وَ اٰتٰٮکُمۡ مِّنۡ کُلِّ مَا سَاَلۡتُمُوۡہُ ؕ وَ اِنۡ تَعُدُّوۡا نِعۡمَتَ اللّٰہِ لَا تُحۡصُوۡہَا ؕ اِنَّ الۡاِنۡسَانَ لَظَلُوۡمٌ کَفَّارٌ
And He gave you all that you wanted of Him; and if you try to count the favors of Allah, you will not be able to number them. Verily, man is very unjust, very ungrateful. (14:35)
وَ اِنۡ تَعُدُّوۡا نِعۡمَۃَ اللّٰہِ لَا تُحۡصُوۡہَا ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ لَغَفُوۡرٌ رَّحِیۡمٌ
And if you try to count the favours of Allah, you will not be able to number them. Surely, Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful. (16:19)
Zikr-e-Ilahi, the Remembrance of Allah – True Gratitude of His Bounties is the topic assigned to me..and as I began to write what I would say, I read, and re-read the subject, and the way the topic settled in my mind is that constantly being occupied in Zikr-e-Ilahi, in the Remembrance of Allah IS the way to show true gratitude to God, for His numberless bounties..
This is what the Holy Quran Says:
اِنَّ فِیۡ خَلۡقِ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ وَ اخۡتِلَافِ الَّیۡلِ وَ النَّہَارِ لَاٰیٰتٍ لِّاُولِی الۡاَلۡبَابِ
In the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the alternation of the night and the day there are indeed Signs for men of understanding; (3:191)
الَّذِیۡنَ یَذۡکُرُوۡنَ اللّٰہَ قِیٰمًا وَّ قُعُوۡدًا وَّ عَلٰی جُنُوۡبِہِمۡ وَ یَتَفَکَّرُوۡنَ فِیۡ خَلۡقِ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ ۚ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقۡتَ ہٰذَا بَاطِلًا ۚ سُبۡحٰنَکَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and ponder over the creation of the heavens and the earth: “Our Lord, Thou hast not created this in vain; nay, Holy art Thou; save us, then, from the punishment of the Fire. (3:192)
وہ لوگ جو اللہ کو یاد کرتے ہیں کھڑے ہوئے بھی اور بیٹھے ہوئے بھی اور اپنے پہلوؤں کے بل بھی اور آسمانوں اور زمین کی پیدائش میں غوروفکر کرتے رہتے ہیں۔ (اور بے ساختہ کہتے ہیں) اے ہمارے ربّ! تُو نے ہرگز یہ بے مقصد پیدا نہیں کیا۔ پاک ہے تُو۔ پس ہمیں آگ کے عذاب سے بچا۔
There is just one proviso…that it is the men of understanding ..that see the signs and that then occupy themselves constantly in the remembrance of Allah..I will come back to this ‘need of understanding’ later.
Indeed, the importance of Zikr-e-Ilahi, the Remembrance of Allah, cannot be overstated.
Allah, the Exalted, says precisely this when we read in the Holy Quran:
وَ لَذِکۡرُ اللّٰہِ اَکۡبَرُ
…and remembrance of Allah indeed is the greatest virtue… (29:46)
That is, remembrance of Allah is higher in status than all other acts of worship.
This is why Islam places constant emphasis upon it.
We find frequent reminders about it in the Holy Qur’an, for example,
وَ اذۡکُرِ اسۡمَ رَبِّکَ بُکۡرَۃً وَّ اَصِیۡلًا
And remember the name of thy Lord morning and evening. (76:26)
Similarly there is a Hadith in which the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) says, when people gather together for the remembrance of Allah they are surrounded by angels and are covered by mercy from their Lord.
So this is a most well planned Programme …at the outset of which has been placed the presentation of a topic that, if we remember throughout, will attract the Angels of God. and as we continue to occupy
ourselves in the remembrance of Allah – more and more angels will gather around us and bring with them the blessings and mercy of Allah…and if we maintain ourselves in this, throughout the three days, when we depart…a veritable host of angels will leave, as we leave, and ascend to Heaven and report on what we all were occupied with and Allah will ask of them what they observed..and the ahadith tell us that upon learning of our so being occupied Allah will forgive us and even those who came to be with us just casually..
