In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful...the Best Knower.
What is “ingratitude”?
INGRATITUDE -- in Essence -- is the failure or refusal to acknowledge favors bestowed on oneself by another, especially when one could not have attained said favors on one’s own.
One of the manifestations of ingratitude is seen in the one who thinks he deserved the favor he received. Such a one might carry an air of arrogance about him/her, which might cause him/her to think he or she is entitled to some "privileged" status.
Another manifestation of ingratitude is seen in the one who thinks he deserves more, or better, than what was bestowed upon him. This can also be expressed in the form of complaints about what one “doesn’t have”, as opposed to being thankful for what one does have.
Yet another manifestation of ingratitude is seen in one’s abuse, neglect or ignoring of favors bestowed upon him.
In all of these cases, the receiver of the favors suffers from a basic misunderstanding of the relationship between himself and the Giver, and thus cannot fully appreciate the value of the favor bestowed upon him (or her). He tends to think more of himself than he should, and think less of the Giver than he should; and therefore cannot appreciate the favor as he should.
(How can you be truly grateful for something you don’t understand the value of?)
Allah (God) is the Supreme Giver and the Great Bestower of Favors upon His Creatures! The Greatest Gift He has Given us is the Gift of Life, Itself.
Have we been grateful for such a Gift?
Have we done with our Lives what God Intended we do?
Next to Life, Itself, Allah’s Greatest Gift or Favor to us is that of Divine Guidance!
Why does Man need Divine Guidance? It is because we live in a world that is in total rebellion against the Will and Purpose of God; and, from the cradle, our minds are shaped and fashioned after the darkness of this world.
So now, humanity is literally lost in the darkness of ignorance and the suffering that comes with it, and we can’t seem – no matter how hard we try – to find our way out of this “intense darkness”. So we continue in error, constantly violating the nature and purpose of our existence, thus making our own lives a living hell!
Crime, poverty, drug abuse, self-hatred, failed relationships, depression, suicide, prostitution, homosexuality, slavery, war, etc...
Who can deny that we are in desperate need of Divine Guidance?
Who can deny that we are in need of a Divine Guide to teach us how to live that Guidance?
If God were to Give us such Guidance... If God were to Give us such a Guide...
Would we be “grateful”?
Would we demonstrate “gratitude” or “ingratitude”?
Remember, “gratitude” is more than just saying “thank you”!
“Gratitude” requires more than just “feeling good” about a Gift that was given to you, and about the One who Gave it to you.
“Gratitude” is best demonstrated in the proper use of the Gift that is Given to you, or in the proper response to the Purpose for which the Gift was Given!
Why do we need to know this?
How do YOU feel when you give someone a gift or bestow on them a favor that they fail to show appreciation or gratitude for? How does that make YOU feel, as the “giver”?
“Ingratitude” makes the Giver want to take back the gift that he gave, and sometimes he will give it to someone else who will demonstrate more gratitude for the Gift (or Favor).
Likewise, “Gratitude” inspires the Giver to want to give more!
(“I am come that they might have Life, and have it more abundantly.” –Jesus)
Why does God Give us Life?
It is to carry on His Great Work.
Why does God Give us Guidance?
It is to deliver us from our ignorance and suffering, that we may carry on His Great Work.
Are we demonstrating “gratitude” for these Precious Gifts from God...or “ingratitude”?
“Ingratitude” is actually an injustice, because it takes man away from the Universal Order and Will of God; and it takes man away from his own nature. So a man who is ungrateful is a man who is unjust to himself. He is destroying his own peace...just by being “ungrateful”.
Allah says, in the Holy Qur’an, that He “...gives you of all you ask of Him. And if you count Allah's favours, you will not be able to number them. Surely man is very unjust, very ungrateful.”
In another place, Allah says that “when distress afflicts you in the sea, away go those whom you call on except He; but when He brings you safe to the land, you turn away. And man is ever ungrateful.”
