Bismillaahir Rah’maanir Rah’eem. All praise to Allah. May peace and blessings be upon our beloved unlettered Prophet, his family, and his noble companions. I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan, and I begin in the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
Attribute Goodness to Allah, the Exalted and Be Grateful
Do not attribute any goodness to yourself when you engage in the path of Allah. Instead, express gratitude to Allah ﷻ, for it is He who has chosen and enabled you to serve in His path by His grace and favor upon you. Without His support, you would not possess the strength to carry out the work. If Allah ﷻ blesses you with righteousness, obedience, and steadfastness, do not praise yourself but recognize that these are gifts from Allah’s ﷻ abundant grace. Always acknowledge and attribute excellence and goodness to Allah ﷻ whenever you engage in Allah’s cause, and refrain from praising yourself. By doing so, you will be safeguarded from arrogance, and through gratitude to Allah ﷻ, you will be granted steadfastness. It is Allah’s ﷻ promise that if you express gratitude to Him ﷻ, He ﷻ will bestow upon you even more abundance.
Hazrat Ashraf Ali Thanvi (RA) highlights that sometimes individuals may appear to be deeply devoted to the cause of religion and exert great effort for the sake of Allah. However, their enthusiasm and vigor may stem from personal motivations such as tribal or national pride, or the desire for fame. True devotion to Allah requires that one’s actions align with the teachings of the Shariah, the commands of Allah ﷻ, and His pleasure. One must work with the sole intention of seeking Allah’s pleasure and keep His pleasure in mind while carrying out their tasks. It is possible for a person to exhibit great enthusiasm and energy in defending and serving Islam, but if their underlying motive is vanity and fame, they will act according to their own desires without distinguishing between right and wrong. Their intention is not rooted in abiding by the Islamic laws, but rather in seeking fame. Therefore, when Allah ﷻ has blessed you with skills and abilities, when you are called upon to engage in religious work, and when you are granted steadfastness, it is essential to express gratitude to Allah ﷻ. Recognize that these blessings are bestowed upon you purely out of His ﷻ grace and generosity. If your true intention is to seek Allah’s pleasure, being grateful will protect you from vanity and grant you the strength to remain steadfast.
Look into Your Heart
Disclosing one’s righteous deeds is not inherently evil, just as hiding them is not necessarily virtuous. The problem lies in disclosing them with the belief that the deed is solely one’s own, seeking appreciation for it. In such a case, revealing the deed is indeed wrong. However, if one attributes the deed to the Creator when disclosing it, it is not considered bad. In fact, it can inspire and motivate others to perform similar acts of goodness. When you perform a good deed and your ego takes credit for it, considering it a sign of your own superiority, that is pride (kibr). But if you recognize that the deed is a result of Allah’s grace and blessings, it becomes an expression of gratitude. Your heart is the judge in this matter, so pay attention to how it feels. If you find joy in attributing a good deed to your own superiority, it is pride. But if you acknowledge that it is by the grace of Allah ﷻ, it is gratitude, and rest assured that such a deed is accepted by Allah ﷻ. When a person’s mind is focused on Allah ﷻ, their own deeds become insignificant to them. They will be constantly worried about fulfilling the rights of Allah ﷻ. On the other hand, when one’s mind is fixated on themselves, they tend to develop a high opinion of themselves.
We are Not Worthy to Complain
As much work Allah ﷻ extracts from us is itself a reward, so why should we yearn for additional rewards? SubhanAllah! When Allah ﷻ grants us His divine help to carry out righteous deeds, and when He ﷻ allows us to engage in deeni work, that in itself is a reward. When this reward is already significant, what other reward are we asking for or yearning for? Rewards are received for good deeds, but in this case, the good deed itself is a reward. When have we ever had the ability to do any good without Allah’s help?
When something distressing happens to a person, they may feel a strange sense of righteousness and wonder why such a thing is happening to them. This indicates that somewhere within them, they are thinking highly of themselves for the good deeds they are performing. They consider themselves more worthy, and that is why they feel inclined to complain. However, if they acknowledge that it is due to the divine help of Allah ﷻ that they are able to do good deeds, despite not being deserving of any goodness, they will not have any inclination to complain.
