This world is a beautiful place! It is without a doubt a prison for the believer, yet Allah 
still adorned it with countless beauties that we need to be taking the time to truly appreciate. This beauty is both a gift and a test, and it us who choose if we are to punished or rewarded for them. Are we going to be grateful and use these gifts to benefit ourselves and the ummah, or are we just going to enjoy them while they last without considering accountability on the day of judgement? We have been given the authority to decide for ourselves.
- Beauty surrounds us from all directions, yet I will be emphasizing three aspects in this article:
1) Beauty of nature
2) Beauty of people’s help
3) Beauty of Allah’s never-ending blessings, Alhamdulillah
1) How many times do we pass by a breathtaking view, admire the scenery swiftly, take a couple of pictures and then drive by? We may utter SubhanAllah or mashaAllah but does that really count as appreciating the beauty of Allah’s creation or truly admiring His Magnificence and Perfection?
Allah says:
“…and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], “Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” (Āli `Imrān, 3:191)
And in another ayah:
“And it is He who spread the earth and placed therein firmly set mountains and rivers; and from all of the fruits He made therein two mates; He causes the night to cover the day. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.” (Ar-Ra`d, 13:3)
Allah says, “give thought”, hence we are not meant to admire a scenery without giving thought to Allah’s Greatness and Power. Instead, we should be reaffirming our faith by asking ourselves questions and truly introspecting and reflecting upon Allah’s extraordinary qualities. Similar scenarios would be like this: “SubhanAllah, the skies above us have no pillars to support them, yet they are still above our heads. Can a human being do such a thing? Never. How High and Exalted He is.” Or “MashAllah, how these splendid colors of leaves emerge together in different shades to create a picturesque view is just mind blowing! Their different shapes, sizes and colors are nothing but a reminder of His Supreme Excellence.”
Has it all been created for no use? No, rather they are signs for those who reflect! Who could create such beauty but Allah !
2) Many a times, we receive help from other people. It could be from friends, family or even strangers sometimes. It could be a word of advice, physical assistance or any other kind of help, and the effects of that on us vary accordingly. However, other than merely saying “thank you” or “jazakAllah khair”, how else have we shown appreciation for receiving help? Did we just utter these words half-heartedly due to formalities and “good” manners or did we actually mean it? What has to be highlighted is that sometimes people come out of their comfort zone, give up their time and actually put in effort to help us. How beautiful is that and HOW can we so easily disregard that?
We learn a beautiful lesson from this hadith:
“Narrated Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet
said: He who does not thank the people is not thankful to Allah.” 1
We have to learn how to *truly* appreciate other people’s help, let the words of gratitude you utter flow naturally from your inner heart, and make sincere dua’ for them as well.
3) Allah’s blessings, is there a limit to that…
Allah’s blessings include our *daily* access to clean water, unpolluted air, food, clothes, shelter, family, friends and so much more. SubhanAllah! Every time we feel guilty for not being appreciative enough or for taking things for granted then we should simply visit some of the poorer families in our neighborhoods and reflect upon how they are living without the necessities and basics, yet manage to be grateful and content with what they have, knowing that many others may be worse off. Watching videos of those who are struggling to survive amidst chaotic conditions also helps. It makes us utter “Alhamdulillah” from deep within our hearts.
In addition to this is the talents, hobbies and skills that Allah instilled within us. Some have discovered them and used them for the sake of Allah , something to be truly appreciative of because many others are yet to find out what hidden talents they have been blessed with. Moreover, Allah continues to shower His blessings upon us every time we show sincere gratitude. Allah says:
“‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.’ ” (Surat ‘Ibrāhīm, 14:7)
For those who are still searching, try sitting down with yourself and looking deep within your heart in order to inspect and establish that which you enjoy doing and are able to serve the deen with.
By acknowledging, enjoying and thanking Allah for His endless mercy, love and bounties, we would be able to live a happy, content life away from worries and dissatisfaction.
The Golden Tip: Ponder on the creation of Allah , thank people sincerely for their help and benefit from Allah’s blessings in a positive manner.
Oh Allah, allow us to recognize the blessings in our life, whether they may be obvious or in disguise, and to be thankful for them. Allow us ya Allah to be grateful in times of ease and to be patient in times of hardship, Ameen.