The angels are real…perhaps at no time in history has it been easier for us to understand the existence of angels than today…the field theoretic concepts in use in modern physics require us to believe in the existence of invisible fields and the role that the angels play in the operation of the spiritual universe is similar…
Yes, angels exist and it is they who urge us to the doing of good..and the advantages to a person of being constantly occupied in the remembrance of Allah are, therefore, obvious…
The more time he or she spends in the remembrance of Allah, the more will the angels be with such a person and the more they will constantly remind him or her to perform good deeds.
Then God Almighty says:
یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا لَا تُلۡہِکُمۡ اَمۡوَالُکُمۡ وَ لَاۤ اَوۡلَادُکُمۡ عَنۡ ذِکۡرِ اللّٰہِ
O ye who believe! let not your wealth and your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah... (63:10)
I have often cited the case of children how when they are bestowed by a parent or an elder a gift and precious gift they like and enjoy..how sometimes one sees that the child becomes so engrossed in and with the gift that he or she becomes quite oblivious to the bestower! How when they grow up, if they are given a car for example, they forget about the one who gave them the car…and begin to worship the car!
Allah is telling us that HE has given us gifts far more precious than we will ever give our children…He has given us the very wealth that we use to bestow gifts upon our children and it is HE HIMSELF WHO HAS GIVEN US THE VERY CHILDREN WE HAVE…so He says do not forget ME…let not your wealth that I gave you and the Children that I bestowed upon you…how invaluable are these gifts of Mine..do not let these become the cause of your forgetting ME!
And then we are told:
یٰۤاَیُّہَاالَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوا اذۡکُرُوا اللّٰہَ ذِکۡرًا کَثِیۡرًا۔ وَّ سَبِّحُوۡہُ بُکۡرَۃً وَّ اَصِیۡلًا
O ye who believe, remember Allah much. And glorify Him morning and evening. (33:42–43)
The Holy Prophet(sa) has stressed the importance of Zikr in his Hadith. Hazrat Abu Musa Ash’ari(ra) relates that the Holy Prophet(sa) said,
“The comparison between a person who remembers his Lord and the one who does not do so, is like that of the living and the dead.”
That is, he who remembers Allah is alive and he who does not is dead. This clearly shows how important remembrance of Allah is.
Now, I want to come back to the relationship of this topic with Gratitude .. We read in the Holy Quran:
وَ وَصَّیۡنَا الۡاِنۡسَانَ بِوَالِدَیۡہِ ۚ حَمَلَتۡہُ اُمُّہٗ وَہۡنًا عَلٰی وَہۡنٍ وَّ فِصٰلُہٗ فِیۡ عَامَیۡنِ اَنِ اشۡکُرۡ لِیۡ وَ لِوَالِدَیۡکَ ؕ اِلَیَّ الۡمَصِیۡرُ
And We have enjoined on man concerning his parents — his mother bears him in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning takes two years — ‘Give thanks to Me and to thy parents. Unto Me is the final return. (31:15)
فَاِذَا قَضَیۡتُمۡ مَّنَاسِکَکُمۡ فَاذۡکُرُوا اللّٰہَ کَذِکۡرِکُمۡ اٰبَآءَکُمۡ اَوۡ اَشَدَّ ذِکۡرًا ؕ فَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنۡ یَّقُوۡلُ رَبَّنَاۤ اٰتِنَا فِی الدُّنۡیَا وَ مَا لَہٗ فِی الۡاٰخِرَۃِ مِنۡ خَلَاقٍ
And when you have performed the acts of worship prescribed for you, celebrate the praises of Allah as you celebrated the praises ofyour fathers, or even more than that. And of men there are some who say, ‘Our Lord, grant us good things in this world;’ and such a one shall have no share in the Hereafter. (2:201)
وَ اصۡبِرۡ نَفۡسَکَ مَعَ الَّذِیۡنَ یَدۡعُوۡنَ رَبَّہُمۡ بِالۡغَدٰوۃِ وَ الۡعَشِیِّ یُرِیۡدُوۡنَ وَجۡہَہٗ وَ لَا تَعۡدُ عَیۡنٰکَ عَنۡہُمۡ ۚ تُرِیۡدُ زِیۡنَۃَ الۡحَیٰوۃِ الدُّنۡیَا ۚ وَ لَا تُطِعۡ مَنۡ اَغۡفَلۡنَا قَلۡبَہٗ عَنۡ ذِکۡرِنَا وَ اتَّبَعَ ہَوٰٮہُ وَ کَانَ اَمۡرُہٗ فُرُطًا
And keep thyself attached to those who call on their Lord,morning and evening, seeking His pleasure; and let not thy eyespass beyond them, seeking the adornment of the life of theworld; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless ofOur remembrance and who follows his evil inclinations, and hiscase exceeds all bounds. (18:29)
We live in an age in which the preoccupation is with the material things and no one has a concept of the value of God and of gratitude..
