GRATITUDE
Where did gratitude go ?
Did we forget ?
Or
Did we forget to highlight the important and little things in life ?
And if you count the Blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them. (Surah Ibrahim 14:34)
Gratitude is a way of life...something to be followed EVERYDAY every minute of lour life....NOT JUST ON SELECT DAYS.
When I think of gratitude, as much as I am able to feel it for so many major things in life, our deen (faith), family, home etc etc etc I hear so many sounds from throughout the day where I feel,we don't show the gratitude for the little things in life. I mean with all the problems we feel we have honestly speaking what is it compared to the ordeals our dear Prophets ?.... Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismael, (Ishmael), Ayyub (Job), Yaqub (Jacob), Yunus (Jonah), Yusuf (Joseph), Musa (Moses), Eesa (Jesus) and Muhammad Peace and blessinsg be upon all of them.
It makes me question my irritability, impatience and anger:( As much as I need, and am thankful for the little things in life.......I have to feel them, smile and vocalize my gratitude spreading it contagiously. My mood effects the mood of the whole house. which means I have the bigger responsibility.......Sigh !
So in the stressful time I am feeling I am going through...health issues, packing and planning for a long travel, homeschooling highschool to preschool, and all other regularities and irregularities of life........
It`s all about setting our minds to it and would like to teach it to my kids while RE learning myself.
INSHALLAH!
We all know that gratitude is not something we should have here and there.....it's a mind set that one needs to have ALL THE TIME! EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY.
BUT.... we forget.
"And when some hurt touches man, he cries to his Lord
(Allah Alone), turning to Him in repentance. But when He bestows a favor upon
him from Himself, he forgets that for which he cried for before, and he sets up
rivals to Allah, in order to mislead others from his path. Say: Take pleasure
in your disbelief for a while: surely, you are (one) of the dwellers of the
Fire!"
(Qur'an:, 39:8)
This excerpt from a lengthy article here really highlights the benefit and the danger of forgetfulness
Man was created forgetful so that he can forget the
sufferings and troubles he may encounter in his life, otherwise life would be
intolerable. But if one forgets his commitment to Allah, to worship Him in the
best manner, it is then a disaster. Allah ordained that he should be worshiped by people and jinns, without any partner to Him. Allah also took the covenant of the people of the scripture to teach one another such a duty toward Allah.
Man forgets suffering by the Mercy of Allah, but one should not forget the
responsibility to worship Allah and thank Him for every good event or grace.
One should not forget resorting to Allah in disasters as one should thank
resorting to Allah at disasters as one should thank Allah for any grace.
Though, it is man's nature to forget, intended forgetfulness is not a quality
of the pious people.
Food for thought isn't it.......With the HECTIC schedule in the coming days committing to post everyday is a bigger challenge than I think I realize myself, but would like to do it as
"Outshining yourself in harder times is true submission to God's will, along with practicing being a good person every day"
'Good' here ofcourse means a list of positive adjectives........
thankful, grateful, happy, helpful, caring, gentle, thoughtful, careful, sincere, mindful, loving, .............................
So I will try and post our big and small gratitude-s here and there, as a reminder to myself first and foremost, with all the plight and trouble people face in the world I feel we have no excuse to complain.......yet we do!
And if you count the Blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them. (Surah Ibrahim 14:34)
The path of true and meaningful gratitude leads to more blessings. For, Allah says,
“And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allah), I will give you more (of My Blessings); but if you are thankless (i.e. disbelievers), verily My Punishment is indeed severe.”
(Ibraaheem 14:7)