Please share your views about this article in the comments section below. 🙂
- Sahih Al-Albani ↩
30 replies on “Appreciating Beauty”
SubhanaAllah ? what a beautiful that we take for granted every day. Thank you for sharing this article.
BarakAllahu feeki sister 🙂
the world is so wonderful is blessed with all beauty and humanity have ruined it. humans should have never been created
SubhanAllah.. I feel so grateful upon reading your blog and for every article i had read from IOU Blog. I am so thankful for sharing all your knowledge and spreading awareness about Islamic culture. JazakAllahu Khairan..
JazakAllah khair for the feedback!
May Allah accept it
Subhan’Allah.
I believe I have been appreciating exactly like that. I do thank Allah for every help I get. If it wasn’t for him. I wouldn’t be where I am today. Alhumdulillah 4 every little thing.
Alhamdulillah, indeed it is Allah who grants us all good!
BarakAllahu feekum
Subhanallah..how blessed we are.Eye opening article.Jazakallahu khair
Alhamdulillah 😀
JazakiAllah khair for the comment 🙂
SubhanAllah… such a beautiful article… Thank you for sharing this article. It acts as a reminder to me. In shaa Allah, we seeks Allah’s guidance in our daily affairs…
BarakAllahu feekum 🙂
Subhanallah! I just learnt that we should appreciate the giver aswell as the creator! thank you Dr Bilal for sharing this pleasing article. May Allah accept our repentance!! amen
Ameen!
JazakAllah khair for the feedback brother.
Aslm alkm wa rhmtllah.
May Allah increase you in iman, knowledge and health. May Allah ease the burdens of the ppl of Syria, Congo, Palestine, Somaliaand all in hard conditions. May He, Al-Wasiu give us more of His guidance and let us appreciate all accordingly.
Wa alaykum alsalam wa rahmatullahi wa baraktuhu,
Ameen to the Dua’s
JazakAllahu khairun for this inspirational article. May Allah bless you with more beneficial knowledge. Ameen
JazakAllah khair for the feedback
Ameen, wa iyyakum
Waalaikum Salam warahmatullahi wabarakaratuh. Dr. Philips many times I get help from Non Muslim friends. What’s the best dua I should make for them? As for charity, is there a difference when I do for Muslims and Non Muslims. Thank you.
Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu sister Aminah,
We truly do apologize for the delay in answering your question, we have now received the response Alhamdulillah 🙂
It has been answered by sheikh Laja Yasini, one of IOU’s tutorial assistants. In sha Allah you find your answer in the response below:
“I think the best dua is to ask Allah to guide them to Islam.
With regards to charity you give, I think it depends with the situation. Generally speaking, charity brings people together and creates a bond. If it is between a muslim and a muslim then this will mean you become better friends and brothers/sisters and for you is a great reward. If it is from you to a non muslim, your charity must soften their heart and eventually lead them to join you in your religion and again for you a great reward. So if you have the means give to both the muslim and the non muslim but if you can only give to only one then decide based on the situation, if their situation is similar then give it to the Muslim, he is more deserving of Allah’s gift as he is amongst those who have submitted
Allah knows best.”
BarakAllahu feeki sister 🙂
Jazakallah, its really a nice as well as inspiring article
Alhamdulillah, jazakAllah khair for the comment
May Allah accept it
Subhan Allah! Better to go off with our egos and see the blessings we are surrounded with.jazaak Allah Khair inspiring Article.
Alhamdulillah, jazakAllah khair for the comment!
Subhan’Allah..? Itz a very nice article.. Thank you Dr. Bilal for sharing this pleasing article.
Jazak’Allahu Khair..
Alhamdulillah, all praise is due to Allah
JazakAllah khair for the comment
Masha’Allah. A beautiful piece of article indeed. It’s good to remind mankind of Allah’s blessings and mercies that are often taken for granted. It’s His wish that we control and enjoy all His beautiful creations freely despite our human foibles. Thank you Dr Bilal,
Alhamdulillah, all praise is due to Allah
JazakAllah khair for the feedback!
JazakAllah
Alhamdulilah
Maashaallah, Subhaanallaahi, a very beautiful article. May it be beneficial to everyone who read this. aameen
Jazaakallah khair
Ameen to the dua’
JazakumAllah khair for the feedback, may Allah allow us to implement the tips mentioned in this article. Ameen