BITTERNESS IS A KILLER...DON'T POISON YOURSELF WITH IT

We tend to think that circumstances causes us to become bitter, but this is not always the case. Bitterness is something that happens to us, it is a characteristic we develop. To swallow a daily dose of poison would be unthinkable. Yet this is what you do if you awaken each morning with bitter thoughts that belong to the past. You are poisoning your system.

Bitterness is a killer. But who does it hurt? Only you - for who else suffers that gnawing pain which twists and turns deep in your being? Certainly not the one who has wronged you!. He or she probably is not even aware of it. Bitterness depresses the spirits, stifles creativity, weakens the immune system, obstructs happiness and ruins health.  As a carrier you are the only one who reaps its adverse consequences so why submit to it?

A bitter person always seems to find a good reason to be bitter: “After all I did, he or she left me...” “My parents all favour my brother - nothing I do will please them...” “That false rumour ruined my chances of promotion...”  and the list goes on…Valid reasons, maybe.  Painful, certainly! even worthy of some human emotion. But it takes only a little –yes just a little time and effort to work through the pain, hurt, disappointment, sadness or anger. You must process your emotions, regain your balance, change your attitude or seek counsel.

“Wonderful in theory,” a bitter person might say. “But I can't forget.” You can forget; but whether you choose to is another matter. It takes time and effort to re-pattern negative thoughts into the conscious habit of replacing them with positive ones. When we harbour negative emotions towards others or towards ourselves, or when we intentionally create pain for others, we poison our own physical and spiritual systems. By far the strongest poison to the human spirit is the inability to forgive oneself or another person. It disables a person’s emotional resources. The challenge is to refine our capacity to love others as well as ourselves and to develop the power of forgiveness.

“Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hate. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness.”

ALLAH TA’ALA knows what's hidden in the deep recesses of our hearts. Those feelings of pain, anguish, resentment, hatred, bitterness, etc., that we so successfully hide from everyone else, including our closest family members and friends. So why not let it all out. Why not let ALLAH TA’ALA be your "therapist". Let your prayer mat be your "couch" while you reveal and ask the One who is in control, Who knows you better than you know yourself. From the very depth of ALLAH TA’ALA'S fountain of Mercy, bitterness will be cleansed and you shall blossom amongst the flowers of enjoyment. Subhaan-ALLAH !

Beloved Reader! It is better to live in peace than in bitterness and strife. I've known people to go through a lot of trials and hardships and maintain a grateful and gracious spirit throughout. I've seen others face similar trials only to become angry and embittered souls. In both the cases the hardship revealed the heart more than it formed the heart. If we are filled with sweetness and something jostles us, then sweetness spills out. If we are filled with bitterness and we get jostled then battery acid goes everywhere. Overcome the obstacles in your path, be determined, courageous and hard-working. Never be faint-hearted. Be resolute, but never bitter... be beautiful inside and thus you shall become an embodiment of love, joy and happiness.

HOW TO DEAL WITH BITTERNESS:

·         Most important is to Turn to Allah by means of Dua (Prayer). Raise your hands in supplication, for, Du'a is a weapon of a Believer.·         Every time you think of a past negative situation, replace it instantly with a picture of a positive, happy life.·         When you feel resentful, bless and forgive the person who wronged you and do not stop praying for the best for those you love.·         Busy yourself with things you enjoy so that you have no time to brood. Plan something to look forward to. Give to someone who is worse off than yourself. In other words place every negative thought with a positive one until it becomes a habit.

Never allow bitterness to take root or you'll become a twisted, sour human being people will shun.

Bitter thoughts are like weeds. Pluck them out of your heart relentlessly…and in their place will sprout the seeds of joyful new life.

O ALLAH TA’ALA! Reform our character and bless us with cleanliness of the heart. ..Aameen

WHAT IS THE RULING ON SMOKING? IS IT HALAL OR HARAM?

"ANSWER BY DR ZAKIR NAIK"

As Far as smoking is concerned several years before when science hadn’t advanced that far most of the scholars used to say smoking is ‘makrooh’ (not desirable but not haraam) based on the hadith of Muhammad (peace be upon him), “Anyone who eats garlic or onion should stay away from us and stay away from the mosque.” Because there is a bad breath. So when you are smoking the breath is worse than onion or garlic so based on this hadith scholars gave the ‘fatwah’ that smoking is ‘makrooh‘. But now after science has advanced we have come to know smoking is nothing but slow poisoning.

Tobacco in any form whether it is smoking cigarettes’, ‘beedi’, whether tobacco in hookah, whether chewing tobacco or forms of tobacco containing nicotine and tar. And we know it is nothing but slow poisoning that’s the reason most of the non-Muslims also agree that smoking is haraam.

Not only the Muslim world even the non-Muslims, that’s the reason they put a statutory warning on the cigarette packs saying“cigarette smoking is injurious to health.” and today according to statistics the WHO says that every yearmore than 4 million people die only because of smoking and if you count the other forms of tobacco it will be much more. And today medical science tells us and even I learnt when I was doing medicine in my medical college that more than 90% of the lung cancer deaths are only due to smoking. 25% of cardio-vascular deaths are only because of smoking. 70-72% of bronchitis deaths are only because of smoking. Smoking is nothing but slow poisoning.

It blackens your lips, blackens your gums and your fingertips, it damages the lips, damages the oesophagus, it damages your stomach and it can cause constipation, it can cause loss of appetite, it can cause loss of libido i.e. sexual power gets supressed. It can cause immunity to the drugs you take and it reduces the defence of your body. Based on these all researches there are today more than 400 Fatwas, the majority of the scholars they agree that smoking is haraam and all form of tobacco is haraam. There may be certain scholars in some countries including where I come from – India, they say it is ‘makrooh’ yet but most of the scholars otherwise throughout the world majority of them they agree that smoking is haraam.

Allah says in the Quran in Surah Ar’auf Ch. 7 V. 157, “This Prophet asked you to do things which are good for you so take what he gives you which is lawful and good and he prohibits things which are unlawful, the things which are bad for you.” And Allah says in the Quran in Surah Al-Baqrah Ch. 2, V. 195, “Make not your own hands the cause of your own destruction.” Indicated do not kill your own selves. Because smoking is nothing but slow poisoning it comes under this category something like suicide. Every puff you take reduces your life so based on this there are more than 400 fatwas saying smoking is haraam. Allah says in Surah Al-Israa Ch. 17, V. 26-27, “Do not be a spend thrift, verily a person who is spend thrift is the brother of the devil.” And we know when we smoke it is nothing but extravagant. It is nothing but taking a pound note or few pounds or taking a dollar note and lighting up it with fire. It is nothing but burning money. And you can give list of reasons that why it is haraam but just to cut it short one more reason,

You cannot harm your neighbour, you cannot harm your brother and in smoking when you exhale out the smoke it causes more damage to your neighbour. Passive smoking is more dangerous than active smoking. That’s why many countries like Singapore have banned public smoking.