Human
beings have been conferred with numerous blessings. Health,
wealth, family, safety, well being, peace are some of those. Being a Muslim, I
feel that indeed it’s a greatest blessing from my Lord for being a son to Muslim
parent and HE given me the Eeman.
From Dawn
to dusk, birth to death, we cannot count onto the blessings of our Lord. As
Allah says in His holy quran, “And if you should count the favors of Allah, you
could not enumerate them; Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful” Quran 16:18
وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Before
the birth, HE protected you in three layers of covering inside mother’ womb;
provided with necessary food & nutrition intake through your mother and
made to breathe through her.
After
ten months, opened a new world for you; Induced care & affection onto your
mother’ heart; she cares for you more than anything else in this world; even
when she is fast asleep, would wake up at once on hearing you cry; knows much
better the reason for your cry, whether it’s for food or even your slightest
discomfort. Aren’t this mother’ love a blessing from your lord?
Made
you to dwell in mother’s lap for two years in the best comfort; and there on
placed you on father’ shoulder in growing age. Then provided with different
modes of transport to travel in adolescent age; even after death, made four to
carry you in their shoulders
Living
with all these countless blessings, what are we going to do for HIM in return?
Allah repeatedly asks this in holy quran.
There
are ways to be thankful for His blessings
First: Firstly, knowing and realizing
the blessings
When
Allah bestowed a favour and we realized that it’s a blessing, thus we’ve
thanked Allah (swt).
Once,
Inb Taimiya was asked about his present condition. He replied, “I’ve been
living very happily with the two blessings bestowed upon me by my Lord”
1. My
sins which were hidden from others. Allah saved me by hiding it so that none
could be aware
2. Has
placed my love in the hearts of followers, for which I don’t have any special
quality. I’ll be ever thankful for these two blessings
From
the moment when life hung without any balance on the mother’ womb and until
the time it reaches the grave, Allah’s grace & blessings are enormous and abundant
Second: Remembering those blessings
Allah
says in His holy Quran, that to remember the grace & blessings of Allah
unto you.
After elaborating
all the favours He given us, advises us about what we want to do in
return for these favours. The Most Beneficent just asks us to remember on those
blessings
Indeed
in this remembrance, there is greatest message for us.
When
all the grace and favours in terms of wealth, kingdom and others were given to
Prophet (PBUH), he used to remember the earlier days and once said,
recollecting how Khadija (RA) helped him in troubled times. “She (Khadija RA)
believed in me when no one else did; she accepted Islam when people rejected
me; and she helped and comforted me when there was no one else to lend me a
helping hand.”
When
Moosa (AS) asked, Oh my Lord, You have conferred upon me so many favours. How
would I express my gratitude? Lord replied, “You have now already thanked for
it”. When the moment you thought about it, you already expressed the gratitude
for it
Third:
Being humble
Humility
can guide us to Paradise, just as it’s opposite, Arrogance (kibr in Arabic)
will only lead us to Hell. It’s the arrogance of Shaitan that caused his expulsion
from Paradise and made to be cursed when refused to humbly obey God’ command
and prostrate before Adam
Enjoying
the grace of your Lord, and being humble towards Him, is a sign of success. As
the Quran states, about the qualities of believers who submitted humbly to the
commands of God
Successful
indeed are the believers, those who humble themselves in their prayers (Quran
23:1-2)
There
are numerous sayings of Prophet Mohammad on humility –
Shall
I not tell you about the companions of Paradise? They are every humble person
considered weak, but if they gave an oath by Allah it would be fulfilled. Shall
I not tell you about the companions of Hellfire? They are every harsh, haughty,
and arrogant person. – Prophet Mohammad
Fourth: Spread the word about your Lord’
favours to others
Speaking
about the blessings of Allah is gratitude and ignoring them is ingratitude –
Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)
Holy
Quran says,
Telling
about the graces to others which your Lord given is nothing to do with being
pride. Instead it’s a form of thanking your Lord. As the Quran itself asks to
proclaim it.
“And proclaim the Grace of your Lord” (Quran
93:11)
Thank
you!!
Arabic Translation Centre (ATC)
www.arabictranslationcentre.com
