari and by Malik.

Allah's love is exceptional and extraordinarily full of hope and fear. It is no different than when you love someone secretly. You keep thinking about them and suffering because that person does not know that you love them. However, with Allah it is exceptionally different, because you get equal and even more than the love you give Him. Do the following to sustain the grace of God and His love:

1. Look around you and count all the blessings that Allah has given you: e.g. you were gifted a beautiful family while others are homeless and hungry and roam about on-street without families. There are other things you have that others do not, reflect on them, and thank Him and be grateful.

2. Take the time to increase your knowledge of your Creator. Repent. Embrace a high view of God and the Scriptures. Most often when you love someone so deeply it is because you took the time to know something about them. Love at first site exists, but you cannot truly love a total stranger without knowing something about them. So learn and get to know your Creator even more. Recite and reflect over the verses of His Book. His beautiful words are a healing for the illnesses of the heart and the tired soul. The more we strengthen our relationship with the Him the more we get closer to Him.

3. Increase the remembrance of Allah, devote yourself to Him through acts of worship, such as prayers, supplications, reading His Book, and seeking knowledge about Him.

4. It can be said that God is our best friend; One whom we can turn to at any time, and One who is always there for us when we are happy or sad. Allah has mercy and loves to forgive. So be in the company of those who love Him, learn from them, then their love for God will have an effect on you because it is so easy to get influenced by friends, family, and loved ones.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: If Allah loves a servant of His, He calls Gabriel and says: I love So-and-so, therefore love him. So Gabriel loves him. Then Gabriel calls out in heaven, saying: Allah loves So-and-so, therefore love him. And the inhabitants of heaven love him. Then acceptance is established for him on earth. And if Allah has abhorred a servant of His, He calls Gabriel and says: I abhor So-and-so, therefore abhor him. So Gabriel abhors him. Then Gabriel calls out to the inhabitants of heaven: Allah abhors So-and-so, therefore abhor him. So they abhor him, and abhorrence is established for him on earth. It was related by Muslim.

Sadness over the past and fear of what tomorrow could bring are two common feelings and emotions that do not necessarily contradict faith. They are part of us and are built into us, but must be kept in check by knowing that Our Lord does not burden the soul and heart more than they can bear. We must trust that He has a perfect and precise plan for us. However, the emotions are still there and do exist. We are endlessly sailing towards stations of happiness, but even when we arrive at such stations, there are always memories and feelings of fears and sadness of future worries quietly burning within our heart. Our lives in this life will never be free from sadness or fear, but God says:

Fear not, for I am with you. I will strengthen you, I will help you, and I will uphold you until the mountains crumble to the sea.

Our Creator describes Paradise as being a place where His believers will never grieve nor fear. From the start of our existence, our creation, these emotional rewards of paradise have been there. When Adam and Eve were thrust out from paradise, Our Lord said: Get down all of you from this place (Paradise), then whenever there comes to you Guidance from Me, and whoever follows My Guidance, there shall be no fear on them, nor shall they grieve.

Our Lord mentions this reward for His believers of no fear and no grief over fifty times in His Book - Those who believe, and do deeds of righteousness, and establish regular prayers and regular charity, will have their reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

That is the Majesty of Our Lord in that all His rewards and gifts, as beyond our imaginations and knowledge as they are, coincide with our every possible desire and need. Many of us desire, more than anything else, to have our tears wiped away by God, to not have to grieve any more, and to not have to fear any more.

And when His believers enter paradise, they will say:

All praise is due to Allah, Who has made grief to depart from us; most surely our Lord is Forgiving, Multiplier of rewards – Who, out of His Grace, has lodged us in a home that will last forever; there, toil will touch us not, nor weariness will touch us."

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him said: When Allah created Hellfire and Paradise, He sent Gabriel to Paradise, saying: Look at it and at what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants. Gabriel returned to His Lord and said: By your glory, no one hears of it without entering it. So He ordered that it be encompassed by forms of hardship, and He said: Return to it and look at what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants. So he returned to it and found that it was encompassed by forms of hardship. Then he returned to His Lord and said: By Your glory, I fear that no one will enter it. He said: Go to Hellfire and look at it and what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants, and he found that it was in layers, one above the other. Then he returned to His Lord and said: By Your glory, no one who hears of it will enter it. So He ordered that it be encompassed by lusts. Then He said: Return to it. And he returned to it and said: By Your glory, I am afraid that no one will escape from entering it. It was related by Tirmidhi.

The Prophet peace and blessings be upon him, said: Paradise and the Hellfire disputed together, and the Hellfire said: In me are the mighty and the haughty. Paradise said: In me are the poor and the weak. So Allah judged between them and said: You are Paradise, My mercy; through you I show mercy to those I wish. And you are Hellfire, My punishment; through you I will punish those I wish, and it is incumbent upon Me that each of you shall have its fill. It was related by Muslim and al-Bukhari.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Allah will say to the inhabitants of Paradise: O'inhabitants of Paradise! They will say: Our Lord, we present ourselves and are at Your pleasure, and goodness rests in Your hands. Then the Lord will say: Are you happy and contented? And they will say: And how should we not be contented when You have given to us that which You have given to no one else of Your creation? Then the Lord will say: Would you not like Me to give you something more and better than that? And they will say: Our Lord what thing is better than what you have given? And the Lord will say: I shall cause My love to descend upon you and thereafter shall never be displeased with you. It was related by Muslim, al-Bukhari, and at-Tirmidhi.

