Not yet have other nations seenWhat thou art truly worth;The realm of being has need of theeFor perfecting this earth.If aught yet keeps this world alive,‘Tis thine impetuous zeal,And thou shalt rise its ruling starAnd thou shalt shape its weal.This is no time for idle restMuch yet remains undone:The lamp [...]
I WAS once asked by a friend how it is that I have mothers in different countries and sisters all over the world. The weird part is that they don't know each other and they only have one thing in common: me. "Explain to me," she told me one day.
HOW often do you thank Allah (blessed and exalted is He) for the most mundane things? I even thank Him for toilet paper. Raised as a hillbilly, I used corncobs till I was nearly grown. I am also delighted to have indoor plumbing. I think it’s nice to be able to go to the bathroom without having to cross the cornfield –especially in three feet of snow.
AS I was growing up, I was always fascinated by Uncle Ali's beard. It wasn't a very long beard. It wasn't bushy or bristly like an old hair brush. It didn't stick out like the quills of a porcupine. Uncle Ali was a strong, short man with a round face and red, curly hair. His beard was also curly, and it glowed a lustrous red.
ONE night Khalif Haaroon Ar-Rashid of Baghdad was quite restless, and said to his vizier (Secretary or Minister), Jaafar Ibn Yahya al-Barmaki: "I cannot sleep this night. I feel depressed, and do not know what to do." His servant Masrur, who happened to be standing nearby, burst out laughing at these words, and the Khalif asked:
Abbad ibn Shurahbil was a very poor man who lived during the time of Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings upon him). One day Abbad was walking under the hot sun. He saw a lovely garden of date palm trees.
THIS conversion story is based on a hadeeth recorded by Bukhari (Book 56, Hadeeth 725). The story was told by Abu Jamra, who heard it from Ibn Abbas.
WHEN someone had bad manners, Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings upon him) still treated the person with respect and kindness. He believed that being nice to everyone, even a rude person, was a good way to make the world better.
KLYDE was an old camel who had worked hard for many years. He had been faithful in carrying heavy packages for his owner Bar Barak. Klyde was standing under the blazing sun of a scorching day. The camel’s reins were tightly tied to a post. Bar Barak had forgotten to leave any water or grain for Klyde. Besides being thirsty and hungry, Klyde was beginning to feel uneasy.
