DAILYREFLECTION

Our scholars spoke of four inner powers: knowledge, anger, desire, and the harmonizing force that rules them. From these arise four cardinal virtues: wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice.

Knowledge
When ordered by piety, it discerns truth from falsehood, honesty from deceit, and beauty from ugliness in deeds. Its fruit is ḥikma, the head of virtues. Misused, it becomes scheming and self-display. When weak, it collapses into confusion.

Anger
Anger is not evil. It is energy and the engine of courage. Balanced, it stands up for what is right and restrains itself when restraint is best. In excess, it becomes recklessness and pride. In deficiency, it sinks into cowardice and humiliation. From balance come dignity, forbearance, and deliberate strength.

Desire
Desire seeks benefit. Disciplined, it yields temperance, chastity, patience, and contentment. In excess, it indulges and envies. In deficiency, it becomes dull and lifeless. Desire needs discipline, not denial.

Justice
Justice is the ruler within. It employs each power to correct the others and, with wisdom, acts in due measure for time and place. When justice governs properly, the soul becomes balanced.

What our scholars mapped in principle, our history carries in living form. The four inner virtues, wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice, find clear reflection in the lives of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.

Our Exemplars

Abu Bakr
Abu Bakr (RA) shone with courageous trust. He stood between the Quraysh and the Prophet ﷺ until he was beaten unconscious. He gave all his wealth in the path of Islam, trusting Allah completely. He then accompanied and guarded the Prophet ﷺ during the Hijrah, while the largest reward in the land was being offered for his capture.

Umar ibn al-Khattab
Umar (RA) was the face of justice. He accepted rulings even when they were against him, honored those who corrected him, and actively invited criticism and feedback. He stayed vigilant against the smallest inroads of the nafs and measured himself by the truth.

Uthman ibn Affan
Uthman (RA) was wealthy, influential, and beloved, yet he embodied temperance and modesty. His refinement was such that even the angels were shy before him. It was this purity and restraint that made him the one honored to marry two of the Prophet’s ﷺ daughters, earning the title Dhu al-Nurayn.

Ali ibn Abi Talib
Ali (RA) brimmed with wisdom. He articulated truth with penetrating insight and acted on the fine line between right and wrong. In battle, when an enemy spat at him, he stepped back, distinguishing between fighting for the sake of Allah and reacting from wounded pride. That restraint is the mark of a heart guided by insight.

REFLECT ON THIS:

Which of these virtues is strongest in you today, and which needs cultivation?

Which of the Rightly Guided Caliphs do you feel you embody most, and which one do you need to strive to be more like?

^{Share your reflections in the poll at the end of the email.}

WATERMELONWATCH

• Israeli strikes have killed at least 31 people in Gaza City as IDF tanks advance; many civilians are fleeing south after evacuation orders.

• Humanitarian shelters are under fire: eleven UNRWA facilities sheltering ~11,000 displaced people in Gaza City have been damaged in the past few days.

• Support for Palestine is growing: France and Saudi Arabia will host a summit of world leaders to push for a two-state solution, with several countries expected to formally recognise Palestine.

• Border reopening: The Allenby crossing between the West Bank and Jordan has reopened for passenger traffic — a major route in the region.

• West Bank tensions continue: Israeli settlers carried out 25 attacks in one week, injuring 13 Palestinians and displacing dozens.

QURANCORNER

Each day, you’ll be introduced to one of the 300 most common Qur’anic words. The Qur’an has about 77,430 words in total, all built on just 2,000 root words. By learning these frequently recurring ones, you’ll recognize 70–80% of the Qur’an’s vocabulary and begin connecting more deeply as you read.

النار (An-Nār) - The Fire

From the root ن–و–ر (n-w-r) or ن–ي–ر (n-y-r), linked to light and flame, nār refers to fire in general, but in the Qur’an it often signifies the Fire of Hell. It conveys both the physical burning and the spiritual torment awaiting those who reject truth, standing in contrast to the light and peace granted to the believers.