Praise be to Allah.

The masterpiece of Allah’s creation:\r\nHuman beings are the most honored of all creatures, and they are the masterpiece of Allah, the Lord of Glory.\r\nHow kind is our Generous Lord that He made us human.

Praise be to Allah. الحمد لله وكفى وسلمٌ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَى أَمَّا بَعْدُ! فَاعُوذُ باللهِ مِن الشَّيْطَنِ الرَّحِيم بسم اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَا زِيدَنَّكُمْ وَ لَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ وَقَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى فِى مقام اخَرَ وَ إِنْ تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةِ اللَّهِ لا تُحْصُوهَا . إِنَّ الإِنسَانَ لَظَلُومٌ كَفَّار و قالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى فِي مَقامِ آخر لَقَدْ كان لِسَبَا فِي مَسْكَنهِمُ ايَةٌ ، جَنَّتْنِ عَنْ يُمِيْنِ وَ شَمَالِ . كُلُوا مِنْ رِزْقِ رَبِّكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لَهُ . بَلْدَةً طَيِّبَةٌ وَ رَبِّ غَفُورٌ و قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي مَقَامِ آخَرَ وَ ضرب اللَّهُ مَثَلًا قَرْيَةً كَانَتْ آمِنةً مُطْمَسَةِ يَا بَيْهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغذَا مِنْ كُلَّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ بِالْعُمِ اللَّهِ فَأَذَاقَهَا اللَّهُ لِباسَ الجوع وَالْخَوْفِ بِما كَانُوا يَصْعُونَ سُبْحَنِ رَبِّكَ رَبِّ الْعِزَّةِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونُ وَ سَلَّمٌ عَلَى الْمُرْسَلِينَ وَ الْحَمْدُ للهِ رَبِّ الْعَلَمِينَ The masterpiece of Allah’s creation: Human beings are the most honored of all creatures, and they are the masterpiece of Allah, the Lord of Glory. How kind is our Generous Lord that He made us human. He had the power to make us animals if He wished. If He had made us monkeys, people would have put rings in our noses and we would be dancing in the streets. If He had made us donkeys, people would have loaded heavy burdens on our backs and beaten us with sticks, and even then we would not be allowed to complain. Alhamdulillah, the Sustainer of the worlds made us human. We never asked for this blessing. The wealth of faith is a great blessing: The second favor is that Allah, the Lord of Glory, created us in the Ummah of the Prophet ﷺ with faith. This is such a great blessing of Allah that we cannot even thank Him enough for it. In this world, there are also people who were born in this Ummah but grew up in an environment of disbelief. Their parents made them Jews, Christians, or disbelievers. But Allah, the Lord of Glory, gave us parents who raised us with faith. When we were little and our mother gave us milk with a feeder, she would say بسم الله. When she put us to sleep, she would sing لا إله إلا الله. When she rocked the cradle, she would sing حسبی ربی جل الله. Even when we were too small to understand, she would speak to us with the words الله الله. When we were still very young, that same mother and father had the call to prayer (اذان) recited in one ear and the اقامت in the other. At that tender age, when we did not even recognize our Creator, through the blessing of our parents, the name of our Lord reached our ears. This is such a great blessing from Allah, the Lord of Glory. When we became able to walk, still in childhood, without knowing the difference between friend and enemy, without understanding benefit or harm, our father would hold our hand and take us to the mosque. This is such a great blessing from Allah, the Lord of Glory. Today, as we sit as Muslims, we do not even know how many people’s efforts are behind this, and how many favors of Allah, the Lord of Glory, are upon us that He has enriched us with the wealth of faith. The physical blessings are countless. The Sustainer of the worlds created us with a sound and healthy body. If He had wished, He could have created us with some disability, or with some illness. The fact that we were given a healthy body is such a great kindness of our Lord upon us. The feeling of gratitude: A man prayed Zuhr. He was so poor that even his shoes had broken. It was summer, and he started walking barefoot on the hot ground, returning home from the mosque. In his heart, he thought: “O Lord! I bow before You in prostration, I pray, I come to the mosque, yet You did not even give me shoes.” While he was still thinking this, he saw a lame man coming from the front, walking with the help of crutches. Immediately his heart was struck: “Oh! I was complaining about not having shoes, but here is a man whom the Lord did not even give legs. He walks with the support of sticks.” So when he looked at someone below his own condition, a feeling of شکر (gratitude) arose in his heart. A great trial we face today is this: In matters of religion, we should look at those who are above us, so that we feel motivated to improve our practice. But nowadays, it has become the opposite. We look at those below us in religion. For example, if a husband tells his wife to pray, she might reply: “Does your sister pray?” or “If so and so was forgiven, then surely I will be forgiven too.” She uses examples of people who do less, to excuse herself. But when it comes to worldly matters, the attitude is reversed. If she talks about her house, she will say: “Our home is beautiful, but I saw a design in someone else’s house that we don’t have.” In worldly affairs, we look at those above us, which increases greed and desire. So unfortunately, in religion we compare ourselves to those below us, which makes us lazy in faith. And in worldly matters we compare ourselves to those above us, which makes us restless and greedy. This is a very big trial. Complaints, complaints everywhere: Nowadays, in most places, you hear men and women constantly complaining because of financial and economic problems. Some complain about their children, some about money, and some about business — except for a rare few. Out of hundreds, you might find only one person who says: “I am content with the condition Allah has kept me in.” Most people say: “I am very worried, while the rest of the world is living happily.” But if the troubles of those “happy” people were given to them, they would become even more distressed than before. So, whatever condition Allah Almighty has placed us in, we should be grateful and thankful to Him. Chains of Circumstances: The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught that some servants of Allah are kept in limited provision because Allah knows: if they were given more wealth, they would fall into pride, arrogance, and might even lose their faith. So, Allah keeps them in hardship so that they continue to call upon Him, and their faith remains safe. Other people are such that if they receive just enough provision, they will keep praying, running their business, and remembering Allah. But if their business suffers or a difficulty comes, they abandon everything. Because Allah is Merciful, He gives His servants according to their need, so that they remain humble before Him. In this way, Allah uses the “chains of circumstances” to keep His servant bowed at His door. Distribution of Provision (Rizq): Allah, the Most Generous, has already divided sustenance among people. He says in the Qur’an: “We have distributed their livelihood among them.” Now the real question is: who is truly content with the distribution of the Lord? Very few people are seen satisfied with destiny. Almost everyone complains. Think of a father dividing something between his two sons. He expects that, because he is their father, the children will accept his division without objection. Then why do we fail to accept the division of our Creator and Master? Why do we not remain pleased with His arrangement? We should accept the condition Allah has placed us in, and be content with His distribution. How to Develop Gratitude: The simple truth is that Allah has kept us better than thousands of others—there is no doubt about it. If you reflect a little on your own situation, you will find many blessings. Your heart will testify that Allah has placed you in a condition better than countless people. This reflection creates a feeling of gratitude within a person. Principles of Increase and Decrease in Blessings: Allah Almighty says: لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَا زِيدَنَّكُمُ — “If you are grateful, I will surely increase My blessings upon you.” So, the more we thank Allah, the more He will expand His favors. And He further says: وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ — “But if you are ungrateful, then know that My punishment is indeed severe Verbal and Physical Gratitude: There are two ways to show gratitude. One is through the tongue—by saying Alhamdulillah, SubhanAllah—this is also a form of thanking Allah Almighty. The second is through the body—by obeying the commands of the Lord. This too is a way of expressing gratitude. So, when a person offers lisani shukr (gratitude with the tongue) and also jismi shukr (gratitude with the body), then he is truly a thankful servant of Allah. But if there is negligence or weakness in this, then sometimes Allah takes back His blessings. This is something we must reflect upon. Counting Allah’s Blessings: Allah Almighty says: وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا — “If you try to count the blessings of Allah, you will never be able to count them.” This is absolutely true. Imagine someone asks you: “Can you count the drops