Come on, read, this is God's true blessing
Maybe there are some of us who dream that tomorrow we can live in luxury and prosperity. Having luxury cars and houses and lots of money so we can buy whatever we want. We also think that enjoyment is what will make our lives happy and happy. However, is that true? Absolutely not. Even many rich people feel that their lives are unhappy. His heart felt narrow, restless, serene and peaceful. So what is God's true blessing, which will make our lives happy?
God's True Blessings
Ibnul Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said, "There are two types of pleasure, muthlaqoh (absolute) and muqoyyadah (relative) (relative) pleasure. Absolute favor is a favor that leads to eternal happiness, which is the favor of Islam and the Sunnah. This favor is what God commanded us to ask for in our prayers, so that God may show us the path of those whom God has bestowed that favor on. [1]
From Ibnul Qayyimrahimahullah's brief statement above, it is clear to us, "What are the true blessings of Allah?" The true blessing of Allah is none other than when Allah Ta'ala gives us guidance so that we can know Islam and the Sunnah and practice them. We can recognize monotheism, then practice it and be able to distinguish it from its opposite, namely shirk , to stay away from it. We can know and follow the sunnahs of Rasulullah sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam, and can distinguish and stay away from their opponents, namely bid'ah. We can also recognize and differentiate, what constitutes obedience to Allah and His Messenger, and what constitutes immorality?
This blessing is only given by Allah Ta'ala specifically to His servants whom He loves. With these blessings we can reach heaven and all the luxuries in it. Therefore, when praying we always pray,
Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom You have bestowed
"Show us the straight path. (That is) the way of those whom You have blessed" (QS. Al Fatihah [1]: 6-7).
Grateful for the blessings of knowledge and good deeds
Allah Ta'ala has commanded us to rejoice and be happy with His gifts and grace that He has given to humans, in the form of knowledge and good deeds. Allah also announced that both of them are better than what we have collected in this world. Allah Ta'ala says,
Say, “By the grace of God and His mercy,” let them rejoice in that. It is better than what they gather.
"Say, 'By the grace of Allah and His mercy, let them rejoice. Allah's bounty and His mercy are better than what they collected'”. (QS. Yunus [10]: 58)
Shaykh Abdurrahman As-Sa'di Rahimullah explained that what is meant by "God's gift" in the verse above is the Qur'an, which is God's greatest favor and gift as well as the priority that God gives to His servants. Meanwhile, what is meant by "His grace" is religion and faith. And both of them are better than what we collect in the form of the world's jewels and its pleasures. [2]
In Tafsir Jalalain it is stated that what is meant by "God's gift" is Islam, while what is meant by "His mercy" is the Koran. [3]
The Qur'an and faith (Islam) are nothing but useful knowledge and good deeds. Ibnul Qayyimrahimahullah said, "Faith and the Qur'an, both are useful knowledge and good deeds. Both are guidance and the true religion as well as knowledge and the most important deeds." [4]
Knowledge and good deeds are the source of happiness in our lives. Because true happiness is happiness of the soul, happiness of the spirit and heart. Happiness is none other than the happiness of useful knowledge and righteous deeds. That is eternal happiness in all our circumstances. It is the happiness of knowledge that will accompany a servant throughout his life's journey in three countries, namely the land of the world, the land of barzakh (the grave), and the land of the afterlife.
The Path to Pleasure
It is impossible to achieve true enjoyment as explained above unless we are serious about pursuing sharia knowledge (religious knowledge). Only by studying sharia knowledge can we know Islam correctly and then be able to practice it. It is impossible for us to know what is monotheism and what is shirk, what is sunnah and what is bid'ah or what is obedience and what is immoral except by studying sharia. Because originally, humans were born stupid and didn't understand anything. Allah Ta'ala says,
And God brought you out from the wombs of your mothers when you knew nothing, and bestowed for you hearing and sight and hearts that you might be grateful.
