The Little Things in Life…

Gratitude 

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

The sun vs. the earth

The largest star vs. the sun

Planet Earth, in our opinion is this enormous planet supporting a vast diversity of life, our home. Did you know the sun is 1 million earths put together…and even though the sun is so large, it happens to be one of the smallest stars that exist in the universe? It would take an airplane 1,100 years to travel around the largest known star; the sun is a mere speck compared to it. That largest known start is from amongst several hundred billion other stars that form our galaxy. And then there are several billion galaxies…so our seemingly ginormous planet earth…is actually less than speck of dust.

“It is He who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne.” (Quran, 57:4).

Imagine a body cell…really small. This tiny cell contains DNA, which is even smaller than the cell itself. All the DNA taken form one person’s cells would be twice the diameter of the entire solar system… and all of that is contained within just you! And even cooler, this tiny, compact molecule in our cells contains all the instruction our bodies need to function every day. 

“And He gave you all that you asked for, and if you count the blessing of Allah, you could not enumerate them.” (Quran, 14:34). 

Surely Allah (SWT) already knows us well, as he is our creator. He has bestowed many favors upon us; but of course it is in our nature to continuously forget this. Allah (SWT) has called our creation “insaan” which we usually translate as humans. However “insaan” comes from the root word “insiya” which means “to forget”. So basically we are the people that forget. 

But Allah (SWT) constantly reminds us to stay away from ingratitude because Shaytan had told Allah (SWT) that “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 Thou (Allah) shall not find most of them thankful." (Qur'an 7:17). How many times have you seen the phrase “la’allakum tashkuroon” in the Quran? Probably many… Its meaning is “so you [humans] may be thankful”. Allah (SWT) is constantly pointing out many things around us so we, the people who forget, may remember to be thankful to Him and not fall in Shaytan’s trap. 

We often find ourselves battling the many challenges of life and become so engrossed with our negatives that acknowledging our positives becomes hard. But the test is this challenge: through all your ups and downs in life, can we remember that Allah (SWT) is with us and he is indeed helping us in many ways? 

We woke up this morning….We say Alhamdulillah…because many didn’t. We are able move around and we are given a chance to do something new today…We say Alhamdulillah…because many are dependent on others for their basic necessities. We are given a chance again to repent to Allah (SWT) for our sins form the past…We say Alhamdulillah…because Allah has said he has blinded some to a point where their senses are sealed. We are currently under a roof…We say Alhamdulillah…because many can’t even dream of having a roof above them. We had clean water this morning to drink and make wudhoo with…We say Alhamdulillah…because some newborns have not tasted water yet and are beyond reach of it. 

Sometimes pondering over the things we already have helps us appreciate our situation and makes us happier. Science proves that being negative weakens one’s confidence, decreasing success and decreasing a peace of mind. It also physically strains the body weakening the immune system and decreases one’s energy or motivation to accomplish something. Saying a simple “Alhamdulillah” for the things that are in our reach will please Allah (SWT). That is all He asks of us…just that we merely acknowledge all He has given us. This will Insha’Allah benefit us here in this world and in the Akhirah. 

رَبِّ اَوزِعْنِيْ اَنْ اَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتِكَ الَّتِي اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَي وَالِدَيَّ وَاَنْ اَعْمَلَ صَالِحاً تَرْضآهُ وَاَدْخِلْنِي بِرَحْمَتِكَ فِي عِبَادِكَ الصَّالِحِينَ. ‎

Oh my Lord, give me the ability to thank You for the blessings You have Bestowed upon me and my parents, and to do good which pleases You, and admit me, with Your mercy, among Your righteous servants. 

May Allah guide us and make us amongst the “Shakireen” (the thankful), because he promises us that “If [you] are grateful, [I] will give you more.” (Quran 14:7). May He give us the strength to overlook the things we don’t have, and aid us in remembering the things we have, making us stronger to work with the obstacles that are in our path.  

Oh Allah shower Your blessings upon the Prophet (SAW) and grant him the best of peace.