HUMANITY’S PURPOSE
‘I created jinn and humans only to worship Me’ [51:56].
Why are we here? Many grapple with this existential question. What is the purpose of life? This query is another on which society frequently and frustratingly ruminates.
In the Quran, God answers both: your creation is to worship Me.
The verse does not mean that God needs our worship. He is Self-Sufficient, while we are deficient and entirely reliant upon Him. People have a natural disposition to worship, and God informs us that He is the Only One worthy of that worship. Everything other than God we direct our worship toward is only poor facsimiles of what we seek.
Worshipping God is to have taufiq—reconciliation with the Will of God. And how do we know what God’s Will is for us? We learn His Will through His Final Testament—al-Quran.
THANKSGIVING: A SIGN OF FAITH
Gratitude is not just an attitude. It’s a sign of faith and noble character and increases when we exercise it: Remember that He promised, “If you are thankful, I will give you more” [14:7].
The above verse is a jumlah shartiyyah—a conditional sentence that means if a certain condition is true, a particular result will follow.
The Prophet (s) did not only sing God’s praises when showered with magnanimous blessings but fell prostrate in thanks every time he experienced joy [Ibn Majah 1394]. He acknowledged God in the small things, which deepened his gratitude for the big things.
Our level of thankfulness is directly proportional to its deliberate practice, whereas ingratitude is a rejection of God’s bounties. The latter state will proliferate if not reined and veil us to His incalculable gifts.
A thankless person is often miserable, repelling many from their company.
We lose perspective when we are ungrateful and begin to view the world simply as an affront: ‘It is God who endowed you with hearing, sight, and hearts–how seldom you are grateful’ (23:78].
But those who offer thanks will galvanise their bond with their Lord and receive a generous reward in this world and the next. [3:145]
(Write a daily gratitude list of five things you are grateful for: I am grateful for …………………………………..)
Embracing the seasons is not only the intelligent thing to do but also the main ingredient for success.
When we only graft during fair weather, we will attain little.
Life is cyclical, just as the seasons are, and if we learn to adapt like nature, we will develop a hardy bearing and be better able to deal with life on life’s terms: surrendering to the moment and its Creator.
If you can’t do all you’ve planned to do, do some, but never none.
Do not defer; there’s no better time than now.
Bismillah!
Until next week, InshaAllah
Zaahied Sallie
Author of The Beloved Prophet – An Illustrated Biography in Rhyme
p.s. Red Kufi Courses are now available, Alhamdulillah. Click to learn more.
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