How many times does it happen that a sinking boat safely reaches the shore... dying patients recover and regain health... a person narrowly escapes potential accidents... after darkness prevails everywhere, a single firefly of hope shines, and gradually light spreads all around... sometimes, amid continuous losses, unexpected profits start pouring in... On such occasions, our general attitude is that "it was just a coincidence," "so-and-so helped me," "it was because at that exact moment I did this and that, if I hadn't done it, it would have been a big problem"—meaning we pass by astonishing success, newly arising opportunities, and escaping life-threatening accidents by considering them mere coincidences or our own excellence... If only we could pause for a moment and think that all this is the result of prayers made for us in our absence... the prayers of our parents, spiritual mentors (Murshid), and friends... who ask the Lord of Kindness (Rab-e-Kareem) for our well-being and safety... It is purely the grace of our Lord that the vehicle of life, just as it is about to fall into the pit of misery, arrives on the highway of safety and well-being... If we evaluate our days and nights from this perspective, we will be blessed with the ability to thank Almighty Allah at every single step... Someone beautifully said that when someone does a favor to you, thank your benefactor later, but thank Almighty Allah first, for He created the thought of doing a favor to you in that person's heart and granted them the ability to do so... But due to our narrow-mindedness, we fail to understand many of the blessings and favors of Allah the Kind, and we pass by, attributing the eases we receive to ourselves and to other people... May Allah the Kind grant us the ability to become His grateful servants. Ameen.
