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විපක්ෂයේ පොදු අපේක්ෂක මෛත්‍රිපාල සිරිසේන මහතාගේ කහවත්ත නගරයේ අවසන් ඡන්ද රැලියකට වේදිකාව ඉදිකරමින් සිටි පිරිසකට අද අලුයම වෙඩි තබා ඇතැයිද දෙදෙනකු තුවාල ලබා රෝහල් ගත කළැයිද පොලිසියට පැමිණිලි කර ඇත.

ප්‍රහාරයට වාහන 6කින් ආ බවටද තොරතුරු ඇතැයිද මැරයන් හා ජීප් රියක් හඳුනාගෙන ඇතැයිද පොලිස් මාධ්‍ය ප්‍රකාශක ජ්‍යෙෂ්ඨ පොලිස් අධිකාරී අජිත් රෝහණ මහතා කියයි

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Whenever a person faces #hardship, it’s easy for him/her to give up and walk away from their challenges or complain and blame those around him/her. They fall into #depression, feel sad about their situation and feel powerless. They don’t understand “why this is happening to them” or “what they did to deserve this”. But for a ProductiveMuslim, his/her way of... thinking is completely different.

Whenever a ProductiveMuslim faces hardship, he/she takes a step back from their difficult situation and thinks about it from a higher level. They step back from their life with all its worries, anxieties, problems, and thinks about it from an Akhirah perspective, then they ask themselves the question: what does this ALL mean when compared to the Hereafter? What does this ALL mean when compared to eternity in Jannah?

Here are 7 practical steps to help you face any difficult situation:

1. Salah. Make sure you stick to praying on time – 5 times a day. Never miss a salah and do your best to pray each Salah with sincerity as if it’s your last salah in this world.
2. Read Quran. The Quran is so beautiful that no matter what difficulties you face you’ll find solace in it.
3. Make Dua. Especially the dua for removing anxiety [see Fortress of the Muslim, chapter 34].
4. Give Sadaqah. Give lots of charity, as much as you can, because it helps push away hardship. And if you can’t give money, even kind words or physical sadaqah can do (i.e. helping people physically or emotionally).
5. Set Goals and Have Vision. Don’t let shaytaan play with you and keep replaying the video of your hardship in your mind over and over again, move on! Set new goals, new projects, and remember you’re with Allah, nothing should stop you!
6. Wake up Early. Wake up before fajr and work on your ideas and projects, or simply read Qur’an. Getting busy before day break is a definite way to move away from your hardship and overcome challenges. Get most of your ideas/work done in these early hours, these are blessed hours.
7. Hardship is Not Lost. Remember, Allah will never forget the injustice/hardship you faced, so don’t worry about seeking revenge or trying to get justice.

In the end, I pray that Allah (Subḥānahū Wa Ta’ālā) removes all your ordeals and hardships, blesses you all with a good life and helps you remember Him day and night, for “Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest”. (Quran 13:28)

