Strive to be Simple in Five

In this day and age, there are very few places that we can frequent without encountering posters, billboards and flyers advertising “CONSOLIDATE YOUR DEBT!” “BLACKLISTED? WE CAN HELP!”

Even more surprising than the amount of debt aid agencies that have sprung up is the amount of people that flock to these agencies for what they believe to be assistance. If we examine the nature of these debts, we will realize that the vast majority of people who land themselves in unmanageable debt have done so by failing to live within their means. This has sprung from their discontentment, insatiable greed and the perception that they are unsuccessful if they do not have the latest phone, latest model of vehicle and the latest of everything else.  

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“Sale! All Items Reduced up to 50%!”

How many people are there who after seeing the above advertisement, will be able to resist the temptation of embarking on a shopping spree? Even if a person does not really need to buy anything, he will still visit the store to window shop, justifying his action by saying, “Perhaps I will find something on sale that I don’t need now but may possibly need in the future. By buying it now, I will save on the price that I would have paid later on when I needed the item.” Further, if we learn of a sale that we missed, or if the sale item that we wanted is sold out, we feel disappointed and feel that we missed out.

While many people have this attitude and mindset of progressing and constantly benefiting, the reality is that we tend to adopt this mindset only in avenues related to our material benefit, not in avenues of Deeni benefit.

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How to Treat the En-suite

As man advances and progresses in developments and technology, the levels of comfort in his life also proportionately increase. Among the many facilities with which we are now pampered is that of the en-suite toilet.

There was a time when the toilet was outside the home. Using it at night was literally a nightmare! Navigating through the yard in the dark was itself a mission, let alone the fear of being given a fright.

When a person steps onto the battlefield, he has to ensure that he is armed and well equipped. Otherwise, he will be vulnerable and prone to danger. Similarly, on account of the toilet being the devil’s ‘battlefield’, Nabi (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) has shown us certain weapons with which we can equip and protect ourselves from danger and harm.

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Turning Point

Allah Ta‘ala mentions in the Quraan Majeed, “Whoever honours the distinctive signs of (the deen of) Allah Ta‘ala, then it is from the piety of the hearts.” (Surah Hajj v32)

Respect for the symbols of deen denotes taqwa in a person’s heart. In the past there were those mothers who, when the azaan was called out, would shout out to their children saying: “Quickly switch off the haraam TV, azaan is going”. When it was Friday they would say, “Today is Jumu‘ah, no TV.” and when Ramadhaan arrived, they would announce, “Listen children, Ramadhaan has come so there will be no TV in this house.” As a result, the Shaitaan box used to be covered and put away.

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Personalized Gifts

Imagine awakening one morning and opening the front door, only to be greeted by the sight of a beribboned basket packed with steaming croissants, a flask of hot coffee, a jug of freshly squeezed orange juice and other fresh breakfast delights! You wonder who your generous benefactor could possibly be as the accompanying note merely says, “Hope you enjoy”.

To your absolute delight, this early morning treat continues. Every morning without fail, the basket arrives on your doorstep, containing a different selection of tasty treats. By the time the third or fourth morning dawns, you are extremely eager to identify your well wisher so that you can, at the very least, say “Thank You”.

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