Concept of Blessing

Transcript of the Khatira delivered by Dr. Munawar Haque on Sept 12, 2015 

My dear brothers and sisters! We all want to be blessed. We feel good when someone says, “God bless you!” Have we asked ourselves what a blessing really is or what does it mean to be blessed? In my khatira today, I wish to share some thoughts with you on what being blessed really means.

Sometimes it is through stories that even difficult concepts become easy to understand. When trying to understand the concept of blessing, there is a story about a righteous man that will put the matter of blessing in perspective. This man not only suffered from leprosy, but was also blind and paralyzed. Nevertheless, he was so content and peaceful that he constantly used to praise and thank Allah for saving him from what He had afflicted others with and for blessing him over many of His creation. The Prophetic dua he used to utter was: 

الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي عَافَانِي مِمَّا ابْتَلَاكَ بِهِ، وَفَضَّلَنِي عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِمَّنْ خَلَقَ تَفْضِيلًا

"Praise be to Allah who had saved me from what He had afflicted you with, and for blessing me over many of his creations.”

While he was making this dua, a man passing by him asked: “Saved you from what, man? You are blind, suffering from leprosy and your hands and feet are paralyzed!” The man replied: “How could you say that? Allah has given me a tongue that is in constant remembrance of Him, a heart that is in constant gratitude towards Him and a body that is in constant patience over its afflictions.” The reply of this righteous man put the matter of blessing in perspective for the questioner.

This story has food for thought for anyone who wishes to contemplate deeply, genuinely and sincerely on the true meaning of blessing. Generally, what comes to mind when we hear the word blessing? Many of us get an image of material possessions or worldly goods in our minds when we hear this word. Now, let us reevaluate blessings. Allah says:

وَمَا أُوتِيتُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَمَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتُهَا وَمَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ

“Whatever you are given in this life is nothing but a temporary provision of this life and its glitter; what Allah has is better and more lasting. Will you not then understand?” (Al-Qasas, 28:60)

Indeed, blessings are a test, for Allah says,

إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا

“We have adorned the earth with attractive things, so that We may test people to find out which of them are best in conduct.”(Al-Kahf, 18:7)

This means that being healthy; being rich and famous; being popular and powerful is not necessarily the ultimate success. Losing them is not necessarily the ultimate failure. Blessings by way of material possessions very often divert people away from the remembrance of Allah or make them greedy in pursuit of more and more or in constant worry over the loss of that which they have been given. In such case, these things can hardly be called blessings?

Similarly, losing one’s health, wealth and status, may be seen as blessings if such conditions direct people to seek Allah more passionately so that they strengthen their bond with Him and deepen their reliance on Him. Allah says in Surat Al-Fajr:

فَأَمَّا الْإِنْسَانُ إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَأَكْرَمَهُ وَنَعَّمَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَكْرَمَنِ () وَأَمَّا إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَهَانَنِ ()

“As for man, when his Lord tests him, through honor and blessings, he says, My Lord has honored me, but when He tests him by restricting his means of livelihood, he says, My Lord has disgraced me.” (Al-Fajr, 89:15-16)

These verses clearly indicate that there is one common element in blessings and hardships: they are both a trial; so what may look like good fortune from the outside is not necessarily the source of success and what may look misfortune from outside is not necessarily the source of failure. A hadith tells us, “Richness is not having many possessions, but richness is being content with oneself.” Does Allah stop loving us when He withholds? No! Allah is full of love for His Creation. One of His names is “Al Wadud” (The Most Loving).

When we fall sick, He compensates for our sins. We learn from a hadith that whenever a Muslim experiences any hardship like sickness, Allah wipes away his sins just as a tree sheds its leaves during autumn. Another hadith informs us, “When a (righteous) person becomes sick, the angels appointed to record his deeds are instructed by Allah: Continue recording in his Book of Deeds those actions which he used to perform when he was healthy, until he either gets better or I call him unto Me.” Yet another hadith tells us,  “When a believer experiences any fatigue, disease, sorrow, grief, hurt or distress, even to the extent that he is pricked by a thorn, Allah wipes away some of his sins for that.” Therefore, although it is difficult to bear calamities and misfortunes with patience, we should consider them blessings in view of the great bounty attainable through them.

A deep understanding of the meaning of blessings is directly connected to our spirituality. Not knowing what blessings mean might actually hinder our connection with Allah. Those who think that being blessed only means to be rich, to be healthy and happy, and to be without problems are most likely to fall into a state of depression, confusion, and sadness, and may even rebel against Allah when faced with difficulties.

In times of difficulty, we should not turn our back on Allah thinking that He doesn’t care for us anymore; that He doesn’t love us anymore.  For those of us who think that Allah doesn’t care for us or doesn’t love us, just because we are in a state of trial and tribulation or because we feel that we are not blessed enough, it’s time to change our  perspective of what it means to be blessed. Facing some sort of trial or difficulty might in fact carry in its folds far better and deeper lessons, and blessings that we wouldn’t have learned or earned otherwise.

Let me conclude with a beautiful hadith that says, “Wonderful is the situation of the believer. All of his affairs are good for him. If good befalls him, he is thankful, and that is good for him. If harm afflicts him, he is patient, and that is good for him.”

Let us take this hadith as our guide. Let us be thankful in times of ease and patient in times of difficulties. If we do so, we will, insha’Allah, receive a reward in full without measure. May Allah (SWT) give us the tawfiq to understand the true meaning of blessing, and may He keep on showering His blessings upon us; ameen.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

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