Still Learning – Alhamdallah
Another Side of Thanksgiving . . .
My friend asked about my father, and when I told her he was slipping away, losing a little more every day, she said “Alhamdallah!”
I was caught up short. Her face was smiling. I had just told her my father is dying and she says “Thanks be to God?”
I know this woman like my own sister. Her daughters are my own daughters. I am welcome in every corner of her house, I pray for every one of her children, and being in her home is like being in my own home, we are all so comfortable together.
“No,” I said, “You’ve misunderstood what I said!” and she hugged me and said “I understood, but no matter what happens, we say ‘alhamdallah’. If you father is dying, we say ‘alhamdallah’. If Hurricane Katrina strikes, we say ‘alhamdallah’. All things come from Allah, and He knows all things. It is his will, so we say ‘alhamdallah’.”
We are both religious women. My faith says the same thing, to give thanks in all things. In my daily life, I sometimes forget. Truly, in my culture, you would never say “thanks be to God” if someone had just told you something very sad.
Being exposed to the Islamic world has complemented my own faith. No, I don’t need to be a Muslim; I think the differences between us are much smaller than the similarities. But truly, I thank God for all that I learn about my own faith by living is Moslem countries.
I love the call to prayer; nothing wrong with being reminded during the day – and night – to love and honor God. I love living among people who give thanks to God so many times a day, even for Hurricane Katrina, even for my failing father. I love watching the fathers and sons headed to the mosque on Fridays. There’s even a very gentle station with Moslem films in English that I watch from time to time because it is so peaceful, and tolerant and sweetly loving.
My friend took time from her very busy life and made a special trip to the bookstore to buy me a book called Don’t Be Sad. It’s a wonderful book by ‘Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni with chapters like “How to deal with bitter criticism,” “Do Not Carry the Weight of the Globe on Your Shoulders,” Do Not be Shaken by Hardships'” “Jealousy is Not Something New” and one of my favorites – “Do Not Be Sad – Do Good to Others.” This book is helpful to me in so many ways, including giving me good sura that are very similar to writings in our own book. This helps me clarify to others in my culture how alike we are, and how similar our faith is. My friend loves me, and I know she wants only the best for me. I give thanks to have her as a friend.
Every now and then, I come across something that shakes me – like when my friend said “alhamdallah” about my Father . . . but in the end, I learn something and my understanding broadens. Alhamdallah!
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Nice to hear this from a non-Muslim. Most people take the differences and make them their biggest arguing point, and they forget we all worship the same creator.
This reminded me of when I was in kindergarten. I knew that people say ‘Alhamdllah’ after meals. So I wanted to make sure and I asked my Mom when do we say ‘Alhamdullah’? and she said ‘All the time, not just after meals’ Now at that age that really confused me, I was thinking when is all the time, will I be able to talk to people or just keep saying Alhamdullah all day?!! 🙂 Well as I grew older, I realized what she meant. Alhamdullah!
This was very touching.
You’ve inspired me to write about it. You always do that, mashalla. 🙂
one of the differences that does puzzle me, more on the Christian side than the Muslim, is prayer. For Christians, the ‘base’ prayer is the Our Father, which includes both praise of God (Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, etc.) and supplication (Give us this day our daily bread, etc.). For Muslims, the ‘base’ prayer, the rak3as said during salat, are exclusively for praising God. Praising God is the duty of all believers, in recognition of the majesty and beneficence of the Creator. Supplications (d3uas) are separate, special prayers. Why do we Christians mix the two?
Elijah – I love your story about alhamdallah as a child. I always wondered why they named a city in California “Four Doored” (Fort Ord). Aren’t kids amazing?
1001 – I can hardly wait to read it!
Little Diamond – Duh . . . I dunno!
Hippo Birdie 2 Ewe
Hippo Birdie 2 Ewe
Hippo Birdie Dear Diamond
Hippo Birdie 2 Ewe
Alhamdulilah for everything. BTW, I’m not sure if that was ever mentioned, you do make cooking seem easy. I’m about to try and bake me a pie.
Woooo Hooooo, Cool Freak! Good on ya! Let us know how it turns out!
Cooking IS easy when it is about love and taste and not about perfection. And not everything always turns out . . . just gotta keep at it. 🙂 Good luck!
amazing post.
and surely Alhamdullah we still have people who think like you do, and poeple like ur friend.
a very warming post to read for sure.
saddens me that in many things “bad things” that happened to me, i wasnt able to say alhamdullah.
but im still learning.
No3ik, sweet one, bad things happen. Sometimes the best we can hope for is to survive (alhamdullah) and occasionally, we discover we even learn something (insh’allah). There are even times – I know this is hard to believe – when great good can come out of bad things. . . courage, dear one. And welcome.
I sometimes feel hated by Muslims because I am an American, but this is only because I am brain washed by my T.V. set and not because there is anyone in my real life shadowing me with hate upon their hearts (at least not that I know about).
Other people call themselves Americans too and they are somewhat of an insult to my nation. There are so many different kinds of Americans or Christians in the US, just as there are so many different kinds of people who call themselves Muslim or member of some other religious group.
I don’t consider the so-called, “Muslim extremists” shown on T.V. to be Muslims at all. Because there are factions in my country, some of whom frequently spread fear-based propaganda to accomplish their own sick agendas making it very difficult to capture an accurate image of any one person or group.
I know very little of the Muslim faith, but from what I do know, extremist behaviors are drastically out of step with the Muslim faith. Hate is an ugly and poisonous thing that spreads like fire on a windy day.
Today, my own faith is warped because I am transgender and most of my Christian brothers and sisters think I am sinful or just mental (there is a politically incorrect term for you!). So few of my faith-based peers have any education on the transgender topic or field of study. Still, I keep my prayer life alive and have stopped going to these fundamentalists for affirmation or approval.
A more authentic relationship with God is growing in the place of these empty relationships who’s only purpose in my life was I suppose to get me started in understanding an adherence to a faith and then to show me how wrong things can go if one does not graduate to a personal relationship with our God.
I like to pray, “May Thy Will Be Done.” This means to me that I would prefer God’s Will to be accomplished over my own will. I therefore pray to God that His Will should Reign Supreme over my life.
Like you have written, I have too have been taught and have learned about saying thank you to God knowing that I am sometimes facing something sad or tragic. This action is a clear demonstration of an abiding trust in whatever it is that He is doing in my life. I can give myself compltely over to His Care and Concerns.
Prayer:
I love you Father God. I also love my brothers and sisters who are of the Muslim faith. I want to understand them better. I want peace and friendships and not the ugliness of war and terror. Please show us, all of us, so that we can learn and so that our behaviors are more pleasing to you.
Amen, Praise God!
Jaime
Martinez, CA
Jaime, thank you for your powerful, and thoughtful input. You are so right – hatred spreads like wildfire, and with about as much logic. It is all in the Father’s hands, just as you say.
I love your prayer. Living among truly good Muslims is not unlike living among truly good Christians. I wish you well.
hi