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Ramadan 2022 – Juz 20
Ramadan 2022 – Juz 20
وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو فَضۡلٍ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَهُمۡ لَا یَشۡكُرُونَ
“Surely your Lord is ever Bountiful to humanity, but most of them are ungrateful.” — Qur’an 27:73 – 74
When we think about our lives, so much has happened. Many trials but so much more goodness.
We sometimes focus on the trials, feelings stressed and down. We can feel like we have been victimised and treated unfairly. We can just as easily though chose to focus on the good things in life, how lucky we are just to have many basic amenities that for others would be considered luxuries. Even to have a functioning body and to be able to walk, talk, think and even read is a great blessing not everyone is granted.
When we frame things like this we can’t help but feel humbled at how much we were lucky enough to be given. Not due to ourselves or our own work, but more often than not due to factors outside of our control. Be that the circumstances we were born into. Someone who gave us a favour, helped us to get a job, or a connection that helped us with something else.
Studies have shown that being grateful increases people in happiness, Likewise Allah tells us in the Qur’an
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌۭ ٧
“And ˹remember˺ when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more. But if you are ungrateful, surely My punishment is severe.’ ” — Quran 14:7
Not only will we will feel more content with what we have, but Allah tells us that he will give us more on top of that. What could be better than contentedness and increase?
Ultimately true wealth is in contentment. Feeling like one has enough and being free of want.
This goes both ways, being content not only in our blessings, but also being content in our trials:
لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ ۗ
“God does not burden any soul with more than it can bear: each gains whatever good it has done, and suffers its bad.”— Qur’an 2:286
In time we know that nothing that comes our way will ever be too much for us. Allah promises us this. When we reflect on our life, how many times were we in a hard situation, but how many times was it really ruining? Eventually we got out or managed to bounce back. As with all aspects of growth, we have to be pushed to our limit, to learn to extend ourselves, grow and become better people.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ عَجَبًا لأَمْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ إِنَّ أَمْرَهُ كُلَّهُ خَيْرٌ وَلَيْسَ ذَاكَ لأَحَدٍ إِلاَّ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ ”
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: “Amazing are the ways of a believer for there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case for anyone except for the believer. For if he has an occasion to feel delight, he thanks (God), thus there is a good for him in it. If he gets into some hardship he endures it patiently and there is a good for him in it.”
Finally, when it comes to the after life and the day of judgement, each person will be judged according to what their own ability was. Someone who was extremely wealthy will be held accountable for how they spent their wealth, were they generous in giving to charity, or miserly and tight-fisted? Someone who wasn’t given so much wealth will be held to account for what they did have, be that their time or ability, did they spend it well, serving others and doing good that was pleasing to Allah?
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَلْتَنظُرْ نَفْسٌۭ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍۢ ۖ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ ١٨
“O believers! Be mindful of Allah and let every soul look to what ˹deeds˺ it has sent forth for tomorrow. And fear Allah, ˹for˺ certainly Allah is All-Aware of what you do.” — Quran 59:18
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