Giving dawah to different people is an uphill task and an interesting work as well!
I asked my new maid.
“Do you pray namaz? ”
She said sometimes.
“Lekin, Jumah padhte hai baji.”
On being asked the reason behind, she said – “Time nahi milta baji.”
After having a brief discussion on time and accountability and upon such excuses, she understood it alhamdulillah well.
I asked who else offers it at home, she said sisters offer it sometimes.
After a brief discussion that probably another reason that one does not love to offer namaz is because he/she doesn’t know what they are speaking to their Lord,
considering it, I thought of explaining to her that it is a gift for us from our Lord and it will be our own loss if we don’t unpack and avail the fruits of that beautiful gift.
So, I asked her –
“Achcha batao, hume kaisa lagega agar hum kisi ko gift dey, unhi ki zarurat ka aur wo ley bhi nahi?”
She said – “baji, gift kia?”
Me – “behen gift matlab tohfa.”
She – “baji wo kia hota hai? ”
Me – “achcha tum abhi gaon gaye thi apni doston ke liye yaha se kuch achchi cheezein legayi thi, unhe achcha lage isliye, usey kia kehte hai? ”
She – “baji, usey SAMAAN kehte hai, baji.”
😊
Not easy to give dawah to different people, but while we think we are teaching them, we realise they are teaching us many things.
I appreciate her honest replies, she didn’t lie that she offers namaz regularly.
Talking to her made me realise that I have to engage with her on daily basis to make her realise what tohfa and gifts are in reality.
Finally, talking to her made me realise that may be, we both are having a sort of communication gap in context of gifts, but this is reality that we, many a times, appreciate not the gifts we are blessed with, perhaps so because we recognise it not as gifts or tohfa but think it as a “samaan” too!
We are the abd – slaves of Allah swt, Ash Shakoor – The Most Appreciative One – May He swt make us among those who appreciate His blessings.
Allah reminds us: ” And whoever is grateful, he is only grateful for the benefit of his own self” (Luqman 31:12).
“Indeed Allah is The Possessor of bounty for all people but most people do not give thanks.” (Al-Baqarah 2: 243).
“If you are grateful, I will surely give you more and more” (Ibrahim 14:7).