COLOR ME HAPPY 

By Ayesha Nasrullah

Do you sometimes feel like you’re living the most miserable life in the world because you lack in that one thing all your friends have? Or maybe you’re the most disliked kid in school and not that oh-so-bright student; your parents don’t buy you fancy gadgets each month; don’t get to eat out that often; your mother cooks daal roti every other day; have to deal with annoying siblings, classmates, colleagues etc. And in the midst of this miasma of depression and deprivation you’re lacking SABR and SHUKAR- the two essentials of leading a contented life?

How about we COLOUR OUR LIFE HAPPY?

And why shouldn’t we when there’s so much to be greatful for! Of the countless blessings that Allah Swt has blessed us with, is the fact that He made us human beings with a healthy heart, proportionate body size, limbs, brain and all five senses.

The fact that we are breathing, we’re being able to read this with our eyes and our mind is able to process these images and comprehend its meaning is a great blessing in itself. We’re able to hear with our ears, talk with our tongue while so many a person of the same age and body as ours has ears but is deaf; has a tongue but is dumb.

No matter how healthy a body we may have, being the social animal as we are, we wouldn’t be able to survive without other people around us. Catering to this need, Allah SWT gave us loving parents, siblings, relatives, friends, teachers, spouses and all those people who are there with us through thick and thin. Allah blessed us with so many material blessings that it is hard even to enumerate them, let alone pay gratitude for every single one of them.

All of us are blessed with a comfortable house, clothes, varieties of food, while millions out there are dying of poverty, hunger, malnutrition and what not. The wealth and status that we are so proud of; the new car, branded clothes and gadgets which we love bragging about- all those are blessings are indeed blessings from Allah and demand gratitude.

Allah has also blessed us with opportunities to gain education, to get into institutions, universities and pursue the profession of our choice. One thing that makes each one of us unique are talents that Allah has endowed us with: a beautiful voice, eloquent speech, writing skills, creativity and so on and so forth. The intelligence which helps us win laurels in life is also a gift from The Almighty.

Undoubtedly, the most precious of all blessings is the Deen of Allah SWT: we’re born to Muslim families, we proudly wear the label of an Ummati of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet guide us in all walks of life. Allah bestowed us with insight so we can distinguish right from wrong. Some lucky ones are chosen for the work of Allah’s Deen. Salah, no doubt, is a great gift from Allah. Such easy access to communication with the Lord of the Worlds,  gives us a very comforting and secure feeling. He has also blessed us with an environment and company that takes us closer to Allah and we’re able to get the knowledge of Islam without any particular struggle. The ability to realise our mistakes and feel remorse and guilt over sins also comes from Allah SWT.

Often in our lives we come across people who’ve been through immensely painful situations yet we see them smiling- patience and perseverance are also blessings from Allah. The ebbs and flow of life teach us to move on and deal with all the imperfections with the help of Allah. This help comes to those whose hearts are indulged in Sabr and Shukar. Allah is with those who actually colour their lives happy so remember that nobody’s a loser until and unless he loses his faith in Allah.