Indeed, people are not just blind to the numberless of bounties of God, rather they complain..
How often have we heard the question..what kind of God it is that permits an innocent baby to be born with this defect or that disease..
Quite apart from the fact what was the contribution of others’ actions in the occurrence of this and even accepting that it does sometimes so happen and in any case it is not the fault of the innocent new born…yet the question that first comes to mind is: How many times do such people break out into hallelujahs upon the falling of each raindrop and for the innumerable other blessings and graces of God..millions indeed billions of babies are born so perfectly…if one begins to list the subtle balances and protections built in to safeguard us and to support our existence the mind boggles..
I always say to such people and ask them: So you would have a world without hills and valleys and peaks and plains…yours would be a world devoid of pain and suffering…
Then where and how would we make all these advances and how would you arrange for evolution if it were not for these types of things that God has made with a purpose…
If one spend a little time researching PAIN – the wonderful benefits we derive from it would easily become evident…
But only to the men of understanding…who, at seeing the signs of Allah, do not mock them…rather they ponder and reflect and humbly submit in awe of the grand creation and grace and mercy and immense bounties of God…
It is those that cannot stand to let go of their own ego and pride and arrogance that despite seeing everything yet remain defiant and audacity hurls them into the rejection of God’s immense and patent grace and mercy and numberless bounties…
…and if you spend a little time on seeing how much increase of knowledge we have gained from the study of diseases..then you would have to agree with the Holy Quran when it proclaims:
بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ
In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.
تَبٰرَکَ الَّذِیۡ بِیَدِہِ الۡمُلۡکُ ۫ وَ ہُوَ عَلٰی کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ قَدِیۡرٌ
Blessed is He in Whose hand is the kingdom, and He has power over all things;
الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَ الۡمَوۡتَ وَ الۡحَیٰوۃَ لِیَبۡلُوَکُمۡ اَیُّکُمۡ اَحۡسَنُ عَمَلًا ؕ وَ ہُوَ الۡعَزِیۡزُ الۡغَفُوۡرُ
Who has created death and life that He might try you — which of you is best in deeds; and He is the Mighty, the Most Forgiving.
الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَ سَبۡعَ سَمٰوٰتٍ طِبَاقًا ؕ مَا تَرٰی فِیۡ خَلۡقِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ مِنۡ تَفٰوُتٍ ؕ فَارۡجِعِ الۡبَصَرَ ۙ ہَلۡ تَرٰی مِنۡ فُطُوۡرٍ
Who has created seven heavens in harmony. No incongruity canst thou see in the creation of the Gracious God. Then look again: Seest thou any flaw?
ثُمَّ ارۡجِعِ الۡبَصَرَ کَرَّتَیۡنِ یَنۡقَلِبۡ اِلَیۡکَ الۡبَصَرُ خَاسِئًا وَّ ہُوَ حَسِیۡرٌ
Aye, look again, and yet again, thy sight will only return unto thee confused and fatigued. (67:1-5)
Pain is not purpose less, suffering is not senseless..
The state of affairs of our epoc is summed up so beautifully in Sura Al-Kahf:
الَّذِیۡنَ کَانَتۡ اَعۡیُنُہُمۡ فِیۡ غِطَـآءٍ عَنۡ ذِکۡرِیۡ وَ کَانُوۡا لَا یَسۡتَطِیۡعُوۡنَ سَمۡعًا
Whose eyes were under a veil so as not to heed My warning, and they could not even hear.(18:102)
The meaning is much better captured in the Urdu and I have tried to give this meaning here..
جن کی آنکھیں میرے ذکر سے پردے میں تھیں اور وہ سننے کی بھی توفیق نہیں رکھتے تھے۔
The truth is that everything that Allah has created is so perfect that man in his arrogance whenever he hastily pronounces upon imperfections he feels he has found invariably lead us always and always to the discovery of yet more wonderful aspects of Allah’s creation..
