Don’t Just Talk, Bring It

"A promise is a cloud; fulfillment is the rain." – Arab proverb. Keep
in mindthat for the Arabs, living in harsh desert lands, rain is the
bringer of life and Allah's blessing, providing bounty and relief. The
proverb is saying that a cloud is like a promise, offering hope of
needed sustenance but not really giving it. If you want to be real,
bring the rain.
Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, said, "There are three signs of a hypocrite: whenever he
speaks, he lies; whenever he makes a promise, he breaks it; and
whenever he is trusted, he betrays his trust." [Agreed upon] It is
added in a variant of Muslim, "Even if he fasts and prays and claims
that he is a Muslim."
Deceivers and hypocrites are clouds that pass over again and again but
bring no rain, leaving only drought and hunger in their wake.
Now, before anyone sends me a message saying, "Only Allah can bring
rain!" – I don't mean it literally. I'm speaking metaphorically, in
keeping with the proverb.
Andrew Carnegie, the famous industrialist, observed, "As I grow older
I pay less attention to whatmen say. I just watch what they do."
If you want to make a real difference in the world, if you want to
better your situation and your family's lives, if you want people
totake you seriously, then don't only talk. Do. Bring it.
Do that consistently and people will take your wordlike a Himalayan
mountain.You will move ahead in lifelike an orca – the most powerful
swimmer in the sea – cutting through the waves. And you will have one
of the characteristics ofa true believer, as the keeping of promises
is one of the most important aspects of Imaan (faith). (I should point
out that the exception would be a promise to do something evil – such
a promise should be broken, since there is no virtue in doing haram,
and therefore no virtue in keeping the promise).
"O you who believe! Fulfill (your) obligations." (Quran 5:1)
Amir al-Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) 'Ali (RA), in his letter
to Malik al-Ashtar, wrote:
"If you conclude an agreement between yourself and your enemy or enter
into a pledge with him, then fulfil your agreement and discharge your
pledge faithfully. Place yourself as a shield against whatever you
havepledged, because among the obligations of Allah there is nothing
on which people are more firmly united despite the difference of their
ideas and variation of their viewsthan respect for fulfilling
pledges."
Words are important. They are a starting point, and they have the
power to heal or hurt. But even moreimportant are actions. Fulfill
your promises. Practice what you preach. Do. Bring it.

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