بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Allah begins Surah Al-Kahf with Alhamdulillah.
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ عِوَجَا ۜ ﴿١
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance. (1)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:1]Muslims are people of Alhamdulillah which means we are constantly grateful and constantly positive. If we understood Alhamdulillah we will never depressed, angry, stressed, nervous, fearful, lose hope or complain.
We can turn our messes into golden opportunities. The formula for doing that has been provided to us by His beloved Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace):
How wonderful is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything and this applies only to a believer. If prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for him.[Muslim]
When we say Alhamdulillah, we are saying we praise Allah for whatever He is doing, and at the same time we thank Him that He did it.
Alhamdulillah should come from the bottom of our hearts, even in the midst of tribulations and all the things that are going wrong in our lives, we are finding many things that are going right. We should not lose sight of the things that are going right in our lives and the many great things that Allah has blessed us with until now. We must thank and praise Allah abundantly and praise and thank Him again for the realization. Alhamdulillah. If you can't find them, keep looking.
Something we always take for granted is our bodies -- there could be so many things that can go wrong in our bodies but we are moving and functioning, however slight or even with some difficulties. We should be grateful to Allah for all that. If you complain about the hardship living in a poor Muslim country, be thankful that you are filling your stomach or eating with your family or loved circles, able to hear live adhans (call to prayer) five times a day, pray at the masjid, and enrich your souls. Imagine being in a country where you hardly find Muslims or you have to work day and night to pay your bills and could hardly see your spouse or your children at the dinner table? If you are feeling uncomfortable because of the heat or cold, at least you are have a home, and not sick, and if you are sick, at least you are not very sick or bedridden like so many other people in the hospital or nursing care.
We find today in the Ummah, that people complain and complain about the state of the Muslims -- they complain about the ignorance of the Muslims, the corruption within the Muslim societies, and all the negatives about Muslims, as if we don't have enough from other people attacking Muslims, as if we don't have enough problems within ourselves and our own families that we should take care first.
We have to remember, Allah is the One who can change our circumstances. So, the first thing we should do is turn to Him and say Alhamdulillah. And show a positive attitude towards ourselves and people around us.
Gratitude is not only the heart and essence of Islam, it is also the key to attracting abundance, prosperity, peace and success.
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ ﴿٧
And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.' (7)
[Qur'an, Ibrahim 14:7]The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam continually reminded the believers to be ever grateful to our Lord, and the term shaakir, meaning “one who is grateful,” is often used in Islam as a name of great honor among Muslims.
The Qur’an time and again emphasizes that gratitude is essential to Islamic character, and that exercising gratitude is the means to greater abundance.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam would often spend long hours in prayer and dhikr deep into the night. Once, his wife Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked him, “Messenger of Allah, surely any mistakes you may have made are forgiven, as are any you may make — why do you stand in prayer so much?” He simply smiled and replied, “Shall I not be a grateful servant?
Be ever grateful to Allah for everything you have--your parents, your family, your teachers, your wealth, your health, your status, your knowledge, your intellectual abilities, your life.
We can never count Allah's blessings. Allah Most High says,
أَفَمَن يَخْلُقُ كَمَن لَّا يَخْلُقُ ۗ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ ﴿١٧﴾ وَإِن تَعُدُّوا۟ نِعْمَةَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَآ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿١٨
Then is He who creates like one who does not create? So will you not be reminded? (17) And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. (18)
[Qur'an, An-Nahl 16:17-18]The opposite of Shukr (gratitude) is Kufr (disbelief). In many places in the Qur'an, Allah compares the terms shukr and kufr.
فَٱذْكُرُونِىٓ أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لِى وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ ﴿١٥٢
So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me. (152)
[Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:152]Iman (belief) implies shukr or gratefulness as opposed to kufr or ungratefulness. A disbeliever is ungrateful to the Being Who has given him everything, whereas a Believer is one who is ever thankful for all that Allah has given him.
May Allah make us among the people of His remembrance and of those who are grateful to Him in every moment of our lives. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
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