Ingratitude

Rock bottom, 

And unable to bring herself back up again.

She drowned in progressive depression, seeing the woman in the mirror uglier, poorer and unluckier by the day.

A socialite, surrounded by consumerist friends engrossed in conversations revolved around worldly desires. The more she heard one talk of her designer handbags and the other of the flirtatious comments she gets thrown at her, the angrier with life she became and it destroyed her inside.

Frustrated. Her father could only afford to provide a simple life and not the extravagance that her friends had. The man that spent his entire life loving and protecting her, she now grew to dislike.

Irritated. She lost her connection with God, because she was annoyed not being as attractive and wealthy as her friends.

But an angel whispered:

…And if you count the blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them... {Quran 14:34} 

“Not everything is what it seems. There is more to life than counting shoes", her dear sister would tell her. "God has given us loving parents, excellent health and a  warm home. Be grateful, lest you lose it all and beg for what you had back”.

Although twins, they were exact opposites of one another. The first dwelled on what she didn't have; the other prostrated out of gratitude for even the little she was given.

“What is there to lose?” she replied. “We’re too poor to buy whatever we want and I’m ugly. Look at Mona! Look at Layla! They have wardrobes full of beautiful gowns and every man gawps at them in awe of their beauty!” 

“My dear sister, '…if the son of Adam has one valley, he will wish that he had a second, and if he had two valleys, he would wish that he had a third' – Contemplate on these words!” her twin pleaded, sorrowfully. “Allah has blessed you with things that money cannot buy and yet you weep because men do not look at you with lust and that you own fewer bags than so and so. I fear that one day, because of your ingratitude, we will lose everything we have and drown in remorse!”.

Not wanting to hear anymore, the first stormed out. That voice in her head returned and told her:

What does she know? She’s too religious and antisocial to appreciate the wonders of the West. Your sister is too regressive to understand your needs. Look what God hasn't given you.

And with every satanic whisper, she began to fume.

But again, an angel whispered:

…And if you count the blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them... {Quran 14:34} 

She walked out of her home, wearing a frown and torn between the prevailing pessimism and wisdom of her sister. Head down and analysing the cracks in the sidewalks, she almost stumbles on a frail figure sat cross-legged on the cold slabs. The elderly man, struggling to break his rock-hard bread, puts a halt to his humble meal to give a heart-warming smile. 

“Such a frown hides the good in one’s heart” he said. “You seem agitated. Is there anything that you need?”. She shook her head frantically and hurried off, right before the frosty breeze brushed her face. 

“What could he possibly give me?” she thought, whilst fastening up her warm coat. “He doesn't even have a blanket to save him from this blistering cold”.

And again, an angel whispered:

…And if you count the blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them... {Quran 14:34} 

She wished for the warmth of her room and craved her mother’s hot cup of cocoa. But she continued walking, with a half-frown, now torn between sorrow and sulkiness.

Her thoughts continued:

What reason did the shabby, old man have to smile? To be impoverished and yet, so content? If only I could go back now and bring him one of my old blankets. Yes, I’ll do just that! 

The goodness prevailing.

She scurried back, only to be barged into by a young girl of similar age. 

“Watch where you’re going!” she scolded at the stranger. All colour from the young girl’s face vanished and she apologised, beautiful eyes wandering, half concentrated on her and half on the road ahead. The young girl then bent to reach for her dropped belongings and walked off. The ungrateful twin froze in her place, each tap-tap-tap of the girl’s white cane crushing her discontent heart.

And again, an angel whispered: 

…And if you count the blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them... {Quran 14:34} 

Her thoughts continued:

Such beautiful eyes yet she lives every day without the ability to see. How rude I was to her and yet how courteous she was to me. Shame on me! Maybe I should go back and apologise for my ignorance. Yes, I’ll do just that!

And she scurried back once again, but the young girl had vanished at a corner. She wore a half-frown, now torn between a pool of remorse and pinches of pessimism.

In those exact moments where she believed she had nothing, God showed her content people lacking what He had blessed her with. How ashamed she felt. Walking home, she began to appreciate everything around her - the warm clothes which protected her from the sting of the cold, her fully functioning legs, and the clarity in her sight to even the roofs on the homes she passed which sheltered the families within it.

As she stepped into her humble home, she saw her father also returning from work. He smiled at her lovingly from a distance, face paler than usual from the long, grueling hours of labour. She saw him flinch whilst holding his back and a nail pierced into her heart. Foolish, remorseful and feeling nothing greater than an ignoramus.

As she lay down her prayer mat, it struck her how much she had neglected Him by busying herself with trivial happenings and materialistic ordeals. The result of those in her social circle made her believe she was lacking or incompetent at appreciating life’s worth and the loved ones around her. Acquaintances they were, not genuine friends to neither learn from nor cherish. 

Prostrating and suffocating on her own tears, she whispers,

“O Allah, help me to remember You, to thank You and to worship You properly”


And He replies,

…Therefore remember Me, I will remember you, and be grateful to Me for My countless favours on you and never be ungrateful to Me... {Quran 2:152} 

And out of His mercy, her eyes were opened. The blinkers were lifted. She understood that gratitude can transform what we have been given into sufficient and beyond. “It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend” - The secret to internal bliss.

…And Allah has brought you out from the wombs of your mothers while you know nothing. And He gave you hearing, sight and hearts that you may give thanks… {Quran 16:78} 

If  He challenges his slave, it’s a test of the heart’s purity. How graceful we are in the face of calamities will be returned with His infinite blessings. 

…And swiftly shall We reward those that serve us with gratitude… {Quran 3:145}

I dedicate this to our master, Imam Mohammed Al-Mahdi (May Allah SWT hasten his reappearance)