This is when you feel like that all that you have, all that is on you, all that is around you is yours and is necessarily part of your personality.
Allah, the All-Merciful, has given man all that he needs to fulfill his duties as well as enjoy his life as was designed by Him, Glory be His. Allah has given him countless blessings, gifts, grants, and favors; all out of His unlimited Treasures. Allah does not expect anything from man in return except that man should be grateful and thankful for the One Who gave him everything, even one’s own existence from nothing as is known by all.
However, there is a malicious disease that may wear away all the bounties given by Allah to man, and wipe them out. This is when one becomes negligent over these divine bounties and blessings and never endeavor to thank Allah for them and perform the deserved thanksgiving to Him, Glory be His. We can call this, “Getting used to blessings disease!”
This is when you feel like that all that you have, all that is on you, all that is around you is yours and is necessarily part of your personality.
This is when you get used to buying whatever you want while you do not have any feelings towards the poor and/or their miserable conditions; you consider all that you have as your natural property which you have duly earned from Allah.
This is when you get used to getting into your house and you find your household safe and well as if this is what is supposed to be and you never think about the others and/or their sufferings and sorrows.
This is when you get used to the blessings of Allah as if they are not blessings and gifts from Him, Glory be His, but as if they are your due rights and personal earnings.
Careful! As soon as you get used to these blessings and take them for granted, …
You will have your heavy, happy meals without thinking about those who stay overnight as hungry; or, those who do not have anything to eat; or, those who have the food but cannot eat it because of an illness or something; and you forget to thank Allah for what He has bestowed upon you!
You will see, hear and speak without thinking about those who have lost these senses/blessings, while you forget to thank Allah for what you have already!
You will go shopping and pay for your purchases and then come back home without saying Alhamdulillah (i.e. Thank You Allah) for the blessing of having enough money, your properties and even the house in which you dwell and sleep!
You will enter your house without paying any attention to Allah’s blessing that you have a place that gives you safety and security!
Often, if we are deprived of something, we take this as a trial. Our materialistic life allures us not to appreciate the blessings we have. Sustenance (rizq) does necessarily mean to have an increase in what you have. Rather, it stands for what you have already!
Do not let life force you to get used to the blessings of Allah and take them for granted. You should better force your life to get used to thank Allah for what He has given you!
Thereupon, when asked about your status and condition, do not blurt out, “Nothing new under the sun!” This is because you have too many blessings to count! These blessings are renewed for you by Allah day by day while you are heedless. You have to thank Him for these as many others have been deprived of such blessings on that very day and maybe on other days as well.
How many secure persons have become fearful!
How many well persons have become sick!
How many employed persons have become jobless!
How many rich persons have become destitute!
How many sighted persons have become sightless!
How many physically able persons have become disabled!
Given this, when you have all these blessings and they are effortlessly renewed for you day by day, you have to say, “Alhamdulillah for all that He has given and granted me without me deserving any!”
O, Allah! We ask You, as You have given us these blessings and more, to help us be thankful and grateful to You, and make us among those who thank You and glorify You at all times no matter what their condition is. Let us be with the thankful!
Allah the Almighty says in the Ever-Glorious Qur’an what means, “Few of My servants are truly thankful.” (Saba’ 34: 13)
Finally yet importantly, among the ways for one to be thankful for Allah is to remember one’s brothers and sisters from among the refugees, the needy, the homeless, the sick, and the destitute.
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*Adapted from a circulated Arabic post on WhatsApp with modifications and additions.
Dr. Ali Al-Halawani is Assistant Professor of Linguistics and Translation, Kulliyyah of Languages and Management (KLM), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was Assistant Professor and worked for a number of international universities in Malaysia and Egypt such as Al-Madinah International University, Shah Alam, Malaysia (Mediu) and Misr University for Science & Technology (MUST), Egypt; Former Editor-in-Chief of the Electronic Da`wah Committee (EDC), Kuwait; Former Deputy Chief Editor and Managing Editor of the Living Shari`ah Department, www.islamOnline.net; Member of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS); and member of the World Association of Arab Translators & Linguists (Wata). He is a published writer, translator, and researcher. You can reach him at [email protected].