Quarantine and Gratitude...

Come , close your eyes and see the world with me.

What would you see a month back and what do you see now?

All those little things we took for granted are not with us today.

You hear the Athan, but there is no congregation of prayers in mosque.
You have the online classes, but there is no exposure of your child to the school premises.
You have friends and relatives around you, but you are not able to see them.
You have food to eat but , no one to share.
You have a car , but you cant go outside .
You have money, but you can't go out for shopping.
Everything is virtual around you and you are yearning for real!

Did we ever ponder and reflect what are the blessings and rewards we are being deprived off in the current situation?

The chance to erase our sins by walking to the mosque in a state of wudhu.
The chance to make accepted duas between Athan and Iqamah.
The rewards of the congregation prayers.
The chance to have the angels pray for us as we wait in the mosque.
The chance and rewards to personally exchange face-to-face salams with our neighbors.
The chance and rewards of meeting each other for islamic gatherings.
The rewards of visiting a sick.
The rewards of exchanging foods with neighbors.
The rewards of attending Friday prayers.

As it is rightly said , "The value of a thing is only realized after it being lost."
How many of these free for all rewards are at stake ? It breaks my heart to know what we might be missing in Ramadan.

Sadness mounted in me until I came across this Hadith , "Worship in a time of turmoil is as if he had emigrated to me"
SubhanAllah!!
What a beautiful thought to keep us motivated to perform acts of worship during these tough times.

Although things might not look good right now, There is always light at the end of the tunnel -We can look forward with the hope that one day , InshaAllah everything will get back to normal again.

We will be able to walk to the mosques racing each other immediately after the call of prayer begging our Lord for forgiveness.
We will be able to see our friends and relatives without fearing our lives.
We will get to travel places and fly around the world.
We will get to shop again with a new attitude toward money after we are being forced to "make do"with so little!
We will be able to value and protect the beautiful nature around us.
We will be able to weigh out the rewards being given to us by our Lord in a million free ways!

And, We will get back to our lives with a newfound appreciation for the things that made us feel "alive"!
InshaAllah

I end my piece of writing with my favorite verse from the Holy Quran from Surah Rehman
"So which of the favors of your Lord will you deny"

Be grateful and appreciate the things around you!

-Hafsa MazharUddin