There is so much for which we have to be grateful that we do not even know of..I remember still the first time I met a friend, a Professor of Mathematics from Pakistan who had no pores in the skin that all of us take for granted..but because of this he could not sweat….and…
Then recently I learnt of another enormous bounty of Allah that you and I all enjoy and never paid anything for and likely never thanked Allah for..
We have all heard of the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onasis..it is said that his eye lids were taped open in the morning and kept that way all day..because the muscles responsible for lifting them failed to function due to some disease..
But how many things are there for which we have to be grateful..how beautifully the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, peace be on him, has captured this:
He says in a Urdu couplet:
Sab kuch taree ata haiy ..ghar say to kuch na layay;
O Allah everything that we have is from Thee, we brought nothing from our own home…
Gratitude to Allah is only possible when man adopts humility and when his heart is imbued with the recognition of the immense Grace and Bounty of Allah…when he is in love with Allah ..
Then, when you love someone or something its all you can do to try not to think about the person or thing you love.
How many times have we heard the pop-sensations and rap artists rake in the dough piping on about how the subject of their songs adores her, nay worships her..it amazes me then that when we talk about God how suddenly people are all confused about what worship really means and why it is so essential a duty of a believer…
I rile at the notion that when it comes to dutifully, obediently, humbly, respectfully, meekly even, handing over exorbitant amounts of money, to the creators of small worthless things..I say this in the larger, grander scheme of things, where water in the oceans and the air and all the other immensely valuable things we take for granted and never pay anyone anything for having the use of…or even thank anyone for the existence of……photosynthesis for example…sunlight, the roof we call the atmosphere which protects us daily from all manner of debris that would otherwise have made this spaceship called earth uninhabitable…night so we can rest and day so we can go and work…the nails on out finger tips and toes…
I rile at the notion that when it comes to dutifully, obediently, humbly, respectfully, meekly even, handing over exorbitant amounts of money, to the creators of small worthless things..we pay homage literally and submit totally and worshipfully, adoringly even…so much so that we type as required a dot where a dot is demanded and a back slash where a back slash is required….
And we submit so thankfully, gratefully… Why?
Have you ever asked? Or wondered?
The answer is for our own good…there are plenty of inventors who invent all kinds of things but no one cares for their inventions so they find no one willing to pay them homage and obey them and do as they demand..
Remembrance of Allah is just another term for adoration, love and worship of Allah..for rendering thanks and becoming thereby the grateful servants of our Creator and Maker and Fashioner and Evolver and Developer and Sustainer and Provider…and Guide…and Maintainer..
We do this and are commanded to do this because it is the only way and the best way for us to achieve the objective of our creation…
وَ مَا خَلَقۡتُ الۡجِنَّ وَ الۡاِنۡسَ اِلَّا لِیَعۡبُدُوۡنِ
And I have not created the Jinn and the men but that they may worship Me. (51:57)
And since the best flourishing is through serving the purpose for which a thing or being is made, there can be no better use of our time and abilities than to be occupied in the remembrance of Allah with a total and complete sense of gratefulness…
وَ اِذۡ تَاَذَّنَ رَبُّکُمۡ لَئِنۡ شَکَرۡتُمۡ لَاَزِیۡدَنَّکُمۡ وَ لَئِنۡ کَفَرۡتُمۡ اِنَّ عَذَابِیۡ لَشَدِیۡدٌ
And remember also the time when your Lord declared, ‘If you are grateful, I will, surely, bestow more favours on you; but if you are ungrateful, then know that My punishment is severe indeed.’ (14:8)
People have a hard time understanding in today’s environment this PURPOSE OF OUR CREATION that we always cite…
وَ مَا خَلَقۡتُ الۡجِنَّ وَ الۡاِنۡسَ اِلَّا لِیَعۡبُدُوۡنِ
And I have not created the Jinn and the men but that they may worship Me. (51:57)
They cannot relate to it…
I do not think it is because the statement is too deep or too unfathomable or difficult to understand ..it is because they do not have the time for it..they do not consider it worthy, meriting their attention and thought..