of rainwater?” You cannot. If someone asks: “Can you count the stars in the sky?” You cannot. If someone asks: “Can you count all the grains of sand in the world?” You cannot. If someone asks: “Can you count all the leaves on the trees?” You cannot. But my friends, even though these things seem impossible, in theory they could still be counted. Yet the favors of Allah upon us are so many that they can never be counted. Allah Himself has said: وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا — “If you try to count the blessings of Allah, you will never be able to count them.” So, when our Lord has given us countless blessings, how can we ever thank Him for each one? The Burden of Ingratitude for Blessings: The Qur’an gives an example that we should reflect upon. Allah Almighty says: فَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا — “Allah presents a parable.” He describes a town: قَرْيَةً كَانَتْ آمِنَةً مُطْمَئِنَّةً — “A city that was safe and secure.” Two words are used: امن (safety) meaning they had no fear of external enemies, and اطمئنان (peace of mind) meaning they had no inner grief or worry. Allah had given them a life free from fear and sorrow. Then Allah says: يَأْتِيهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًا مِنْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ — “Their provision came to them in abundance from every direction.” But what happened? فَكَفَرَتْ بِأَنْعُمِ اللَّهِ — “They denied the blessings of Allah.” So Allah says: فَأَذَاقَهَا اللَّهُ لِبَاسَ الْجُوعِ وَالْخَوْفِ — “Then Allah made them taste the garment of hunger and fear.” And why? بِمَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ — “Because of what they used to do.” Allah’s Preference: Allah Almighty wants His blessings to be visible on His servants. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: إِنَّ اللهَ يُحِبُّ أن يُرَى نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ — “Indeed, Allah loves to see the effects of His blessings upon His servant.” So Allah desires that those whom He has blessed should use those blessings. But He also wants that whoever eats from His provision should also sing His praises. Because every giver loves that when he gives something, the receiver acknowledges the favor. Our Lord is full of greatness. He has given us so much, and He has given without us even asking. Therefore, we must acknowledge His favors and show gratitude to Him. The Real Cause of Our Complaints: Today, many of us complain: “Allah does not listen to our prayers, our duas are not accepted, we are tired of asking.” Why do these complaints arise? The real reason is that we think our worship is some kind of favor upon Allah. We imagine that by praying or worshipping, we have done something for Him. This misunderstanding is the root cause of our complaints. Praise Allah: My friends, we must remember our reality. When we came into this world, what did we bring with us? Not even clothes on our bodies. Everything we have was given by our Lord. So we should eat from what He provides and sing His praises. We should never tire of praising Him. Our tongues should always be busy with His praise, always declaring His greatness—even to the point that people call us “mad.” But even if we praise Him like madmen, we can never fully thank Him for His mercy. Think about it: if Allah had not given us eyes, we would be blind. If He had not given us speech, we would be mute. If He had not given us hearing, we would be deaf. If He had not given us intellect, we would be insane. If He had not given us health, we would be sick. If He had not given us children, we would be childless. If He had not given us wealth, we would be beggars. All these blessings are nothing but the mercy of our Lord. Value Allah’s Blessings: My friends, why don’t we open our hands and thank our Master, saying: “O Generous Lord! We sacrifice ourselves for You, You have given us endless blessings.” But we have failed to thank Him properly. Allah Himself said in the Qur’an: وَقَلِيلٌ مِنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُور — “Very few of My servants are truly grateful.” And He also said: وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ — “They did not value Allah as He deserves to be valued.” Indeed, we have been ungrateful. So we pray: “O Lord, forgive this sin of ours, and grant us the ability to value You and to thank You in the future.” Small worries are part of life. When Allah has given us countless joys and blessings, we should show gratitude for them, and be patient over small troubles. Allah promises Paradise both to those who are patient and to those who are grateful. وَآخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