Safeguarding One's Imaan.
BismiAllah ArRahmaan ArRaheem WasSalaatu WasSalaamu Alaika Ya RasoolAllah WasSalaatu WasSalaamu Alaika Ya HabeebAllah WasSalaatu WasSalaamu Alaika Ya NabiAllah Wa'ala'aalika WaAshaanika Ya NoorAllah He (Shaitaan) said: I swear that because You seduced me, I shall necessarily sit to block them from Your Straight Path in wait for them. Then, surely I will come near them from before them and from behind them, and from their right and from their left. And You will not find most of them, Thankful. Assalaamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakaatuh One of the qualities that separates us Human Beings from animals and beasts - is that of "choice". That defining "choice" being to submit to the Will of Allah Azzawajal. Infact, animals have no choice but to Submit to the Will of Allah. As for those who do not choose to Acknowledge Allah, they are indeed worst than animals - for despite their lack of faith, their entire biological system and even their earthly surroundings Submit to the Divine Will of Allah. These do not move an atom out of it Ordained functionality. Alhamdulillah, We are Greatful for being Muslims. For as Muslims, we have chosen to submit and place our trust in Allah. Coinciding with this trust in Allah, we have also chosen to use the intellect Allah has provided us, and in certain instances we make extra effort to protect our lives, wealth and property. Be it in the form of eating healthy, wearing a seat-belt, securing our homes with alarms, locks, placing our money in banks etc. We take additional percautions to safe-guard these. That is - we choose to place some amount of trust in our banks to protect our money - we choose to place some amount of trust in our security alarm systems to protect our family and property etc. Alhamdulillah. It is good that we protect what Allah has provided us with. It's unfortunate that many people do not apply this same logic to protect the most prized possession - Our Imaan. When it comes to fraudsters, criminals and thugs - we take extra precaution to protect our worldly possessions, but when it comes to the biggest enemy (Shaitaan), who has promised to wait for us in the Path of Righteousness, we leave this in Allah's Trust only. Where have our priorities gone? Allah Subhaanahu wata'aala says in the Qur'aan Shareef: "You will not find a people who believe in Allah and the last Day choosing as their friends those who opposed Allah and His Messenger, even though they be their fathers or their sons or their brotheren or their kinsmen. These are they in whose hearts Allah has inscribed faith and helped them with a spirit from Himself, and will make them enter gardens beneath which flow streams, abiding therein, Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Allah. This is Allah's party. Do you hear? It is Allah's party that is successful." To reach Allah and His Rasool Sallalahu alaihi wasallam by love is the greatest goal of a human being. Just as everything that helps the lover to take himself to his beloved is the object of love, so everybody who helps us reach our Beloved Allah and His Rasool Sallalahu Alaihi Wasallam should be the object of our love, and everything that stands in our way should be the object of our hatred. Let us promise to take an oath to ourselves to be more careful who we choose as friends, ot only for ourselves but especially our young loved ones of our households. Let the words from the blessed lips of the Beloved of Allah Sallalahu Alaihi Wasallam echo in our hearts at all times: "Everyone will be with those (in the Hereafter) whom he loves (in this world)" Ma'assalaam Mohamed Mansoor Qaaderi Razvi Zia'ee 'Attaari.

JazakAllahu Khair bro!