If one truly believes that the divine help provided by Allah ﷻ is a result of His grace and is a reward, and they consider themselves unworthy, there would be no tendency to complain. On the contrary, some individuals are astonished when calamities befall them, as they consider it incompatible with their perceived high level of piety. They fail to recognize any wrongdoing within themselves and question why they experience such hardships. The reality is that if we were to search for a single prayer performed throughout our lifetime with complete concentration, we would not find one. Despite our shortcomings, we still consider ourselves to be pious. Imagine if someone is speaking to you while turning their face away, how hurtful would that be? Would you want to engage with them further? It is the forbearance and generosity of Allah ﷻ that He ﷻ allows you to stand before Him in salah, even when your heart is turned elsewhere. Allah ﷻ still hears your words, and this is solely His mercy and benevolence. It is by His grace alone that He provides divine assistance for our good deeds.
Accomplished People Never Boast
The feeling of pride over one’s accomplishments is a sign that one is devoid of true accomplishment. Truly accomplished individuals are humble and never boastful. When people genuinely achieve success, they are blessed with humility and do not feel the need to boast. If someone is truly excellent, they will possess the quality of not considering themselves excellent. On the other hand, those who are not truly excellent tend to boast about their supposed excellence. Just like a tree laden with fruits bows down, a person with true accomplishment will display humility and modesty. The divine help we receive for righteous deeds is a result of Allah ﷻ’s grace. The desire for prayer and the ability to wake up for tahajjud are not our own efforts, but rather it is Allah ﷻ who wakes us up. This divine assistance continues as long as Allah ﷻ’s generous gaze is upon us. If Allah ﷻ enables us to perform any good deed, we should attribute it to His ﷻ grace, for all goodness resides solely within His ﷻ control. Therefore, we should never feel superior due to our good deeds, nor should we look down upon sinners. May Allah ﷻ grant us the ability to maintain piety, as it is not easy to constantly confront our own flaws and eliminate disdain from our hearts towards others. We should regularly examine our own selves and our inner desires.
Look Down on Yourself
Our Prophet ﷺ taught this duaa to his ummah, “Allahummajalni fee ayni sagheera wa fi a’yuninnaasi kabeera” which translates to “O Allah! Make me small in my own eyes but great in the eyes of others.” It is indeed an evil trait to behold one’s own excellence and feel proud. While we are conscious of certain sins for which we seek repentance, there are numerous diseases and evils that reside within our hearts of which we remain unaware and fail to repent. These diseases, like hidden poisons, corrode our hearts without us considering them as sins, thereby depriving our righteous deeds of their illumination and diminishing the essence of righteousness. Therefore, it is essential to continually examine ourselves in this regard. We should engage in worship and perform our religious duties, always acknowledging that these actions are only possible through the grace and favor of Allah ﷻ.
Talk to Allah and Express Your Gratitude
Dr. Abdul Hayy (RA) used to say that the greatest struggle (mujahida) of our times is to express gratitude to Allah ﷻ whenever we receive blessings, whether related to this world or religion. We should be grateful to Allah ﷻ, recognizing that it is due to His ﷻ grace, benevolence, and generosity that we have received these blessings. This gratitude can have a profound effect in uprooting numerous spiritual diseases. Gratitude is not merely expressed through words, but it is a state of the heart. If one is fortunate enough to possess this quality, they can be protected from various spiritual ailments such as jealousy, arrogance, and vanity. Gratitude helps to keep our hearts humble. Dr. Abdul Hayy (RA) also advised engaging in regular conversation and supplication with Allah ﷻ. In the present times, where lengthy and arduous struggles are difficult to undertake, practicing these two acts can lead to the closeness (kurb) of Allah ﷻ. So, let us continuously ask Allah ﷻ and express our gratitude to Him ﷻ. May Allah ﷻ grant us all a deep understanding of the religion. Ameen.
-Sheikh Maulana Abdus Sattar (DB)
Tarbiati Majlis dated 29.01.2017.
The heart opener 