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Signs of Bliss & Misery

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bliss.JPGGems from Ibn al-Qayyim [1]

(Reposted due to some errors, comments lost, sorry)

From the signs of bliss and success is that a person,whenever he grows in knowledge, he grows in humility and compassion. Whenever he grows in action, he grows in fear and caution. Whenever he grows in age, he diminishes in avarice. Whenever he grows in wealth, he grows in generosity and in giving. Whenever he grows in strength and status, he grows in drawing closer to people so as to help fulfill their needs and to be of service to them.

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From the signs of misery is that a person, whenever he grows in knowledge, he grows in pride and arrogance. Whenever he grows in action, he grows in boasting; viewing others with contempt nd having an inflated opinion of himself. Whenever he grows in age, he grows in avarice. Whenever he grows in wealth,he grows in miserliness. And whenever he grows in strength and status,he grows in arrogance and pride.

Also, being honoured with sovereignty, authority, wealth, etc., is but a test or trial. Allah, Exalted is He, said about His Prophet Solomon when he saw the Throne of Sheba before him: This is from the bounty of my Lord, to test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful. [2]

So the blessings of a trial or test from Allah lies in the gratitude of the grateful, or the ingratitude of the ungrateful, revealing itself. So tests may be an affliction from Allah, Transcendant is He, or they could be a blessing from Him. Allah, Exalted is He, says: As for man,when His Lord tries him and is thus generous and favourable to him, he [boastfuly] says: “My Lord has honoured me.” But if He tries him and restricts his provisions,he says: “My Lord has humiliated me.” But no! [3]. Meaning, not all those whose provisions are enlarged or who receive generosity and blessings are of those who have been honoured by Me. Conversely, not all those whose provisions are restricted and who are tried with affliction are of those who have been humiliated by Me.

FOOTNOTES
1. Al-Fawa’id (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Rushd, 2001), 228-9.
2. Qur’an 27:40.
3. Qur’an 89:15-16.

Keep supporting MuslimMatters for the sake of Allah

Alhamdulillah, we're at over 850 supporters. Help us get to 900 supporters this month. All it takes is a small gift from a reader like you to keep us going, for just $2 / month.

The Prophet (SAW) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small. Click here to support MuslimMatters with a monthly donation of $2 per month. Set it and collect blessings from Allah (swt) for the khayr you're supporting without thinking about it.

Abu Aaliyah is the founder of The Jawziyyah Institute, a leading institute for Islamic moderation and contemporary thought in the United Kingdom. Sidi Abu Aaliyah has been in involved in Dawah and Islamic teachings since 1986. He has translated a number of books from the Arabic language into English such as "The Exquisite Pearls". Abu Aaliyah's written works and audio lectures can be found online.

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. sincethestorm

    June 29, 2007 at 1:31 AM

    Thanks for sharing this and reminding us to continually evaluate our thoughts so that our actions are correct.

  2. nikhat mansoori

    October 13, 2008 at 4:18 AM

    It’s a gr8 article!!!!!!!!!!!!

  3. AbuAbdAllah, the Houstonian

    October 13, 2008 at 12:10 PM

    innalhamdolillah. bismillah. mashaAllah, and one that deserves more than just two comments — yes, the others were lost in some technical snamu (the f would be offensive, akhi). that just means everyone has a chance to earn a (second) reward, and that among what was lost may have been what should have been lost before it was ever submitted. wAllaho’Alim.

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