Chapter 2: Introduction

All praise is for God, the Lord of the Universe; The Most Compassionate to all, The Especially Compassionate to believers; The King of kings; The King of the Day of Judgment. You Alone we worship, You Alone we ask for help; guide us to the straight path; the path of those You have bestowed with favors — not of those who earned Your Punishment and Anger or those who went astray. May He send peace and blessings on His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, on his family, and on his friends.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him said: "When Allah decreed the Creation He pledged Himself by writing in His book: My mercy will always prevail over my wrath. It was related by Muslim, al-Bukhari, and an-Nasa'i.M

To be happy, content and at peace is not only the goal of God's revelation, it is also, naturally, fundamental to human nature. By Divine Will, we are hardwired to seek happiness and fulfillment in our lives. It is in our genetic structure, and our very DNA propels us to pursue what is typically the often elusive state of happiness. In seeking happiness, the fundamental error we often make is that we always seek satisfaction in the wrong places. Instead of looking within to what truly provides satisfaction, happiness and contentment, modern materialism has misled us into thinking and believing that happiness, security and safety are to be found in the material world, in things and in worldly wealth and extrinsic attainment.

The material things which ye are given are but the conveniences of this life and the glitter thereof; but that which is with Allah is better and more enduring. Happiness is not something that can be achieved through social status or material possessions. Happiness is a state of mind that we create within ourselves by focusing on gratitude and contentment, and fostering authentic connections with others.

To learn how to make God happy, to learn how to be happy, learn to tune in to the perfection of the present moment, here and now. Remember, there are no ordinary moments. But each moment is a willful act of creation by Our Lord. Each moment is a divine miracle willfully created by God. And so, not any single breath should to be taken for granted at all, or to be allowed to pass without gratitude.

{God says: remember Me, and I will remember you. Give thanks to Me, and reject not faith.}

The most meritorious and beneficial of all actions is to fill each minute with remembrance, with consciousness, presence, awareness and gratitude. This then is the only path to enlightenment, to awakening from the transitory world of form and temporal illusion. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of God hearts are assured, at peace, and at rest.

Happiness is attained by three things: (1) Being patient when tested, (2) Being thankful when receiving a blessing, and (3) Being repentant upon sinning. So happiness is essentially attained by being pleased, and at peace and surrendered to Divine Will as it manifests in this moment.

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How to Make God Happy

My Lord, never leave me in the hands of my ego or self for even a blink of an eye.

The true path of happiness is the path of selflessness. Most all suffering results from selfishness, from self, from a psychological position in which me and my needs and wants are the most important. One of the most prime examples of selfishness in the Holy Quran and Bible is the story of Cain and Abel. Cain, driven by jealousy and self-interest, murdered his brother Abel because God favored Abel. The selfish soul of Cain led him to the murder of his brother: he murdered him, and became himself one of the lost ones.

True happiness is in providing happiness and love to others. Love is but Unity, for in love, we transcend separation, and come to know Allah in the only way possible for a human being, through the light of Allah in the heart and soul of another. And let not those of virtue among you and wealth swear not to give aid to their relatives and the needy and the emigrants for the cause of Allah , and let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

It is precisely for this reason that Allah sent human prophets, messengers, and enlightened teachers in their lineage, so that the rest of us can come to know our Creator in truth. Certainly did Allah confer great favor upon the believers when He sent among them Messengers from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error.

Allah says, Neither the heavens nor the earth can contain Me, save the heart of a believer. So that is telling the ego, the self, You are not ilaah (gods). Everyone has taken their desires as their god. Those are the ones of whom Allah knows what is in their hearts, so turn away from them but admonish them and speak to them a far-reaching word.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, led the morning prayer following rainfall during the night. When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, finished, he faced the people and said to them: Do you know what Allah has said? He said: This morning one of my servants became a believer in Me and one a disbeliever. As for him who said: We have been given rain by virtue of Allah and His mercy, that one is a believer in Me. However, the disbeliever said: We have been given rain by such-and-such star. The pre-Islamic Arabs believed that rain was brought about by the movement of stars. This story draws attention to the fact that whatever be the direct cause of such natural phenomena as rain, it is Allah the Almighty who is the Disposer of all things. It was related by al-Bukhari.

We must remember that God, the Creator of all things, the Eternal Lord of all creation, is utterly independent of any need whatsoever, and that all of our devotion and acts of piety in reality do nothing for Him. Worship was prescribed purely for our benefit.

O'mankind, you are those in need of Allah, while Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy.

Yet what is greater than seeking that which is for our benefit? And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive to God. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Our Lord delights at a shepherd who, on the peak of a mountain, gives the call to prayer and prays. Then Allah, glorified and exalted be He, says: Look at this servant of Mine, he sings the call to prayer and performs the prayers; he is in awe of Me. I have forgiven My servant's sins, and I have given him Paradise. It was related by an-Nasa'i.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: The first of his actions for which a servant of Allah will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayers. If the prayers are in order, then he will have prospered and succeeded: and if the prayers are wanting, then he will have failed and lost. If there is something defective in his obligatory prayers, Allah, glorified and exalted be He, will say: See if he has any supererogatory prayers with which may be completed that which was defective in his obligatory prayers. Then the rest of his actions will be judged in like fashion. It