if there were 2 things that i asked for, more than anything else in the world when i was there, was that Allah make me a person who is sabr (patient) and shukr (thankful). for i am, more often than not, hasty and ungrateful.

Abu Suhayb ibn Sinaan narrated that the Prophet said: "How amazing is the case of the believer; there is good for him in everything, and this characteristic is exclusively for him alone. If he experiences something pleasant, he is thankful, and that is good for him; and if he comes across some diversity, he is patient, and that is good for him." [Muslim]

Of the two tasks the Prophet sets here (patience or thankfulness), being thankful is perhaps the more difficult of the two when, oftentimes, a Muslim who attains some worldly gain and then attributes his success to his own abilities, or to luck, just forgets altogether the One who bestowed it upon him. That is the catch to any form of triumph. Indeed Allah says that:


Recognising that it is Allah who has blessed us with all these things is a cause for an increase, whereas forgetting Allah will not stop any gain, but it will result in a recompense in the Hereafter, as Allah says:


may Allah make us all sabr and shukr .... amin!

one of the ibadahs there that totally humbled me was the sa'i (walking 7 times to and from mount safa and mount marwah). the distance between safa and marwah is about 2 furlongs (approx 400m). before i left, i thought it would be easy. it's just walking from one place to another, right? pretty easy for a strong, healthy woman like me. but i underestimated the power of that ibadah and the first time i did it, i emerged from it shaking like a leaf. i was knocked out for a few hours due to sheer exhaustion. i am weak, Allah is Great. and He showed me that we should never be arrogant. everything that we have is from Allah and we are nothing without Him. Masya Allah.

Jewel mused @ 12:42 PM | | Permalink

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