This is what Allah says in the Holy Quran: Sura Kahf
الَّذِیۡنَ کَانَتۡ اَعۡیُنُہُمۡ فِیۡ غِطَـآءٍ عَنۡ ذِکۡرِیۡ وَ کَانُوۡا لَا یَسۡتَطِیۡعُوۡنَ سَمۡعًا
Whose eyes were under a veil so as not to heed My warning, and they could not even hear.(18:102)
The meaning is much better captured in the Urdu and I have tried to give this meaning here..
جن کی آنکھیں میرے ذکر سے پردے میں تھیں اور وہ سننے کی بھی توفیق نہیں رکھتے تھے۔
This is why the Holy Prophet(sa) had told us to recite these verses in these latter days..
اَفَحَسِبَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡۤا اَنۡ یَّتَّخِذُوۡا عِبَادِیۡ مِنۡ دُوۡنِیۡۤ اَوۡلِیَآءَ ؕ اِنَّـاۤ اَعۡتَدۡنَا جَہَنَّمَ لِلۡکٰفِرِیۡنَ نُزُلًا
Do the disbelievers think that they can take My servants as protectors instead of Me? Surely, We have prepared Hell as an entertainment for the disbelievers. (18:103)
پس کیا وہ لوگ جنہوں نے کفر کیا گمان کرتے ہیں کہ وہ میری بجائے میرے بندوں کو اپنے ولی بنا لیں گے؟ یقیناً ہم نے کافروں کے لئے مہمانی کے طور پر جہنم تیار کر رکھی ہے۔
Allah is accusing the people of forgetting Him ..and being preoccupied with the material things and their creators and makers and worshipping them..
قُلۡ ہَلۡ نُنَبِّئُکُمۡ بِالۡاَخۡسَرِیۡنَ اَعۡمَالًا
Say, ‘Shall We tell you of those who are the greatest losers in respect of their works? —(18:104)
کہہ دے کہ کیا ہم تمہیں اُن کی خبر دیں جو اعمال کے لحاظ سے سب سے زیادہ گھاٹا کھانے والے ہیں۔
اَلَّذِیۡنَ ضَلَّ سَعۡیُہُمۡ فِی الۡحَیٰوۃِ الدُّنۡیَا وَ ہُمۡ یَحۡسَبُوۡنَ اَنَّہُمۡ یُحۡسِنُوۡنَ صُنۡعًا
‘Those whose labour is all lost in search after things pertaining to the life of this world, and they think that they are doing good works.’ (18:105)
جن کی تمام تر کوششیں دنیوی زندگی کی طلب میں گم ہوگئیں اور وہ گمان کرتے ہیں کہ وہ صنعت کاری میں کمال دکھا رہے ہیں۔
اُولٰٓئِکَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا بِاٰیٰتِ رَبِّہِمۡ وَ لِقَآئِہٖ فَحَبِطَتۡ اَعۡمَالُہُمۡ فَلَا نُقِیۡمُ لَہُمۡ یَوۡمَ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ وَزۡنًا
Those are they who disbelieve in the Signs of their Lord and in the meeting with Him. So their works are vain, and on the Day of Resurrection We shall give them no weight. (18:106)
یہی وہ لوگ ہیں جنہوں نے اپنے ربّ کی آیات اور اس کی لقاءسے انکار کر دیا۔ پس ان کے اعمال ضائع ہوگئے اور قیامت کے دن ہم ان لوگوں کو کوئی اہمیت نہیں دیں گے۔
ذٰلِکَ جَزَآؤُہُمۡ جَہَنَّمُ بِمَا کَفَرُوۡا وَ اتَّخَذُوۡۤا اٰیٰتِیۡ وَ رُسُلِیۡ ہُزُوًا
That is their reward — Hell; because they disbelieved, and made a jest of My Signs and My Messengers. (18:107)
یہ ہے ان کی جزا جہنم بسبب اس کے کہ انہوں نے کفر کیا اور میری آیات اور میرے رسولوں کو مذاق بنا بیٹھے۔
اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ کَانَتۡ لَہُمۡ جَنّٰتُ الۡفِرۡدَوۡسِ نُزُلًا
Surely, those who believe and do good deeds, will have Gardens of Paradise for an abode, (18:108)
یقیناً وہ لوگ جو ایمان لائے اور نیک اعمال بجا لائے ان کے لئے مہمانی کے طور پر فردوس کی جنتیں ہیں۔
