Whenever my eyes lay upon a good book or a scrumptious meal, that feeling of “wanting it all” used to enter my heart. Sometimes that feeling caused me to throw a tantrum. Most times I obeyed those thoughts even though my mom explained over and over again, that whatever I desire for, I won’t always be able to achieve it. You see the problem is not having the feelings or the thoughts which creep into one’s mind as desires, rather it is about how one reacts to them.
Recently, I came across a story of a young kid who had every single thing in the world and much, much more! I noticed that even though he had everything, there was one thing he lacked. It was happiness. He was never happy. His parents gifted him amazing things like his own roller coaster in is backyard! Yet he was unhappy. However, whenever he saw street kids who couldn’t even afford the basic necessities, he was astonished to realize how happy and fulfilling their lives were. This made him wonder, why he wasn’t happy.
I thought about myself. I thought that if I get my favorite book, I will desire for another in quick succession. When my father takes me abroad during the summer holidays, then I would pester him to take me abroad in the winter holidays also. Such is the problem with human beings. Our desires are uncontrollable.
However, what is in our control is our response to those agitating feelings. Our beloved Prophet ﷺ said:
“Look at those who are beneath you and do not look at those who are above you, for it is more suitable that you should not consider as less the blessing of Allah.”
(Ibn Majah)
It is unrealistic to have everything in this world. Rather, all that we crave for, we will In Sha’Allah get it in Jannah. So from now on, whenever I am overcome with unlimited desires, I quickly add them to my list of things my Jannah will have. Right now, I am imagining I want to have delicious sausages served with different sauces and candies raining from above; I am imagining meeting all the Prophets (peace be upon them all); I am imagining playing every kind of sport all the time and sliding down humongous water slides!
Another way of warding away those thoughts of hoarding and buying is to think that you are actually troubling yourself if you buy everything left, right and center. How are you troubling yourself? On the Day of Judgment, the more things you had in this world, the more you will be questioned about.
Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) says in the Qur’an:
ثُمَّ لَتُسْأَلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ النَّعِيمِ ﴿٨﴾۔
“Then you will surely be asked that Day about pleasure.”
[AtTakathur:8]
I could relate this to as if I am standing in queue at luggage check-in at an airport; the lighter you travel with, the faster you are able to proceed further. So, boys and girls be grateful for what you have and make dua that your questioning becomes easy. “O Allah! You take an easy account from me.” Aameen!