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We all have Dreams.
Along with B.I.G goals competing to make it into reality.
Whether it’s publishing your writing, launching a passion project or balancing your career with marriage; you want to leave a great legacy as a source of reward and to benefit many generations coming after you.
It will take loads of motivation to keep you walking towards those BIG goals of yours and accomplishing them. You will experience pain, difficulties, failure and interferences from those around you. It isn’t unusual to feel deflated, crumpled, crippled and demotivated along the way.
Demotivation is normal as long as it doesn’t become the order of your daily life. And it also doesn’t become a nightmare that takes over your entire journey towards your goals.
You can overcome demotivation from the inspirational content of the Qur’an.
Quran stories will serve as a remedy to boost your motivation. You need to approach these stories with awe, hope & presence of mind. Read brief summaries of three of such stories below.
I never cease to find huge inspiration & motivation from them.
***THE 3 QURAN STORIES***
1. Story of Yaqoob (AS)
Yaqoob (as) was betrayed by his own children. He was forcefully separated from his young son – Yusuf (as). Yet, he still harboured dreams of uniting with him again and his actions & utterances proved this. He said ”I complain of my sorrow and my grief only to Allah… [Surah Yusuf - ch.12; v.86] (drawing his motivation from correct knowledge & consciousness of Allah (swt)).
Yaqoob (as) remained steadfast even as he cried repeatedly over the hopelessness of the situation. It caused him deep hurt and unhappiness but he never wavered from putting His sole trust in Allah (swt). That was his solace and kept him going.
Motivation Prompt. *OPEN UP*. Stay tuned-in to your dreams and goals even when all feels lost & you feel drained of energy & interest. Admit your sense of demotivation, weakness and imperfection to Him and cry if you feel the urge. Open up to Allah (swt) again and again and again.
2. Story of Yunus (AS)
Yunus (as), better known as the companion of the fish (Surah Al-Haqqah – ch.69) lost his motivation while calling his people to Tawheed.
He felt frustrated & angry; and decided to call it quits on those BIG goals. He gave up at a point of weakness and came to realise this later after he fled.
Yunus (as) fell into grief, feeling sad about his actions. What did he do? He was strong enough to admit his error and hurried to make corrections. He called on the One Who he had wronged for help.
And the person of the fish when he left in anger and thought that We would not straighten things for him. He prayed in the darkness saying,” There is no ilaah but You. You are Pure. I have certainly been from among the wrongdoers. So we responded to his du’aa and rescued him from distress. Thus do We rescue the Mu’mineen (from difficulties).
Surah Anbiyyah, ch 21; v87-88
Motivation Prompt. *ADMIT MISTAKES*. You will make mistakes and fail over and over. But do not lose sight of your goals & the Pleasure of the One you are trying to attain through your efforts.
Stay on top of things by turning to Allah first to rescue you from your sea of demotivation. Then keep glorifying Him & seeking His assistance every step of the way. He rescued the companion of the fish, He can rescue you from any situation.
3. Story of Ayyob (AS)
Ayyoub (as) experienced great difficulties, as he was tested with his wealth, health and family. He was distressed just as you will be if you are tested on these important blessings. He remained patient, believing that only Allah can cure him. His patience paid off when the time was right. His losses were restored and even multiplied.
Shaytan tried to put evil thoughts in his mind and that of his wife – his last companion standing. But Ayyoub remained patient. What remarkable patience. Ayyoub was patient and penitent.
‘Verily Shaytan has afflicted me with pain and difficulty…” (Surah Sad, ch.38; v 41)
Motivation Prompt. *BE PATIENT*. Acknowledge your pain, distress and emotions after all you are only human. But do seek patience.
You may feel an internal pain that burns, hurts and demotivates. The only cure is patience. Patience in the knowledge that Allah is All Aware of what you are going through & will make things right sooner or later.
Take Daily Steps
Read through the stories slowly while pondering and relating the unfolding events to your own life events. Take notes on everything that impacts you most strongly at that moment while reading – like a supplication, a fulfilled promise, an inspiration or a happy ending.
Do this in the morning, and read though your notes as the day progresses.
How do you feel? I assure you of relief, great energy and motivation to kick-start your goals.
Don’t abandon these notes. Keep them with you and reflect over them regularly. And don’t make it a substitute for reading the Qur’an. It is a tool to help you strengthen your interaction with the entire Quran. And a healthy portion to serve your immediate need.
It always works for me.
The Test of this Life
This life is a test upon test upon test.
You may suffer financial losses, creative slumps, betrayal from friends and loved ones or negative thoughts from deep within.
Its OK.
Imagine the painful and unexpected separation between Yaqoob (as) and his son; the emotional state of Yunus (as) while in the darkness of the belly of the fish deep within the sea; and the seemingly worsening condition of Ayyoub (as).
Can you imagine their financial, psychological and moral bankruptcy at those instances in their lives?
How did they bounce back?
By leveraging their spiritual assets – turning to Allah in hope, gratitude, beautiful supplication and openness. They were not afraid of showing their weakness to Allah and you shouldn’t either.
Next Steps…
Whenever you feel low, demotivated and derailing from your goals, make Wudhu and pick up the Qur’an.
Read through the stories of Yaqoob, Yunus and Ayyoub (AS) and progress towards your goals with simple daily steps.
Be steadfast. Admit mistakes. Be patient with yourself and with situations around you.
Turn to Allah (swt) consistently and with full consciousness. He will fuel your journey towards your Goals – with the needed motivation & reward you with multiple blessings.
Which of these 3 stories do you find most motivating?

