Part I
-
Initial
Supplication
I seek refuge with Allah
from the Accursed Shaytan
In the Name of Allah Most
Gracious Most Merciful
All Praise is due to
Allah, Lord of the Worlds
And peace be upon the
greatest among the prophets and messengers
Our master and leader
Muhammad…..
And upon his righteous and
pure progeny.
As-Salaam Alaykum Wa
Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuho!
The Peace, Mercy of God
and the Blessings of God be on you!
-
Starting with
a verse from the Holy Qur’an (the Final Testament)
Bismillah Hir Rahman
Nir Raheem
In The Name of God, Most
Compassionate, Most Merciful
فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُواْ
لِي وَلاَ تَكْفُرُونِ
[2:152]
Then do ye remember Me; I will
remember you. Be grateful to Me, and reject not Faith.
-
Why do I think Allah says this?
-
Bringing up children - give them everything but they
are not thankful. They become thankful with
maturity as they realize the significance of
what you gave them
-
Complaining is the opposite of being thankful - it is
a negative emotion. One cannot be happy if one
complains
-
I.e. you cannot be happy unless you are thankful AND
you cannot be thankful unless you are happy
-
Gratefulness comes from awareness!
-
The importance of
giving thanks to Allah s.w.t.
وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا لُقْمَانَ الْحِكْمَةَ
أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِلَّهِ وَمَن يَشْكُرْ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ
لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ
[31:12]
We bestowed (in the past)
Wisdom on Luqman: "Show (thy) gratitude to Allah." Any
who is (so) grateful does so to the profit of his own
soul: but if any is ungrateful, verily Allah is free of
all wants, Worthy of all praise.
a.
Allah
s.w.t. guided Prophet Luqman (a.s.) - being thankful
profits us not Allah (who is free from all want (gani =
rich)
b.
Prophet Luqman (a.s.) gave guidance to his son
i.
"O my son! join not in worship (others) with Allah: for false
worship is indeed the highest wrong-doing."
-
First lesson is the Oneness of God
ii.
And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents - Show
gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final)
Goal
-
Next is the combined lesson to be good to parents
and showing gratitude to God and parents
iii.
obey them (the people who try to make you commit shirk) not; yet
bear them company in this life with justice (and
consideration), and follow the way of those who turn to
me (in love):
-
Third lesson is a re-emphasis of the Oneness of God,
i.e. don’t obey those who try to get you
to act otherwise – but be just in
dealings with them
…
iv.
… then subsequent verses go on to talk about Salaat (prayer) and
Zakat (alms giving) and Amr Bil Ma'roof (enjoining what
is good) and Nahi anil Munkar (discouraging what is
bad), etc.
-
Example of the Prophets
-
Story of Luqman (a.s.) and the bitter melon he was
given but which he ate as if it was the most
delicious fruit ever.
"O Friend, the pleasure of knowing that it comes from your
hands has changed the bitterness of the melon to
sweetness"
b.
We
should be thankful always to Allah s.w.t. irrespective
of the situation
c.
When
we are thankful - we are happy, we are positive, we bask
in the remembrance of Allah s.w.t. and enjoy his
bounties
d.
Salaat (Muslim prayer) is full of praise - the prayer
Allah s.w.t. taught us through the Prophet Muhammad (p.u.b.h.&f)
e.
Gratefulness requires us to remember Allah s.w.t. and
His Bounties - therefore we become humble towards Him
O
Allah! Make us among those that are ever thankful to
you!
Our
Lord! Let not our hearts deviate from the truth after
You have guided us, and bestow upon us mercy from Your
grace. Verily You are the Giver of bounties without
measure.
Glossary
s.w.t.
= May He be Glorified and Exalted
a.s. =
Upon him be Peace
p.u.b.h.&f = Peace be Upon him and his family
- Mujtaba Khambatti,
Oct. 26, 2006
