On being thankful, part 2

As I listened to UNIC’s “Erti Syukur” earlier tonight, it reminded me once again to be thankful…

Lafazkan kalimah syukur
Lafazkan kalimah itu
Alhamdulillah...

Everything happens for a reason, so whatever comes, I must be redha - accepting without any feeling of remorse...

Segalanya yang ku kecapi
Adalah milikMu Ilahi(Tuhan Maha Pemurah)
Takkan terbalas walaupun sebesar zarah

I have a lot to be thankful for – a healthy son, a loving husband, supporting parents, caring extended relatives, good friends… I can see, listen, talk, read, sing, walk, run and skip. The last time I checked, I had been given a clean bill of health. I still have a stable job. I am currently doing what many are only dreaming of. Oh yes, I have a lot to be thankful for…

Kenikmatan yang bertandang
Terkadang tidak dihiraukan(Lepas dari pandangan)
Dan bila hilang barulah dikesalkan

But sometimes, embarassing as it may be, it takes small things, like missing a wallet, to heighten my awareness and realization of the bigger things to be thankful for.

Adakala aku hanyut
Adakalanya aku terlupa
Adakala aku leka
Ampunilah...

I guess, sometimes being alone at home could be a good thing, if only because it gives me ample time to ponder on lots of stuff I would normally take for granted. And since it’s holiday, it means I have a lot of time to recite the Quran and practise some zikr that had not been practised for quite some time

Kerana ku manusia
Lemah dan tidak berdaya di sisiMu
Seringkali terlupa nikmatMu
Datang tiada jemu

Bila terhimpit mulalah
Mencari dan menyebut namaMu
Barulah merasai makna sebenar erti syukur
Syukur atas rahmatMu

Funny how being under stress and a little duress could go a long way in reminding oneself to be more redha, because of faith in that “with every difficulty there is relief”. Oh yes, Surah Al-Insyirah has always been a favorite Surah of mine ever since I was asked to recite it during my Sekolah Agama’s Majlis Khatam Quran. More importantly, I had repeatedly found solace in the promise of relief for every difficulty, along with the belief that “Allah does not impose upon any soul a duty but to the extent of its ability” (Al Baqarah:286)

Rap: Adakala ku hanyut
Adakala ku lupa
Adakala ku leka dan adakala ku alpa
Kerana ku manusia
Lemah dan tak berdaya
Seringkali terlupa nikmat yang Kau kurnia
Ku bersyukur ya Tuhan
Segala pemberian
Walau luas lautan
Bukanlah perbandingan
Ku tingkat keimanan
Ku gilap ketaqwaan
Sebagai perlambangan
Terima kasih ku Tuhan

Onak duri kehidupan
Jatuh bangun sendirian
Ada hikmah yang tersimpan
Yang menguji iman

Of course I’d been a little hanyut, a little lupa, a little leka and a little alpa then and again. Nothing like a little anxiety, a little hardship that have to be experienced alone to remind me that I’m only a small minuscule creature in Allah’s world. Yet Allah have always shown mercy for all of His creatures, never imposing on us any burden beyond our strength, beyond our capability to handle.

Bersyukurlah selalu
Sentiasalah redha dan menerima
Tiap ujian tiba bukan diminta
Sebaliknya Allah Maha Mengetahui

Kan ku bertasbih selalu
Bertahmid berzikir padaMu
Sebagai tanda ku nilai
RahmatMu Tuhan

Besides, how could one claims to have faith when one is not being tested? Tests have always been part of the deal, so we just have to deal with it.

Aku bersyukur Ya Allah
Segala pemberianMu padaku
Seluas lautan pun bukanlah jadi ukurannya
Memang tiada bandingan

Segalanya yang ku kecapi
Adalah milikMu Ilahi(Tuhan Maha Permurah)
Bukan milikku pinjaman sementara
Syukur Alhamdulillah

And in the end, the truth is, everything that we enjoy are not ours for good. Everything comes from Allah and to Allah we will return. What we thought are ours to enjoy are actually only loans from Allah for us to enjoy while we are allowed to, yet He can revoke any of His loans at any time, without any warning.

Rap: Sesungguhnya solatku,
Amalku, hidupku, matiku
Kerna Allah yang satu
Kuserahkan segala harta jiwa dan raga
Sebagai tanda cinta
KepadaMu Yang Esa

I was told once that no normal human beings deserve to enter Jannah if it’s only due to our own good deeds. It’s only with Allah’s mercy that humans are allowed to enter His paradise. All He asks in return is our submission to him, the One and Only God. So, whatever else Muslims aim to be in life, first and foremost would always be to submit to Allah. For only in true submission, there lies in true meaning of thankfulness.

Oh well, just a note of self-reminder for my forgetful self...

Wallahualam.