A Letter to the Editor by A Muslim

This is from a fwd email.

A Muslim wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to Masjid every Friday. 'I've gone for 30 years now,' he wrote, 'and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them.
So, I think I'm wasting my time and the Imams are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.'
 
This started a real controversy in the 'Letters to the Editor' column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:
 
'I've been married for 37 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals, but I do know this... They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.
 
Likewise, if I had not gone to mosque for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!' When you are DOWN to nothing.... GOD is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank GOD for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!
 
All right, now that you're done reading, pass it on! I think everyone should read this! 'When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say, ALLAH, could you get that for me?'

Awakening

I was asleep, in my own dreamland,

In my utopia with my books, cell and PC.

When I woke up, I was in another place

And I strode alone towards my destination,

A bright light along the straight unwavering path,

As I walked, I realized, I wasn't walking alone,

There were millions of people as far as my eye could reach,

To my left and to my right, 

In front and behind,

All trying to reach the same light, 

Treading through the same unwavering path.

Both young and old, men and women,

With no distinction of their nation,

No hatred, jealousy, hostility or enmity.

All gathered, together, in the vicinity of the Holy land

With just one wish in our hearts,

A humble and innocent request to our Lord.

Please accept our prayers and our good deeds,

Please forgive us our sins,

Help us make this world a better and peaceful place to live,

Let us be among the blessed people,

The dwellers of Paradise,

Help us to live a contented life, through thick or thin.

Stregthen our faith, with steadfast heart,

That strives for the Hereafter.

O My Lord, with the millions of people around me,

I feel so insignificant. What am I without you?

You created me, made me born to the family I am in now.

What do I have to be proud of?

You gave me good health and good intelligence.

You gave me the blessings of living a contented life.

You gave me everything, even without me asking.

But, I am greedy. I still ask you for many things,

'Coz I know, I'm nothing without your blessings.

Just a lump of dust. That is where I came from,

That is where I'll return to. 

The physique that I boast of as mine,

Do I have control over it? 

What is the complicated machinery within it?

Can I nurture and control it? Not a chance.

O my Lord, even then I feel that I'm special to you.

You blessed me so much.

Each day is a flow of new events and surprizes.

Yes, they are all a test from you.

Each trial and tribulation, a test for my patience.

Each happy and successful moment, a test of my gratefulness to You.

Thank You for making me who I am.

Thank You for giving me a wonderful family,

Thank You for giving me awesome friends,

Thank You for giving me education,

Thank You for all the things that has happened to me,

Some bitter lessons and other happy moments.

O my Lord, I believe that

If I pray to you sincerely, with good intention,

You will surely answer my prayer.

If not here, in the Hereafter.