Contemplation [39:8-10]

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And when adversity touches man, he calls upon his Lord, turning to Him [alone]; then when He bestows on him a favor from Himself, he forgets Him whom he called upon before, and he attributes to Allaah equals to mislead [people] from His way. Say, "Enjoy your disbelief for a little; indeed, you are of the companions of the Fire." Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does not]? Say, "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding. Say, "O My servants who have believed, fear your Lord. For those who do good in this world is good, and the earth of Allaah is spacious. Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account." [39:8-10]

Tip of the day:

Allaah would not say anything in vain, so pay close attention to each word of the verse (especially the Arabic)

Comments

+1 #6 Younus Kathrada 2010-09-03 23:57

As-Sabr, and what will make us understand what as-sabr is!? it is that quality which if we have it, life will be apleasure and we will be able to go through it without regrets. Did the Prophet (SAW) not tell us that he was amazed by the affair of the believer; that it was all good and this was only the case with the (true) believer. If some good were to befall him he would be grateful and that is better for him and if some hardship/calamity were to befall him he would be patient/tolerant/forebearing/practice self restraint (all implied in as-sabr) and that is better for him.
Here, Allaah tells us that those who are patient will be given their reward without measure, and without measure when speaking of Allaah is indeed great!
Note that we are now in the month of Ramadhaan, and observing the fast in the correct manner requires a great deal of sabr.

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+1 #5 Younus Kathrada 2010-09-03 23:44

Look at the example laid out by Allaah in verse 9; really, can they be equal? Those who strive to do good, praying by night, fearing the Final Day and hoping for Allaah's mercy (here we need to "read between the lines"...those who are like this are really behaving ever-so well...one who fears the Hereafter and hopes for the Mercy of Allaah will certainly be doing their best to stay away from evil/sin and do as much good as they can..that good is not restricted to prayer, but all sorts of other things too; like helping the poor and needy, being kind to neighbours, being merciful towards others and so forth).
Then Allaah informs us how those with knowledge are superior to those without knowledge. Let's be clear, true religious knowledge is not merely information, but it is "knowing" and applying.

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+1 #4 Younus Kathrada 2010-09-02 20:56

But when any harm reaches us, we all of a sudden remember Who it is that can make it all better and turn to Him in such sincerity. We may even acknowledge our shortcomings and repent and vow not to return to thesins we committed. Then once Allaah bestows a favour upon him, he forgets all his promises.
As for obvious shirk (like that in day of jaahiliyyah), then this happeed and still happens and it is clear to us. However, as Amatullaah pointed out, we may not realize how we turn away from Allaah and look to others after we receive what we want and need from Allaah.

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+1 #3 Younus Kathrada 2010-09-02 20:55

Subhaanallaah! Have we really stopped to think about some of our ugly traits, like ingratitude? If Allaah blesses a person with a favour you will likely hear him say "Alhamdulillaah" (expressing gratitude), and if granted another favour you are likely to hear it again, but soon enough you don't hear the person even recognizing this as a faour and not showing gratitude. And this really manifests itself when onelooks at what others have and then has the audacity to say, O Allaah never gave me that, forgetting the many favours of Allaah upon him! We tend to forget that being able to see, speak, move and so forth are all great gifts from Allaah.

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+1 #2 Amatullaah 2010-09-02 15:52

2) Another part of the meaning of the same verse is that when in distress, man remembers Allaah alone, because at that point he realizes that no one else can help. And then when things are okay, then he goes back to taking partners with Allaah.

Although we might feel this does not apply to us, lets take an example. For instance, someone has a work problem and then they keep making dua to Allaah. And when the problem is settled, they feel they also need to appease bosses and coworkers as if these people are providing rizq.

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+2 #1 Amatullaah 2010-09-02 15:51

1) Man remembers Allaah fervently when in distress and then when things settle, he falls back into neglect of remembrance.

Can we not all remember times when we were going through some highly stressful life experience and we sought help in prayer... at those times, we felt so close to Allaah and felt His help was near. Then when things were better and we were more comfortable, we did not remember Allaah as often, until we neglected His remembrance completely.

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