If a sighted person goes blind, and\nthen recovers, he\/she would eagerly become thankful and would regard it as a\nblessing. However, if one never goes blind and remains sighted, it rarely\nhappens that he\/she thanks God. This stems from the humans\u2019 negligence. For\nthat in this situation, gratefulness only depends upon loosing and regaining a\nblessing. However, being thankful for a blessing which is always at hand is\nmore necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The importance of being grateful is to\nan extent that the Holy Quran and the narrations regard it not only the factor\nin the durability of the blessings, but also the factor of their increase. For\nexample Imam Jawad (PBUH) has said, \u201cThe increasing of the blessing does not\nstop, unless that thankfulness comes to a halt by the people.\u201d (1) <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now that based on the advice of Imam\nJawad (PBUH) gratefulness is important to such an extent, the question comes to\nmind that \u201chow should we be attentive to this important matter?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can instill the positive trait of\ngratefulness with practicing some tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, knowing Allah (SWT) and\nawareness and pondering in His evident, inner, general, and exclusive blessings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Second, reminding to ourselves that\nthe greatest longing of the dead is to be returned to the world for doing good\ndeeds (2) in order to be exempted from the hardships of the afterworld, or\ntheir status gets elevated. Therefore by visiting the graveyards and thinking\nin this longing of the dead, we can become notified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By being thankful for being alive, we\ncan imagine ourselves as one of them whose wish has come true, and we are\nallowed to return to the world for doing good deeds, and that we have the\nopportunity to spend our time on matters that those who have passed away wish\nto return to the world for them. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Third, remembering some tough times\nthat we had faced distresses and fatal diseases, and remember our deliverances.\nTo be grateful for our life and other blessings, and thank God for them, and do\nnot become saddened when things happen that are not in accordance with our\nwishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fourth, in every distress and\nsuffering thanking God that a bigger disaster specially the calamity in faith\n(which might cause our Faith to be stricken) has not stricken us.(3) That is\nwhy Prophet Jesus (PBUH) said, \u201cO My Lord, do not put my calamity in my religion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fifth, because some distresses are the\nresults of some of our sins, when these distresses afflict us in the world we\nget exempted from the hardships of the afterworld, which is much harder\naccording to the Holy Quran.(4) The Great Prophet (PBUH&HP) has said,\n\u201cTruly, when a person sins and gets afflicted in the world, God is kind enough\nto punish him\/her only once.\u201d Therefore, we should thank God for the decrease\nin punishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we are thankful for the blessings,\nand based on the saying of Imam Jawad (PBUH) have faith in gratefulness, by\nbeing grateful of the blessings of God, even in hard situation we would try to\nnot only maintain the blessings, but also provide for their increase by being\nthankful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(The above is\nselected from \u201cJami\u2019 Al-Sa\u2019adat\u201d by Allamah Mulla Mahdi Naraqi translated to\nFarsi by Karim Feizi (with some changes))<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Roshd website offers congratulates\nall the Muslims, especially you dear friend, upon the 10th of Rajab, the\nbirthday anniversary of the 9th Imam and deputy of Allah and the eleventh\nInfallible, Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad (PBUH).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Footnotes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Tuhaf\nal-Uqul, p. 457<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. The Holy\nQuran, (23:99, 100)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. One might put\nhis footsteps in a hard path, but eventually the path leads to a correct\ndestination. However if a path whether easy or difficult is false and does not\nlead to the destination, the hardship is much higher. If one day we find that\nthe path we have selected in the life and the beliefs we have held, has not\nguided us to the correct destination, and even has made us far from it, is the\nbitterness of the feeling of this state comparable to any other thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. The Holy\nQuran, (13:34)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If a sighted person goes blind, and then recovers, he\/she would eagerly become thankful and would regard it as a blessing. However, if one never goes blind and remains sighted, it rarely happens that he\/she thanks God. This stems from the humans\u2019 negligence. For that in this situation, gratefulness only depends upon loosing and regaining […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28248],"tags":[22593,18072,22595,22663,19804,18418,19725,22592,22594],"class_list":["post-4569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-occasional-letters","tag-2010-06-23","tag-god","tag-happens","tag-imam-jawad","tag-necessary","tag-occasion-letters","tag-person","tag-search-for-thanksgiving","tag-thankful"],"yoast_head":"\n