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"...In fact if used properly, it could put IMF, the World Bank, and other shylocks who have been enriching themselves at the expense of the poor out of business in the Muslim countries...."

By Khalid Baig

Money. These days it is hardly of secondary importance for those who don't have it. And even for many who do! What does Islam say about it? Islam recognizes the value of wealth. It refers to it as:

"Your property which Allah has made for you a means of support."[Al-Nisa, 4:5].

But it also warns about its dual nature: it could be a blessing or a curse. It is a blessing if used to do good. Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, declared that person to be in an enviable position who has lot of wealth and he spends it day and night in the cause of righteousness. Otherwise it is a curse. No one who reads the following verse can think of it in any other way:

"And there are those who hoard gold and silver, and spend it not in the way of Allah. Announce unto them a most grievous chastisement. On the day when it will be heated in the fire of Hell, and with it will be branded their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs. `This is the treasure that you hoarded for yourselves. Taste then the treasure you hoarded.'"[Al-Tauba 9:34-35]

The two characters are brought together in a beautiful juxtaposition in a hadith. "The case of a miser and a giver of charity is similar to that of two persons clad in armor from their breasts to their collar-bones. Every time the generous person gives charity, his armor expands, till it covers his finger tips and toes. Every time the miser intends to spend something, his armor contracts, every ring of it sinking into his flesh. He tries to loosen it but cannot." . It should be remembered that here a generous person is one who spends generously in the path of Allah. A miser is one whose love of money keeps him from such spending even though he may be spending lavishly in other areas.

Such love of money is a disease of the heart and the first purpose of charity in Islam is to work as an antidote against that. That is why the Qur'an asked the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam,

"Of their wealth take alms to purify and sanctify them." [Tauba 9:103].

Hence the name Zakat (purification) for the main form of that obligation. And it is for this reason that Zakat remains obligatory even if there are no needy persons in a community.

Of course, the system of Zakat is designed to help the poor and the needy and it is a highly desirable characteristic of the believers that in addition to prayers and other acts of worship they are always conscious of this duty.

"And in their wealth there is due share for the beggar and the deprived." [Al-Zariyat, 51:19].

They do it for no other motive but to please their Lord.

"And they feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan, and the captive, saying: `We feed you for the sake of Allah alone. No reward do we desire from you, nor thanks.'" [Al-Insan, 76:8-9]

Charity itself has been a cherished institution in all human societies. It remains so even in the capitalistic society. But without a strong belief in Allah and the Hereafter, a charitable act can only be motivated by a desire for fame or some other worldly reward. Human beings are driven by rewards. The only truly selfless act is one in which the reward is sought from Allah instead of other human beings. And that is the change in orientation that Islam provides and that remains its most distinguishing feature. Once a goat was slaughtered in the Prophet's household and its meat was distributed. Later on the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, asked Aisha, Radi-Allahu unha, what was saved from the goat? "Nothing but a shank," she said. "Everything but the shank," said the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. For what was given away in charity was truly saved for the hereafter.

There are other distinct features of Islam's system of Zakat. The Qur'an mentions where it can be used.

"The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and for those employed in connection therewith, and for those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and for the freeing of slaves, and for those in debt, and for the cause of Allah, and for the wayfarer." [Al-Tauba 9:60].

