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Sura Al-Imran (3:146): and Allah loves the Sabiroon. 

In this verse, the Quran gives the example of previous Prophets who remained steadfast in the face of difficulties in the Path of Righteousness and ends by saying that Allah loves the sabiroon, meaning those who are patient and steadfast. 

The word sabr is often translated as patience but in reality, it has three aspects:

1. The aspect of restraint, of stopping yourself from something unworthy, of having self-control when faced with temptation
2. The aspect of perseverance or will-power in pursuing something worthy, of having the discipline to do something which you may not necessarily want to do in the moment 
3. And the aspect of acceptance and submission when trouble strikes about which you cannot do anything. In other words, submitting to His Will

So in order to develop the quality of sabr, which is loved by Allah, we need to practice restraint from things disliked by Him, we need to persevere...

For the next few days, let us discuss verses which talk about the qualities that Allah loves to see expressed in His Creation.

The quality which is mentioned several times is the quality of being muhsineenor "the doers of good".

Muhsin comes from the root haa-seen-noon.The Islamic concept of ihsaan, or excellence, one of key concepts of Islamic spirituality, comes from the same root. A muhsin (plural muhsineen) is one who does good. Mushin has many additional meanings such as to be good, to do good and to pursue excellence, to act with beauty, to be kind.

Here is today's edition of wisdom from the Quran:

"It is they who hasten to every good work and these who are foremost in them."
(Sūratul Mu’minūn, 23:61, Holy Quran)

Have you ever had a intention to do something good (give charity, help someone, reach out to someone going through a tough time, visit a loved one) and thought you would do it later but then never got around to it? 

Research now confirms that the more you delay something, the less likely it is that you will actually do it.

Piers Steele, who won the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in psychology for his work on motivation says that "As the deadline for any task gets pushed further into the future, Delay increases and our motivation to tackle the tasks decreases."

And do not quarrel for then you will lose heart and your power will depart.
(Sūratul Anfāl, No.8, Āyat 46)

When we are part of a team, whether it is a couple, a family, a committee or a team at work, there are bound to be differences in thought and style amongst the team members. Teams that remain strong find ways to appreciate the differences and diversity of thought and approach. They remain focused on the goal rather than get distracted by petty differences.

If on the other hand, for a team that allows differences to turn into quarrels, two things are likely to happen:

1. The energy is diverted from the task at hand. Instead of working together to achieve their goals, each person or quarrelling segment begins to work on its own, sometimes in opposition to the other team members. The result is a weakening of the morale of the entire team. 
   
   
2. This results in a huge loss of effectiveness of the entire team. A weakening of power. The Quran uses the word ‘rīh’ to...

By the Grace and Mercy of the All Compassionate, we are fortunate to witness another Ramadan, the month of mercy and blessings. 

Ramadan continues the practice of many great faith traditions of the world which encourage fasting and keeping away from distractions of the body as a way of elevating the spirit. 

During this sacred time, this "Spiritual Prime Time", many of us begin to pause and start reflecting on what really matters. We turn our attention away from the material and towards the spiritual, we begin to focus on our self growth and then reach out to family, friends and to those in need.

Ramadan has been called the spring of the soul because the conditions are optimal for the seeds of guidance within us to bear fruit. One of the best fertilizers in this springtime of the soul are the words of the Holy Quran, the "healing for the hearts" that can revitalize our hearts and souls. 

So like last Ramadan, let us reflect on a verse from the Holy Book...

The Law of Modeling says that "It’s hard to Improve When You Have No One but Yourself to Follow."  

Whatever we are trying to achieve in life, someone else has already done it and is successful at it. Maxwell’s law of modeling is about finding mentors and role models that you can follow and work with to achieve what you want to. 

Although Maxwell talks about finding a mentor or a coach to work with you on your journey, I believe that we can use the law of modeling much more broadly. 

For example, if you want to improve your communication, look around you. Do you know an excellent communicator? Notice how they speak and how well they listen. What makes them effective? 

Do you want to become healthier? Who do you know has transformed their fitness and health levels for the better? What did they do and how did they do it? 

Even if we are successful in one domain of our lives, we can learn and model in other areas of our lives. For me the law of modeling...

Have you noticed how curious children are? They constantly want to know how things work or why they are the way they are. They rarely accept things at face value, an explanation is almost always required. 

As we age, many of us begin to lose this natural curiosity. 
In order to grow, learn something new or get better at anything, we need to get our curiosity back. 

Maxwell suggests ten ways to re-cultivate our natural curiosity. Here are my favorites: 

Have a Beginner’s Mind-Set

Maxwell says that in order to grow, we must keep our beginners’ mind-set. Instead of being a know it all who see themselves as experts, beginners spend their time asking questions like "how can we do...

Many of us want to do it all and have it all. 

A wise teacher of mine once told me: yes, you CAN have it all – just not at the same time! 

She was trying to explain what Maxwell calls the Law of Trade-Offs: that you have to give up something in the short term to get something in the long term. 

If we want to grow in the health domain and get fitter for example, we have to give up the desire to sit on the couch in the short term to gain health in the long term. To put it another way, we need to be able to delay instant gratification in order to reap greater rewards later. 

Given that all of us have limited time and resources, this law makes sense, right? I remember when I was writing the book, I gave up watching TV for a whole year. It was not easy in the short term but soooo fulfilling when it got done. 

What are working on and what are you willing to trade to get it done?