Solace

And if all the trees on the earth were pens and the sea (were ink wherewith to write), with seven seas behind it to add to its (supply), yet the Words of Allah would not be exhausted. Verily, Allah is All­-Mighty, All-­Wise. – Surah al-Luqmaan:27

And if you would count the graces of Allah, never could you be able to count them. Truly! Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. – Surah an-Nahl:18

Think about it.

You can take one pen which has a few milliliters of ink in it and you could write on many, many sheets of paper about all the things you would like to write about until that pen runs out. Write about all the bounties that God has given to mankind.

Convert all the trees in the world into pens, and all the oceans’ water into ink and yet you still would not finish writing out all the bounties that Allaah [SWT] has bestowed upon humanity. That’s millions … possibly billions of writing utensils.

If I’m ever feeling down, I remember all that He has given me. Stuff that puts me easily into, maybe the top 5% of the world’s luckiest individuals. There are people out there that would kill to get what I have, to be in my place.

Wow.

What is it exactly that I have, you ask . . . that would make people kill to have what I have?

Well, here’s a short, unfinished list . . .

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Islam: A beautiful way of life, of Peace, Justice and more. It was designed for humans by the same One that designed and created humans in the first place. So it fits, it lasts, for all times and for all races and cultures. In short, it works perfectly. Don’t fix something that aint broken, k?

A beautiful mind: Its what God gave me as a birthright. To distinguish right from wrong, to make choices that the Angels cannot make, to comprehend that which the animals cannot, to do that which the Jinn cannot. With it I can become happy, angry, I can love and be passionate, like or I can dislike, I can construct and create and I can learn the names of all things that Allaah created, just as our father Adam did before me, long ago. With it I can dream, and along with my heart, I can set goals that come from those dreams.

My eyesight: Go ask the one who is blind, the one who cannot see what they would give to have normal eyesight. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then what of the ability to see what amounts to a thousand pictures right in front of you?

My dreams: …I’m faster than the speed of light…stronger than a lion in a fight… – all in my dreams, where I have limitless resources, unlimited time, a place where I can fly, or swim or build an entire city or forewarn myself of what’s to come. Boundless, timeless, I can be whatever I want to be, and go wherever I want to go, and do just anything I want. Somebody TRY and stop me, pshaw.

My loving parents: May God grant them both al-Firdaus, it goes without saying that if it weren’t for them I would not be where I am today. I’d probably be dead. They have taught me what I know more than any other source of learning and guidance in my life. Even the spanking I might have recieved in my younger years, now in retrospect, I hold as valuable lessons too.

My siblings: Three sisters and two brothers. Absolutely useless bunch sometimes, and other times absolutely indispensable. Their faces are what the heart longs for after long periods of absence, to see a face you’ve known like they’re family. . . wait a sec . . . they are family!

My nephews and nieces: Five of them…two nieces and three nephews… buncha cutie pies, you just cant get enough of ’em. Which brings me to the next point…

Little children: Masha’allaah 3alayhim for their innocence and sweetness, their ability to make you laugh at even the most common of actions or thing. Or, their attempt to imitate their elders. Ever seen a lil’ toddler try to do sujoud and he / she tumbles over? Or when they are running around the house, zipping in and out between your legs and almost making you fall over. Priceless moments. Sometimes you wish they could stay that age forever.

Cold, clean water: Nothing like it. Be it for a drink or be it to clean yourself with. And it tastes so good!

Rain: Let the rain come down … Its just absolutely stunning when you think about it – the Earth has its own recycling and dispersal system for water. Its a perfect cycle of dispersion and evaporation. The rain washes away impurities, it gives life to everything, and it can equally bring glad tidings or bring death and destruction. It is either a ni3mah or Allaah or it is one of His junoud.

House: A roof over my head. Lotta people in this world don’t have one of those. Trust me, it comes in handy sometimes when its raining or snowing outside and you don’t have an umbrella or a jacket nearby.