These are very precise and specific categories, the seemingly general category of "cause of Allah" referring to Jihad by consensus of scholars.

We can better appreciate the immense wisdom in this arrangement if we compare it with Tithe. Under that system, adopted by the Christian Church, lay people were forced to pay a tenth of their income to the church to "support the clergy, maintain churches and assist the poor"-- mostly in that order. The system led to widespread abuses. It was for this reason that tithe was abolished in France in 1789 during the Revolution and in other countries after that. England finally ended it in 1936. It was never accepted in the U.S.

Zakat, on the other hand, cannot be used to maintain mosques or support the scholars. Neither can it be used to support the normal functioning of the government. No one can change its rate, sources, or application, which are all pre-determined by the Qur'an and Sunnah. All these distinguish Zakat as an act of worship rather than a tax and have been responsible for keeping the system mostly free of corruption, even at a time when some Muslim countries have generally fallen victim to the corruption epidemic. Yet the problem is that a very large number of those who should be paying Zakat are careless about their responsibility.

To be sure, a Muslim has financial obligations other than Zakat (to support mosques, schools, and other community projects on an as needed basis), but Zakat itself remains the most potent system for addressing the economic problems of the Ummah. With 2.5% of the savings of the rich people throughout the Ummah going to its poor people every year, the basic needs of everyone could be satisfied. In fact if used properly, it could put IMF, the World Bank, and other shylocks who have been enriching themselves at the expense of the poor out of business in the Muslim countries.

Even for our economic problems, Islam is the solution. If only we would give it a chance.

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Image created by the author: Nur Fadhilah Wahid. Icons made by Freepik from flaticon[dot]com. Flaticon is licensed by Creative Commons BY 3.0

Imagine two security cameras propped up in the corner of two different offices, each recording the goings-on in the office in HD. Assuming that the cameras only record images and not sounds, imagine you now see – in both offices – the CEO of the respective companies walking into the office and handing over a file to one of his employees. In office A, as the CEO leaves, you see the employee in question looking bored, perhaps even annoyed. In office B however, you see the employee looking excited and keenly flipping through the file.

As a viewer of the video recordings, you might thus wonder: why the difference in their reactions?

Before we tackle the question, let’s add three assumptions to the situation: First, the file given to each employee contained the exact same task. Second, the states of both employees are exactly similar. Last, the two CEOs used the same intonation, facial expressions, and body language to communicate the message. Thus, the security cameras showed no difference and the only difference was the choice of words by each CEO.

Inside Office A

The first CEO, as he hands over the file, says, “Assalamu Alaikum Ahmad. This is a new job I have for you. I did the same thing with success last year, just do it the way I did it, and hand it in by the end of the week, okay? Jazakallah khayr!” He smiles, places the file on the table, and leaves the room.

Inside Office B

The second CEO, as he hands over the file, says “Assalamu Alaikum Ali. This is a new job I have for you. I did the same thing with success last year, you might want to take a look at my case file as it may be useful to you. Hand it in by the end of the week, okay? Jazakallah khayr!” He smiles, places the file on the table, and leaves the room.

So what is the difference between the first CEO and the second CEO that made their employees react differently?

Discover the ‘Means and Ends’ exercise

If you browse through most books on leadership, you will find that a lot of them focus on the mannerisms and speech of the leader in order to gain the trust and loyalty of his subordinates. While these things do play a part, there is an underlying key essence missing from all those books: the question of intent.

Take the imagined scenario in the introduction of this article, for instance. Both CEOs used the exact same mannerism and speech, with the only difference stemming from one sentence:

“… just do it the way I did it…”

versus

“… you might want to take a look at my case file as it may be useful to you…”

While the difference may seem minute at surface level, what it actually hints at is the underlying intent of both CEOs, an intent which is quickly and subconsciously picked up by both Ahmad and Ali.

