*Fruit for Thought* Make gratitude an action
Assalamu aleikum/'ala man ittaba'al huda,
I recently watched a documentary on Yao Defen (7"7), the tallest woman in the world. She has a life-threatening tumour in her pituatary gland that produces excess growth hormone affecting her heart and other organs, which is proving a challenge to treat. It was remarkable seeing ailing Defen manage in a world built for those two-thirds her size; she hangs on to the hope that the tumour will soon be treatable and that somehow, she will be able to afford the treatment. Like most people, my heart went out to her, and I felt a surge of shame about my own complaining, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all I had been blessed with. Yet after a while, I paused to think about it- what did it mean, to say I was grateful? Sure, I thanked and praised Allah verbally at this instance, but what would happen two, three days later? Likely as not, I would once again take everything for granted, and move through life as though everything was assured - nay, I would also probably pout and whine about the little insignificant blips in life that I had to face. I realised then that gratitude must come through action. If I was truly grateful for my health, I needed to do more with the ability God gave me, and I needed to take care of myself so I could take care of others. If I was truly grateful for the time I had free of major worry - because when you have something truly worth worrying about, it saps the enjoyment from your time - then I needed to spend it more in ways of benefit, things I would not regret when I no longer had the opportunity. Most of all, I was obliged to do this, because what I had wasn't a free and constant prize, it was a loaned responsibility. How many people jump on the bandwagon of supporting a cause only because they have now been afflicted? Things change and things happen, so be grateful, and show it by following what Allah has asked of you and by helping those you can, while you still can.
Here's to trying hard, inshaAllah to make gratitude an action.
Prophet Muhammad - Sal Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) - advised someone saying, 'Take benefit of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before you are preoccupied and your life before your death.'
Sahih - Narrated by Ibn Abbas & collected in al-Haakim & others.
I recently watched a documentary on Yao Defen (7"7), the tallest woman in the world. She has a life-threatening tumour in her pituatary gland that produces excess growth hormone affecting her heart and other organs, which is proving a challenge to treat. It was remarkable seeing ailing Defen manage in a world built for those two-thirds her size; she hangs on to the hope that the tumour will soon be treatable and that somehow, she will be able to afford the treatment. Like most people, my heart went out to her, and I felt a surge of shame about my own complaining, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all I had been blessed with. Yet after a while, I paused to think about it- what did it mean, to say I was grateful? Sure, I thanked and praised Allah verbally at this instance, but what would happen two, three days later? Likely as not, I would once again take everything for granted, and move through life as though everything was assured - nay, I would also probably pout and whine about the little insignificant blips in life that I had to face. I realised then that gratitude must come through action. If I was truly grateful for my health, I needed to do more with the ability God gave me, and I needed to take care of myself so I could take care of others. If I was truly grateful for the time I had free of major worry - because when you have something truly worth worrying about, it saps the enjoyment from your time - then I needed to spend it more in ways of benefit, things I would not regret when I no longer had the opportunity. Most of all, I was obliged to do this, because what I had wasn't a free and constant prize, it was a loaned responsibility. How many people jump on the bandwagon of supporting a cause only because they have now been afflicted? Things change and things happen, so be grateful, and show it by following what Allah has asked of you and by helping those you can, while you still can.
Here's to trying hard, inshaAllah to make gratitude an action.
Prophet Muhammad - Sal Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) - advised someone saying, 'Take benefit of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before you are preoccupied and your life before your death.'
Sahih - Narrated by Ibn Abbas & collected in al-Haakim & others.
Labels: Fruit for Thought
posted by Stylus Virus at 2:35 PM
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