Five pillars of Gratitude

“Gratitude is built upon five pillars: Submissiveness to Allah from the one expressing gratitude; lov­ing Him for it; acknowledging His favor; praising Him for it; and not utilizing it in a way that displeases Him.” Ibn al-Qayyim

​Shield Yourself​

Beware of enabling Shaytaan to establish himself in the very home of your thoughts and intentions, as he will corrupt them in such a manner that will make difficult its correction thereafter. He will cast all sorts of whisperings and harmful thoughts at you and he will prevent you from thinking about what may benefit you. And it is you who have aided him against yourself by empowering him over your heart and thoughts, and he then placed you in possession of such thoughts.

​ Ibn Al Qayyim, Al Fawaaid​

​Virtue of Knowledge​

“When Allah granted Prophet Yoosuf (`alayhi-Salaam) physical beauty it caused him to be locked up in the prison. But when Allah granted him knowledge (when he interpreted the dream of the king) it not only took him out of prison, but elevated his rank in society, clearly showing us the virtue of knowledge and that physical beauty does not mean anything.”[Ibn al Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah]

​Correct Perception​

​​“The intelligent person perceives forbidden things like a delicious food, which contain fatal poison. Whenever its pleasure arouses his interest, the reality of the poison would push him away from it. Also, he perceives the orders of Allah as bitter medicine that leads to good health and recovery.”

​ Ibn Al Qayyim​

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Al Fawaaid 

Reciprocate Evil with Goodness​

“Whoever would love that Allah reciprocates his evil with goodness, let him reciprocate the evil people do towards him with goodness.”

​ Ibn al Qayyim , ​Miftaah Daaris-Sa’aadah 

​Corruption of Children by Parents​

“How many people have caused misery to their own children, the apples of their eyes, in this world and in the Hereafter, by neglecting them, not disciplining them, encouraging them to follow their whims and desires, thinking that they were honoring them when they were in fact humiliating them, that they were being merciful to them when in fact they were wronging them. They have not benefited from having a child, and they have made the child lose his share in this world and in the Hereafter. If you think about the corruption of children you will see that in most cases it is because of the parents.” (Ibn al-Qayyim: Tuhfat al-Mawlood, p. 146)

patience

“Be sure that there is something waiting for you after much patience, to astonish you to a degree that you forget the bitterness of the pain.”