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The
other day while watching a network news program, I
saw a Muslim woman in Kosova with her six-month-old
infant, who was covered in sores and suffered from a
malady of illnesses, all because it had not had a
bath since its birth.
The mother explained
that because of the heavy fighting, she and her
family had been on the move constantly, and that
luxurious such as decent food and clean water were
not available to them. As the mother of a
six-month-old infant myself, this struck to the very
heart of me. Bath time for my son and I, is a very
special time filled with play and laughter. It's a
ritual we share everyday, and the fact that I would
have clean water with which to bathe him, was
something, until then, every time I bath my son, I
try to remember to thank Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala,
for His Mercy to me. It also reminds me to be
thankful for all the other "little
things," that I take for granted everyday.
From the very
beginning of Man's creation, the issue of
gratefulness and thankfulness to Allah has been
debated. After refusing to bow to Adam, Satan said,
"Then
I will certainly come to them from before them and
from behind them, and from the right-hand side and
from the left-hand side, and You (Allah) shall not
find most of them thankful." [
7:17 ]
This statement from
the worst of liars has proven to be true, not only
among the disbelievers, but also among the Muslims.
Unfortunately, we Muslims have fallen into the trap
of Satan, and have gotten so caught up in our
comings and goings, that we very rarely take the
time to reflect on the Favors of Allah, and to thank
Him with the thanks that is due Him. We are so busy
conducting our daily lives that we forget who is
really in-charge, and from where our sustenance
comes. This is not the way, for Allah says,
"Therefore
remember Me, I will remember you, And be thankful to
Me, and do not be ungrateful to Me." [The
Noble Qur'aan [2:152]]
The problem that
most of us face is what I call the, "if I
only" Syndrome. If I only had a better wife, I
would be grateful. If I only had sons instead of
daughters, I would be grateful. If I only had a
bigger house, a better car, more money, a better
job, and the list goes on and on. We are constantly
focused on the things we don't have, instead of
being grateful to Allah for the things we do have.
This is a very
serious illness, for which the Prophet (Pbuh) has
given the cure. He, peace be upon him, admonished
us, in terms of worldly things to always look to
those beneath us, for this will keep us thankful.
Allah says about the Prophet (Pbuh) that in him we
have the best of examples. In terms of showing us
how to be thankful to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, he
is as Allah says. It is narrated by al-Mughira that
the Prophet,(Pbuh) used to stand (in the salah) or
performs salah until both his feet or legs swelled.
He was asked why (he offered such an unbearable
salah) he said, "Should I
not be a thankful slave." [Bukhari]
As the Prophet (Pbuh)
advised us, the best way to stay thankful to Allah
is to count His Favours in our lives everyday. For
Allah says,
"And
He gives you all that you ask for. But if you count
the favors of Allah, never will you be able to
number them. Verily, man is given up to injustice
and ingratitude." [The
Noble Qur'aan [14:34]
This statement of
Allah is so true, yet we put so little value on it,
and do not take heed.
The very fact that
we got up this morning, that we can offer the salah
that we had breakfast, that we have clothes to wear,
water to bathe ourselves, that we have homes to
shelter us from the elements, that we have our
health, our families, etc., etc., etc., are all
favors from Allah, subhanahu wa ta'aala. We should
take non of it for granted, or become arrogant
enough to believe that we attained any of it because
of our own efforts alone.
Thankfulness frees
the heart from greed, jealousy and envy. When we are
thankful to Allah, we remain mindful of Him and His
continuos Mercy toward us, and this in return
humbles us and improves our characters. The very
fact that Allah has guided us to Islam and the
sunnah of His Prophet (Pbuh) in itself should be a
source of continual praise. Allah says,
"Surely
We have shown him the way: he may be thankful or
unthankful." [The
Noble Qur'aan (76:3)]
Allah also says that
only few of His servants thank Him. Let us then
strive to be among these few by keeping our tongues
wet with His remembrance and our hearts soft with
His praise.
Al-Haramain
Foundation |
