Precious Provisions: Beyond Food and Clothing
Assalaamu alaykum,
With the upcoming seminar in April: Precious Provisions, I thought I’d share a few thoughts. While the seminar will focus on the fiqh of food and clothing, I think it is worth our time to consider the provisions that Allah has bestowed upon us that go beyond just those two areas. The word “beyond” is a bit of a misnomer in that my points are more for the individual to look closer to home.
We all know that if we were to try and count the blessings of Allah, we would not be able to. Allahu akbar. But that does not mean we are not obligated to at least remember and acknowledge the blessings that are right before us. Even as a simple du’a or saying “alhamdulillah”, gratitude towards Allah is still recognized and recorded. The fingers I am typing with, the eyes that I am viewing this text with, my lungs and my ability to breathe freely. These obvious blessings go unnoticed every day.
The Global Deaf Muslims event at ADAMS has really put things into perspective for those of us that have our sense of hearing. Subhanallah, how beautiful is the Qur’an as it is recited? Even the Prophet Muhammad (saw) would ask his companions to recite so that he could hear the beautiful words of Allah. There is an inherent and inexplicable effect on the heart from hearing the Qur’an. It is a profound thing when a Muslim cannot hear. They never hear the adhan, the Qur’an, nothing. Yet they stand next to us in prayer, they are still the most righteous among us, and their emaan is immensely strong.
I remember this past November I was performing tawaaf and noticed a fairly large hole in the crowd. In the middle was a man missing his right leg from the thigh down. He was on crutches, but I could see sweat and determination on his face. This image is etched into my memory forever. The brother, despite his setback, pushed himself in ‘ibada to Allah. It really put me to shame for not being more grateful about the simplest things I had, down to my feet and toes. It was a swelling of emotion, seeing that. Ah to see…
Again in Mecca, a brother told me of how he saw a man leading an elderly brother into the haram, right up to the ka’ba. The old man was completely blind, yet he wept because he knew where he was. How many of us would trade our ability to see for any amount of wealth or power in the world? The single blessing of sight is such a constant mercy of Allah, and it is free. Allah asks nothing in return for it, yet it is heavier on the scale than any number of good deeds we could accumulate in a lifetime.
I urge everyone to take some time to look inward, notice and understand the provisions that Allah has given to you from birth. To understand them and appreciate them is to imagine living without them. Take a moment to remember the blind man who can never read the Qur’an or see the Ka’bah. Remember the deaf brother who can never hear the adhan or the recitation of the Qur’an or even a simple greeting of peace. Remember the brother missing his leg performing tawaaf the next time you go for a walk or a run or even get out of bed. Now remember that you have all of the things that these fellow muslims do not have, subhanallah.
I promise, you will find a whole new dimension in your salah when you are suddenly very aware of all the limbs that allow you to perform sujood and to stand back up before Allah… and to understand that it is Allah that has given them to you and continues to allow you to use them. Please take the time to reflect on what Allah has blessed you with already. I think it will give us all a great perspective, and will make us much more appreciative of the many things Sheikh Yasir Qadhi will be teaching us come April inshaAllah.
Any good from what I have written is from Allah because He is the source of all that is good. Anything bad that I have written or communicated is from my own faults and I ask forgiveness for them.
And Allah knows best.
Zulander
April 11, 2010
Masha’Allah very nice reminder.
talib
April 13, 2010
salaam,
can I get notes for this seminar please?
Dhu Nurayn
April 13, 2010
Did you attend the class? If so, it should be released soon Insha’Allah.
ibn Abid
May 7, 2010
MashAllah good reminder and insight ya Tariq.
henny
September 11, 2010
i was beyond angry when i found out this came to md and i wasn’t notified do u guys send out emails?
Ify Okoye
September 15, 2010
This was one of our most heavily marketed classes. It was sold out, you can follow Nurayn on Facebook, the AlMaghrib forums, and we can add your email address to our general mailing lists, insha’Allah. If you register and pay for a class via the AlMaghrib website, you are automatically added to our list.