The Highest Blessing: Allah's Good Pleasure

Allah has promised the men and women of the believers Gardens with
rivers flowing under them,remaining in them timelessly, forever, and
fine dwellings in the Gardens of Eden. And Allah's good pleasure is
even greater. That is the great victory. (Surat at-Tawba, 72)
Earlier, we looked at the dazzling blessings found in Paradise. The
picture that emerges is one of letting people experience the greatest
pleasures anddelights of the five senses.
But the biggest blessing ofall is Allah's good pleasure,and the joy
and happiness a believer feels when he or she wins it. As one hadith
also relates: "Allah would say to the inmates of Paradise: 'I shall
cause My pleasure to alight uponyou' " (Muslim). Moreover, being
content with everything that Allah has given and offering Him
continual thanksgiving brings a noble contentment. The Qur'an draws
our attention to this, as follows:
Allah is pleased with themand they are pleased with Him. That is the
Great Victory. (Surat al-Ma'ida, 119)
The most striking expression of what believers feel when they win
Allah's good pleasure is that He will manifest Himself to them in a
way that they can see Him. Thisis impossible in the world because, as
the Qur'an says: "Eyesight cannot perceive Him" (Surat al-An'am, 10)
But according to the Qur'an, in the next life and in a certain way
Allah will manifest Himself to His believing servants. Only Allah
knows how this will happen. But we are informed in the Qur'an that the
believers' "faces that Day will be radiant, gazing at their Lord"
(Surat al-Qiyama, 22-23) and "'Peace!' A word from a Merciful Lord"
(Surah Ya sin, 58) will be heard. Believers will be "on seats of honor
in the presence of an All-Powerful King" (Surat al-Qamar, 55).
In other words, the greatest possible blessing that believers can have
is the deep sense of Allah's mercy and will. By winning His good
pleasure, they experience a joy and a happiness that cannot be
compared with any material blessing.
Actually, it is Allah's will that gives value to Paradise's other
blessings. The same blessings may exist on Earth to a certain extent,
but they have no meaning for believers as long as they surpass the
limits Allah established.
Believers should think carefully about this extremely important point.
The real thing that gives a blessing its value issomething far beyond
its intrinsic pleasure and delight, for its real value lies in the
fact that Allah"granted" it. Believers whouse the blessing and
thankAllah for it feel that they have received Allah's gift; that the
Lord loves, protects, and looks after them; and gives them a taste of
His mercy. They take real joy from this.
A blessing is not an end; rather, it is a means to an end. As its
purpose is to encourage men and women to offer greater thanksgiving to
Allah, all of Paradise's blessings have only one goal: To lead
believers to offer eternal thanksgiving to Allah. This is what gives
them their value. In short, the blessings of Paradise are no more than
a meanswhereby believers can approach Allah and attain the
indescribable joy of winning His eternal friendship, love, and
approval. This is why Allah's good pleasure is the greatest blessing
of Paradise and far above all other material pleasures.
Let us consider one of Paradise's most striking blessings, one that is
frequently mentioned in the Qur'an: beautiful women, who represent the
height of the aestheticidea. Just to be with them is a great blessing.
The Qur'an describes the beauty of their faces, their skin, and even
their bosoms. With these magnificent women, one of Allah's greatest
materialblessings - sexuality - can be experienced eternally in the
most wonderful way. In the same manner, unmarried women will be
married to young palace servants. This also is a freegift to them from
Allah.
However, what makes these women so valuable is not merely their
beauty,but the fact that they are known to be a gift from Allah.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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Duas After meals

Prophet (SAW)'s Prayers
After Meals
Recite:
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَطْعَمَنَا وَسَقَانَا وَجَعَلَنَا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
"All praise belongs to Allah, who fed us and quenched our thirst and
made us Muslims".
(Ibn Al Sunni)
Alternate dua after meals
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي هُوَ أَشْبَعَنَا وَأَرْوَانَا وَأَنْعَمَ
عَلَيْنَا وَأَفْضَلَ
"All praise belongs to Allah who filled our stomachs and quenched our
thirst, rewarded us and gave us plentiful".
Note: If the meals are commenced with the above dua, then there will
be no accountability of the food eaten on the Day of Qiyamat.
(Hisnul Hasin from Haam)
Alternate dua
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِيهِ وَأَطْعِمْنَا خَيْرَاً مِنْهُ
"O Allah, You grant us blessings in it and grant us better than it".
(Tirmidhi)
OR
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَطْعَمَنِي هَذَا الطَّعَامَ وَرَزَقَنِيهِ
مِنْ غَيْرِ حَوْلٍ مِنِّي وَلَا قُوَّةٍ
"All Praise belongs to Allah who granted this meal, (which I received)
without my power or effort".
All previous sins are forgiven if this dua is recited after meals.
(Mishkat, Kitabul-li-baas)

Duas Before meals

Prophet (SAW)'s Prayers
Before meals
Recite:
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ وَعَلَى بَرَكَةِ اللَّهِ
In the name of Allah and with the blessings of Allah I begin (eating)".
(Mustadrak)
On forgetting to recite Bismillah at the beginning, recite:
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ أَوَّلِهِ وَآخِرِهِ
"In the name of Allah in the beginning and end".
By not reciting Bismillah, Satan has an opportunityof partake in the food.
(Mishkat)

Duas When buying or selling atthe market

Prophet (SAW)'s Prayers
When buying or selling atthe Market
Recite:
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ خَيْرُ هَذِهِ السُّوقِ وَخَيْرُ مَا
فِيهَا وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّهَا وَشَرِّ مَا فِيهَا اللَّهُمَّ
إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أُصِيبَ فِيهَا يَمِينَاً فَاجِرَةً أَوْ
صَفْقَةً خَاسِرَةً
"I entered in the name ofAllah, I seek refuge in You(Allah) for the
good in the bazaar and for the good of what is in it (the bazaar). O
Allah, I seek refuge in you from false oaths and deception in
transaction".
(Hisnul Hasin)
Additionally:
On returning from the bazaar, recite any ten ayats of the Qur'an (i.e.
from anywhere) (Hisnul Hasin from Tabarani)