Food: Of all kinds. Meats, breads, fruits, veggies, eggs, milk, juice, chicken, beef, goat, veal, mutton, whole wheat bread, white bread, bagels, my mom’s naan bread, yogurt and leben, milk, orange juice, grape and cranberry juice, potatoes, peas, mushrooms and pepper, tomatoes and cucumber. Khubze-7aleeb with 3asal, Zeetr and olive oil, thyme, spices and sugar, chocolate and vanilla, good cheesecake, nabeel drink, dates, honey by itself, and olives, almonds, raisins and walnuts, soya sauce, poutine, shrimp, ice cream, mussels, rice, pizza, ranch salad dressing . . . MA MOMMA’S FOOD and a lot more. Al7amdulillaahil-ladhee at3amana wasaqa’na wa ja3alana minal muslimeen.

My BlackBerry: Its definitely a great help. Called a “CrackBerry” for good reason. (Kashif, go get your own!)

The refrigerator: Come on. Keep your food cold and frozen for days or months on end? Definitely a blessing.

Work: Alhamdulillaah for halaal work, and the best work is that which is done by your own hand.

My computer: With the speed of communications at near-lightspeed, a tool like this is a ni3mah. And like any other tool it can be used or abused.

Muslims: Masha’allaah. No matter where they go, no matter what calamity befalls them, or what obstacles they encounter, you have to admit – they are one heckuva resilient bunch. I absolutely love ’em to bits. The comraderie, the brotherhood,…the ability to know whats in another Mu’min’s heart about such and such a matter, to know that you have rights over them and they over you, to have that firm warm handshake, or that warm hug. To see a dear bro and to smile and laugh at nothing before you slap him across the back. I wouldn’t give it up for the world and all it contains.

Health: Ya miss it only when you dont have it. Hey, witha high metabolic rate, a run in the morning, and skipping breakfast, I can even make poutine with cheese and gravy look tempting and healthy.

Smiles: Costs less to smile than to frown. Just smile, dammit. Did you know some people don’t know how to smile. Wow. One of the easiest ways to give charity to your bro, and they can’t do it. But I can! 🙂

Birds: I realized that no day goes by without at least hearing them [in the morning] or seeing them flying around. They always remind me to Umar’s statement: “Place your trust in God and be like the birds – they go out in the morning hungry but return in the evening with their stomachs full.”

Body: One heckuva awesome machine, and best of all no batteries required.

Heart: This thing is built to last! Take good care of it and it will pump millions of liters of blood for decades and decades without stopping. Do you know of any man-made machine that can do that?

Stomach: Yes, yes yes … you all think I’m putting this up because I’m a guy and I like food, so therefore I’m glad I have a stomach. Well yes that’s true. But did you know that the hydrochloric acid in your stomach is so strong that the stomach lining replaces itself automatically every three days? Wait till you get an ulcer [na3udhubellah] and then you’ll learn to appreciate the ni3mah of a strong healthy stomach.
Intentions: With the right intention I can taken even the most mundane tasks and make them into long-term strategic investments in the portfolio of my life. Yeah yeah Sallu…in English please? What I mean is, for example if I go to sleep for seven hours, i do it with the intention that I am sleeping early so I can get up for Fajr and therefore my entire sleep is something I get hasanaat for. Mmmmm supa’sweet.

My car: PRAISE. DA. LORD. It gets you to so many places, a key mover of any advanced economy, it protects you from the elements, allows you to transport much more than you could ever hope to carry…and of course every guy wants the exhilaration of moving through time and space very rapidly. *muah*

Shoes: What a fabulous invention. Walk around wherever you want and protect your feet from the elements! And look nice while you’re in them! Sweet!

Iron: Indeed a mercy to mankind like He said. Look how much stuff we make with it to benefit ourselves. Vehicles, tall buildings and other structures, tools, etc.

Big Blue Sky: You know, blue is the perfect color for the sky. It seems so relaxing and natural. It just radiates a deep serenity and I feel like I could stare at it forever.

– … To be continued … –