"And Allah brought you out of your mother's womb without knowing anything. And he gave you hearing, sight and a heart so that you may be thankful.” (QS. An-Nahl [16]: 78)
There is no other way to lift this ignorance from within us except by seriously seeking knowledge. Because knowledge will never come to us, but we are the ones who have to seek it and come to it. Therefore, Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said, "There is no deed comparable to knowledge for those whose intentions are true." People also ask, "What is the right intention?" Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) answered, "A person intends to remove ignorance from himself and from others." [5]
When Allah gives us guidance to be enthusiastic and consistent in pursuing Sharia knowledge by diligently reading religious books or the books of the ulama or diligently attending knowledge assemblies (religious studies) in mosques or other places, then this is a sign that God really wants good for us. Rasulullah sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallamber said,
Whoever God desires good for, He will make him understand the religion.
"Whoever is desired by God for goodness, then God will understand him in his religious affairs." [6]
Enjoyment of Wealth = Relative Enjoyment
And conversely, we all need to know that the blessings of wealth that Allah Ta'ala gives us are not a sign that Allah Ta'ala loves us. Because of the blessings in the form of wealth, Allah Ta'ala also gives it to His servants who are polytheists and disbelievers. It could even be that the disbelievers have more wealth than us. Therefore, Ibnul Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) called the blessing of this wealth an enjoyment that is only relative, not absolute. Likewise, other blessings such as a healthy body, a high position in the world, many children and a beautiful wife. [7]
It could even be that this enjoyment in the form of wealth is a form of istidroj (deception or punishment) from Allah so that humans become increasingly lost and further away from His straight path. Or it could be a form of test from Allah to humans.
Ibnul Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said, "When a favor that is relative in nature is a form of istidroj for the unbeliever that can plunge him into punishment and torment, then the favor seems not to be a pleasure. The pleasure is actually a test as the term that God gave in His book. Allah Ta'ala says,
As for man, when his Lord tests him and honors him and bestows blessings on him, he says, “My Lord is most generous.” (15) But when He tests him and bestows upon him his provision, he says My Lord has insulted me (16) No
As for man, when his Lord tests him and He glorifies him and gives him pleasure, then he says, 'My God has glorified me'. As for when his Lord tested him and limited his sustenance, then he said, 'My Lord humiliated me'. Never!' (QS. Al Fajr [89]: 15-17)
This means that not everything that God glorifies and gives favors to in the world means that God really gives him favors. It could be that this is a test and trial from Allah for humans. And not everyone who limits his rizki, by giving him rizki only to his needs and not exceeding it, means that God humiliates him. But Allah tests His servants with pleasure just as Allah also tests His servants with difficulties." [8]
Therefore, let us introspect ourselves. Every day we do a lot of immorality and disobedience to Allah Ta'ala and His Messenger, but we do very little good deeds. However, Allah Ta'ala actually opens wide the doors of our sustenance so that we can live in abundance. Brother, aren't we worried that this is a form of istidroj (deception) from Allah Ta'ala so that we become increasingly disobedient to Him with the wealth we have? Or aren't we worried that this is a test from Allah to us, so that Allah knows which of His servants are grateful and which are ungrateful? Or will we actually be deceived so that we feel safe from Allah's punishment and continue to commit sins because we think that Allah loves us by providing us with his blessings? Wallahul musta'an.
***
Completed in the morning, Nasuha Mosque Rotterdam NL, 14 Jumadil Akhir 1436
Who always needs the mercy and forgiveness of his Lord,
Author: M. Saifudin Hakim
Footnote:
[1] Ijtima' Al-Juyuus Al-Islamiyyah, p. 5.
[2] Taisiir Karimir Rahman, p. 367.
[3] Tafsir Jalalain, 1/275.
[4] Al 'Ilmu, Fadhluhu wa Syarfuhu, p. 29.
[5] Kitabul 'Ilmi, hal. 27.
[6] H.R. Bukhari and Muslim.
[7] Ijtima' Al-Juyuus Al-Islamiyyah, p. 6.
[8] Ijtima' Al-Juyuus Al-Islamiyyah, p. 6.
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source: Muslim.Or.Id