Internal Behavior

“Verily, Allaah will not change the condition of a people as long as they do not change their state themselves” - [al-Ra’d 13:11] 

We can only control our "internal" behavior, attitudes and thoughts. 

Humans are never in a position to control external  sources. 

The best we can do is change our own state. It is in fact the only thing we can do. 

Success is 99% perspiration , i.e change of state. The 1% inspiration is divine guidance .... I think,  which amounts to 100% success.

99% perspiration + 1% divine help =100% success

or from a different perspective 

1% perspiration + 99% divine help = 100% success, considering our efforts are minuscule in the grand scheme of things. 

And Allah know best.

Knowledge is the most miserly thing ....

At this moment you are in this place at (your) differing levels – from them the high (levels) and from them lesser than that. However regardless of where the person reaches in knowledge, then he is (still) in need of knowledge – as per the statement of Allaah, the Blessed and Most High: But over all those endowed with knowledge is the All Knowing One (Allaah) [12:76].

Therefore I urge you to have a general eagerness in pursuing (your) studies; and that you know with certain knowledge that the person who does not strive with all his efforts in attaining knowledge, then knowledge in its entirety will slip away from him.

And therefore it is said: indeed knowledge is the most miserly thing there is! For if you give it your all, you will attain (only) some of it; and if you give it only some (of your all), then it will elude you entirely. And therefore I urge you, O young people, to have a complete eagerness for knowledge.

— Muhammad ibn Saalih al ‘Uthaymeenraheemahullah addressing students of Muhammad ibn Sa’ood Islamic University. (via shuayyb)

Ingratitude

When Allah gives you a gift, when Allah gives you intelligence, and Allah gives you an educational opportunity  and Allah gives you a  creative idea, and Allah gives you a creative talent and you say I am way too humble to exercise my talent, then that is not humility that is ingratitude. You have to exercise your talents, you have to make the most of yourself. Everybody should work in accordance with their disposition.  Everyone one of you has a predisposition, you have a talent you are good at something.Find out what that is and find out how you are going to use it to its maximum potential so you become a contributor to the world not a consumer.-Nouman Ali Khan