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Spirit of Islam Issue 35 November 2015
INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY
Opportunities for Gratitude
S
OCIETY is a collection of individuals. Every individual constantly
gives something to the society and also receives something from
it. By adopting this principle, an individual can live with peace of
mind and there can also be harmony in society.
There are certain healthy principles for social living. One principle is
that the individual should have trust in himself and not ask for anything
from anyone. But an equally healthy principle is that if someone offers
help without being asked, then one should accept it and not turn it
down. This develops bonding and a healthy psychology among the
members of society.
A person demanding of others or desiring something be given to him,
leads to an unhealthy psychology in the person. It means that he
expects from other than God, when the right thing is for everyone to
adopt the principle of ‘In God we trust’.
Another healthy principle is that if someone
gives a person something without his asking
for it, then he should not refuse it. Because if
he refuses it, he will develop the psychology
of arrogance, which is greater than every
other evil.
Therefore, the healthy attitude is not to ask
anything from anyone, but if someone gives,
then one should not refuse it.
Often, it happens that a person gets something as a result of
circumstances but he ignores it, thinking it to be unwanted, and keeps
praying to God to help him. This is a wrong thing to do. The right way
is that a person should accept the opportunity he gets as coming from
God. In this way, he will develop the attitude which has been stated
thus in the Quran:
Remember also the time when your Lord declared, “If you are
grateful, I will surely bestow more favours on you; […]
(14: 7)
A person praying, ‘O God, give me sunshine’, even as the sun shines,
goes against the law of nature. If you pray, ‘O God, give me oxygen’,
when there is fresh air all around you, it is an unnatural demand. Such
A person demanding
of others or desiring
something be given
to him, leads to an
unhealthy psychology
in the person.