Yesterday! my son recited surah Al-Adiyat in maghrib salah while I was behind him praying in jamaat.
SubhanAllah! What struck me was the ayah from the same surah
إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لِرَبِّهِۦ لَكَنُودٌۭ
“Surely humankind is ungrateful to their Lord—”
“Al-Kanood” is the ungrateful one.
Today, while reciting
Holy Quran’s surah Hud,
I came across these ayah –
وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةًۭ ثُمَّ نَزَعْنَـٰهَا مِنْهُ إِنَّهُۥ لَيَـُٔوسٌۭ كَفُورٌۭ
“If We give people a taste of Our mercy then take it away from them, they become utterly desperate, ungrateful.”
وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَـٰهُ نَعْمَآءَ بَعْدَ ضَرَّآءَ مَسَّتْهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ ذَهَبَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتُ عَنِّىٓ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَفَرِحٌۭ فَخُورٌ
“But if We give them a taste of prosperity after being touched with adversity, they say, “My ills are gone,” and become totally prideful and boastful”
(Holy Quran surah Hud, 9-10)
AllahuAkbar! How much we are deceived with the apparent! What we don’t understand is the fact that whether hardships or ease both are by His will, AND both are tests.
Yes, as humans, at times of adversities, we will feel low and vulnerable but as believers we are supposed to gather our strength from
Holy Quran and remind ourselves that it is just a test.
In times of ease, the test is not to be boastful and arrogant as if we deserved it all, we should humble ourselves that it is from Allah Al-Wahaab, and He is testing us through different means, again by reminding ourselves through the reminders of Holy Quran.
SubhanAllah! Between STIMULUS and RESPONSE there is always a CHOICE given to us by our Rabb to test us – whether we humble ourselves or not?
The next ayah says –
إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌۭ وَأَجْرٌۭ كَبِيرٌۭ
“except those who patiently endure and do good. It is they who will have forgiveness and a mighty reward.”
(Surah Hud ayah 11)
Two keys to be an exception are – Sabr and Good deeds.
The first key is to do sabr – being patient, in order not to get overwhelmed by the adversities that we leave all good hopes from Allah’s mercy, and become among those who are desperately despaired.
And similarly not to get overwhelmed in the times of ease that engulfed us with boasting and arrogance.
The second key is – doing good deeds.
When it is a tough time – Doing good for the sake of Allah (swt) will ease our pain.
I have personally felt it, years ago, I was once in dire need of a good counsel, I was feeling very low, and then suddenly a neighbour came to my place, and she expressed her emotional breakdown and asked me to counsel her.
I wondered in that moment “SubhanAllah! here I myself is in need of counselling but Allah has send someone to me so that I can give her some good words.”
I did what I had to, I counselled her. SubhanAllah! I realised that actually not only her worries were addressed but also I felt relieved and grateful for so many things, which I was overlooking then.
She expressed her gratitude to me but I told her that actually I am grateful to her as she was sent to me by
Allah Al-Lateef at the perfect timings.
True! it seems a herculian task to do good at times of hardships but it brings khair (good) in return which relieves the heart.
What I have personally realised is the fact that when we are into a particular situation of hardship, we actually get so overwhelmed that we forget to zoom out from the situation, and learn the lessons it is bringing out for us. We forget to have good opinions from Allah Al-Hakeem (The Most Wise) who has the whole picture of it.
We forget the hadees e qudsi that says – “I am as MY servant thinks of Me”
And I think this particular hadees e qudsi should be the basis of our psychology, and emotional intelligence that we should think positive of Him, that no matter what, there will be khair in the end, there will be light on the other side of the tunnel, there will be lots of lessons which Allah-Al Hakeem wants us to learn.
And this attitude can only be attained if we have sabr (patience) to hold back our RESPONSE to the STIMULUS and ANALYZE the situation with good opinions about Him,
Al-Azeem.
And in times of ease too, we should do good for the sake of Allah (swt) because that’s the way to be grateful to His blessings, and not to be arrogant and boastful.
May Allah Ash-Shakoor make us among those who are His shaakireen (grateful) slaves.
May we realise that whatever good we are doing, we are doing it for His sake, and it should be more than an honour for us that Allah is Ash Shakoor – The Appreciative One, He appreciates even our smallest efforts done for His sake.
Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Aalaameen.