Small Acts, Huge Rewards

#5

Assalaamu alaikum warahmathullahi wabarakatuh!

I decided to take down the previous chapter because I felt that I had given quite a tall list, and that did not sit quite well with me.

We'd try to go slow and steady and aim at permanent changes instead In sha' Allaah. After all, wasn't that what we had thought of when we started this initially? To gradually inculcate qualities and habits that would help us in both worlds? To make use of this opportunity to revive forgotten and underrated acts of Ibaadah?

May He grant us all success in what we intend to do. Ameen!

Anyways, I sense that you people are not very much motivated to adhere to these tasks. There is difficulty, there is lack of motivation, there is lack of interest, lack of earnestness and lack of sincerity; and I do not blame you for that, I truly do not.

Life at times threatens to consume us whole, to an extent that we come close to forgetting the basic tenets of Islaam. We forget our place and duties and rights. We fail in realising our Rabb's Love. All we could see are the negatives in life and all we could do is lament about what we are burdened with; sometimes even shut ourselves from the external or spiritual world. To a certain extent, it's understandable.

You are allowed to vent your frustrations and you are allowed to feel pain; allowed to break down. You are allowed to cut off yourselves from the world or even take a break from it all.

But it cannot go on forever.

You need to stabilise your relationship with the One who created you. You need to achieve your purpose, the purpose why you were sent on earth. You need to understand what is happening with you and why it is happening. You need to know where you are heading to.

I thought I'd quote a verse that would In sha' Allaah serve as a reminder as to what is our predicament on earth.

"...Verily Allah does not change people's condition unless they change their inner selves..."

[ Ar-Ra'd : 11 ]

Although it is true that He helps us in all things including building our relationship with Him, the first step is clearly expected to be taken by us, it should always be taken by us (Of course it is We who need Him, is it not? He could do very well without us).

I hope and wish and pray with my all my heart that the chapters I try to put up here serve their purpose in helping you take those baby steps that would help secure your everlasting relationship with Him. Ameen.

And please try to be regular here, I would try my best to be regular with these hikmah bits too, In Sha Allaah!

On the other hand, if you have been regular and have been upholding the previous tasks, that is maintaining a pleasant disposition and cleaning your inner selves, you would have felt the difference by now, including a mellowing heart and strengthening Imaan. You would have felt the essence of His Mercy, the strength of your love for Him.

Thank Allaah for the change in you because millions who had lived and are living on earth have never felt their heart stutter while remembering their Lord. Especially those of the ahle kitab (Jews and Christians), the kuffar and the atheists, they are not able to taste the sweetness of faith that you and I are experiencing. They do not know what they are missing out on, nor do they do know that they are in loss.

It is about them that Allaah says :

"It is not their eyes that are blind, but their hearts."

[ Al Hajj : 46 ]

Alhamdulillah for everything that we are blessed with, especially the understanding of the right deen. Thank Allaah for being human beings, for being Muslims, for belonging to Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) ummah. We would be the largest group on the Day of Resurrection, did you know that? We would be given the largest pond to drink water from, we would be the first to pass the bridge beneath which live fire spreads; we would be the only nation with our body parts glowing due to the effects of wudu, we would also be the first to enter Jannah. Our deeds would be a lot in comparison to other nations because we had been allocated multiple hasanaat for each of our deeds.

Don't you think we are of the most blessed? Have we not been selectively chosen by our Lord?

Most of us reading this are doing good in most ways. We have eyes that see, ears that hear, organs that work in almost perfect order (although I give my doctors a run as to how some of my systems work lol 😅). We have a roof over our heads, food on our plates, clothes on our bodies and people who care for us though however little it might be. We sleep every night with a sense of security and wake up every day with a sense of wanting to do something new. We are not living in the conditions our brothers and sisters in Syria, Palestine, Yemen, Kashmir, Rohinga, Uyghur and so many other terrorised areas are living. We do not go to bed expecting not to wake up the next day. We are not ever-alert of an impending doom that we think might fall on us any second now.

Not to sound demeaning or as if I'm belittling your struggles, but don't you think we have it much much better than most people out there? Don't we live lives that are much safer and better and much more acceptable?

With this feeling in us, let me have you know that this time, the task requires a little bit of your time every day. Each day from now on, you would have to take a moment after fajr or when you are travelling to your place of study or work, and mentally list all the things you've been granted with. Yup, you'd have to count your blessings in the literal and true sense.

"And whatever of blessings and good things you have, it is from Allaah."
[ An Nahl : 53 ]

Make sure to count your blessing. Always. I promise you that when you do it, half your problems would disappear and as for the rest - you'd get the strength and courage and Divine help to face them In sha' Allaah.

Life will automatically seem much better when you have found refuge in Him. Learn to count your blessings, and learn to make Him your friend.

See you soon.

Asslaamu alaikum warahmathullahi wabarakatuh!

****