FIRST Reminder. Wednesday. 1st day of Dhul Hijjah. PRESCRIPTION FOR PIETY. BismilLah Allah (SWT) says in Aayah 119 of Surah Taubah: “O Believers fear Allah and be with those who are truthful.” To fear Allah means to avoid sins at all cost and to make sincere repentance and seek forgiveness from Allah in case a sin is committed.  Along with fearing Allah, this Aayah also commands to be with the people who are truthful, i.e., who always speak the truth, who at heart are truthful and whose actions reflect their belief in truth. This is Allah (SWT)’s mercy that when He commands to do something, which may apparently seem hard, He sends a command soon after which makes the first command easy and doable. In other words the second or the following command paves the way for the fulfillment of the first command. A person, who is living in an amoral, immoral or unethical environment, may ask a question: “How to build a barrier against sins and be safe from their influence.” Listen to what Prophet (SAW) once said before I answer this question. He (S.A.W) said that a time will come when holding on to Faith will be as difficult as holding a burning coal in hand. Most probably we are living in such a time period.  It requires moral courage and strength of character to adhere to our faith in the current environment. To be continued on some golden deeds to aid us in shaa Allah in my second reminder. We ask Allah to protect us from any satanic influences. Aameen.