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Seeking a better position with God
Haniff
08/12/01 at 02:31:49
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh Seeking a better position with God God has created people with different physical and intellectual abilities, and granted them different measures of His grace in the shape of wealth, position and opportunities. Each element of these has a bearing on the career of each one of them and the role he or she plays in the community. God has not given anyone abundance in order to honor him above others, and has not stinted the provisions of anyone in order to humiliate him. In His perfect wisdom, He has given people different measures so that people pursue different careers and play different roles in the community. Thus everyone makes a contribution according to his or her position and abilities. People's roles, thus, complement one another and there is nothing essential to society which remains undone or unprovided. This is perfectly explained in the Qur'an: "And they say, too, 'Why was not this Qur'an bestowed from on high on some great man of the two cities?' But is it they who distribute your Lord's grace? No, it is We who distribute their means of livelihood among them in the life of this world, and raise some of them by degrees above others, to the end that they might avail themselves of one another's help. Your Lord's grace is better than all (the worldly wealth) that they may amass." (43: 31-32) These verses clearly show that we have been given different measures and different abilities so that we will make use of the means and talents of one another. Thus, each one will play a different role and provide a different service in society. However, when people disregard God's guidance they place certain roles in society above others with regard to respect and honor. They view certain professions as noble and others as base. This leads them to view a professional of the first type as more honorable and more worthy of respect than others who do other professions which they classify as base. What is worse is that human society may allow a person with an "honorable" profession to put on airs and look down with contempt on others who are not so fortunate as himself. Thus a wealthy person is given greater respect than others and one in high position enjoys the servility of others. A man with a profession that generates more income is viewed as more worthy of respect than those doing other jobs. The truth is totally different. Every now and then workers in a particular trade or industry go on strike, particularly in industrial countries, to remind the public of the importance of the service they provide and to demand better pay. When dustmen and rubbish collectors go on strike in a city like London or Paris, the rest of the population realize the importance of the role played by such people as they see their beautiful city enduring the heaps of rubbish left in its streets. The net result is invariably an increase of wages for the members of the trade union that has gone on strike. Such an attitude of stressing self-importance, which makes a doctor, an engineer or a manager view himself worthy of more honor than a person in a menial job, is censured by true faith. Yet in almost all human societies today we see people always trying to enhance their position through their profession, wealth, power or influence. This leads anyone who feels that he has not achieved what he is worth suffering from frustration and a sense of injustice and deprivation. Conversely, a person who is satisfied with his present position may experience anxiety lest an illness or some other adversity should lose him what he enjoys of respect and honorable position. No one is reassured of the continuity of God's blessings except those who are genuinely grateful. Faith is sufficient to overcome any worry over the possibility to lose our position in society. A believer realizes that man's honor has nothing to do with his wealth, position, profession, the type of car he drives and the luxurious house in which he lives. Competition for honor has totally different criteria to fulfil: "Indeed the noblest of you in God's sight is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him." (49: 13) A believer does not view position in society as his goal. He realizes that seeking a position of honor to exalt himself above others is a kind of self-conceit which is condemned in the Qur’an: "As for that happy life in the hereafter, We grant it (only) to those who do not seek to exalt themselves on Earth, nor yet to spread corruption. The future belongs to the God-fearing." (28: 83) A believer does not view himself in a race to win honor and position. In this life, people are similar to a group of travelers. Those who compete for position make their travel a race, adding immensely to the discomfort associated with all travel. A believer does not enter such a race in the first place. [color=Red]He realizes that his race is against time, not people. He wants to utilize every minute to enhance his position with God, not in human society.[/color] The Prophet says: "Among God's servants there are those whom God is certain to grant their most solemn appeals (to Him)." (Related by Al-Bukhari). He also says: "Shall I tell you about the people who will find their abode in heaven? They include every humble person whom God is certain to grant their appeals. Shall I tell you about the people of hell? They include every fat, rude and arrogant glutton." (Related by Al-Bukhari and At-Tirmithi). A believer who seeks to improve his position with God spares himself all the trouble of competing with people. Yet he does not stay in his present position in life. He is ever on the improve. Indeed working for a better position with God does not allow any worry, anxiety or sense of frustration to creep into one. It fills a person with serenity, contentedness and reassurance. [i]By Dr Muhammad Kamal Al-Shareef - Arab News - 29 May 2000[/i] Wassalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh Haniff (with 2 f's)

Re: Seeking a better position with God
Sonny
08/12/01 at 14:56:46
As usual, an excellent message--Thank you!--Sonny :)

Re: Seeking a better position with God
haaris
08/17/01 at 08:25:31
[quote][i]by Dr Muhammad Kamal Al-Shareef[/i][/quote] Is this our fellow Madinan Dr Muhammad Al-Shareef?  Perhaps there are many?

Re: Seeking a better position with God
jannah
08/17/01 at 10:57:42
That's a different one as far as I know! :)
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