Islam Guidance

Every so often, we are shocked by the death of a young member of our community. We experience a short-lived rush to perform extra prayers, but the effect goes away quickly. Instead, we must learn to effectively reflect on our lives. Every day, we witness the deaths of people around us, but we pay minimal thought to the day when others will witness our death.
Attempts to speak about death are usually suspended by those who feel uneasy hearing about it. We are almost always subconsciously assuming that death will come only when we grow older, and so we do not want to concern ourselves with such an unpleasant subject. Yet it is imperative to keep in mind that living for even an additional hour cannot be guaranteed.
Life can be compared to fresh fallen snow. Our footprints show clearly, even if not to us. Let us dedicate ourselves to our Lord, the Holy Prophet, and the Pure Household (P.B.U.T). Let us not be led astray by meaningless materialistic enticements. Every action is recorded, and when the Day of Reckoning comes, all that will vouch for us will be our deeds. Let us devote our lives to Islam, devote ourselves to loving others, devote ourselves to the community around us, and devote ourselves to creating something that gives us purpose and meaning.
Imam Hadi (A.S) said: “People are respected in this world for possessing wealth and in the Hereafter for possessing righteous deeds.” An eye-opening tradition by Imam Ali (A.S) states: “If man perceived his death and its speed towards him, he would certainly detest the world and its hopes.” We must live graciously among people. Kindness is praised in Islam, and it is a blessed virtue we can all improve on. It is truly when we give of ourselves that we have truly given; likewise, it is when we finally begin to give that we also receive.
Countless thoughts cross our minds in a day. What to wear? Should I attend class today? What to have for lunch? Breakfast? Dinner? We kill time on worthless avenues such as Facebook, texting, and arguing with others. All of this is time lost doing nothing of benefit. Time waits for no one, and it will pass whether we act or not. We must restore our lives into our hands, and we should become the agents of change for ourselves on others. A positive influence can easily be spread, and others can take heed.
The biggest fear that we must have is not of death. Death is promised to each and every one of us. Instead, our biggest fear should be an inadequate life. We have been blessed with a religion that is so encompassing, yet surely we are at a loss! We continually disregard the blessing of Islam in search of a worldly alternative.
The solution? There is no simple answer. We must be willing to change and become better people. So, before you head out for work or school tomorrow, kiss your parents on the forehead and speak to them in kind words. Set your alarm clock so that you wake up for morning prayers. Remember all those people you wronged? How about catching up with them and asking their forgiveness? That reading of the Qur’an? Stop putting it off, please! Remember: a chapter a day keeps the devil away! The most important message: we only pass this way once, so let our lives be an enhancement of every good to us and our death a comfort from every evil.

Taken from: Islamic Insight

Every human being loves to know about the best things in life and act upon them because human’s instincts is like a sophisticated system which in addition of differentiating between good and bad is also keen to do good and stay away from bad. Due to committing sins and mistakes humans damage this system and cannot utilize it in normal ways. For this reason, revelations and the prophets have been sent to remove the impurities and bring to surface what is buried.
Referring to inner self and revelations are the best ways to find out about the best things in life because the Almighty has given this ability to human beings to differentiate between good and bad. Allah (S.W.T) said that each sin or misbehavior will damage human’s nature. Of course this system will not stop suddenly and sins cannot destroy it because it is designed in a way that it may change in shape but its base will remain. [Ayah 84, Surah Al-Asra].
In the Quranic culture this noble principle which never changes has been called human’s spirit [Ayah 85, Surah Al-Asra], human’s nature [Ayah 30, Surah Al-Room], Human’s ego [Ayah 7, Surah Al-Shams], and heart and so on. This main principle is ordained by the almighty [Ayah 72, Surah Al-Saa’d; Ayah 12, Surah Al-A’araaf; Ayah 14, Surah Al-Momenoon; Ayah 85 of Surah Al-Asra] and will not change fundamentally because humans cannot interfere in that system.
Imam Ali (A.S) said: Then God sent the prophets one after another for the people to find the treasures of their wisdoms [Sermon Number 1, Nahjul Balagha]. Imam Baqir (A.S) narrated a sermon from Imam Ali (A.S) who introduced the best of things and ways of obtaining them some of which will be outlined here in brief.

Adopted from: Islamic Center of England

The task of a wife is to maintain and take care of a husband. It is not an easy undertaking. Those women who are unaware of this feature of their role, may find difficulty in fulfilling the task. It is a job for the woman who is aware that the job requires a degree of sagacity, style, and ingenuity. For a woman to be a successful wife, she should win over her husband's heart and be a source of comfort to him. She should encourage him to do good deeds while dissuading him from bad ones. She should also provide adequate measures to maintain his health and well-being. The results of her efforts are directed towards making the man into a kind and respected husband who would be a proper guardian for his family, and a good father from whom the children would seek guidance and respect. Allah, the All-Knowing has endowed woman with extraordinary power. The prosperity and happiness as well as the misery of the family are in her hands.
A woman can turn the home into a lofty paradise or a burning hell. She can lead her husband to the peak of success or the dregs of misfortune. The woman with the qualities bestowed on her by Allah, who is aware of her role as a spouse, can elevate her husband to a respected man even if he had been the lowest of all men.
"One learned scholar wrote: 'Women possess a strange power in that they are able to acquire whatever they desire'. "
In Islam, taking care of one's husband has an important position. It has been equated to the role of Jihad (holy war in the path of Allah). "Imam Ali (A.S) stated: 'The Jihad of a woman is to take care of her husband well'."[ Bihar al-Anwar, vol 103, p 254]
Considering that Jihad is the struggle and holy war in the path of Allah including the struggle for advancement and honor of Islam, defending the Islamic territories and execution of social justice, it is one of the highest acts of worship. The value of fulfilling the duties of a proper spouse is also reflected upon when considering Jihad.
"The Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P) of Islam stated: ' Any woman who dies while her husband is pleased with her, enters Paradise'."[ Mahajjat al-Bayda, vol 2, p 70]
The Holy Prophet also stated: "If a woman does not perform her duty as a spouse, she has not done her duty to Allah."[ Mustadrak, vol 2, p 552]

Derived from: Principles of Marriage & Family Ethics
By: Ayatullah Ibrahim Amini