Serve Others, Live and Die Nobly

"The one who lives for others surely has a hard life, but he will live nobly and die nobly."

-Sheikh AlArifi

When I started to write this post, it began like this:

One of my weakness like everyone is the strength to say no. Im sorry but there are just moments where you want to say no, even to those who you considered close. It feels like those who are closest to you are the hardest to say no to, and they will get upset the most.

After reading  a couple of hadiths , my mind went like this:
 Is it really a sighn of weakness to say no? Did the Prophet ever say no? Wasnt he the most kind?

As I think about this charcterstic, I remind myself of the chapter I read in Sheikh Muhammaed Al-Arifis book, Enjoy your life, it was titled, "Do not burden yourself with what you cannot do". I loved reading the advice the sheikh gave, "How excellent is it to be straightforward with people knowing and acknolwegdeing the limits of what one can do".

Guess what the chapter before that one was titled?
" Fulfilling peoples needs".

The shiekh quoted, The Prophet said, "For me to walk with my brother to fulfill his need until it is fulfilled is more beloved to me than making itakf in this mosque of mine for a month! The one who helps his brother in need, Allah helps him when he is need"

This is why you get that guilt feeling when you say no, because ahadith like this. Because you dont want to dissppoint anyone from your ummah, and more improtantly you must remeber your ultimate goal, and that is to please Allah

The sheikh ends this chapter with a beautiful opinion:

"The one who lives for others surely has a hard life, but he will live nobly and die nobly."

Now tell me will you say no?
Live by the quote above, and you will always be successful inshallah.