GRATITUDE: A MUSLIM'S SONG AFTER RAMADAN- BY PROFESSOR TIMEHIN S. OLUROTIMI

Alhamdulillah, Ramadan has come and gone. I join you in thanking Allah for the unfathomable dimensions of His Grace which enabled us to fast the days of the month keeping His commandments to the best of our capabilities, ennobling its nights with nawafil and litanies of glorification, and honouring its hours with God-consciousness.

I congratulate you for being blessed with the opportunity of taking part in this one-month spiritual workshop and I ask Him by the devotion of true believers all over the world to embrace you and your entire family with endless bliss, joy, mercy, and peace. May He grant us all the gift of gratitude for all of His favours.

In today's fast-paced world, we become entangled with so many challenges that it becomes so easy to overlook the myriad blessings that surround us. We spend a lot of time lamenting the various pains, discomforts, and difficulties that we are exposed to, and we forget the simple favours and bounties we often ignore and take for granted.

A true Muslim, according to the Prophet (saw), is someone whose heart is a perfect combination of gratitude and patience. Indeed, a grateful heart is not only the greatest gift but the prince of all gifts. It clothes you with the garment of Divine grace. Your righteousness is pronounced through it, and your happiness is amplified thereby.

Gratitude is not tied to good fortunes alone. All human experiences call for an attitude of gratitude. Every day, hour, and minute, and indeed life itself,  should be seen as a privilege. 

Cherish all, therefore, and be thankful to Allah. Try to be grateful, even in your trials, because in order to soar high, you need the trial of battling the tempest.

You should also be grateful that you don't already have everything you want. Otherwise, you will not have an opportunity to be happier  than you currently are!

I don't want this glass; it is half empty, and I don't want that because it is half full.

How often have you made these remarks!  Have you ever stopped to think that half empty and half full mean that there's something in the glass? Why not show gratitude to Allah that you have a glass  and that there's something in it?

Be thankful to Allah with your speech and actions. There's a difference between an oral expression of thanks and a practical display of gratitude.

Chanting Alhamdulillah does not show your gratitude unless you affirm it with your conduct. He, to whom favour is done, must acknowledge it with both kinds of thanks, otherwise, he's not different from a thief who assailed an innocent person. 

The Blessed Prophet once said: He, who does not show gratitude to fellow human beings, cannot show gratitude to Allah.

 He also taught us to pray:

Allahummo j'alnii shakuuran, waj'alnii sobuuran, waj'alnii fii 'aynii sagheeran, wa fii a'yunin-naasi kabeeran.

Meaning: O Allah, make me grateful and patient; and let me be insignificant in my own eyes, but let me be great in the eyes of others.

May Allah grant you the gift of a grateful heart. May His Benevolence adorn your life; may His Omnipotence ennoble your essence and expand your resources.

EID MUBARAK 

© PROFESSOR TIMEHIN SAHEED OLUROTIMI

- Nigeria