Episode 29 - Why Don't We Enjoy Blessings?

Years of our lives pass by, bringing us many reasons to be happy, but if we ask ourselves: Are we happy? The answer may come from deep within: I'm not sure!

There are ambitions and aspirations that occupy your mind and have not yet been realized. They become your focus. As for the reasons for happiness that have come your way, they have faded from your senses, their colors have dimmed, and they have become like the static, unimportant background in a picture that lacks a focal point—the lens is focused on these unfulfilled ambitions.

Just as iron rusts, the tools for tasting blessings embedded in our souls rust as well. Therefore, Allah Almighty reminds us in many places of these blessings that have faded from our senses and no longer mean anything to us: {أَلَمۡ تَرَوۡاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَأَسۡبَغَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ نِعَمَهُۥ ظَٰهِرَةٗ وَبَاطِنَةٗۗ} [Luqman: 20].. {ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءٗ فَأَخۡرَجَ بِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ رِزۡقٗا لَّكُمۡۖ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡفُلۡكَ لِتَجۡرِيَ فِي ٱلۡبَحۡرِ بِأَمۡرِهِۦۖ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرَ ٣٢ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلشَّمۡسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ دَآئِبَيۡنِۖ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلَّيۡلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ ٣٣ وَءَاتَىٰكُم مِّن كُلِّ مَا سَأَلۡتُمُوهُۚ وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحۡصُوهَآۗ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ لَظَلُومٞ كَفَّارٞ ٣٤} [Ibrahim: 32-34], and many other verses about hearing, sight, shelter, clothing, food, drink, fire, minerals, sleep, resurrection after death, spouses, children, and others.

Many verses, so that we do not overlook Allah's blessings and forget them. Yet, despite this divine reminder, we may not enjoy these blessings. The discussion here is not about thinking about the problems of Muslims and feeling their pain, for this is required to the extent that it drives us to act positively to help and support them. Nor is the discussion about making life miserable by the injustice of the oppressors who ruin our lives and seek corruption on earth, for this misery is inevitable, and it should drive us to reform our situation through persistent work, and the individual who is angry at the oppressor in one case and is pleased with Allah and seeks His help to confront this oppression..

But the discussion here is about losing the ability to taste blessings and feel Allah's favor upon us in them, and this is a disease that afflicts the soul regardless of concern for Muslims and bitterness over the corruption of the oppressors.

This disease is part of psychological phenomena known to mental health professionals as (Cognitive Distortion), i.e., cognitive distortion, and they call this phenomenon specifically: (Mental Filter), i.e., mental filtering, which is the individual's inability to notice the positive aspects of his life due to his preoccupation with a relatively minor annoyance, like someone who sees only a minor flaw in a beautiful, useful garment. This, my brothers, is an unhealthy phenomenon that needs treatment, but in reality, it may be present in most of us.

If one of us fails to taste Allah's blessings upon him and appreciate them as they deserve, Allah Almighty may test him by taking away one of these blessings. The fortunate one at that time is he who learns and is warned by the loss of this blessing that there are many things in his life that he still possesses, which warrant thanking Allah and deserve to make us happy. The trial comes to remove the rust from the tools of sensing blessings embedded in your nature, to clean them, and to restore the luster of life, giving it vibrant colors again, after it was a dull, monotonous background with no color! After the mental filter distracted you from it, diminished its value, and spoiled its luster by longing for what has not yet been achieved of ambitions.. The trial comes to teach man the art of tasting blessings!

Blessings were abundant for you, but your ability to taste them was weak, so you did not appreciate them and be happy as you should. Blessings may decrease with the trial that deprives you of wealth or status or health or others, but if you are among those who are content and have good thoughts about Allah and contemplate His wisdom, then the trial will make you aware of the much that remains with you, and you will feel ashamed before Allah that you did not appreciate His blessing upon you before, so you acquire the art of tasting blessings, be happy with them, and find comfort. We ask Allah to make us among His servants who are granted well-being and are grateful..

The summary of this station:

The trial, even if it deprives you of some blessings, but you can turn it into a reason to taste the remaining blessings that have faded from your senses, and to thank Allah for them.