خٰلِدِیۡنَ فِیۡہَا لَا یَبۡغُوۡنَ عَنۡہَا حِوَلًا
Wherein they will abide; they will not desire any change therefrom. (18:109)
وہ ہمیشہ ان میں رہنے والے ہیں۔ کبھی ان سے جدا ہونا نہیں چاہیں گے۔
قُلۡ لَّوۡ کَانَ الۡبَحۡرُ مِدَادًا لِّکَلِمٰتِ رَبِّیۡ لَنَفِدَ الۡبَحۡرُ قَبۡلَ اَنۡ تَنۡفَدَ کَلِمٰتُ رَبِّیۡ وَ لَوۡ جِئۡنَا بِمِثۡلِہٖ مَدَدًا
Say, ‘If the ocean became ink for the words of my Lord, surely, the ocean would be exhausted before the words of my Lord came to an end, even though We brought the like thereof as further help.’ (18:110)
کہہ دے کہ اگر سمندر میرے ربّ کے کلمات کے لئے روشنائی بن جائیں تو سمندر ضرور ختم ہو جائیں گے پیشتر اس کے کہ میرے ربّ کے کلمات ختم ہوں خواہ ہم بطور مدد اس جیسے اور (سمندر) لے آئیں۔
قُلۡ اِنَّمَاۤ اَنَا بَشَرٌ مِّثۡلُکُمۡ یُوۡحٰۤی اِلَیَّ اَنَّمَاۤ اِلٰـہُکُمۡ اِلٰہٌ وَّاحِدٌ ۚ فَمَنۡ کَانَ یَرۡجُوۡا لِقَآءَ رَبِّہٖ فَلۡیَعۡمَلۡ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَّ لَا یُشۡرِکۡ بِعِبَادَۃِ رَبِّہٖۤ اَحَدًا
Say, ‘I am only a man like yourselves; but I have received the revelation that your God is only One God. So let him who hopes to meet his Lord do good deeds, and let him join no one in the worship of his Lord.’ (18:111)
کہہ دے کہ میں تو محض تمہاری طرح ایک بشر ہوں۔ میری طرف وحی کی جاتی ہے کہ تمہارا معبود بس ایک ہی معبود ہے۔ پس جو کوئی اپنے ربّ کی لقاءچاہتا ہے وہ (بھی) نیک عمل بجا لائے اور اپنے ربّ کی عبادت میں کسی کو شریک نہ ٹھہرائے۔
See how aptly the subject is described and how accurately it depicts the state of affairs…and if I had to trace the one fault …giving rise to all this behavior I would say..ingratitude born of arrogance ..
AS I said when you love someone or something its all you can do to try and not remember them..
And how wonderful the Holy Quran is .. How perfect it is..
Everything begins with love and that is what the definition of true worship is..and it comes from true gratitude ..this is why in the very beginning of the Holy Quran when in Sura Fatihah..which is divided equally between God and Man, where the portion of Man begins it begins with iyyaka nabodo..THEE ALONE DO WE WORSHIP..
That is why when the Holy Quran talks about telling man what He ought to start doing it starts by saying to human beings:
یٰۤاَیُّہَا النَّاسُ اعۡبُدُوۡا رَبَّکُمُ الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَکُمۡ وَ الَّذِیۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِکُمۡ لَعَلَّکُمۡ تَتَّقُوۡنَ
O ye men, worship your Lord Who created you and those who were before you, that you may become righteous; (2:22)
اے لوگو! تم عبادت کرو اپنے رب کی جس نے تمہیں پیدا کیا اور ان کو بھی جو تم سے پہلے تھے۔ تا کہ تم تقویٰ اختیار کرو۔
O ye people worship your Lord, who develops you stage by stage, Who created you, brought you into being so perfectly as to have arranged for you everything.. And all those who cam before so that you may attain to the righteousness..
At many places in the Holy Quran Allah explains ..that gratitude is so essential..
