GOD'S RULE: Blessings For The Grateful, Punishment For The Ungrateful. It's Your Choice!

God’s Rule:

Blessings For The Grateful,

Punishment For The Ungrateful.

It’s Your Choice!

(M. Javed Naseem)

“Truly man is, to his Lord, ungrateful; and

to that (fact) he bears witness (by his deeds);

and violent is he in his love of wealth.”

(al-Quran 100:6-8)

There are many reminders for us in the Holy Quran. In hundreds of verses we are reminded that we should be conscious of Allah; we should be mindful of Allah; or even we should have fear of Allah (meaning that we should fear His punishment, chastisement or wrath because it is very severe). As a matter of fact, all three phrases mean the same thing that we should be obeying God’s commands and should refrain from evil deeds. Our top priority should be pleasing Allah with our righteous deeds.

Allah has given us freedom of choice in this world and these choices of ours will determine our life in the Hereafter. In other words, we are on a test or a trial in this life on this planet Earth. We are told what is right and what is wrong. We are also told that doing good (right) things will please our Lord God and we’ll be rewarded for that while at the same time we are warned that doing evil (bad) things will invoke God’s displeasure and anger, and that merits punishment.

“But those who reject (Allah), for them will be

the Fire of Hell. No term shall be determined

for them, so they should die, nor shall its penalty

be lightened for them. Thus do We reward

every ungrateful one!”

(al-Quran 35:36)

Rejecting or ignoring the Lord Creator is like a rebellion against Him. That’s why Allah does not like those who are arrogant and ungrateful. Allah wants us to become humble and grateful for all the favors He has bestowed upon us. God does not need us, but we need God in our lives every day. A simple gesture of gratitude is sometimes enough to please our merciful Lord.

Man is created weak and most of us can’t even control our own desires. Often we get carried away and tempt to commit sins. But God is so merciful that He forgives our sins every time we repent and revert to him for forgiveness. We should be grateful to God for that special favor but most of us are not. And God knows that too. So, then who are we fooling? The answer is: Ourselves!

“But verily, your Lord is full of grace to

Mankind, yet most of them are ungrateful.”

(al-Quran 27:73)

“It is He Who gave you life, will cause you

to die, and will again give you life! Truly,

man is the most ungrateful creature!”

(al-Quran 22:66)

We take life and its bounties for granted, without giving it a thought. Every day of our lives is a gift from God and we cannot thank Him enough for the endless bounties we enjoy. It’s God’s right that we thank Him for every favor.

“… Verily Allah is full of bounty to mankind,

but most of them are ungrateful.”

(al-Quran 2:243 & 10:60)

We revert to God only in distress or in trouble. In our happy times, we don’t remember Him nor show any gratitude. But He keeps reminding us (with bad times and troubles) that He is still there to help us. We are so selfish and shameless that we never feel embarrassed!

“They recognize the favors of Allah;

then they deny them; and most of them

are (creatures) ungrateful.”

(al-Quran 16:83)

It is not funny at all that sailors are the most faithful and sincere believers of God. In the ocean they are at the mercy of the waves and there’s no help during a storm except that of God’s. How a boat sails through meters-high angry waves, only a sailor knows. People talk about the second chance, but a sailor enjoys many chances during his life in the sea. During every storm, he gets a new life. And if there is any doubt about it in anybody’s mind, here’s what Allah says in the Quran:

“Your Lord is He Who makes the ship go smoothly

for you through the sea, in order that you may seek

of his bounty. For He is unto you most Merciful.

When distress seizes you at sea, those that you call

upon - besides Himself - leave you in the lurch!

But when He brings you back safe to land, you

turn away (from Him). Most ungrateful is man!”

(al-Quran 17:66-67)

“See you not that the ships sail through the

ocean by the Grace of Allah? That He may

show you of His Signs? Verily in this are

Signs for all who constantly persevere

and give thanks.”

(al-Quran 31:31)

If we learn to be grateful for everything we have (not for everything we still want), we will be content with life. We’ll have less material problems and we’ll stay away from evil-doing too. It is the greed, the sentiment of jealousy and competition with the rich that pushes us towards evil and corruption. God has promised us provision for the entire life. We should try to seek that with honest, fair and lawful means. With hardwork and sincerity, we can achieve almost everything – almost. But the first thing we need to learn is to say: Thank you for everything, Allah!

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