بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ
Today I wish to
reference two thought provoking ayats from Surah Ibrahim that are very
comprehensive issues that Allah has raised for our attention. Firstly Allah says in ayat;
But if ye
count the favours of Allah, never will ye be able to number them. (14:34)
If we were to
sit down and think of all the blessings that Allah has been so merciful to
bestow on us we would never finish counting them. A simple example is how many times for the
day we breathe in and out. Is this not a
blessing? There are some with
respiratory problems that has difficulty in breathing and it leads to so many
medical problems. Another is how many
times for the day we blink our eyes. These
simple things that we take for granted are truly great blessings from our Lord,
in addition to the other things Allah has been kind and merciful to give
us. It’s impossible to really compute His
blessings and favours on us.
The other ayat I
wish to reference is ayat 28;
Hast thou not
turned thy vision to those who have changed the favour of Allah into blasphemy
and caused their people to descend to the House of Perdition? (14:28)
Unfortunately,
sometimes we see some people who may not have much materially, and they appear
to be righteous and obedient; and when they acquire something of the world they
begin to indulge and lose their focus and purpose. Sadly they may even indulge in unlawful
things.
Allah is telling
us that some people do not know how to manage the blessings that He Graciously
bestows. Some get intoxicated and go off
in tangents. And after some time they
fall flat. How many times have we seen
people work hard to accumulate something of the world and thereafter go off in
different un-Islamic things; and finally they fall? Allah is warning us. Appreciate the blessings of Allah and manage
them properly because the way we utilize and manage these blessings are
important. Even the way we manage our
time is important as time is indeed a great blessing from Allah.
How do you
manage your time, assets and health?
Life is not just for one day. It
is a process. Today you may be like the
full moon; bright, radiant and powerful but tomorrow you may be like the last
quarter; in decline. Strength and wealth
will eventually go. These are very
important blessings so don’t use it to cause your own ruin and destruction.
Prophet Ibrahim
is a perfect example of how to best utilize Allah’s blessings. He utilised the blessings to elevate himself
in both worlds. On the other hand his
relative Lot; his people were so blessed with fertile land etc and look at how
they utilized it. They indulged in reprehensible
actions. On the other hand Ibrahim
planted a seed at the then barren land of Bakkah and look at the outcome
today.
Understand that
we are here because of Allah’s Grace and Mercy.
He has given us life and something of recourses. Don’t complain and envy others. Instead thank Him and manage His blessings in
such a way that it will earn for you more and more in both worlds.
One of the key
to success is to do things selflessly for the sake of Allah. If you give to Him do you not think He will
return something better to you? Rest
assured that He will never let you down.
This is a practical experience.
We are seeing
examples in His Words and in the life pattern His Beloved Prophet Muhammad
(pboh) and also in the message of Prophet Ibrahim. Look at Ibrahim’s status today. We acknowledge him every day in salaat whilst
reciting our darood. They are models for
us about how to manage the gifts of Allah.
On the other
hand look at the people of Moses. They
we so physically blessed; and sadly they used it for their destruction. They were so disobedient that Allah left them
wandering in the deserts for so many years.
We are reminded
that our existence is because of Him and we should be conscious of this and
never feel or portray any feeling of superiority. Everything we have belongs to Allah. He says ‘and to Allah belongs whatever is
in the skies and whatever is on the earth’.
If you are given
a little as a trust from your Lord utilise it properly. And this is the Message of life and
Islam. Remember this and always remember
we have one life to live on the earth; so utilise it properly right now to get
eternal bliss, insha Allah.
May Allah enable
us to truly understand and acknowledge His countless blessings on us and may He
also bless us with the maturity to utilize it in a most befitting manner, insha
Allah.
Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed
