By Azka Fathima P (Palsarak)
Vaniyambadi, Tamilnadu
Did you wake up today?
Do you have a roof over your head?
Did you have something to eat today?
Are you healthy enough to breathe without pain?
Can you walk?
Can you see the beauty around you?
Can you hear the voices of the people you love?
Do you have clean water to drink?
Can you think, learn and dream?
If your answer is ‘yes’ to most of these questions, congratulations – you are already living a life that many people can only dream of.
Do you want to know the value of a hand? Ask someone who has lost one.
Do you want to know the value of vision? Ask someone who is blind.
Do you want to know the value of a single breath? Ask someone who depends on an oxygen cylinder.
Do you want to know the value of a single bite of food? Ask someone who has gone hungry for days.
Count Your Blessings
People today often overlook their blessings, thinking, “I’ve always had these things. They’ve always come easily to me. But the truth is that what seems ordinary to one person may be the dream of another. We become so accustomed to our blessings that we stop noticing them, yet those who struggle without them understand their true value.
Some blessings do not look like blessings, but they are.
- Waking up to live another day is the first blessing for which we should be grateful. We do not know how many people are fighting for their lives every single day. We do not know how many people were admitted to emergency rooms yesterday, hoping for one more chance to live.
- Having a roof over your head is another blessing, So Pause and Appreciate it. Many people have lost their homes to cyclones, floods, earthquakes, and other disasters.
- If you have food to eat, then be thankful. Millions of people around the world go to bed hungry every night. An estimated 8.2% of the global population, about 1 in every 12 people experiences hunger on a regular basis.
- If you have access to clean water, then be gracious. Around one in four people worldwide lack reliable access to safe drinking water. Something as simple as turning on a tap is a luxury for many.
- If you are healthy, then be glad and express gratitude. Good health is one of the greatest blessings, yet it is often appreciated only after it is lost. Almost many people suffer from at least one health ailment.
- If you are able to breathe comfortably, thank Allah. Many people struggle with respiratory conditions and experience shortness of breath every day. What happens automatically for some is a daily challenge for others.
Gratitude begins when we stop focusing on what we lack and start appreciating what we already have.
The Illusion of Self-Made Success
During the time of Prophet Musa, there was a man named Qaroon who was blessed with immense wealth and treasures. However, instead of being grateful, he became arrogant and walked upon the earth with pride and vanity. When people warned him and reminded him of Allah, he rejected their advice. He claimed that he had acquired it solely through his own knowledge and effort.
And the Qur’an states,
إِنَّ قَـٰرُونَ كَانَ مِن قَوْمِ مُوسَىٰ فَبَغَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ وَءَاتَيْنَـٰهُ مِنَ ٱلْكُنُوزِ مَآ إِنَّ مَفَاتِحَهُۥ لَتَنُوٓأُ بِٱلْعُصْبَةِ أُو۟لِى ٱلْقُوَّةِ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُۥ قَوْمُهُۥ لَا تَفْرَحْ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْفَرِحِينَ
Qaroon was one of Moses’ people, but he oppressed them. We had given him such treasures that even their keys would have weighed down a whole company of strong men. His people said to him, ‘Do not gloat, for God does not like people who gloat.’ (The Qur’an, 28:76)
فَخَسَفْنَا بِهِۦ وَبِدَارِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ فَمَا كَانَ لَهُۥ مِن فِئَةٍ يَنصُرُونَهُۥ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُنتَصِرِينَ
We caused the earth to swallow him and his home: he had no one to help him against God, nor could he defend himself. (The Qur’an, 28:81)
This story provides us with the remarkable moral that what we have is from Allah. We should always be grateful to Him for the bounty He provides for us. As in the Qur’an itself, it is mentioned how the people expressed gratitude after experiencing Qaroon’s incident.
وَأَصْبَحَ ٱلَّذِينَ تَمَنَّوْا۟ مَكَانَهُۥ بِٱلْأَمْسِ يَقُولُونَ وَيْكَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَبْسُطُ ٱلرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِۦ وَيَقْدِرُ ۖ لَوْلَآ أَن مَّنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا لَخَسَفَ بِنَا ۖ وَيْكَأَنَّهُۥ لَا يُفْلِحُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ
The next day, those who had, the day before, wished to be in his place exclaimed, ‘Alas [for you, Qaroon]! It is God alone who gives what He will, abundantly or sparingly, to whichever He will of His creatures: if God had not been gracious to us, He would have caused the earth to swallow us too.’ Alas indeed! Those who deny the truth will never prosper. (The Qur’an, 28:82)
This also encourages us to understand that if you are wealthy, verily, it is from Allah, Al-Ghani. We should not walk on earth with vanity.
Once Dr. Israr Ahmed said,
تنگی ہے الله کی طرف سے ہے۔
فراخی ہے الله کی طرف سے ہے۔
Tangi hai Allah ki taraf se hai.
Farakhi hai Allah ki taraf se hai.
Gratitude – The Path to Contentment
Do you know the surprising fact, we can lead a happy life with only what we already have? That is through the path of contentment. By appreciating what we already have.
The secret formula is: It is mentioned in the Hadith: Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Look at those who are below you, and do not look at those who are above you, for that is more likely to hold you back from belittling the blessing of Allah upon you.” [Sahīh Muslim – 2963]
Let’s understand it through few examples,
If you feel that you are unhealthy then look at someone who is unhealthier than you.
If you feel like you are exhausted by your job, then look at those people who don’t have a job.
If you feel that your home is not good, then you must take a look at those who don’t have one.
If you feel like your mobile phone is old and worn out, then think of those who don’t have mobile phones.
We should always be content with what we have and express heartfelt gratitude towards the decree of Allah at every step.
