The Productive Muslimah

Ohh Allah ...I am Thankful

So should I be thankful for the good clothes I wear or the
Gucci bag I carry? Maybe the good food I can eat? Oh
wait, what about the opportunity to study at a reputable
university or being employed at a good company? Hey, did
I mention my caring and wonderful parents or my cool
siblings who are my best friends? Hold on, I completely
forgot about the blessing of Islam in my life; How Allah
guided my heart to His path! AlhamdulilLah (praise be to
God).
Tired of counting already?!
No wonder Allah said in the Qur'an that if we were to
count the favors of Allah, we will not do justice to even
one favor! (14:34)
Yes, we are all struggling with something and I feel ya, my
brother/sister in Islam. Maybe it's been months and you are
still looking for a decent job. Maybe you are a single
brother/sister struggling to fight off temptations while
there seems to be no progress in the 'marriage' part of
your life and you are tired of searching for that 'right'
person. Maybe you have been trying for years and still
with no success in conceiving a baby. It could be anything.
Anything that makes you feel that sense of unhappiness
and dissatisfaction. A gap between what you desire to
happen and what is happening in reality. And I feel your
pain and I will never underestimate it.
But brothers and sisters, I request you all to take concrete
steps to change your situation. Do something about it
right now! You know how?
"...If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]
..." (Qur'an, 14:7)
Here's how:
Shift your focus.
Pay attention to the wonderful things you have, as
opposed to what you don't have.
Believe me, you will get lost in the counting of those
blessings even if you're a math expert!
And then, when you genuinely appreciate the blessings
you enjoy and, in turn, appreciate how Merciful He, your
Lord, has always been to you, He will do as promised
inshaAllah (God willing); He will increase you in various
ways in life. Trust me, with a positive and grateful mindset,
you will feel His barakah (blessing) in your life constantly
and that will make you a much happier human being. You
will enjoy the days and nights of this fleeting life that
doesn't want to slow down! You will kick away depression
from your life and make way for activism and energy!
And most importantly, you will be able to remember your
Lord consistently and His consciousness will become
ingrained in your lifestyle inshaAllah. What a wonderful
way to worship the One to whom we owe everything!
But then you might be thinking "how" exactly do I show
this gratitude? Is it just repeating "thank you God" every
time I buy a Louis Vuitton bag?
That too and maybe something more. The best way to be
grateful for Allah's favors is to use them for things that
make Him happy.
So you're good in accounting? Help someone to do their
homework. You love writing? Use your beautiful words to
inspire people to Allah's deen (religion). Maybe Allah
blessed you with wealth so you can buy all the good stuff
alhamdulilLah. Why not buy something nice and gift it to a
poor person once in a while? And you can be as creative
as you want! The list is endless. But you get the point
inshaAllah.
Come on fellas. It's time to be positive. It's time to be
grateful. It's time to act.
And always remember this motto no matter what you go
through in life:
"An attitude of gratitude is what is truly needed!" -
Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan
Stay blessed.