Ahh...it's sweet September! If it's your birthday month [it's mine] let's say: 'Don't grow old. Just grow you!' That I quote from another sweet girlfriend of mine.
How to 'grow you'? Let the past makes us better and not bitter. We all get sick every now and then. When we are down, we know the bitter pills of life just need to be swallowed before we can get better.
As we traverse this rugged path, we are bound to meet people who are bitter towards us or we might even be the cause of someone's bitterness. It's inevitable because we are all unique and His decree for each one of us is undoubtedly unique as well. At the end of the day, we all know this life is a test, it's temporal, so why sulk too long? [Heh heh...now I can laugh.] Or why complicate matters? [Now she's talking, you might say.]
Yes, when we are at it, in the middle of a crisis, it's too dark and tangled, of course. But when the chest begins to expand again, and rationality sets in, we can even laugh about it. I am sure you have experienced that too. Detachment from people - sweet, bitter or bitter sweet people and circumstances of the same nature, can bring about real freedom and independence.
By the way, happy belated Independence Day to all Malaysians!
What book are you reading now? I am still reading Hamza Yusuf's 'Purification of the Heart' a book in which he translates and elaborates the poems and teachings of Imam al-Mawlud's Matharat al-Qulub. This is an excerpt from a chapter on hatred.
"Hatred or strong dislike of a person for no legitimate reason is the disease of bughd. The Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam once said to his Companions, 'Do you want to see a man of paradise?' A man then passed by and the Prophet said, 'That man is of the people of Paradise.' One of Companion of the Prophet wanted to find out what it was about this man that earned him such a commendation from the Messenger of God, so he decided to spend some time with this man and observe him closely. He noticed that this man did not perform the night prayer vigil (tahajjud) or do anything extraordinary. He appeared to be an average man of Medina. The Companion finally told the man what the Prophet had said about him and asked if he did anything special. The man replied, 'The only thing I can think of, other than what everybody else does, is that I make sure that I never sleep with any rancor in my heart towards another.' That was his secret."
"The cure for hatred is straightforward. One should pray for the person toward whom he feels hatred, making specific supplications that mention this person by name, asking God to give this person good things in this life and the next. When one does this with sincerity, hearts mend. If one truly wants to purify his or her heart and root out disease, there must be total sincerity in carrying out the treatments and conviction that these cures are effective."
"Arguably, the disease of hatred is one of the most devastating forces in the world. But the force that is infinitely more powerful is love. Love is an attribute of God; hate is not. A name of God mentioned in the Quran is al-Wadud, the Loving One. Hate is the absence of love and only through love can hatred be removed from the heart."
So people, let's not sleep with any rancor in our heart. And if our "enemies" happen to read this, people who hate us for whatever reasons, hope they will send us some prayers instead :)
Peace! No hatred!
p/s To all who eagerly wait for my ramblings, thank you. I love it that you look out for me. I love you too :)
Credit: Shaykh Hamza Yusuf & Sandala
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