What Ahmed’s CEO is essentially saying when he says “… just do it the way I did it…” is that Ahmad is his means to get the task done. He is, whether he realizes it or not, taking from Ahmad.

Image created by the author: Nur Fadhilah Wahid

In Ali’s interaction with his CEO, however, what his CEO is doing is giving Ali the option of doing the task whichever way he wants to, while offering his own experience as a form of assistance. With Ali at the helm of the decision-making, what this means for the CEO is that while the task may see the same success as it did last year (or perhaps even more success), there is also the real risk that Ali might spectacularly fail at the task and cause some damage to the company.

However, Ali’s CEO understands that by allowing Ali to make the call, he is giving Ali the opportunity to learn and to grow. In this situation, Ali is the ends (the beneficiary) to the equation.

Image created by the author: Nur Fadhilah Wahid

Apply the ‘Means and Ends’ exercise in 5 steps

1. Before making a decision or setting tasks that involve someone other than yourself, take a second to check your intentions.
2. Draw up the Means and Ends table as shown above (literally or figuratively), with columns indicating the situations, the means, the ends, and the implications of the action.
3. Under the “situations” column, note the different decisions that you might take or tasks you might set for a specific scenario. For example, a lecturer who is tasked to set an assignment might have the following options:

A: Make it compulsory for all students to complete 100 surveys for my research, regardless of whether or not they will learn from it (surprisingly, I have heard of lecturers who do this).

B: Give students a range of topics to choose from, depending on their area of interest, the lecturer’s research field being one of them.

1. Under the means and ends column, indicate appropriately with respect to the situation who or what is the means, or who or what is the ends. In the above example, the lecturer is obviously using the students as the means to get the job (his research) done in Option A, while option B indicates that the students are the ends (his research may or may not get volunteers, but everyone learns something).
2. Finally, indicate in the implications column whether that situation is one of you giving, or one of you taking.

What is the intention behind your work?

This renowned statement of the Prophet  recognizes the fundamental importance of the intent behind every action:

“(The value of) an action depends on the intention behind it. A person will be rewarded only for what he intended…” [Sahih Muslim]

Almost every action we commit to in this world can be a form of ibadah if we are doing it with the right actions and intentions, and for the right reasons. In a world that demands most of our time to be spent in the office with our co-workers, subordinates, and managers, it is crucial that we make our work not just a means of getting rizq, but also a form of ibadah. When we do so, we close the duality that the secular world proposes we adopt, where religion only exists in the personal sphere, away from public places like the office.

Checking our intentions every time we perform a task or get others to do something directly affects results because: we consciously keep ensuring that our expected outcomes include more than just bottomlines, alot of friction at the workplace is minimized because our intentions for collective growth are sensed from our words and this in turn infuses subordinates with the enthusiasm to give their best and achieve together.

Question traditional leadership models

The painful truth is that the traditional model of leadership that a lot of us unconsciously follow is built upon the idea of achieving results through people. As Etsko Schuitema, author of the Means and Ends exercise, notes, the word ‘resource’ in the term ‘human resources’ speaks volumes of the corporate world today.

“Resources” is defined in the encyclopedia as “a stock or supply of money, materials, staff, and other assets that can be drawn on by a person or organization in order to function effectively.”

According to Schuitema, the term ‘resource’ itself indicates that the resource is meant to be taken from until it runs dry, or when it is no longer needed due to various reasons like the accomplishment of the desired results.

I think anyone who has been in the corporate world long enough will have no qualms agreeing to the above. I’ve only worked for four years and already have an array of relevant examples!

The simple fact is: the traditional understanding of leadership is all about taking. It is about using or manipulating ‘resources’ to achieve an end.

Give to achieve real growth

What’s broken about the old understanding is that it continuously puts the leader in a position of taking, while his subordinates have no choice but to keep on giving until they have nothing left and naturally, over time, they will feel used and abused. It is no wonder then that management experts say: “The employee does not leave an organization, he leaves the manager,” just as this article notes.

