Alhamdulillah – Some Thoughts!
Or Call It Tafsir If You Want!
Dr. Pasha
(Bringing Islam to the World One Concept at a Time!
Taking the Qur'an to Every Home and Heart that Needs It --
And which One Does Not?)
I Am Just Fine, Thank You
I don't know how to explain this any further.
Nor may I have any answers to any of your questions.
And yet I may, who knows.
But here is what I wanted to say:
"For some people at least, there comes a point in their life, when for them to say anything other than -- or should I say less than -- 'Alhamdulillah!' may be Kufr."
So Alhamdulillah!
That most unique, powerful and all-encompassing expression Alhamdulillah means something like this:
"All and every praise, all commendation and glory, belongs to God and to no one else.
And I duly, and most gratefully, acknowledge all his boons, bounties, favors and blessings that he has chosen to bestow upon me.
And I have no reason or cause whatsoever to be angry or unhappy or displeased with him.
That means, so far as I am concerned, such as I am, and in whatever state or condition or place or situation I am, it is all just the way it should be.
It is all just right -- just the way he is pleased to make it.
What is more, and I shall want it no other way.
If that is his way with me, then that is how it is, shall be and I want it to be."
Say It with Hadith
You want to hear all this in the most glorious words of the Hadtih?
And, Subhanallah, how beautiful this Hadith is!
Here goes:
Radiytu billahi rabban,
wa bil-Islaami deenan,
wa bi-Muhammadin nabiyyan wa rasoola!
Kufr Is the Other Side of the Coin
Kufr, on the other hand, could mean the exact opposite of these sentiments.
It could mean turning one's back on God or rejecting and denying God.
Kufr could also mean, and in some ways it is quite logical to think that way, being an ungrateful wretch.
It could mean belittling and questioning God’s bountiful blessings upon you and upon the world in which you live.
So, Alhamdulillah it is, in the beginning and in the end -- and everywhere else in between.
As God himself says: Lahul hamdu fil-oolaa wal-aakhirah!
It Is His Kingdom in which You Live
After all, it is his kingdom in which you live.
As he says in the same aayah, as if providing an explanation for the earlier part: Wa lahul hukm.
Paraphrase:
“After all, it is his rule.
It is his kingdom.
It is his world.
It is his government.
And it is his administration.”
So, Alhamdulillah anyone?
So, Alhamdulillah anyone?
You may ask: How do we know?
You may say: What do you mean?
You may think: Just what are you talking about?
God answers you in the next set of words.
He says: Wa ilaihi turja'oon.
Paraphrase:
“You shall find out.
Soon enough.
You shall know.
For, you are all headed back to him.
You are on your way to meet him.
You will then know who is king and whose kingdom and rule and administration it is in which you have been living all this time.
And who has total and complete power and control over you.”
Just Say “Alhamdulillah!”
So, why not just say: Alhamdulillah?
Want to hear it from him – from your God I mean?
Here it is in the Qur’an: Qul Alhamdulillah!
So just say “Alhamdulillah!”
And move on with the life he gave you, in the world in which he placed you.
END
