Distractions

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

If Allah places a plate of sweets in front of you, and you are a sweet lover, you would forget everything and take a bite, maybe more than a bite, without much thought!

Blessings can distract one from Allah. At the minimum, a blessing distracts you from Allah, but for many people it goes even further. Some people when they have a blessing of money, they become proud and their whole obsession is piling up money. When somebody comes and asks them to share their wealth they chase him away or put a deaf ear.

Allah gave them a blessing, which didn't just distract them from Allah, it led them to disobedience, arrogance and loss of mercy. They can do worse. For some people, blessings cause them to disbelieve.

Blessings can be a serious problem to many. How do you prevent yourself from being distracted by blessings from Allah?

Remember blessings are from Allah, purely from His generosity. So, every bite that you take of that baklava or that basboosa, you remember this is a blessing from Allah. You should be filled with gratitude and indebtedness to Allah for the sweets and the pleasure of eating that wonderful sweet.

As well, remember the terminator of pleasures often. Once a week we visit the graves and maqams of scholars and righteous people. It helps us in drawing closer to Allah and aspiring us to be like the righteous. It reminds us of our own death, which are sure to come sooner than we thought. Allah brought us into existence, maintains us through His power, and He will take us back. He is Al-Muhyi, Al-Mumit. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.

Graves and Maqams, Cairo

May Allah make us among the righteous and grant us an excellent ending. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. JazakAllahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam