{Say: In the bounty of Allah and in His Mercy – in that let them rejoice.} (10: 58)

We must learn to remedy our sorrows with joy and good cheer. There are so many things that we can rejoice in. We should rejoice in our very humanity, knowing that Allah has so honored the human being.

Allah says: {Verily we have honored the children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preference.} (17: 70)

And He says: {We have indeed created man in the best of forms.} (95: 4)

We should rejoice in the blessings that we have, and that we often overlook or take for granted. We should feel joy in being alive. We should rejoice in our family and loved ones, and in the provision that Allah has given us.

We should take cheer in thanking Allah for His blessings, since through our gratitude Allah will continue to bless us.

When Allah says in the aforementioned verse: {Say: In the bounty of Allah and in His Mercy…} He is calling us to rejoice in His bounty and His mercy. This refers to all the goodness that Allah provides for us in our lives, including but not limited to material wealth.

With respect to Allah’s bounty referring to material wealth, Allah says: {There is no blame on them if they seek after the bounty of their Lord…} (2: 198)

Allah also says: {And there are others who set out in the world seeking after the bounty of Allah.} (73: 20)

Allah’s bounty refers to His providence – to everything that He gives us that we obtain in a wholesome and lawful way. Even if what we are given is little, we should not exhaust ourselves spiritually and emotionally in the pursuit of wealth and in the incessant competition with those who may have more than us. A little wealth that suffices our needs is far better that an abundance of wealth accompanied by avarice and discontent.

Allah likewise tells us to rejoice in His mercy, which we can find in our knowledge of Him, in our faith, in the revelation of the Quran, and in the goodness He has placed in our hearts.

This is why Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

“Only two people are worthy to be envied: someone who is given the Quran and recites it in worship day and night, and someone who is given wealth and spends it in charity day and night.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

In these two examples mentioned by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) we are shown people who are given Allah’s worldly bounty and His spiritual grace – the good of this world and the next.

When we achieve joy and contentment in these two aspects, we have attained true worldly happiness. This is a blessing that Allah bestows on whomever He pleases.

Moreover, it is a blessing born of faith, since faith brings us to pin our hopes on Allah and to set our sights on the Hereafter. Faith allows us to look beyond our present circumstances – even when those circumstances seem hopeless – with the expectation of surmounting them by Allah’s grace.

We take strength in such faith so we can persevere.

Source: en.islamtoday.net