Life is good.... REALLY?

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. 

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Assalam alaikum wa rehmatullah (May peace and the mercy of Allah be upon you).

O Allah! I thank you for guiding me and many others and I thank you for all the blessings and favors which you have bestowed upon us all even without we asking for it! Thank you for the life you gifted us and thank you for making it good!

Allah states in the Qur’an-

“Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while he (or she) is a true believer, verily to him we will give a good life, and we shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do.” [Al-Quran 16:97]

All of us desire for and strive for a good life- A life with the feeling satisfaction devoid of mental stress and worries. There are innumerable books written and available which talk about the same telling you what to do but not HOW to do!  At some point of time most of us contemplate and ponder upon the purpose behind our existence.

Many end up spending years searching for the contentment and happiness that lingers and makes life good and worth living. Many wind up fulfilling their desires to be happy. Many find happiness in the material world. But how does one really get there??

Pure faith in God- The answer to this question. The only means to purify one’s heart and remove all the anxieties and worries is to have complete and true faith in Allah.

 Who knows us better than the One who has created us? Alhamdulillah(Praise be to Allah) those who believe truly know that all the good that they have comes from Allah and at the same time have calm nerves when afflicted with hardship knowing that it is just a trial.

Let us ask ourselves- Do we not feel good helping others in need?

Don’t we experience positive vibes within us when we do something good and to the best of our capabilities?

In fact Allah tells us that whoever works righteousness, (Uprightness, honesty, virtuousness, decency, morality, piety, charity) after believing, to him belongs a good life. How noble is the person who believes in God, is dutiful towards his parents and is good to his neighbors, who likes for others what he likes for himself, who doesn’t inflict pain on others but is always helpful and displays a beautiful pattern of character. Who teaches man to be good? And who decides the standards for the same?

The key to happiness lies in knowing our Creator, keeping His commandments and walking on the true path ascribed by Him.

Contemplating and being thankful!

Remember and reflect upon the favors and blessings of Allah which surround you and how fortunate you are to have them!

Allah says in the Holy Qur’an-

And if you would count the graces of Allah, never could you be able to count them. [Al- Qur’an 14:34]

A rational person would definitely reflect upon his life, health, family, friends and the world around him. Expressing gratitude is essential since it is us who need God!

Every hardship is a blessing disguise-

The pleasures of life are indeed short lived and often followed by sorrows. Many people complain after experiencing a few bad times or downs in their lives. They ardently argue that it is unfair towards them and make it seem as if all they are dealing with all the issues in the world.

Yes, at times we do get anxious. Most of the times, we cannot control the outcome and when things go out of way, we fall in despair.

Allah says-

 In Allah Let the Believers Put Their Trust [Al-Qur’an 3:160]

We must leave all our matters and worries aside and seek Allah’s help with patience and forbearance. He is the Best judge of our affairs. Alhamdulillah! This doesn’t imply that one must remain idle and do nothing at all. Allah knows what a person truly intends and He also knows the amount of efforts one puts in.

Remember the hadith of Muhammad (May peace and blessings be upon him) –

“Tie your camel and trust in God.”

There is much wisdom in simple phrases like these.

One must realize that there is no one in the world who does not face problems in life. Be they big or small, all have their shares of ups and downs. But it is the way one faces them makes the difference.

Verily with hardship there is relief [Al-Qur’an 94:6]

Trials or hardships are in fact beneficial for us.  One learns to appreciate the blessings he has if one thinks reasonably.  What are our problems compared to the problems others are facing?

 Nothing!

THINK!

There are many such aspects which could be mentioned that are a part of our daily lives.

All we have by ourselves is Today and living it the correct way matters. Once a person realizes the true purpose of his or her life, other things fall right in place.

 We do not come to life by our wish, neither do we depart by our wish. It does not befit us to turn so arrogant and ignorant of Allah’s blessings which He has endowed us with unconditionally. In spite of our arrogance, mistakes and sins He gives us chances to repent and turn towards him. Some rectify themselves soon however some keep going with the same attitude.

Everyday we see people who are mentally distressed, empty from within, bitter towards other and ungrateful towards their Lord because they feel that what they have isn’t enough and they shoud have had more of it to be happy. They feel so despite the fact that they are in the best of their health, inspite of the nourishing food they eat and luxurious houses they live in. They are able to walk, breath, see, talk and live normally and yet are not thankful for these favors from God.

What if they were given castles and mansions? Yet, they would deviate from the true path.

They say-

If God had given me this and this I would do this! If he blessed me with this wish I would be thankful!

May God protect us from such deviations.

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One of Allah’s attributes in the holy Qur’an is As-Salaam (The bestower of peace)

And I pray that may Allah bestow peace in the lives of those who place their trusts in Him and I pray that may He guide and bless all those who are ignorant of His Mercy and Love!

Ameen..