In today’s Newsletter, I wish to talk about Gratefulness. The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2, verse 186 relates:
“And that you may exalt Allah for having guided you and that you may be grateful”
It is one of the facts of life that we tend to take things for granted and do not appreciate them, until they are taken away from us. One major lesson, I think everyone has faced, has been that how this Corona Virus has quickly taken things away from us. Things which we took for granted and never really gave a second thought, until now it has gone. Things like freedom, freedom to go out, go to the shops, the mosque etc. Yes of course, many of us have faced persecution and seen our rights taken away. But still we were able to move around, go out, to the shops etc.
But what has happened reminds me more of what happened with the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that he and his followers were boycott for three years. They were put in a valley and not allowed to come out. They were not allowed to go to the shops, mix with the people etc. Fortunately, there were some who secretly helped them and supplied them with the necessaries. But it must have been a terrible time and of course, took its toll, with the Holy Prophet’s beloved wife and uncle passing away soon afterwards.
Now we face a similar experience, but from a different source. This is not due to your faith or people opposing you, instead it indiscriminates and can affect anyone, no matter who they are. But for a believer, it is also a time to appreciate what Allah has bestowed upon us and be grateful for everything we have and thank Allah.
We should constantly be offering gratitude to Allah, thanking Allah for the favours He has showered upon us. Allah has greatly blessed us all. He has given us everything, without us asking and this is all part of attribute of Ar Rahman – His Graciousness.
The most important thing which Allah has given us, is life. But not only has He given us life, but also the means to sustain that life. He has given us food, drink, air to breathe, night and day etc. All things which we take for granted, expect to be there. It is only when we lose those things, that we appreciate what we had, but of course, by that time it is too late. People get so lost in running after worldly things that they lose point of this life. Never get time to enjoy what they have, always running after more.
Likewise, they find that religion hinders them from their pursuit of their goal, so many restrictions against what they feel is important to enjoy life. But are they enjoying life? Have they found peace and contentment? Real inner peace can only be found through God. Real contentment means enjoying what you have and appreciating it. But they can’t see this. No matter how great are the bounties they receive they always want more – never content with what they have. Therefore they question whether there is a God? or whether they need a God? But we should all step back and think about what we have, what we take for granted. Like I have just said, you only really appreciate something, when it has gone. But by that time it is too late. So you should think about all the numerous blessings that you are receiving and then give thanks to Allah for all that He has bestowed on you. Because this is the real secret of happiness, appreciating what you have and then give thanks – no matter how small it is.
But if we do not do that, then by not appreciating what we have will lead us to worry, depression and misery. The Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has summed this up nicely, he said:
“For a Muslim, life is full of good and nobody but a true believer finds himself in that position. For if he meets with success he is grateful to God and becomes the recipient of greater favours from Him. On the other hand, if he suffers pain and tribulation, he endures it with patience and thus again makes himself deserving of God’s favours.”
The Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is the most excellent exemplar and we should always strive to follow his example. The Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was always in search of ways to express his gratitude to his Maker and would not let go any opportunity in doing so. He always wanted to be a grateful servant of Allah and would express gratitude for every bounty of Allah, whether he was eating, wearing new clothes or even lying down to rest. For every occasion he taught us to always express gratitude to Allah.
It is reported from Hazrat Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her, that the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, would stand so long in prayers that his feet would begin to swell. When asked why he took such pains when Allah had already promised him mercy and salvation, The Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
“Should I not be a grateful servant of Allah?”
Whenever some favour was bestowed on The Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, he immediately offered gratitude for it. He was thankful to Allah when he was informed that if people from his followers invoked blessings upon him, it would become a means of forgiveness for them.
The Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, would say:
“He who is not grateful to people is not grateful to Allah” (Tirmidhi)
I always feel it is good to travel around and see the condition of people worse than you, then you can fully appreciate what you have.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi, may peace be upon him, has nicely summed this up. He said:
“It is not true to say that wealth affords comfort. Mere wealth cannot do so. If someone has got wealth but he has not got good health, his stomach, let us say, is not in good order, so you think his is a life of bliss?
That shows that wealth is also not a source of comfort. The truth is that only he who has communion with God, lives a life of bliss in every way, for, God is powerful over all things and He can remove the trials and the tribulations and the worries connected with wealth; if the trials and tribulations and hardships are there, God can grant strength to bear them and to confront them.
There are some people who have great wealth but they are devoid of health and their life is miserable and bitter. Who is there who can grant patience in the time of affliction? None but God”. (Malfoozat Vol. III, p335)
True knowledge and experience of God is the greatest blessing of all. So step back and think about all the good things you have and compare them to all the bad things and that will help you appreciate the blessings of Allah more, Insha’Allah. The most important bounty has to be Allah, the One God, and along with your belief in Allah, comes your belief in the next life. This gives you a goal in life, a purpose, a direction. If you appreciate the blessings and bounties from God, then you can find the real happiness you desire, even if your worldly comforts are taken away from you, you can still appreciate what you do have and give thanks to Allah.
The Holy Qur’an Chapter 40, verse 40 states:
“O my people, the life of the world is but a temporary provision, and the Hereafter is certainly the home for the permanent abode”
Generally, we tend to overlook all the wonderful bounties of God and take them for granted. Instead we complain and moan whenever things go wrong. We find fault with everything and everybody. The Holy Qur’an has warned us against such an outlook. It states in Chapter 27, verse 74
“And truly thy Lord is gracious to mankind, but most of them are not grateful”
Therefore, we should always be grateful to Allah and keep thanking Him for His numerous blessings. If we do that then we will be more appreciative of the favours of Allah and therefore more at peace with ourselves and everyone.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the fifth successor of the Promised Messiah, may Allah always be his Helper, once said:
“We can never count Allah’s blessings and favours even if we tried. Every true believer should go on offering gratitude for Allah’s favours, for it is through gratitude that one is granted even more favours. Be grateful, therefore, and inculcate virtue into your lives. Try to bring about a holy change in yourselves and invoke Durood (salutation) upon the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Move forward and, in order to gather Allah’s blessings, fulfil your obligations to Allah and to His creatures.”