Therefore, it is not a question of whether or not we have been ungrateful to God, or unjust to ourselves...because we all have. We all have been born into a world of wickedness and rebellion against God, and all of us have been poisoned by the wickedness of this world. The Bible teaches us that “all have sinned, and fallen short of the Glory of God.” So all of us have demonstrated some degree of ingratitude to our Creator, and all of us have been unjust to ourselves and others. So Allah makes us to bear witness, in our prayers, “I have been greatly unjust to myself, and I confess my faults,” ...and in our Nature, we know when we are being unjust to ourselves. So we don’t have to ask “have I been unjust to myself”...or “have I been ungrateful to Allah (God)”. We all can bear witness that we have been.
It’s more about the question, “Who is willing to come back to God and make a Change?” “Who is willing to humble himself, and pray, and seek God’s Face, and turn from the wicked ways of this world?”
It’s about, “Who has had enough of the suffering caused by our ignorance and ingratitude, and is ready now to strive to live the life that God intended, so that He might Bless us with His Favors...and save us from His Chastisement?”
Have we had enough? Are we tired of being “ungrateful”? Are we tired of being “unjust” to ourselves?
Are we ready for a change?
If we are, then we must know that as Allah – out of His Beneficence and Mercy – has already Given us the Gift of Life and the Gift of Divine Guidance, He also has given to US a Divine Guide from Himself – a Man who not only has been prepared by God to “show” us the Way, but who IS The Way...IS The Truth...IS The Life; and that man – that Precious Gift that Allah has Given to US – is the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.
The Question is...
“Will we be grateful?...or ungrateful?”
The choice is yours. Let us choose wisely.
As-Salaam Alaikum.
RM
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Health Care, the Million Man March, and Spiritual Blindness
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful...the Best Knower.
This past Saturday -- September 12, 2009 -- a vast crowd of "conservative" Americans marched on Washington, DC, to protest President Obama's much maligned health care proposals.
I don't know how many people attended the protest, and I will not speculate; but there are those who are already finding a rationale to compare this march/protest with the Historic "Million Man March", in terms of numbers, and thus by suggestion, in terms of significance...as if the number of people, alone, who attend a rally is a sign of the importance of the rally.
Some of the estimates I have read cite the attendance of the protest as somewhere between 100,000 and "2 million", and almost all of the articles covering the event include the Million Man March as a reference point to measure the significance of the protest (a fact which, in itself, underscores the significance of the Million Man March).
Even if the so-called "Tea Party", this past Saturday, did "outdraw" the Million Man March in "numbers", it in no way compares to the Million Man March in terms of its Universal Significance. The Million Man March was not a "political protest". It was a demonstration by the "depised and rejected" of this nation -- Black Men (and Women) of America -- of our desire to Atone to the God of Creation, the Author of our Existence, for our failure to live up to our responsibilities as Men across this country. It was a show of Gratitude to Almighty God for a clear Warner in the Person of the Hon. Louis Farrakhan. It was a strategic event intended to save untold numbers of young black men from a plan to slaughter them under the guise of "national security". It was a Divinely Inspired and Divinely Guided demonstration of Faith, Hope and Love. There has never been such a demonstration in the history of America before that day -- October 16, 1995 -- or SINCE that day. The Million Man March simply cannot be put in the same category as a "protest" fueld by the dissatisfaction of conservatives with a government that they helped to corrupt.
However, that is not to say that Saturday's March/Protest was not significant. I believe it was VERY significant. Whenever we see hundreds(?) of thousands of people in the society take to the streets to PROTEST what they feel are unjust policies, that is a serious sign that the country is headed toward revolution. The dissatisfaction of the people is so great now, that the people are growing less and less tolerant of anything that they believe is an obstacle to their legitimate needs for peace and security; but when the effort to attain such virtues is corrupted by deceptive propaganda, political expedience and racism, and general godlessness, then the stage eventually becomes set for a dangerously volatile eruption.
This should be clear to those in positions of power in government. It should be clear to the social scientists. It should be clear to the historians and the students of the rise and fall of nations.
Why, then, is so little attention being given to addressing the legitimate needs of these citizens who are in fear for their futures; and so much attention being given to whether or not Saturday's protest "outnumbered" the Million Man March? What is hindering those who can read the "handwriting on the wall" from taking action and empowering the public with information that might save this nation from another civil war? What right-minded man would not seek to lead his family out of a burning house when he sees flames engulfing it?
