A Mindset

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Treasure is any thing or person greatly valued or highly prized. It should make one very happy when one sees a treasure. Have you ever wondered how everything you have is a treasure? The piece of bread on the counter, your health, the peace, the roof over your head, the laughter of your child, they are all treasures. To your right, left, top, bottom, front and back, you will see treasures. But what prevent you from seeing these treasures? It is the mindset.

"If you turn away from your selfish desires, you will live a more pleasurable life."

Someone without a slavehood-mindset will find this statement contradictory because he is not grateful to Allah. He does not know what is true pleasure and associates pleasure with fulfilled selfish desires. He denies the pleasures given to him from Allah because his sense of pleasure has been skewed. He cannot imagine humbling himself to his Lord. He equates submission to his Lord with the deprivation of pleasure. He doesn't realize that his frenzied pursuit of pleasure desensitizes him from feeling pleasure (that's why he gets bored) and keeps him from grateful contentment. Grateful contentment brings a delight to pleasure that cannot be found anywhere else.

Someone with a slavehood-mindset will find this statement to be completely true because he has realized gratitude towards his Lord. He knows that his Lord is his Master and he is fearful of Him. He understands what is true pleasure and feels indebted to Allah. He will accept and enjoy the pleasures of life with a deep feeling of gratitude, which will accentuate the pleasures of the world. If he lets desires overcome him, he will sense first-hand that the pleasurable feeling leaves him.

May Allah make us His grateful slaves. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam