Quote

[Guest]

I have observed in the Western world a deeply changing pattern of human relations. The anchors of moral behaviour appear to have dragged to such depths that they no longer hold firm the ship of life. What was once wrong is now simply unconventional, and for the sake of individual freedom must be tolerated. What is tolerated soon becomes accepted. Contrarily, what was once right is now viewed as outdated, old-fashioned and is often the target of ridicule.

Hazar Imam.

[Guest]

We are what we think.


- Buddha (BC)

[Guest]

"Imam can not try to shun natural and fateful sufferings of humans.
If Imam does that then the next world will be here….A person should
not be disappointed from natural sufferings from this world, but he
should be grateful because such natural sufferings clean your sins ,
and the soul gets freedom from sins."


( ISMS, Daressalam, 11-7-1945)

[Guest]

Thoughts

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.”

-Buddha (563 – 483 B.C.)

[Guest]

When one door closes another opens. But often we look so long so regretfully upon the closed door that we fail to see the one that has opened for us.


Alexander Graham Bell

[Guest]

Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it. Let me not look for allies in life’s battlefield but to my own strength. Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved but hope for the patience to win my freedom. Grant me that I may not be a coward, feeling your mercy in my success alone; But let me find the grasp of your hand in my failure. — Rabindranath Tagore

[Guest]

An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.


- Buddha

[Guest]

What Happiness Is

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get
married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated
that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content
when they are. After that we're frustrated that we have
teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they
are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will
be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together,
when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation,
when we retire.

The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right
now.

If not now, when?

Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to
admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of
my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D Souza. He said, "For a
long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin -
real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way,
something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business,
time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would
begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my
life".

This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to
happiness.

Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have.
And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special,
special enough to spend your time and remember that time waits
for no one

So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to
school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds,
until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until
you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until
you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning,
until you get a new car or home, until home is paid off, until
spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are
off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes
on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you
die, until you are born again to decide that there is no better
time than right now to be happy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Work like you don't
need money, Love like you've never been hurt, And dance like no
one's watching.


Unknown

[Guest]

"Most people fail in life because they major in minor things."

Tony Robbins

[Guest]

"Goals give you more than a reason to get up in the morning; they are an incentive to keep you going all day. Goals tend to tap the deeper resources and draw the best out of life."

Harvey Mackay

[Guest]

The Gift

God gave me a wonderful gift
It came while I was not expecting it
It brought me so much joy
It had to be forever

The gift had laughter and smiles
It warmed my very being
My spirit was lifted
It had to be forever

The gift had compassion and caring
It allowed me to share and to grow
My soul soared like an eagle
It had to be forever

The gift had such passion and desire
More powerful than anything I've ever known
My body was tingling
It had to be forever

The gift had love and warmth
It took my breath away
My heart swelled with emotion
It had to be forever

The gift had sorrow and longing
I ached to see you again
My heart moaned
It had to be forever

The gift had friendship and understanding
It was pure and good
My whole being rejoiced
It had to be forever

This morning when I awoke
I thought about this gift
My mind raced
It will be forever


Unknown

[Guest]

The Gift

God gave me a wonderful gift
It came while I was not expecting it
It brought me so much joy
It had to be forever

The gift had laughter and smiles
It warmed my very being
My spirit was lifted
It had to be forever

The gift had compassion and caring
It allowed me to share and to grow
My soul soared like an eagle
It had to be forever

The gift had such passion and desire
More powerful than anything I've ever known
My body was tingling
It had to be forever

The gift had love and warmth
It took my breath away
My heart swelled with emotion
It had to be forever

The gift had sorrow and longing
I ached to see you again
My heart moaned
It had to be forever

The gift had friendship and understanding
It was pure and good
My whole being rejoiced
It had to be forever

This morning when I awoke
I thought about this gift
My mind raced
It will be forever


Unknown

[Guest]

Our religion is our religion, you either believe in it or you do not. You can leave a faith but you cannot, if you do not accept its tenets, remain within it and claim to "reform" it.


-- Aga Khan III

[Betty]

"To change the world takes time;

to change yourself takes courage."


R.S. Lowel

[Betty]

When you leave this earth physically, you cannot take your shop with you, you cannot take your industry with you, you cannot take your money with you, you cannot take your clothes with you; the only part of you which is eternal is your soul. Never forget this.


Imam of the Time

[Guest]

Beware of anger, which begins from madness, and ends with repentence.

-- Hazrat Ali

[Betty]

…..learn how to serve, to serve voluntarily, to serve with your hearts, with your time, with your thoughts, with your knowledge, with your wisdom. Free time from a doctor to a patient, who cannot pay, is immensely important. Free advice to an individual, who is seeking economic improvement, but doesn’t know how to achieve it, by a qualified economist, is enormously important. : be generous with your time, be generous with your knowledge, that is a resource that all the Jamat should benefit from, because that is the meaning of brotherhood.


Ameen


Well done and keep it up Kmaherali and the others who are sharing their knowledge with us and may Mowla bless them and their families.

Betty

[kmaherali]

…..learn how to serve, to serve voluntarily, to serve with your hearts, with your time, with your thoughts, with your knowledge, with your wisdom. Free time from a doctor to a patient, who cannot pay, is immensely important. Free advice to an individual, who is seeking economic improvement, but doesn’t know how to achieve it, by a qualified economist, is enormously important. : be generous with your time, be generous with your knowledge, that is a resource that all the Jamat should benefit from, because that is the meaning of brotherhood.


Ameen


Well done and keep it up Kmaherali and the others who are sharing their knowledge with us and may Mowla bless them and their families.

Betty

Thanks Betty for the thought provoking statement of MHI which illuminates and broadens the notion of generosity. After all in a brotherhood such as ours, not all of us are expected to become millionaires nor is it desirable or beneficial. Different individuals are blessed with different boons. Some with wealth, others with knowledge and others with time. The strength is derived by sharing whatever we have.

Thanks also for your kind thoughts and prayers. Much appreciated! It is gatherings and forums such as these that have planted 'seeds' of much profound and wider knowledge enterprises such as the Rasail Ikhwanu Safa in the past.

[Guest]

Anger is a raging fire. Whoever can subdue his anger, puts out the fire: whoever cannot, gets burnt himself.

-- Hazrat Ali

[Guest]

Mowlana Sultan Muhammad Shah said "When the Muslims will be educated, they will defend their religion and none will waver in their faith.”

[Betty]

The heart of the believer is the house of God.

---Prophet Mohamed



Faith is not, is not something which you can quantify.

[Interview] 6 Sept.1976.

-- Aga Khan IV



These two are not appreciated until lost - youth and health.

-- Hazrat Ali

[kmaherali]

Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
A. Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.

Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?
A. Pharaoh's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little prophet.

[Guest]

[quote="Betty"]The heart of the believer is the house of God.

---Prophet Mohamed



Real pilgrimage takes place in the heart and in the heart is the abode of religion. Worship the Lord in the heart and in the heart is the salvation and spiritual vision.


----Pir Shams

[Guest]

The mouth that you use to recite the name of the Lord, and know it as the name of the Exalted. If you falsely accuse someone with the same mouth, how will you attain salvation.

-- Pir Shams


This is such a powerful quote. Think about it..... and with the same mouth we do ninda, and with the same mouth we abuse our spouses and our children and with the same mouth we tell lies and with the same mouth we hurt our loved ones. Will we ever learn?


Fatima

[Guest]

The hypocrite has a sweet tongue but a bitter heart.


-- Hazrat Ali



God said: "I could not be contained in the heavens and the earth, but could be contained in the heart of a true believer.


-- Prophet Mohamed

[Betty]

To those who see with loving eyes, life is beautiful. To those who speak with tender voices, life is peaceful. To those who help with gentle hands, life is full. And to those who care with compassionate hearts, life is good beyond all measure.

Author Unknown

[Guest]

During times of pain or struggle, it can be difficult to feel God's
presence, to really know how loved we are. But God is bigger than
anything we face in the world. God never met a person that was
unworthy of love, because God made us. We're part of God's perfect
universe and the only thing imperfect is our awareness of who we really
are, beings of love. Today, reconnect with God's love by extending it
to the people in your life.

--Mary Manin Morrissey

[Betty]

You momin must act in such a manner so that you do not harm each other.

If any momin desires that: “I do please God, day and night, and do not submit to Satan,” then his first duty is to please the heart of the one who is a momin.

Howsoever strong may be the faith (iman) of someone, even then, if he hurts any momin, it world be equivalent to having hurt Me.

(Aga Khan III)

[kmaherali]

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

[kmaherali]

You momin must act in such a manner so that you do not harm each other.

If any momin desires that: “I do please God, day and night, and do not submit to Satan,” then his first duty is to please the heart of the one who is a momin.

Howsoever strong may be the faith (iman) of someone, even then, if he hurts any momin, it world be equivalent to having hurt Me.

(Aga Khan III)

Here is the exact Farman:

Regardless of how strong the iman maybe of a believer, if he imposes suffering upon a momin, then it is the same as imposing suffering on the Imam. The pain of the suffering imposed upon a momin hurts us like a spear going through our body. The pure momins are very near and dear to us. If anyone imposes suffering upon such momins then it is the same as imposing suffering upon us. If you have back-bited someone, then you must immediately go in his presence and admit your sin against him. You must repent for your sins and request his forgiveness. Such is the characteristic of a momin. By repenting in this manner, he will surely forgive you.(Nairobi, Oct 6, 1905)

***

No injustice in this world is suffered alone. No matter how quiet or hidden the suffering, how silent the afflicted, there is One who not only knows of it, but likewise feels the pain. There are lives of quiet desperation, but no lives of solitary desperation, for all suffering is shared.

- Rabbi David Wolpe, "Healer of Shattered Hearts"