Purification of the Heart
Signs, Symptoms and Cures of
the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart
Translation and Commentary of
Imam Mawlud's Maášharat al-Qulub
by Hamza Yusuf
Obliviousness to Blessings
POEM VERSES 164—66
Among the faults of the soul is obliviousness to blessings. Its
root lies in inattentiveness to [the statement],
"Whatever blessings you have [it is from God]." By simply
remembering this and keeping in mind other verses of admonition, such as,
"He does not change . . .", and "If you show gratitude . . .",
then this chronic disease can be excised from you.
Definition and Treatment
The next disease is obliviousness to blessings, a lack of understanding and acknowledgement, a noxious disregard that whatever blessing you have, it is from God (QURAN, 16:53). The blessings that come to us, night and day, are beyond numeration, as the Quran reminds. These blessings come in all forms—what we can see and touch (by way of material goods: food, clothing, shelter, wealth, and the like), as well as what we cannot see (like safety, friendship, love, health, and protection from harm and calamity).
The Quran begins with the phrase translated as, In the name of God, the Merciful, the Mercy Giving (QURAN, 1:1). Some scholars have said that "Merciful" (Rahman) implies the giver of the major blessings, while "Mercy-Giving" (Rahim) implies the giver of subtle blessings that are not perceived until they are removed. We blink, for example, thousands of times a day without thought. There are people, however, who require artificial lubrication because their tear glands do not function. There are countless blessings related to the eye, let alone other aspects of our lives, like our ability to walk in balance without needing to consciously stimulate dozens of muscles required to take one step. Our thumbs permit us to do with our hands what most creatures cannot attempt. God has made food delicious instead of bland. And He has given us dignity in our nutrition, which is a tremendous blessing, especially when one considers the way carnivores devour their prey.
While we cannot count our blessings, we are charged to be grateful for having them: So let man reflect on the food he eats. Indeed, We have poured down water in showers. Then We split the land in clefts. Then We caused to grow grain therein, and grapes and fresh herbage, and olive trees and date-palms, and dense orchards and fruits and pasture—all provision for you and for your cattle (QURAN, 80:24-32). The fact that the Quran has been revealed to tell us to reflect on these blessings is in itself a great blessing, for the human being cannot on his or her own figure out how to live with guidance. To deny God's blessings can lead to outright disbelief and denial of God the Exalted.
God never changes any blessing He has bestowed upon a people until they first change what is in themselves (QURAN, 8:53). God will not take away a blessing unless people show ingratitude. A poet said, "If you are in a blessing, guard it, for disobedience shall snatch away." Gratitude to God protects one from having blessings removed.
There is an interesting concept called istidraj, in which God allows an ingrate to flaunt his blessings, while God does not diminish the ingrate's blessings in the least. In fact, He may increase them. The person then begins to think that God really loves him or her, and the only thing worse than a person who is misguided is the person who is astray but believes himself to be favored by God. As for man, whenever his Lord tries him by honoring him and bestowing favors on him, he says, "My Lord has honored me." And whenever He tries him by restricting his provision, he says, "My Lord has humiliated me" (QURAN, 89:15-16). Scholars of Quranic commentary say that this passage shows the confusion of people in the way people interpret the blessings they receive. When they are the recipients of great wealth, they see themselves as especially pleasing to God. And when their provision is restricted, they feel God is debasing them. But the reality people often miss is that wealth is a test: Will its recipient be generous or miserly? The same applies when wealth is restricted: Will a person be patient and content, or feel despair and bitterness?
There are things that benefit a person in the short and long term. Examples of this are knowledge and excellent character. There are also things that are harmful to a person immediately and in the long run, like ignorance and obnoxiousness. Then there are things that offer immediate gratification, but the long-term benefits are nil. Carnal desires (shahawat) are generally like this. If a person overeats, he experiences immediate gratification; but in the long term, it invites health problems. Things may be beneficial in the long term but somewhat uncomfortable in the short. It may be difficult for a person to stop himself from eating until he is filled, but the long term benefits are obvious. This is also true with sexual intimacy: being patient until marriage may be uncomfortable and even frustrating, but its benefit is far greater than any temporary pleasure attained in falling into sin.
Ignorance urges people to see only short-term relief as a blessing and to ignore the benefits of patience and temporary discomfort. Knowledge opens the eyes to the long-term benefit, which lasts forever. In a study on children, researchers left cookies out on a table and told the children that they can have either one cookie now or two later. Consistently the children who scored better on intelligence tests waited for the two-cookie option. After following these children for 30 years, those who opted for the long-term gain were better adjusted, better educated, and more successful in their marriages.
There is a necessary link between intelligence and morality, the willingness to put off a short-term gain for a long-term benefit that ultimately is greater and everlasting* This kind of intelligence is conditioned by Islam. Umar said, "We are a people to whom God has given dignity with Islam; but if we seek dignity elsewhere, God will humiliate us."
Blessings are either roots or branches. The roots are things like Iman, Islam, health, safety, and well-being. The branches are money, clothing, shelter, and so on. It is revealed in the Quran that the Children of Israel disputed with a prophet pbuh among them over the choice of Saul (Talut) as their king because he was not a man of great wealth. But their prophet told them that God has given Saul knowledge and strength (QURAN, 2:247), which are blessings greater than wealth.
Once the Prophet pbuh asked a man, "Do you know what the completion of a blessing is?" The Prophet pbuh told him, "Entering Paradise." The best of blessings are those connected with entering Paradise. Faith, patience, good character, swiftness in doing good, and promptness in worship are blessings of God and they are everlasting. Islam itself is the completion of God's blessings upon humanity: This day, I have perfected for you your religion, and I have completed My blessings upon you, and I have chosen Islam for you as your religion (QURAN, 5:3).
The ornaments of this life are such things as a house, furnishings, and clothing. The more that one has of these blessings, the more he will be accountable for them. The Prophet pbuh said that the meat, the dates, and cool water that we consume are of those things we will be asked about, even the sandals on our feet. To be zahid (ascetic) does not always mean a lack of material possession. There is asceticism of the heart, in which one is not attached to the material world and is indifferent to it. In other words, a person's character and level of faith will not change if he loses his wealth. That's the sign of a zahid. But if one falls apart and plunges into despondency when losing something valuable, it shows an inordinate attachment to worldly life.
Source: Purification of Heart
to be continued ....
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