Being thankful for the bounties of Allah swt.

At the same time reflecting on our attitude in regards to them

Hakeemul-Ummat qaddas sirrahu says that reasons for loving someone are four;
Beauty (jamal)
Perfections (kamal)
Generosity (nawal)
Wealth (maal)
They are present to their maximum in Allah swt.

Here we are focusing on His generosity.
A cursory glance on the bounties that He is showering on us is a proof of this generosity.
Let’s take a look;
1. Being a living creature
2. Being a human
3. Having complete anatomical and physiological functioning of this human body that is, being free of all diseases. Healthy.
4. Life.
5. Time. Hours, minutes and seconds.
6. Being a Muslim
7. Being in the Ummah of our Master Prophet Mohammed salallaho alehey wa a’lihi wasalam
8. Association with Ulama-e-Haqq (Ahle Sunnah wal Jammah, Deoband)
9. Having the importance of following the religion
10. Aspiration of improving our self
11. Traversing the Path (sulook)
12. Being under the guidance of a perfect Sheikh (sheikh-e-kamil)
13. Education. Both religious and professional.
14. Job. Source of halal income.
15. Loving relatives; parents, spouse, children and others.
16. Well being of ourselves and these relatives
17. Housing & shelter
18. Means of transportation
19. Being free of worries
20. Opportunities of good actions
21. Being ashamed of our short comings and repenting
22. Basic necessities of living and moreover lots of luxuries
23. Wealth and savings
The list goes on and on.

What did we do to deserve these bounties in the first place?
By His infinite mercy Allah swt gave us these gifts. We did not deserve them at all. There are many individuals far better then us who are deprived of these bounties.

What is our attitude in regards to them?
Most of us do not reflect on being the elite and gifted. We take these bounties for granted. We are usually not thankful & appreciative for them. And on the contrary we complain for minor deficits and worries. Majority of us in our ignorance are using these bounties to disobey Allah swt.

We have to allot few minutes each day for reflection (muraqaba).
Sit down after fajir or eisha and enumerate the blessings we have, one by one. Thanking Allah swt for each of them, (allahuma lakal hamd wa lakash shukkar). At the same time reflecting that we were unworthy of such gifts and it’s by His generosity and kindness that He bestowed them. And He has the power to take them away any time. This is the fist step towards real thankfulness.

The real thankfulness (shukkar) is not to use any of the bounties in disobeying Allah swt, as confirmed by Hazrat Junaid ra.

Har mooay badan bihi jo zaban ban kay karay shukkar
Kum hay bakhuda unki einayat say kum hay
( Mufti Sha’fi ra)

Next:

http://http://ashrafiya.blogspot.com/2004/11/being-steadfast-in-following-rulings.html