When we find ourselves in positions of power, whether in business, at school or at home, it is high time that we switch our mindset. Instead of achieving results through people, we now need to learn to achieve great people through results!

After all, when we empower others and help them grow, doesn’t that lead to the betterment of the specific community, or even society as a whole?

Image created by the author: Nur Fadhilah Wahid

Where you can apply the Means and Ends exercise

The Means and Ends exercise is a simple but effective tool for us to check our intentions when we set tasks in any of our leadership roles. Here are some examples:

As a CEO or manager, are you using your subordinates as a means to attain the quarterly revenue, or are you using your target revenue as a means to grow your employees’ knowledge and skills?

As a thesis supervisor, lecturer or teacher, are you using your students as a means to get your research done, or are your using your research to push your students to learn and experience more?

As a parent, are you using your children as a means to get your image of “the ideal parent”, or are you really investing in nurturing and helping them grow, regardless of what image others will perceive of you?

As a friend, are you using your friends as a means to make your life easier, or are you committed to helping them with their trials and tribulations in life, even if it inconveniences you?

Lead to yield growth not power

I’d like to end this article with a story shared with me by a client of Etsko Schuitema’s, a retired managing associate who is now part of an advisory committee for the South African government. Halfway through the interview I was conducting with him, I asked him why he was so determined to help his subordinates grow, even if it could be detrimental to the results of his company.

The client laughed heartily over the phone. There was a silent pause before he said, “It is a lot more difficult to teach people and involve people. It’s a lot more time-consuming when you don’t see the results immediately in business, and you’re under pressure yourself – results, results, results all the time – it’s not easy. It’s easier to just follow the letter: Do this, and if you don’t do it, I’m sorry I will take a disciplinary action against you. So either you do it, or you don’t do it. It’s a lot easier; it’s clinical, it’s technical, it’s easier to manage.”

He continued saying: “The other way is more involving, and it takes a lot of energy, time, and personal involvement, especially when you are dealing with difficult individuals who don’t have the type of maturity that is required to operate in an environment that Etsko teaches.

It is, however, worth it. I’ll do it again and again. If I have to restart and do it all over again, I wouldn’t do it any other way, I can assure you. There’s a right way and there’s a wrong way, and I’ve seen it in my time. If you take an easy ride to the top, you trample over a lot of individuals, and it’s not a happy place to be…we need to touch the lives of people positively.”

This is a stellar point to take home and make intention for as well: to touch the lives of others positively through our work and our leadership.

May Allah  make our intentions clear, our actions beneficial and our affairs easy. Ameen!

Please leave your thoughts and comments below and tell us what you learned, what you wish others could learn about this topic and about involvement in leadership in different workplaces.

About the Author:

Nur Fadhilah Wahid is a seeker of knowledge, a Muslimah in progress, and an aspiring writer. She writes on her own site www.fadhilahwahid.com and other online publications. Subscribe to her personal letters for writings not published anywhere, as well as for updates on projects she’s working on. She believes in the magic that can happen when like-minded individuals come together, bi’iznillah!
The Means and Ends exercise is just one of the many tools the author has learned through her internship at Schuitema Human Excellence. You can read more about the consulting company and its publications here.