وَ ہُوَ الَّذِیۡۤ اَنۡشَاَ لَکُمُ السَّمۡعَ وَ الۡاَبۡصَارَ وَ الۡاَفۡـِٕدَۃَ ؕ قَلِیۡلًا مَّا تَشۡکُرُوۡنَ
And He it is Who has created for you ears, and eyes, and hearts; but little thanks do you give. (23:79)
The people think the greatest purpose of their ears and eyes and hearts is to hear see and pump blood…like the animals and like the inanimate devices that people have invented…that can do what our ears eyes and hearts do…
They just fail to see that none of what we have been blessed with has a far greater purpose..that of recognizing the Creator and…
Again we read:
وَ اللّٰہُ اَخۡرَجَکُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بُطُوۡنِ اُمَّہٰتِکُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ شَیۡئًا ۙ وَّ جَعَلَ لَکُمُ السَّمۡعَ وَ الۡاَبۡصَارَ وَ الۡاَفۡـِٕدَۃَ ۙ لَعَلَّکُمۡ تَشۡکُرُوۡنَ
And Allah brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers while you knew nothing, and gave you ears and eyes and hearts, that you might be grateful. (16:79)
The faculties of hearing, seeing and understanding have been mentioned in the order in which they help man acquire knowledge. First of all a newborn child makes use of the power of hearing. The faculty of seeing develops later and that of understanding is the last to mature.
قُلۡ ہُوَ الَّذِیۡۤ اَنۡشَاَکُمۡ وَ جَعَلَ لَکُمُ السَّمۡعَ وَ الۡاَبۡصَارَ وَ الۡاَفۡـِٕدَۃَ ؕ قَلِیۡلًا مَّا تَشۡکُرُوۡنَ
Say, ‘He it is Who brought you into being, and made for you ears and eyes and hearts; but little thanks do you give.’ (67:24)
Then to remind us how fragile and in need of God we are:
قُلۡ اَرَءَیۡتُمۡ اِنۡ اَصۡبَحَ مَآؤُکُمۡ غَوۡرًا فَمَنۡ یَّاۡتِیۡکُمۡ بِمَآءٍ مَّعِیۡنٍ
Say, ‘Tell me, if all your water were to disappear in the earth, who then will bring you clear flowing water?’ (67:31)
and then comes the part that why we have to do it…because we need HIS HELP IN EVERYTHING..
So, in summary let me end by saying that being constantly occupied in Zikr-e- Ilahi, in the remembrance of Allah is the best way to render true gratitude to Allah for His innumerable bounties.
God is Ghani, He is Self-Sufficient and Independent – in no need of us remembering Him and quite unharmed by our ignoring Him if we should so choose…indeed the Holy Quran says:
یٰۤاَیُّہَا النَّاسُ اَنۡتُمُ الۡفُقَرَآءُ اِلَی اللّٰہِ ۚ وَ اللّٰہُ ہُوَ الۡغَنِیُّ الۡحَمِیۡدُ
O ye men, it is you that stand in need of Allah, but Allah is He Who is Self-Sufficent, the Praiseworthy. (35:16)
You are the beggars and in need He is Ghani..
Look, how fantastically self-consistent Islam is..and the teachings of the Holy Quran are..
We all know that when a thing is fulfilling the purpose of its creation – it is then that the thing finds itself in total comfort and at ease and in peace..
Expert car mechanics can listen to the hum of a car and tell exactly when it is perfectly tuned…I was watching a TV program once about the Hoover Dam..it has huge turbines that generate enormous amounts of hydroelectricity….and the engineer was illustrating how they determine if they have everything working perfectly….it was when a penny balanced on its edge would simply stand on the housing of the turbines without falling..that they were sure that the things were perfectly balanced and tuned and what not..
So when human beings are fulfilling the object of their creation ..worship of God…being employed in His constant remembrance no matter what they may be doing…being all the time aware of Him and being ever mindful of Him…what state should we expect them to be in..the state of peace..and contentment..and pleasure..ecstasy and look how wonderfully the Holy Quran declares in Sura Al- Raad (13:29):
اَلَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ تَطۡمَئِنُّ قُلُوۡبُہُمۡ بِذِکۡرِ اللّٰہِ ؕ اَلَا بِذِکۡرِ اللّٰہِ تَطۡمَئِنُّ الۡقُلُوۡبُ
‘Those who believe, and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of Allah. Aye! it is in the remembrance of Allah that hearts can find comfort; (13:29)
۔ (یعنی) وہ لوگ جو ایمان لائے اور ان کے دل اللہ کے ذکر سے مطمئن ہو جاتے ہیں۔ سنو! اللہ ہی کے ذکر سے دل اطمینان پکڑتے ہیں۔
Our last word is: All praise belongs to Allah lord of all the worlds!