Are we dealing with "right minded" men in government? Or, are they so spiritually blinded by what the Hon. Louis Farrakhan refers to as "inordinate self-interest" ( please read "A Torchlight for America"), that they cannot see the consequences of depriving the public of Truth and Real Solutions to the problems of this nation?
Dear reader, with conditions in America obviously deteriorating exponentially with each passing day, we don't have time for meaningless disputes. As the Hon. Elijah Muhammad warned us, years ago, America is falling, and only right action -- Divinely Guided action -- can check the fall.
If those in positions of power in America do not act soon, and effectively, and heed the Divine Guidance contained in the Warnings coming from the Hon. Louis Farrakhan, then America will most certainly fall, and great will be her fall...and "all the king's horses and all the king's men" will not be able to put America back together again.
Something to think about.
RM
This past Saturday -- September 12, 2009 -- a vast crowd of "conservative" Americans marched on Washington, DC, to protest President Obama's much maligned health care proposals.
I don't know how many people attended the protest, and I will not speculate; but there are those who are already finding a rationale to compare this march/protest with the Historic "Million Man March", in terms of numbers, and thus by suggestion, in terms of significance...as if the number of people, alone, who attend a rally is a sign of the importance of the rally.
Some of the estimates I have read cite the attendance of the protest as somewhere between 100,000 and "2 million", and almost all of the articles covering the event include the Million Man March as a reference point to measure the significance of the protest (a fact which, in itself, underscores the significance of the Million Man March).
Even if the so-called "Tea Party", this past Saturday, did "outdraw" the Million Man March in "numbers", it in no way compares to the Million Man March in terms of its Universal Significance. The Million Man March was not a "political protest". It was a demonstration by the "depised and rejected" of this nation -- Black Men (and Women) of America -- of our desire to Atone to the God of Creation, the Author of our Existence, for our failure to live up to our responsibilities as Men across this country. It was a show of Gratitude to Almighty God for a clear Warner in the Person of the Hon. Louis Farrakhan. It was a strategic event intended to save untold numbers of young black men from a plan to slaughter them under the guise of "national security". It was a Divinely Inspired and Divinely Guided demonstration of Faith, Hope and Love. There has never been such a demonstration in the history of America before that day -- October 16, 1995 -- or SINCE that day. The Million Man March simply cannot be put in the same category as a "protest" fueld by the dissatisfaction of conservatives with a government that they helped to corrupt.
However, that is not to say that Saturday's March/Protest was not significant. I believe it was VERY significant. Whenever we see hundreds(?) of thousands of people in the society take to the streets to PROTEST what they feel are unjust policies, that is a serious sign that the country is headed toward revolution. The dissatisfaction of the people is so great now, that the people are growing less and less tolerant of anything that they believe is an obstacle to their legitimate needs for peace and security; but when the effort to attain such virtues is corrupted by deceptive propaganda, political expedience and racism, and general godlessness, then the stage eventually becomes set for a dangerously volatile eruption.
This should be clear to those in positions of power in government. It should be clear to the social scientists. It should be clear to the historians and the students of the rise and fall of nations.
Why, then, is so little attention being given to addressing the legitimate needs of these citizens who are in fear for their futures; and so much attention being given to whether or not Saturday's protest "outnumbered" the Million Man March? What is hindering those who can read the "handwriting on the wall" from taking action and empowering the public with information that might save this nation from another civil war? What right-minded man would not seek to lead his family out of a burning house when he sees flames engulfing it?
Are we dealing with "right minded" men in government? Or, are they so spiritually blinded by what the Hon. Louis Farrakhan refers to as "inordinate self-interest" ( please read "A Torchlight for America"), that they cannot see the consequences of depriving the public of Truth and Real Solutions to the problems of this nation?
Dear reader, with conditions in America obviously deteriorating exponentially with each passing day, we don't have time for meaningless disputes. As the Hon. Elijah Muhammad warned us, years ago, America is falling, and only right action -- Divinely Guided action -- can check the fall.
If those in positions of power in America do not act soon, and effectively, and heed the Divine Guidance contained in the Warnings coming from the Hon. Louis Farrakhan, then America will most certainly fall, and great will be her fall...and "all the king's horses and all the king's men" will not be able to put America back together again.
Something to think about.
RM
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