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Creativity is a gift from Allah (swt). It is an expression of internal and external experiences; And a unique sense of self expression.
Your creative work is yours – alone, aligning smoothly with your fitrah & boldly showing your true self.
In every creative endeavour from writing & crocheting to entrepreneurship, certain skills, attitudes and habits are needed to aid the creative process & expression.
Your Mindset also matters.
Here are the 3 types of mindset to avoid, to get your creative juices flowing.
I. Perfectionism. Allah (swt) alone is perfect. And so are His names and attributes. There’s none like Him & none is comparable to Him.
You, on the other hand as part of His Creations, are weak in so many ways – from the physical to the spiritual and emotional weaknesses.
Yes, your work can always become better but never perfect. Your work will never attain 100% perfection, so get over it & put in your best. Get the ball rolling and keep directing it wisely.
Try This:
1. Be sincere [Align your creative work with your fitrah].
2. Always give things your best shot.
3. Keep striving.
Last Word. Embrace imperfection, you are only H.U.M.A.N.
II. Arrogance. Arrogance is a disease that grows and flourishes in the heart.
It may start simply with you liking, then obsessing with yourself due to your creative intelligence, work, knowledge, skills and all that you are praised about regarding this work.
Then it begins to grow within, to the extent that when you step outside into the world and meet others, you feel that you are the better one.
What about the better things in life… Tawheed, worship & self purification?
The creative mind should be humble; accepting the truth & loooking at others as though they could be better than you in the sight of Allah .
Imam Shafi said that each time he learned something new, he realised how ignorant he was.
What about you?
Try This:
1. Submit to Allah (swt) and to the teachings of Qur’an & Sunnah.
2. Be grateful and content with blessings in your life. Say *Alhamdulillah*.
3. Accept the truth, whoever it may come from.
Last Word. Be H.U.M.B.L.E with your creativity, so you can truly sparkle.
III. Negativity. Negativity breeds an unhealthy mental state. It lowers or erodes motivation, causes frustrations and can keep your creative mind struggling forever.
When you embrace negativity, you see virtually no good around. While a mindset rooted in positivity will always see a glow at the end of a dark tunnel. No matter how difficult and challenging a situation seems, you will find a way positive way out. There are many paths which leadsto a positive mindset.
Failure is never a worthy excuse, and neither is fear.
Try This:
1. Have positive thoughts of Allah.
1. Use positive phrases.
2. Engage with positive people.
Last Word. Make every effort to be P.O.S.I.T.I.V.E about life, so you can truly appreciate your creative gifts.
In your creative pursuits you will fall down, make mistakes, get criticised & feel deeply frustrated over & over again.
But remember you are not alone. Always run to Allah (swt).
Allah says, I am as my servant expects Me to be, and I am with him when he remembers me. If he thinks of Me, I think of him. If he mentions Me in company, I mention him in an even better company. When he comes closer to Me by a handspan, I come closer to him an arm’s length. If he draws closer to Me by an arm’s length, I draw closer by a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him. If my servant comes to Me walking, I go to him running. (Al-Bukhari)
Then return to Him again and again.
Finally,
- Embrace imperfection,
- Be humble &
- Stay positive.
Shun,
- Perfectionism,
- Arrogance &
- Negativity
You will find
- Peace,
- Contentment &
- Enjoyment… in your creative work

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අලුත්ගම දර්ගා නගරයේ කඩ දෙකකට අද අලුයම ගල් ප්‍රහාරයක් එල්ලවී ඇතැයි පොලිසියට පැමිණිලි කර ඇත.

http://www.lankadeepa.lk/index.php/articles/280754

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Colombo (AFP) - The United States embassy in Sri Lanka denied on Saturday it was "pumping money" into the country to topple President Mahinda Rajapakse after the allegations were levelled by a minister.

Resettlement minister Gunaratne Weerakoon accused US envoy Michele Sison of seeking to fund opposition forces in the election campaign in order to oust Rajapakse who is seeking an unprecedented third term in next month's elections.

"She is pumping money to topple President Mahinda Rajapakse," the minister told an election campaign rally Friday.

The US embassy strongly rejected the minister's accusations.

"The allegations by Minister Gunaratne Weerakoon are baseless," the embassy said in a statement.

"They reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of our engagement with senior government officials and our policy towards Sri Lanka as well as the US political and economic system."

The minister also alleged that Sison had offered him "a five-year scholarship for my children (and) a house in the US and a green card" if he agreed to a demand to remove military camps in the island's former war zone.

