Parents

In Sural Al-Isra, Allah azza wa jall reminds us of our (partial) duty to our parents, saying

وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا ۚ إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ الْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَا أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا

 وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُل رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا

And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them read old age with you, say not to them [so much as], “uff,” and do not repel them, but speak to them a noble word.
And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, “My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small.”

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‘Todd Hido on Landscapes, Interiors, and the Nude’

Someone, in some interview or Tweet or podcast, mentioned this book at being one of the more inspirational reads/books in his or her library, and me being me, I almost immediately ordered a copy.

I’ve been feeling a bit, I don’t know, “bad” is the wrong word… “ambivalent” isn’t strong enough… iffy about my book purchasing of late (one might call it a binge, especially after my involvement in an exchange with some grad school colleagues about photo theory books), but I’m really glad to add this one to my library.

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Waste Not, Want Not

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said

نِعْمَتَانِ مَغْبُونٌ فِيهِمَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ، الصِّحَّةُ وَالْفَرَاغُ

There are two blessings which many people lose: (They are) Health and free time for doing good.

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