Juz 13- Juz Gems

Tonight our mashaayikh will recite the rest of Surat Yusuf, Surat Ar-Ra’d, as well as Surat Ibrahim. Thus far, this section proved to be the hardest in deciding which aya will be highlighted as the juz gem. Surat Yusuf teaches us so many lessons when we face highs and lows in our lives, Surat Ar-Ra’d reminds us that Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves (13:11), and Surat Ibrahim contains the parable of a good word being like a good tree (14:24). So you can imagine how difficult it is to reflect on one particular verse, and yet at the end of the day, this aya kept reverberating in my mind and heart:

وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ ﴿٧﴾

And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe,' (Surat Ibrahim, aya 7).

When Allah tells us, “If you are grateful, I will surely increase you,” He (swt) leaves the increase open-ended. We can have an increase in what we are thanking Allah for as well as an increased appreciation and awareness of the blessings Allah has granted us. Recently, practicing gratitude has made itself known in many psychology and health journals; it has been proven to increase one’s psychological, emotional, as well as physical health, (Psychology Today). Allah reminds us in Surat an-Nahl:

وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّـهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا ۗ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿١٨﴾

And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful, (Surat an-Nahl, aya 18).

One of the obstacles that we must actively decide on conquering is the insatiability of our base desires- we are always looking for more, newer, shinier, faster, thinner, etc. While it is not wrong to have high aspirations, we need to consider what we are aspiring to. If we constantly find ourselves critiquing minuscule details of our lives, or fixating on the negative, then we need to evaluate the lens in which we view our lives.

Ramadan is the perfect time to reorient and reprogram our gratitude capacity. Because we are depriving ourselves of food and drink for 16+ hours a day, that first sip of water not only quenches our thirst but engulfs us in a feeling of overwhelming gratitude. Remember, this gratitude is not only expressed through the tongue, but through our actions as well. Let us increase in charity, increase in service, increase in worship so our limbs, as well as our tongue, are submitting in gratitude to their Lord. And watch as Allah increases you in His favor and blessings.