Do not lose hope, nor be sad
‘Who has time? Who has time? But then if we never take time, how can we have time?’
The Merovingian, Matrix Reloaded
The quote reminds me of Surah Al-Asr
‘By Al-Asr (the time). Verily, man is in loss, except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth and recommend one another to patience.’
Thiknking is the ultimate human resource. Yet we can never be satisfied with our most important skill. No matter how good we become, we can become better
Edward De Bono, writer and lateral thinker
Negotiation is the classic sense assumes parties more anxious to agree rather than to disagree
– Dean Acheson, US lawyer and statesman
I was intringued by this verse
when the young men fled for refuge to the cave. They said ‘our lord! Bestow on us mercy from Yourself, and facilitate for us our affair in the right way!’ (Al-Kahf, 10)
MasyaAllah it is such a beautiful doa indeed.
I was struck by this verse early in the morning while waiting for the fajar prayer
‘And if you speak (the invocation) aloud, then verily, He knows the secret and that which is yet more hidden’ (Taha, Verse 7)
SubhanAllah. Language is said as a social semiotic in Systemic Functional Linguistics theory, which means language is a tool for meaning making besides pictures and sound (Halliday, 1985; Kress and Van Leeuwen, 1996). But, what Allah reveals in this verse is that meaning making is beyond social semiotics, that is, the message or secret intention that lies in you. In simple words, what you utter might not come from the bottom of your heart.
Give without expecting anything in return. That’s the beauty of your heart. It’s ok if people don’t see that. The Almighty keeps count!
-Mufti Ismail Menk, 2017, 15 January-