Dismantling the camps has been a longstanding demand of US and other Western nations, as well as of neighbouring India, which have criticised Colombo's human rights record.

"I said closing army camps is not something I can do, but it is up to the president," Weerakoon said.

Sison left Sri Lanka Saturday after completing her term as ambassador.

Prior to her departure, she met with President Rajapakse and Foreign Minister G. L. Peiris who had "congratulated her on strengthening bilateral ties", the statement added.

Relations between Washington and Colombo soured after the United States secured a UN-led investigation into the final stages of Sri Lanka's separatist war that came to an end in May 2009.

Sison had strongly articulated Washington's displeasure over Sri Lanka's failure to address allegations that up to 40,000 civilians were killed by troops in the final months of the ethnic war.

http://news.yahoo.com/us-denies-funding-opposition-oust-sri-lanka-leader-144233044.html

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1) Prohibition of Harming Neighbour:
The Prophet, (Peace and blessings be upon him) said: "By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer.''
It was asked, "Who is that, O Messenger of Allah?''
He said, "One whose neighbour does not feel safe from his evil"
(Sahih Bukhari).

2) Recommendation to treat neighbour well

The Messenger of Allah, (Peace and blessings be upon him), said: "Jibril kept recommending me to treat my neighbour well until I thought that he would tell me to make him one of my heirs" (Bukhari:6014)

3) Caring for your neighbours
Abu Dharr, May Allah be pleased with him, reported: The Messenger of Allah, (Peace and blessings be upon him), commanded me thus, "O Abu Dharr! Whenever you prepare a broth, put plenty of water in it, and give some of it to your neighbours".( Sahih Muslim)

4) Co-operation with your neighbors
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the messenger of Allah, (Peace and blessings be upon him), said: "No-one should prevent his neighbour from fixing a wooden peg in his wall." Abu Huraira said (to his companions), "Why do I find you averse to it? By Allah, I certainly will narrate it to you."
(Sahih Bukhari)

5) Do not eat your full while your neighbor is hungry
The Messenger of Allah say:" He is not a believer who eats his fill whilst his neighbor beside him goes hungry" (Bukhari)

6) Never scorn your neighbor's gift
Sahih Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet, (Peace and blessings be upon him), used to say: "O Muslim women! No one should scorn the gift of a neighbor, even if it is (only) a sheep's foot"
(Bukhari: 6017)

7) Harming a neighbor may lead to hell-fire
Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him reported: A man asked, "O Messenger of Allah! There is a woman who prays, gives charity and fasts a great deal, but she harms her neighbors with her speech (by insulting them)"
He said: "She will go to hell"
The man said: "O messenger of Allah! There is (another) woman who is well-known for how little she fasts and prays, but she gives charity from the dried yoghurt she makes and she does not harm her neighbors"
He said: "She will go to paradise"
(Ahmad, vol. 4, p. 166, Ibn Hibban, hadith no. 2054)

8) Tolerance when treating neighbors
Mutarrif said: "I heard that you (he means Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him) have said that the Prophet, (Peace and blessings be upon him), said: "Allah loves three and hates three.'"
Abu Dharr said, "I do not think that I would tell lies about the Messenger of Allah."
Mutarrif said, "Then who are the three whom Allah loves?"
Abu Dharr (quoting the Prophet, (Peace and blessings be upon him)) said: "A man who fights for the sake of Allah, with perseverance and hoping for reward from Him, and fights until he is killed, and you find this in the Book of Allah.' Then he recited: "Truly Allah loves those who fight in His cause in battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure." [al-Saff 61:4] Mutarrif asked, "Then who?"
He said, "A man who has a bad neighbor who annoys and disturbs him, but he bears it with patience and forbearance until Allah ends the matter either during his lifetime or upon the death of either of them."
( Reported with a sahih isnad by Ahmad and al-Tabarani. See Majma' al-Zawa'id, 8/171.)

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