Do not expect thank-yous from people
Do not expect thank-yous from people, even if it’s with a kind friend, we should not return the favour.
Allah created every slave to remember Him and He bestows his sustenance upon every creature so that they can become grateful to Him. He does this even though there are many who do not praise and worship Him.
Denial, rebellion and disparagement is a disease that is common to our souls. Because it is a common disease, there is no need to be alarmed or worried when someone belittles or forgets our good deeds. Don’t worry about what people think, even if they show animosity towards you because this could be a sign that what you’ve done is actually good.
يَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ مَا قَالُوا وَلَقَدْ قَالُوا كَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ وَكَفَرُوا بَعْدَ إِسْلَامِهِمْ وَهَمُّوا بِمَا لَمْ يَنَالُواۚ وَمَا نَقَمُوا إِلَّا أَنْ أَغْنَاهُمُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۚ فَإِن يَتُوبُوا يَكُ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْۖ وَإِن يَتَوَلَّوْا يُعَذِّبْهُمُ اللَّهُ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِۚ وَمَا لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ
“They swear by Allah that they did not say [anything against the Prophet] while they had said the word of disbelief and disbelieved after their [pretense of] Islam and planned that which they were not to attain. And they were not resentful except [for the fact] that Allah and His Messenger had enriched them of His bounty. So if they repent, it is better for them; but if they turn away, Allah will punish them with a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter. And there will not be for them on earth any protector or helper.” (Surah At-Tawbah:74)
A story goes, Shajdan, is a father who has raised his child well. He feeds, clothes, educates and makes sacrifices for him and does whatever he can to make his child happy. Then when the child becomes a grown man, he talks back to his parents. Not only does he insult them and act arrogant and he shows his abusiveness through his words and actions.
Therefore, anyone whose kindness is ignored or taken advantage of by people who go against the Fitrah, should face it with a cool head. That composure will be rewarded by Allah, Al Ghani (The All-Sufficient). This advice does not mean you should give up on all the good you have done or to stop doing good to others. This advice is to remind you to persevere and be more resilient towards the negativity that people throw at you.
You have to be grateful to Allah because you were given the opportunity to do good to others when the people around you are cruel. The upper hand that gives is better than taking.
إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنكُمْ جَزَاءً وَلَا شُكُورًا
“[Saying], “We feed you only for the countenance of Allah . We wish not from you reward or gratitude.” (Surah Al-Insan:9)
There are many people that often lose control and become incoherent when facing criticism or being reviled as if they’ve never heard about the behaviour of certain groups of people.
In Quran it says:
وَإِذَا مَسَّ الْإِنسَانَ الضُّرُّ دَعَانَا لِجَنبِهِ أَوْ قَاعِدًا أَوْ قَائِمًا فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُ ضُرَّهُ مَرَّ كَأَن لَّمْ يَدْعُنَا إِلَىٰ ضُرٍّ مَّسَّهُۚ كَذَٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِلْمُسْرِفِينَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
“And when affliction touches man, he calls upon Us, whether lying on his side or sitting or standing; but when We remove from him his affliction, he continues [in disobedience] as if he had never called upon Us to [remove] an affliction that touched him. Thus is made pleasing to the transgressors that which they have been doing” (Surah Yunus:12)
Never get upset when someone whom you gave a pen to would write something nasty about you. This is character of those who are never grateful to his creator. They are ungrateful to Allah, never mind human beings.
Translated from La Tahzan
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash