A simple thought from The Community on Friday:
It’s easy to complain about your life until you have someone else’s life to compare to. And that’s exactly what seems to be the case as the noose on the economic grip hardens. Every other person you meet, bemoans his state of financials attributing the sudden shift to lower volumes of business or even to rising costs of living. The paradox then manifests when you go through your facebook feed or overhear others talk about who is travelling to where. You also see an unwavering patronage at popular joints as people spend, what in the mornings is a hand-to-mouth budget, in a couple if hours. Despite the worsening conditions, there seems to be little change in buying habits or for that matter, a prioritisation of costs.
Conspiracy theorists suggest that people are mostly following a herd mentality of echoing popular anti thesis beliefs.that everything is going wrong, and that this is nothing but a defence mechanism of an ordinary mind to seem welcoming to the prospect if giving out more. In the process, we do witness cases of default rising, not because of genuine circumstances but owing to simply holding on to something that may not be theirs but that helps them derive temporary comfort and help maintain social status.
However, as we cannot judge others, we obviously resort to giving everyone the benefit of doubt, prima facie.
Now whether we are suffering real issues or are in fact simply cascading a popular belief system, Islam abhors our constant habit of complaining. Such actions are an indirect negation of our faith in Allah (SWT), who remains to be the only true Ordinance with any power to surround us with His mercy and grace.
Imam Ali (AS) advises thus: “Show gratitude in prosperity and in adversity, in happiness and in sadness, in health and in sickness” – the fact that we are followers of Ahlul Bayt, this particular advise must become our second nature, and not what we learn from other cultures. For instance, when waSwahilis neet, they go through an extensive rigmarole of repetitive greeting, surprisingly the urban converted response to any greeting such as Habari za nyumbani, etc, yields ungrateful responses such as “Daah, aise tunaendelea tu” or “Aise (read I say), majukumu mengi tu”, all of which are accompanied by the sigh of a person who has lost everything.
Here are a few other sources that can help us change our attitude hopefully:
“Thank Me and do not show ingratitude to Me. (Holy Qur’an 2:152)”
“Eat of the sustenance of your Lord and give thanks to Him. (Holy Qur’an 34:15)”
“Remember when your Lord said to you, ‘If you give thanks, I shall give you greater (favours), but if you deny the Truth, know that My retribution is severe’ (Holy Qur’an 14:7).”
“Very few of My servants are grateful. (Holy Qur’an 34:13)”
The Prophet (SAW) said: “He who eats and gives thanks will have the reward of him who fasts purely for the sake of Allah. He who gives thanks and enjoys good health will have the same reward of him who practices patience in his illness. He whom is conferred with graces and gives thanks will have the same reward of him whom is deprived and satisfied”
This initiative is made possible by the kind courtesy of Bande Khuda Sponsors, G1 Security, Meadows Academy, SD Dental Clinic & Ceramic Lab, SokoniAdvertiser and Xpress Rent a Car, and for the ISAALE THAWAAB of Marhum Bachoo SulemanA Simple Thought: Wednesday, 15th March ’17
